My tricycle garden plot is going to be an interesting test for both the square foot gardening and lasagna gardening method. My plants seem to have exploded in growth overnight, so it is obvious that the lasagna gardening method of preparing the soil for planting is effective.
The spacing requirements specific in square foot gardening is very intensive. There is a lot of necessary work with the large plants like tomatoes, squash, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and peppers. They need to be supported so they can grow vertically, and require pruning to keep their growth confined to the main stalk/vine. I decided to create net trellises by suspending nylon netting between wooden posts. As the plants grow, I will tie them to the nets to keep them growing up. I set up the net trellises for my tomatoes and cantaloupe.
For the zucchini and squash, I fashioned a support trellis by tying jute twine between two posts, and then running vertical lines down to hold the zucchini and squash plants as they grow. The zucchini and squash I am growing don’t like to grow long vines, but instead form dense groups of short vines. This will make it more challenging to grow vertically, but with diligent work I should be able to get it done.
For the cucumbers, I created a trellis out of bamboo sticks. I stuck 6′ long bamboo sticks into the ground, bent them over, and then lashed them together. I ran out of jute twine, but I plan to tie the sticks together to create a web jute for support as the cucumbers grow.
Check out the pictures below!
First Tomato of the Season
I picked the first tomato of the season today in my tricycle gardens plot. The only tomato I have ever had on May 11th was one grown in a heated greenhouse in another state or from another country. It was not as tasty as tomatoes that ripen during the consistent heat of the summer, but it was certainly better than anything you can buy in the grocery store. It is proof that you can have tomatoes long before the normal gardener. Most people only started to plant tomatoes in past week or 2, but 3 of mine are almost 4 feet tall and 7 have multiple green tomatoes all over them. These are the Santa Grape, Green Zebra, Early Girl, 4th of July and the Red/Yellow Stripe tomato plants
Picture Update on The Garden – Tomatoes, Zucchini, and the Garden
The Santa Grape tomato plant in my tricycle gardens plot is showing signs of turning red. I went out this morning to water and check on things, and saw the first red blush on one of the little tomatoes. It will be the first tomato of the season for me, and the earliest one by far that I have ever had.
I also have a few pictures of my early girl tomatoes. They aren’t red yet, but a couple look like they will be ready soon.
The Baby Round Zucchini and Patty Pan Squash have really taken off over the past few days.
Here is a full image of the garden currently.
