Moving to Ohio fourteen years ago from New York city, Barb and I had great hopes of growing big, juicy garden tomatoes. Though we had space where we lived, it was dominated by a Norway maple on one side and a Bronx palm on the other. It was not exactly a prime growing space for big, juicy garden tomatoes, and living in a nice area of the Bronx – yes, there are nice areas – there were no vacant lots nearby where we might have found a community garden.
This year, we have finally succeeded in growing our own big, juicy garden tomatoes. Yes, fourteen years it has taken us. We really didn’t think it would be that hard to do. It isn’t, of course, but sometimes dreams have to take a back seat to the realities of life. Realities like lack of time, lack of will to weed, and if truth be told, I am not really a big fan of tomatoes, or any vegetable for that matter.
We tried several times, but more often than not our veggie patch would become such a tangled, mosquito infested jungle, harvesting them required a major expeditionary force.
This year was different, and that difference was growing the tomatoes on a trellis. We saw a picture of someone doing it in a magazine, and realized that was the answer to our tomato sprawl. We had tried tomato cages, but we found them more useful for our Halloween displays than growing tomatoes.
The trellis was very simple: some 4×4 posts with 1x4s spanning across the top and bottom. String was then strung between them, and throughout the summer, Barb diligently attached the tomatoes, and pruned out the suckers. The result was some really nice tomatoes which I even ate.
Sadly, the end is near. We’ve already had one frost advisory, and Saturday night’s low is dipping below 40. The problem is there’s still some great looking fruit on our vines, albeit green. So I thought it’s time for a visit to Mr. D’s, a veggie guru if there ever was one.
Mr. D is a big guy, bearded with a no-nonsense attitude towards gardening. Vegetables are his focus, and any ornamental plants that may be found in his gardens are either for pest control or for sale.
I found him in his garden shed sharpening some tools with a hand file. In a bit of a panic because of the coming frost, I blurted out my worries and asked for his words of wisdom. Mr. D slapped me across the face and said “Get a hold of yourself! There is no need to panic. You Ornamentalists are such sorry excuses for gardeners.”
As I picked myself off the ground, he explained, “It probably won’t even frost, and if it does, just cover your plants with sheets or whatever. We usually get a few more weeks of decent weather after our first frost, so your green tomatoes may still have time to ripen.” “And if they don’t?” I tentatively asked from a respectful distance.
“There’s a few options,” he replied not looking up from his work. “Fried green tomatoes, or green tomato pie is one. Haven’t had either in over thirty years. Didn’t care for it, but some people do. Second option is to yank your plants… tomatoes, vines, everything. Lay ‘em out on a sheet, or a piece of cardboard where they won’t freeze…someplace like a basement or garage, and let them ripen on the vine.”
“That makes sense”, I said. “I once pulled out a twelve-foot tall morning glory vine, and left it on the ground. It was still flowering five days later.” Mr. D turned to look at me, raising his eyes above the glasses perched at the end of his broad nose in a look of pity and disgust. I had forgotten how mention of useless ornamental plants always provoked such a response.
He turned back and continued. “You can also just take them off the vine and set them on a shelf to ripen. Don’t let them touch though. I’ve also heard you can wrap them in newspaper and put them in a bag with a slice of apple to ripen. Bit too much trouble for my taste.”
There was a pause, and then he turned around again. Looking straight at me, he said, “ Now don’t be stupid, and expect them to taste like sweet August tomatoes. They won’t, but to me a tomato in November that’s come from my garden tastes mighty good…mighty good…and still better than anything you’ll find in a store.”
As he turned away again, I said, “Thank you Mr. D for your wise words.”
“Get out,” was his reply.
More wisdom next week from Mr. D on planting garlic and other things to do in the fall in your veggie garden. And here are some links for green tomato recipes: http://www.southernliving.com/food/how-to/fried-green-tomatoes and http://southernfood.about.com/od/tomatoes/r/bl40625f.htm
“It probably won’t even frost, and if it does, just cover your plants with sheets or whatever. We usually get a few more weeks of decent weather after our first frost, so your green tomatoes may still have time to ripen,” said Mr. D.
