You think I'm kidding, but not really. VPH was watching a film on tv featuring a monsoon and there was no difference between the surround sound and the open windows. Yes, my windows are open even though it's only 63 degrees, I'm a New Englander and it's June I am not closing my windows!
The only gardening of any sort that has piqued my interest lately is on a larger scale. I drive through the tobacco fields in Windsor, CT a few times a week (or will for another week, then my office is being relocated yet again). Now that our weather is exclusively rainy and overcast, I've noticed that the sides of the tents over the tobacco fields are tied up. Today I captured a terrible photo of a field on my cell phone while stopped at a light:
Which got me wondering...why would they open up the tents? I did a little research and found an explanation on a tobacco enthusiast's website:
Between 1900 and 1910 there was a new development in the tobacco industry here. Experiments in Windsor, CT had proven that it was possible to grow Cuban tobacco in Connecticut by reproducing the tropical climate of Cuba and Sumatra artificially. This was done by enclosing the tobacco field in a "tent" of very loosely woven cloth. The resulting tobacco had a thinner leaf which had previously been imported into the US by local cigar manufacturers. Several of these "shade grown" plantations were successful enough to survive until the early 1970s when the market for this once important crop declined dramatically. The resurgence of shade tobacco growing in this area is solely attributable to the efforts of the Enfield Shade Tobacco Co. Enfield Shade Tobacco grows solely for ALTADIS USA...the manufacturer of brands such as Montecristo Don Diego. Enfield Shade plans on increasing its current acreage of 300 acres in 2002.
And an old photo:
If the rain ever stops I'll get back out into the garden and finish things up.
Huh... interesting stuff! Interesting at all that you can "replicate" Cuban climate via tents and such in CT, really. Hmm... I'm trying not to get any crazy ideas over here on how to apply that thought to other tropicals... I already have enough addictions in the gardening realm!
Hope that the monsoon season there is finished soon. :)
Posted by: Blackswampgirl Kim | June 20, 2009 at 12:05 AM
I had no idea that tobacco was growing in CT and I have been there many times. Fascinating!
Yes, it has been coming down steadily here for the last 5 days. Which is good, but I'm tired of it now. I hope to have sun tomorrow; there are a few things I'd like to do.
Posted by: eliz | June 20, 2009 at 09:04 PM
Kim - I was an event this evening and I have to say I have never heard so many people complaining about the weather. It gets pretty hot and steamy in inland CT, usually 10 degrees warmer than my house here on the shore.
Elizabeth - You've obviously never flown into Bradley airport. The tobacco fields are the first thing you see on the connector road out. That said, you might not realize that it's tobacco under those tents. We're supposed to be rainy until Thursday and it's an absolute downpour here right now.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | June 21, 2009 at 01:42 AM