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photo journal
> garden "time lapse" slideshow
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8.31.09 main garden tomato plants have grown to about 7 feet in height, and would have gone higher with taller trellises. they also spread out very wide on the ground. still very few red tomatoes or ripe peppers because of the bizarrely cool spring.
tips: i allowed the tomato plants to spread out as the low branches were producing fruit. as common sense could have predicted, the lower un-trellised branches were eventually brought to the ground by the weight of tomatoes, and those rotted or would have before maturing. i've since clipped these branches off, but should have pruned earlier because a lot of nutrients, water and energy followed the 'path of least resistance', hence depriving the higher fruit of the some of these elements. in short, clip those low branches early. also, build your trellis as tall as is practical for maximum production. just remember you probably don't want to have to use a stepstool to harvest. finally, the biodegradable twine i used for trellising began biodegrading in august! about two months to soon. best to use nylon or other material that will last an entire season or more.
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fountain / fireplace garden this garden was planted using my usual ornamental design method: grab some plants you like, are appropriate for the conditions, and work well together. i don't know what a pro would say, but i'm happy with it. |
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8.31.09 today's harvest yellow grape, roma and beefsteak tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and ONE chili pepper. in a 'normal' chicago summer, ripe peppers and tomatoes would have been abundant in late july instead of early september.
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container garden the container plants are doing pretty well, but are also late because of cool temps. the peppers seem to be at about the same stage as those in the main garden, but the carrots are much smaller. these containers are placed on the west side of the house, and do not get direct sun until around noon. i'm guessing this is the reason for thse smaller carrots, but it could also be the sheet composting method or dryer conditions that have slowed their growth.
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