The song Somebody’s Watching Me started going through my head when I put googly eyes on my tomato the other day. ’Cause that’s normal right? To put googly eyes on tomatoes? It actually works really well with all manner of vegetables – or plants for that matter (anyone remember Googly Eyes Gardener from Saturday Night Live?).
Anyways. What really made it come alive when we put eyes on this tomato was that it had this funny little protuberance that I realized looked a lot like Gru’s nose from Despicable Me.
It’s hard to tell from the picture, but that tomato is almost six inches across, it is just massive (the variety is Florida Pink). It may have gotten larger, but we had to harvest it because it had broken its stem.
How are the harvests in your garden going? If you planted your veggie garden in the sweet spot of planting (late February – early March) then you should be at or on the cusp of harvest season now. It’s dry, so make sure those fully grown tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are getting the water they need. It takes a lot to produce those delicious vegetables. With it being warm and dry, it is also time to watch for insect issues. Check on plants in the mornings or evenings when insects are the most active, looking for chew marks, sooty mold, or other evidence of insect damage. When you see it, plan to spray with Neem or Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew in the evening to keep those bugs at bay.
At this point, if you’re thinking of starting a veggie garden, our recommendation would be to wait until the fall. It’s hot, and we are approaching rainy season, so it is really challenging and takes a lot of extra attention and chemicals to get veggies to harvest well in Florida in the summer. But because we live in Florida, you will get a second season of veggies, starting around mid-September.
In the meantime, Happy Harvests! Enjoy the fruits of your spring work. And if you want to have a little fun this Saturday (May the 4th be with you), join us for Star Wars Day “Yoda in the Garden,” I mean, Yoga in the Garden (click here to purchase tickets). Kristen from Keystone Yoga will lead you in an hour-long flow session to reconnect your mind, body, and soul. Consider it a great warm-up for a beautiful day in the garden.
