Planting

I think I might have gone a little tomato overboard.

It started with Celebrity.  I grew this variety of tomato the first year I lived here.

I had a bumper crop that year and was able to freeze a boat load of tomatoes to use through the winter.

So, this year when I saw these for sale, I picked up four plants.

Celebrity #1 got nipped by a late frost, but she's coming back.

Celebrity #2, not really thriving, also has a little frost damage on the leaves.

Celebrity #3 is doing great, maybe up against the garage is a better climate.

Celebrity #4 also is thriving.

Last year, I had great success with Husky Cherry Tomato plants.

They produced until the hard frost finally got them.

The folks and I ate sweet cherry tomatoes all summer long.

So, when I ran across these plants this year, I went for it.

Husky Cherry #1, growing fast

Husky Cherry #2, already has a flower.

Husky Cherry #3, also flowering already.

My favorite greenhouse, Blue View Greenhouse, here in Rice Lake, has really nice perennial and annual plants.  They post on Facebook and when I saw that their vegetables were all marked down, I headed out to see what I should buy.  Last year, I had grown their patio tomatoes and again, nicely successful.

This year, I was attracted to patio sized tomatoes, variety Sweet Neats.  Large cherry tomatoes, she said golf ball sized.  Both red and yellow were available at the sale price.

I had 3 empty large pots, so grabbed 3 of the Sweet Neats.  Two are red and one is yellow.

Sweet Neat #1, not sure if it is red or yellow because the marker got moved.
Already we see flowers on this plant.

Sweet Neat #2, this one had both a yellow and a red marker, so time will tell.

Sweet Neat #3, this one is marked as red.

So, ten tomato plants later, I am done.

If all of these plants produce, I'll be eating lots of tomatoes, freezing lots of tomatoes and sharing tomatoes with friends and family as well.

Now we see what Mother Nature has in mind.

And later in the summer, I'll take updated beauty shots of each.
(By the way, those red pans are my secret weapon this year.  I got them from a seed catalog that 'claims' that tomatoes will ripen faster with the color red under the plant.  Also, the 4 depressions into the dirt are supposed to deliver the right amount of water to only the root of the plant.  Time will tell.)

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I have admired sister in law Lois's hosta gardens since I moved here.

This year I am finally getting some hostas to grow, and I'll post some photos later.

And I fell in love with these big hostas that I saw at Menards.

I bought one pot of these hostas and split them into two plantings under the front door deck.
The dirt here is crappy, but I'm hoping that they will grow in sandy, rocky soil.

I loved the look of these large hostas so much, I went back for more.
These three are looking for a place to land in my yard where they will thrive.
Maybe tomorrow I'll decide where they will make a home.

Now, it's the time of year to start watering and encouraging all the plants to grow.

My driveway yellow tulips are almost done for this year, but at least they look nice for Memorial Day weekend.

I hope you'll take time to remember our service men and women this Memorial Day Weekend.
We honor those who gave their lives in service to their country
 and
we salute those who continue to serve, at home and abroad.
Thank You.