laura, 2-3 springs ago, this area (in and around NJ) got above average rain, and many tomato growers never got any tomatoes at all, or low yeilds. We did, but we're in Philly, making us a zone 6b, more than a regular 6. Check with family and friends to see how their tomatoes are growing. Again, ours are growing like they're on a mission from God, but we got freaky zoning, due to city heat. (And seaweed fertilizer has increased our yields greatly.) I just don't want you to feel disappointed, like you can't grow tomatoes, if it's like that year. It's happened before. But, well, if you can, and you know no one else that has, hey, gotta have that inner joy of success, too.

Scott has mastered the origin of plum varieties better than I, but Methely is considered a J. plum and Toka a hardier hybrid. Methely is hardier than any other red-fleshed J. plum that I've grown from my observations of cold related cambium damage. The more commonly grown J. plum in Z 5 NY is Shiro. Most Euro plums are somewhat hardier- also flower later. Peach buds have over a 5 degree differential of hardiness between flower and vegetative buds. One year my orchard got down to -22 and leaves were fine but not flowers. Same with areas not quite as cold as I believe -19 pretty much kills off flowers. Areas that got much below -25 lost their peach trees. As I recall the same thing held true for plums that year.

I am only a little behind. We didn't have any hard frost until friday before last weekend. I pulled the frosted tomatoes on Sunday last weekend. I did do some trimming of perennial plants, sedum, asters, the Sweet Autumn Clematis on the trellis. The Clematis catches all the wind, so I cut the top off where it climbs up over the trellis, so the whole thing doesn't blow over. I just remove everything above 4ft., must have taken off 25 pounds of vine and leaves. I tried leaving the tops up last year, watched the sedum turn into mush after freezing. Asters fell over with snow on them. I was out trimming them all off in January cold!! I took off all the Lily stems too, also get mushy in cold. Peonies got cut early, I was right there so I cut foliage off while still green. My leaf shredder has done a pretty fair job, reduced all my leaves down to about 4 bags so far. Sure does make a huge pile of leaves into nothing. I still have the backyard to rake up, hoping for a couple bags of shreds from there. I also have some Oaks, they make the best shreds, don't get mushy, even wet. Most of their leaves fall in Spring, when new leaves push them off. Our other leaves also have been very slow to fall. The Japanese Maple is just starting, so is the sweet cherry. We also have had the hard wind, couldn't pile the leaves up! I will put some shreds on the garden during the next shredding session, but plan to save most for use on the big bed next spring. Total shred mulch over newspaper, over soaker hoses, for keeping the weeds down. Works pretty well. I managed to resist buying bulbs, there is no place to plant them unless I put them in the lawn. I still have some Petunias that won't give up, some plants in pots that have blooms. My newest Delphinium is blooming! I am shocked it has not frozen, but it continues to open up the stalk. Determined to set seed I guess. Quite pretty in dark purple. The roses are sending out new growth, some with buds coming. Even with seed hips, they keep coming along. Husband had the guys over to trim the Oaks. Removed a number of dead limbs, trimmed branches too big over the house. The trimming we did last year really made the tree perk up, lots of new growth. Hoping for the same with these. I am trying to think of it as healthy pruning, but most of the branches were pretty large, still had to come off. Did fill the wood pile back up, have a brush pile for a weenie roast! Have been watering the new trees and shrubs (on sale stuff) fairly often. We get misty rain, no real quantity. All the willows still have leaves, cottonwoods leaves are gone. Sweet gum still has leaves, as do the small Burr Oaks. I am taking this as a good sign, no wilting or dried up leaves like dead trees have. I think they like their new homes. New grass around them looks GREAT. Got the seed in at the right time, nice rain and sun. I am doing a little more trimming as I walk around. Fish pond is netted, looks nice. No fish feeding until spring. No visible frogs either, FINALLY seem to have dug themselves into the mud. Had one all last winter that would NOT hibernate, kept turning up every time I did something near the pond. I have actually been doing most of my outside stuff around the barn, cleaning up and putting away to make chores easier. New working lightbulbs in all fixtures! Darn short days.

Next year, look for Tiny Tim seeds. It can be grown in a styrofoam coffee cup and placed on a windowsill when producing. Tiny Tim has a good taste. Other dwarf cherry tomatoes taste terrible (Tumbling Tom, Red Robin, etc.). If you put Tiny Tim in a gallon pot, it gets to be about 18 inches tall, and produces quite a lot. In a coffee cup, it is only 6 inchrs tall and does not have that many tomatoes, but the little plant is covered. Unfortunately, it is determinant, so it stops producing after it gives you a windfall. It is also fussy about care. Wants daily watering and regular fertilizer. Does not tolerate full sun outside. Start the seeds yourself. Then send them to your "suburban place" when transplanted into their pots. When they start producing, put them on your windowsill, and you will have tomatoes to eat. I did that for years when I lived in an apartment.