Since I don't have to be at work until 2 PM, I'll have some time to not only get some laundry done, but also some gardening. I bought some plants the other day that I've been babying along till I can get them in the ground. Today, I'll plant them and enjoy the vitamins and other benefits of gardening at home.
I don't have time or space for a large family garden, like I used to have. And since it's only me here now, I just plant those things I really love. Top of the list are Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes.
Those cherry tomatoes produce when by all rights they shouldn't - through drought and on up to the last hard freeze of the season. They are delicious and sweet, as the name suggests, and they freeze wonderfully. I just pick them and put them in freezer bags whole. Later, when I'm ready to use them, I thaw them a little and put them through the food processor to make sauces, soups, stews, or chili. The skin is tender enough even after freezing to incorporate completely into the processed mix.
One or two plants is enough to supply even a family with enough fresh tomatoes for snacks, salads, and sauces plus enough for freezing. If you planned to can them, you'd probably want to slip the skins off but because they are small, this would be time consuming. This is why I prefer to freeze them.
The main thing is to make sure you give them plenty of off-the-ground support so you don't lose them to rot, cats, or turtles. (Yes, cats will eat ripe tomatoes.) You might need netting over them if birds or squirrels begin harvesting before you do.
I'll be planting marigolds in between them to help ward off harmful insects. If tomato worms come along, I'll pluck those off and drop them into a bucket for disposal. I don't use any pesticides or chemical fertilizers in my gardens. I am going to eat this stuff and I don't want to eat chemicals! I also don't want to kill beneficial insects or animals such as frogs, bees, lacewings, ladybugs, or others that contribute to a garden in so many wonderful ways.
