When my father planted tomatoes, he told me that the best time for them to go into the ground was when, "the size of an oak leaf is the size of a squirrel's paw." At best this is an approximation as it is difficult to have a squirrel hold still to compare its paw with an emerging oak leaf. In New England it has often meant that one's delicate vegetables such as peppers, squash and tomatoes get put in around Memorial Day. And like many other years, this one is no different.
A few days ago before a big rain, I took my trays of tomatoes, marigolds, zinnias and other late planters into the yard to be placed into the warm and wet soil. They had been readied for this day as over the last few weeks they had been transferred to the greenhouse and then slowly acclimated with being outdoors. Before planting, as this spring has been particularity wet, I put down a sprinkling of iron phosphate with the hope that it would be more attractive to the increasingly large population of slugs that are nibbling away at my plants.
The plant plugs are thick with roots emerging from the bottom of the trays requiring me to remove a few strands so the attendant seedlings can be removed easily. They look tiny next to the tulips and other Spring flowers that I place them among but I realize that in a month (if the slugs do not get them first) they they will take the place of tulips as the seasonal flower.
The tomatoes and peppers are more lonely as they are placed in late beds, far apart, with the anticipation of large growth that will fill the spaces. In the heat of the summer, the tomatoes seem to double in size weekly after hot weather and frequent rain. Basil and marigolds are placed around the perimeter to fill in the spaces and deter insects from attacking the tomatoes. A few mounds for cucumbers are quickly formed and bush bean seeds are pushed into the soil.
I am letting the luffa seeds soak for the weekend before I put them behind the strawberries in an attempt to grow these gourds up the greenhouse wall and the fence. With that I am done, for now, and will wait for the Spring greens bed to bolt and the garlic to be harvested before the pole beans get planted.
