The Week that Was - Whiplash Snow and Cold

Harvested Tomatoes 2020 'Green Zebra,' 'Hawaiian Pineapple,' 'Celebrity'

My arm and shoulder muscles are still feeling some strain from the manic plant covering and outdoor preparation before the snow and cold earlier in the week. The most tedious was harvesting the tomatoes on September 7 in ninety degree heat and air so thick from forest fire smoke I thought our neighborhood was on fire.

Reaching in and through the vines looking for tomatoes was every bit like reaching through a jungle of dense foliage in a far off place. I had to use gentle care in cutting the large Hawaiian Pineapple tomatoes off the vines without a nick. Two ended up with nicks, they went into the chili the next day. 

Deciding not to protect the tomatoes was difficult, I decided to focus covering some of the perennials in bloom and those that will bloom soon like the glorious Plant Select® autumn sapphire sage.

What was learned from this early record setting September snow and cold?

• It took more time to uncover the sheets, floating row covers and plastic from the plants. Next step is to store it back in the shed, I call it landscape laundry management - wet, dry, fold and put away. 
• The uncovered perennial plants are happy, the ones in full bloom, like the spring planted blue mist spirea haven't skipped a beat, bees are back in action as I write this. This makes me happy.
• Tomatoes - more proof that normal summer growing seasons seem more infrequent. This was truly a challenging summer with the extreme heat and now, the early cold snap. No major lesson here, other than there's next year and I'll never give up growing them. 
• How to ripen green tomatoes click here.  
  
• The moisture from the storm was a welcome relief no matter how much a bother it was covering. The rain gauge says we received close to an inch. We'll take every drop. 

Ferris loves the snow, we're looking forward to more of it, but please, not until Thanksgiving, rain is okay.