Most years my tomatoes are a flop. Each April I buy nice heathy looking plants from our local garden centre, a mixture of cherry and larger varieties. Each year I spend money on plants, fertilizer, canes, soil (in Spain it is like gold) and water. Every year I moan that the return on investment is simply pathetic. We harvest our few measly tomatoes at the time when we can get them from the market at about 50c per kilo.
It’s a joke.
But I can’t stop trying.
This year I took a little more trouble. I made a bed of soil, about half a metre wide and 6 metres long, planted 20 small plants from the same garden centre and cared for them as though they were my own children.
At the beginning of July I started to see the benefits. The first tomatoes, succulent, better than any from the shop. I have diligently fertilized, picked out side shoots, watered twice a day, tied up, spoken to, kissed….well not kissed, but you get the gist.
Now is the 22nd of August. Normally my plants are long dead by now, but these just keep on producing. I reckon, although I am not the bean counter type, that we must have had somewhere between 35-50kg in these two months. The plants are still covered in green tomatoes, waiting to ripen and have reached over two metres in height. Wow…I can hear you all saying.
This now brings me to the point of this post. I can brag all night about my wonderful tommys , but this will not capture my reader’s interest for very long.
I was just out harvesting today’s crop, planning whether to have tomato noodles tomorrow, or a tomato spicy prawn stew, which is one of my favourites, but not ideal in Summer, when I began thinking about life.
I have put so much effort into creating strong healthy plants, looking after them as best as I can, keeping them strong into old age, proud at their longevity and health.
But what do most of us do with our lives?
Many of us smoke, are overweight, drink alcohol, weaken ourselves with laziness, drugs, stress etc.
Why do most people treat their own, oh so valuable lives, with less care and attention than they would a row of tomato plants?
Boadicea's Chariot 
Granddaughter age 5 was given a couple of cherry tomato plants in a party bag earlier this year. A very sensible alternative to the usual sugary, e-numbered contents of such gifts. She and her mother planted them and she has cared for them with great diligence. The tomatoes are delicious and I am now in charge of them till the owner gets back from holiday. Needless to say granddaughter neither smokes or drinks and is not lazy but has lavished as much care and attention on her two plants as you have on yours, Gazoopi.
I recommend strawberry plants as early-season treat – to be followed by tomatoes….
The only problem with strawberry plants is that as Grandpa says, when it’s a question of strawberries Granny turns into a hoover. They would need armed guards.
This year’s strawberry plants are now producing. Strawberries with our muesli today.