New Garden, Same Geek

Gearing Up For Spring

I'm crying uncle. To all the squirrels, deer, rabbits, groundhogs, and every other varmint that delighted in feasting on my vegetables last year, I say to you: you have won. I am giving up trying to keep you guys out of my garden. Well, sorta.

Instead I’m planting more flowers and fewer veggies, except for one: tomatoes. I have gone whole hog into tomatoes. But not just any ones. Special breeds that I have grown from seed under my home made lights.

I’ve decided to go with determinate plants instead of the indeterminate ones you usually see. Determinate means they grow more or less in a bush shape, compact and not long uncontrollable vines. This way I won't have 8 foot monsters, hopefully I'll have more like 2 foot cutie pies. Except for one: hey son, sugar hybrid, which is supposed to be one of the most delicious tomatoes you can buy. See the packaging above.

And something new this year: I'm planting all of them from seed. Not spending six bucks a pop at the box store for one tomato. For five bucks I can buy a seed packet of 20 or 30 of them and I'm investing in grow lights. Not the expensive $80 package, but Walmart specials for $15.95 which grow plants just as well.

I did decide to take on the critters by growing some lettuce, above, under the lights and they are now outside but keeping close by: in long planters. But already the squirrels have attacked - or maybe the chipmunks - by digging up the planters after just a few days.

All in all, I’ve added some anemone bulbs which were a real learning experience. Out of 36, only 10 survived the winter in the garage. But it let me experience the joy of seeing how corms can rot and be invaded by tiny little white worms which turn the solid bulbs into something akin to consistency of yogurt. Yum.

After the lights, came the window sill…

And then hardening off outside.

So here is my final hoard of plants waiting for some nicer weather to be installed in their final resting place. In a patch of soil that looks very sad at the moment.

To butcher a phrase, Spring: Hope’s Eternal.

Check back to view the progress.