soaphouse's Blog

Veggie Installation
Apr 28, 2009 | 5:58 PM PST
Tags: vegetables , tomato , beans , eggplant , sunflower , marigold , basil

This past Sunday I planted up all the veggie beds! I learned a lot from last year's garden. The main thing I learned was that we could not get enough of certain crops. So, instead of planting a lot of different things, we decided to plant more of our favorites. Also, I am still using the companion planting system - primarily with marigolds, onions and nastursiums. I had to go to 4 different stores to find all the varieties. While at Lowe's, I found a Fireworks Clematis (Clematis Fuegos Artficiales) for $5 that I could not pass up, it looks to be purple and red striped and I planted it by some knockouts in the front window seat bed. I also picked up 2 annual potato vines. One went in the back sun bed in progress to act as a ground cover and the other one went in a container by the front steps.

So, I planted 10 tomatoes:

• Mr.
  Stripey
• Yellow Cherry
• Sweet 100 (2 plants)
  
• Husky Cherry Red
• Big Boy
  
• Pink Brandywine
• Better Boy
• Roma
• Lemon Boy
  

5  Eggplants:

• Ic
  hiban (3 plants)
• Green Eggplant
• White Eggplant

Various Basils:

• Basil
  Lime
• Basil Sweet Bush (2)
  
• Basil Siam Queen
• Basil Genovese
• Basil Sal's Italian Choice
• Basil Osmin Purple
• Cinnamon Basil

And, one token Mammoth Giant Jalepeno ( I love to make stuffed jalepenos)

I spread this all out between 3 beds and in the center of each bed I planted Mammoth Sunflowers and then planted a variety of items to grow up the sun flowers: sugar snap peas, Yard Long Asparagus Beans, Burpee's Tenderpod Garden Bean, Peas, Sequoia Purple Bean and Golden Wax Bean. I also sprinkled around marigold (crackerjack) and nastursium seeds (alaska mix).

In one bed I also started Emerald Green Artichokes. I interplanted them with Oriental Poppies and Lady Bird Poppies. Since these are perennial/self seeding items, this bed will be a permanent planting.

 

In my asparagus and strawberry bed, I stuck in someStuttgarter Onion Bulbs.

 

One of the three beds that got the tomatoes still have kale, lettuce and parsley that we have been enjoying since spring. I think they will die back as the tomatoes are ready to take over.

It was a fun day in the garden for all the ladies!

We are excited for our veggies!