One more change

My potato plant is doing so well, and so full and bushy, that it's hard to get access to the totes in the back corner, and will be even worse when the tomato plants get to full size.  So this morning I moved the potato plant to the back corner.  I've noticed some.moths on the leaves - I hope they are friendly bugs. 

Always changing my mind -- Patio Garden update

It seems like every few days I realize I have to do something different.  I changed from the 5-gallon buckets to the totes, then to the red round buckets, then back to the totes after I already had all of my spring garden planted and the potatoes were doing well.  I replanted the potatoes, but at first thought only 3 plants were going to make it, but now I have more and more sprouts coming up.

I planted the spring garden to the front (east side), including the peppers and herbs,  and the tomatoes and vining crops along the north side and west wall.  I figured the spring garden needed the sun that's available more bountifully along the east side, and much less so on the west wall.  But then my tomatoes didn't get that much sun at this time of year.

But the real problem is the wind and excess rain -- how to prevent my plants being wind-driven and beat up and how to prevent oversoaking of the totes.  We had strong winds again yesterday, along with more than 1 1/2 inches of rain the day before, with more in the forecast.  I tried to brace up the potato plants but this morning when I woke, I knew I needed a more permanent solution to the wind and excess rain problem.

These are pictures I took on May 11, just a few days ago, and shows the arrangement of the garden.

I 

I moved the totes around this morning.  I left the watermelon/cantaloupe against the west wall, and the cukes/beans/peas against the north side because I have the trellises for them and because that's where the melons and cukes will get the most sun.  I moved the potatoes, the onions/radishes/beets/carrots/garlic, and the lettuce/spinach totes to the west wall on the south side of the sliding door.  I turned the lettuce/tomato tote around so the tomato plant is on the east and the lettuce is in the west part of the tote.  I put the herbs next to the peas/beans and the peppers next to the herbs as those plants won't provide as much shade to block the sun for the melons/cukes.  Then came the tomato totes.  The tomatoes will shade the spring plants as the tomatoes get larger and larger, but maybe that will keep them from bolting longer.  

I still have to protect against the wind and excess rain.  Walmart has some paint handles, like broomsticks, that I'm going to get and put every so far across the front of the patio.  Then I will attach plastic to them to shield against the wind and rain when necessary.  I will take the plastic down and put it up as necessary.  I'm going to find something for a permanent wind/rain block on the north side to put up behind my trellis for the cukes/beans/peas.  These pictures show the arrangement of the garden now.