Project Update: Gardening 2012

As I self professed, it's my first season trying to grow my own garden.  I didn't have much faith in myself actually, I planted really late and just hoped for the best.  Well, almost a month later I am happy to report that my little garden is thriving!

I'm as surprised at the next person that I haven't killed it yet. Above all, I would like to thank the Ozark region's humidity (for basically watering it by the air).   I have watered the plants daily (with the recent "extreme draught-like conditions I felt like I should).  I have also weeded weekly (this annoying grass weed that's more like a vine, likes taking over, really, anything, and it's everywhere down here.)

A wise man (or rather one with a greener thumb than I have) told me I should also cross-pollinate my fruit flowers to ensure best probability to fruit.  After a few blank stares, he explained that to fruit the pollen needs to go from one bud to another - more naturally done by an insect flying around.  For greater probability, just use a small paintbrush (I had some in my craft supplies, but those cheap Crayola ones would work nicely) and touched each flower with it on all three of the plants.  Cross-pollinate, I feel like a scientist!

My next steps are the keep watering and weeding, and apparently buy metal apparatuses for the tomato plants.  More to come! 



left: my little garden, July 24

right: flowering tomato plant