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The Primal Thrill of a Cherry Tomato
Who knew how much emotion could be invested in a tiny urban garden?
By Jennifer Weiner
Sept. 27, 2019
I bought the first tomato plant mostly on a whim. My husband and I had had some casual, preliminary conversations about growing vegetables this summer, but we hadn’t made an official plan when I came home with half a dozen seedlings and no idea what I was doing with them.
As city dwellers, we don’t have a backyard. We have a roof deck and a bricked-in courtyard out back. I snuggled a few of the seedlings in with a lemon-basil plant, then purchased bags of soil and pots. I put the soil in the pots, put the plants in the soil, put the pots on the roof and hoped for the best. As the family’s early riser, my husband agreed to do the watering, prompting me to quote my favorite Onion headline: “Having a Gardener Is a Wonderful Hobby.” He was skeptical. I talked a good game, but in truth, I wasn’t optimistic, either.
But the tomato plants began to grow, going from six-inch-high delicate collections of leaves to vigorous, bushy, knee-high plants. And then, one morning my husband reported that he’d seen tiny tomatoes, a cluster of eight. I went outside, and there they were, the largest ones the size of gumballs, the smallest ones no bigger than peas. We were so thrilled, you would have thought we’d won the lottery.
Encouraged by that early success, I went back to Home Depot and returned with an eggplant, a banana pepper, bell pepper plants and strawberries, cucumbers and cantaloupes. I even bought four corn plants. And more soil. And more pots.
Image
CreditMark Makela for The New York Times
Image
CreditMark Makela for The New York Times
I started to notice who else in the neighborhood was growing veggies, especially the ones doing it better (and my daughters noticed me noticing: “Look,” they’d say to visitors, “there’s the plant Mom hates.”) When we went on vacation, my husband and I seriously contemplated taking our tomato plants with us (we settled for finding someone to water them). When I went on book tour, my husband sent me pictures of the tomatoes, the way years ago he might have sent me pictures of the kids.
My husband read up on eggplants, learning that they are bisexual and that they self-pollinate, and when the first tiny one appeared, I named it baby ganoush and documented its growth on Instagram. My husband baked a tomato tart and began taking breaks out on the deck, in the chair next to the more fruitful of the two strawberry plants, plucking berries to eat while he read.
These days, with my 50th birthday looming, I think a lot about where the surprises are going to come from. Not the satisfaction, not the joy, but the unexpected delights — the didn’t-see-it-coming thrill you get from learning that your bid on the house was accepted, or that you got the job offer, or that you’re having a baby.
At my age, life doesn’t offer many firsts. It’s short on surprises, and the ones on offer aren’t pleasant. Instead of congratulations, you’re pregnant, it’s more like bad news, you need a gum graft.
Which isn’t to say there aren’t upsides to being settled down. Chances are, you’ve gained some wisdom. You’ve fallen in love, and learned that no one dies of a broken heart; you’ve fallen on your face, and found you can almost always get back up. You’ve picked a job and a partner and a place to live.
ImagePotted plants in the author’s courtyard.
Potted plants in the author’s courtyard.CreditMark Makela for The New York Times
And yes, my kids are still surprising me with their insights and witticisms and the one time they made their beds without being asked. They still need me. But it’s not the same kind of need that they had when they were babies, when I was waiting to see them crawl or hunched over them as they learned to walk; when I’d walk into the baby’s room every morning feeling like I was unwrapping some fantastic and much-longed-for gift. My job as a mother has shifted from watching them grow to letting them go. My daughters are the ones with all the big reveals ahead of them — college and jobs and travel, love and heartbreak.
I know how privileged I am to have the luxury of wondering where my next joyful moment is coming from, how fortunate I am even to be able to ask, where’s the delight? I also know how lucky I am to have found my answer.
It’s the tomatoes.
As September is winding down, so is our little urban garden. We didn’t have what you’d call a bumper crop. The tomatoes and the banana pepper plants both thrived, but the eggplant yielded only three smallish fruits; my four corn plants gave us a total of five scrawny ears, and the cantaloupe vine just grows and grows and sits there, fruitless, taunting me.
We’re planning on doing better next time and maybe even starting next year’s plants from seeds. Maybe we’ll knock on that neighbor’s door and ask for his or her secrets. We’ll read up on sun and soil and mulch, we’ll file away tomato-centric recipes, we’ll add zucchini and squash and maybe even pumpkins to the mix. We’ll tend them and take pictures, enjoying the surprises as they grow.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/opinion/gardening.html
Every other tree lining our street is either a pear or maple(maple/pear/maple...)don't know what kind the pears are but when they release
that fuzzy seed followed by the 'whirly birds' of the maples, clogged gutters soon follow and the outdoors 'games' are in full force in Ohio.
No disrespect to ice jams and snow removal etc.
Our daffodils here in NC are in full bloom along with the Bradford pear trees.
Earliest I've ever seen it happen.
The jonquils starting to fade today,
they've been up for 10 days and were in full bloom by the end of February. Spring must be here except it was in the low 20's a few days ago, vicious thunderstorms last night and this morning with golf ball sized hail an inch or more deep on the ground (shelter those cars!), threat of tornadoes. Intermittent internet all day due to high winds and all this headed for those east...
regards and all the best from the Ohio River Valley!
That would be a cool idea - having salmon flow thru....however,
That river was ocean water and frequently needed a cleaning shut-down because algae-formation was a constant concern. ha
Also, can't hardly get salmon to spawn in fine creeks yet - never mind through and into fancy homes....
Good grief (I see that someone after seeing me previously post that that video (here on I-Hub most likely ?), has slandered me beneath it by writing "Where's the drunken gardener ?")
Now I can no longer link folks to that.
Ha !...Quite the Joker that jerk.
An quite the misrepresentation as well because I don't drink at all.
I'd probably respond to him there but my Youtube username, just happens to be my actual full personal name.
What a beautiful setting and you appear to be an enterprising guy, some big bucks involved in that property.
My dad had an outdoorsman buddy who did something similar with water in the boonies of N. Michigan along the Sturgewon River 70 years ago. He diverted water from the river without the use of any pumps to heat and cool the house. I wish I could tell you more on the tech and mechanics of how it worked, but I was last there when I was 10, obviously he was far ahead of his time. I have a vivid memory of a 10'-12' wide swath of the river going right through his house with the same swift current the river ran in at that spot.
I think if I had the money that fellow that conceived Swanwick had I would have tried to creat a salmon run through the house ending in spawning ponds well back in the property, complete with climbing racks right in the house. Talk about a thrill and entertainment for a guy like me not to mention the satisfaction of contributing something worthwhile...sigh.
Really cool situation you're in and a nice looking RV you have there as well.
Thanks for showing us that and best of luck in everything.
(I thought I recognized your alias, I see you like playing the SPY)
Not exactly a "professional" landscaper per/se....Just needed to jokingly "imply" that I was one for that post to work.
I'm just a helper-guy who's worked lots on golf courses...
This is/was an ad which I've been currently running (in it you'll find a pic of me, as well as a youtube link)
http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/Free-Property-Maintenance-Yardwork-Renovations-HelpOutOnTheFarm_27106369
As thing's have turned out though - I don't need to move :
The new owners are keeping me on.
I did get some decent responses from that ad though....
The neighborhood in which I both live and work and play :
"Composting is "the backbone" of good horticulture".....
Although, there are many plants though which simply prefer "average" soil...
I've learned that it's possible "to kill plants with kindness".
Howdy, very interesting video, I've always liked the name comfrey, but never knew anything about it. Every year it seems a professional landscaper drops in and posts like mad for a season with lots of pictures, we like pictures, post pictures. :)
Janice is your host.
Knock-Knock....Hello ?....(Rings the doorbell)....
Hey whose house is this (in the intro) ?
Looks like a nice place (what with all the landscaping)
'Cause me I'm a landscaper (and so I know).
For example last week I began on a yard which has a whole bunch of comfrey on it.
And so I am going to be "pinching" a bit -
Just to get myself (and a few others) started.....
Yes, we're all gonna become big COMFREY fans !
Hence, I can hardly wait.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=comfrey+permaculture
You're not familiar with Pulvis Cuniculus Canis?
Understandable, not like he's AKC registered, roughly translated verrry roughly Dust Bunny Hound. Straightening up the basement I found an old stash of the great grand nieces and nephews that looked as they'd hunted down every dust particle down there. I don't have the heart to pitch them, the moms might take them, the kids are a soph, junior and 4 too kool for skrool college kids who would consider such a gesture from their uncle to fit in perfectly to their idea of what I know of this world. "sheesh, things are way different now Eubie (UB = Uncle Billy)".
But can he hunt?
Try posting the pic here and see if you get a response.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums
It looks like a dwarf something or other.
Yeah, we make a couple.
Poor little thing...
I think she's in her end cycle, puny and brittle.
I'm glad the azalea survived, at least...
That warm streak we had in Jan. & Feb. caused a lot of damage here, I lost 2 knockout rose bushes plus suffered winter kill to my favorite thing, this funny little azalea. I gave this to my wife 23 years ago as a centerpiece for her Easter table, a cheapie from Krogers I grabbed on the fly lol. It came in a cheap plastic pot with some pink & green Easter foil stuffed in, it was finito 3 weeks after Easter and I wanted to trash it, but she insisted on setting it out and see if it would come back, 'no way says the master gardener , but knock yourself out ha!' Those aren't blooms, but the first leaves which are pushed out after no more than a week by the regular leaves. It usually is the very first color of the spring by far, earlier than Red Bud even. This pic was today, WAYyyyy late, not as vivid and with some lateral branch loss. I mean, 23 years old and it's only chest high as it is and as you can see, it's more tree than bush. Definitely not what you think of as azalea bushes which almost turn invasive with time. I wish I could figure out what it is, definitely should not be growing in this zone, I think being by the fence has saved it. The bare spots in the pic are also normally a peonie bed with just the tips visible of the few left to the left among irises.
Gardens look like crap this year.
.
Not sure whether you can watch it here or not:
http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/south-park-pandemic-13290
It isn't available at the official South Park site at the moment… Or if you have Hulu, you can see it here:
'http://www.hulu.com/watch/253526
Never seen it, steer me there.
lol, have you ever seen the South Park show? It makes you think of them in a… different way.
I dunno?????
Living in the North.....I somehow love pan pipe music!!!(even though that was a flute)
Hey, that's great!
Though of course it's also just a touch reminiscent of the immortal South Park two-parter about Peruvian flute bands...
Brings back memories janice.......
Have you ever seen the movie "Voyage of the Yes"????
Punch it into youtube
Best on headphones!! El Condor Pasa
LOL.....cool....and Oh No!!!!
(tried to answer 3 statements at once.....)
They seem so much more… majestic when they're called condors.
Let's see if this works. Ok I took the pic with my iPhone then sent it to my email address. Saved it on my computer and opened it in Paint and enlarged it a little then saved it. Then uploaded to Ihub. BTW the wing span on both birds is a good 3 feet.
The building I work in is all mirrored glass and one of the dummies flew right into the glass. He fell out on the patio then recovered.
Yesterday was tax day 04/15 and I figured that is why they showed up since that is my line of work.
We are not allowed out on the patio since the previous owner of the building had a jumper.
Yes. Same issue but I said screw it.
They are right outside my office window 5 stories up. The one sitting on the pole does an amazing balancing act since it was windy that day.
Why do they spread their wings,
To warm themselves on cold mornings. Turkey vultures can lower their body temp to conserve energy at night, but in the morning, they need to warm up to be able to fly. The outstretched wings absorb the heat from the solar energy and soon warm up enough to take off.
To kill the bacteria that coats their wings after eating carrion. After the Turkey Vultures eat, they are often covered with nasty bacteria from their decaying meal. The sun's ultraviolet rays effectively kill the bacteria on the wings.
http://redandthepeanut.blogspot.com/2009/04/turkey-vultures-raising-their-wings-in.html
Ha, I was expecting a pic of a coworker,
cool shot btw.
I bet your grass is nice and green,
they're prolific fertizers, better than The True Green man.
Funny, yesterday I had the same thing happen at work. 4 of them flew up out of the gorge and land in the parking lot as I was going out for lunch. Had to wait for them to waddle to the side. Never seen the geese in the middle of the city like that.
Now at home is a different story. We have residential Canadian Geese that spend the whole year. Always in the yard.
Speaking of urban geese, there were 3 squating in a little puddle in the middle of our busy Kroger's parking lot. They slowly got up and wandered out of the frame as I drove up and before I could whip my camera out, except for this guy. I don't know if he was about to get aggressive or looking for a handout, but I had to lean way back in my seat to get him in focus as he stuck his head in the car. I bet not one out of a thousand goose hunters will tell you they've ever gotten this close to a Canada when it was still alive, otherwise I could save them some bucks on blinds and decoys, etc. by starting an Uber for goose hunters in my Nissan, an urban safari if you will.
Btw, I'm pretty certain that's not a wild goose turd there in the background either.
Ye' reap what ye' sew !
Now that's an APP I'd be interested in.
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