Day 302: If you're wondering why my recent posts have been rather more domestic than usual, it's because western Washington has been having hot weather coupled with thick smoke drifting down from the fires in British Columbia. Over the last two weeks, the Mountain has been invisible or nearly so from my home, and at times, I haven't even been able to make out the horizon of Elbe Hills. Yesterday was the worst it has been. The smoke was visible between my house and my neighbour's, and the trees at the end of the pasture were all but lost in haze. Other than short runs out into the garden or to the mailbox, I have made very few forays into open atmosphere and away from the filtering capabilities of air-conditioning. This is not normal, not for Washington, and cabin fever is taking its toll on my disposition. As much as I want to be OUT, the air is too thick to breathe and I have no desire to become a statistic. Still, enforced domesticity does not sit well with me and I would be glad of a little rain. So would my garden.
I've been watering on an almost daily basis, perhaps a bit too heavily for the Oregon Spring "beefsteak" tomatoes. The vine is producing prodigiously despite being very compact this year, but my diligence with watering has caused most of the tomatoes to split. They're not inedible; I just have to cut away the hardened bits where the flesh has been exposed, and the remainder of the fruit is sweet and juicy, and especially delicious when harvested sun-warm and served with a dash of salt and pepper. On the other hand, the Sun Gold plant is spindly and leggy despite having been fertilized, and is bearing rather sparsely. That said, I've still been able to pick enough tomatoes for both myself and a neighbour, although I would not call this a "good tomato year."
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