Straw Bale Garden Update - June 2023

 

A panoramic view from the patio

Here we are on the final day of June, and I'm finally coming in with a garden update. :) To the right, you can see most of the garden, although there are five more bales to the left of the side (left) arch that continue all the way back up to the very edge of our house. The two nearest the house are loaded down with cucumber plants that are finally starting to climb on the fence behind their bales. There are also two more bales laden down with Scarlet Runner beans and random tomato plants that we ran out of places to tuck in elsewhere. The final bale has herbs and micro tomato plants. 

Pansies and Tomatoes

I also still have a tray of tomato starts that I can't bear to sell and can't find room to plant. What is a person to do? Why, buy extra dirt and fill more pots, of course! Will they need larger containers? Yes. Do I have them? No. Am I going to try to grow them in smaller containers anyway? You betcha. That is, unless I am able to find (or get creative and make) other accommodations for them. 

You can see that I have also tucked tomatoes in with my pansies. I get that this wasn't a great idea, but again, I didn't want to waste my small tomato plants. I have two of the Little Birdy series growing, that I know of. I don't believe that I had any Rosey Finch seeds left from last year. 

Galdiolus

Meanwhile, flowers are growing and blooming all over the yard. I have a ton of Cannas that are putting out their leaves in such a lovely fashion. I bought red Canna bulbs from someone in town this spring. I wanted green plants because that is the kind of Canna my dad gave to me as a gift years ago. Unfortunately, those bulbs never came back up the following year. When I bought these red Cannas, it was as close as I could get to the green. Imagine my utter delight when one set of bulbs put out green shoots! Now we refer to that as the "Papa Canna". It is a delight to find new ways to remember him out in the garden, and in the world around us. 

Okay, so let's get right down to it, shall we? I have a (hastily written) messy list of the tomatoes that are sitting out in my garden right now. I've always wanted to hit a solid 30 (or more) varieties. So far, the closest I've come is 27. Let's get this thing typed out and counted!

2023 Tomato Variety List

1. Climbing Triple Crop  

2. Pink Bumblebee

3. Sunchocula
4. Tumbling Tom
5. Sunpeach
6. Dr. Carolyn
7. Juliet
8. Spoon (I ended up with several plants, grown from seed and also purchased)
9. Banana Leg
10. Wild Boar
11. Mint Julip
12. Chocolate Pear
13. Pink Princess
14. Bumblebee Mix (so this could be sunrise, pink, or purple)
15. Yellow Bell
16. Pink Girl
17. Striped German
18. El Dorado
19. Zapotec
20. Dr. Whyche's
21. Midnight Snack
22. White Beauty
23. Mortgage Lifter Yellow
24. Tropical Sunset
25. Goliath Sunny
26. Mark Twain
27. Brandywine Yellow
28. Brandywine Suddoth
29. Brandywine Black
30. Brandywine Pink
31. Brandywine Cherry
32. Purple Boy
33. Beefmaster
34. Queen of the Night
35. Marglobe
36. Martino's Roma
37. Chef's Choice Pink
38. Watermelon Beefsteak
39. Kellogg's Breakfast
40. Yellow Beefsteak
41. Golden Fang
42. Horizon
43. Indigo Pear Drops
44. Nebraska Wedding
45. San Marzano
46. Rio Grande
47. Stump of the World
48. Little Birdy Yellow Canary
49. Little Birdy Red Robin
50. Chocolate Pear

Oh. My. Goodness!! I have more than met my goal! I have exceeded it - by a lot! EEEEEEKKK!!! Excuse my utter joy, here. I cannot believe this! Hallelujah! I panic-bought a TON of plants this year, after mine struggled so hard to make it. Then I also panic-planted another round of seeds from plants I saved from past years. Girl, WE DID IT!! HAHAHA I couldn't be happier to know that I have not just hit thirty, but exceeded it! This is, indeed, my biggest garden year EVER!! WAHOO!!! TOMATOES, BABY!!!

Oh, my stars! I am one happy gardener! In addition to the many tomatoes, we have many other things growing. Other Veggies (etc): Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins, Yellow Crookneck squash, Delicata squash, Spaghetti Squash, maybe Black Beauty zucchini, Marketmore cucumber, Tendergreen cucumbers, Lemon cucumbers, Scarlet Runner beans, Ground Cherries, Radishes, California Wonder Bell Peppers, Fire and Ice Peppers, Lettuce (mixed), Carrots, Lavender, Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe, Yellow Potatoes (but no sign of growth yet), and Lemon Mint. 

Flowers: Gray Mammoth Sunflowers, American Giant Hybrid Sunflowers, Dwarf Teddy Bear Sunflowers, Calliope, Baby's Breath, Triteleia, Roses (pink, large pink, white tea roses, red, yellow/pink tea roses), Butterfly and Bird wildflower mix, Four O'Clock, Pansies, Cannas, Lilacs (only one reblooming)