Tomato Challenges

WOW - It has been a challenging year in the garden! Everything has been stressed with the heat and humidity here in Ohio, and I am hearing whispers about challenges everywhere. One of the challenges that we had here was beautiful tomatoes that refused to ripen. They grew beautifully. They put on fruit. Then they just sat there - green, green, green.

I have never seen this before, so it was time for a bit of research. Digging through several extension service sites gave me the answer that I suspected. Now I have the specifics of why.

THE GUILTY PARTY: The Heat

But it isn’t quite that simple, at least not here. Tomatoes need temperatures above 50* F at night and below 90* F during the day to function right. (Some sites say 85* F, some say 95* F. It depends on other factors.) Tomatoes are a tropical foot hills perennial plant that thrives on consistent temperatures between 70* F and 75* F for daytime highs. We grow them as an annual in areas that fall well outside of that range. Most of the time, this is not a problem. Sometimes it is.

THE PROCESS: Lycopene

Between the temperatures of about 65* F and 85* F, tomatoes develop lycopene and carotene. Two nutrients that make tomatoes so healthy, and give them their beautiful color and flavor. Outside of that temperature range, these nutrients don’t develop properly.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL MASK: Return to normal

In most years, this is not a problem because the temperatures spike and return to normal, or they dip and return to normal. When the weather does this, we don’t recognize the delay effects of the weather.

THIS YEAR’S PROBLEM: No Normal

This year, the temperatures spiked and stayed high for an extended period of time. Then when they came back down, they dropped below the threshold. Hence, very little time in the sweet zone to develop the lycopene. No ripe tomatoes, or very few.

THE SOLUTION: well…

Here is the challenging part. There are no easy solutions. Growing varieties that tolerate the extremes helps. Cooling air flow might help. Keep the soil cool with organic mulch. Temporary light afternoon shade can help cool the plants. The key is to stabilize the conditions if you can. Also, enjoy green tomatoes if you can’t stabilize the conditions.

THE KEY TEMPERATURE POINTS

1) Frost kills the plants.

2) The low temperature for fruit set is 50* F

3) Seed germination temperature is about 70* F to 75* F.

4) Temperatures to ripen fruit is 65* F to 85* F.

5) Ideal growing range is 70* F to 75* F.

6) High temperature damage to the fruit and pollen occurs at about 85* F.

Meditation Garden 10

One of the inhabitants of the garden is the spider. As she weaves her web, she creates the world in which she lives. This home is easily destroyed, but is strong enough to serve her purpose. When it becomes damaged or worn, she will often continue the destruction and use the resources to create her next world. In the garden and in life, we can do the same. We create the world in which we live. When it no longer serves, we can take it apart and recreate it by re-purposing the resources it contains. In the garden, new life is continuously being created by recycling the life that is spent. When we can work in that truth, we can cycle the energy and resources in creative ways that manifest fresh new possibilities.

As you walk through your garden and environment, in what ways do you see the resources and energy being cycled throughout the ecosystem? How is that ecosystem evolving? How is it growing and refreshing itself? How can you creatively use your talents and skills to create the future you want? What skills do you need to have to create the future you want? What resources do you no longer need? What aspects of your life no longer serve you? How can you re-purpose those resources and skills in a way that better serves the community?

As the season winds down in the Northern Hemisphere winds down, it is time turn our energy to creativity and imagination, and creating the future we want to see and wish to create in your community. Like the spider creating her own world, how will you use your skills and knowledge to create your future? Can you see the seeds of your future in your current life? It is time to sit and write down your thoughts and dreams. It is time to take one step to weave your future.

Starting in December, I will be hosting The Year Builder Workshop, based on my ebook. For more information, contact me at [email protected].

Willow

She had been on the property for a couple of years. Down in the corner, next to the hay field was a swamp. Sometimes it was just wet. It was too unreliable for an practical farming use. She had been eyeing it for the entire time she lived there. She just wasn’t sure what to do with it. Willow, Birch, Vine, and few more plants that she couldn’t name lived in this lively spot. Birds, frogs, and insects thrived there. It was a tempting resource that whispered to her, “I am here for you.” The call and the pull wee constant, she just didn’t know what to do with it. So, the swamp sat there, patiently waiting, whispering. “I am here…”

When the mid January freeze finally left her with some time to think, she finally had a plan. Well, maybe more than one, but one that she would work on for this day. She took the measurements that she needed. Length, width, height, and wrote them down. Back at the table, she gathered her draft paper, a ruler, and the measurements. She collected a cup of tea and a sandwich. With everything at hand, she absently ate her lunch and sketched out a design. Nope. Not that one. She wadded it up and through it towards the circular file. Of course it missed, only to be nabbed by the ornery 6 months old puppy. She through the second attempt at the puppy. The third draft disappointed the puppy. It was good enough.

She collected the bow saw, the tape measure, and put on her coat and boots. She and the pup trudged down to the corner to survey the trees.

She selected the first tree. A willow straight and tall with 3 inch trunk and a slow taper. Low to the ground, she cut in her back cut wedge, then cut from the other side to take the tree down. A few minutes later, the tree started to waver. She quickly checked to see where the pup was, then took the tree on down. Crack! Crash! The tree came down into the quiet afternoon snow. She trimmed the branches and set them aside, then pulled the tree out of the grove. Then next. By mid afternoon, she had cut eight straight, sturdy willow trees. One pile of trees, one pile of branches, one pile of brush. She grabbed the saw in one hand and a couple of trees in the other and hauled them to the shed with the pup trailing behind. Two more trips to collect the rest of the trees and three to collect the branches and the sun was beginning to set. She needed a break.

A quick supper, a cup of hot tea, and news. Then it was time for the real work to begin. She measured and cut the four largest trees and trimmed and groomed the ends with a knife. She sealed the ends with glue. These were the legs. She cut the next two trees for the side for the sides and two for the ends. Measure. Cut. Trim. Groom. Glue. She worked late into the night. Four legs. Two sides. Five end pieces. Pieces for decorative work. Pieces for bracing. Each type was sorted into its own pile when she went to bed.

The next day, she assembled the canopy bed frame from the rough Willow. She draped it with a few yards of lace. The head of the canopy was decorated with a macrame’ web.

The trimmings were cut for broom handles and baskets. She had learned long ago that when resources weren’t wasted, she always had what she needed.

And for a little bit more

Events

November 1 - All Saints Day

November 2 - All Souls Day

November 4 - Election Day US

November 5 - Full Moon

November 9 - World Freedom Day

November 11 - Veteran’s Day

November 17 - World Peace Day

November 19 - New Moon, Next News Letter

November 22 - Propagation Tray Workshop - contact [email protected] for more information

Onion

Onions are one of the best things that you can add to your garden. They are easy to grow. They are nutritious. They have traditional medicinal uses. And, there is enough variation to make almost everyone happy. Even the humble bulb onion has a wide range of flavors. The mild, sweet onions are beautiful in salads. The small pearl onions are perfect for pickling and boiling. The rich flavor of red onions are perfect for onion soup. The hard and strong flavored onions are good for long storage.

These are just the bulbing types. There are also perennial onions. Walking onions are raised for both the bulblets on the top and the bulbs. There is also the bunching onions. The bunching onions are great for great for tiny spaces, containers, and fresh green onions. I love these onions for continuous delicious vegetables all season long. Of the 10 varieties of onions that I raised for farmer’s markets, the bunching onions were my customer’s favorite.

All onions are highly nutritious and a healthy part of your diet. They are so valuable that they were taken on sea voyages to prevent scurvy in the sailors. Onions have long been used as a medicinal in many cultures around the world. In China, onion is used to increase metabolism, prevent cardio-vascular disease, and fight respiratory infections. It is considered to be warming and detoxifying. Onion is an antioxidant and is an anti-inflammatory.

No matter which onion you grow, they are relatively easy and problem free. They are a good companion plant to deter pests from the rest of the garden. Onions also extend your nutrition well into the winter and potentially all winter long, even if you have very little space.

For some of the energetic properties of onions, check out the article at Manitu Oahas studio by clicking on the button.

The Onion Plant Profile is in progress as of this publishing, but is not published. It will be ready soon at The Phoenix’s Nest.

Fire

As the days get shorter and the cooler weather sends us inside, my body, heart, and spirit seeks out the comfort and spirit of fire. Fire. We have been hearing a lot about fire in recent years. Just the word conjures up imagery in every culture. When you see, hear, or say the word, what images come up for you? Do you see the camp fire, chasing the shadows at night? Do you see the hearth, warming the body and spirit? Do you see the Alchemist’s fire transforming and transmuting? Do you see the wild fire scouring everything in its path? Fire is all of these and more. Fire has always been with us and is an element that we believe that we can control, only to find in the end that control is an illusion.

In one way or another, you are connecting with fire every day. In our tamed, domesticated world, we tend to dismiss the power of fire with a casualness and complacency that borders on disrespect. The way we treat fire definitely lacks a mindfulness for the consequences. We take an element that used to be reversed and respected and worked with, and we put it in the background with a pilot light. We put it away in the power plant. We even put a tiny explosive fire in our vehicle to propel us down the road. With this casualness and disrespect, we miss and forget the ceremonies of transformation that were so important to our ancestors.

Now, we are starting to see the consequences of the misuse and disrespect of fire. Tragedies are unfolding all around the world along with the finger pointing. All the while, Fire is screaming: “Respect, Balance, Mindfulness, Courage, Creativity”.

So, yes I work with fire every single day. I believe you should too, with mindfulness and respect. I use the Alchemist’s fore to transform food into delicious nutrition. I light a candle on long nights for prayer, intention, and peace. I set my prayers into the smoke of ceremonial fire to transform my heart and send healing intention for others. I work with fire and honor fire by sitting with it until it is done showing me its colors and telling me its stories. I always remember that fire is the untameable flow of energy that can be directed but never contained.

To read more about the ceremonial uses of fire, check out this article at Manitu Okahas Studio.

And I'm Not The Only One

Here are a couple of places to find more information.

I found the information on the tomato issues on the extension service websites. Most states in the US have an extensions service. In general check extension.org . Usually they are listed as extension.[stateidentifier].edu. Here ore some of the best.

extension.iastate.edu

extension.illinois.edu

extension.osu.edu

Start with your state, then check the others.

For researched plant profiles, check out The Phoenix’s Nest at

Some one I'm following:

For support, workshops, tools, garden chat, and the edited versions of the plant profiles, join us at Delectable Tiny Gardens.