my wife she always says this to me
when she does
i am never smiling
as
something not good has happened
so she said to me this week
whatcha learn
i was already down in the dumps
big time
ok
so i should have headed the warnings
from john dromgole on the gardening show
warning he said just last week
beware of the freeze before easter
it happens every year
well
i remember hearing this and smiling
got it covered is what i thought
in mid february i went to my favorite garden place
the organic one called the natural gardener
got all my tomatoes in 4 inch pots
transplanted all of them into these quart pots
put them in my small greenhouse
set the heater on 55
kept them all cozy and warm
fertilizing them as i watered
they loved the warmth and the sunlight
growin like a weed they did
so about 3 weeks ago
heck
everything around here was ablooming like crazy
even the bluebonnets bloomed six weeks early
i took all my tomatoes
planted them in my garden
they were at least 3 feet tall
some with tomatoes dangling on the vines
excited is what i was
then
weather alert
possible freeze in the hill country
ok
i should have listened to john
i covered up all 10 of my tomatoes with this thick white row cover
that will keep the temperature warmer by as much as 7 degrees
my row of 5 tomatoes had cages over them
they were the tallest
i carefully wrapped them with this protective row cover
clamping it on very carefully
confident
that i had won the battle this year
then i got up early that recent cold morning
it was 35 then 32 then 30 then
oh no i said to myself
it was 29
then 28
oh no
ive been here before
every year
no matter what i do
so the next day i peaked at my tomato in a pot on the porch
there it was
with several tomatoes on it reaching towards the sun
all intact
yes i said
life is good i have defeated mom nature
then
to the garden
looked at two tomatoes i had untied
laid on the ground
a sweet 100 and a juliet
full of tomatoes
covered all snugly with row cover
so
i slowly lifted up the cover
yes
i said to myself
john was wrong
they looked perfect
then
i looked over at my long row of tomatoes
looked at that snugly row cover wrapped around the cages
glanced to the other side
there aflapping in the wind
like a sheet on a clothesline
was the whole side of the row cover
flapping flapping
leaving this gigantic opening to the tomatoes
so
i refused to look at it for two days
so
yesterday
i peeled back the cover
like peeling an orange
there as in the picture
were these shriveled up tomato plants
all brown limp and light green and dead looking
also i might add my peppers looked worse
in tomatoville
so my wife she
now she was good
she didnt rub it in
no
she didnt say
whatcha learn
she said im sorry
ok
so i almost cried over these tomatoes
only
a gardener would understand
so
this morning
i got up and sleepily went towards the coffee pot
there
to my surprise
was
all these peppers and tomatoes
brand spanking new ones
my wife she had snuck them in the house
after i went to bed
what a great birthday present huh
whatcha learn
dont plant tomatoes and peppers around here until after easter
the organicgreen doctor
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