Poking around in the garden today I noticed the tomatoes are finally starting to ripen. Most other gardeners in the area are already canning their tomatoes, and I haven't been able to pick even one yet. This is exactly what happened last year-I waited months for tomatoes, and the first frost came and destroyed every last fruit before it even turned pink. This year, however, I've planned ahead. We got a movable greenhouse. It's just a cheap plastic cover with a PVC frame, but we can install it above the tomato beds and extend the season by a month or so. I'm hoping to get a stronger greenhouse next year so I can have produce year round, but that's pretty far down the list of things to buy that we can't afford yet.
The bell peppers seem to be doing really well, but they're really crowded by the volunteer tomato that came up nest to it. I didn't have the heart to pull it out, it is a perfect plant, it just may be too late to get any fruit from it. I'm going to have to mull it over. Another tomato plant would mean ten more quarts of sauce if I can keep it from dying in the frost, but on the other hand, bell peppers are very expensive and the girls eat a lot of them. Should I risk losing some peppers in order to try for more sauce? Such a hard life I lead to be asking these questions.
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