- Fierce Competition for Sunlight – Tomato Plants
Things have been pretty busy on the farm, but there is one truth that is self evident: The shelves in the greenhouse are covered in a healthy green mass of plants yearning for the sun. All of the hard work invested in constructing this gem of a building, starting with diging the foundation by hand all the way through attaching the clear panels with help from Nate, is paying off once again. The planning is detailed, the outcome is not always assured, but with a little faith, lots of help, and some good dirt, it’s all working out exceptionally.
The tomatoes shown on this shelf are a variety of hybrids and heritage, with the most ambititious of the bunch; Nugget Hybrid growing the fastest. The other plants can sense the lack of light caused by tall neighbors, so they grow faster to compete. This competition leads to a gentle slope of tomato leaves.
Overflowing With Growth - Squash
With the help of my new planting cells, I’ve found room to start zucchini indoors, and the plants are very eager to break out. I was hoping to wait till June 4 to plant the garden, but these zuchs need to be freed now.
Squash - With Blue Skies Above
I captured this very interesting shot from the under side of the leaves. The blue sunlight above gives us an idea of what the plants are exposed to all day.
More Cucumbers and Lettuce
The third shelf is loaded with cucks and lettuce, planted after the cool weather crops were moved out a few weeks ago. At the very end of the table, watermelon seeds are germinating.
Younger Tomato Seedlings - Center Shelf
The center shelf contains the tomatoes that were set a bit late, and will need to planted last so they have more time in the hot house. In a week or two, they will look just like the first photo above.
Zucchinni Planted
The big news though, is that the garden has been tilled twice, three times in some places. The soil is ready, and finally so am I. You see, I’ve been gardening for quite some time to hedge against financial uncertainty fused in my mind by the mortgague mess. I’ve regained a great bit of confidence in the markets, and I realize I no longer need to plant enough to sustain myself. My siblings are starting their own gardens, so I will only need enough veggies for two, plus my co-workers, so I was really lacking in motivation.
I’ve found it once again, you see this work is my life goal, something I hope to do for a living. I enjoy planting more so then just about anything else. The smell of the dirt, the rewards of watching your work grow, and the yearly overwhelming return are things that drive me. I like sharing good healthy food, and I’m not going to let a problem of demand cure my drive to overgrow. I’m sure something good will happen to all of this food, I just don’t know what.
