Podding Favas, Alien Squash Babies and a Bamboo Hoop House

I feel like a lazy butt, but apparently I did some things in the garden recently.

The tomato seedlings I started in February were getting to be real pain, demanding to go out in the sun and taken in at night going on three months now, getting sunburned and finicky every time I turned my back. Clearly it was time to make them a home. I cut down four black bamboo stalks (our fancy backyard variety, stronger than green ones) and bent them over to make a frame. I hauled some buckets of compost and used the power of chickens to spread it over the bed (and out of the sides, and into my shoes). They efficiently ate all the bugs and seeds they could find, as well as the tops of all my chard and onions. Chickens!

Then I put some plastic over the frame and fastened it with some clothespins. Fastest hoop house, ever. Please note the skeletal remains of my chard in the lower right.

Then I put the tomatoes under the hoops and left the whole thing for a week to warm up the soil. When I lifted the plastic, I was floored by a dozen squash looking seedlings just coming up out of the ground. And you know what? That was the exact place I had my sad, under-performing Benning’s Green Tint pattypan squash last year. We only got about 3 squash. I don’t remember letting any lie around. Actually I remember being sad that I didn’t save any for seeds. But here they are! At least I hope that’s what they are. Could be alien squash babies.

Alien squash baby.

Then I dug some holes for all my tomatoes, pepper and cucumbers. 25 plants in all. And take a look. See there, on the right side of the pic? The chard has completely bounced back from chicken attack. In fact, I’ve never seen it doing better. Must be all the poo-compost. And of course, I planted all my tomatoes sideways. To keep the roots near the warm surface.

Aaand… 12 hours later, the tomatoes have righted themselves. Here is my healthiest Early Cherry. You can also see the milk jug pieces I’ve cut up and used as plant markers.

What about all that other stuff in the garden? Here’s the Favas, doing their best to celebrate spring in the traditional way with enormous bean pods. The ground beneath them I’ve planted with a ton of my most exciting new experiment – edamame! Or plain old soy beans, if you want. They will be so delicious.

The peas are finally stepping it up. They’ve only been flowering for about 5 years.

Seed pods from my last Red Russian Kale, one I’m keeping around solely to save the seeds. Let’s hope it didn’t cross with all that Pac Choi that was flowering at the same time.

Gorgeous red butter lettuce in the sun.

And garlic! Fat stalks of garlic doing fantastically well. I’m doing my best to resist digging one up to see what’s happening. They’ll be ready when the stalks turn brown in July.

And then, since they were being cranky and laying eggs in their poo-bedding, I made the chickens a nesting box. Here’s Biscuit using it about 5 minutes after I put the box in the coop. It’s basically a 6″ tall table with high sides, keeping the nesting area separate from the sea of poo below (I hope). Chickens!