Absolutely snow-free for a while now, and the grass seems to have gotten a little greener. It’s not been all that warm, still, hard to imagine going back to anything really wintry at this point. And that’s today’s weather check-in….
Month: March 2024
First tomatoes
The generally reliable Big Beef variety, five days old. Always the little miracle to see dry specks of seed germinate with a little warmth and moisture, and to imagine them in four or five months, sprawled around the field (or maybe, supported), producing a steady supply of tasty, hybrid-perfect beefsteak tomatoes!
This winter in a couple hours
This is the difference that a few days, or even a couple of hours, can make with our everchanging weather. Not the greatest illustration, and in reverse order (the snow shows up better on the right side of the photo): on the right, 9:30 am, after overnight snow blanketed the bare ground; on the left, the 2 pm view and it’s practically gone. It looked pretty much the same around noon, it took only two or three hours to melt away. Weird and also the new normal. For better or for worse, I think we’ve kinda gotten used to it! I suppose hopping from one state to another is better than getting the real extremes—months long heatwaves, river-in-the-sky deluges of rain, forest fires so intense they create their own local weather, and the like—that are happening other places than here. Whenever the weather’s not wiping you out…be grateful! :)
Toddler tomato
In the spirit of dog years and fast-growing plants, this tomato seedling at about 10 days from germination is a toddler, or maybe more an infant. Root, stem, then leaves push out of the seed and up to the light, and eventually toss the dried-out seed coat aside. We don’t need to be amateur biologists to eat a tomato, but remembering the growing journey seems to add to the enjoyment and satisfaction, just like a pinch of salt!
Tomato two weeks in
Around two weeks from germination, and the tomatoes are spreading their leaves and aiming for the sun. These Big Beef are growing together in a tray and will be separated into their own cells of soil, and maybe even small pots, all depending ono the weather and how long they stay indoors.