In my family it is a tradition that my Uncle Mike,
who is a grower-from-seed and
connoisseur of all things tomato,
donates several of his precious seedlings
to each family household in the spring.
And we all look forward to receiving our yearly gift.
Because as you know
there is nothing like picking a fresh sun ripened tomato
and eating it a few minutes later.
But life has a way of pulling the rug out from under you
and last summer
when my father was dying
I didn't have the time or the heart to tend to my plants.
And leaving the North Pelham countryside and moving to the city
after Dad died was hard in more ways than one.
I went from 10 acres of land to a few metres.
So this year I sadly declined my gift of tomato seedlings.
Where would I grow them?
I get very little sun here in the urban jungle,
only a few hours late in the afternoon.
But Uncle Mike,
who knows tomatoes like neurosurgeons know the brain,
or maybe better,
suggested that I take a few of his hardy Siberian tomatoes.
Not really expecting much I took them home
and slipped them into the strip of soil in front of my patio.
And as you can see in the picture above
THEY HAVE FLOWERS!
Sometimes you just gotta have faith.
And an Uncle Mike.
From her most excellent vanttage point
Flynn guards the tomato plants.
I think it's going to be a good summer after all.
***
8 comments:
yay for Uncle Mike ♥
And I bet you are looking forward to them now.
Fantastic :) Something to look forward to! I could really use an Uncle Mike... bless his heart.
Your Uncle Mike is wise in the lore of the wiley tomato. Enjoy your sun-ripened treats later this summer!
I had meant to tell you that I understand the difficulty of extreme downsizing - we had 80 acres in Peace River (10 years) and then moved right into the city (Edmonton). I still haven't adjusted to the tiny yard I now have. I make the best of it (& try to pretend it's bigger than it really is), but sure miss the space & privacy.
oh Francie, what a beautiful account of family history. I am very sorry for the passing of your dad, but the feeling I had is that your dad was growing something through the hands of your uncle Mike.
Thank goodness for Uncle Mike; he sure knows his way around the science of growing tomatoes. Enjoy those sweet treats this summer!
Yay and super yay! I am like you, I went from many acres of land, to a 5x10 terrace, but you know what? My tomatoes are flowering too!
Post a Comment