'Maters, Anyone?

So this high-FSH thing is kind of getting to me, in truth. But I don't really want to talk about that. Or the job thing. Or any other thing that's even approaching an ickiness factor over, say about 1.2 on the Ickter Scale. What's a girl to do? Talk tomatoes of course!

I adore tomatoes. I love eating them, smelling them, planting them, staking them, picking out new varieties from the catalog, imagining the summer's first tomato sandwich. Oh my. A few years ago, I was enticed by some lovely lovely heirloom varieties and lost my head. That year I ended up with 30 (yes, you read that right) tomato plants in a small to middling size urban backyard. It was tomato heaven. I had Cherokee Purple, Pink and Red Brandywines, lots of Arkansas Travelers, Marzano, German Striped, Bradley Pinks......it goes on and on. Veritable forests of tomatoes.

And then the fungus came. Calamity mid-season, just as it was really getting good. Despite hours on the internet looking at disease keys, various fungicides and pesticides and fertilizers and grandma's remedies, the decline was swift and total. Stupid stinkin' Southern humidity.

Those of you who have been there will understand that this was a tragedy of epic proportions, and I have been too afraid to get back up there in the plant double digits again. I have had small scale success with some plain vanilla hybrids that are more resistant to the ever-present fungal funk circulating around these parts. But that's just so boring. I am jonesing for the extravaganza, jittery for a forest fix--feeling the call to acid, so to speak.

Thanks to Soper's beneficence, I am in love with Southern Exposure's lineup. I just couldn't resist the vegetable porn, and we're off to the races.

Stay tuned. And send me your address if you want some.