Drumroll please!
The longest wait in the world is finally over!
The tomatoes are starting to ripen!!!
At first it was just the cherries:
And now it’s even the big guns:
I don’t think I can convey just how thrilled I am. I am prouder than a mother hen, given how just long this has taken. Seriously, these tomatoes have a world record for a delayed harvest. I started my seedlings on a cold winter day which is indelibly marked in my mind – March 22. (Next year January?) Then I had to wait and wait and wait and wait, and April, May, June, July AND August rolled by. I was wondering if I got some sort of developmentally challenged tomatoes, and with deep envy I read all the posts of abundant harvests in the blogosphere.
But it looks like a warm September is giving them a bit of a chance, and they are finally, FINALLY almost ready for harvest. I know this season has sucked across the continent, with battles of drought, excess rain, late spring, late blight and clearly late growth, and I’m not getting a bumper crop by any stretch, but the thrill of seeing these babies ripen on the wine makes up for all the worrying and waiting.
Taste tests coming up!
Congrats!
Thanks! It’s been a looooong time coming!
Are you trying to make me cry??!!
Congratulations, Tanya! This is a good season for tomatoes in my garden. Actually, it is the best in 6 years. The Black Krym is our favorite this year.
@ Teena – nope, but *I* was ready to cry until they started actually producing!
@ Tatyana – your harvest looked amazing! I will have to try Black Krym next year, this year I’ve got the Black Prince, which I can’t wait to taste since it’s famous in Russia.
Yay! I know how excited you are, mine just starting to ripen too. We’ve luckily had our cherry ones for a couple weeks, but I never thought the bigger ones would make it. Unfortunately, I have not had one juicy big tomato, and I’m not sure I will. The slugs have been destroying them faster then I can find them. Even in the Maxi Kaps! Next year I’ll have to figure something out to make it more difficult for them. I really wanted my own salsa!
I hope you get to enjoy yours soon! I’ll be picking the few I might be able to salvage this coming week and ripen them indoors. I’m not losing any to an early frost if I can help it!
Fabulous! Nothing like fresh food from the garden. And tomatoes from a home garden are absolutely delicious!
Oh, nothing like fresh tomatoes from the garden!!
@ jennifer – Yep, the cherries have been slowly trickling in, but the big guns even I’m worried about. I don’t have slugs, but we did get hit with some blossom end rot, which the store assures me is entirely due to the wet and cold July that we had. I too will be re-jigging my technique for next year. Perhaps a greenhouse?
@ Waterroots – agreed, tomatoes are what made me grow veggies in the first place.
@ Heather – I know! Especially if they get a chance to ripen on the vine.