As part of my therapist's orders to "do something that gets you out of the house more days than just when the mobile therapist comes", I agreed, grudgingly, to do his suggestion of a deck garden. And I think I've done it well, even though I begrudge my work out there because it cuts into my jewelry making in my studio. (You know, I love to hide in my studio and Blaine has to practically drag me out of there....)
The above are what I call my "monster tomatoes". Every time I tie a piece of yarn, anchoring the stem to the stake in order to keep the dang things from falling over, they grow another dadgum foot. I've warned them that their glorious foliage and yellow flowers had damn well better produce good (and plentiful) tomatoes.
OK, and the below are my snap beans. And lest the little plants don't look like much, see the next picture....
Hah! SNAP BEANS!!!!
The below are the kitchen herbs. They're all growing well except the cilantro, which is doing awful because I allowed it to flower. After I took the picture I pruned all those flowers off to see if we can get the plant to do better.
Now, here is where I think a giant false advertising campaign has been done for the infamous "Topsy Turvy" Tomato Planter. In the TV commercials, the tomato plant looks like it's growing upside down. But in real life, as you can see, the stupid tomato plant curves upward, determined to grow upwards---and not downwards as in the TV commercial!
But the direction it's growing hasn't affected its tomato growing ability. Below is a picture of one cluster of tomatoes. There's a lot of these clusters all over the plant---yeah!
I can't wait till either the monster tomatoes or the Topsy Turvy tomatoes get ripe. I'll eat them with relish---and if some don't ripen and stay green, well I am known all over the south for my fried green tomatoes recipe, a secret recipe I'll never reveal!!
Oh, and here are the pitiful marigolds. I think they got envious and discouraged by the height the monster tomatoes are growing---almost my height---and so they're pouting.
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27 comments:
I'm so jealous!
~jennifer
I LOVE fried green tomatoes....and cannot make them worth a damn! Maybe you can send me some! LOL
Wow!
Your deck garden is beautiful. I am in southern Ca and have just picked our first tomatoes. Yum!
We are lucky here as we have a year round growing season.
Glad to see you are having fun with your garden and jewelry making.
Marsha
cool buttons
if you look at them you can see Nemo fish with black eyes!
Thank you, Anonymous. I don't have much confidence in my stuff so your compliment makes me feel much better--thanks again! :)
you should have every confidence in your creations!
if what you make by youir own hand makes you happy then you should be pleased
I really like your buttons and think they would look especially cute on a childs cardi simply because of the fun bright colours and cuteness of the 'little fishie' shapes the colours have formed
I have been enjoying your expression with colour for a while now and think it is great
keep on having fun Bo!
Donna
Thank you so very much, you guys! You make me feel better. I'm a beginner and so I don't have confidence in my stuff. But I'm determined to keep on plugging (and doing the lessons in books I get) until I get better. (Same as I did with knitting!)
and p.s.
your basil looks way healthier than mine
don't know what I did to it....
Donna
Bo how much do you plan to sell the buttons for?
Donna
can I reach you at the yahoo address?
Hi Donna: Yes, you can reach me at my yahoo address. I hadn't really thought about how much I would sell them for---I didn't think I'd sell buttons till I got better at it. So if you'd like them, send me your address and I'll send them to you for free! (And you can give me feedback for my next ones!)
I too, like a good thunderstorm, enjoy!
( I just hope no damage is done)
My 'petite' marigolds look just like yours. You may just have a short variety meant for borders and such? Getting out in the sun a little bit is good for you, even if hiding in the cave is more comfortable. I am sure those tomatoes will be great.
I know you're right, Mathi Bear!! It did feel good to get out on the deck and water the plants. Oh--did you know I can make it rain? All I have to do is water the plants....and the rain will happen that day! (Kind of like if Blaine washes his car!)
Green Thumbs? Oh no no no! You, my dear Bo, are green from the tippy top of your hair to the soles of your feet! I'm totally blown away. And totally envious of your rain power!
the container garden looks good and far less problems than the weeds and grass and tree seedlings we have fun battling here in IL
Bo
did you put
anything on your basil to help it along?
mine looks positively sick compared to yours...
miracle grow?
Donna
Hi Donna! Yes, I did use Miracle Gro. I fill up a half gallon container to water the plants, with a big pinch of Miracle Gro, and then I water things, giving the basil a good soaking. (I don't put the whole half gallon on the basil---I split that half gallon with the basil and the three other kitchen herbs.) I don't put saucers under them---I let them drain naturally. And I put the pot the basil is in where it will get the full half day of bright sunlight, until the sun moves over the house towards the front yard. Hope this helps!! (Oh yes, and when we bought the little seedling plants of herbs, I transplanted them to larger containers to give the roots space to grow.) Hope this helps! :)
P.S. Donna---I put that pinch of Miracle Gro in the half gallon container every time I water---whereas some people say not to do it every time. But it works for me!
Thanks for the gardening tip, I'll try it and see if it helps my sad basil! I was really looking forward to eating that!
Donna
Hi Bo
I hope you are doing ok after all those intense sessions. I know I always felt completely drained after.
I got some Miracle Grow and I'm ready for all out competitive basil growing! You have an awesome headstart on me however.
I hope you haven't given up on your LRR hoodie, you seemed so close to having it finished. I understand the "switching gears" though, sometimes I stop knitting for months and devour books like they were going to stop printing them.
Donna
Hi Donna! Yes, those sessions are draining, and I have three days in a row of them, Wed/Thurs/Fri---and I feel like a wet noodle after. And Blaine woke me up too early this morning to do something. So I didn't get any rest today! So I told him that I just want McDonalds for dinner tonight so there's no cooking or complications in the kitchen tonight! I still have the LRRH layed out on a table---I will finish it because you're right about me being so close! I just got so addicted to this jewelry making!
Anyhoo, I think you can turn the basil situation around---mine didn't look good at first but then when it started getting lots of sun it improved! (We had a late winter so everything got started late.)
hi Bo!
oh I feel your pain..really I do.
Funny how we all think we are alone in these situations until someone says something so similar that you become kindred spirits!
Oh the loud, loud family dinners.
I hope you get a good nights sleep and wake up fresh to have fun in your studio and don't forget your knitting (I miss the knitting!)
take care
Donna
Thank you, Donna!
It's very interesting to see the images on the pendants, I don't know how you do it, you have way more patience than I do!
Donna
Thank you, Donna! Believe me, it took some time of frustration and discouragement until I finally learned how to put the images on there. I kept ruining things over and over---aaargh!---and then finally I got mad and did it my way(instead of the way in the books)and lo-and-behold, it worked!
The multi-coloured bead necklace is indeed the current trend, very pretty!
Thank you, Anonymous!
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