My first vegetable garden.

On my first visit to Niche Gardens (Chapel Hill), they had some tomato and chile peppers that they were eager to sell, and gave them all to me for a bargain. $10, I think. I bought:

• 2 'Big Beef' tomatoes
• 2 'Snow White' tomatoes
• 2 'Tropic VFN' tomatoes
• 2 red habanero chiles
• 1 bell pepper

I dug up all the existing plants (ajuga, grassy ground cover) and amended with one bag of manure. In retrospect, I planted them too close with too little height support. We put mulch around each plant to help with the weeds. The fence is for bunnies and deer. We used short metal posts and wire mesh fencing to create it.

The tomatoes grew like crazy, quickly outgrowing the little bamboo sticks we put in for support at first (see picture). I added 4-ft stakes later, but they need more of a net of support, including horizontal. I tethered some to the fence, but it is not sturdy enough for this and it makes it easier for the deer to eat the tomatoes. One deer took a big bite out of a 'big beef'! The tomatoes overshadowed the peppers and stunted their growth. I think there way something eating the pepper plant leaves also. Next time, the tomatoes should probably go against the house wall with a larger support.

Produce:

• Tomatoes: the snow white tomatoes are the best. They are the size and shape of cherry tomatoes, but yellow in color and great flavor. The big beef are great for cooking. Large and red. The tropic VFN are a pink Roma-like tomato. I'm not sure yet whether I like them -- they're worth trying again though.
• Chiles: two habanero plants is too much for us. Should probably have 2-3 bell plants and 1-2 other chiles not as hot as habaneros. I fed them to Tu and Liem when Liem visited, and they were very hot even to those two! Maybe I'll try to grow that pretty brown/purple one that Stefanie gave me. I think it is a chocolate cherry (C. annum). Maybe also a Chimayo?