Name the Season

Winters are wishy-washy here; one never knows what we will get. Within hours, bitter cold can be followed by spring-time temperatures. Warm gulf stream air and Canadian cold collide and fight for dominance, and neither wins for long. Plants are sometimes confused, like the people who keep a few summer sleeves in the closet along side heavy woolens.

And so it is in my garden, as 2011 comes to a close. We have had some frosts, but mild afternoons have persuaded some plants to start new growth. I hate to see it, for those tender shoots are doomed. Go back to sleep I say. You've hardly had a nap. But plants listen to rhythms other than my voice.

The garden is not colorless. In many ways it still looks like late fall. Crinkly piles of leaves are everywhere. A few colored ones cling to branches here and there, and evergreens brighten the landscape with various shades of green, sometimes tinted with gold, purple or red.Top photo above looks across the patio, while the middle photo is taken from the same spot, with the camera turned to look over the lady garden. Lower left is a portion of the drive, and lower right is the upper end of the hydrangea walk.

More color comes from rose hips and berries:Top photo is a rose hip. Berries shown clockwise from middle left: Ilex vomitoria (yaupon holly); Symphoricarpus doorenbosii 'Kordes' (Amethyst coralberry); Cornus florida (flowering dogwood); Ilex verticillata (common winterberry)On a cold, gray day I found bare branches, empty seed pods, and other signs of winter, but an orange pumpkin, three months old, still brightens the landscape where I set it after taking it and other parts of an autumn display out of the front planter. Its colors are striking, and I'm not willing to put it in the compost while it remains in good shape. I found signs of spring, too, as early daffodils push up from the earth.

 

Winter blooming camellias provide spots of color. There is beauty even in the fallen ones, I think.I am pleased with my fall vegetable garden, and I have discovered that growing food this time of year is easier than struggling to keep vegetables alive through a bug infested, disease ridden, hot and dry summer. But I am not a vegetable gardener, as the broccoli in the collage below testifies. Lou told me days ago that we had broccoli to pick, but in the busyness of the season, I forgot about it. Today I was horrified to discover that some of it had started to flower! Fortunately, there was plenty still good to pick, but I felt bad that I had neglected it.Top photo is decorative cabbage which borders the vegetable patch. Non edible, but I want even this utilitarian area to be pretty! Lower shots are of my neglected broccoli and swiss chard, which has flourished in spring, early summer, fall, and now early winter. Frost has not bothered it.What season are you in? Here is whatever you name it. My garden has a little of it all, with surely some surprises waiting around the corner in 2012.

Happy winter gardening!

My Tomato

Back in mid April I planted out my little vegetable plot. I don't consider myself a vegetable gardener; I concentrate on decorative and landscape plants. But after tasting a home grown tomato, one needs only a square foot of sunshine to latch onto the dream of growing one's own, for those mealy, tasteless orbs sold in grocery stores don't compare to the real thing. There is a reason tomatoes are the most popular vegetable (technically a fruit) grown in American gardens.

Homegrown tomatoes are not only delicious, they are also high in nutrients that promote heart health, strong bones, and a healthy immune system. Studies indicate tomatoes reduce risk of colon and prostate cancers and offer natural protection against UV rays of the sun. It's amazing that some people once thought tomatoes were poisonous. Indeed, tomatoes are in the solanaceae family, a cousin to the potentially deadly belladonna, or nightshade plant. And it is true that stems and leaves of tomatoes are noxious, especially in large amounts. Nevertheless, the tomato is more likely to live up to its other reputation as an aphrodisiac. It has been called the 'love apple' and was once banned by the Church of Rome for its lascivious properties.

Before planting I amended the soil with compost, and then after planting I used an organic fertilizer specially formulated for tomatoes. In about 150 square feet I have a dozen tomato plants, along with pole beans, lima beans, squash, sweet peppers, carrots, and onions. I planted basil near the tomato plants, because I read that basil improves tomato flavor and deters pests. Before the heat arrived, I also had several types of lettuce, but those bolted many weeks ago. My vegetables get full sun, and I keep the area watered regularly. Tomato plants need about a gallon of water each, at least three times a week. Consistent heat up in the 90s and high humidity will decrease pollination, so tomatoes often pitter out by mid July here. The high temperatures and drought we have had over the past few weeks have been worrisome.

I kept a vigil over my tomatoes and other vegetables. I was happy to see lots of tomato blossoms.

A trick to keep birds uninterested in tomatoes is to have inedible red accents in the garden. My red tomato cages serve this purpose. The theory is the birds become accustomed to the color red and thus are not drawn to the ripened fruit. For the most part this has worked for me.

Tiny green fruit followed the yellow blooms, and, day by day, with each gallon of water I poured on the plants, the fruit grew. A flush of color finally appeared as they approached maturity. A Parks Whopper was the first to color up, and it was a beauty. I fantasized what I was going to do with this tomato: a grilled tomato sandwich with provolone cheese and fresh basil.

Last week the tomato was fully ripe. There wasn't a blemish on it. I brought it into the house and took a bunch of pictures of it. I left it on the cutting board next to a knife I used as a prop in one of the shots, and I went about my business. But the tomato was in my thoughts.

Around noon I came inside, anticipating my lunch. I halted when I saw the cutting board. The tomato was gone. The knife was there, a few bits of red skin and the stem beneath the blade.

It seems my dear hubby Lou had been eyeing that tomato, too! He assures me that it was delicious.