The Ripe on the Vine Tomato Index.

More and more people in my neighborhood are putting out small gardens.
A guy down the street now has 3 chickens.
When out for a walk the other day, I talked to someone a few blocks away, who showed me his new chicks and ducklings.

I've got my tomato seedlings and cucumbers started. I have to bring them in some nights.

oh, and I started some arugula too.

yeah I hear that, a guy down the street from me had a totally non-productive backyard that he converted part of to garden beds. cost him $1171 to build the beds/haul in top soil/composted manure etc and put in 12 really nice tomato plants. he harvested over $17.00 worth to tomatoes over nearly 3 months and only had to buy "Vine Ripe Tomatoes" from the market for 9 months of the year. They were really tasty tomatoes.

luckily, I'm planting my maters and cucs in an already prepared area, that I would have been planting flowers anyway.

I spent less than $7 for seeds.
I started them in those stalkmarket compostible bowls that I use anyway.
When I transplant them into a larger container, before putting them in the ground, they'll go into empty coffee cans.

Wally did build me another long planter, next to my existing stone one. He's ready to put a trellis in a frame up next to the stone one, so I can grow a sweet potato vine up it.
We had to do this anyway, as the long hot sun in the summertime baked anything in the stone planter.

During the summer, we love sliced tomatoes and cucumbers mixed with a little oil, and balsamic vinegar.

Saving the money is nice, but I'm looking forward to having fresh off the vine veggies, which will taste better than most stuff at the store (except for those expensive dry grown tomatoes, dirty girls)

When I told my neighbor Bill about the ducks and chicks, he said "oh, I'm gonna get me some. I'll have to get chicken wire so the racoons won't get 'em"

Frankly, I think it was his friend Johnny Walker talking that night.

Yeah Bill, who's gonna take care of your chickens when you're off on the oil rig 2 weeks at a time? I can only guess.

The topic is petroleum futures.

I should have known. . . .

why does it say tomatoes, rog...?

I've a friend who lives near Lake Isabella in california. He's a passionate gardener. He fights an endless battle with gophers.

When I post something poetic about daffodils spreading down a hill, it is by his efforts that I mention it.

He knows about natives, but has a little elasticity to that list..

Uh oh. I just noticed a minor ah, "market correction". Spot price of 'On the Vine Tomatos" just crashed to $2.99/lb, and gasoline moved up marginally. Forgot to check the gasoline/diesel ratio.

So, for everyone that went long on tomatos and shorted gasoline futures, try to remember that this was only offered a hypothetical. Should have known better.