Getting crowded

A friend who owned a greenhouse told me you should buy one twice the size of what you think you need. I am glad I did not listen to her advice, as I have all I can do to keep up with what I have.

The greenhouse is getting a little crowded though, and when the cucumbers begin climbing the trellis on the left side it will really resemble a jungle.

I have a variety of plants underway at this time: tomatoes, lettuce, chard, strawberries, peppers, cucumbers and an assortment of flowers. The chard seems to be doing very well in the greenhouse, so I may curtail most of the lettuce, and focus on chard and beet greens. I have never tried hydroponic beets, so this may be interesting.

Trying to grow lettuce along with warm weather vegetables under glass is getting to be a challenge as the season progresses. In an effort to find a variety that will tolerate the temperature I ordered a variety called Mignonette Bronze from Baker Creek Seeds. This is what they say about this plant:

"60 days. Excellent for hot and tropical weather, slow to bolt, frilled leaves, bronze-green heads. A superb type for the hot parts of the country, this heirloom was introduced in 1898."

The bush beefsteak tomatoes have been flowering for weeks. There are a few golf ball sized tomatoes, but mostly flowers. I have never grown plants that have remained in bloom for such a long period of time. They have been flowering for more than three weeks and show no sign of letting up. I have been tapping the trusses several times a day to set fruit, but they just seem to continue to bloom. Oh well, it is only mid-May, and there is a long growing period ahead. Besides, all the flowers are kind of cheerful....