I am so spoiled regarding the availability of fresh vegetables and fruit year-round that I have come to expect a good supply of tomatoes year round. This year I have yet to find a good supply even once.
I found a N.Y. Times article from August discussing one of the reasons...a blight that has struck many farms. And once the supply dropped, the price for the remaining crop---miserable though it was--jumped.
One thing is for sure. In a few months I'll be investing in some large pots and stakes and growing my own on the deck. That way when the prices go up for vegetables, I'll pay myself more. Call it my Victory Garden. And if the blight finds my crop, maybe I'll apply for disaster assistance.
It was a horrible year for tomatoes at my house too. All the rain just destroyed my crop. The only good tomatoes I got all year were some that my mom gave me. Here's hoping 2010 strikes a better balance between wet and dry.
ReplyDeleteAnd Tim, if you are going to grow tomatoes in a container may I suggest Brandywine's. They are out of this world heirloom tomato. Take a little longer to mature but well worth the wait.