Spring Garden

 After getting the new kids into a stall, drying and admiring them for a bit it was time to work in the garden.  I got almost all of the tomatoes staked and tied.  I'm growing Amish paste, Heinz and Homestead.

 During the winter I buy a small cluster of tomatoes that are on the vine from Sam's Club called Campari.  They are the only store bought tomato that taste like a tomato.  This year I saved and planted seed and those plants are outgrowing the others two to one.  I don't know if they are a hybrid or not but hopefully I'll get one plant like the original to save those seed.  The tomatoes are growing in clusters just like the ones I buy.  We'll see! 

  

 The chickens did a real good job scratching and cleaning the garden area.  Since they are fenced in an area beside the garden do you think it is driving them crazy seeing all the green stuff coming out of the ground?  When this season is over I will move them to clean it out again and plant some winter greens where they are now.

The corn is up about 3 or 4 inches.  I'm trying a white sweet corn this year as I still have a lot of the yellow corn in jars and freezer from last season.  Rather than wrestling with the big tiller I just ran my little Mantis to weed between the rows today.  It was very nice with a cool breeze blowing so I did not mind the extra time it took.

This is a row of Sweet Potatoes.  I've never grown them before as they are usually very cheap in the fall but due to the cost of fuel and fertilizer I expect them to be a lot more expensive this year.  They keep in storage for many months and they are not bad canned for casseroles and pies.

The green beans are up and looking very nice.  I love green beans and hope to can many jars of them.  Last year I planted them twice as the rabbits got in our old fence and ate them up.  I hope we have the fence rabbit proofed now or I am going to sit in the garden with my shotgun like Elmer Fudd and get me a wascally wabbit.  I'm either having green beans or rabbit stew...one or the other.

 I'm growing a few dill plants this year.  It got really hard to find dill seed during canning season last year so I am attempting to grow my own.

I've also got squash, cantaloupe, watermelon and pumpkin growing. 

I also planted a few eggplant for fresh eating.  I still have a good many packages  still in the freezer from last year.  Oh...and I have a row of okra. Still have some of that in the freezer too.

I did not plant any field peas or lima's  as we still have a lot of those canned so my garden is not as big as it was last year but I still expect to can and freeze lots of good food.

I just love spring!