I have never needed to stake tomato starts, but they are getting so big I thought it was either add stakes to the greenhouse plants or start to get them planted in the garden.

Sure enough, this morning, I picked up a Lemon Boy tomato and it fell over and broke in half. Ugh. Random bamboo sticks in the shed were quickly put to use holding up the biggest ones for my friends, and I started to plant what I could of my own.

I arrived here eleven years ago, knowing nothing about growing veggies and, having never grown tomatoes before, I have had to learn a lot. This is how I plant them and it works for me in this garden. We are zone 8b. (I could actually argue zone 9)

The holes are deep. If you can’t dig yours in this deep, your option is to lay the tomato on its side when you plant it. All the little hairs on the stem will turn to roots when you get them under ground. The more roots, the stronger the plant. I have gorgeous soil .

Each tomato gets one handful of epsom salts, one large stake, one tomato cage and a drainage pipe with twelve drilled holes.

Epsom salts are scattered in the bottom of the hole and across the soil that is waiting to go back in the hole. I plant the post at the back, the tomato in the middle and the pipe at the front. The soil is returned to the hole and the cage is placed over the whole area with the pipe on the ground poking out for watering. During the summer, I fill the pipe with water every second day. The water goes straight to the roots where it is most needed.

During the winter I collect milk jugs and fill them with rain water off the roof of the bunkie. During the summer they are placed between the tomatoes to retain the day’s heat into the evening. In August, when my water is running low, I use the water in the jugs to water the plants. It is a useful, if unattractive system.

The vegetable beds are surrounded by flower beds to attract pollinators.

I planted 15 tomatoes today, with a few more to go tomorrow. Three types of beans are in the ground and looking great. Also two types of cabbage, three types of cauliflower, two types of beets, celery, brussels sprouts, garlic and onions. Really warm temperatures are on the way so it looks like we are in high gear.

In the greenhouse I still have two types of cucumber, spaghetti squash, zucchini and two types of pumpkin waiting to get big enough to plant..

Last year I had to delay the plant sale to the end of the month because it was so cold and the plants were so small. This year I could be giving most of them out now.

I have to say, I have a lot of fun growing the veggies from seed. Anyone might get the idea that E and I eat a lot of veggies. We don’t, but until I figure out how to grow chocolate or cheese this is what

we will grow