Working hard on that new list of tomato and pepper plants for Spring!
Last chance to add to it! Leave a comment here or at my site LilsGarden.net
Tomato List!
Tag Archives: tomatoes
Green Babies
We’re getting there Sissy!
The unusual warm spell hitting the Midwest right now has everybody itching to get out and start working in the garden, but should we plant our tomatoes and peppers now? We could, but then we all know here in Chicagoland, it will get cold again (you’ve heard the saying “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes, it’ll change”? It’s true here. Especially in Spring).
Our last frost date is roughly around May 5th and we would have to keep a diligent eye on the thermometer and the Weather Channel so we can run out and throw buckets, plastic and the spare bed sheets over our tender little plants to protect them from frost. But that’s a lot of work and worry if you ask me. I used to do all that, planting my tomatoes as early as possible, closely watching the weather on TV every afternoon, then running out in the evening and covering everything up (yes, I’ve done the bed sheet thing many times) and then back out in the morning to uncover before the sun came up an cooked everything. But I had more energy then, and time. Now, older, lazier and a fuller schedule, I just wait until late April and early May to plant my tomatoes and peppers.
As for my little Organic Babies here, they won’t be planting out size until around then anyway. This early warm spell has caught most of us growers with our proverbial pants down. As I mentioned above, people are wanting to plant their gardens now, but unless you started your own tomato and pepper transplants early, most greenhouses and nurseries here aren’t quite ready (but we’ve all kicked into high gear now!).
I would though, start planting my lettuce, peas, onions and potatoes now, while the weather is nice and the soil is dry, for soon, this weekend actually, it will be back to more normal March temps (I peeked at the weather just now~ 60’s are forecasted for the weekend for us).
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| transplanting Kellog’s Breakfast tomatoes |
Happy Spring and Happy Gardening
from Lil’s Garden!
Get out and enjoy your day if you can!
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| pepper seeds |
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| organic tomato seedlings |
New 2012 Plant List is Up!
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| last years seedling ~ Tommy Toe cherry |
Not in alphabetical order:
Tomatoes:
Lemony
Vintage Wine
Italian Giant Beefsteak
Earliana
Brandywine
Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom
Martino’s Roma
Rutger’s Improved
Black Cherry
Kellogg’s Breakfast
Marianna’s Peace
North Dakota Earliana
Cuore De Toro (bulls heart)
Tommy Toe (Cherry)
Tiny Tin ( Dwarf cherry)
Sun Sugar Hybrid (cherry)
Peppers:
Anaheim Chili- hot
Early Jalapeno- hot
California Wonder -bell
King of the North- bell
King of the North- bell
Gypsy Hybrid (sweet Italian)- non bell
Sweet Banana –non bell
Golden Treasure (sweet) non bell
For details and printable lists go to www.LilsGarden.net
Well Worth the Wait…
Finally, the tomatoes are starting to ripen!
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| Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom, Vintage Wine, Cuore De Toro, Martino’s Roma |
Despite my garden’s late start- end of June-
all the extra nurturing and care
all the extra nurturing and care
(and the new dog proof fence) is finally starting to pay off!
Here’s today’s bounty. In a few days there will be more.
These are heirloom and open pollinated. Very sweet and yummy~
though a little cracked here and there but that was due to the hot dry weather and
my uneven watering.
And here’s the second crop of red raspberries.
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| heritage raspberries ~ everberring |
And my August Lily Hosta is right on cue
and my Zinnias are in full bloom~ this is the first time I’ve planted Zinnias from plants from the Garden Center and not seed. Not bad I think.
and finally, Daisy, waiting for me to drop some more grapes and raspberries.
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| No… I’m not begging…. |
Getting Excited!
Green tomatoes everywhere!
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| Vintage Wine |
I can hardly wait until they turn red!
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| Cuore De Toro |
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| Martino’s Roma |
It’s been so long since I’ve had fresh tomatoes out of my garden….
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| Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom |
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| Vintage Wine |
Thanks to to my new welded wire Annie Repellant!
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| My Vegetable Garden Early On… right after the attack. Everything’s bigger now |
For the last two years, no matter how I try to protect the garden,
this dog, as innocent as she tries to appear,
has bulldozed through all barriers and ate her self silly.
she’s eaten everything I’ve planted~
tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, strawberries, lettuce…
the list goes on.
the list goes on.
the only thing I found she doesn’t like is Swiss Chard and Kale.
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| The Devourer of Gardens and Fresh Produce~ AKA Annie |
White roses, Green tomatoes & an Uncooperative Chickadee
Last month I ‘rescued” a miniature white rose from my IGA store. You know, the little roses you find sitting among assorted house plants and such in the grocery store’s floral section.
This little rose was sitting there all by it’s self, looking lonely, and loosing it’s blooms for lack of light~
so of course I had to take it home.
(Yes, this is an addiction…. and when they come out with the TV show, “Plant Hoarders Intervention”, I will probably be one of the featured guests!)
Anyway, I gave it a new home with lots of organic compost and plenty of sunshine.
It really loved this and was quickly covered in new growth and fat little buds!
Isn’t it pretty?
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And, I finally have green tomatoes! Yay!
I got my garden in late so I’m very happy to see these now.
There’s nothing better than a garden grown tomato! These are Rutgers.
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And last, my garden has been made home by a family of Chickadees this year!
I’ve been trying to get pictures forever of these quick little guys
but by the time I snap the picture, they’re off and flying again!
This is one of the babies and he’s not afraid of me at all.
He’ll sit on the feeders right next to me as I work in the garden!
He just didn’t want to hold still for the camera!
Summer Flowers, Grapes & Labrador Proofing
The first day of summer is almost upon us
and the flowers continue to bloom in my garden…
……as I spend all my time in the Garden Center! (sigh…)
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| I don’t care what anybody says about spirea! I love my little spirea! It blooms with abandon in almost dense shade and does very well in the dry sandy soil against my house… |
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| A closeup |
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| and a little sunlight |
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| Another itsy bitsy spider… Very hard to get the auto focus on the camera to fix on this. I think it took about ten minutes to get this shot! |
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| Dappled light on the Pachysandra |
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| A perennial Geranium called “Splish Splash” |
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| Also a mail order plant of several years ago…. |
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| More Blooms on my dark pink clematis |
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| The House Bunn’s veggie barrel ~ celery, Kale, oakleaf lettuce & seedlings, Cos lettuce, tiny thumbelina carrot sprouts on the left (very tiny right now) and red and white Swiss Chard sprouts on the right (also very tiny). Our Bunns are very spoiled rabbits…. |
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| Butterfly weed or asclepias tuberosa ~ also started from seed a long time ago. It’s almost ready to bloom. |
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| A Heliopsis or False Sunflower I planted from seed several years ago,,, from this one planting in my front yard, is has reseeded itself all over my backyard…. But I love it and so do the yellow finches! |
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| A metal butterfly I painted and attached to my arbor…. |
And in the vegetable garden….
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| GRAPES! I have grapes! Yay! This is one of two grape vines on my back fence. This one here is a seedless Red Reliance |
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| And this one is a green seedless~ I will have to go out and look at the tag on it because I can’t remember the variety at this moment… Both of these came from Dan & Jerry’s Green house five years ago… Last year was the first year it had grapes and I’m glad to see them producing again. |
….and finally, the Labrador proofing!
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| I got my garden in ‘very’ late this year (I’m so embarrassed!) because every day off I had, it was pouring down rain! So last week it was finally nice enough to get out and till, compost and plant! The chicken wire is to keep my black Lab, Annie out because she ate the entire garden last year! Yes, everything! Even the strawberry plants! This dog’s number one hobby is eating! |
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| Sure… She’s all sweet and innocent now~ but as soon as your back is turned…. |
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Container Gardening
As promised, here are some pics of my latest project.
I have been growing Herbs, Veggies and a few Perennials in a container for a few years now, and love it.
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| You’ll have to excuse the weeds. I’ve been very busy this year and have neglected my “home” garden |
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| Left is Four Banana Peppers & Right is one Martino’s Roma Tomato (I love using galvanized buckets) |
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| My Hens and Chicks Container with a little “Blue Spruce” Sedum tucked in the center…. |
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| Did you know Hens & Chicks flower? I’ve had a few flower on me before. |
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| Here’s an update on the “White & Fuzzy” washtub in an earlier post. |
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transplant day
transplant day (makings of a small business)
Lil's Garden Tour 