Bounty

Growing vegetables at 6000 feet above sea level can be a bit of a challenge. Tomatoes, squashes and eggplant all resent our chilly nights. It might be 85° F (30° C) during the day, but as soon as the sun goes down all the day's heat rushes away into the upper atmosphere. Our nighttime temperatures frequently get down to 35° F (2° C), even in the middle of August.

To make matters worse, this year winter seemed to drag on forever – it snowed 9 inches on May 28th, and another another few inches in early June. All through June, and much of July, the seedlings just sat there. Waiting.

Now in late August we have a springtime bounty. Peas! Shelling peas, sugar snap peas, and snow pea pods in abundance. Fava beans and lettuce aplenty. The yellow wax beans are almost pickable, and the kohlrabi is forming globes.

And though we have to cover them every night and uncover them in the morning – tomatoes! Aaaah.