The next generation of tomato: Super Bush (hehehehe)

Yeah, it looks small now, but this meager little seedling will grow up to be a big tomato. It's a Super Bush, a determinate tomato plant, supposedly good for container gardening. Because, it's determinate, all of the tomatoes will ripen at once, and the plant won't produce any more tomatoes, so I plan on starting one of these suckers once a month for the next couple of months, so that we have a a few bursts of tomatoes. The fruit on the Super Bush variety is supposed to grow to up to 6 ounces, which is far larger than the Cherries, but not nearly as big as a tomato can get. I guess it would be considered a small tomato. I'm really excited to start the next generation, since I've been practicing on the poor Cherries (who turned purple several times due to low Phosphorous levels). Hopefully this time I have it figured out. Isn't it cute?

Tarragon - Curse you!

Today, I bought a French Tarragon plant (pictured on the right). I tasted it this morning, and my tongue is still numb. So yeah, it's safe to say that it was labeled properly. I still have my mystery Tarragon plant (pictured on the left). The mystery Tarragon, is just starting to grow, so it's hard to tell if it's French or Russian. What do you think it is?

My Balcony Garden

Okay... Here's an update on the actual garden. Currently growing the following:

Basils
-Lettuce Leaf
-Cinnamon
-Thai Queen
Oregano - Hot and Spicy
Marjoram
Chives
Thyme
-English
-Varigated Lemon
Sage
Mint
-Apple
-Spearmint
-Mojito
Tarragon - One is French, the other ???
Garlic
Peppers
-Jalepeno
-New Mex
-Ancho
Cherry Tomatoes
-Sungold
-Supersweet 100
-Sweet Gold
Tomato - Super Bush
Alpine Strawberries
Impatiens - Super Elfin
Fuschia - Upright
Sweetpea
Cape Honeysuckle


So, yeah. That's sort of a lot of plants for a little balcony. The Cherry Tomatoes are doing wonderfully and already have some green tomatoes growing on them. I'm especially looking forward to the Sungolds, since they have such a wonderful reputation. The Bush Tomato will replace one of the Cherries after John and I decide who gets voted off the island. When I started this project last year, I was sure that I would kill everything. Now, it's awesome to look out on the balcony and see the garden, and the urban habitat that it's creating.

I would love to see pictures of your gardens! Post a link or an image in the comments!

St. John Community Fair

St. John, Washington is a small wheat farming community in Eastern Washington State. The area is fondly referred to as the Paloose. St. John is akin to Silvertown in the movie Meet Joe Dirt. It's America's best small country town, and where everyone should want to live. My mom grew up in St. John and my Grandma, Eileen, still lives there. We make the annual stock show our reunion. Last week, I was there with my family. For the first time, I had an entry in the fair! I chose a photo of my Arabian colt, Klay...



I won a blue ribbon (on a Dutch system), but failed to achieve a higher award, like my sister Jennifer, who won Best in Class for her photo of the US Capitol Building. My sister, Erica, was also robbed from a division ribbon with her beautiful photo of the Cle Elum River. Although, I live in the city, these are my country roots. I am thankful to my grandparents for teaching me about gardening and hard work from a very young age (I picked A LOT of Raspberries). Next year... BEST IN SHOW!

Gossip Garden is on furlough

Sorry guys, my camera had an accident. Once I get it fixed/replaced, I will start taking pictures again. The camera phone just doesn't get good enough pictures for the little hummers. I will have you know, however, that there are several new characters in the garden. The Black Chinned hummingbirds moved in! I believe that one of them (Nate OMG!!!) chased Chuck out of the garden. I haven't seen him in quite awhile. It looks like Nate is scamming on all of Chuck's hotties! The two pictures were taken about a month ago, when my camera wasn't broken. Lily Bass (above) and Chuck and Serena (Below).

Gossip Garden: Lilly Bass

Lilly Bass, mother of Serena. Step mother of Chuck. Well, Serena and Chuck are usually telling Lilly what to do, not the other way around. So, our beautiful little Anna's female of Gossip Garden is named Lilly. I love this little bird. She will fly by me while I'm out there to check me out. She just has to be involved with everything going on. She is the only bird that drinks from all three feeders and she is always buzzing around the flowers. I can only guess that she's been around a few blocks. Maybe she dated Trent Reznor in the 90's. Garden Dan and her seem to be about equals, but Lilly always holds her own with the other birds. She just smart enough not to get into a lot of fights.

Lilly likes a drink from time to time. Don't we all?

Lilly was one of the first birds to show up. Thanks Lilly!

That's all for our Gossip Garden character development for now. As soon as I see another regular, I'll add it to the show. Stay tuned for more Gossip Garden updates!

Gossip Garden: Dan

Dan is sort of a tool. I don't have a lot of pictures of him, and the reason why is that he's a tool. He's always in the wrong place at the right time. He's not afraid of people, but it looks like someone kicked his ass. Maybe it was Chuck. I wouldn't blame him. In reality, I think he's molting, which gives him an awkward appearance. Dan was one of the first birds to show up, and he was definitely the first male Anna's. So, I have to give him some props for loyalty. Every time another bird kicks his ass, he's back again for more. It's paying off too, because the high society birds are starting to tolerate him a little more. Chuck hates him, but hasn't killed him yet, so that's good. Every time Dan and Serena date, they realize that two birds of different species just can't make it work. Stupid birds, they just keep trying. 

 

Dan's cute enough, but he's no Chuck Bass.

Next Blog: Lilly Bass