garden update - the vegetable garden

Since I (mostly) kept my promise to myself and worked in the garden this past weekend I wanted to show you my vegetable garden.  It's not much, but it really is just about all of the sun I have, and the only sun I have anywhere close to a water source.

Everything about this bed is completely makeshift.  The boards are some that were replaced on my grandmother's deck this last fall, and my tomato stakes are a mixture of fallen limbs and scrap wood/pipe found behind my shed.

My favorite part about this bed is the irrigation.  I feel like I actually did this right and laid out a soaker hose around my plants, then mulched about 3 inches on top.  I've been able to water at night, or overnight, twice a week without any problem.

 

Considering the heat, I'm very happy about that.  And considering my water bill was $9 last month, I think I can handle the long soaks...ahh the perks to living in the county!

This year I planted tomatoes, peppers, and squash with a few marigolds to help the tomatoes along.

We'll start with the tomatoes.

I'm really excited about my tomatoes.  On a whim I started a bunch from seed, and this is the only little guy that survived my neglect.  He's either a yellow or red brandywine.

The healthiest tomatoes in my garden are heirloom varieties that came from the Chattanooga Area Farmers Markets.  I have a German Johnson Gold, Cherokee Purple, and Pink Brandywine.  I also have 2 sweet 100  cherry tomatoes from my local Ace Hardware, at $1.00 for a 4 pack, I couldn't resist.  They did too well on my patio last year!

I'm so excited that the first of my tomatoes are starting to form.  Of course I was running behind this year and planted everything late,but I'm looking forward to having fresh food later in the summer.  In the meantime, I've got an excuse to go to the farmer's markets!

Next up are the squash and peppers!

The peppers are mostly started from seed by my step grandmother, with one Ace Hardware plant. The squash are from the same Ace Hardware, I really couldn't resist the $1.00 closeout sale.  My veggies will all come in late, but they will be cheap!

This is my first year planting veggies in the ground and not in containers, so while I don't have to water as much, I do have to worry about critters.  So far I've just seen rabbits, but I have a feeling once the actual veggies come in that will change.

Everything seems to be healthy with the exception of my German Johnson Gold.  The plant looks happy, but the leaves have yellow spots on them.  Does anyone know if this is something I should worry about, or typical for this plant?

I would love to have a gold tomato this year, but I don't want to risk the rest of my crop if this is indicative of a more serious problem.

I'm almost done with the rock garden, so look for those updates later this week.  :)