Wednesday, September 22, 2010

First Day of Autumn and First... Tomato Flower?

Autumn officially begins today at 11:09 pm here in North America and look what I have...


It's the very first cluster of flowers on the only tomato plant in my garden!!!


I know the growing season is practically over in my zone 6 garden and most of my neighbors are already pulling up spent vegetable plants. Yet here I am with my first tomato flowers of the season. I confess that I am generally a last minute kind of gal, but this is a little ridiculous, don't you think?

This little sprawling tomato plant is a fighter!

My friend gave me eight tomato plant seedlings back in May that had sprouted in her vegetable garden from last year's fallen fruit. I intended to re-establish my vegetable garden in the backyard this year, but I never got around to it. These little seedlings took up residence on the cement landing by my side door and were trying to so hard grow in their little containers. I tried to keep them alive until I decided where to plant them, but those little containers dry out so quickly and once the days got hot, the plants quickly turned brown and died--or so I thought. I kicked them over the edge of the sidewalk and into the flower bed there, thinking I'd put them into my compost pile when I had the chance. Well, out of sight, out of mind, because one day probably weeks later, I see these tomato leaves poking through the mint and I think, "Oh yeah... those tomato seedlings." And here I am today with a thriving cherry tomato plant with flowers on the first day of autumn. Such a fighter.

I'm thinking that if the weather continues for a few more weeks any where near as warm and sunny as it's been lately, there is a strong possibility that this little fighter might just provide me with four or five of this year's first homegrown cherry tomatoes before it snows! :O)


Did you have a vegetable garden this past summer? How was your harvest?

If you live in the southern hemisphere, are you planning your vegetable garden for this summer already? What are you planning to grow?


8 comments:

  1. Tomatoes are so robust! I had quite a few trying to grow in my vegetable garden over the winter :)

    If you live in the southern hemisphere, are you planning your vegetable garden for this summer already? What are you planning to grow?

    Oh, thank you for thinking of us down here *grin* The weather is atrocious here ATM, even though it is spring. All I want is a fine weekend so I can weed! Haven't decided exactly what to plant, but probably tomatoes, peppers, chillies and beans to start.

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  2. LOL, so funny Christine! :) Hopefully, you'll get some tomatoes!

    Nope, we got rid of our vegetable garden. In any case, we never really got much out of it ^_^;

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  3. orannia....
    Nothing beats home grown tomatoes, right? Peppers I don't have a lot of success with--they take up a lot of space and take forever to produce a handful of red peppers (I don't care for green), although I have enjoyed growing my own supply of chilies for the winter in the past. Have fun planning ... and I hope you can get out and weed soon!

    nath...
    I'm counting on those few cherry tomatoes. I think I can make it happen, too. This spot is sort of sheltered by the door so I'll remember to cover it with a sheet if frost threatens... wish me luck! LOL.

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  4. We still have some tomato plants flowering and with green tomatoes on them. We also have green mini jalapenos that are still growing as well. Any our strawberry plant is still bearing fruit. I blame the 90 degree days here right now. It may officially be Fall, but it still feels like summer here.
    I hope your tomato plant survives and gives you lovely tomatoes!

    Hope you're having a good week!

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  5. What a hardy little plant!

    We managed to get lemons off our little dwarf lemon tree (newly planted this year). Other than that, not much. Although I want to have a tomato plant next year. And I keep trying to get my hubby to pull out a bougainvillea where I want to start a garden, but so far, no go.

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  6. The kiddo likes to pick the green tomatoes so we don't have too many left on our vines. :(

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  7. My mom is the tomato grower in our family, in fact, all I have to do is touch a green plant, and they turn up those toes and die! I don't have a green thumb or even a brown one, I have a black thumb to bring death to the hardiest of plants, expect for poison ivy, grows nicely the shrubs.

    Dottie :)

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  8. Brandy...
    Do you know when your last frost date is in your region? I'm just curious how much longer your growing season is compared to mine. I'm pretty sure our last frost date is May 15 and our my first frost date is Oct. 1 or 15, giving us only five months of frost free gardening.

    It's been unusually warm here, too. But not terribly humid, thank goodness.



    Lori...
    Lemons?!! Oh I'm so jealous. I remember you planting that tree!

    Isn't bougainvillea a gorgeous flowering vine? And you want to PULL it? LOL! But I get the desire to have a garden. It's such a rewarding hobby. : )


    Michelle...
    LOLOLOL! That is TOO cute!


    Dottie...
    I definitely seem to have more of a green thumb with things that grow by accident in my garden like this cherry tomato plant. LOL!

    And boy, wouldn't your black thumb be a gold mine if it worked on poison ivy?!!!

    I see your Tink profile pic is decked out for Halloween! Love it! : )

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