My Tomatoes

For those readers who have been following the progress of my unusual tomato varieties, I have a big update. Follow that link, and you'll see photos of each of the six different tomatoes I've been growing this summer, complete with all sorts of data. And yes, I've got tasting notes to go with them.

This project has been a lot of fun. Not only has it been immensely relaxing to come home from work every day and tend the vines, but I never could have anticipated the great pleasure I would get in giving away luscious, ripe tomatoes to friends, family, and neighbors. And most of these are the kinds of tomatoes you can't exactly find in the grocery store, so it's a unique and delicious treat for those who get to eat them.

I may have mentioned this before, but all of these tomatoes were grown perfectly organically. The seedlings weren't certified organic, nor can I technically call them organic based on the USDA specifications, but I planted them in ground I tilled by hand, and have fertilized them with nothing but compost I've made on my own out of grass clippings and vegetable-based table scraps. This wasn't an ethical decision, and I purchase a lot of produce both organic and not, or local-farm-raised-but-not-technically-organic. However, I love the idea of being able to eat my tomatoes straight off the vine, free from pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals. And as for the compost, well, that's free and makes good use of refuse that would otherwise go in the trash.