our favorite tomato varieties and tomato spacing trick

 

this weekend we planted tomatoes. 48 tomato plants to be exact. hello, canned tomato sauce & salsa! 

we planted four varieties - cherokee purple, sungolds, celebrity and brandywine. those are among our favorites for eating & canning. they also grow well here in the south. what are your favorite tomato varieties?

with a daunting task like an evening of planting tomatoes, a helpful little trick is always nice. 

our garden is on the smaller size so we like to maximize our bounty with precise spacing. my husband came up with a fun idea i thought i'd share with you today.

we planted our tomatoes exactly 2 ft. apart. this allows our homemade tomato cages to fit perfectly while providing enough space for our tomatoes to grow. using a piece of dried bamboo, a tape measurer & pruning shears, we cut a piece of bamboo exactly 2 ft. long. we then used this measuring (bamboo) stick to measure the spacing between each plant. 

 instead of worrying about getting your measuring tape or yard stick out each time you plant, simply place the measuring stick at the base of your tomato plant that has already been planted. at the end of the stick, plant your next tomato. it's easy peasy & a great activity for the youngins in the garden!

happy planting!

- natalie

gardening tools and essentials

i thought it might be fun to share with you a few of my favorite gardening tools and essentials that i can't live without.

 i don't have many but i like it that way.
 just a few simple pieces that i use almost every day. 


:: when gardening i like my feet to stay clean and dry. 
my gardening clogs are durable and super comfortable.
i've had these for many years and although they are a bit dirty they still seem brand new.

:: the basket scoop is one i found while thrifting. it's perfect for cleaning up piles of yard debris.



:: i admit, i'm not a fan of sunscreen but i do love a good sunhat.
this one is comfortable with a rim that gives just the right coverage.
and the chin strap is perfect for windy days.



:: twine is my favorite thing to stock up on at the hardware store. i can never have enough.
 i use it for so many things but especially in the garden for trellising and tying up plants.

:: i love my little brass sprinkler that's easy to screw on to the end of a hose. for something so small it does a good job in watering the garden.

:: i think my most used gardening tool is my wooden nail brush. it lives at my kitchen sink and gets used several times a day. 

:: my felco pruners are always at hand for snipping and pruning.

:: and my potting trowel  lives in my back pocket.


:: the edger gives a nice clean garden bed edge.

:: the pointed spade that i scored at a garage sale is the perfect size for digging up and transplanting.

:: and my favorite tool of all time is the stirrup hoe.
i used this tool every day when i was farming and completely fell in love.
i recommend that if you were to buy only one tool this would be the one.

what are some of your favorites?
i'd love to hear what you use in your garden.

raised bed gardening

we moved & are settling into our new home on the arkansas-oklahoma border. the first goal of our new home was to build raised beds. with some untreated wood, tools & a little elbow grease, we built four garden beds. we used the mu extension publication as our guide. (by the way, if you haven't connected with an extension office near you, i highly recommend it. they have a wealth of knowledge & are paid to help you!)

with our small amount of space, we used every inch of growing room-

planting shade-loving swiss chard in between tomato plants

& building trellises for squash & cucumber to climb (for this trellis, we used bamboo & gardening twine).

we are making progress in this bare yard, one step at a time.

what are some of the ways you use your garden space efficiently?

mint, onions and tools

While most folks I know are trying to rid their gardens of mint, I brought home a chocolate mint plant last week from the farm. I love the addition of mint to a fruit salad and chocolate mint makes a nice tisane. Plus, I love the purple and green foliage.



This weekend we planted our onion sets and the leeks that we grew from seed. The shallots went in about a week ago. Here are the varieties we planted this year:

red onion-Red Baron
yellow onion-Stuttgarter
leek-Lincoln
shallot-Picasso


Having the right tools for the job makes gardening even more rewarding. We've found the stirrup hoe (on the right) to be indispensable. We first learned of this tool while volunteering at the herb gardens. It makes weeding (especially when weeds are small) a cinch. No bending over required! It's also a great cultivator.



For tough weeding jobs, I always reach for my Cobrahead weeder. It's what we use at the farm as well. If you despise weeding and have to deal with dandelions or other long roots in your garden, you should try out a Cobrahead weeder.



Tom's favorite tool is the Hori-Hori knife from Japan. He ordered one this winter and now uses it for everything from digging holes to weeding and cultivating.



What are some of your favorite tools?