Don’t get me wrong – despite the tease of spring-like temperature we had this week, winter is far from over. Her worst bite usually comes at the very end – and sometimes beyond – as she lashes out with snowstorms and ice and wind and freezing temps that are better-suited to January. Winter is harsh that way, and some years she simply won’t go away without some interring talk-back.
In the end, though, she will lose. Spring will return – however brief or boisterous or beautiful – and then summer will be on her heels. It will be as if winter never was. For now, as the snow melts around the plants that were felled in the fall, we see some of winter’s destruction, and some of summer’s invincibility. These carcasses of tomatoes that lingered into the fall have somehow survived more or less intact, and likely hold viable seeds beneath their withered skin. These particular varieties proved temperamental, so we will probably fill their former pots with the cherry tomatoes that performed such powerhouse feats of fruition. Successful gardening depends on adapting and listening to the stories that the plants share. Every year there are new lessons to learn, and new tales to hear told.
