I’ve been doing some basic things in the yard. I moved one Nova and one tomatillo into season starters, they seem to be doing ok, so are the squash. I put another patty pan and delicata on the slope, but the season starters won’t work there so I made a cover from a basket and plastic and I open it when i open the greenhouse every day.
Next door
I’ve changed up a few things on the plan, and added in the buckets and bags I have planned. I will probably put a few more planters out… cause I crazy!
This is what’s inside or in the greenhouse currently…
OKRA
Jambalaya 3
Clemson 3
PEPPERS
Jalapeño 4
Anaheim 3
Waltz 2
Mini Bell Pepper 4
Healthy 9!
TOMATO
Nova 5
Sungold 2
Legend 5
TOMATILLO 3
Honestly, I’ve been working in the garden more days than not. I spends hours weeding, working the soil, watering, planting… It’s good. It feels like good work that I’m doing. I know I’m making progress, doing things i wouldn’t do otherwise- of course it doesn’t seem to be enough… never… but anywho.
Yesterday I planted 6 more squash with season starters. I have a couple more plants I’ll try to put along the driveway
Definitely easier to fill those around a bucket.
Today I did a ton of weeding- the upper slope and main slope. P prepped a couple of beds for tomatoes.
The tiny gray cat pooped in my pea box, so that’s annoying. I put some baskets in the planter to make it less appealing.
I’m feeling the usual antsiness to get things in the ground- coupled with a little extra “should I plant everything because it may be hard to get fresh foods?” P is being his usual supportive self and saying “sure!” to everything, but I know he’s a little anti (growing) potatoes and quinoa (“too much work for the payoff”)
I am very glad that i am already gardening- most of the seed companies arent filling orders anymore, and it’s tricky to buy plants. This is a weird world we are living in.
I am very happy to have the garden to pour all my energy into.
If your family loves Mexican food and fresh salsa, make room for tomatillos in your garden. Also known as husk tomato, tomatillo forms its fruit within a husk that turns dry and papery as fruits mature. Instead of being juicy like a tomato, a tomatillo (which literally means “little tomato”) has a more solid center with an almost grainy appearance. The flavor boasts citrusy, tart notes that blend well with poultry, pork and summer veggies like peppers, zucchini, corn and tomatoes.
Cousin to tomatoes, tomatillo comes from Central America, where it grows wild in corn and bean fields. In Mexican and Guatemalan cultures, it’s known as miltomate and is a staple ingredient for making dishes like salsa verde, chile verde and classic moles. For its unique flavor and unusual fruit form, tomatillo is definitely worth growing. Here’s how.
With tomatillos, you need at least two plants because the flowers must be cross-pollinated to set fruit. Plan for each plant to yield roughly one pound of fruit over the course of the growing season. Most tomatillo-based recipes start with half a pound of fruit. You should grow two or three plants to have enough ripe fruit at the same time to whip up something tasty.
Like its tomato cousin, tomatillo thrives in the summer heat. Wait for all chances of frost to have passed before planting. Aim to get seedlings into the ground when nights are reliably above 55 degrees. Give plants a sunny spot — these are true bathing beauties that crave summer sun. Tomatillos thrive with rich soil. Be sure to add compost or rotted manure prior to planting.
As with tomatoes, plant tomatillos deeply, burying up to two-thirds of the stem. Tomatillo stems readily grow roots, so any buried part of the stem quickly sprouts roots to help fuel plant and fruit growth.
Tomatillo plants don’t demand special care. Definitely give plants a sturdy cage-type support. The stems tend to sprawl, and if they touch the ground, they’ll root, gradually taking over more space in your garden. Plants usually grow 36″ to 48″ high and can spread about the same amount. Once fruit forms, it weighs branches down. Giving plants some support can help prevent ripening tomatillos from lying on the ground, where pests will attack.
Watering is also key. Like with tomatoes, peppers or eggplants, consistent watering keeps the plant healthy so it can support the heavy fruit load. It’s a good idea to mulch beneath plants to suppress weeds, help the soil stay moist and protect tomatillos that fall on the ground from rotting instantly.
When a tomatillo starts to form, it’s like a marble tucked inside a blown-up balloon. You want to wait to pick until the fruit fills out the husk. Tomatillos are green and firm when ripe. Sometimes the husk will start to split at the bottom. This is a signal that you need to harvest, but you don’t have to wait for the husk to split. As long as the fruit has filled out the husk, it’s good to go. Just give the husk a gentle squeeze to see how large the fruit is — you won’t hurt the plant.
An overripe tomatillo turns yellow or purple and splits the husk (which is usually brown and papery at this point) wide open. Overripe fruits tend to be soft and mealy or mushy in texture. The flavor lacks that tart bite tomatillos are famous for delivering.
Indoors, store tomatillos — in their husks — on the counter for five days. For longer storage, tuck tomatillos into a paper bag in your fridge’s veggie bin. They should last two to three weeks. Remove the husk before eating. Tomatillo fruits freeze well. Just chop and place into zipper bags or containers.
You won’t have too many issues when growing tomatillos. In high humidity regions, leaves may develop some fungus diseases, but staking plants helps improve airflow and reduce outbreaks. Flea beetles like to feed on leaves, producing lots of little holes (visible on the overripe tomatillo, above), but this doesn’t really damage the plant’s ability to grow or yield lots of fruit.
Tomatillos that fall on the ground quickly attract pests like slugs, yellow jackets, pill bugs and millipedes. Gather and remove any fallen fruit, taking it far away from the tomatillo patch. If possible, bury it in your compost or toss it in the disposal. Be careful gathering fallen fruit with holes in them in late summer and autumn because there are often wasps feeding inside.
We mulched a bunch more yesterday, made some progress.
Today i planted beets, carrots, and parsley in South C (which I prepped with more soil and compost yesterday.
There were actually some tiny onion and leek sprouts from my seeds, i added the tiny “winter sowed” sprouts to the bare spaces.
Next year- start winter sow earlier, January?, and make sure to water.
something went digging in my peas. It looks like an animal of some sort. The sprouts are mostly intact, just buried.
Arugula is bolting. I guess it flowers based on time?
Yup, I’m buying more wherever I can get to a store again.
Today we used a new chipper to break down some of the blackberry pile into mulch.
And we found a few mystery flowers/bulbs that I replanted after tromping on too many times.
Also, more asparagus!
Dear Future Alison- the correct date to start squash seeds is early April, not early March.
I put a few seedlings out with season lengtheners.
Hopefully they survive.
I also put azomite and dry fertilizer with them.
