Well here we are three days later and I still haven't purchased more potting soil or hilled the potatoes. I have so many containers of potatoes growing this year and I haven't been as attentive to hilling them as I probably should have been. There are a few that are already flowering! I don't know if it's too late to do it now (some say don't hill once they start flowering, but I think that's if you're doing the traditional hoeing so you don't accidentally disturb the tender shoots), but I know I don't feel like buying any more potting soil this year. I've got all these containers of potatoes that aren't going to last the summer because they'll be ready to harvest long before that:
So I started thinking about what I could put in those containers. I was running errands today and decided to take a quick swing by Vaiuso. Those plant prices will be dropping any day now. The annuals hadn't, but there weren't that many veggies left, so I decided to pounce:
In addition to a small container of basil (I know, I have a problem, but it was only $2!) I picked up a Great White tomato, an Evergreen tomato, and a Mr. Stripey tomato. I also grabbed a tomatillo. I've never grown any of these before, so this will be a really exciting adventure:
And I just couldn't resist buying two butterfly bushes -- at $5 each who could? I have no idea where I'll plant them, but I have them now:
And did you notice how big they are? That's why I gave you the compost barrel for scale. The other reason the potatoes might not get hilled is because Thursday is an office day (blessed A/C), Friday is Gardens By The Seain Stonington, CT (actually taking a vacation day and spending it with my friend Jen), and then the Secret Gardens of Guilfordin Guilford, CT on Saturday with Jen again and Lee will join us. That's a lot of gardens over the next few days. Hopefully I'll come home with some good pics to share with you.
Oh I hope Mr. Stripey does well for you - he just got diseased for me!
Do you have a basil obsession?
Posted by: Mummer | June 09, 2011 at 09:48 PM
I'm joining you on the tomatillo adventure! There was one left at our garden center, too, so I snagged it. :) By the way, Great White might have been my favorite tomato last year. (Let it get an ivory color to it before you pick it, or it won't be as sweet as it should be. Trust me!)
And, really... can one ever have too much basil?!!! ;)
Posted by: Blackswampgirl Kim | June 10, 2011 at 11:42 PM
Heather, if I had known you'd be in Stonington, I'd have asked you and Jen to stop by for swordfish on the grill. No time to do the tour this year for me, as dogwoods needed to get into the ground before the rains came. I hope you enjoyed the tours. I'm sure photos will follow.
Posted by: Wendy | June 11, 2011 at 03:57 PM
Mom -- I hope so too! And yes, I have a basil obsession...I bought another two today!
Kim -- Tomatillos unite! Thanks for the advice on the Great White, my only concern was knowing when it's ripe. And no, never too much basil!
Wendy -- We would have loved swordfish on the grill! We had a late lunch at Azu in Mystic...fantastic salad nicoise. The tour was great. I will post on it soon.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | June 11, 2011 at 10:58 PM
Don't buy any more butterfly bush! Once they mature, they self-seed regularly. I find volunteers popping up all over my yard.
Posted by: fern | June 14, 2011 at 03:17 PM
Fern -- Interesting. I've been pretty good about clipping off the spent blossoms though. I wish I knew how they'd do without a lot of sun. I have plenty of shady spots where I could use a nice bush, even if it didn't flower that much.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | June 14, 2011 at 03:27 PM