Tomatoes and Lettuce

In the past when I have kept a gardening journal, it has been quite helpful in timing my planting from year to year, remembering varieties I've enjoyed, and learning from my mistakes.  This will be my attempt at keeping a more permanent record.  Plus, I can add photos to my notes!

What I'm Planting - Tomatoes

Starting new tomatoes always gets me excited about the new season of gardening.  Here are the babies this year:

I have a variety of new and old favorites this year.  

Tried and True                                                                  New to Me

Early Girl                                                                            Marianna's Peace

Sweet 100 (for my neighbor and gardening buddy)           Ananas Noire

Snow White Cherry                                                            Black Zebra

White Tomesol                                                                   Purple Calabash

White Zebra                                                                        Pink Vernissage

Rutgers                                                                                Malachite Box

Rebel Yell

Pilcer Vesy

Lemon Boy

Berkeley TieDye

Black Krim

Green Zebra

Of these varieties, White Tomesol, Rebel Yell, and Pilcer Vesy are my can't-go-without tomatoes.  They all are delicious and produce well, with Rebel Yell being my all-time favorite.  It's a newer variety of open-pollinated potato leaf tomato that is large, red, and very productive.  Usually one of the fruits approaches 2 pounds, which is fun.

Berkeley TieDye was one I grew last year but it only had one tomato on the whole plant.  It wasn't a good tomato year, though, so I thought I'd give it another try.

I'm excited to see how the new varieties do.

The first week, I set them outside as soon as they sprouted so I wouldn't have to bother with hardening off.  That whole week was cold, rainy, and overcast.  I finally ended up putting them under grow lights for a few days to perk them up.  When I set them back out in the sun they seemed to do just fine without any real adjustment necessary.  Now that they have their true leaves, I've started giving them a tiny amount of Foliage-Pro in their water which they seem to like.  I'm hoping in another week they'll be ready to pot up.

What I'm Eating - Lettuce

There's a little chickweed and mizuna thrown in there for good measure too.  My husband says that the lettuce is his favorite vegetable that I grow.  He likes his salads with nothing but some fresh squeezed meyer lemon juice.

I usually plant my lettuce in mid-October and I get to start picking around Christmas.  This year I planted

Gentillina,
Grandpa Admire's
Lollo Rossa
Crisp Mint
Des Morges Braun
Forellenschluss
Burpee Bib

They are all varieties that do well in my garden.

Here's my lettuce bed:

You can see the mizuna and arugula around the bottom edge.  A little goes a long way with those two.