Tomatoes

I don't have any ready for picking yet but it looks like I will have some cherry tomatoes ready in a few weeks which is earlier than what I have been getting since gardening at my current home. I don't start getting regular tomatoes until August (right now I have only a few small green ones and lots of blossoms). Haven't quite figured out why it takes until August. I don't think its from the couple of shovels full of manure I put in each tomato hole. The manure is aged. I mainly use the manure to help the soil hold moisture in the sandy soil. I think its mainly from getting only 3 to 4 hours of direct sunlight each day. I guess the only way to tell for sure would be to get my soil tested and see if its missing anything for proper fruiting. I already have plants that the base stalk is thicker than my thumb. My plants grow rather tall. I am limited on space (although you would think I wouldn't with a 20x35 garden) and so I stake my tomatoes using 8 foot 1x2's. As I may have mentioned before, the only fertilizers I have been using are horse manure, leaf and grass clippings and a one time shot of fish emulsion (this year I didn't get to it before the flowering started). I am planning on adding some rock phosphate to the soil next spring as well as asking some family members to save the ashes from their wood burning stove this winter to add the ashes to the soil.

Rabbits

I have been gardening for 20 years and I have been living in my current home since 2000. This year is the first time ever that I have had trouble with a rabbit. My former residence was near a lake that was only partially developed and probably had foxes nearby that kept the rabbits down.

The rabbit ate the tops of my string beans and some branches of the tomatoes and when he ate the tops of the sunflowers, I had to do something. I already had a 3 ft fence (attached to cedar poles to keep my dogs out but the openings were 2 inch by 3 inch and he would squeeze through. I ended up buying 1 inch chicken wire and attaching it to the inside of the fence using plastic wire ties (the black ones are UV rated). That seems to have done the trick.

Opening (Reopening)

I am an Organic Gardener. I live in southern NJ in zone 6b. My soil is very sandy and I have alot of shade. I use horse manure from a local horse farm for most of my fertilizer (mainly to help hold moisture). I add fish emulsion occasionally. I mulch with composted leaves and grass clippings.

We got 1.1" of rain last night and a two hour thunder and lightning show (too bad it was after my bed time to enjoy it). The rain had perfect timing, I was about to water the gardens tonight.

Back in April (28th)I planted two rows of string beans, one row of wax beans, a row of lima beans and about 130 onions (sets). About 60% of the string beans came up but none of the lima or wax beans. In May I replanted the Lima and Wax Beans and had about 10% germination (even using black plastic mulch). In early June I pulled them all out (all 10%) and replanted with more string beans. On June 23rd I picked my first beans.

In late May I planted 12 pepper plants and 40+ tomato plants (only purchased 30, the rest came up on their own). I had a hard time finding the varieties of peppers and tomatoes I wanted, so I think from now on, every year I am going to start my tomato and peppers from seed.

This Spring I purchased some perennials and planted them along the fence garden. I purchased Butterfly Weed (pink and orange), Bee Balm, Spiderwort (blue and white), White Bleeding Heart, Columbine (two kinds), Cardinal Flower (Lobelia) pink and red, Sedum and six different varieties of Iris.

I have plenty of Orange Tiger Lillies and two different varieties of Iris going strong as well as shasta Daisies and Gloriosa Daisies. I have been trading them to a friend who has been giving me hosta.