So with Tomatopalooza X somehow come and gone, I ventured back into the garden today....an increasingly stressed, tired, diseased garden, sadly (but not surprisingly - this seems to happen every year). I actually did pick some tomatoes, though nowhere near the number I've picked over the last two weeks. There were some summer squash, a good picking of green beans - and there are hot and sweet peppers and eggplant all ready for picking and eating.
But my annual focus - tomatoes - went well this season. I've got seed saved from the vast majority of varieties I planted. The Dwarf project produced many delights and is well set for years of fun. Some varieties just reconfirmed their excellence - Brandywine, Green Giant, Cherokee Green and Purple and Chocolate, Polish, Lucky Cross and Lillian's Yellow. A new tomato hero emerged - Dester Amish. I managed to get some fresh seed from a few old favorites germinated from very old seed - Big Sandy, Anna Russian and Cooper's Special.
So now I have lots to ponder and work on - a possible magazine article, a likely book - the SSE tomato tasting. I plan to attend the next three Zely and Ritz tomato dinners - August 1, 7 and 9 - and will engage in some tomato talk at those events. October will bring a few weeks at Ocracoke. And throughout there will be pepper and eggplant seed saving, dead plant tossing, and even some initial planning for what comes next!