My mother was very fond of old adages and rare was a conversation with her that she didn’t include one no matter what the topic might be. “Birds of a feather flock together” and “Waste not, want not” were two of her favorites. Another favorite was “Every cloud has a silver lining.” This is the one I was thinking about the other day when I was watering my garden.
No doubt this has been a strange weather year for the nation as a whole, but the Pacific Northwest is also experiencing some unusual weather patterns, especially with the heat. Because of the virtually non-existent rainfall this spring and summer, the water levels are low in the rivers and streams. Normally when we get warm, dry weather in July and August we have enough in our reservoirs to give us a buffer. Not sure that is the case this year.
I do hate to water my garden, not because I don’t like the task, but because I don’t like using precious resources for my flower beds. If I had a vegetable garden, I wouldn’t feel quite so decadent watering that. But I feel rather guilty watering the Hosta this summer because they aren’t a food source for anything but the slugs.
A few days ago, though, even the long-established trees, Hosta and heuchera were looking strained so I got out the hose. I rationalized irrigating because I have put a lot of time and money into these plants and I hate to see them suffer. This is especially true for the hellebores which run between $15 and $25 each. Even after an hour of deep, soaking water, everything still look rather peaked. Once a week, I decided, was really not enough to suit them, so I will try to find the time to water more often. Perhaps watering one area of the garden one day and a different area the next, then waiting a couple of days to repeat the cycle will work for us all.
But now I come to the silver lining. There are several plants that enjoy the warm, sunny weather and they are thriving. The Mediterranean plantings like lavender, sage, rosemary and oregano have been doing better than I remember, as have the roses. But the plant I am happiest about is my tomato.
I gave up on growing tomatoes a few years ago. But this little tomato called to me at the Master Gardener Plant Sale this past May and it has been thriving in the warmth of the sun all summer. In fact, I had a ripe tomato before the end of August this year, something unheard of in past summers. When I was shopping at the sale, I chose a 'Rutgers' tomato, one I used to grow in Pennsylvania. It is a short-seasoned variety, meaning it has a short span between sprouting and ripening of the fruit. The ‘Rutgers’ is an older variety, produced in New Jersey in the 1930’s and needs about 70 to 80 days to reach maturity. It is a smaller tomato with a nice flavor and versatile uses. It is equally good for slicing or for canning. ‘Rutgers’ is an indeterminate variety, which means it will produce fruit at any stage of growth. (Determinate tomatoes need to reach a certain size before they set fruit.) Mine is about 36” tall, and I have been staking it since I put it in a pot after I bought it.
And therein lays my success. limited as it is. I chose not to put this tomato in the ground and am growing it in a deep, dark colored pot instead. I can shelter it from the cooling north winds, too.
But, alas, I have only had one tomato come ripe from this plant and we are running out of heat days. So, I am not considering myself the "tomato queen" just yet.
The purchase price of this tomato was $7 and at this rate, I figure my ‘Rutgers’ tomatoes will cost me about $10.
But really, what price can you place on a silver lining?
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