I said I wouldn't, but I did...please turn red for me.

No this isn't one  more story about a Johnny Edwards, or a Tiger Woods or a Jesse James.  This is just me telling you about my 2010 attempts to get edibles growing on the Pacific coast again.

If you remember, my former near successes at growing vegetables were in a slightly warmer climate.

Heat and sunshine do wonders to ripen things up.  I am not complaining, because  in the weeks when  tomatoes would be ripening, I would probably be wilting  but I know that

just inland tomatoes get quite ripe and lush, I know they do...

And I know I said last year that I wouldn't plant tomatoes on the coast again...but I saw this packet of seeds and I didn't resist.  It's not that I couldn't have,  I just didn't.  And then once I had these Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomato Seeds in my grubby little hands, I had to plant them.  Well, I guess that was a choice too.  Anyway, the seedings were started, and are likely to remain,  in the greenhouse.  They are already 8-12  inches tall.  Maybe I will put one tomato plant outside in the garden bed just (multiple choice)

(1) for fun?

(2 ) for further proof that tomatoes don't do well next to the ocean? 

or

(3) to risk near lottery ticket odds that maybe, just maybe, this year will be a great summer for tomaotes?

 The flowers from last year reseeded the soil and are already starting to bloom.

One of the raised vegetable beds is visable on the right.  They have removable two foot wood and wire walls around to discourage critters. 

Phoebe the cat is under one of the young artichoke plants which we planted in an effort to be logical by cooperating with what historically does do well in our zone.  By trial and error I learned that the artichoke plants get too big in the raised beds, unless I don't want to grow anything else, and then after moving them I learned that gophers do like to chew their roots to a nub.  These are now planted in small meshed wire baskets.

We have had some sunny days lately, can you tell?

The asparagas have appeared. Tonight we ate fresh kale, including some kale flower buds from the big kale that wintered over. The leaves are sprouting in all directions on a gnarley stalk about 5 feet tall.

The chard is ready and the herbs are all sprigging out fresh shoots.

I planted more green onions yesterday and a little triangle of bok choy. I read that bok choy is a really good source of calcium.

I also brought some raspberries plants from our Sebastopol garden and we dedicated a corner of one bed to those. Eating fresh raspberries while I watered the garden was my gardener's reward in Sebastopol. I guess I'll find out how these plants feel about their new locale. Thus far they are taking off with strong green shoots, but then as with tomatoes, growing greenery is not the problem on the coast, it is getting things to turn red.

Turn red for me, please? Or in the case of these tomatoes, purple.

~~~~~