Tomatoes Round 2 - June 17, 2020

I knew when I bought just 12 tomato plants that it wouldn't be enough.  They came from a local greenhouse, where the plants are usually their healthiest.  I was late buying plants, and they were all scrawny, like little bonsai tomato plants.  I got the two 6-packs that looked the best.  A dog broke one of the 12 the day I planted them, so I was down to 11.

They are doing okay.  I bought two different varieties, and one of them is out-performing the other like crazy. One is bushy and has scalloped fruit.  I think it's some "____ Boy" variety.  The other is
leggy with round fruit.  Maybe Celebrity.  I can already tell that these 11 plants aren't going to make enough for us to eat - I'm feeding more than one household - much less enough for me to can tomatoes.

So I went out in search of about a dozen more plants this morning.  It's slim pickin's out there, folks.  Slim pickin's.  The local greenhouse had ZERO tomato plants - none of any description.  I moved on down the road to Home Depot.  They still had tomatoes in big pots, but no 6-packs.  I wasn't about to pay $4.00 apiece for a dozen tomato plants.  I did buy a $4.00 cherry tomato plant, and a couple of pepper plants, and a zucchini, but I went on down the road in search of a 6-pack with 6 live plants in it.

I hit paydirt at a farm store in the next town up the highway.  They had some NICE Arkansas Travelers.  I got 18.  I set them in the shade in Nanny's yard, planning to go back to the garden later in the day, then came home and texted The Husband:  "You're going to be so happy when you see these 18 fine tomato plants I found today."  He texted back a happy dance gif.  He so loves gardening.  *snicker*

Since there are gardening plans in our evening, I figured it would be nice to have something quick and easy when we finish.  Been craving a BLT and had stopped at the store for the necessary ingredients.  I washed the lettuce and tomatoes and fried the bacon.  All we have to do when we come out of the garden is slap the sandwiches together.

Boy, I wish the tomato I bought at the store was a home-grown tomato.  I just finished eating my first tomato sandwich of the year, with one of the store-bought tomatoes.  It was mealy and tasteless and not worth the mayonnaise on the bread.  We're at least a week away from a ripe tomato, if a turtle doesn't get to it before we do.

After prepping the supper, I went back to the garden and planted the 18 tomatoes and the rest of the plants.  Six of them went in the skips in the beans and the okra.  The other 12 are in the sunniest part of the row where the peas didn't come up.  I plowed up the row yesterday, so the digging wasn't hard.  The Husband is going to be so happy again, until he finds out that I also bought a fence post driver (those new 18 tomatoes will have to be staked).

I also bought a package of tomato seeds today.  There's some room at the end of the new tomato row.  I'll plant them this evening, if I can remember.  Let's see how long it takes to get sliced tomatoes from seeds.