Well, I did everything I could. I followed my own (and everyone else's) instructions to the letter. I covered plants, I watered to keep the soil warm, and I crossed my fingers. I'm glad to say my plants made it through the Great Freeze, but not exactly with flying colors. Here was the Belgian Giant on Dec. 23, about a week before it got cold:
And here it is this morning:
Obviously, a disaster.
On the good side, all my plants lived, and there is still plenty of fruit ripening. But the cold damage is extensive and ugly. When I told my wife I didn't want to post pictures because it was so depressing, she said, "Maybe it's time to get philosophical." And maybe it is. This season has not been kind to us tomato growers. A warm spell in October, torrential rains in December, and a freeze in January. So yes, we can't control what Nature will do. Sometimes it sucks.
But on the other hand, there are many much worse things than having a mediocre harvest or losing a few plants. I've spent this season so far closely attuned to the weather, to the changing of the seasons, to the natural environment. I've been connected to the world, to the planet, and we've been enjoying freshly harvested tomatoes (among other crops) all season. There are many worse things than watching the sky and wondering if it will rain. No matter what happens, it's never a loss to grow and nurture something. It's never a loss to care.
Up Next: Tomatoes Splitting
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Your wife is very wise! Although your pics are quite "depressing," (as are my 2 patio plants) and your crop may not be large this year, you have helped many gardeners in SoFlo by sharing your knowledge and experience. My Earthbox plants have numerous fruit, and the first taste had me hooked! Next I'm going to try a couple in the ground. Thank you for sharing all of your ideas and insights.
ReplyDeleteLora,
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome ... it's actually been great for me to "grow along" with readers who either write me directly or comment. Unfortunately, I've gotten some pretty sad letters since the cold snap. That's great about the Earthbox; this was my first year with Earthboxes and I've really fallen hard.
Jon
That is the great thing about gardening, it puts you in touch with mother nature, planet earth. The more people who are in tune with the natural earth the better. That is a depressing photo. But I'm still impressed that you live in a place where growing tomatoes in January, frost bitten or not, is possible.
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
ReplyDeleteAgreed ... it is cool to live in a place where we do winter crops. It's basically the reverse of up north. In summer, the mango, avocado and tropical fruits come in, but you'd be crazy to try growing any veggies down here in the summer when it's 98 degrees every day, with 20 inches of rain a month and 90% humidity all day and night.
cool plants bruz.
ReplyDeleteHi, I have been growing tomatoes from seeds taken from previous crops and have been very successful. Last year I successfully grew Cherokee Heirloom and some grape tomatoes from some seeds from a crop from Chile.
ReplyDeletehow to grow tomatoes
Hi, I have been growing tomatoes from seeds taken from previous crops and have been very successful. Last year I successfully grew Cherokee Heirloom and some grape tomatoes from some seeds from a crop from Chile.
ReplyDeletehow to grow tomatoes