Garden Plot Update

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It’s time to start posting updates on my gardens before things get too out-of-hand. Over at the community garden plot I dug in some fresh soil amenders and finished planting quite a while back. Thanks to some rain all the seedlings are coming in nicely. This year I planted:

  • Purple Cherokee tomato
  • Black Krim tomato
  • Lemon Boy tomato
  • Striped German tomato
  • Purple Prince tomato
  • Swiss Chard
  • Egyptian Onion

I also planted some chamomile, oregano, valerian, dill and calendula along the perifery. I like to plant flowers to attract beneficial insects. Some of the perennials I planted last year such as red valerian and calamint are doing well. The calamint is currently bursting with flowers. The smell is incredible and strong!

I can happily state for a fact that the hay mulch was the best thing I did last year. There is a lot of debate about whether hay is a good mulch because slugs are attracted to the environment it creates. However, they also say that slug predators are attracted by the mulch so that evens the score. Whatever the case, I don’t seem to have a slug problem although slugs are present in the area. I have found a few underneath the mulch but haven’t seen enough damage to be concerned. Overall, the soil is much, much better than last year and the worm population has exploded.

So far the only problem this year has been with the ‘Two Inch Strawberry’ corn. It didn’t germinate! I was so looking forward to harvesting tiny, red cobs of corn.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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One thought on “Garden Plot Update

  1. You’ll have to let us know how your Purple Cherokee tomato is faring, Gayla. I started one of those and a Super Lemon Boy in addition to my other favorites this year (I’m in Iowa). All of them are taking off like crazy. The Cherokee Purple has great foliage about 5 ft high but not one blossom or fruit! All the other tomatoes around it are fruiting. Quite strange!

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