The Cultured Tomato

As the daughter of a farmer it was my job to dig holes for the rows of tomatoes we planted each Spring. I still chuckle at the memory of looking down the long row of holes I had meticiously created and seeing my cat use one as her potty. Too bad cat manure isn't beneficial for tomatoes.

In my small urban garden I have little space for growing vegetables but always make room for tomatoes. I may not have the biggest or tastiest tomatoes on my street but they are certainly the most cultured. I am practicing the art of thigmatrophy this year to see if it really works. Several times a day I touch them and tell them how wonderful they are. I also play music for them since the vibrations from it are known to increase production.

Tomato lovers are eager to share their methods of growing the perfect tomato. Some put salt, sugar, compost and wood ashes in the planting hole and others swear by rabbit manure. I planted mine in an organic soil mixture that supposedly contains everything the tomato could possibly desire. I've already got two small tomatoes so it must be working.

This year I am trying the Czech and Russian Heirloom varieties that are grown in the greenhouse at Gethsemanegardens . I will be the first in the neighborhood to harvest because I'll pick them when they are still green to make my traditional fried green tomatoes. Its odd that when you want ripe tomatoes all you can find are green and when you want the green they're all red. The only way around this is to grow your own.