Spring garden

Yesterday we planted our garden. First thing in the morning, I went to Home Depot to see what plants they had, and bought a six-pack variety bell pepper pack and some seeds (beans, carrots, radishes, beets, lettuce and parsley). Then I drove to the Monster Tomato and Pepper Sale at Cal-State Fullerton Aboretum. I had prepared for my trip by downloading the list of 180 tomatoes and 100 peppers that they are selling, sorting them by the ones that are resistant to nematodes (we've been having problems for a few years with nematodes) and then deciding which kinds I want that are resistant to nematodes. It's disappointing that we can't buy the cool heirloom tomatoes they sell, but they aren't nematode resistant, so it's not worth even planting them.

When I arrived at the sale, it was much better organized than in years past. I arrived at 9:30 to be sure to get a parking space before it opened at 10, but they were already letting people in, so I was able to leave before 10. They had a sign out front with the names of the tomatoes and peppers that were already sold out, so I could cross them off the list. I easily selected the first 5 plants, including one Italian-style tomato, but the only cherry tomato on my list had already sold out, so I selected Sun Gold, a variety we've had in the past. We planted it as far as possible from where we've planted tomatoes in the past, so hopefully the nematodes won't get it.

I also bought two hot pepper plants for salsa (what else am I going to make with all these tomatoes!) In the afternoon, Tom planted the tomatoes and I planted the peppers, and Lukas helped me. He did a pretty good job putting the plants in the hole, but he still has to learn to be gentle with the plants. This will be a good exercise for him to understand waiting, because he's asked about 4 times in the past 24 hours if there are tomatoes on the plants yet. I told him the plants have to grow, then we'll see yellow flowers, then little tomatoes, then big green tomatoes, then they'll turn red, and then we can eat them. I expect him to lose interest in a couple days.

But in the meantime, Lukas will be able to see the seeds coming up...uh, after we plant them! We're going camping this coming weekend, so hopefully after we come back, we can plant the seeds and make sure the drip systems are watering properly so our labor is not lost.