The night before planting day

Tomatoes produce more with a red plastic mulch. Sunlight is reflected up onto the plant in the color spectrum tomatoes like best.

Florencio is getting the machine ready to put down the 4th row for tomatoes.

He is reaching through to pull the drip tape down under the plastic. It will be secured to the end of the row and will roll off the green and yellow spool all the length of the row.

He has placed dirt on the end of the red plastic mulch to help keep it in place. The John Deere drip tape is on a 7000 foot continuous roll.

This machine looks rustic but is rather amazing in what it does.

The machine flattens the soil out in front, digs trenches on both sides, pushes the red plastic mulch down in the trenches on each side, fills the two trenches then smooths out both sides.

A different angle. The bent flat bar near the tires smooths out the soil where the plastic will be placed.

The green disc (one on each side) is angled away from the plastic and digs a trench on each edge.

The plastic is on a free wheeling roller and since it was anchored at the end, the roll turns laying down the plastic.

The smooth rubber tire on each side pushes the red plastic down into its trench.

The second green disc is angled the other direction and throws soil back over the red plastic that is being held down by the smooth rubber tire.

This flat rusty rectangle smooths out the soil the green disc has thrown over the plastic as to not leave high ridges.

Sometimes the rectangles don't have a lot of soil to smooth out.

And of course the rows are as straight as Florencio can drive at a snail's pace. If you haven't ever had the opportunity to drive a tractor slowly, you won't realize how hard it is to accomplish.

Then he will go through and make sure NOT to cut the drip tape underneath while cutting in all the holes with Dad's old clam gun. The holes will need to be about 6 inches deep with a nice little pile of soil nearby to fill in with after each plant is planted.

Once it is all set up and he is slowly rolling along it can be relaxing. Notice his grin. He thinks I am silly taking all these photos.

The Sweet William have gone crazy this year.

Painted daisies reaching for sunlight.

Plastic netting Lisa and I put up to help hold the yarrow upright. They tend to flop over and then grow in their own non-straight shape. 

Dark pink painted daisies. So cheery.

These beds were built two years ago. Wow, have things changed. Where once a fallen down barn stood, now stand all these beauties.

As the lupine bloom out, more of this variety's white parts show.

Flats of tomatoes to be planted in the field through the red plastic tomorrow. Each flat holds 50 seedlings (if they all came up).

Sweet, colorful peppers as well as hot peppers to be planted out tomorrow. Also 50 per flat. This first flat had something else in it that has already been planted.

Sweet William and delphiniums in front of Grandma Daisy's trailer look majestic.

Florencio is putting down the black plastic. Zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, watermelon, cantaloupe and cucumbers will be planted through the black plastic. They love it for the heat it holds in the soil. Eggplant will be planted in a different field with black plastic underneath, too.

Lisa is moving one of four carts loaded with pepper plants out to where they will be planted in the morning.

The tomatoes are being placed where they will be planted.

As Florencio digs the holes through the plastic, we will put the flats near where they will be planted. 

As the sun is setting we have field signs of each tomato variety placed where a new variety starts. We will also have our volunteer planters plant a tall marigold when the tomato variety changes. Not only does planting flowers in with the big block of tomatoes look nice, but moreover it helps bring in the beneficial insects.