Red Tomato Blues

We've had fun experimenting in the garden this year. In many ways, the garden has been a learning center, particularly with our tomatoes. We started out with six varieties of heirloom tomato seeds which we grew in the Hale's greenhouse. Three grew well from the seeds started there; one variety did okay and two of them didn't do well at all. They pretty much died in the pot (ungrateful seeds!).

The three healthy starts did well in the garden and we've had a good crop. What we've learned, however, is that heirloom varieties are not resistant to insects (in fact, they attract them)and they are not particularly heat tolerant. Since we planted early and before it got so hot the plants flowered well and set fruit pretty well. Now, however, the nights have also been hot and the flowers are failing to set.

A big question for us to answer is if we want to continue with heirloom varieties next year or, to go with more commonly known plants that are both heat and insect resistant. The heirlooms are interesting to look at, and the taste is often superior, but it is discouraging to have so many "bad" fruits among the good, and they are a lot more work.

It has also been a terrible year for squash and zucchini. We also used heirloom seeds to start these plants and they never did a thing. Since long range weather forecasters predict several more years of heat and drought, we certainly going to go with non-heirloom plants in this family next year.

All that aside, we are still producing many more tomatoes than we probably need. This week, we donated about a bushel to Loaves and Fishes and we've been experimenting (successfully) with green tomato pie. Stayed tuned for the recipe.

Be sure to stop by the garden and pick some tomatoes. There are plenty. And, as always, your Community Gardeners are grateful and thankful for our church's generosity and support of our efforts. Thank you, thank you!

Patience

It has been so hot for so long that we can feel our patience running thin. Small things irritate us more, and more quickly than usual, and small differences have the potential to flare up and become bigger than they really are.

What a good time to remember that not much matters except our love for one another, our love for Jesus, and the ties that bind. Among those ties is our collective hope for cooler weather and a little rain, and knowing that in six weeks the NFL kicks off the preseason.

In the mean time there is green tomato pie, salsa, cold beverages on the porch, and our time each day with the Lord. "Thank you Lord, for our family, for the gift of living right here and right now, and for that irritating person who is responsible for making me a better, more loving person. ~ Amen"

It's the weekend. Let's have some fun!

Community Garden Update

We've focused on learning how to garden this year in our Community Garden--and have grown rich in experience. That focus, on learning, observing, and hands-on research, was done to prepare us for the up-coming fall gardening season, and next year when the focus will shift to production.

One major learning so far is that organic solutions for killing bugs aren't very effective. We've used BT, Neems, and homemade concoctions like mixtures of chewing tobacco and Ivory soap to kill bugs like Japanese beetles and aphids. They don't work very well. Consequently, we've had disappointing zucchini and acorn squash experiences, and green beans have been effected as well.

Some organic growers use chickens to keep bugs down, and others use traps of various design. since we are unlikely to run a flock of chickens any time soon we'll try and locate traps and see how they work. We may also want to consider some semi-organic approaches (if there is such a thing). In the mean time we'll keep on squashing and smashing the little bug-gers when we see them.

The soil in our garden is also poor. We've had it tested and it needs a couple of big jolts of nitrogen and other compounds. Since this is not the best time to add stuff to the dirt (because of the heat and growing cycle) we make the proper adjustments when it cools down a bit this fall. In the mean time, if anyone can donate some composted manure we will be very grateful.

There are some beautiful flowers growing in the garden and they are attracting bees and other pollinators. Hyacinth beans are also growing along the western fence line and make colorful and tasty additions to salads. Please feel free to pick them. Tomatoes are doing well and we encourage everyone to stop by and pick as many as you can use: there are four varieties growing and each has a distinct shape and taste-character. Sweet potatoes are growing nicely and, unless critters get them we should have an abundant crop for our Thanksgiving dinners.

Between now and cooler weather (probably mid-September) we'll be working on preparing beds for planting fall crops leafy vegetables like lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, and so on. We may also plant carrots and maybe leeks if we can find seeds or starts. Our aim is to keep the garden in production until at least Christmas.

The hot, dry weather has not been terrific for growing; weeds thrive in such conditions of course, but just about everything else suffers and stutters. But that is a thing to learn as well, and we thank God for giving us the brains to be interested in such things. It is all good.