The tomato plants in the little black planter were planted out as soon as we got back from our Spanish holiday, I had kept the three 'best' plants on the living room window sill for another week as a back up just in case the weather turned cold and I lost any of the first evictees. But then yesterday I decided to be brave and pot on the remaining three, and after giving them one night in the shed to acclimatise slightly, put them outside to join their siblings.
They look good, a little bit leggy maybe but they will soon settle down now that they have so much compost to feed them and allow them to expand their root systems into. They are currently basking in the sunshine next to our little pond, just like Alan ... although he's on the patio rather than pondside.
We were just bringing our shopping in from the car yesterday afternoon when our neighbour came over with a package for me, that had been left with him by the postman. As soon as I opened it I knew I had to take a photo of my shopping as a comparison.
As you can see from this array of shopping it's not even a full week's worth of meals laid out, it's mostly treaty things to go with the food that I already have in. One treat of which is a £5 tray of the most luscious strawberries.
My Ration Challenge pack has arrived and it's total value is ...
... less than the money I spent to feed my tomato plants!!
This puts so much into perspective doesn't it.
My fundraising page can be visited by clicking on the Ration Challenge picture at the top of the righthand sidebar ... and I am just £10 away from accessing my final earnable reward. Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated and got us to this amazing total.
You are the best 💝
Sue xx
I haven't even started with my tomatoes yet. I'm getting bedding plants after next weekend. You'd think I would remember not to book holidays at such an awkward time by now, wouldn't you?
ReplyDeleteStrawberries are much nicer now, aren't they? More flavour. xx
My little tomato plants got so leggy because of our holiday and them being ruthlessly abandoned, it's not easy to get holidays in at this time of the year if you are a grower of any sort is it. The reason I only every buy British grown strawberries and mostly just at this time of the year is the flavour, gosh these were worth waiting for.
DeleteNo, it's not. It's just when the weather is better and the holidays are cheaper too, because the children are at school still. xx
DeleteA few very cool nights predicted here, have got my fleece ready!
ReplyDeletePerhaps those pots will move back into the shed tonight if it goes very cool. The other ones in the planter have hardened off remarkably well though.
DeleteWe've had our tomato plants in the ground at the allotment for a couple of weeks now and they are doing well. Yours look good too. I do hope the weather doesn't turn too cold because it will stop everything growing, won't it :( Your potato plants are really shooting up as well!
ReplyDeleteYes, I can see what you mean about the rations, Sue, they seem so meagre, dull and boring but they must be a literal lifeline to refugees. It's horrible that the people don't know how long they will have to live off the same diet for. I would be craving fruit, tomatoes, peas and salad stuff. Oh, and potatoes.....
Well done on the brilliant total raised so far.
I was shocked to read in my information pack and online that there were babies born in the refugee camps in Syria that are now adults. Imagine over 18 years of living this way and trying to improve things for yourself when this is all that you have known.
DeleteI think tomato plants are a lot hardier than I have thought in the past, even those small ones ... which I deemed as slightly 'sacrificial' ... have acclimatised very well to the erratic temperature changes we have had recently.
Garden is in, both veggies and flowers..... Now I just hope it does not get really cold once again.
ReplyDeleteI definitely see the difference.
God bless.
It's a relief to get everything in isn't it, but oh the worry for the first couple of nights. It's like packing your small child off to school for the first day ;-)
DeleteYour potatoes and toms look in great condition and you are right - growing from seed really screws up holidays early in the season. I told myself I wouldn't do much this year . . . and of course the greenhouse has been full to bursting and I've not been away in the van. Definitely need to learn from this because it is not the right balance.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for balance - your quick food shop vs. the Ration Pack. Puts anything I might be grumbling about today rather into perspective. xx
Don't we as food growers and gardeners always tell ourselves that we will make it easier for ourselves 'next year' ... I need to listen to myself a bit more :-)
DeleteWhen I saw that my tomato food cost more than a refugee has for food for a full week food I was very sad!!