Friday, August 13, 2010

Nature gone nuts!

We have a problem with our tomato plants.  First, they grew really, REALLY BIG.  This has never happened to us before.  The plants grew so big, they crushed their "little" tomato cages.  We started staking them with thin bamboo stakes, which snapped.  (They snapped under the weight of our bean plants, too).

The plants developed blight, but still they continued to grow big, FAT, tomatoes.  And now, they're all ripening at the same time.  Yesterday I gave a quarter of a shopping bag to my brother for him to split with my mother, but we'll have more ripe by Monday.

This was the first year we put extensions on the heavy bamboo stakes for our pole beans--they cracked under the weight of the plants.  (Which took four plantings before they "took."  They're just starting to produce beans so I'm assuming we'll be inundated any day now.

I picked about 40 jalapeno peppers yesterday.  I was disappointed that only two people entered my jalapeno pepper contest -- and if I get around to it this weekend, I decide which recipe wins.  (Yes, I'm that harried!!!)  The winner will receive a Haven't Got A Clue coffee (or tea or cocoa) mug.

It's been an incredibly HOT, RAINY summer, which is probably why everything has grown so well.  Even the Brussels sprouts decimated by Mr. Groundhog and replanted in pots have made a comeback.  But, whoa!  Can two people ate all this bounty?  Nope, so my mother and brother will reap the rewards.  After all, they both put their tomatoes in the topsy-turvey devices.  End results?  One or two tiny tomatoes, while ours in the ground went ZOWIE!

While it might sound like I'm complaining, I'm really not--just overwhelmed.  Especially since the season started out so badly and things refused to grow.  Heck, I'm already hoping next year to plant even MORE veggies. 

I must be a glutton for punishment.  How about you?