posted
I planted my garden a few weeks ago. After I finished putting in the tomatoes and peppers I ran the irrigation hose around them, and I was a clumsy idiot and pulled it right over one of the baby tomato plants. It broke in half. Literally. Snapped the stem, left it hanging by a string. I was seriously irritated with myself, but I figured I’d get a replacement plant the next time I drove to Ames. I forgot. But – the plant is still green! And It’s growing! It’s still broken in half about an inch above the ground, still connected by a string – and I mean a string. It’s smaller in diameter than embroidery floss.
Well...maybe the tomatoes that plant produces could be used to feed zombies instead of their normal human brain diet?
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Hmmm... that just might be an interesting plot twist, and climax to a low budget zombie movie.
Posts: 9754 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Give the poor thing a splint. Seriously--try and align the broken ends of the plant, and more than likely they will grow back together.
In some ways plants are not as susceptible to injury as animals are. As long as a part of the plant is getting sufficient nourishment, that part will continue to grow--and remember, any green part of the plant, though particularly the leaves, is producing nourishment. Evidently enough water is getting through that thin connection that photosynthesis can continue. I would actually be more worried about the roots, which might not be getting enough. If they die, the plant probably will finally succumb.
Posts: 1114 | Registered: Mar 2004
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A similar thing happened to one of our tomato plants. We covered the plants one night because of a frost warning on the weather report, and the next day discovered that we had partially broken the stem. Well the part below the break is still doing well, but all the leaves shriveled up above the break. But there's a stupid tomoto fruit still growing on the mostly dead, broken stem!
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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dkw, While the lure of the pun is strong, i will resist it, and tell you about tomato plants.
Tomato plants will put down roots from any part of the stem. I plant my plants by digging a shallow furrow, lifting up the leafy end, and covering the stem. this provides a stronger root system, and gives the roots the heat they need at the beginning of growth.
Your tomato plant should survive. Just bury the broken part, leaving enough leaf action to generate photosynthesis.
You are bean too serious about this, anyway. Just because you cantaloupe, does not mean you don't have thyme to have fun. Don't beet yourself up.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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I laughed so hard I almost soiled myself. I think we need to stem these puns and nip them in the bud. And so, I must spring into action. Or leave. Which way would be more fruitful? Anyway you slice it, we're going to be sandwiched in between two halves of a pun. Quite a pickle, no? Don't stop me, I'm on a roll!
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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And yet another of my very serious threads has been turned into a pun fest. What have I got myself into?!?
When I’m actually with Bob, the only way I’ve found to stop his silly puns is to kiss him. And while that does temporarily stop the bad jokes, it isn’t implementable when he’s 1000 miles away.
And, while it is effective at incapacitation, it doesn’t seem to do much for deterrence.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Bob's innocent of the derailment. Puns are hard to weed out - they seem to sprout up everywhere.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Someone must have opened Pundora's box. I didn't know someone had turned this into a Piers Anthony (ugh!) forum.
Posts: 1114 | Registered: Mar 2004
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dkw, have you ever grafted an eggplant seedling onto tomato rootstock? I read about this once. The idea is (since eggplants don't have much disease resistance) to take a tomato variety like "Celebrity" that's got a lot of disease resistance, cut off the top, and graft the top of an eggplant seedling onto it. The top will be all eggplant, but the tomato rootstock will confer disease resistance on the eggplant.
Our eggplants don't have any problems with disease, but I've always wanted to try this since it's just so weird Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Oooo . . . I have three "Celebrity" tomato plants, which is probably more than I need. (Plus three Sweet 100s and a "Mr. Stripey.")
And I, of course, have eggplant. Hmmmm.
But I've never had a problem with diseased eggplant either, and it seems wrong to do elective surgery just out of curiousity.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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dkw, it requires careful balance. On the one hand, you don't want Bob to draw a breath deep enough to allow punning. OTOH, while it might be a pleasant way to go, imagine the scandal if you suffocated him?
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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On a zombie-related note... Daniel Pinkwater's excellent The Snarkout Boys and the Baconburg Horror tells the truth about how a certain type of eggplant can turn people into werewolves... Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Rivka, I knew you would start vining about our puns at some point.
Sorry, dkw, I did not mean to pick on you.
Bob, I think weed better have a new Pun Smackdown. If not, our puns will start to choke out the other posts, so Roundup the troops. You don't want to be threatened with any more kisses, do you?
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Does your farming commune rely much on generating income at farmers' markets, plaid? Or selling to upscale restaurants? Can't help but think that some of the heirloom tomatoes would be highly marketable to those seeking to present exotic tastes&textures&appearances to common salads.
Gotta be careful about grafting/crossbreeding/etc with those tomatoes though. Mixing stocks for a sharper tang and meatier texture might produce a tomato with a stronger bite than expected.
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aspectre -- eep! yeah, there's a killer tomato...
no, we don't sell our produce, we just grow our own for own kitchen. Trying to grow enough fresh veggies and fruit for 75 people keeps me pretty busy...
We grow some heirlooms, since they've got great flavor (letsee, this year, we've got some Brandywine, Pineapple, Flame, Old German, Arkansas Traveller, Yellow Bell, Green Grape, a few others I'm forgetting offhand). Mostly we grow sauce tomatoes (Roma VF, Viva Italia) since we do a LOT of canning!
Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Isn't kissing Bob to make him stop positive reinforcement? Or are your kisses just that heartbreakingly bad?
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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(Pun free comment) I love Brandywine tomatoes. My oh my. I also grew a type called Cosmian Pink, which is the same consistency as Brandywine, but a lovely pink color.
As for cherry tomatoes, Sungold is my favorite. Yum.
My husband bought a dehydrator, and I am looking forward to trying fried tomatoes. Anyone have any luck with those?
And Dana, you are a great kisser. At least with those smiley things.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Dana, how can you call a thread titled Zombie Tomato Plant very serious?
Elizabeth, did you typo? I've had lots of luck with fried tomatoes, I've gotten quite good at it, but I can't imagine what you'd need a dehydrator for. If you're talking dried tomatoes, they come out kinda leathery in the dehydrator. If you want them to be like sun-dried tomatoes I think it works best to use your oven, and then pack in oil.
I planted a heirloom called Mortgage Lifter this year... it's a new one for me. Anyone tried it?
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Ha ha! I did mean DRIED tomatoes, but the oil and salt-loving part of me took over.
Have you ever tried drying the tomatoes in the actual sun? I wonder if it has to be an Arizona kind of sun. If you have any good recipes for oven-sun-drying tomatoes, let me know.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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The article I read said that unless you live in the Mediterranean , don't try to dry tomatoes in the actual sun. It takes too long and they will rot first. I'll poke around and see if I can come up with their instructions for doing it in the oven, I don't remember the details and I never tried it.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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