Memories of 2008

Over the past couple of weeks, heavy frosts have brought the 2008 gardening season in Northern Indiana to an end. There is something about those first killing frosts that is almost magical. You know the feeling the night before...crystal clear sky, a deep chill in the air, the scramble to bring squash, blush-colored tomatoes, and crispy peppers under cover. Sunlight bathes the hoarfrosted landscape as a gorgeous autumn day breaks. You run to the vegetable garden to see how much damage was done. Prepared for the worst, you see that the garden you had tended and loved all season is covered with a crystaline cover that turns the bright green foliage a dark green.

Unless you were diligent and covered your crops, jury-rigging all kinds of tarps and blankets for maximum coverage, you catch your heart before it sinks in sadness. The natural cycle of nature has claimed your plants, but a new season is begun. Weeks of work lie ahead to clean everything up, but one of a gardener's greatest joys lies ahead...the merciful, much-needed rest when the land sleeps in late fall and winter. Relief quickly follows shock and a tear for the end of a lush garden. It is one of God's ways of closing a curtain and preparing for a new scene.

Gone but not forgotten are the flowers and fruits of a season in the sun. But the memories go on. Here are some of the beautiful scenes, the memories that lift our hearts and make us keep coming back to the soil every spring.

Tomato Cages for the Serious Gardener

This year, I realized a life dream! You'll think this is warped, but it was to have good tomato cages. Tired of the flimsey cone-shaped things you get at the store, I went in with a gardening friend and purchased (no scrounged, not raided, no pilfered) a 320' roll of 39" galvanized field fence with 12" mesh. I wanted to get 4" mesh but my buddy convinced me to get the 12". He was right. You need room to get your hands into the plant to pluck those gorgeous Beefmasters! Get a decent pair of wire cutters (Thank you, Rural King, $15.00). Cut the fencing in 6' sections. Cut right in the middle of two vertical wires. Bend each side of the cut wire back to make an open loop. Roll the fence section into a cage and hook the loops together, closing them with pliers. They are about 22-23" in diameter and stand up sans staking. I love 'em. I knocked out 22 of these and believe my tomato cage problems are solved for generations (assuming one of my kids is interested in gardening). Check 'em out. Believe in your dreams! Now if only I had water hoses without leaks!

The Perfect Tomato

Does the perfect tomato exist? I don't know, but the Beefmaster comes pretty close. I have been looking for a tomato that has 1) high productivity, 2) large, nicely shaped fruit, 3) crack resistance, 4) produces over a long period, 5) tangy taste (not low acid), a lot of pulp while not dry inside. I've grown dozens of varieties over the years but this year's Beefmaster is now my all-time favorite, even ahead of Burpee's Big Boy Hybrid, Early Girl, and Better Boy. Check out these pictures of my August harvest. If there is a perfect tomato, the one on the crate is the closest I have come to finding it.

Annual Winter Squash Ritual

Of all my vegetable crops, none is more full of flavor and nostalgia than winter squash. This tough-skinned deep orange vegetable (the cooked texture resembles mashed potatoes and is delicious served with butter and a little salt and pepper). It was a favorite on the fall table in my parents home when my 7 siblings and I were growing up in Wellesley, Massachusetts. At the end of the season, I gather all the ripen fruits just prior to the first frost and take a photo of them. My family members think this is bazarre and wierd, but we gardeners do wierd things sometimes. Here are some of the 2008 shots.

Chrysanthemum Time

I love all those chrysanthemums you see decorating fall gardens. Many of them were planted in July or August for a fall burst of bloom. Unfortunately, most of those will have their demise with the first hard freeze. The only way to have your mums overwinter is to plant them in the spring. Besides, you will be most pleased with the flowering on the first year when you do this. I planted four tiny chrysanthemum plants this spring and nursed them through the hot, dry summer in large pots. Check out these! I plan to pick up these huge pots with a handtruck and wheel them into the garage for the winter to assure they survive.