No Salmonella Here!
By gantwick
@gantwick (849)
United States
June 16, 2008 9:18am CST
My tomatoes are starting to get ripe. The cherry tomatoes are leading the pack, although I think I'll have some big (Better Boy, I think) ones turning red by the end of this week.
Homegrown tomatoes, I think, taste the best.
Do you have a garden favorite?
2 people like this
6 responses
@kaleegirl45 (1515)
• United States
16 Jun 08
I wish I could grow tomatoes. How is the taste on home grown and store bought tomaotes? I love to eat them with pepper and salt. And add cucumbers and red onions to them. A fresh salad.
@kaleegirl45 (1515)
• United States
16 Jun 08
Does it also make a differences when the tomatoe is cut and how soon it is eaten?
1 person likes this
@gantwick (849)
• United States
19 Jun 08
When I pick my cherry tomatoes, not all of them make it into the house, lol.
If the tomatoes are a little green, they will continue to ripen if you put them in a sunny place. My mom used to put the tomatoes on the window sill in the kitchen when I was a kid. They ripened there and were out of reach of the cat.
@desertdarlene (8910)
• United States
16 Jun 08
That's great that you can grow your own tomatoes. I tried doing that indoors and I had a host of problems. I did get some pretty good cherry tomatoes for a while before I started getting all kinds of fungai and little bugs all around. I heard it was in the potting soil that I used and it being indoors made the situation worse.
I live in California and I heard that our tomatoes were the source of the problem, so a lot of the restaurants are serving them here again.
@gantwick (849)
• United States
16 Jun 08
I tried growing tomatoes indoors once. I used non-potting soil, and managed to get a few tasty cherry tomatoes. My biggest problem was that it was a very hot summer, and I didn't put my plant outside to get enough sun. When it was outside, is was next to my apartment building, and the heat from 100+ degree days would make my tomatoes start to wilt while I was at work.
1 person likes this
@desertdarlene (8910)
• United States
16 Jun 08
I have a window with full sun most of the day. I can't put it outside as the only place I can put it is a shared walkway that anyone can use. So, some of my tomatoes would get eaten. But, I will try to find some alternative soils and try again now that you mentioned it.
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
16 Jun 08
I'm envious... it's too early for tomatoes to ripen here, but my plant is blooming anyway. I hardly eat tomatoes from the store because they have no flavor to me, so I wait with growing anticipation every year for my own to grow. I like the old Brandywine type of tomato that's easier to grow than the new hybrids.
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
19 Jun 08
So far I have only red strawberries on my yard....
My tomatoes are not there yet...I have two small green tomatoes...
I agree, home grown are the best and always fresh when needed....
@gantwick (849)
• United States
19 Jun 08
I would love to grow strawberries, but there is too much wildlife in our area. I'm pretty lucky with the tomatoes this year because there is a Western Kingbird who likes to sit on the tomato cage and eat the insects that try to get the tomato plants. 
I think that strawberries would be too tempting for turtles and rabbits, though.
I think that strawberries would be too tempting for turtles and rabbits, though.
@zigzagbuddha (4601)
• United States
16 Jun 08
I planted some German tomatoes this year because I tasted one in a sandwich last year that was so friggin' delicious I couldn't stop eating them! I don't have any getting ripe yet though. And I learned that it is best to stake tomatoes right when you put them in rather than waiting till they start growing all over the place. Jeez!
I also planted some Fennel, which I have never grown before, and some hot peppers. Also some sweet potatoes. In fact this year I have planted a whole lot of new veggies that I have never grown before. I'm very excited about them.
1 person likes this
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
16 Jun 08
My mom usually grows her own tomatos but this year she didn't know she wishes she did. I think places are going to start using tomatos again but they still have not found where the outbreak originated from.
