Saturday, May 16, 2009

Tomatoes, etc. in the Ground.

Kate and I took a trip to the nursery and purchased a few plants:
2 Cherokee Purple Heirloom
2 Brandywine Heirloom
1 Black from Tula a Russian variety Heirloom
1 Green Zebra Heirloom
1 Cilantro/Coriander
1 Parsley (I believe Flat Leaf)
2 Sweet Basil
And three rows of green beans

Over the past week, we, along with our downstairs neighbor Jen, cleared a postage-stamp plot near our porch. After pulling all of the weeds and ivy we could, we bought and spread four cubic feet of enriched compost. Turning the soil wasn't a thrill, by any means, but it allowed us to mix the topsoil with compost. I'll provide pictures and updates as new developments arise. Most of the tomatoes are 80 day varieties. The enriched compost provides a layer of food that should sustain the plants for a month or two, long enough to help the plants strengthen their roots and build a foundation for continual growth and yield. Kate and I bandied around the idea of boosting the soil in mid- or early July before the fruit starts exploding--nothing more than a standard NPK fertilizer. Our philosophy is to avoid pesticides, and to use commercial or organic fertilizers when necessary.

Welcome any tips you might have. I noticed a lack of earthworms in the soil when I turned it, which has me a bit uneasy considering some of the soil smelled...weird. That might be a deficiency I address when we return from Belize.

1 comment:

Ingrid said...

We didn't have any worms in ours either when we tilled, but things seem to be growing well. Mulch helps keep in the moisture, but that's about the only tip I have for you at this point!

Enjoy Belize!