Checking in on the tomatoes

This past weekend I finally planted the tomatoes that have been bouncing from my room, the an outside sheltered area, to the cellar, then back outside, all depending on that day's and night's temperatures.  Now, they are in the ground.  When planting tomatoes, it's a good idea to add some bone meal, which will provide the roots with adequate calcium and phosphorous, both of which are critical for establishing healthy plants.  A continuous source of calcium helps to prevent blossom end rot on tomatoes, and phosphorous is essential for plant cell walls.  Here are the seedlings enjoying some afternoon sun under the frosted glass of my table.

The tomatoes are shown here on my bed, one unseasonably cold May day - this was after 4 had been ripped out of their pots by cats (or angry landlords).  To avoid the wind and the cold, they got to spend a day in bed, next to the sunny window...but not too much sun, so I put a very delicate fabric up, to prevent too much light.  

Tomatoes seedlings are planted all the way up to the first set of leaves, which will later be removed.  The plastic cups go about 2-3 inches down, and prevent cut worm from making a midnight snack of the tomatoes.  Yep, that's a yoga mat.  I look like I am doing yoga the way I have to contort my body around to step in as few places on the soil as possible.  No one likes compacted soil.

I built a mesh fence to go around the raised bed which the cats have seem to taken a liking to for their litter box.  If this doesn't work, I'm buying a coyote.  Craigslist always comes through.