“A visitor to a garden sees the successes, usually. The gardener remembers mistakes and losses, some for a long time, and imagines the garden in a year, and in an unimaginable future.”
~ W.S. Merwin, What Is a Garden?
Disaster in my garden–my tomato plants, that I’ve nurtured from the time I put tiny black seeds in pots, have contracted curly top. A quick visit to the local nursery yesterday afternoon confirmed my suspicion and set a course of action; I’ll be pulling them all this morning. It feels a little but like grief as I think about losing these plants. Silly perhaps, but there it is.
On a positive note, the nursery had plants of most of the varieties I was growing (Sungold, Brandywine, and Black Krim). They didn’t have an Old German so I got a Cherokee Purple instead and, serendipitously, that was a variety I had considered for this year. It’s not the end of the world and, thankfully, it’s still early enough in the season to recover.
It’s going to be another hot one today. I’m heading to the garden early feeling a little bit like sad, tempered with a good measure of gratitude.
Dear Linda, I have always thought that farmers must have much more faith than most people. Faith that the weather will favor their crops surely. It’s good that this is happening early enough that you can replant/repot and have luscious tomatoes later this summer. Peace.
I was thinking about my farming ancestors this morning as I worked Dee. My problem is an annoyance, their crop issues could mean the difference between a profitable year and a setback. All in all, I feel blessed–and am still looking forward to a crop of delicious tomatoes.
Did the nursery suggested spraying the new plants with NEEM oil? If you have leaf hoppers in the area, they many spread the virus. Good luck with you new crop of tomatoes!
Sent you an email about the NEEM oil, Ruth. Apparently there’s an issue getting it in Canada. I’m guessing you might have some information though. 🙂