This summer I tried my hand at gardening for the first time. Somehow I think that the basil I managed to grow in pots in my apartment over the last few years just didn't count. No weeds to contend with. No severe weather. No critters that demolish plants before they even get a chance.
This lone tomato brings sheer delight!! I actually squealed when I saw that my green, rock hard tomato was starting to turn red. After failed carrots (planted them too close to one another), lettuce and broccoli (which may be fine, but they still look funny), I was hoping that these tomatoes would respond to all the love I've given them... and they did!
We picked this tomato over the weekend and it is a beauty! Now I just have to decide what to make from it before it spoils. And if the cold air and frost hold off a little longer, we have at least a dozen more on the vine waiting to ripen.
The problem is that this one tomato is making me feel like a better gardener than I really am. Perhaps the satisfaction of it will be motivation enough next spring. But this is still true: I hate pulling weeds, I have no idea what to do about bugs or how to protect plants from storms or hail (which we had plenty of this year). In all honesty, I have no idea how we even got this one tomato (considering I once had 9... count them N-I-N-E tomato plants in the space that two are currently residing).
What do you think, too soon to start planning next year's crop??
I would never have guessed that this was your first garden. The pay off is in the tomato itself.
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