I spent a hot day in the sun transplanting tomatoes in my rooftop garden plot. I thought it would be fun to plant a variety of tomatoes this Spring (with short maturing dates - this being NE Minnesota).

I have friends further south with tomatoes that volunteer from season to season. Seeds left on the ground from last year’s spoilage plant themselves each Spring. My friends do nothing more than pick these tomatoes when ripe!

Here, we must create our own micro-climates to baby them along. We live with anxiety between the last spring frost and the first autumn frost.

I started some 10 different kinds (40 plants) on the sunny window sill in my apartment. The colors range from yellow through indigo; stripped and solid; cherry and large; maturity from 57 to 70 days.

I ordered a ‘Polish Linguisa Tomato’ in honor of mother’s family.

Just after I returned from planting, I noticed an weather alert for spotty frost Saturday and Sunday morning.  

Then while sitting outside reading in the warm late evening twilight I heard sudden gusts of a wind changing direction as the nor’easter blew in off Lake Superior. Very soon the Knave of the Northeast, a close relative of Jack Frost, invited himself to the place opposite me on my outdoor balcony. “So let’s talk about your tomatoes!” he began when he’d settled his chilly butt in the chair.

I went indoors shivering.

Ah, life in Northeastern Minnesota!

Well I can cover them and I do have some plants in reserve!