Ferline and Purple Russian Tomatoes
As always happens this time of year, I am rapidly falling behind on my exponentially exploding list of garden chores. So much happens so fast this time of year. While I pull weeds, mulch beds, feed spring veggies, transplant summer veggies to larger pots in the greenhouse, snap photos of what’s in bloom, mow grass, pick up fallen sticks before I mow, and on and on and on, I imagine how wonderful it would be if there were, say, twelve of me. And while I’m at it, let’s make it twelve of me thirty years younger — I/we’d stay on top of the spring chores then, my friends. Alas, cloning is not within my skill set.
So I muddle forward — one middle-aged, achy-jointed obsessed gardener — and I do the best I can. Luckily for me, the plants do most of the work — those are the good consequences of my obsession.
Those tomato plants in the above photo are the ones I sowed first, because they take the most time to produce ripe fruit. They graduated from six packs to their current pots two weeks ago. As you can see, they are progressing quite well.
Here are the rest of the tomatoes.
More tomato goodness
They were sown two weeks later, and I just moved them to individual pots last Friday. They’re adjusting well; I fully expect them to catch up to the Ferlines and Purple Russians in a week or two. I told you about the varieties I’m growing (all seven) here.
As I mentioned, the flourishing veggies are the good consequences of my obsession. The bad consequences? Those would be my loudly complaining body parts — knees, feet, hips, shoulders, hands — they could all use a day or two of rest.
But I have no time for pampering aging flesh and bones. The weather seers are calling for temperatures to rise well into the 80s this week. I must complete as much work as I can before summer heat limits my gardening to early morning.
Piedmont Gardener 