Zombie Tomatoes -- Back From the Dead

Gardening is a fun yet challenging activity. In an environment like Colorado's where a 24-hour temperature swing of 50 degrees is normal, we can set record high temperatures one week and record cold temperatures the next. Locally we haven't recorded our official first frost of the season, but I have had plants damaged due to unexpectedly cold nights. Though the blackened outer leaves of my tomatoes and green beans make them look dead from a distance, they're thriving on the interior.

After late planting, summer hail, and freak cold snaps, I finally have a semi-abundance of fruit. The tomatoes fought back against the odds and are producing wonderful red orbs of deliciousness.

The survivors, surrounded by frost damage.

I think gardening is a good activity for people who aren't "quitters". Too many people today take the easy way out of too many situations. They think school's too hard, so they drop out. They can't pay for the luxury items they couldn't afford in the first place, so they default on their loans. They get tired of their pets, so they dump them on the street. The list goes on and on. I've heard many people say gardening in Colorado is too hard, so they don't even try.

I say when the going gets tough... the gardeners get going. I could have given up on my unsightly garden, but that would have been too easy. It just took a little pruning of the damaged stalks and leaves, continued watering and weeding, and a careful watch of the weather to give the plants a chance to do what they naturally do. They gave me fruit.

It would have been easy to say autumn is beginning so there's no reason to add new plants. The trees and lavender I planted this week will be stronger next year than any of the plants others wait to plant in spring. I still have a lot of work to do in my garden and I'm not going to let a calendar or a thermometer make me stop. Sure, I may wear an extra layer or two of clothing, but new soil needs to be added and compost needs to be dug in. Mulching needs to start soon.

My tomatoes haven't stopped working and neither will I. Their days are numbered, but they're fighting to the end. I'll do what I can to aid that fight. Even after they're gone, the victory of ripe tomatoes will be remembered.

The underdog tomatoes helped remind me why I like to garden. It's because of the little victories. It's about adversity and being able to hold something in your hand that shows you overcame it. It's about doing something that might be a little hard. It's about having a story to tell. Isn't gardening grand?