First Tomatoes and Last Transplanting Inland

First tomato yums of the season

My watering cues - brightly colored plastic flags -- to remind me where newly-transplanted plants are.

Batches of mini-roses

More mini-roses

And more

Even more - this one provides transitioning color

Mary Lou Heard rose

Isomeris arborea - Bladderpod

Daylilies

Another daylily

And another daylily

Irish bells - green flowers! The real flower is the white bit in the center. As the calyxes dry, they become crispy and form stickers at their back that help them "travel" to other locations via animals. The real seeds are the "hot cross bun"s at the base of the dried calyx.

Salvia

Salvia

Loads of figs to come

Sea lavender - Limonium. The real flower is the white bit at the center.

Carrot's "landing pad" bloom fully open at the bottom. The fertilized one, with maturing seeds crumpling the shape at the top.

Fortnight lily

Chinese Date - Jujube - blossoms and tiny fruits set.

Sunflower losing its petals and developing its seeds

Among the last nasturtiums. I let them die back and leave them in place as mulch.

Our high-80s-degree sunny daytime temperatures and mid-60s nighttime temperatures have signaled the true beginning of hot weather for both us gardeners and the garden as a whole, especially inland here in Pasadena.  Although still pleasantly warm to work in the shade, it’s just too hot for me to stay in the sun for long.  So my gardening time is limited to after 5pm, when the sun has gone over the hill to my southwest.

No More Transplanting or Seeding For Me Inland
     I did just transplant 5 native Asclepias for the future pleasure of monarch butterflies and larvae:  A. fascicularis, A. physocarpa ‘Family Jewels Tree’, A. speciosa ‘Davis’, A. speciosa ‘Showy Milkweed’, and A. syriaca ‘Virginia Silk”.
     My newest trick to remember to keep watering new transplants is marking them with brightly-colored plastic flags.  In the past, especially when transplanting more than six 4-inch pots, I’d forgotten where I’d planted many of them, and they didn’t survive the neglect until I again remembered them.  So far this year, my flag cues to myself have worked just fine.  The real test will be carrying on with watering them through the summer!
     I won’t make any othe new additions to the garden of transplants from now until fall since they have to struggle too much to merely survive through their first month establishing their new root system, much less thrive and produce lots -- regardless of how much mid-day shade I provide and water I pour on. 
     However, those of you closer to the coast with more overcast skies and lower temperatures may still have success in transplanting and seeding.  Just keep your eye on them at least every third or fourth day to see if they need your help in shading them or watering while they get re-established in their new home!
 
Finally Tomato Time!
     I just picked the first tomatoes – 2 Black From Tula, 1 Green Zebra, 2 Red Zebra, 2 Sweet Tangerine and 55 Sungold.  Of course, only 20 of the Sungolds made it to the kitchen, since there’s nothing yummier than munching those bright orange, midday-sun-heated treats as you’re harvesting others.  Definitely “one for me, and one for the bowl” priorities. 
     I’m growing 35 tomato plants of 17 varieties this year:  2 Ace 55, 1 Berkeley Tie-Dye, 1 Big Rainbow, 1 Black From Tula, 4 Black Krim, 7 Celebrity, 4 Cherokee Purple, 1 Chocolate Cherry, 2 Green Zebra, 1 Isis Candy, 1 Momotaro Gold, 1 Mr. Stripey, 2 Paul Robeson, 2 Red Zebra, 1 Stupice, 1 Sungold, and 2 Sweet Tangerine.
     Another of my tomato plants had lost its label by the time I got it home to plant it, so that one’s a mystery, but probably a duplicate of one of the other varieties I’d purchased.  We’ll see if its fruits match anyone else.  If it doesn’t, and it’s wonderful, I’ll have no way of knowing which to purchase again!

For More Garden To-Dos
See July tasks.