My Name is Willful and I'm a Tomato-Plantaholic

Willful here and I have a problem. My problem is that I anthropomorphize my plants. I give them names and talk to them and ask them if they're having a good day. When I get home from work I check on them before going inside my house. Last year, when a hail storm flattened the top halves of my monster early girl tomato plants I actually cried.

So today I went to the nursery because I had room for one more tomato plant in my garden. I was anticipating picking out a new plant and wondering what I would get. Would it be an heirloom? A large salad tomato? Well I walked into the green house and immediately spotted an early girl variety tomato that was practically busting out of its small container. Its branches were full and leafy and already laden with a few golfball sized green fruit. "Mine!" I said, happily picking up my new friend and turning to walk to the check out counter.

Then I saw them.

Rows upon rows of healthy tomato plants. All lined up under pictures of what the tomatoes would look like from each plant and descriptions of how each one would taste.

Uh oh. Well . . . maybe I could squeeze in one more plant?

But the harder I looked the more difficult the decision became. Did I want one of the Purple Russians, which yields a tomato so dark it almost looks black? Or maybe an orange variety, high in vitamin C? The list went on. I was having serious trouble.

I finally decided on an "Amy's Sugar" plant which advertised "juicy 2 oz. golf balls as sweet as candy." But then I saw the Brandywine plants which yield tomatoes that are "surprisingly large and can weigh up to 2 pounds." Sold! I took one of each.

And then, because once I start buying plants I can't stop, I picked out some eggplants and a few strawberries to put in a hanging basket.

Here are some of the plants I've amassed so far. The tomato at the heading of this post is my new early girl friend. I've decided to call her Punctual.

First zucchini of the season!

Hanging strawberry basket:


Love,
Willful