14 June 2009

Tomatoes Suck

There, I've said it.

Yes, it's one of the New World fruits that changed the culinary trajectory of the entire world. Yes, they can be juicy, sweet, tangy and wonderful. And, yes, tomatoes are one of the most commonly grown fruits in the garden.

But I've decided that I am DONE with growing tomatoes. That may sound a little drastic, but year after year, I try to grow them, from 'Celebrety' to 'Early Girl' to 'Juliette.' And each year they fail me (or I fail them). I've come to now see them as a waste of my time.

If it's not the squirrels, nabbing every blushing pink tomato off the vine:



It's the stink bugs, sticking their probosci down into the tomato and pocking it with hard little bite marks:



My plants may get large:



But largely, they are a waste of water and time. Tomatoes, I am done with you, my friends. I will see you at the Farmer's Market. Until then...

4 comments:

hjs000 said...

It makes me feel so much better to know that I'm not the only one that has so many challenges with tomatoes. Thanks for the post! -- Heather | @heatherjstrout

ryan said...

We have trouble with them too. Not enough sun or heat. We only grow cherry tomatoes, which do well, and avoid all the other varieties. I sure get jealous, though, when I visit gardens with a lot of heat.

Cheryl said...

Yes, it's so comforting to know that others struggle with tomatoes. Mine were taking forever to ripen, the the hail bruised them all last week. *Sigh*

Unknown said...

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear it although I had the same conversation with my squash plants as I pulled another withered vine out of the ground after being devoured by a borer. If I can get my tomatoes off at first blush and let them ripen inside, I seem to be able to save some prior to the critter raid on the plants.