Today I decided to remove my tunnels from my tomatoes that have been in the ground for six weeks.  They were itty bitty when I put them in and now they are ready to be trellised.  They look so great.  I am anticipating tomatoes early this year!  I am a little worried about the blight that comes through, carried by small bugs in early summer.  I wanted to leave the tunnels up as long as possible to protect the tomato plants, but some of the plants were getting big enough that they really needed to be trellised.  So, all of my tomatoes are now uncovered and trellised.  I like to use small clips (available at Johnny's Seeds) to attach the plants to cattle panels that I attach to stakes driven into the ground.  This method is very sturdy, stores well and lasts forever.

After trellising them I gave them a little blood and bone meal.   This should provide them plenty of nitrogen iron, and calcium.  Then I covered them with straw mulched up in my chicken coop which will reduce the water necessary.  I have thirty tomato plants divided into four different rows.

Plant Edible Perrenials!

Fruit trees, berry bushes, and grape vines can provide abundantly year after year after year.  However, it takes a few to get them started, so plant right away.  

 This grape vine is loaded with itty bitty grapes for the first time since I planted it four years ago.  I am so excited!  It is a cutting I took from my Grandparents who have since passed on.  I am so glad to have it.  I don't even know what variety it is.  I took cuttings of two varieties, and two of the four cuttings survived.  It will be a surprise!

This pear tree was planted a year after we moved into the house and took three years to produce.  

This is an apple tree I planted two years ago, and sadly, it is not producing yet.  Maybe next year!

I planted blueberry bushes the year after we moved in.  This one has been moved twice!  It produced splendidly!  Two were run over while building a retaining wall last year.  I planted six more and will have to wait a few years for them!

The first spring in our house I planted a peach tree and a large raspberry patch.  Last year I picked three GALLONS of raspberries every week for EIGHT weeks!  What an investment!

This Fuji apple tree was planted three years ago.  We are adding on and it must be moved.  I have moved LOTS of things in my yard and MOST things make it.  I really hope this one does, but if not, well, I will plant another one!


I have nine fruit trees in my yard and all but three are producing (except when they freeze!)  I no longer buy fruit to bottle in the summer.  I preserve dozens and dozens of quarts of fruit from my own yard!