08/21/2026
And in the abundance of the August garden, beauty is on its way out 🥀
Tomato plants love to be sick, I’m convinced. In the 8 years I’ve been gardening, I’ve observed that the moment when tomatoes begin to ripen is the same moment that the tomato plant succumbs to sickness - whether it be blight, leaf spot, or wilt.
They usually hold on long enough to finish their life cycle, filling our buckets with an abundance of the BEST ripe tomatoes, but their decline is harsh and dramatic.
One of the most common questions I’ve been asked is how to properly care for tomato plants to ensure they don’t become sickly - as if the gardener is to blame. And while I’m sure there is probably a strict, high maintenance regimen that could guarantee the longest, healthiest life span possible for a tomato plant, I don’t see it as necessary.
My tomatoes are riddled with blight. We’ve had an intensely wet, humid summer that has not been kind to the plants. Throughout the season as they matured, I consistently battled the blight by pruning diseased branches and spritzing fungicide.
But once I notice the fruits start to blush, I stop intervening and start picking tomatoes. Sickly, stressed plants are inevitable and, honestly, they produce the best tasting fruits! 🍅
The August garden is where beauty coincides with death, and where the focus of the gardener shifts from growing the garden to preserving the harvest. 🫙
I’d love to see your beautiful, wild, unruly August gardens in the comments! 👒
