Thank goodness I have 'Midnight Snack' tomatoes growing this summer because without them—and a few other cherry-type tomato varieties—I wouldn't have many homegrown tomatoes to eat. The main reason for my lack of tomatoes this summer is the raccoons have been eating all the big tomatoes, at least those they could reach, and that was most of them. They would take a bite out of almost every beefsteak tomato just as soon as it started to show color, then toss that tomato onto the ground, which, … [Read more...] about A Great Midnight Snack
tomatoes
Anticipation, Thy Name is Green Tomato
My vegetable garden is full of anticipation right now. The green beans are flowering and so are the squash plants. The corn stalks are more than knee high which is good because around here we like to say "knee high by the 4th of July" about our corn, even though most field corn is shoulder high by now. The zinnias are budding up nicely and so are the marigolds. I hope I get as good a display of those this year as I did last year. I do wish my cucumber plants were further along and … [Read more...] about Anticipation, Thy Name is Green Tomato
‘Fantastico F1’ Cherry Tomatoes
'Fantistico F1' Cherry Tomatoes I do believe my grandmother's antique salt cellars are the perfect little dishes to display some of the first cherry tomatoes of the season. This display of cherry tomatoes lasted as long as it took to take the picture. Then I ate the tomatoes and put the salt cellars back in the cabinet. They were quite good and ripened earlier than the other cherry tomato varieties in my garden, which are all still green with no hint of red on them. I'm sure right now the … [Read more...] about ‘Fantastico F1’ Cherry Tomatoes
How to plant a tomato plant
How do you plant a tomato plant? You start off with a lovely tomato plant, maybe one you grew yourself from seed or one you bought at a local greenhouse where they grew it from seed. You pick a variety that reminds you of the tomato plants your dad bought, when 'Big Boy' and 'Beefsteak' and 'Supersteak' grew in many backyard gardens. Or perhaps you buy a variety called 'Old German' because it reminds you of your ancestors who came to the United States from Germany. And you think it … [Read more...] about How to plant a tomato plant
Post Produce: Tomatoes
Let the tomato season begin! Until today, my vegetable garden was teasing me with little cherry tomatoes called Mexican Midget and another small tomato variety called Tomataberry. Mexican Midget tomatoes are good, but Tomatoberry is so-so. Those are the little ones in the picture. Then this morning -- ta da! Big tomatoes! I've already followed all the required rituals for the first big tomato of the season and ate that one in the upper right in the photo above. … [Read more...] about Post Produce: Tomatoes
Ritual Of The First Tomato – Revisited
Warning. The following post was written under the influence of the first big tomato of the season.Here at May Dreams Gardens, we are pulling out all the special plates, books, knifes, forks, gloves and satin pillows to celebrate and embrace the first big tomato of the season with the Official Ritual of the First Tomato, first introduced on this blog in August 2006. It’s a nice ‘Pink Oxheart’, fittingly shaped like a heart, signifying the love of tomatoes around here.Rest assured, it was … [Read more...] about Ritual Of The First Tomato – Revisited
