Thwarted tomato lust

[magid]

I love freshly-picked tomatoes. With only a porch for space I can only fit one or two plants per year, max. So I usually go for cherry tomatoes of some sort or another, since the harvest is spread out more, and hey, it's not like I'll grow enough tomatoes to support my habit anyway.

My absolute favorite tomato (so far, anyway) are sungold cherry tomatoes, which are orange-yellow, sweet, and a wonderful texture. And this is what I'd choose to grow, too. Except that I can never find seedlings. This year, though, I got an order form from the Re-Vision Farm and they had sungolds! *happy tomato dance*

I talked with two friends who garden, and we went in on an order. I wanted the tomatoes, and part of the six-plant flats of herbs. We worked it all out, and one of the others sent in the form.

Tuesday, I went to pick up the plants at the greenhouse. The farm is in Dorchester, but they have a relationship with Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, and I assumed it was the Lincoln greenhouse I'd need to go to. Of course, I figured out it might be the other one once it was too late in the day to make it there. No problem, I'll go tomorrow.

So, yesterday I found my way to the farm in Dorchester, and picked up the seedlings. And found that the one who'd filled out the form didn't put my tomatoes on. And there didn't seem to be any sungolds left.

GRRRR.

I brought the rest of the stuff to her house, and found out that she's got a plot in a community garden, so it seems I'm not splitting the flats of herbs, either. Which I drove out to Dorchester to pick up her stuff (plus some tomatoes for the third person). Which leaves me cranky, in the extreme. Sure, she apologized for not ordering the tomatoes, but it didn't feel like enough for dealing with all the rush-hour traffic well beyond my normal driving area.

So after two days of driving around, I have no new plants for my porch yet. I definitely need to change this, once I stop being annoyed.

Comments

[cutieperson]

i'm confused. why are you not at least taking some of the flats of herbs?

(grr at the rest)

[magid.livejournal.com]

She now has a plot in a community garden, and didn't split them with me. She was the one ordering them, and we'd made a plan verbally that she's apparently forgotten. I didn't feel comfortable bringing it up after it was clear she had room for them, and I wasn't sure if I could say it in a nice, neutral way.

In the end, I think I'll be going back to Dorchester tomorrow afternoon. They're nice people, the plants look healthy, and they're organic (and cheap). I'll get tomatoes of some sort or another, I'll get basil and some other herbs, and it'll work out. I hope.

Of course, getting flats of 6 of things means I'll have extras. Know anyone who could use an extra tomato or two?

[cutieperson]

i admire your ability to not say anything in that situation :)

Know anyone who could use an extra tomato or two?

depends on how hard they are to care for, and how expensive. i have a couple of porches now, and yard space. gardening's something i've been interested in for a while now...

[magid.livejournal.com]

Investment = sufficient dirt to fill whatever container* you use, and possibly a tomato cage (or some other way to support the plant, since when it grows and fruits it'll fall over otherwise). Oh, and watering if it doesn't rain much.

*If you have a yard you trust the soil quality of, then obviously, you don't need a container or dirt, but you'll still need a tomato cage.


I tend to avoid things that feel awkward like that; it's not always a good trait. I can say things like she's got work stress, and family stuff, and house stuff, and.... and not say anything at all. Which in the long run is bad for me to do. Hard to change, though

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I understand feeling awkward bring up your verbal agreement, but it seems like you just did a lot of work for her for nothing. Did she think that you were just running her errands in Lincoln and Dot for the hell of it?

[magid.livejournal.com]

Well, Lincoln was my own damned fault, for not checking the location. Annoying for me, but not her problem.

And she did feed me dinner yesterday.

But on the whole, I don't think she thought about it. Maybe she thought I had more plants in the car, or something. I dunno. (She's in the middle of grading papers and finals and such, so not overly-focused on other stuff.)

I did tell her I was peeved about the tomatoes, and she did apologize. It just didn't feel like enough, somehow, though I don't know what else I'd want her to do...

[cutieperson]

i don't think i'll have time before next week to get to Home Despot. are these just seeds, or plantlings?

it's sometimes good, sometimes not. but better imo than never being able to hold it in.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Plantlings; I'm too lazy to start stuff from seeds (not that I have the space...).
If they sit in the bit of dirt they're in for a weekend, I don't think it'll be a problem. If you leave them for a whole week, that might be harder.

I guess it's better than never being able to hold it in, but they're just sides of the same problem, the inability to judge the situation well enough. I'm perhaps too careful of other people's feelings, but I suspect that at least some of the time, I've misjudged someone else's ability to deal...

[cutieperson]

i should be able to get them at the beginning of the week, so yes please!

[magid.livejournal.com]

Cool. I'll be picking plants up this afternoon.

As for transfer, I'll be in and out during the weekend. Right now, the easiest times for transfer would either be tonight or Sunday evening.

[aliza250.livejournal.com]

That sucks.

We found some orange-yellow cherry tomato seedlings last year languishing at a grocery store (!!!) past the end of planting season, and bought them out of sympathy. They ended up as our best and yummiest producers.

This year, though, even our favorite nursery didn't have them, and we're left with a pretty boring tomato crop.

I need to post gardening comments in my LJ...

[magid.livejournal.com]

I got an email back from the farm, and though they have other kinds of cherry tomatoes, the sungolds are all gone. Curses, foiled again. Next year... (At least there's a farm that does pick-your-own sungolds. Almost as nice.)

I surprised you found such nice tomato seedlings at the grocery store! Definitely a higher-quality store than the ones around here.

What kinds of tomatoes do you have this year? I've seen a number of places selling a variety of heirloom tomatoes, but it sounds like you've got middle-of-the-road types.

[mayica.livejournal.com]

It's probably too late, but I bought sungolds at Russel's, in Wayland, on Sunday the 30th. They'll probably have them again next year. (I just got them on a whim, so I'm glad to hear a recomendation!)
--jessica

[magid.livejournal.com]

Good to know (though I don't think I'll have time to get out there for long enough that it really would be far too late :-). Thanks.

Definitely some of the most wonderful tomatoes around :-). I'll just have to go to Land Sake for a fix this year, and hope that next year works out...