Growing tomatoes in northern climates carries with it some risk for even the most experienced gardeners. If you plant your tomatoes too early, they could freeze if you happen to have a late frost. If you wait until all threat of frost has passed you’ll be waiting until Aug. to get your first ripe tomato.
This year Minnesota experienced a particularly cold Spring. We had nights where temperatures dipped down to the 40’s through May. As a result I didn’t plant tomatoes until Memorial Day. And, with the zeal that every gardener has in May, I increased the number of plants I put in the ground to assure I’d have plenty of tomatoes for canning spaghetti sauce, salsa, and stewed tomatoes.
The Summer of 2009 has done everything to squelch my gardening zeal. We’ve had a Summer with temperatures averaging 10 degrees below normal. Tomorrow, Aug 5th the high for the day is predicted to be 70. BRRRRRR that’s not tomato growing weather.
These unseasonably cold temperatures have of course affected my harvest. Check out the photos I took today. You can see an abundance of green tomatoes but it just isn’t warm enough to ripen them. Last year at this time I was already canning batches of salsa and spaghetti sauce. This year I don’t even have enough ripe tomatoes to prepare a decent salad.
Patience is a gardeners best virture. Unfortunately it isn’t my best virture. I continue my daily visits to the garden to examine “the crops” I planted in my small city lot. And while not patient, I am waiting, hoping and I’ll go so far as to say longing for my tomatoes to ripen. I’ll keep you posted on the results.
About Cindy Lou Ferris