First Round of Tomatoes

I finally had enough gumption to clean out all of the weeds that had grown in the tomato bed. I expect them (the weeds) to have gone to seed, so I will have to watch this bed in the future and kill anything that sprouts. It cleaned up easily with just the bow rake. I spread dolomite lime and 10-10-10 on the area and used the fork to mix it in. I want to avoid blossom rot. Dolomite is different than the hydrated lime I have used in the past, so I hope it works.

The tomato plants I started from seed were finally large enough to transplant. I planted them in peat pots, which are supposed to be capable of being directly planted in the garden, but I didn't trust it. I took each of the pots off.

My goal this year is to lose none to cut worms. I read that you can use plastic drinking straws as cut worm guards. I cut up straws from McDonalds (cut into quarters lengthwise and slit up one side) to place one around each stem. I buried the straw about half an inch below the soil, so there was at least an inch above the soil.

Today was a very windy day; not perfect to plant in. Too windy to go sailing.

I used the same spacing as I used on the strawberries; plants are 15.5" apart, 9 per row, 2 rows, spaced 15.5" apart as well. This spacing just works for the raised beds when you have 18 plants to put into a 4' x 12' area. This is a little less dense than I planted last year.

Today's planting was only of Marglobe. I still have 18 plants left to plant, 6 more Marglobe and 12 Brandywine. I can't plant them until I get dirt into the new raised bed boxes, which I can't do until I get all the boxes finished. (I get my soil from Oak Ridge Shrubbery and they deliver 4 yards at a time, enough when mixed with roughly equal amounts of compost for 3 full raised beds.)

We (Jason, Hayley, and I) did finish the second of the three new boxes today. One more to go before I order soil. We may be able to get the last one built next weekend.