Growing Tomatoes

Ever since I moved from Pittsburgh, one of the things I miss most about summer is fresh, juicy, homegrown tomatoes.  The tomatoes in the grocery stores all taste the same, or rather have no taste.  Organic heirloom tomatoes are good but at $6-7/pound they are rather pricey.  I tried to grow tomatoes in Texas—the plants grew beautifully for me but now tomatoes!  Some years I didn’t even try.  Our first summer here, I didn’t even try.  I had no idea what summers here in the desert would really be like.   Last year I thought I would get brave and plant a couple of plants in pots.  One problem that I didn’t anticipate was Daisy eating my plants!  She ate my tomato plants, and for good measure ate the parsley and basil that I had in pots outside!   I think she missed having grass in our yard like we did in Texas.  She used to eat grass once in a while.  So Scott and I planted some sod in a baby swimming pool for her.  Crazy I know but now she had some grass to munch on if she wanted and some cool grass to lay on.  Fast forward to this year, I didn’t want to plant tomatoes again only to have her eat them.  Last month when I was in Costco I saw large, mature tomato plants.  I thought they were a little to big for Daisy to eat in one sitting so I thought that I might have a chance!   I bought two plants—a beefsteak and a week later a heirloom purple tomato plant.   Daisy hasn’t bothered them and they have been doing well.  One tomato is ripening and I think in a week or so I will have my first tomato!  Daisy better not decide to try it first.

The beefsteak is on the right and the heirloom on the left

 

Getting close!