The Race is On

My brother has a beautiful garden every year. He and his wife wield their green thumbs lovingly all spring and summer to produce a bountiful harvest. I am envious to say the least.

My goal each year is to beat my brother at this early producing game. I strive to have the first edible pea, and the first ripe tomato. My cold frame came into existence partly because of this goal. My garden is about  900 Ft. higher than his and has a slightly shorter growing season.

I have resorted to searching seed catalogs and farm stores for the earliest peas. And I grow every kind of cherry tomato on the market since they produce quicker than a larger tomato. All this and more in an effort to get a harvesting edge on my brother who prefers Early Girls and large beefsteak tomatoes. I have to admit that one year I had to purchase a tomato plant in a gallon container with pint tinged fruit hanging heavy on it when my garden looked so pitiful. (I still didn’t get the first ripe tomato that year, my brother beat me by three days.) My winning streak has yet to materialize, but I will keep trying.

On May 1st, I saw the first bloom on the early peas that I am growing in the cold frame. I’m hoping that my cold frame caper will put me in the lead.  My “for real” row of peas just broke the surface of the soil this week. When I checked in with my brother he said he had two rows of peas already blooming.