You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto - No Calling Anything Off

The last time I seriously tried to grow tomatoes was at the shack, quite a long time ago, as in years and years. They grew. They flourished. The few I got were divine. The iguanas discovered them soon enough and six foot tall, laden plants were stumps in the morning. I didn't wail and shriek but I did curse a few of the baby dragons soundly. 

From 2010, not long before the Masters of Red got the rest

From 2012, a volunteer cherry tomato...just when you think it's over, it's not!

After that, I started coming out West during tomato planting time. Lots of delicious, organic 'maters, everywhere. Why bother growing them at home? Because, should have been the answer.

This year, knowing eventually that I'd be here awhile, I bought some very inexpensive starts from the plant lady. She shows up at a couple of weekly farmers markets we go to and I usually cannot resist buying something freshly grown or growing from her. 

Like this onion. It was so damn beautiful and delicious too.
Hard to tell from the photo but it was about a foot and a half of beauty.

Especially heirloom tomatoes, with names like Cherokee Purple, Black Crim, Japanese Trifele (a triangular tomato; that what she says) and Golden Nugget. 

This was a couple of weeks after I bought them
(they were only about eight or ten inches tall then)

The Black Crim was the last one we got, a sad little plant that actually had two tomatoes on it but that branch was dead. I cut it off, fed and watered and while it lags behind the rest, two blooms have appeared among growth that was barely leaves at the bottom of the main stem. Well done, little plant! p.s. well done organic chicken manure STINKS BAD but works well. Make sure you have something to seal this in if you use it. Really.

The tomatoes in back are from another plant, these are Black Crim blossoms.
Hooray!

Golden Nugget cherry tomatoes are going crazy!

I think I might even get to eat one before I go

No, these aren't weird tomatoes, they are a type of bell pepper

And every garden should have some rosemary
(around here it grows in bushes as big as a house, but this little plant contents me)

A wall of tomatoes!

All of these are container raised inside a 5 x 8 eventual raised bed site that my son built. I figured it might stymie the deer a bit if they had to reach over metal and wood to get to the tomatoes and so far, so good. The deer are around and there is no back fence to dissuade them from what might seem a plenteous all you can eat banquet. Fingers crossed here, because while I won't be around to share the bounty, love will be in each tomato eaten by family and shared with friends. Is there a better bread and butter note? I think not.

Have a tomatoey Tuesday. Do something tending, tenderly.