Strawberry Fields?

Spring is such an amazing time of year. I cannot imagine anything more beautiful than watching the trees fill out with bright green new leaves. Or the sight of the sparkling whiteness of a dogwood in full bloom. The lushness of rich red and pink azaleas covering yards and gardens can't help but bring smiles. It has been a joyously colorful spring in our city and our neighborhood. We had plenty of rain last summer and the plants have rewarded us bountifully. And I've been able to be at home to see most of it happen.

And now comes the summer plantings of tomatoes and peppers and the above-seen strawberries. Trying to grow these in our heavily shaded yard is quite a challenge so we have to grow in containers and have more plants to make up for the smaller harvests we get. Our deck is once again being covered in large pots and Earth Boxes filled with tomatoes and peppers. We're growing Celebrity, Parks Whopper and Goliath Hybrids and Brandywine and Delicious Heirlooms and we are still awaiting seeds for a new hybrid, Brandy Boy, which is a cross between Brandywine and Better Boy. We're also growing Juliet and Bonnie grape tomatoes.  This is the first year we've grown directly from seeds rather than buying plants and we've already learned some lessons. We need to plant the seeds in late January/early February next year (rather than late February).   And I shouldn't forget that we're gowing Romaine lettuce and a salad bowl lettuce mixture and red potatoes and sugar peas.  Yep, we're trying them all.  And I do use the royal "We" (Saint Gene).


Joy Journal: 70 degrees with sunshine