Crimson CherryIt's supposed to be a very hardy variety, with stalks that are red all the way through.
Not much got done in the garden today. I had a sick dog last night, so my bedroom carpet got shampooed this morning. Otto has such a weak stomach, he cannot stand it if I change the food I give him. He usually has chicken, green beans and a bit of dry kibble. Yesterday I had some sirloin steak trimmings from a pot of home made soup, so I gave him that with a few mixed veggies instead. I don't know how I managed to sleep through all the puking that was going on in the bedroom, but it was a rude awakening when I climbed out of bed!
I did get a half dozen bottomless tomato buckets set up this afternoon. I ended up with four in the garden above, where I had planned on three. Since I decided this would be the best spot for the rhubarb, I had to even things out with two buckets on each side. I don't expect the end tomato plant on the right to do much though, other than hide the neighbor's ugly fence. I hope if that fence falls down, it doesn't land on my rhubarb!
See, I'm already finding spots for more tomatoes. I think I'm up to 16 possibilities now!
This is the "tomato fortress" I finished yesterday. The 8' support poles were screwed into the crossbar to hold them upright.
Everything was screwed down, zipped up, clamped and/or tied off. It's so sturdy, I can grab those cages with both hands and shake them, and they won't budge a bit!
Not much got done in the garden today. I had a sick dog last night, so my bedroom carpet got shampooed this morning. Otto has such a weak stomach, he cannot stand it if I change the food I give him. He usually has chicken, green beans and a bit of dry kibble. Yesterday I had some sirloin steak trimmings from a pot of home made soup, so I gave him that with a few mixed veggies instead. I don't know how I managed to sleep through all the puking that was going on in the bedroom, but it was a rude awakening when I climbed out of bed!
I did get a half dozen bottomless tomato buckets set up this afternoon. I ended up with four in the garden above, where I had planned on three. Since I decided this would be the best spot for the rhubarb, I had to even things out with two buckets on each side. I don't expect the end tomato plant on the right to do much though, other than hide the neighbor's ugly fence. I hope if that fence falls down, it doesn't land on my rhubarb!
See, I'm already finding spots for more tomatoes. I think I'm up to 16 possibilities now!
This is the "tomato fortress" I finished yesterday. The 8' support poles were screwed into the crossbar to hold them upright.
Everything was screwed down, zipped up, clamped and/or tied off. It's so sturdy, I can grab those cages with both hands and shake them, and they won't budge a bit!
My poor doggy can't have table scraps anymore. He getting old and his body just can't handle it...he ends up making smelly messes in the house, which is very unlike him. I hope your doggy feels better!
ReplyDeleteBoy there's nothing like getting up in the morning and stepping in that!! Miss Banana is the one with a weak stomach around here and I have stepped in it more then once!
ReplyDeleteAfter all the screwing and tying off...you better have tomatoes that are 8' tall!! :)
I just picked the first of my Spring rhubarb today...I'll make a pie later today...or maybe a cobbler.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the close-up picture of the tomato fortress...I will be working on a couple myself in the next day or two. I have 30 tomato plants ready and another 20 in transplant trays. I thought the orginal 30 had blight...but they have recovered nicely.
Katrina, Otto is only three, but he's always had a weak tummy. His sister Annie, on the other hand, can digest anything and everything!
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Robin I cleaned up the first three, but I made Mr. Granny clean up the last one. I need to leave the bedroom door open tonight, so he can get out the pet door if needed. This morning he raced down the hall and out the door immediately.
Last year the tomatoes in that bed got over 10 feet tall. I measured one at 11 feet.
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Lynda, the thoughts of a rhubarb pie was what sent me to the nursery today. I was actually surprised to get such a large plant for only $7.99.
I have more "fortresses" to construct, too. They won't be quite as elaborate as this one, mainly requiring screwing the supports to fences or eaves. I do like the doubled up cages, one inverted on top of the other. I used wire clips to permanently fasten two together.
I would love to know more details about the tomato fortress. How are the dark bars that cross attached to everything? Are the green buckets bottomless? Last year I had tomato plants at least 8ft tall if not taller and the cages I have are no match for the tomato plants.
ReplyDeleteThose tomato fortresses are brilliant, Granny! I'm still working on the "best" way to stake mine -- last year I tried the twisty stake thingys and I found them a bit unfriendly. Perhaps I'll borrow some of your design because it'd be mighty nice to have tomatoes that actually stayed upright! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteVanessa & Fiona, I started to give directions on how I made "the fortress", but it got so long I decided to blog it tomorrow instead. I'll take pictures and do a step-by-step, OK?
ReplyDeleteoh, you will so enjoy your rhubarb. I have 4 plants and this year they are really doing well. I should be harvesting soon. It is one of my favorites in the garden and will be so good with the strawberries in a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
Lorie, I know! I can hardly wait for rhubarb pie, upside down cake and sauce! I guess I should plant more strawberries ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou probably mentioned it already, but I have to ask wha kind of tomato do you plant that grows that tall?
ReplyDeleteI tried three times to grow rhubarb here. In WI it grows so easy, but this clay. I tried to mix up a nioe spot for them but they didn't grow more than 6 inches. We love rhubarb.
I hope your cutie dog feels better. Love your fortress gardening. Everything is very level and straight ;-)
My rhubarb stalks aren't turning red yet, although i'm not sure what variety it is...
ReplyDeleteNancy, the Brandywines will go in the fortress, probably two pink and one yellow. Last year the tall ones were Brandywine Suddeth Strain, Cherokee Purple (that ended up a mutant plant, not a CP), Kellogg's Breakfast and Nyagous.
ReplyDeleteI have sandy loam here, and I dug in a lot of composted manure. The rhubarb should love it! When I grew it years ago, I always covered it with a shovel or two of composted manure every winter (or really early in the spring, before it started growing). I got huge plants doing that. I hope this variety performs as well.
The fortress isn't all nice and straight. One of the support posts has a real dogleg bend in it! Of course I didn't notice it until after it was installed, and now I'm not taking it apart to do over. It shouldn't show by the end of July ;-)
EG, not all rhubarb turns red, and red doesn't necessarily mean it's sweeter. Some of the old green varieties are really very good. This one happened to be the only variety the nursery carried, and I didn't want to run all over the country looking for something else.
ReplyDeleteYUM ! Rhubarb's on my 'to-get' list too! I wonder how many varieties of those there are... HEHEHE
ReplyDeleteYour comment on my blog cracked me up.. I'm still chuckling.. I know, I know.. I am the crazy gardenin' chic! Actually I am hoping that a lot of those seeds won't actually germinate.. some are quite old from trades and some are newer.. I planted 20 varieties last year and only got one single Serrano pepper out of the whole deal. Peppers are, apparently, not my thing.. so I decided to go guerrilla on them this year!! MASS plantings.. Maybe I'll get a few out of it. Either way, it'll be an adventure!
Wendy, I have a feeling you'll find out, and end up planting every one of them, LOL!
ReplyDeleteThose peppers can take a really long time to germinate. I've given up on some after three or four weeks, dumped the contents back into the bucket of seed starting mix, then had them germinate there a week or two later!
Nice to meet you crimson cherry. But Granny I just knew you needed more than 13 tomatoes in the garden. I'm so sorry the sungolds didn't germinate. Mine are up. A lot of others haven't germinated though I'm having real issues with my peppers. I might have to buy starts from the garden center this year to fill in. Or maybe I should do half the peppers I was planning on and twice the potatoes.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the rhubarb! I wanted to try a variety that does well here but I'm afraid the military will move us just as the stand is getting established LOL so I keep putting it off... funny if I would have just DONE it 3 years ago we'd be enjoying it now :)
ReplyDeleteDaphne, of course you knew ;-) It's a good thing I did only start 20 of them. I am thinking of buying one plant though, a Sun Sugar. Sungold just doesn't seem to be available anywhere. I was so hoping you'd tell me yours didn't germinate, so we could blame it on the seed company. I wonder why I had no success....I planted six to begin with, then did a germination test on all the rest. Only the one seed germinated for me. I'm still babying it, I haven't given up all hope.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd known they were difficult germinators.. I would have started them earlier... ah well. If they are at least growing but not producing by end of summer maybe I can baby some along in the greenhouse. (the one that has yet to be built) :D
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new rhubarb plant. My rhubarb plants are almost ready for the first harvest. A couple of nice sunny days is all it needs to thicken up and elongate the biggest stalks. In the meantime, I am enjoying their red salute to spring in the garden. :D
ReplyDeleteKitsap, I was surprised at how large these plants were. I might actually get a taste of it this year, but just a tiny one. I want it to become really well established in its bed.
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