Talk about timing...Saturday the Burpee gardening catalog arrived in the mail, Sunday Winter Storm Blair came roaring into the Midwest and now I'm thumbing page by page through this book of fresh vegetables and flowers, getting ideas for my gardens and dreaming of spring. Geez, we're just three weeks into winter.
Back to the catalog cover...look at that gorgeous tomato! Oh howI miss fresh garden tomatoes. I haven't eaten a fresh tomato since the farmer's market closed at the end of October. The ones at the grocery stores are hard and have no taste. Tomatoes can be planted in Ohio early to mid-May, about 4 1/2 months from now. Something to look forward to.
I've been through the catalog once and right now I could fill my yard with one of each vegetable. As far as flowers go, I want lots of pollinator-friendly plants for the birds, bees, and butterflies. I've been looking out our sliding door a lot, watching the snow fall and this quote came to mind - "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant." ~ Anne Bradstreet
We need to make more of an effort this year with our tomatoes. Last year's crop was pathetic.
ReplyDeleteLast year was a tough year for tomatoes over here, too. It was very hot and dry.
DeleteOrder lots of seeds, plant a creative garden in the spring.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the catalog sounds like a great way to spend some time while the snow falls. I haven't had a good tasting tomato for a very, very long time. Sometimes I fear I won't ever again taste a tomato like I knew growing up in Illinois.
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents lived on a farm outside of Bloomington, IL. I remember the summer visits where we would pick beans, peas, and tomatoes from the garden for dinner that night. That was back in the day when "farm to table" wasn't a popular term.
DeleteThat's a great quote and a great catalog cover. We no longer get seed catalogs, just go to a nursery for seedlings and plant them in pots. But that tomato certainly does tempt me.
ReplyDeleteI have better luck with tomato plants rather than planting seeds to grow tomatoes. And then the pesky deer come around and nibble on the plants. I still get a few tomatoes.
ReplyDelete