Vicki, last year we had some peppers that didn't sell so we chopped and froze on a cookie sheet then bagged and boy was I glad to have them for cooking later. We'll do the same thing this year too. We love stuffed peppers but I have never done them with frozen peppers.

Yes, great idea to freeze up the leftover peppers. I didn't think of that. I am hoping I get good production on my peppers this year. I never get the production I get on my tomato plants. But this year treating the peppers the same way as the tomatoes with the compost and fertilizer.

So along my driveway side mostly daylily garden is where I put out the tomato cages for the tomatoes and 6 of the peppers. I tried this last year, daylilies in front, tomatoes in back. Worked well.

Going to put 4 of my Sweet Million 6 pack here and not planting the rest.


6 Cubanelle peppers to be planted here.


And 4 of the 6 pack of Juliets here and again not planting the rest. I used these trellis things last year as I ran out of cages and it worked fine so set them up again.


I have to get creative in order to make everything fit!

Tomorrow is tomato planting day so I needed to be set up and ready.

We're on day two of non stop rain. I hope my tomatoes and peppers don't flood away

Oh no. Hopefully it won't be too bad.

, Vic.

I'm hoping for a few drier days, too. My kale sprouts are swimming...poor things.

Still no peas. I don't know why I persist. By the time they do sprout it'll be too hot. Pots for me...next time. (See, I still won't give up! )

I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying my raffle win Chelle - Thank you SO MUCH

I'm so glad, Vic!

Have you run out of planting space yet?

I'm going to try to get a lot done with the veggie patch here this week -wet, or not.

Chelle, I have trouble with peas also but I found the Dwarf Grays do the best. Lots of germination and they can be eaten pods or full grown peas. Not supposed to need fencing but I always give them a little support.

DH did till up more garden space

abhege said:Chelle, I have trouble with peas also but I found the Dwarf Grays do the best. Lots of germination and they can be eaten pods or full grown peas. Not supposed to need fencing but I always give them a little support.

Are these the ones that are sometimes sold at farmer's markets as salad sprouts? I just love those tasty little morsels.

vic said:DH did till up more garden space

That's wonderfully helpful!

I do all of mine with a garden fork, although each year by season's end I swear I'm going to get a tiller.

I still have to go back outside and fix the markers the way I want to that I don't forget which tomato variety is which. Not that there is much chance I don't remember but this is way I do things each yeare so not going to change it now.

I am done with the planting for today. I have my Eggtplant, Zucchini, cucumbers and peppers still to plant. I think it is too cold still for the cucumbers and peppers. So the eggplant really needs warmth and I don't know anything on the zucchini so am erring on the side of caution.

I have ten peppers to plant, the spots are ready and they will be in tomato cages. 6 Cubanelle and 4 Italian Frying Peppers.

My plan was only to plant the tomatoes today anyway so that is what I did. At least what I had, I planted. I gave away the Kelloggs Breakfast, Prudens Purple and Power Pops plants (one of each) and my extra plants (2 of each) of Juliet and Sweet Million that I had to a friend that stopped by to see what I was planning. I don't need another cherry and only plant 4 Juliets (space) and 4 Sweet Millions (space). Those other two are heirlooms and I am not really into heirlooms anyway and will never miss them. I know, I know. People are crazy for heirloom tomatoes but not me. Give me Big Boys or Better Boys any day!

Then those Beefmaster tomatoes, they looked aweful. I am not sure if the brown crud along the stems was bruising or desease but I can't risk my garden. I threw them out. I got them in a very good nursery and just can't believe they would sell deseased plants but for the price of a six pack ($4.29) I am not taking a chance.

So with my extra buys, givaways and thowouts I have 8 empty spots left. I will go back and try for the Beefmasters again later in the week and see what else.

All the other tomatoes are planted. 53 in ground as of right now and 8 spots to fill. I should end up with 61 tomatoes plants. Yikes! I have NEVER had this many, not even when I had the entire back yard bed for my veggie garden long before I got the daylily crazies.

And it seems that the neighbors notice what I do. While I was planting a neighbor from down the street that got plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers last year saw me and checked out the planting. He thought I was setting out the tomato cages and was suprised to see tomatoes in ground that I just planted. I was showing off saying tomatoes here and there and peppers over there. Remember no peppers last year. He was very dissapointed to hear that there were no halapenos. I said no, I don't like halapenos these were frying peppers.

He immediatly asked about the cucumbers (he loves them) and had to make sure I was planting cucumbers this year. I will be planting the same amount and same place as last year but its too early yet. But I am sure there will be cucumbers for all. And he doesn't even know about the eggplant and zucchini plants.

So that was my day planting tomatos. I hope they grow quickly!

Wow, Rita, I'm amazed! That's a lot of plants. I'm surprised that you can plant out tomatoes already. I usually have to wait till the first of June.

Last year I had them in May 3rd, the year before May 5th. The year before that May 8th. So I am getting earlier each year. But last year although in ground May 3rd, I had them sitting ouside from the day I bought them.

Holy Cow! You planted almost as many as I did! And you gave away a lot! You're going to be swimming in tomatoes. Good thing you like them. One year I ate so many I had a rash all over from all the acid!

I think tomatoes can take a lot of cool weather but if it calls for frost, just take newspaper or light sheet or something and cover them. If they get nipped with frost they will probably survive but it will set them back. I only got my tomatoes in last Thursday. the Saturday before we had a layer of ice on the windshields! But they have been sitting out for about a month and I just used row cover if it got really cold.

I like BOTH heirlooms and hybrids. Some heirlooms are too sweet for me. I like acidic and Better Boy, Bolseno, Big Beef are more acidic.

GREAT gardening day Rita

Still way too wet here to get into the garden and one of my pepper plants floated away but I put it back and hope it makes it.

I do have what I call my kitchen garden planted in pots. I hope to finish the outside garden tomorrow if it's dry enough.

I have to do the markers too Rita

We do the markers as well because we separate for market and do "samples." It helps to do them alphabetically, just in case, then at least you can do a reasonable guessing game if something happens to the markers. We found that out the hard way!

I was swimming in tomatoes last year and I didn't have as many as I do now. But I give them away. Honestly, I am not happy unless I have plenty (and I mean plenty) for myself as I eat and eat and eat them plus I give them away to everyone I know.

For markers I just tape the insets that come with the plants on the tomato cage at the beginning of the row of that type. I already did that today after I planted.

Great idea!

So I went back to the nursery today. Found Beefmaster tomatoes again that looked nice and healthy and bought a six pack so my Beefmasters are back for this year. I really loved this variety last year and was upset to think that I might not have them this year.

I did see a batch of them that must be where I got my orininals that were beat up cruddy looking just like the ones I threw away. But in another section I saw nice ones that I am sure are new stock. So I got those. I also got a six pack of Supersonic to fill my two empty spots. Managed to find a third place to put one so I have three Supersonic plants. So that is all. I have planted all my tomatoes. I have 62 plants all in ground. Glad to be done with the tomato planting.

The nursery had some melon seedlings from Burpee called SUGAR CUBE so I bough a pack of those also. I have seeds of Green Machine and Minn. Midget but going to have these instead of Minn Midget.

IN the next few days I will get my melon and cucumber seeds started. I start them inside in refilled dell packs as they start faster in the warmth. Then I bring them outside as soon as they come up. Can bring them back inside of it gets too cold. But by the time they all come up it will probably be time to plant them out anyway.