Finny Farm Update!

Well, as I'd posted a couple of days ago, this past weekend was officially "Pretty Damned Productive" - what with 'Rent-A-Son-Services, LLC' coming over to finish-up my third raised bed (which - "Credit where Credit is Due" - was constructed by my Beloved Spouse).

C had actually offered to *plant* my veggies for me - but I really felt like I had to "draw the line" b/c - well, HELL, it's MY garden and *I* ought to at least be able to dig some holes and plant the suckers myself (I mean - Jeez - they're still in TINY pots!) (And the soil is ohhhh, soooo workable!).  So, yeah, I totally appreciated his offer - but I really wanted to plant 'em myself so I *could* claim the garden as My Own!

(Weird logic there - I know!  But I'm still p*ssed-off at my hands/feet/psoriasis situation and I steadfastly REFUSE to be a complete invalid!)

So annnnnnywaaaaaayyyyy...  I have about 800-jillion veggies to plant, and a brandy-new raised bed.  First-up?  The Finny-Farm Maters and a "new" variety: Indigo Rose (s'posed to be a dark-blue-purply tomato).

This morning, before it got all Bloody-Hot outside (and before my never-ending mind-numbing client conference calls got started), I wandered out and planted some 'maters!

No.  Not the greatest pic. "Oh well!"

Colin Copia is in the back, on the left-hand side (not really visible in this pic).  Brandy, the Yellow Brandywine is on the left, in the front.  Stephanie Stupice is in the right-front corner and (Unnamed) Indigo Rose is in the back right corner...  Cassandra Cuke, sadly, did not survive (:::moment of silence:::).  

I planted the maters *deep* to encourage maximum root-development, but not so deep that they were in the Straw-Zone...

Now, to be perfectly honest, I don't know how well this bed is going to perform this year.  On the plus side:  It gets hotter'n Hades back there.  Down-side: It does get some shade from the Tiki Shack/Ceramic Studio.  The bottom half of the bed is filled with "mostly-rotted" straw (from last year's straw-bale [FAIL] experiment).  I fear that - as the straw decomposes - it might try to "steal" nitrogen from the top layer (although I tried to circumvent that with bagged steer manure, and I also added some organic blood-meal to "bump-up" the nitrogen)...

My other concern is with water retention.  The soil is good - and I have added some "water-saving" polymer crystal doohickeys (yes, I know, not *completely* organic :::sigh:::).  This particular bed is at the "end of the line" on one of our drip-lines.  We've rigged this bed up with a soaker-hose (and I have repaired all of the dog-eaten emitters "upstream" from this), but the reality is: There's not a whole lot of water that reaches this bed (and I can't tap off of any other lines b/c THEY are maxed-out, as well).  So I suspect I'll be giving this bed a good old-fashioned "hose-watering" (/super-deep soaking) once a week - in addition to the 5 mins twice a day "sweat" from the soaker hose...

And my FINAL concern is trying to keep the neighbor's Passiflora vine from grabbing-hold of my tomato cages and gobbling up the entire bed! (that's prob'ly gonna be the biggest challenge!).  I have my hedge-clippers all sharpened and ready to go!!!

(Sorry vine!  Passion-fruit/Banana Jam just *ain't* that tasty!)

Fingers are crossed that I'll get a good harvest out of this bed!

Haven't tackled the other two beds (and/or the "overflow" bed out by the back fence).  Planting these 'maters and fixing the (NUMEROUS) dog-chewed sprinkler lines was about all I could manage today, before my feets gave me the ol "F**k you!" and I had to go sit-down. (:::BIG sigh:::)

Hopefully, tomorrow morning, I can stick some more stuff in the ground!

I'm GONNA have a garden, Godd*mn it!