Tom the Tomato Man

So last week, I smugly planted all my seeds, expecting they would all pop up in a matter of days as they generally, often, occasionally do.. no-one likes a smug gardener though, do they? First, Benson-the-enthusiastic-gardener-puppy (otherwise known as That Bloody Dog) dug up all the tomato seeds. I haven't had a dog and a spring garden before. Well, now I know. Also, I was thriftily using up all my old seed packets, and the only seeds that the dog didn't find, the zucchinis, still aren't up yet (Best Before 2013). Fingers crossed. The only gardening success I have had this week is with the two packets of fresh seed I planted, lettuce and snap peas, in nice tall dog-proof planters. Thank goodness for that..

But the tomatoes! What to do? In autumn my friend Karlin and I visited a local gardener to buy some sauce tomatoes for making passata. His name is Tom. He is over ninety years old, and every year he grows dozens of tomato plants in his suburban back yard, and sells hundreds of kilos of tomatoes in the summer and autumn. What I didn't know is that in Spring he also grows hundreds of tomato plants from saved seed and sells them to local gardeners. I discovered this from the sign in his front yard when I walked past with the dog this week.

Well, wasn't this a serendipitous discovery? And while walking the tomato-eradicating dog too. Ironic. So I bought a dozen tomato seedlings. And seriously, if you live locally, you should too. I have never seen such healthy plants. All individually potted up, half a dozen different varieties, just bursting with health. Usually Tom takes them to Evandale Market over three weekends in the Spring, and sells them all there, but recently he tripped over the sill of his green-house, and has torn a ligament in his arm, so can't drive... and he needs to sell fifteen hundred tomato seedlings. Do pop over - 35 Amy Rd, Newstead. His is the house closest to the road - if you head up the driveway you will no doubt find Tom pottering about in the backyard. If not, bang on the door. He asked me to tell my friends.. so, friends, go buy a tomato plant from Tom.