BECAUSE I now grow my tomatoes in boxes!!!!! Thereby hangs a tale...
Circa thirty years ago I lived at a place which was all grass outside and there was no room for a garden. Coming from a farming family, I was used to home-grown vine-ripened tomatoes as a boy. One day, during this period at my old place, I was visiting a client and had a tour of his garden. I said,"What is the secret of these great tomatoes?" "Steer manure, in the off season," was his answer. (Now we all know that to grow tomatoes in the same place every year takes some serious fertilizing so that sounded like....a plan...to me.)
So I went home and converted some lawn into flower beds, put down manure, and among the flowers started growing great tomatoes. Even my farming father was envious! There was plenty of sun out there, and sun you need. On moving to our "new house" 26 years ago, outside was all lawn and gravel; thus we were without tomatoes again, and I had no brilliant plans. (As yet, that is; I hadn't yet heard of "Earth Boxes").
About February, 2005, I saw this brochure advertisement for growing all manner of flowers and veggies in heavy plastic-type boxes, about 15x30 inches, "Earth Boxes". I figured the rough cost, with shipping and "store-boughten" fertilizer would be better than fifty dollars per box. Also I had to get some soil, good soil.
I thought, "Well, that's out; management (the wife) will never approve that." But surprisingly management did salivatingly (my word) okay the whole idea and I ordered FIVE of these. (To be used every year!!!). No veggies or flowers for me, I can get those; it's the VINE-RIPENED
tomatoes I want!
( To be continued, See "Tomatoes in Boxes: How I do It")
Sent from my iPad
Hey Grandad! I can't believe you started your own blog site! That is so awesome. You have already surpassed my computer skills! That was a great idea to grow 'mater plants like that, me and my dad would always use the old fashioned way with a garden but it never worked as well as those earth boxes you have.
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