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A couple years back we had a Chicagoist alum who chronicled his attempts to grow his own tomatoes from seeds. If you click those links, you'll notice that he wasn't very successful. Now, we have something of a green thumb. Our apartment is full of various ficuses, cacti, African violets, rhododendron, split leaf philodendron and other plants we've been tending for a friend for so long, they now qualify as ours. Still, we were hesitant to transfer what skill we have for indoor gardening to the outdoors.
A couple months ago we found ourselves in our backyard looking at the planter boxes our landlord designed. The boxes were overrun with weeds, the stray cats strutting through the alley (they rule Bridgeport at night with their cat class and cat style) were using them as litter boxes and the soil looked, well, more toxic than fertile. The idea of the farmers market finds series was rattling around in our cabeza early on; we've long been skeptics regarding organic produce, but we like the idea of sustainability (one of the main reasons we frequent the farmers markets). That thought kept rattling in our head as we pondered the desolation of the planter boxes. Then we sprung into action.
The following morning at the Federal Plaza farmers market, we bought a load of planters from Smits Farms in Chicago Heights. They're a staple at most of the popular farmers markets throughout the week, specializing in fresh grown herbs. We picked up the following planters: basil, rosemary, cilantro, dill weed, parsley, oregano, and thyme. The total cost? $20. On a chance stop at our local produce market that same day, we picked up some more planters: green and yellow peppers, big boy and plum tomatoes. The cost for these planters were $15. Back home, we weeded the boxes, wet the soil, planted them all deep, and hoped for the best.
Want to see what they look like now?
Check out those tomatoes. When we started this we had little hope for the tomatoes. It turned out that we had nothing to fear from them, outside of overrun of the vines. There were a couple weeks where the wind was so gusty that we didn't know if the stakes we planted would hold, but by mid-June we were sizing cages. Our landlord, impressed with our efforts, climbed aboard the bandwagon and added eight plants of his own, entrusting us in their care. The plum tomatoes have an impressive size to them; we can't wait for them to ripen. This weekend we plan on picking a couple of the big boys and making fried green tomatoes and green tomato salsa. The peppers are the plants with which we're finding ourselves exhibiting patience. The leaves are growing like crazy, but we at least expected to find some bulbs peeking through by now. Soon, we hope.
As for the herbs, take a look at this closeup of our rosemary. All of them have grown considerably and saved us some cool change in the process. The basil at times has threatened to overrun all the other plants, including our landlords tomato plants. The dill weed is continuously sprouting new blooms, and the cilantro and oregano need to be trimmed back about once every couple weeks. It's a good thing, as we've used some of the fresh clippings in our meals, while leaving the rest on the window sill to dry out for winter use.
We've also noticed a change in the soil composition since we started. It took us a full day's work to clear the planters of glass shards, rocks, and other detritus that may prevent the plants from taking root. The soil has become noticeably darker and rich in nutrients, which we assume is par for the course when the planters are being used for their true purpose. The cats were another matter entirely. One positive we've taken from their presence is that they keep the alley relatively free of rodents. Their droppings are another matter. Short of posting a 24/7 watch on the garden, we can't seem to keep them out at night. So what we've done is take their droppings and use them for a compost mixture with charwood ashes (from our grill) and grass clippings. To keep flies away we spray a mixture of cayenne pepper and water on the garden.
This whole "gardenist" experience has been a revelation to us. If you have just a portion of unused land in your front or backyards, you can also grow fresh herbs and vegetables for your table. Who knows, maybe you'll get others involved, as well. Keep an eye out on both our and Chicagoist's flickr pages. We'll be updating those frequently with more photos of what we're culling from this project.
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No, you didn't ask for it. But when those tomatoes are ready to harvest, try my Mom's recipe:
THREE-DAY SAUCE
Coarsely chop 1 medium onion and sautee along with 2 cloves of garlic with some olive oil in a skillet until semi-translucent. Put everything in the bottom of a large crockpot. Add 3 small cans of tomato paste. Peel a dozen tomatoes (use more or less depending on how much sauce you want) and then chop into quarters. Add to crockpot. Add 2 small cans of tomato sauce, a tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon each oregano, basil, parsley. Add a tablespoon of dried red pepper (or you can use a tablespoon of diced jalepeno) and plenty of coarse salt and pepper. Choose a good burgundy or chianti and add enough to cover tomatoes. Put crockpot on lowest setting and allow to simmer for two or three days, stirring briefly every few hours. As tomatoes cook down the sauce may thin out; add more wine or tomato paste as necessary to thicken but do not add water.
If you want to include sausage or meatballs, add to sauce a few hours before serving.
This sauce freezes indefinitely really well and will taste even better as leftovers!
When growing tomato plants, be sure to snip off the leaves, and branches with leaves that you know are not going to produce flowers. That way, water will be concentrated to the flowers and ultimately the tomatoes. Also, more exposure to the sun tinkers with the sugar levels and markes for tasty fruit. But don't cut off all the leaves. The plant needs some leaves to capture sun. It is more of a pruning process.
Some people prefer to cage. I prefer staking, which is why I prune so much.
how long do tomato plants take to grow? is it too late to start?
I'm finding the pruning process to be a learning experience, as until recently it's been a guessing game which branches are gonna produce flowers. The ones I do prune are going to the compost heap, as well. BTW, my plants are staked, the landlord's are caged.
matty: It might not be too late for you to start with some tomatoes. The plants I bought said that I'd see fruit in about 60 days, and it's right on target. The peppers are another story. I'm supposed to see some sprouts in about 75 days, and I'm right at the time limit there. They're getting plenty of sun, but I wonder if the relatively mild summer we've had so far has affected the growing process at all.
Also, looking at the dates on the photos, I didn't plant this garden until Memorial Day, so I'll wait a couple weeks before passing final judgment on the peppers.
#3
If you start now, make sure they get no less than 6 hours of direct sunlight. That is considered full sun anyway. My tomatoes have taken a hit because of the spotty rain we've had and the extreme dry heat for that one week. On top of that, the tree in our yard has grown substantially since last year and has blocked out even more sun. My neighbor has thumb-thick vines on his tomato plants and they get full sun and twice daily watering.
It is also better to give one super saturating watering a week than daily sprinkles. Gives your roots a chance to go deep.
It wouldn't be too late if you bought tomato plants that are already doing well, but it is a little late in the day. My pepper plants put on fruit almost immediately, so Chuck, if yours aren't, there may be a problem. I grow bells (the red ones are finally read and the purple ones are turning now) and hot peppers, which are very long right now. I grow them on a balcony with partial sun and everything is working nicely. Use Miracle Gro about once a week and sweeten the water once in a while with water I pull from my fish tank when I do partial changes. Organic material always helps. Water liberally once the tomatoes come on because they need a lot to keep growing.
Very very cool and motivating, too. Now I just need some land!
#8
Five gallon bucket. Drill 4 or five hole in the under side. Put about 2 inches of rocks/gravel at the bottom and fill with top soil. Put about a 5 foot stick in the center, or right behind the tomato plant. Add twist ties every foot or so when the plant grows. If you are on a balcony, put a catch plate under the bucket, so when you water, you don't piss off your neighbor.
Ferdy: Should I trim back some of the leaves on the pepper plants?
I haven't found it necessary. Did you get any flowers?
You're not putting the cat-poop compost back on the veggies, I hope? Even composted cat poop harbors parasites, and who knows what those feral cats are carrying?
#12,
In addition, dog and cat poop attracts rats.
They're not going on the vegetables, trust me.
I think Chuck is using this as a front for his whole dope-growing operation. Gardenist indeed, Mr. Sudo. Gardenist indeed!