What I am growing

Hello Everyone!

I thought I would give you a quick update on what I am growing in the garden and where it stands right now.

1. Clemson Spineless #80 Okra.  I have these 11 little guys in Styrofoam cups right now to let them grow some. These will be laid out in one of the three 6x6 beds, crowded in some with a variety of tomatoes. This picture was taken on 4/10.

Okra in the Styrofoam Cups

2. Better Boy Tomato Hybrid. These are indeterminate plants, which means that they produce tomatoes all season long as long as I keep them pruned. I have 3 of these little guys planted in the 4x4 bed and 1 in one of in the 6x6 bed. It may be a little crowded once they take off but I plan on allowing these guys to grow up, instead of out. I have seen some people say that these can grow up to 7' high. We will have to see how they do in my garden. I did not start these guys from seed, but instead purchased them from Walmart.

Better Boy Hybrid Tomato

3. All Star Strawberry. Isaac really wanted this for some odd reason when we went to Home Depot one Sunday after church. He was so set on it I let him buy it and we came home and we planted it in a small container. It probably will not produce much in the way of strawberries this year, but if we take care of it and let it grow (and move it to a bed in the fall) we should have a good crop of strawberries in 2012.

All-Star Strawberry

4. One Packman Broccoli Plant. Unlike its yellow '80s arcade namesake (I am positive it was not named after that) it is doing pretty good and has already sprouted one small bunch of florets. Abby promptly ate it when I cut it back to prevent the plant from stunting its growth. Hopefully we will get a lot more out of this one. I will need to be on the lookout though for root grubs so they won't kill it. 

Packman Broccoli

5. Cherry Red Tomato. These also are Indeterminate plants. I have 4 of these planted now and they are progressing nicely. This picture was taken on 4/10 and already they have doubled their leaves. A few more weeks and I can move them to their permanent home in one of the 6x6 beds with the okra. These also will be grown up instead of out. I have also read that these can also grow to considerable height.

Cherry Red Tomato Seedling

6. Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins. Not really looking for any kind of edible fruit from these two small plants but I am hoping that when the fall gets here that Isaac, Abby and Andy will have some nice pumpkins to carve for Halloween. Isaac was very keen on these. He did, however, not like the seed packets with a carved Jack-O-Lantern on them. He said it was too scary.

Isaac's Pumpkin's - Jack-O-Lantern

7. Fordhook Zucchini. These are mostly for Jocelyn, however, I hope they do well because there is nothing better than fried zucchini. I have 5 of these guys currently growing in Styrofoam cups. Of the 6 seeds I started in an old egg carton, 5 of them survived. Right now they are starting to get their second set of leaves. This picture was taken on 4/10.

Fordhook Zucchini

I have several other vegetables I am working on now, but I will have to get pictures of them tomorrow or Thursday. Here is a list of what else is growing right now.

Poinsett Cucumbers - 8 plants going right now, in Styrofoam cups
Dark Beauty Zucchini - 2 plants going right now, in Styrofoam cups
Zinnia Flowers - 4 plants going right now in Styrofoam cups
Sumter Cucumber - 1 plant in Styrofoam cup and one in a seed tray that I need to transplant to a cup.

I have some more seeds sown in a couple of used yogurt containers and a used egg carton.
Dixie Hybrid Yellow Squash - 4 seeds
More Better Boy Tomatoes - 4 seeds
Roma Tomatoes - 4 seeds.

My next plans are to sow some corn and beans and then plant some pepper seeds (green and red bell and some cayenne and jalapeno). I also have plans to sow some egg plant seeds and some more yellow squash and zucchinis. I have two heirloom tomato seed packets ordered but they will not be here until next week. One of the heirloom tomato plants is called Midnight in Moscow. It is a "black" tomato whose fruits are in the shape of a heart when you cut them. The other is a Blue Ridge Mountain heirloom that makes some Beefsteak type tomatoes that weigh up to 2 lbs.

Hopefully we will have another update tomorrow.

Joe Delk