I am a tomato murderer.*sigh* This learning to garden thing is very sobering.
I managed to kill three of my biggest, best tomato plants through stupidity. That's so disappointing.
Dana, our friend, came out and watched me potting the plants several weeks ago. An experienced gardener, she said "You know drainage is very important, right?"
" Oh", says I.
I was careful to assure that the drainage holes were there in the next couple of planters and then got so deeply into the potting rhythm that I forgot again.
Long story, short, I drowned a whole bunch of plants. Some were able to drink fast enough to keep it from becoming a big problem until I figured it out (gotta love squash) and some were hurt, but have pulled through.
Rod and I went out in heavy rain last weekend to make sure there were drainage holes in all the pots after it became quite clear that the tomatoes had wet feet -- at the time it looked like everyone was going to be OK...but by this weekend it was clearly not so.
My big paste tomato plant and two of my other tomatoes didn't make it. :( They were the biggest and strongest -- the plants that I was proudest of.
I am so bummed that it's hard to go out there. I do -- after all, the rest of the garden is fine and needs food and water.
Sigh.
I'll get used to it. Right?
Yes, you will. Although I've gardened since I was a wee child tagging along after my mother, there are still things that go wrong. You will learn and feel the reward and do it again next year, only to find there are different problems with different weather conditions. It's a learning process, but it's also just getting back to the bosom of Mother Nature. You'll be fine.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kate!
ReplyDeleteMuch to my amazement, the three plants I was sure were dead are back. And as of today, they're starting not to look so sickly. I am astonished at their resilience!
Congratulations, Misti. Bringing a plant back from the dead is no mean feat.
ReplyDelete