A Grower Perspective

Back in the day, as they say, when I was a kid, long ago but not that long ago, a typical homeowner was daring to even grow a tomato around here let alone get ripe fruit. A cherry tomato was a more reasonable way to go. My dad used to yank the whole plant out of the ground and hang it upside down in the garage so the cherry tomatoes would ripen after the first frost came. It feels like the weather of the late fifties and sixties again.It would be warm in late May and as soon as school let out it began to rain. So here we are again. For the first time in 28 years lilacs were blooming as late as May 21st. How do I know that? It is our wedding anniversary and I had a huge vase of them on our table this year. In 1983 there was not a blooming lilac to be found, they had all bloomed earlier.

When gardening one must pay attention to the weather. We are not talking about arranging living room furniture here folks we are dealing with living things that have requirements for optimum growth. If you choose to plant a tomato now, it may sit there and complain until the conditions become right for it to flourish. Not unlike humans...

A good time to garden is on an overcast maybe slightly misty day. The plants can easily go in and out of the earth in these conditions and one stays cool and comfortable physically working in 60 degree weather.

Interestingly enough, the nursery is seldom as busy on cloudy days as on sunny ones. So no matter how logical it is to garden under cloud cover most folks don't even think about it until it reaches 70 and sunny. Just like tomatoes I guess...

We like to let you know we are here, rain or shine, to help you choose plants for your garden.Stop by and visit.