From the time you turn into the driveway of Tomion’s Farm Market in Penn Yan, NY (click here), you know that it is planting time in the Finger Lakes. It’s like looking through a kaleidoscope. Winter’s field colors are now gone, replaced with different shades of green, brown and then dotted by the yellows of the forsythia bushes, and the bluish purple color of the lilacs. And man is just not content to stop here as there are all kinds of flowers that have the colors of the rainbow to augment nature’s standard fare.
Geraniums are first on my list as they were my mother’s favorite flower. She always had geraniums in planters on her front porch – right in front of the house where they could be viewed by all those passing by the old farm house. Today the standard red/orange color of the geranium plant has been expanded to include all kinds of shades of red, salmon colors, white, and even light blues.
Next on my list are the vegetable plants which can’t survive a frost. Now is the time to plant tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, pickles, and summer squash. I especially love “early girl” tomato plants as they mature in 70 days, are very mild in taste, and produce lots of fruits on each plant. They are not the most popular tomato plant in the Finger Lakes, but Jeanette and I agree that they are the best tasting.
Want to set your house off from the neighbors? Just try hanging one of Tomion’s petunias baskets on a low bush near your home’s entrance. Susan bought one for Jeanette from Tomion’s when she was here the next to the last weekend in April. We have had to take it in when there were frost warnings, but it is doing just fine and adds so much to the color of our house. Next to harvesting time, planting time is my favorite time in the Finger Lakes. It’s a time to become a partner with the All Mighty Himself!