Unless we are down the main road, we don’t really run into anyone. We don’t notice the return of the masses to the island. Our property is at the end of a private lane, no one but our neighbours or their visitors should be on it.. We see our treasured Owl Lane neighbours regularly but the rest of the island is pretty separate from our life. On Owl Lane though, there is much sharing of skills, seedlings and equipment..Words of encouragement over shared problems and so too, celebrations of successes. I think of us as the Owl Lane Support Society.. There are four properties, two of us are year round… one is 6 months per year and one is four months but will soon be much much more..
AW is the other year rounder. She has lived here twenty seven years, and I have yet to hear of anything she can’t do. She is my idol. She has given me a lot of tomatoes which she grew from seeds, LCD gave me some too. Added to those I bought I have 29 tomatoes, some I will be planting at SoHo and one up top at the W’s.
- Amish Paste (3)
- Alicante (2)
- Sashas Pride (1)
- Tumbler (3)
- Sun Gold (2)
- Cherry Roma (2)
- Juliet (2)
- Ultra Girl (1)
- Beef Master (2)
- Healthy Thick Roma (1)
- Lemon boy (1)
- Early Girl (1)
- Polish Paste (8)
The first year we were here I planted tomatoes with the cages they sell in gardening stores. By July the tomatoes had exceeded those cages and we had to add stakes and wire support. I use those commercial cages now for my Basil.The second year we used the homemade cages the R’s had left. They were made from welded fencing wrapped in circles. But once again, we had to add stakes and string supports in July. The tomatoes had grown to six feet and heavy with produce. Both years I planted the tomatoes too close together. BR’s soil is magic and the tomatoes thrive…
I did some research and found this method. (tomato fencing).
E put two rows of 14 foot of welded fencing braced with three t-bars each. I am planting eleven plants on each fence.. 22 plants. I have left plenty of space between each plant.
I will use all of these tomatoes. I make salsa, green tomato relish, paste and sauce. During the winter these tomatoes go in my soups and pasta dishes. They provide an ever ready base for dinner.
The Owl Lane Support Society are coming for dinner. I made the tomato sauce last night (using Gina’s recipe) for a lasagna. With my Ricotta making skills from last years cheese making workshop and home-made sauce and homemade wine the meal was a cinch to throw together. E was watching hockey last night while I was cooking the sauce. I had already had my shower and forgotten the fresh Rosemary. Luckily, I do live on a private lane and shouldn’t be running into anyone but the Owl Lane support society… because I had to return to the garden
in my pajamas
Off the Grid Islander 