OK, I’m not even planting tomatoes this year. (No sun.) But if I were, I’d wait. I’m one of those not-before-Memorial-Day planters when it comes to warm-weather soaks like tomatoes, peppers and the lot.

I know we’re all in a rush to have the first garden fresh tomato ripe from the garden. But unless you cheat the season with a cold frame, Wall O’ Water or covered rows, I think it’s risky business planting tomatoes early. If it’s too cold, the plant just sit there or, worse, get slow and stunted.

Am I old-fashioned? Am I right on? When are the rest of you tomato lovers going to plant?

So, what did you learn in your garden this year? Here’s my list:

1. Red plastic mulch is alright, but it’s a pain to put down. Entertain the neighbors and decide to do it on a windy day.

2. Green plastic tomato supports were great in May, but burly ‘maters popped off their arms and made them look like weaklings by August.

3. If you plant several kinds of sauce tomatoes and they all grow, you’ll be standing in the kitchen at midnight making tomato sauce several nights a week in September.

4. Potato beetles suck.

5. If you want cucumbers, you actually have to get around to planting them, not just buying seeds and saying “I should get the cukes planted today” until fall.

6. Oregano is wonderful on homemade pizza. I need to grow much more of it.

7. You can grow peaches in Minnesota. At least this year.

8. Planting beans and peas is a nice way to feed the local wildlife.

9. Pollinators like honeybees need all they help they can get.

10. One of the most satisfying things I can think of is sitting down to dinner and counting up the ingredients that came from your garden.

It takes about two months for a for a 1.5-pound Hungarian Heart to reach maturity, but it only takes two seconds for a 1.5-pound squirrel to tear your tomatoes — and your dreams of one last batch of homemade salsa — to shreds.

Like Robyn, I’m just about ready to give up on this growing season. My heart can’t take another partially devoured Hungarian Heart.

I’ve heard that squirrels are actually quite intelligent and learn from their mistakes. But seriously — How many times do you need to bite into a tomato to figure out “Gee, this near-ripe fruit just isn’t as tasty as acorns.”

Grrrr…

The many shades of Alma Paprika

This Greengirl gets her green thumb from her grandfather, a second generation Slav. Like many cooks from Eastern Europe, Grandpa Andy loved his tomatoes, potatoes and poppy seeds. He also loved his paprika, a mysterious vile of red, smoky powder found only in his kitchen spice drawer.

When Robyn gave me a paprika plant, I nearly fell out of my chair.

“You can grow paprika?” I was flabbergasted, but happily added the vigorous seedling to my garden.

The white blossoms quickly transformed into little white globes. Throughout the summer, the globes grew bigger and bigger. This past week, they’ve turned from a sunny yellow to a deep paprika orange. I harvested two, but I now am stumped.

How do you get from pepper to powder?

My tomatoes are cracking and mealy, but my peppers are in full swing. The hot peppers were the first victims on the cutting board, and now, the Jimmy Nardellos are ripe and ready. Despite their devilish appearance, JN’s are very sweet and very crunchy. Some twist and curl themselves into interesting shapes, others grow as long and straight as my forearm.

This year I may even have my very first RED bell pepper, too! Woo hoo!