Happy plants

A few shots of the tomato/cabbage garden. I've been reading a bunch of books ands taking gardening classes and I think I'm doing better this year because a) we converted the beds to drip irrigation. No more soggy leaves which promotes fungal diseases, b) I prune off any leaves starting to show disease (ie: leaves with brown, tan or black spots, leaves that are curling, "crispy" leaves, leaves that are full of holes), c) I walk the garden AT LEAST every other day. I look UNDER the leaves and I hand remove pests, d) I sanitize the pruners with rubbing alcohol after pruning each plant, e) any diseased or pest-eaten leaves are taken out of the yard and placed into the regular trash (before I would just let them sit on the soil thinking, eh, they'll decay and turn into nutrients eventually. This was bad because I learned in my books that these leaves contain fungal spores which will spread to the rest of your plant(s) if not disposed of.) Sometimes I just go out there with a grocery bag to place these leaves in until I can get to the trash. E) I built a pollinator-friendly space to attract more bees, butterflies, and moths. As a result I have better pollination and production on my plants, f) I use "trench composting" right in the garden beds (tip from U of FL: add a handful of fertilizer so the breakdown process does not rob the soil of nitrogen), g) I mixed a homemade baking soda spray that I use on occasion to fight off fungus. I know this sounds like a lot of work but tomatoes have been proven to be the most disease- and pest-prone plants in FL. Plus, I find this whole process to be therapeutic. I like to be surrounded with happy plantlife! 





Did I mention I started all of my plants from seed? TLC from the start of their life journey with seedling heat mat and grow lights.... man, did they get pampered!

I recently planted beans and squash (direct sow) and they've just begun to sprout next to the new & improved trellis (wire fencing added to the wood grid.)

Amaryllis blooms!