Latest garden pic. To the far right edge against the fence are two rows of Criollo98, CT Broad, and CT shade. Then the baby ones are Havana 2000. Finally out at the front edge, i.e. to the left, are three rows of corn, then okra, and finally, just sprouting this morning and still too tiny to be visible in the pic, bok choy. It is shadier at this end where I am standing, so the bok choy here. Okra don't care, grows anywhere. Planting Emerald here instead of Clemson, though, because it doesn't get woody as fast, and if I miss some pods they don't turn into indigestible woody marracas by the next day. Greatest sun exposure is all the way at the far end, so the corn, Bantam Sweet, is there. After harvesting all the seco and viso tobacco leaf, with the corn stalks good and sturdy, I will plant beans and peas. They will climb the stalks and meanwhile fix nitrogen in the soil. By the time the legumes are up to the Ligero, it will be time to harvest those, anyhow. Over winter I will have some onions and carrots to keep the dirt friable for the spring tobacco planting. I also plan to double the size, to 20' x 50'. The lot is 50' wide and the garden bed currently is 10' deep at the far back end of the lot, furthest from the street and the house. I think that's about 9 truckloads of dirt in there. shoveled by hand under the New Orleans summer sun, heat, and humidity.
A closer-up shot showing the Criollo 98 getting fence-high, and the widdle bitty baby Havana 2000 row, to the front. Corn just sprouted about 5 or 6 days ago, one day after planting soaked seed. This corn is bad ass. I will plant more of the same next year, maybe a bit earlier to break up the morning sun shining on the bakky a little bit, and break the wind. Plus, I love fresh picked (less than 5 minutes) sweet corn ears popped right into the microwave for 4 minutes. When you cut off the stalk end of the ear, right through the husk, you can sort of squirt the ear right out and the silk stays in the husk. Really cool. The corn is after 4 minutes pretty nearly cooked, and you can brush on some butter and sprinkle some slap ya mama on it and put it on the grill... mmmm,MMMMMMM!!! Great with a steak! Or fried chicken!