And so it begins...

Exciting times! It's time those tomatoes and chillies were re-potted again, but this time to their final home outside. So off I went again to the local DIY store, boyfriend in tow, to get the necessary equipment, soil and pots. We also found a net to cover the redcurrants, to protect them from those pesky magpies. But that's just an aside :)

I still had seven small Lemon Drops left, but as my first chili plant had survived the winter and seems to be doing well now and because I also still have a baby Poblano chili waiting to be re-potted I decided to keep only two and find new homes for the rest. I love chillies, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing! And so, under the watchful eye of my (also brand-new) Garden Cosmos, the re-homing began.

 Ta-daa! The chillies in their new home.

And now I needed to do the same with the tomatoes. This time, I kept three plants.

 Trying out the arrangement. The bamboo poles are from my boyfriend's garden and supported beans last year. The pot I had found on Ebay. :)

Looks good, so time to actually plant them. Incidentally, this pot turned out to be a bottomless pit into which almost 15 litres of soil disappeared!

 Aaaand done!

 I hope they'll feel at home here.

And that they produce lots of big, stripy tomatoes! To finish up, I scattered some marigold seeds round the plants as well. This should help keep unwelcome insects away, as well as provide some nice colour.

 The Tumbling Toms are coming along very nicely.

Soon I'll be able to have them in my salad.

What actually happened to those tomatoes and chillies I didn't want to keep? Well, since several of my students had been asking about them, as well as my boss, I packed the remaining plants in my big spaghetti pot to protect them, and took them to work with me. The looks you get when you casually get on a train carrying a pot full of plants! It was quite funny. :) I'm happy to tell you that every plant has found a lovely new home where they'll be well cared for. Now I just need to get my spaghetti pot back... My student took his tomato home in it.