Have you ever noticed that when all the right variables come together at just the right time, under just the right conditions, incredible things can happen? Well I believe that this is going to be one of those times.
Here are the variables as I see them:- After a really dry year last year, I learned my lesson and put in a drip system.
- We started trying to be more conscientiousness and sustainable and started composting and amending the soil.
- We put up the greenhouse which allowed us to start our tomatoes before the last frost of the winter.
- The Atlanta summer has come in like a roaring lion!
- At just the right times, we've gotten nice thunderstorms to add that little extra "umph" to our garden.
With all these lining up just right, I'm believing that we're going to have bumper crop of veggies, especially tomatoes. Just a feeling? I don't think so.
We're still a week away from summer and the plants are loaded down with green, pinkish, green and red striped, and full out red tomatoes.
The Mr. Stripy heirloom (pic at left) is making some very interesting and delicious looking striped tomatoes.
Our Big Boy tomato plant is so tall now that it has grown out of the top of the greenhouse and I'm resorting to tying the cage down so that the wind and rain doesn't topple the whole thing.
When we were on vacation last week in Seattle, I have to admit that I had black "dirt" envy. My son's garden looks like what mine would if I were to just use compost in my raised beds. But I must say that the blazing heat of the south surely makes good tomatoes.
The one Cherokee Purple plant is definitely in the running for the largest and darkest green tomatoes in the garden.
But the prize so far goes to the smallest of the lot. In less than a week of harvesting, we've already taken around 30 small but wonderfully flavored cherry red's off of a single bush and it is loaded with clumps of green fruit from top to bottom that have already proven to be great additions to salads.
I think my granddaughters tried these out before I did and were impressed.
I even have a couple of plants that have popped up in a flower pot in the front of the house. I thing they hitch-hiked from some of the dirt that I brought from the woods at the back of our lot.
I truly think this will be the Year of the Tomato!
All I can say is "bring it on".
Chris
3GT
