The Heirloom Tomato Project

Planting Heirloom Tomatoes this year ©CindyRippe2013

It all started when I read about a local fundraiser.  Several gardeners, that grow heirloom tomatoes from the seeds they've saved, donated plants to raise money for the Community Garden project this year.  The announcement said all plants would be $1.00 each.  Sounded like a good idea.  I've been worried about chemicals and GMO foods in our diet and it's been about 10 years since we've had a vegetable garden.  Couldn't hurt to grow a few tomatoes...right?  I spent $5.00 and started planning.

Well, if you've read my blog before you know how much I love my flowers in the yard.  So, there had to be a plan to add the vegetables.  We don't have much land that gets full sun but I managed to find a perfect spot.  I thought it would be best to frame out a slightly raised bed to make it easier for Lee to cut the grass around it. (well, yes... I figured it would look nicer too).  I mentioned this to Lee and we decided on an 8 X 4 foot bed.  It would only cost about $15.00 to build it.  Then I asked him to build a frame to tie the plants onto instead of those metal cages that never work.  He added 5 - 2 X 2 inch boards that were 8 ft long to the pile.  More money... Once we set things up it didn't take him long to build the raised bed the ladder-like trellis down the center of the frame.

It was at that point we had to dig up the grass inside the frame.  Of course, it's in one of the sunniest areas of the yard and is the best patch of grass we probably own.  Lots of patience on his part as he sat and shook the dirt off of pieces of the sod after we dug them up.  I used those pieces to fill in a few bare spots around the rest of the yard as he worked.  Finally, I started emptying the soil from 5 really large flower pots I had saved from last year.  (the pots were falling apart and so big I had to use a dolly to move them around) I emptied two huge bags of organic garden soil (oops, a little more money spent here) that I bought into the bed and found a few half empty bags from earlier projects in the shed.  Dang!  We still needed more soil for the plants.  One more trip to the garden center (2 more bags of soil and two patio tomatoes that they had on sale) and I finished the project the next day.  I'm so thankful for Lee's support and patience.  I don't think I could have done this project without him!

Those $5.00 plants from the fundraiser sure added up to an expensive project, but I'm sure it will be worth it when we taste those delicious tomatoes!  I still have room for a few pepper plants and want to add marigolds around the edge of that garden if I can ....   my Grandpa would be so proud!

The best place to seek God is in a garden.  You can dig for him there. George Bernard Shaw

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