Several years ago, Mister and I discovered a happening called “Tomatomania!” It’s an heirloom tomato seedling sale that takes place each Spring in various communities around the country. It started in the early ’90’s in Pasadena, CA. As it’s now spread all the way to the other coast, its popularity is growing. (The New York Times called it “the tomato freaks’ Woodstock.”) The website is not only the place to find dates and locations, it also contains a wealth of information for tomato growers.

 

 

Anyhoo, we’ve been hitting Tomatomania for quite a while now, and it’s always exciting. Food dorks that we are, it leads to one of those natural highs that happen to those of us who are tweaked in just the right way. And we love it!

 

 

This year’s event promised over 200 varieties (!) of plants and that is about 190 too many, friends. Our tiny tomato plot usually holds 8 plants, along with some basil and lettuce varieties. And I don’t care how exciting those seedlings may be, I can’t squeeze any more plants into that plot without compromising on growing room and quality.

 

With that in mind, I had to reign Mister in this year. It’s usually just me hitting the sale, and I’ve learned to take my time while looking over the varieties, allowing myself to settle into the scene. That way I don’t overbuy. But this was Mister’s first time actually going to Tomatomania. And I’ll tell ya, I think that guy fell squarely into the mania portion.

 

Before I knew it, we had chosen our 8 allotted plants and Mister was still looking! So I had to (calmly) talk him down. I reminded him of our space limitations and offered the option to add 2 more plants, if we sacrificed lettuce. As last year’s lettuce never really took, he opted for tomatoes. I like the choice, as previous years have blessed us with beautiful bounties.

 

 

So the plan is to get those babies in the ground over the next few days, after preparing the soil, of course. That’s more exhausting than the planting, really, and that’s what I’ll be doing for 2 days. But I’m looking forward to it. Digging in the dirt always does something to put my mind straight. I don’t know if it’s the recollection of working in Granny’s and Papa’s garden when I was a kid, the meditative aspect, or those brilliant earthworms. It’s probably a combination of all 3 and then some, and I’m good with that.

 

Once we’ve gotten everything planted, I’ll post some photos so you can see just how beautiful our tiny tomato garden can be. I’m feeling the tomato love already…

 

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