warmth
Dear Ciara,
The days are getting warmer, and my plants are suffering. I often come home from work to find my Thai basil and Vietnamese mint drooping. Even my catās whiskers plant, which grows everywhere else up here like a weed, is struggling in this heat. The grass is yellow and cracked. Everything is so dry. I never thought Iād miss the wet season, but I donāt want it to arrive quite yetāIād like it to remain dry for my upcoming holiday. After that, the rain can come.
The back garden bed, in contrast, is overgrown. Iāve attempted to stake my tomato plants multiple times, but theyāre far too heavy. They are smothering the entire bed, but I donāt mind. The dense foliage is shading the other plants from the hot sun. Brilliant. Cosmos and coreopsis flowers are beginning to bloom through the green, and one sunflower stands tall and proud. There are garlic chives and salvias dotted about too, but you canāt really see them. My only real concern with this bed is how best to deter pests from the tomatoes. I normally try to avoid using chemicals, but nothing natural seems to be deterring the caterpillars and giant grasshoppers from chewing on the fruit.
I donāt think the tomatoes will likely survive the wet season either, so I need to sort this issue out as soon as possible. Once it arrives, Iāll likely need to thin out everything except the sweet potato.
There are also these strange weeds that have popped up in the bed. I canāt seem to identify what they are. Theyāre almost a kind of salvia, or maybe an amaranth, with clusters of seeds that sway in the breeze. They have a sickly sort of smell. I donāt imagine they are edible.
Well, thatās all I really have to say. Other than this, my spare time has been consumed by reading. Iām obsessed with those cozy Japanese and Korean books set in bookstores, cafes and other āthird spacesā. Speaking of which, Iām keen to continue The Kamogawa Food Detectives this afternoon before church. They bring me a lot of joy. I know you've been reading a lot too, which is great to say. We always seem to be matching.
The song for today is:
S. Carey ā Yellowstone
This song always relaxes my bones. Carey's soft, whispering vocals comfort me often on long drives.
Love,
The Gardener