we had planned to leave dec 15 for a visit to california, possibly staying a month. there was family business to attend to and we could see old friends and enjoy the ocean. didn't work out. we will go sometime in january for a week.
we are homebodies and have adopted various living things, all of which require some tending and attention. ok. a cat and a bunch of plants. the cat was going with us, and we hoped the trip and return wouldn't make him any nuttier than he already is. the houseplants would be fine with the neighbor coming over to water once a week. we also have 4 pots of tomatoes and one of basil, all of which we started 2 months ago, a year old tomato still giving us fruit, and a 6 foot banana tree. these all wanted more care than we felt comfortable asking someone to take.
so we rigged an hps (high pressure sodium) yard light over a bathtub in the guest house for the basil and new tomatoes. the banana and old tomato were in another room with a south-facing window, and all were on a timed drip watering system (ette, a small system). i know what some of you are thinking. check the foliage carefully. tomato and basil.....exclusively! in hindsight this arrangement does seem a bit overboard, but my solid packrat/collector background provided all the big pieces. i did get some new drip emitters.
baby tomatoes!we look forward to eating these when they grow up, with fresh basil, in March!
we will bring the lovely banana tree back into the house, and the senior tomato, which has given us quite a few tasty cherry tomatoes. the others may stay under the light for a while at 14 hours per day of light.....6 more hours than the sun provides. also, i will start datil peppers again.
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