I went to my niece’s high school graduation party on Sunday at my brother’s house. It was a perfect day, so the party was outside in the garden.

There is something about outdoor parties at other people’s homes—we get so curious. I always enjoy peeking into other gardens. What are they growing? How does it look? And the owners themselves: don’t you find that gardeners are the most generous people? They are so willing to share their tricks, their stories, and send you off with a cutting or two. Jim, my enthusiastic gardener brother, proudly led us on a tour. Two, four, five of us followed him around the fence and through the gate.

Through the Garden Gate

We started at the front of the house and saw the tulip trees the girls had planted in elementary school for Arbor day, now a decade into their growth. We admired the blue columbine that has happily self-seeded into a large clump. He told the story of the calendula flowers that have spread nicely. In among the flowers a space has been cleared for cucumbers. The sprawling vines will soon become a cucumber ground cover in the front border to catch the hot afternoon sun.

The tour rambled to the back yard to see the work they have accomplished there. New four-foot wood fences on each side are shared with his neighbors. Chain link was used for the back to preserve the view into the adjoining park. Last summer he removed a row of overgrown invasive honeysuckle vines and a towering sickly arborvitae. Now it’s a flowing garden interspersed with edibles. Jim dug and planted a large asparagus bed in one area. In another he built a raised bed out of cedar with a small decorative metal border, to keep out their dogs. It’s filled with peppers and herbs.

Tips for Growing Garden Tomatoes

Tomatoes. Did I mention they love tomatoes? They have planted 14 tomato plants in among the flowers and shrubs, wherever they can tuck them in on their small suburban lot.

Last year they planted 35. Many of them go into containers, an art they have perfected. The large pots can be moved out of the way when relatives and others invade the back yard. They also can be moved about to follow the sun.

I asked Bev about the lessons they have learned over the years. She says they use new soil in the containers each year and thoroughly clean the containers to avoid disease. They stake the tomatoes as soon as they are planted. Her favorites are the Super Sweet 100s and the Sweet Million cherry tomatoes. They also plant paste tomatoes every year.

When the bounty of tomatoes are ripe, she washes, cores, and freezes them whole on cookie sheets, then stores them in plastic bags in the freezer. Whenever she makes chili or soup in the winter, she plops a few homegrown tomatoes in. The skins fall off and she easily removes them. After my educational family garden tour, I’m wondering if I planted enough tomatoes this year. It’s not too late, but I may need to buy more containers.