the good, the bad, and the ugly

 

the cherry tomatoes have been ripening consistently each day now.  i've been eagerly awaiting the chance to harvest some of the bigger tomatoes.  a few days ago, the anticipation rose as i spotted a red roma tomato that looked like it was nearing ripeness.  how disappointed i was though when i bent down to take a closer look at it.  looks like at least some of my plants are afflicted with blossom end rot.  it's a condition i had heard of but never experienced.  it is primarily caused by not having enough calcium in the soil.  i usually throw in a handful of lime to for each tomato plant, but alas this year i didn't.  also each year i tell myself i need to send some soil samples to a soils lab to get an analysis done to see what kind of amendments it may need.  of course though no matter how many times i think of it, i never manage to get to it before it's time to put the plants in the ground.  guess i learned my lesson.  so far it looks like it is just a couple plants that have the problem.  maybe the romas are more susceptible to it.  this is the first year i've grown them and the first time i've had this problem.  hopefully the other tomatoes will provide.  meanwhile though, my basil is going strong.  i harvested a big bunch of it today to keep it from going to seed.  looks like i'll be making lots of pesto!

ripe tomato

 

the tomatoes have officially started.  friday evening (June 10) i was checking over my garden when this orange beauty caught my eye in the sea of green.  i couldn't believe it.   never in my limited years of gardening have i gotten ripe tomatoes this early.  granted there was just one to pick, and the orange cherry tomatoes have always been the first to ripen.  but usually they start around the last week of june.  i quickly gobbled this one up, giving me what i consider to be one of the first real tastes of summer.  the first tomatoes are always some of the best because you've been waiting nearly a year to have the taste of them again.  my tomato plants are already heavily laden with fruits.  in a way it's a bit intimidating; when i look out at them i feel like there is a mack truck of tomatoes making it's way into my kitchen.  it's still on the horizon, but i know it's imminent.  

Over the past few years i've grown a tremendous respect for farmers.  sure there are techniques to try to manipulate things to get a good crop, but in many ways you're at the mercy of whatever weather patterns develop for that season.  it's challenging and interesting to see how those weather patterns affect the garden.  this year we had a good wet spring with warm temps, but not too hot.  that is until memorial day weekend.  since then summer has come on strong, and we haven't had a measurable rainfall for 3 weeks and have even hit temps as high as 102 degrees.  

the tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplants, okra and beans are relishing in the higher temperatures and longer stretches of daylight as we approach the summer solstice.  meanwhile, the lettuce, spinach, and cilantro is on it's last legs.  i've been eating huge bowls of salad the last week trying to indulge in the last bits of lettuce before it putters out.  it is only a matter of time before i'll be exasperated in trying to figure out what to do with all my zucchini...

roma tomatoes

a very young praying mantis finding a home in my lettuce

 hungarian hot black pepper

 kohlrabi ready to be harvested.