They’re coming up!
Last weekend, Riley and I planted tomato seeds in a seedling tray. We planted “Best of Show” mix, an beefsteak variety and the rest of my pineapple tomato seeds. The pineapples were about 3 years old and I wasn’t sure any of them would even come up so we planted two to a cell. They all came up so now I have to cull one from each cell, which makes me sad. I hope to save seeds this year so that I can get some more of them. In addition to these, a friend of Val’s is giving us some sauce tomato plants. If everything goes well this summer in this not-so-good-for-growing-tomatoes climate, we will be swimming in tomatoes!
Last year’s crop was doing so well, despite my late start, until the surprise frost we had in September that killed everything. This year will be different I swear it will! I am getting a head start and have promised myself not to forget to bring the seedlings in at night until they’re ready to harden off. Really. I promise, okay?
Anyone who knows me well and might be reading this is probably wondering why the hell I am growing tomatoes in the first place. I hate tomatoes. I loathe the taste of them and my children also refuse to eat them. Val likes them, though, and enjoyed the few we managed to harvest last year before the frost. While I don’t enjoy raw tomatoes, I like some of the things made from them and I want to grow enough of them to can salsa and spaghetti sauce. Mostly spaghetti sauce. I have recently gone on this “no processed food” binge lately (uh, Girl Scout cookies aren’t considered processed food, right? Right?), and I want to have a healthy option to the jarred stuff my lazy ass always buys. I’m choosing to believe that I will harvest pounds and pounds of fruit at the end of the summer. Of course, I’m a realist at heart and I know that northern Idaho doesn’t have the best reputation for being a good place to grow tomatoes but I’m determined to try. If all else fails, there’s always the Farmer’s Market and I can buy the damn things but I really love a challenge so wish me well on this gardening adventure!
Wild Potatoes 