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Tomatoes for the Win

By early spring, I’m dreaming of the promise of delicious, home-grown tomatoes. They are one of the great summer pleasures, succulent, sweet, and refreshing on a hot day.

When the goddess of gardens bestows her goodness on a crop, I bow to her greatness. I no longer take credit for a good season, nor do I blame myself for a mediocre one. Tomatoes are a fussy lot, requiring wind, but not too much; heat, but not excessive; just the right amount of water; and a placement in the garden that would make a garden landscaper proud.

If you find locations for your tomato plants that are akin to a witness protection program, you might avoid nasty pests like hornworms, aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites. That said, no guarantees.

When I traveled to Ohio for a week in July, I made sure that the men at home checked on the fruit production daily. You would think we were raising chicks instead of tomatoes.

All this fuss has been worth it. Both the Beefsteak and the Cherry Tomato plants have produced mouthwatering fruit. We’ve enjoyed caprese salads, improved lunchtime sandwiches, enhanced green salads, and popped cherry tomatoes as a snack.

I harvested this magnificent crop of Beefsteak tomatoes on August 3. Tomato carnage began three days later.

The first and largest tomato on the vine was the first to go. Just a few nibbles at first, but of course, more followed. In the ensuing days, I found a tomato splattered on the walkway, half-eaten fruit on the plant, and, comically, some critter dragged the remains of a tomato half way up the bougainvillea. Meanwhile, the plant continues to grow taller, parallel to the self-seeded sunflower, but as we head into September, it’s all but done.

All is not lost, though. The cherry tomato plant appears free of fruit until you peek behind the foliage. Tiny orbs of goodness continue to color unmolested, sure to delight our taste buds for a few more weeks.

We will enjoy every last one.

38 thoughts on “Tomatoes for the Win”

  2. Lookin’ good, Alys. We had similar success with our potted tomato plants on our first balcony garden. What a treat, nearly all summer. Unfortunately, the plants are making it clear that their plan is to say their farewells very soon, but it’s been an encouraging start to what we can do 8 floors up! 😊

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    • I’m glad you’ve had some success this season, Judy, and it’s good to hear you’re still getting fruit. I’ve had plants produce into the early autumn, but although they look good, the sweetness isn’t there. That’s when I pull lthe plant and let the soil rest.

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  6. I can grow tomatoes in my greenhouse but not outside. Some years I have masses of fruit and bottle enough to last all winter. Others, like this one are much less bountiful. I save my own seed and grow in the same conditions so I presume it is down to things I can’t control like temperature. I still persist – nothing beats a tomato straight off the vine!

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    • I’m glad you’ve found a way to grow delicious tomatoes and how wonderful to grow them from your prior year’s seeds. I’m intrigued to hear that even in a controlled environment like your greenhouse, you still get varied results. I’m glad you persist. It’s worth it!

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      • I think any gardening gives variable results! My greenhouses offer protection but I don’t keep opening and closing doors and windows as some people do. They are opened in Spring and closed in Autumn!

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          • It is to allow insects in for pollination but also because they greenhouses can get too hot on a sunny day. Most have vents in the roof to let hot air out and doors or windows in the walls to let fresh air in. I have also found it helpful to have a through draft as stagnant damp air encourages diseases like tomato blight. Dedicated gardeners open some or all of the windows and doors each morning – how mny depending on the weather forecast, adjust them during the day and close everything up at dusk. I am lazy and do dome of that early and late in the season but otherwise just leave everything wide open.

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  7. A relative gave Terry and I two tomato plants this spring and we have been getting so many tomatoes. I have been making a lot of BLT sandwiches (Terry doesn’t like bacon I suspect she’s a communist 🤣). There is nothing like the taste of tomatoes picked ripe off the vine instead of tomatoes purchased at the supermarket that are ripened in cardboard boxes. Some supermarkets even refrigerate tomatoes which is a sure fire way to kill the flavor. The tomatoes in your garden look so amazing that I almost took a bite out of one Alys 😊

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    • Joe I’m delighted to hear you’ve had great success with your tomatoes. It’s great to receive plants from a friend.

      You’ll laugh, but we eat veggie bacon by Morningstar Farms so the sandwich is made with garden tomatoes, veggie bacon, lettuce and delicious seeded sourdough.

      As for Terry, thanks for the laugh, and you’re right, refrigeration kills the flavor.

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  11. It’s nearly time for mine to go in. Monday was the first day of spring, and while the nights are still pretty cool, another few weeks and it’ll be perfect. It’s not really a tropical crop because of the hot sun and how much water it needs to combat the effects, but there are some lovely varieties that flourish well enough. I’m looking forward to it!

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  13. You are so right about them being fussy Alys. I made sure mine were given avid attention while I was away recently too! LOL! Those big ones look delicious. We have also been enjoying salads and tomato sauces. 😃 Luckily we don’t get those nasty pests, just the cool nights that are slowing them down. Hope you get to eat each and every one of those last cherry tomatoes!

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