Sunday Morning

I pulled DS out of bed at 7am this Sunday morning, so that we could go harvest and fertilize at the garden, 30 minutes drive away. As we went into the fresh new day I was attempting to recall the last time he rose at 7am. I believe it was for a December vacation last year, when we had to catch a flight. This home schooled kid rises every day at the crack of 9am to begin his arduous day's labor. He is spending hours each day finishing up a college math course on his summer break, so I suppose it all evens out in the end.

We enjoyed the fresh new morning; it was cool enough that we saw people wearing light jackets. We made it in past the Lake before most of the Boat People crowded the narrow road. It can be harrowing getting past a boat trailer coming the other way, as the yellow line down the middle is taken as rather a mild suggestion by the boat drivers. I saw someone water skiing on the lake, and commented to DS , that this must be a chilly activity at this hour.

We spent a dirty few hours harvesting, weeding, and watering. I'm frowning at the garden. I have multitudes of green tomatoes but only a few ripening. The ripening tomatoes are all down at the bottom, close to the ground, which tells the story. I'm also still harvesting Broccoli in August, enough to make it the centerpiece of the evening's dinner. Lettuce also. These are cool weather crops which aren't usually producing now. The winter squash is being lackadaisical, loafing along eating up fertilizer (organic only) and not producing fruit. It's clear that the issue is night temperatures in the high 50's. The ground holds the days heat, which is considerable at 95 degrees. This is why the tomatoes at ground level can ripen.

I 'm not certain what to do about this situation. Our last garden was a thousand feet lower in elevation, and we were pulling so many tomatoes out by now that harvesting took hours. If we were already living on site (the house is on schedule and under budget, thanks for asking) then I would cover the vines with clear plastic at night and rush out in the morning to pull it off before I cooked the tomatoes. As it is, I know that when we hit the August doldrums then the tomatoes will ripen. This is a horrible annual event where no one sleeps for a week as the temperatures exceed 100 during the day and it doesn't cool at night. At least when it occurs this year I'll know that it serves my purpose.

DS cheerfully working in the garden. He had a great morning. We all went to see the latest Harry Potter movie when the weather warmed up at noon. DH Matt finished the plumbing and the water lines. He's ready for an inspection tomorow. All in all, a terrific Sunday.