Dirt

This year I have been determined to have a garden. My ideas and enthusiasm always start off big so I had to keep reminding myself that I am a beginning gardener, with no real dirt of my own, and not very much money. So my goal was to have some tomatoes and basil. Of course I still went overboard when I saw the cute pots and seeds in the "dollar spot" at Target. Tomatoes and basil are good, but more is better, right?

 Little John had a blast making the dirt pellets expand with water as we planted the seeds. Cilantro, parsley, marigold, daisy, zinnia, and of coarse tomato and basil. We did this in March and I'm wondering if that was to early. Especially since our Spring has been very cold, and wet, and not like spring at all.

 So they sat in the window and when the tomatoes finally peeped up...we had a very cold night and they froze. Thankfully two little ones made it through. As things progressed we transplanted.

Flowers in milk jugs...

and herbs in soda bottles, turned into self watering pots. They worked great!

A little later Grandma Woolf heard of some free dirt that we could pick up, so I excitedly made a couple of raised garden beds out of old fencing and cinder blocks. I figure the wood was old enough that whatever it was treated with is long gone. It took awhile for the weather to settle down enough for planting, but it did, and now it's like Summer! Here is where I hope our tomatoes and herbs will grow big and strong and yummy.

And here are the little tomatoes that we started from seed...

Can you see them? Not the marigolds on the left, but those two little things by the cinder blocks. If we get tomatoes from them I think I'll sing and dance!

I remind myself often that if I can have just one grilled tomato, basil sandwich from our own garden, it will be a success.

Ants in my plants!

This is our little "garden". Two tomato plants, and a squash...I think a winter squash. All three made the trip here from my mothers house, and despite my neglect seem to be faring quite well. I love how nature happens so - naturally. But I am determined to be more vigilant and helpful in their process of bearing fruit.

Meet Mr. Squash. He is the newest addition. A happy little plant that would have been lost to "thinning out" if we refused him a home. His trip in the car left him droopy, I was afraid he wouldn't make it. I decided to get him in the ground as soon as I could. After finding a nice little spot free of grass and weeds (a past home for some other plant?), I dug and set him in. As I covered the roots the ground erupted with ants! Tiny black/brown ants swarming the plant and climbing up my arms! They didn't get far before I had them off of me, with a few odd and most likely hilarious arm movements. I quickly got Mr. Squash out of the battle zone, trying not to take the ants with us. I dug a new spot, safe and thick with grass. He had me worried, but he has perked up and seems to be in great spirits!

This is the largest of the tomato plants. Both have been here since what I would call their 'adolecent seedling' days. As you can see there is a cute little green blob at the top - future tomato! The bottom of this plant isn't looking so good though. Sure, maybe the pot is too small, maybe it hasn't had enough water or plant food. I'm blaming it on the ants! Another colony has taken residence, creating their own little Ant City within the limits of my poor tomato plants' pot. What to do!!?!!

After a quick Google I found some interesting (and plant friendly) solutions.

Supposedly ants don't like cinnamon. Makes them pack up and move house. We shall see!
The smell of the tomato plant mixed with the cinnamon was a different experience.

Cornmeal was the other suggestion that I tried. If all goes according to plan the ants will carry it down for all to eat, drink, and swell. Yes, the cornmeal will expand and kill the poor little ants. I kind of feel bad about that now...but there are just so many of them! And their closeness to our plants is just plain old uncomfortable.

I am so curious to see if this stuff really works! And excited to finally be more active in my gardening pursuits! I'll keep you posted.