My Father's Garden

05/21/2026

On my way! The Mercantile On Main fresh organic sourdough.

05/20/2026

Very happy turtles!

05/19/2026

I still have a couple dozen tomato plants that need a home quick! Paste and slicers. All organic and most heirloom. $10 a tray full.

All gone! Thanks!

05/14/2026

On the way to The Mercantile On Main! Fresh from the oven - organic sourdough.

05/11/2026

Stop treating your peppers like tomatoes — they handle the transition to the garden differently 🌶️

Tomatoes bounce back from transplanting quickly. Peppers are slower. They're tropical plants that stall in cool, damp soil — and once they stall, it can take weeks to get them moving again. The first week after transplant sets the pace for the whole season.

Getting that week right doesn't take much. It takes timing.

🌿 Three things that make the biggest difference early:

- Warm the soil before you plant — black plastic mulch laid a week or two before transplanting raises soil temperature enough to keep pepper roots active from day one. Without it, cool spring soil slows root growth even when the air feels warm. The roots care about ground temperature, not air temperature

- Pinch the first flower buds — it feels wrong, but removing early flowers lets the plant build a stronger frame before it starts carrying fruit. A pepper that sets fruit too early stays small and produces a light harvest. One that builds structure first holds more fruit later and produces through the whole season

- Water consistently, not heavily — blossom end rot on peppers is usually blamed on low calcium, but the real cause is almost always inconsistent moisture. When watering swings between dry and soaked, the plant can't move calcium to the developing fruit even when there's plenty in the soil. Steady, even moisture prevents it more reliably than any spray

🌱 The timing detail most people miss:

- Don't transplant peppers until nighttime temperatures stay reliably above the mid-50s. A tomato can handle a cool night and recover. A pepper that gets chilled in the first week can sit dormant for weeks before resuming growth — and by then, you've lost a significant chunk of the season

The pepper that produces heavily in August was treated carefully in May. The rest is patience 🌿

05/11/2026

Almost time for setting our tomato plants and we have lots for sale! Let’s make a deal!
Paste - Roma and Amish
Slicers - brandywine, beefsteak, German pink Rutgers and comstock. All organic and most heirloom.

05/09/2026

All packed up for tomorrow on Main St! The Mercantile On Main. Come see us 11-2
We have spring honey, pure vanilla, asparagus, strawberries, lettuce, Asian greens, sweet rolls, whole wheat bread, lots of pepper and tomato plants

Cash is king and we also take Venmo!

05/07/2026

Still warm! Organic sourdough just delivered The Mercantile On Main

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

From The Right Angle House for Saturday! Lettuce and Asian greens! Come see us at The Mercantile On Main 11-2

Cash and Venmo please