Welcome

I have been reading a number of gardening blogs over the past year and have enjoyed reading the trials and tribulations of urban (or other small scale) gardening and urban/suburban homesteading. Having just turned 30, newly married (a couple years) and my first child (son - Nicholas) being born in November 2010 I have gained new perspectives on life and gardening. Being an urban gardener as well, I decided it was now my time to join in on all this blog fun.

Growing up, I always managed to plant a tomato or pepper plant in my parents garden or in a pot on the patio. I remember being so excited when picking the 3 or 4 tomatoes it produced or the abundance of humidity-loving peppers from a single plant. I loved the oranges that the navel orange tree I had potted at my parents house produced, it survived in a large container from 1993 until Katrina in 2005. I moved into my current house in Metairie (a suburb of New Orleans) two years ago and have spent that time slowly adding to the amount of space to garden and clearing trees for a small home orchard.

New Orleans has many challenges facing its residents, but the challenges facing its gardeners are even harder. The high heat and humidity (avg summer humidity is 85-90%) lead to problems with diseases and infestations. Not to mention the sheer disdain for spending time outside of air conditioning. Gardening here is all about timing. With our average last frost date quickly approaching (February 20), things pick up quickly for the next few months. Tomato and pepper seeds were started in January and a few have a couple sets of true leaves. Eggplant and tomatillo seeds were started last week. My seed orders are finally beginning to arrive.


Tomato and Pepper seed starting tray

Tomatoes - I am finally trying my hand at some heirloom varieties this year. I decided to stick with the staples, Brandywine and Cherokee Purple, for my first year.  These should go nicely alongside my other varieties Creole, Ace and Celebrity. I have always been hit or miss with cherry tomatoes. This year will be my first year growing them, so I chose a small variety, Neat and Sweet, for container growing. They are supposed to grow to 12" and then branch out and continually produce all spring and summer, but we shall see. After April and May, tomatoes here begin to suffer from the heat and humidity. They become much more susceptible to wilt and blight in the humidity. I usually try to keep one or two alive into June and July. Last year I had one producing a second crop when the weather turned cooler in October.

I will try to discuss my other 2011 crops, orchard plantings and let yall know some more about previous experiences with them.

Thanks for viewing my blog.