The weekend of May 15-17 was another very busy and sunny weekend in the Towsey-French garden.

We planted 19 onion starts, which were all germinated from seed in our basement this winter; unfortunately, due to poor planning on my part, I failed to properly organize them in a manner that I could readily tell which plant was from which variety. Whatever the case, we have 12 row feet of onion starts, comprised primarily of talon and sweet Spanish varieties.

With our trellis up (cobbled together from leftover fence lattice), Keri planted the green bean crop at the base; she and I then worked to string jute twine in anticipation of growth.

Moving to leverage both the garden plot and the front of our home, we planted two hanging baskets with two different varieties of cucumbers, which I picked-up at the Hollywood Farmers Market. The baskets are hanging above our front porch. I’m not certain they’ll get enough sun to be as productive as possible, but that remains to be seen. To help add a touch of ornamental flair, we sowed in a number of nasturtium seeds in each basket.

I repotted an additional 12 tomato Big Beef and Super Marzano (roma) starts –also germinated from seed in our basement this winter– that have lingered for weeks, waiting for me to re-pot them. I don’t have any room for at least half of these, so I’m going to continue caring for them to see if we can maintain their vigor and health in the cold frame, then donate them to friends and family.

topsy turvy upside-down planter

We purchased two Sweet 100 cherry tomato starts, which we find to be the finest tasting cherry tomatoes. One of the starts will make its way into our tomato plot, while the other has the devine pleasure of residing in a Topsy Turvy upside-down tomato grower. For $10.49, we decided it was worth the experiment. If it produces a fine tomato crop, it will certainly pay for itself. What’s more, it takes up very little space hanging from the eave of our garage.

Overall, the crops are doing nicely. The potatoes are starting to sprout up with a good deal of vigor, so the mounding will need to commence this week after the rains subside. Additionally, the cold frame continues to keep the tomatoes in good health. We also acquired a few pepper plants that are currently holding residence in the frame as well. They will find a home close to the tomato plot as soon as weather permits.

Keri also picked up some garlic starts which will find a home near the peppers. She also planted a chive start in a free-standing pot, so our overall number of species is growing considerably past our original intention. So much for a modest plot.

The only weak point at this stage is the spinach, which I sowed outdoors by hand and has produced little. I sowed about 20 individual sections (several seeds each) in a large black pot. It simply may not be getting enough sun, but whatever the case, there are only three shoots showing reasonable progress. Luckily, spinach seed is cheap and hearty, so I’ll perform a second sowing soon enough and attempt to resolve the errors of my first planting.

Last year we paid $400 for half a share of Sauvie Island Organics‘ plot (a community supported agriculture project). We believe that reallocating these funds towards our backyard garden will produce solid dividends –and an even lower carbon footprint. We’re looking forward to a hearty bounty!