Tomato weather? I expound upon the subject.

Daytime temperatures in the 80's (though 70's will suffice, barely). Nighttime temps in the cool 50's. Plenty of sunshine, plenty of water.

If there's a heaven for tomatoes, this is it. Too bad this season is evanescent here in Los Angeles. Perfect weather, but only for a fleetingly short time.

Soon it will return to California Eddy--late night and early morning low clouds and fog. Anyone who lives here can recite the forecast from memory.

And then in a few short weeks the season will shift into full summer with blazingly hot days and only relatively cooler nights. It's pretty awful when 90 at night is a break from the noontide highs.

In the meantime, however, the tomatoes grow apace. Even the late tomato plants have blossoms, so I'm hopeful for a good harvest (unless the tomato worms come back).

Tomato worms are the scourge of the garden, but if organically grown veggies are the order of the day, then the worms have to be picked off by hand. Yuck.

Oh, to be a tomato plant now that summer's near...except in New Zealand, where they're moving into winter.