Planting and the Weather

The weather has been so weird.  Yesterday evening it was so hot and sticky that just sitting in our living room, even with the windows open and a breeze, was stifling.  Then we had hail and rain and tornado warnings all night.  This morning it was chilly, but looked like it would warm up so I went and bought some veggies to plant.  Of course, then it never did get warmer, but just windier.  And tonight I'm sitting in my living room again, only this time with the windows buttoned up and under a heavy blanket.

That's Kansas for you.

I did go ahead and put the veggies in the ground though.  It's supposed to get warm again after tomorrow, and I figured it was better cold in the ground than just sitting out.  Plus the newspaper and straw I covered the garden with (which I just dug right through for planting) is currently forming a small barrier around each plant.  I'll have to remove it eventually or I think I'll start to have problem with pests and the like, but for now hopefully it will help keep my ickle planties a bit protected.

Click onward to see this year's map of what's what.

I went a little out on a limb with the tomatoes this year.  In the past I've picked at least one or two varieties that worked well the year before, but this year I just tried all new kinds. 

I'm not growing any bell peppers this year--they're so easy to get at the grocery store and I really can't tell the difference.  Instead I picked two hot peppers, which are generally not quite as easy to get ahold of. 

I'm also trying eggplant for the first time.  The nursery that I usually go to actually didn't have any so I just grabbed a few at the hardware store--not the greatest selection, but they had three different kinds at least.

I may get some cucumbers eventually, but the peas are in the spot where the cucs really need to go so that will have to wait.

And...oh, the herbs, lots of herbs.  Notably, a few different kinds of thyme--which we seem to be cooking with a lot more lately--and a "Cuban oregano" which I don't know what I'll do with but looked really cool.  (Pictures as it gets bigger.)