Tomatoes, Basil and Lettuces -- Oh, Yeah!

It hasn't been easy during the coronavirus shut-down to know what is open and what is not.

The Fink farmers were certain that nurseries were closed. We shook our heads and murmured about how it looked like it was going to be a fallow year for the garden.

Then -- overhearing gossip -- we learned that nurseries were open to those who wear masks and keep appropriate social distancing.

Farmer Karen leapt into action and bought pony packs of tomatoes (Romas and cherry), marigolds, Italian basil and assorted lettuces.

We're overstocked with tomatoes for the space we have -- and understocked with marigolds to keep the tomatoes free of bugs. We've taken a cross-your-heart, pinky-wrap vow to prune the tomato vines as the summer unfolds and to keep the suckers plucked.

We're also experimenting with growing a tomato plant in a pot with a Rube Goldberg arrangement to climb on. (One day we'll get around to putting masonry screws on the cinder block wall that borders the garden so we can put up twine to guide the vines along.)

In the past, we've gone crazy getting different varieties of basil. The problem ends up being that with only a single plant of so many different varieties, we don't have enough basil to make a single recipe -- and forget about pesto!

This year we put in a pony pack of basil. We should have plenty for pesto, pasta with basil and parmesan, spaghetti sauce . . . all kinds of recipes. We just have to focus on using the basil (or drying it) so it doesn't bolt.

We do well with lettuces. I always feared they would dry up in our hot summers, but they haven't. Farmer Karen can just walk out the back door and harvest a salad, which keeps them going nicely for quite awhile.

It looks like we've exercised enough self-control that our seedlings will have room to grow without being crowded. With fewer demands on our time to do things off the farm, we'll have more time to pay attention to gardening this summer.

Given that dining out is off the agenda these days, it looks like we'll be eating well and organically at home.

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