Tomatoes

In Berkeley, everybody tried to grow tomatoes, few succeeded. It was too foggy, too cold, too, urban. People planted them in pots on balconies, in the strip between the road and the sidewalk, on roofs and kitchen windowsills. They tried hydroponic (water only) and dry farming (no water). You'd think they were trying to grow pot plants.

We had a bumper tomato crop one year when we planted a plant right next to our front steps. It was loaded with tomatoes. There were enough tomatoes to share with the squirrels and our neighbors' visiting granddaughter. We were assured she hated tomatoes…until she picked a sun warmed one off the plant and ate the whole thing out of hand. After that, she came over every day for her tomato.

We never had another plant succeed in that spot, or any other spot.again.

Here in Santa Rosa, we have a whole raised bed full of tomato plants which are full of tomatoes. A lot more of them came up as volunteers in random places all over. There is one in the herb bed. There are several in the compost pile. The most delicious tomatoes were our first year here...yellow heirloom tomatoes with a pink blush inside when they were cut open. We don't know where the plant came from, but the tomatoes were delicious. 

I suggested to OilMan that perhaps some benign neglect was a good thing….