Well, I guess they should be considering how much I've coddled them. I meant to take a picture of them cocooned in their incubator/isolette which creates heat on a cool day and protects them from less than comfy night time temperatures. But I caught hubby at a good spot today when I was working out in the garden (I needed his help to remove the cold frame from the tomato bed) and we had it off before I remembered to take a picture of it covering the tomatoes. The shot above is of the cold frame only set against the fence line for temporary storage.But all that babying of the tomato plants is now changing, and they are going to have to learn to adapt to and function in the real world.
They've grown so tall that their tops were being smooshed down when I closed up the cold frame at night and if they do produce tomatoes (IF? Did I say IF? I meant WHEN!!!), it's very difficult to reach into the over-sized cold frame structure to pick the little red orbs.So the time has come. Shiver though they may, we had a chat and I assured them they will adapt and survive perfectly well out of the sheltered environment they've thus far lived in.
Just look at those healthy little blossoms so ready and eager to turn into ruby red fruits. Soon we'll have more cherry tomatoes than we know what to do with. Soon? Well. By August anyway.
7 comments:
You have the garden I'd have if 1) I had land 2) I didn't have children!
With all the wonderful plants that you have in your garden, do you have much trouble with insects / pests?
Those tomato plants look marvelous! All that coddling IS going to have a big payoff...
Wow, those plants look healthy! I am sure they will love being out in the open now, looks like you will have some tomatoes soon with all those blossoms!
Healthy, indeed -- the coddling has certainly paid off! Maybe I should take a lesson from you and go sweet talk mine. They're currently sulking the garden -- too much of a daytime/nighttime heat swing, I figure.
Hey, Jen - Do we have much trouble with insects/pests? Funny you should ask. Blog post coming up on that topic.
Hi, Susan - Sure hope you know what you're talking about! ;o)
Hiya, Erin - Yup, one of the reasons I uncovered them was because it just does seem more "natural" and healthy that they should be out in the circulating air, rain, breeze (only light winds allowed, please), etc. Lots of blossoms . . . now let's hope our still cool night time temps don't discourage them.
Hey, Fiona - The daytime/night time temp swings are something that bother us in the garden all summer. I've read tomatoes need a night time temp of at least 62 degrees to set blossoms and, truly, there aren't a lot of nights during the season up here when it stays that warm! I tell ya, it's a wonder.
Our tomatoes are about the same "age". We were dreaming JUST last night about all the ways we're going eat them!
Hi, Beth - I'll show you my tomatoes if you show me yours. But I KNOW whose are going to be bigger and better, you lucky person! ;o)
Post a Comment