Mammoth Russian Sunflowers
Sunflowers thrive in TomatoTown. Our tallest varieties have to be the Mammoth Russian Sunflowers that Farmer J planted this spring. Our stateliest to date is a 12 foot wonder in the middle of our tomato plots.
Too Much Pepper
When you grow as many tomatoes as we do, you start hankering for salsa. So we grow a fair number of peppers, both sweet and hot. This year, our favorite so far is the prolific Albino Bullnose. We also enjoy poblanos, red mini bells, and yellow banana peppers.
Wide, Wide, World of TomatoTown
We’ve had requests for wider shots of the garden here at TomatoTown, so Farmer J left her trusty macro lens inside. Our garden is a bit on the wild side, which is good for critters. We’ve been to manicured gardens, and we admire them. We just prefer to let nature take its course, for the […]
Ah, Sunflower!
Ah Sun-flower! weary of time, Who countest the steps of the Sun: Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveller’s journey is done; Where the Youth pined away with desire, And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow Arise from their graves and aspire Where my Sun-flower wishes to go. William Blake, 1757–1827
Peony
Even before the tomato growing season is in full swing, flowers are an essential component of Tomato Town. Farmer J likes to have a variety of early bloomers to keep her pollinators happy. Peonies are stunning early bloomers with a heavenly, honeyed scent. Farmer J’s mother first brought these plants from the farm in Topeka, […]
Borage, A Courageous Companion Plant
We planted this fuzzy-leafed plant to lure in bees and ward off the dreaded tomato hornworm. So far, we’ve only had one hornworm, a vast improvement over last year when to pick a fully-ripe tomato you risked a slimy mess from worm destruction. Borage is widely eaten as a vegetable, but it has an ancient […]
The Truth About Marigolds
I love the internet. I hate the internet. It is the ultimate research tool and the worst echo chamber of misinformation. I just got burned by forming an opinion about marigolds, of all things, after reading an entry on a garden blog that breathlessly extolled the virtues of these pretty flowers as being helpful in […]