My
tomato experiment:
I
really didn’t think this thing through. Actually, I didn’t even know what kind
of tomato I was playing with. It started when I saw this thing on Facebook
about planting a slice of a ripe tomato. There was a part of one on the
cupboard waiting to draw fruit flies and I thought, “Why not?” I had an old
hanging planter, filled it with potting soil, stuck the slice in it, and
covered it up. In just a few days, I had the beginnings of a promising
experiment. It got to be about 1.5” tall and something broke it off. There was
another one coming up though, so I let it grow – it was about maybe 5-6” tall
and something broke it off. (Wind, curious cat or dog)
Now,
it really was getting too late to be playing with a tomato outside, so I wasn’t
too hopeful for results from a pip coming out of the soil in the first week of
September. I decided I wouldn’t get my hopes up and just watered it when I
watered my flowers. If this one broke off, at least I knew that this method
would work.
Fast
forward to October 13 – There was a frost warning for our area and I decided to
bring “Tom” into the house. I had a grow light on order, as I had blossoms!
Now, what BLT loving woman isn’t going to buy a grow light and Miracle Grow for
her roommate? Yes, I will admit that whatever “crop” I get - will very
expensive per bite and I will have a long wait before it enters my mouth.
(Barring unforeseen circumstances like it breaking off or it goes crashing to
the floor)
I
have learned a lot about tomatoes. This one is an ‘indeterminate’ tomato, which
means it’s a vine and as long as the growing season keeps up so does it. I will
not let it get that carried away. It is already starting to take over and if it
weren’t for those blossoms, I would have put an end to it before now. Next
time, if there is one, I will find a ‘determinate’ or bush type tomato to keep
it short. Thinking a cherry tomato might be more manageable. A better pot would
be a good idea too. I like having ‘Tom’ here, because green is my favorite
color. It is quite interesting too, watching the leaves twist and contort to
take advantage of the light. Some of them don’t really resemble tomato fronds
anymore – almost exotic looking.
