I could write a hundred blogs about tomatoes. Next to my family and a real close second is my garden.
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One of two garden entries |
It is divided into vignettes, almost photo perfect segments, little paradise areas in my otherwise industrial back yard. Most of these are flowers happily in areas to themselves or in various pots I have collected over the years. The biggest section, "the garden" is the accumulation of almost forty years of working the soil to perfection. This area, about forty feet by sixty feet is my organic vegetable plot and the prima donna here will be my heirloom tomatoes! They will easily reach seven feet tall and are proudly supported by my ornamental iron creations.
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| My "Washington DC Tomato |
I start my tomatoes from seeds that I have saved each year and every year I am always amazed at what can be produced from one tiny seed! My favorite has no name. It is from a plant that I found in Washington DC growing and abandoned in a parking lot strip of earth. I suspect it is related to the Russian Black Krim or Cherokee Purple variety. Big, deep, dark, red and full of flavor like you wouldn't believe.
I start about 100 tomato plants, keep about 25 for myself and give the others to friends and neighbors. In a really good season, when the Gods are happy and the weather is perfect I may get a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes from these plants. Years ago I built a food dehydrator and on these really good years with a bountiful harvest,
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| It takes about 25 pounds of tomatoes to make about one-half pound of dried chips! |
I will slice them up and dry them. They become like potato chips except they are tomatoes! The year before last was such a season and I sent these to friends all over the world!
My Entire Garden is HERE
6 comments:
Jerry,I've just done a close, close up of your garden. I could put myself in the middle of all of that. and I'd be in paradise.. Like a little secret world it honestly calls to me..A beautiful world of nature, just look at what you've done there. No wonder you had to fight that awful illness, amongst other things this garden needs you.
As to the pic of that tomato.. I'd seen it before and had saved it for a very long time with the thought to paint it. If you don't mind I will .. Hey I could make a gigantic mural out of that tomeato !!!! BJ
Send me also some, they look so tasty and good.
Wish you happy tomato harvesting. Have a nice day.
Rama.
Sounds fabulous! I live in the desert and tried tomatoes in pots again last year (after my husband told me not to bother as they wouldn't grow here). Well they were growing and I was eating a few cherry tomatoes here and there and then I noticed the almost ripe one wasn't there the next day. And then all the tomatoes were gone. I put cages around them but went out one morning to find the plants eaten all the way to the ground. I don't know how the animals got in but they did. No tomatoes for me this year.
Freebird, you have spiked my curiosity! Slugs and snails can be stopped with a single strand of copper wire. They will not cross it. I wouldn't think that is your problem in the desert, maybe prairie dogs? racoons? something bigger? A shotgun might work?
Rama, YES, if the season is good this year I will be sending you dried tomatoes!
Barbra Joan, thanks for the closer look at my garden! Had I known you were here I would have offered you a cup of tea!
Taio, slowly, one word at a time, I will learn French!
And Pamo, thank you so much, you are free to visit any time. I would love that!
Tomato chips...who would have thought. I bet they're good. I can only handle two tomato plants at a time, or I'll have tomatoes coming out of my ears, and a tomatoeee ear on me is not a good thing.
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