Summer has slipped into September, which means cool weather will soon descend on our part of the Ohio River Valley. We still have 3 more weeks until the Autumnal Equinox, but (probably due to wishful thinking) I’m pretty sure I can feel the crisp air of fall, at least in the early mornings.
We had a lovely tomato crop this year despite cooler than average temperatures. Our compatriots just to the south of us had a surfeit of rain that was not overly friendly to the tomato plants and a little too friendly to the various fungi and blights that can plague the garden patch. We tried several new varieties of heirlooms this year, including Sunrise Bumblebee, Harvard Square, Black Cherry and Dragon’s Eye.
I ask you, Dear Reader, how can you not resist growing a tomato named Sunrise Bumblebee?
I was determined to keep good notes on how the tomato patch progressed, the successes, the failures, and what we’d want to bring back next year. But I learned a valuable lesson: Determination alone is sometimes not enough to accomplish one’s goals. I did managed to scratch down a few sporadic notes. With luck, those few cryptic passages will be enough to plan next years crop.
How did your garden fare this summer? Did you have any particular successes to recommend and that will become a regular in your plot?
NestOfSquirrels 
Tomato season starts in October here! Your crop looks wonderful, I will be on the lookout for Sunrise Bumblebee.
Best of luck with your tomatoes this year! We’ll probably be pulling the last ones off the vine in October 🙂
I wish you could see my large kitchen window sill – covered in tomatoes. We had a banner year for tomatoes. I’ve been giving them away as fast as I can pick them. We had Celebrity and a small yellow cherry. The weather here has been dropping into the low 40’s already in the evening. 🙂
Glad to hear you had a bumper crop as well! We make lots of friends with our homegrown tomato gifting 🙂
Great to see your tomatoes have fared well. Mine are still growing and ripening, so I’m hopeful a good crop over the next few weeks.
Thanks! We’ll send happy tomato thoughts your way!
Thank you, Benjamin.
I react to the names of apples–William Pride, Northern Spy, Winter Banana–the way you do to the names of tomatoes! Autumn is definitely in the air here, in upstate New York!
I love apple varieties, too! Northern Spy is a fave with me as well…Autumn means apples 🙂
Saw this review today and thought of you…looks like a great book for apple lovers! https://www.eater.com/2017/9/7/16234142/apples-of-uncommon-character-book-review
Cheers,
Ben
Oh, this sounds wonderful–thank you for thinking of me! Have you read Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan? Great on many levels, with a super chapter on apples!
Love Botany of Desire (and Pollan’s other books as well!) Apples may be one of the sexiest fruits 😉
We had a bountiful crop of tomatoes this year thanks to having the greenhouse. Otherwise, it would be the same old same…Finnish summers are just too short & unpredictable for tomato growing outside a greenhouse. Doesn’t matter whether you chose container pots or in-ground. Just not enough heat to get things going.
In addition to growing tomatoes we tried our luck with some beans, peas, and assorted peppers. So far, so good!
Nice to read about your efforts! Have a great Autumn!
Glad to hear you had a bumper crop, too! Sounds like you had a bountiful year. I have greenhouse enny…we’d love to extend our season a bit with a small one. Happy Autumn to you!
We grew a ton of squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks. A few tomatoes, too. 😉 Happy Labor Day!!!
We’ve started growing a few extra for the critters, just to make sure we get our fair share 🙂
Spring is coming for me .. 😃 But I look at your toms and realise I have tomato envy .. a stunning crop! Enjoy your fall ..
Thanks, Julie! I love that your season is ramping up as ours is winding down…funny old world, always keeping things interesting. Looking forward to seeing your garden progress as we slip into shorter days and chilly temps. Sending you a bushel basket full of virtual tomatoes 🙂
Cheers Benjamin 😄
I really love the orange sunflower photo. Thanks for sharing. I have a poetry blog here on WordPress and today’s poem is about sunflowers in case you have time to look? Sunny greetings, Sam 🙂
Sunflowers are some of our favorites…always poem-worthy! 🙂
Definitely!