Monday, August 2, 2010

It's Summer Time!

Hot, hot, hot! I just came in from picking green beans and am plunked down at my desk with a large, frosty glass of lemonade trying to bring my thermostat back down to normal.

I was driven in from the garden late yesterday by thunder and raindrops. Unfortunately, the rain didn't amount to anything at all. Didn't even dampen the ground so everything in the garden is still very droopy today. (Including the gardener.) There's a 20% chance of rain in the forecast for a couple of days in the coming week, but nothing that sounds as if it will give us the good drenching we need. Rats.

I'd like to get one more picking from my shell peas, but I don't know if it will happen. I'm afraid their season has been cut short by the hot, dry weather. Not much we can do when Mother Nature gives us less than desirable conditions.

On my way in from picking the beans, I stopped by to talk to my cherry tomato plants. Look!

Finally! A ripe tomato! Haven't tasted it yet and after I got it inside, I wondered if it could have been left to ripen just a smidge more on the vine . . . but I was so excited when I saw it, I couldn't keep from picking it. There are even three or four more out there that are starting to turn color. You can see one of them to the right and behind the one I'm holding.

The hot summer we've had is not the norm for us in this area. Typically, we have three or four really warm days each summer . . . nothing like the past month or so of continually hot weather and heavy humidity. It really feels as if we've had a summer this year! We hardly know how to handle it.

11 comments:

Erin said...

It has rained all weekend with some temps in the low 70's here, I'm in shock! I guess we are going to take our heat back from you on Wednesday, it's supposed to be 97 again LOL! I have been more than happy to be stuck inside with the rain this past weekend, but I just peeked out and the humidity is back with a vengeance since it stopped raining!

MaineCelt said...

Yes! Tomato time has finally arrived! Mine started ripening last week, but this week I'll actually have enough to make a respectable showing at the farmers' market. But there is one problem-- the spare packs of lath that we thought could be repurposed into tomato supports? They're starting to snap under the weight of the ripening tomatoes!


(Hope you cool off a bit and get some rain out there!)

Mama Pea said...

Erin - I think we gardeners NEED those rainy weekends (or couple of days somewhere) that keep us indoors. We don't worry about the garden 'cause we know it's soaking up the rain it needs and we get a change of pace. We can concentrate on inside tasks or even just rest our over-stretched gardening muscles!

Mama Pea said...

MaineCelt - I'm sending rebar for tomato supports. Oh, to have such problems!

Jody M said...

I hope to get a garden update posted tomorrow...i hope. We'll see.

I've pretty much given up on the beans this year, something is munching on them. I haven't seen too many beans, either.

Susan said...

Oooh, tomatoes! I am so excited that we may even have a tomato crop this year, that I've taken to whispering around my tomatoes - don't want to jinx them! We have rain/thunderstorms forecast here, too, and boy do we need them. Had a very puny sprinkling early this morning, then nada. I wouldn't mind being rained in - for a day or two.

Mama Pea said...

Jody - Good, I'll look forward to your garden update post! Bummer about your beans. Usually if nothing else comes through, the beans do.

Susan - You're whispering to your tomatoes, Erin's yelling at hers, I've taken to begging mine. Do you see an emerging picture here of gardeners who've gone a little over the edge??

Anonymous said...

Yeah!! Finally a red tomato!! Sorry to hear the rain is eluding you, it is us too, my rain barrels are dry as a bone. Guess I will haul a few buckets of water down to the garden tomorrow, and hopefully fill up the barrels to speed up the process.

Have a fabulous week!

Mama Pea said...

Stephanie - So what is it about tomatoes? No matter if we are a gardener in the south or north, that first tomato is always a thrill!

Here's hoping we both get some rain soon.

The Apple Pie Gal said...

I am so excited for you! Your tomato looks wonderful and I hope you enjoyed it! Will try to send some of the massive rains we are getting your way! Pretty sure or garden is water logged w/ about 3 inches so far! It will be a muddy pit for a few days and don't even want to think about the damage...another nail in the goofy coffin this year!

Mama Pea said...

Apple Pie Gal - We just can't win this summer, can we? Feast or famine. Flooded or parched!