Purple Rain eggplant - mutant like!!!

Pics from Saturday afternoon - Apr 16

Spring garden

This year's garden didn't end up as originally planned.  Mostly because the wind damaged most of my tomatoes while outside to harden off.  After some reading and lectures about crop rotation maybe it was for the best.  Rather than 7 varieties of tomatoes I've planted the following spring garden:

• Purple Rain eggplant
• 2 Celebrity tomatoes
• Baby Red roma tomato
• Matt's Wild cherry tomato
• Gold Nugget cherry tomato
• Mr. Stripely tomato
• Golden Summer bell pepper
• 2 green beans

This year I've planted French marigold dwarf flowers next to the beans and tomatoes.  The French marigold is supposed to be a deterrant for whiteflies and nematodes.  I haven't used marigolds as a companion plant in previous tomato gardens so I'm looking forward to see what, if any, difference they make.

Kirby taking a well deserved break from weeding and tilling.

Kirby helping plant the Improved Meyer Lemon tree in February

Burpee green beans seeded March 26, 2011. One was planted April 3 and the other planted April 10th.

Classes completed

I'm finished with my Texas master gardener classes, reading, and tests.  I took was a seven week condensed evening course and I'm now spending my spare time working on the volunteer component of the program and tending to my own garden.  I've reconsidered a full garden of only tomatoes.  I'm adding some green beans and squash and a bell pepper (in the nightshade family so not helping my rotation).  I'll upload some pictures soon.  I just wanted to check in after a long absense.