After days of flaming heat slowing down pollination and making it tough on the gardner and wildlife alike (a number of them counting on me for their water supply when everything else had dried up), we had a three day reprieve of less humidity and civilized temperatures.
Rather welcome, I must say!
On the veggies front: OK tomato crop, far from exceptional. Some new varieties I was testing have not produced a single fruit. Those creeping temperatures make it just a little too hot for them to be properly pollinated. Neighbors spraying for mosquitoes and killing MY good bugs may be partly responsible for some of that poor pollination. Eggplants and peppers are doing fine, the cukes have all given up several weeks ago as soon as the mercury started climbing.
Flowers are still fine and the Oriental pears have been sweeter than ever thanks to that heat/drought combination. Figs are starting to ripen; so far the local catbird couple is about 20-5 over me but soon they'll be too many even for them and me.
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| Two of my favorite Greek tomatoes "Thessaloniki" The reason they finish ripening on a window sill is that chipmunks prefer them under ripe and have no trouble staring me down , convinced that I am the interloper. Who wants to fight some of Disney's favorites...and get away with it???? |
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| Cherry Roma tomatoes |
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| Japanese eggplants. |
