Through the years I have grown accustomed to and actually prefer to grow plants in containers. Perhaps this habit evolved from my days as a child when I tried to futilely grow plants in the hard clay of my Wyoming home. I actually celebrated the day when I got dandelions to grow but that will be another story for another time.

Each morning I try to make the rounds around the garden perimeter to take a mental note of how things are growing or in some cases not growing. So far most everything seems to be doing well. There have been some challenges but I am blessed that I have had more successes than challenges. One such success appears to be this year’s attempt at growing tomatoes. Like most gardeners, the idea of growing fresh tomatoes is something I consider the pinnacle of the growing season. I remember my ex mother-in-law growing absolutely gorgeous tomatoes in her greenhouse. She would buy a bag of the best potting mix, plant her seeds and off they went like a wildfire. Based on this, I thought tomato growing must be the easiest thing a gardener can do! Experience has definitely brought forth a much different conclusion.

My first attempt at tomato growing was in Arizona. The trick to growing tomatoes in the low desert is to start them very early so they are done fruiting before the temperatures rise above 90 degrees. I had no luck with the larger tomatoes and limited success with cherry tomatoes. I do not think I was able to water them enough. Now that I am in Colorado, I do not have to worry about the heat but the watering is still an issue. If you water too much or too little, you can end up with a wide variety of issues and the most common issue I experience is end blossom rot. From what I have read, this is due to inconsistent watering which for me sounds spot on as I still have yet to strike a balance with the perfect watering regime for my tomatoes. As a result, last year I had no viable tomatoes but I vowed things would be different this year.

During a trip to Holly Acres I set out to purchase some cherry tomato plants but during that trip there was none available. Though tempted by the beautiful images on the tags of the larger tomato varieties, I thought I perhaps not and then I noticed that there was a sale going for container tomatoes. I had never heard of container tomatoes or shall I see tomato varieties specifically intended to be grown in a container. I use my Earth Boxes sure but as mentioned, last year when growing tomatoes in these boxes, I did not have any success. I asked about how reliable these tomatoes were and the entire staff swore by them. I thought I would give them a shot.

These plants were purchased early in the season and in they went into my empty Earth Boxes. Well, I am pleased to say that so far, they have been growing beautifully and each plant is full of fruit. Some of the tomatoes have already ripened and they were incredibly juicy and delicious so win/win! I was given some other varieties including a Roma tomato and end blossom rot has occurred again but not in any of the container tomatoes. Any day now I will be able to harvest several at once as they continue to ripen. What a blessing! So far, I am pleased to say I would completely recommend growing these tomatoes to every gardener. You can purchase seeds for next season here.

Beyond the tomatoes, most everything in the garden is at peak performance. I am having issues with my cone flowers and I believe that is due to over watering. I may need to move them or at least add some gravel or something so their feet are not constantly wet.

There is so much love a gardener provides to the world around them. I thank you all so much for reading and until next time, happy gardening and blessings to you all!

The beauty of the garden in July and August: