When we lived in Alaska, my mother-in-law would send me letters this time of year telling me she was planning her garden and then shortly after that telling me about her tomato plants. At the time, we had been dealing with feet of snow since October and driving on ice since that. This time of year is Fur Rendezvous with ice sculptures, snowshoe softball, and downhill canoe races on the snowy hillsides. The Iditarod will begin on March 1st this year (later than I remember) for the 1,000+ mile dog sled races from Anchorage (really Palmer) to Nome. Spring doesn't arrive there until May and planting time is Memorial Day weekend. We never did get a tomato to ripen there, even in the summer. We had plenty of light, but not enough heat. I think I would have cried to think of picking fresh tomatoes from last summers garden at this time of year.
