I said I wouldn't, but I did...

I've had such annoying poor disappointing lack of success with planting vegetables the past couple of years, I've been saying since last fall: Not again. Even vociferously announced my intention to put nothing but zinnias and marigolds out there in the spot where I have been planting tomatoes for years and years. It's the best dirt in the whole three acres. Due to years and years of adding leaf mulch and shredded paper (much of which is stuff I have brought home when I would see bags of prescription related or personal documents that had been shredded going in the dumpster at work), it is much better than the hard red clay that is on the surface of all the area around the house.

Plus there was the year that my parents brought me a load of %#&@ for my birthday. I have no idea where they would have gone to get a truck load of rich, black, well-rotted cow manure, but that's what I got. I don't even know which one had the idea- but it is still hilarious, after twenty years. They had some how gotten the word to daughters, who were in on the secret: and amazingly, the girls did not spill the beans. I had no idea they were coming - much less driving to town from south GA with a truck load of cow business. They were sitting out on the screened porch when we came in from school, and the girls were tickled about the whole thing: me caught 'un-awares', grandparents arriving, the big birthday surprise. It's still funny, especially the part where I get to tell people that my parents gave me a load of %#$@, when it's usually the other way around... 

So I accidentally bought some little four packs of tomatoes a couple of weeks ago, and finally got them planted yesterday. In my little garden spot, after sitting out there for an hour pulling up weeds. It used to be in full sun, but trees have matured over the years, to the point that it is pretty shady back there for at least half the day. When I was digging holes, I found two little 'volunteers', so moved those and will be interested and surprised to see what, if anything, they produce. The ones I bought are Early Girl and Beef Steak: five of each, because I always look at the pots/packs to try to find an extra one or two that the greenhouse workers missed when they were pinching the slow starters.

I watered them good yesterday, and went out today and raked up a big barrow full of leaves, to scatter around for mulch. In the past, I've put newspaper down under leaves. To help keep moisture in when it gets to blistering hot in mid- and late summer. We will see what happens. When I came in after getting them planted and watered, and reported, he said: Is it time to go there with my mayonnaise and loaf of bread? But I said he probably should just observe from the window -as every time he goes out in the back yard he comes in with a major infestation of chiggers.