I put the last 6 blocks up on the design wall with the others hoping that I can decide how to arrange them. I wanted to spend time outside yesterday so I didn't work on this.
It was 83 degrees so I decided to plant the tomatoes. I put in 9 plants this year. It was crowded with this many a couple years ago but last year with 6 plants everything started dying back early and I wished I had put in more plants. One friend says she strips the leaves off the plants so better ripening can happen. I could do a little of that if they get crowded.
I have a late variety of lilacs and they are just beginning to open. They are right outside my bedroom window so I'm hoping for fragrance soon.
Here are the rest of my Mother's Day presents. I'm looking forward to the grilling pan for chicken breasts for my salads and grilled cheese sandwiches. I'll watch the videos and see other uses for it.
The blocks look great......I notice that four of them stand out, with distinct X shapes sitting on top of the other pieces. I'm going to be interested in their placement: corners? center 4-patch? random???
that little grilling pan looks wonderful - I have a George Foreman but really do not care for it all that much - it is one of the big ones and is a pain to drag in and out of the cupboard where it is stored. I went with less tomato plants this year as mine was way too crowded last year :) I still have room for more and have thought of getting more before they are gone. Love all the star blocks
I enjoy checking your blog every morning to see what you're working on! tomatoes often get the blight- either early or late, and there is not really much you can do about it. however.... they do like (and NEED) air circulation! if you take that middle tomato out of the raised bed, that will still leave you with 8 plants. it will improve the circulation, as the plants get bigger, it will be quite crowded in there. we prune all our tomatoes in the high tunnel (we grow veggies and more for farmer's markets and other things, too) you can take of all the bottom leaves up to 3 sections below the active growing point. google pruning (indeterminate) tomatoes- you'll get lots of info. even though you wont' prune them all season, they'll get off to a good start, and hopefully give you all the toms you want and can use (or give away!)
I have a couple of those spatulas and they've lasted for years! You'll enjoy the grilled chicken - we love it here, too. I miss the lilacs I grew up with - they smelled SO good.
How could you not spend the day outside with weather like that? You should get plenty of tomatoes with nine plants. The lilacs should fill the air with a heavenly scent.
That looks like a nice grille pan! I have been trying to find out if cast iron pans can be used on a glass cooktop. I would love to have a La Cruset grille pan.
I love watching as you arrange and rearrange blocks. The green one popped out to me too, and I'd be tempted to make it the middle block with the X blocks as the corners. However you arrange them, it's going to be a fabulous quilt to look at and just drink in all those glorious batiks! We had lilacs in the backyard when I was growing up, and the fragrance was so wonderful! There is something planted at the front of our building that has a fragrance that's something like lilacs. Right now we're waiting for the crab apple trees to come out in their blossoms as that is another fabulous fragrance of spring. We're supposed to get a few days in the high 70s this week which I I hope will encourage those blossoms!
can see lots of fun will be had when all the blocks are made and you try to sort out the arrangement of them. Could do with some of your heat here in the UK, must own up to never having grown any tomatoes or veg of any kind.
The blocks look great......I notice that four of them stand out, with distinct X shapes sitting on top of the other pieces. I'm going to be interested in their placement: corners? center 4-patch? random???
ReplyDeleteThe green block in the 2nd row, 1st column jumps out to my eye. Maybe it should be in the middle?
ReplyDeleteI like this quilt a lot!
Frebblebit
I agree with the others about the green block and the "x"s
ReplyDeleteThey probably should be used carefully.
I use my grill pan for salmon and tuna steaks.
that little grilling pan looks wonderful - I have a George Foreman but really do not care for it all that much - it is one of the big ones and is a pain to drag in and out of the cupboard where it is stored. I went with less tomato plants this year as mine was way too crowded last year :) I still have room for more and have thought of getting more before they are gone.
ReplyDeleteLove all the star blocks
Love the view from the design wall. Too early here to plant.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy checking your blog every morning to see what you're working on! tomatoes often get the blight- either early or late, and there is not really much you can do about it. however.... they do like (and NEED) air circulation! if you take that middle tomato out of the raised bed, that will still leave you with 8 plants. it will improve the circulation, as the plants get bigger, it will be quite crowded in there. we prune all our tomatoes in the high tunnel (we grow veggies and more for farmer's markets and other things, too) you can take of all the bottom leaves up to 3 sections below the active growing point. google pruning (indeterminate) tomatoes- you'll get lots of info. even though you wont' prune them all season, they'll get off to a good start, and hopefully give you all the toms you want and can use (or give away!)
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of those spatulas and they've lasted for years! You'll enjoy the grilled chicken - we love it here, too. I miss the lilacs I grew up with - they smelled SO good.
ReplyDeleteThose blocks look wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHow could you not spend the day outside with weather like that? You should get plenty of tomatoes with nine plants. The lilacs should fill the air with a heavenly scent.
That looks like a nice grille pan! I have been trying to find out if cast iron pans can be used on a glass cooktop. I would love to have a La Cruset grille pan.
ReplyDeleteI love watching as you arrange and rearrange blocks. The green one popped out to me too, and I'd be tempted to make it the middle block with the X blocks as the corners. However you arrange them, it's going to be a fabulous quilt to look at and just drink in all those glorious batiks!
ReplyDeleteWe had lilacs in the backyard when I was growing up, and the fragrance was so wonderful! There is something planted at the front of our building that has a fragrance that's something like lilacs. Right now we're waiting for the crab apple trees to come out in their blossoms as that is another fabulous fragrance of spring. We're supposed to get a few days in the high 70s this week which I I hope will encourage those blossoms!
Your blocks look terrific all together. I look forward to seeing the next steps.
ReplyDeletecan see lots of fun will be had when all the blocks are made and you try to sort out the arrangement of them. Could do with some of your heat here in the UK, must own up to never having grown any tomatoes or veg of any kind.
ReplyDeleteGood idea using those circular supports for the tomatoes, I must see if we have in our garden centres when Summer comes around again!
ReplyDelete