This is my garden at my neighbor’s house. Her husband used to grow tomatoes and cucumbers there, but it hasn’t been used since he passed away a few years ago, so she offered it to me to fix up and use to grow vegetables. It backs up to her garage.
It’s sunnier and more sheltered than any spot in my yard so I planted blue beech tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons (as well as a giant amaranth that volunteered from compost). It’s been a cold summer in Northern California and everything is very late producing but the first tomatoes are nearly ready and the cucumbers are just a few days off.
Well, my neighbor found termite damage in her garage and when they took up the floorboards they found extensive water damage as well. It’s accumulated over years, apparently, and they think it has more to do with water pooling in the back corner during the rainy season, but having a garden bed against the foundation isn’t helping it. I have to stop watering it today and we’ll have to take it out sometime in the next week. Obviously I mostly feel bad for my neighbor, who has to replace the whole floor of the garage (we’re going to help pay for it since it was partly my fault) but selfishly I am mourning the loss of all the produce that could have been. My only surviving melon plant has just started flowering (honestly probably too late for us to get anything from it). The cucumbers are still too little for anything but pickling. I don’t even know if there’s any use for these tiny green tomatoes; I think only four of the tomatoes are big enough to ripen fully off the vine. I’m so bummed.

by Due_Fruit_5993

5 Comments

  1. Extreme-Fall-9963

    Ohhh that would hurt my soul having to tear out my garden. 💔

  2. JustaCucumber91

    Sorry to hear that. But it’s a good reminder to everyone to not plant gardens against the sides of houses.

  3. betahemolysis

    That’s not your fault you shouldn’t pay for it out of guilt.

  4. geriatric-millennial

    I’m sorry! Can you try moving them to containers? They might not survive but maybe worth a shot? I’ve been rough with many of my plants this year..some have survived against all odds

  5. Aesperacchius

    You’re kind to help your neighbor pay for it, but it’s seriously not your fault since it’s a bed that has been in constant use for years rather than something that was just put in this year.

    Plus they have *standing water* in a basement that has *floorboards.* And apparently took no action to mitigate that.

    If you have any space for it, the tomatoes will likely survive being transplanted, although they might drop all of their existing fruits and flowers. And you might as well transplant the rest just to see what survives. Nature’s pretty metal and you might be surprised.