Just Make Stuff

All the tomatoes...

Will you please humor me by letting me catch up on all the tomato growing fun and excitement around here? 

I'm guessing you're thinking, "Yeah, no, I just came here to see crafts. By the way, where have those been lately?"

But on the off chance that you like gardening as much as we do, it's your lucky day...because I have shoved my three tomato documentations (from March 18th, March 29th and May 13th) altogether into one post.

We bought nine varieties this year...we were both most excited about a cherry tomato called "Blue Berries".

I made super simple labels...just some wood sticks from the craft store, some watered down brown craft paint so it worked kind of like a wood stain (I've done this before), a sharpie marker and my messy writing.

The last few years we have grown most of our tomatoes in cinder block planters and we had a few garden boxes. This year we decided to buy more boxes and move them all in the yard to get the plants more afternoon light. 

We also learned that you really should switch out the dirt each year, because the previous plants leave behind dead material that can hurt the health of your future plants if you do not rotate crops through. 

Since we are not rotating anything, we needed to get new dirt. This can get pricey and has a lot of additives that aren't awesome. So ultimately after a couple conversations at our new favorite local nursery (if you live in Orange County I cannot recommend this place enough) we decided to plant the tomatoes in sand, with a layer of compost on top, and a couple applications of fertilizer at different points in the growing season.

And so far, so good. Can't wait to start sharing tomatoes with our family and neighbors. And look at those Blue Berries cherry tomatoes grow...

Here are the tomato markers from 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2012.

Tomato Update...

I am sure you have been anxiously waiting to hear how our tomatoes are doing.

Because who would want to see crafts or organizational project, when you could see a plant.

So, yes, for some people tomato growth updates could be like watching paint dry or waiting for a pot to come to a boil, but I love to see the flowers turn into teensy-tiny tomatoes that change color and grow bigger. 

And then the harvest happens...a colander full every few days. This means you can pile them on the kitchen table to take pictures before sharing them with family, friends and neighbors.

Tomato markers...

Making some kind of label for each of our tomato plants is really one of my favorite crafts each year. 

This year I grabbed some wood pieces from the craft store, painted them with some watered-down acrylic paint, stamped the names (I need a new StazOn stamp pad since mine is really dry) and Sean nailed them together for me. 

Here are the tomato markers from 2015, 2014 and 2012.

It's tomato time...

This year we picked out ten varieties. I probably should not get as excited as I do about these little plants, but I cannot wait to see them grow. 

I also printed out a batch of planting notes for the year. I keep track of each season in a garden journal binder so I can look back on what worked and what didn't. You can download the PDF in case you want to keep track of your garden too... 2016 Planting Notes.

Weekending...

The tomato harvest is in full swing...the bread and salt tomatoes have the coolest shape. Loved seeing our house full of friends and family on the 4th of July. Then Sunday afternoon meant watching soccer on the screen I surprised Sean with on Father's Day (a long-awaited upgrade from the ceiling).

Summer weekends are the best.

Watch them grow...

Some of the best parts of this time of year is the "May Gray" cloudy mornings, the hectic school schedule tapering down and watching tomatoes grow out in the backyard.

In the ground...

This year there are a dozen different tomato plants and, as of this afternoon, they are labeled with a touch of craftiness.

I grabbed a pile of wood sticks from the craft store, swiped some paint on them (it would have been fun to do all different colors, but I decided that was too much effort), used a gold sharpie marker to write the plant names, and stuck them into the ground...or the planters scattered around the backyard since twelve plants need plenty of space.

Here are the tomato markers from past years...2012 & 2014.