So, today is Show Day in Hobart, the day when traditionally southern Tasmanian home gardeners trundle out their carefully nurtured tomatoes and pop them in the garden bed.
But, wait! Today’s news contains official warning not to do that this year – it has been too cold and damp to think about planting them yet so we must wait another two to three weeks (I love it – only in Tasmania can we get official bulletins regarding the progress of the tomato crops).
I will keep the radio tuned to the emergency broadcast station for more updates on the Tomato Situation.
Did you also know Tasmania grows most of the world’s supply of morphine? Apparently the north of the state is awash in opium poppies. If only someone could get me some seeds …
And that’s your trivia for today.
LATER:
Gosh, it is such a warm day today! My tomatoes are screaming to be allowed out to play in the garden! I allowed several of them some pot time in the full sunshine and they’re all happy and anxious to go out. But I can’t, I can’t. Official Word is to leave them.
Have set seed again for beetroot and some lettuces and radicchio and netted them off from the effing blackbirds. I thinned the carrots and feasted off the thinnings. It is amazing that even a tiny white root, not much thicker than a hair, can be so full of flavour.
I caved in and bought 3 tomato fruit from the supermarket. God, they are so awful …
Well if the news says so better keep those little’uns indoors!
On the subject of store bought tomatoes, while I was away we went to the Bangalow Farmers markets ..known in the region for all the lunatic organic farmers who coddle their babies, and all sorts of produce. We got some miniature romas (??) on a truss, all ripened on the vine..they were the BEST tomatoes I’ve EVER tasted ..and here I am 600 klms away from them…
HMMMM – might nurse my 3 for a little longer than!
Ah, so there’s somewhere else other than here where the local advice is to not plant tomatoes until after the show, lol!! Our show was also this past weekend, and I admit to having my tomatoes in about a week early – however, we had a week of sunshine and warmth, so I’m just praying that that was enough to keep them safe 🙂 And they were ‘plantlings’, as opposed to seedlings, lol. And I put (plastic) tree guards around them – what’s the bet that being my first tomatoes just about ever, they’ll still keel over and die despite my TLC, lol!!!