Tomatoes and stuff...

Our spring has so far been unseasonably wet and cold which for a gardener is not very good but with a few nice days in the forecast I can finally plant the tomatoes I started from seed.

I only found out a few weeks ago that digging oyster shells into the dirt will help with tomato blossom rot, which my tomatoes get.

Hard to see here but I did sprinkle some oyster shells in...

I watered them and then covered them with some plastic using some tent poles Art found in a dumpster..

Art wrapped some stakes on the long sides of the plastic and secured them with staples, this will keep the plastic in place keeping my tomatoes warm and dry. Luckily Art had the plastic on hand, recycled from something else so these makeshift greenhouses were free, and that's very good.

Crazy Daisy

This is crazy Daisy, AKA fat cat. For some reason she seems to think that she can fit into a small tin, about 8 inches wide, that I use to store my embroidery thread.

She moves this way and that way, tries to push things around in an effort to fit in there, but poor Daisy has a fat rump...hey takes one to know one...

But all she really wants is to be close to me...which is good because I feel the same about her!

Rhubarb

Lots and lots of rhubarb. Not from my garden although I was able to harvest 5 or 6 good sized stalks from my plant. This rhubarb is from my friend's patch. I'm not sure how many plants they have, but there is lots.

This is what I picked and it didn't make a dent....

I cut the big leaves off and laid them on my garden as natural weed control. Then I washed and cut the stalks....

Then into a plastic bag ready for the freezer, really it's that easy.

I'm off to get more... 

Interviews today...

For the first time ever I am holding interviews where I am the only one making the final decisions.  If I choose the wrong candidate it will be my error, not HR's, not the boss, not Sally in the next cubicle who made the recommendation...just me, the buck stops here...

Wish me luck!

Broc

I said I wouldn't grow them, really not worth it, they are a pain in the arse but those little seedlings just kept going, even with all my neglect.

So here they are in their new bed...but you can't just plant them and leave them...it seems that all sorts of little critters love broccoli, so I have to protect them...

With a row cover, and that's where the fussy part comes in. I have to pull this thing on and off every time I want to access the plants...what a bother. I sure hope I get some broccoli this time...I am unwilling to share it with any other little critters...

In the garden...

I was so fortunate to get my hands on some raspberry canes, 7 to be exact, all from fellow garden club members, and all for free.

I wasn't sure where to put them so for quite some time I just had them in a big pot, sitting against the house in part shade. If you are a gardener you know that raspberries multiply, and they do that very quickly, so finding a good spot for them is essential. I decided to put them in the veggie garden, keeping them safe from the deer, and in a standalone area that is about 3 feet from any of the other veggie rows. I hope the distance from the rest of the veggies will keep them manageable.

Now all I have to do is be patient and wait for the delicious berries, maybe I'll have to wait until next year....bue well worth it.

The picture does not show the raspberry canes very well but they are there...all in a row.

West Vancouver sea wall

West Vancouver is home to the richest postal code in Canada. I don't think there is one house in West Vancouver on the market for under one million dollars...and, it has the most fabulous sea wall that is open to everyone regardless of income...

So even I, a common pauper, can enjoy the stunning views of West Vancouver without spending upwards of a million dollars...