Monday, Monday

I am usually refreshed and raring to go on Monday mornings.  This morning?  Not so much.  Whopping headache when I got up so I went to back to bed after medicating to sleep it off.  I'm better now but feel kind of washed out so I've been taking a few pictures and don't plan to do anything really strenuous.

My friend Nancy in JAX has been asking me how our garden grows so I thought I'd devote today's post to a garden update.

Husband has two Topsy Turvy planters he so dearly loves that he was at the doors when BIG LOTS opened this morning so he could buy a dozen more for $1.50 each.  Not that I care how he spends his money, but he explained that these were selling for $9.95 each at Walgreen's.  The ones he has were a Father's Day gift from our daughter, Chele, several years ago.  He has relined them with Tyvek and they are looking a little ratty, so I am glad he sprang for the buck-fifty deal.  I must admit that they fascinate me, too.

Before I post the pictures, I need to tell you the "Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter Tomato" story.  This tomato was developed by "Radiator" Charlie Byles of Logan, WV, who planted a German Johnson tomato in the center of a ring of ten tomato plants of four different varieties.  All of these were grown from the seeds of the largest tomatoes known in the country back then in the early 40's.  He would go around to each of the 10 plants and collect the pollen using a baby's syringe and then squirt it on the flowers of the German Johnson. Then he would save the seeds.  After seven years, he felt he had a tomato that was stable enough and had all the qualities he was looking for.  He started planting them commercially and told small plants for a dollar each -- a lot of money in those days.  He always said he paid off his mortgage with the money from the sale of that tomato.

What's so special about the Mortgage Lifter?  It is HUGE.  The fruit has a lot of flavor but isn't acidic and they grow to a pound or two a piece.  Perfect for BLTs!

Topsy Turvy Planter 1

The white bucket is what catches the water as it drips through the soil in the planter above.

Topsy Turvy 2

Please note the terra cotta pot next to it.

Pineapple Plant in Terra Cotta Pot

My pineapple has been invaded by suckers that he has pulled off the Mortgage Lifters and stuck in my pots. I have given him an eviction notice and he plans to put them in their own pots.  They certainly are big enough.

Sucker in Pineapple Pot

Look at that sucker! (Ha ha)  I want him outta there.  He's blocking sunlight from my pineapple.  But not only the pineapple....

Suckers in Avocado 2

They are in both my avocado pots, too.  Speaking of which....

Avocado #1

Both avocados are doing well, but #1 has always been the strongest and fastest growing of the two.  It's looking great.

Avocado 2

Back to the Mortgage Lifters now.  Look at those blooms!

We can tell by how thick these vines are growing that the plants are preparing themselves for the weight of those big tomatoes. We have a few tiny tomatoes on them already but I couldn't find them in the foliage for a good shot of them.

So there you have it.  We're having fun watching them grow and this warm winter weather here has been perfect temperatures for development of strong healthy plants.  They are so large now that if we have a frost predicted we'll just cover them with sheets.  They are really too heavy to try to move to the garage without breaking them.  That is one drawback of the Topsy Turvy.  You can't just set the plant in a wheelbarrow and move it to safety.

I'll post another update when the tomatoes are easy to see.