Here’s some remarkable news from the garden. You may remember that last April I noticed a tiny tomato plant growing out of a crack in some steps, and that I promised to keep an eye on it? (Picture, left.)
Then later in July I reported that not only had it survived, but it produced tomatoes? (Picture, right).
Well, it just continued on through the cold spells we had here this Winter, and some weeks ago I noticed that it had tomatoes on it again! This is a shot I took today:
I’m really amused by the irony that this randomly grown plant (I don’t know what seeded it there in the first place) that is growing in what should be uncomfortable circumstances has been more vibrant and productive than most of my other -carefully tended in lovingly prepared beds- tomato plants through the years.
-cvj
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In Seattle, the wild domesticated plant that amazes me the most are the peas.
no.. the steps have not changed.
-cvj
The steps are now tomato-eroded ?
Hi,
Thanks!
The seeds and their resilience are one thing….. but what I’m more amazed at is how well the plant is doing through that thin stem threaded into the crack in the steps….
-cvj
Tomato seeds are extremely resilient. If you go out to our local sewage treatment plant and look around the settling ponds (I’m a birder so that’s not a strange thing to do) you can see tomato plants every summer. The seeds survive the trip through the human digestive tract and the trip through the primary treatment building.
At the first place I worked in London, I found a random tomato plant growing in the gutter/gravel on the fire escape on the 2nd floor. Talk about random! Someone had dropped some sandwich shrapnel there or something — but it did take root and thrive and actually produce tomatos, which unfortunately never ripened since it was north-facing.
In fact, words can’t do it justice, so here’s a photo of it.