[Seasons: Summer XI]
I’ll do a whole series of reflections on vegetables, but I can’t pass up talking about summer without mentioning tomatoes.
I’ve learned a few things about tomatoes over the years.
Tomatoes are easy to grow conventionally. They respond well to commercial fertilizers and store bought soil. But they are difficult to grow organically. Especially outdoors in the cool climate of the Pacific Northwest.
Growing tomatoes for one persons is a cinch. Growing them for a few families of tomato-lovers is a big undertaking. A few maters here and there can almost be grown accidentally with a volunteer plant in the compost bin. But a hearty harvest every couple days for salsa making, tomato sandwiches, and salads throughout late summer is a challenge.
The more you prune a tomato plant the better, but pruning it the wrong way can create irreversible fruit loss.
In other words, while summer weather may be predictable, some of its most cherished fruit is a little more finicky.
We have such high expectations of ourselves during the summer seasons of life. The fruit of that season, however, might not match our expectations. It can be finicky. Inconsistent. Even rot on the vine. And that’s okay. Just being in the garden is fruit for the soul.
