The Saharan Dust that others have blogged about (here, here, and here) has reached this hemisphere, making the sunrises very hazy and sunsets intense. At least we don't have the muddy rain that fell in Spain, France, and England.
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| Sunrise on this cloudless but hazy morning. |
It is hot (86F, 30C) and humid (74%) and the tomatoes are loving it! Dennis tracked down seeds from plants bred to be heat and drought tolerant, about 15 varieties in all. We got them set out in the garden a while back. They are growing well, with no signs so far of nematodes, white flies, or leaf curl virus that were problems last year.
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| The tomato plants are staked and as soon as the fruits start showing any signs of color, I put mesh bags on them to protect them from the birds. |
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| So far, the bags are doing their job. |
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| First harvest - 2 Champions on the left and 2 Bella Rosa on the right. |
We've already tried the first Bella Rosa and it was quite tasty. More on tonight's menu. Other varieties are larger. My favorite - Black Krim - is one of the larger ones and will be some weeks yet before we see any fruits on it.
In other news, Dennis is doing well, but needs at least another week of minimal activity. As you might imagine, his definition of minimal is not as stringent as mine, but he is being as good as he can be. To avoid confusion - Dennis is not in the Red and Round category. ;-)
I did wonder who was red and round! The tomatoes look great. Months before ours grow yet. I look forward to the first tomatoes each year.
ReplyDeleteWith all the tomato varieties that Dennis started, I hope we have wave upon wave of different tomatoes coming ripe. I love to make tomato sauce and freeze it for later. That is, once I get my fill of sliced fresh tomatoes!
DeleteGlad Dennis is doing well but too bad you can’t use a mesh bag to keep HIM out of harm’s way.
ReplyDeleteWe don't know for sure that a mesh WOULDN'T keep him out of harm's way - something to try!
DeleteGood to know that all is well there, and your tomatoes look great!
ReplyDeleteThe Champion last night was not as tasty as the Bella Rosa, but it will make a fine sauce or roasted tomato.
DeleteWell, who knows? A little red dust may be just what your tomatoes need.
ReplyDeleteProbably not though.
What a lovely tomato patch. You are a far more dedicated grower than I am- I would never take the time to put mesh bags on all my fruits! I admire you!
It is a battle to grow some things here. Well not to actually grow them, but to secure them for our own eating! We don't mind sharing some with the local critters, but every single tomato would have a single beak-shaped bite taken out of it if we didn't use the bags.
DeleteWow! I had no idea this dust was reaching all the way to your shores! At least you get a good sunset out of it. The tomatoes look great!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing but open water between us and Africa, so the trade winds routinely bring Saharan dust to us and deposit it on our window screens. It is unusual for it to be this noticeable. We are really psyched by how well the tomatoes are doing!
ReplyDeleteYour tomatoes look amazing, Wilma. My mouth is watering (and I'm glad to say we are having a Delia Smith recipe tonight with tomatoes, anchovy, olives and spaghetti). Thank you for your kind comment about the Brittlestar. I knew some creatures had the ability to regenerate a lost part, but didn't know Brittlestars could do this. Here's hoping ...
ReplyDeleteI bet you Delia Smith spaghetti was wonderful. We did a taste test at lunch of 3 tomato varieties, they were all good.
DeleteA very worrying time for you Wilma.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Dennis will go from strength to strength now.
My very best wishes.
Thank you, Roy. Dennis is going from strength to strength now, so the worry is much decreased from a couple of weeks ago!
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