Raised vegetable gardening

Last year, thanks to a tomato volunteer that sprouted in my compost pile, I found myself to be an accidental vegetable gardener. And I have to admit that for several weeks, it was pretty darned nice to be able to pack a handful of just-picked tomatoes into my brown bag lunch every morning.



So this year, I decided to be a bit more intentional in my vegetable gardening. Rather than simply be grateful that a tomato plant had squeezed its way out of my compost pile, I decided that I would shoehorn a few plants into a sunny spot in the garden. First, though, I had to make a little space, which I did by resting a bluestone slab over a window well. This sort-of raised bed supports two large pots of "Sungold" cherry tomatoes; a third pot of "Sugary" grape tomatoes rests on the curb of an adjacent window well.



The arched bamboo supports are a whimsy, playing off of the rounded rose arbor and trellis. Maybe I'm still having just a little difficulty acknowledging that these plants are functional rather than merely decorative. I'm sure that I'll come around by harvest in 60 days!