Tomato Patch: Stan Picks before the Fourth

Stan's a man of his word

In late May I posted about whether plant protectors give tomato plants a head start in cool, spring weather. In that posting I interviewed Stan Purwin, who has a plot at West Side Community Gardens, a part of Columbia Gardeners, Inc. Stan showed how his Walls ‘O Water work and said, “I’ll be picking tomatoes by the Fourth of July. Come back on the Fourth, and you’ll see.”

Stan's ripe Green Zebra

Well, guess what I did July 3, at 7 a.m.—a day before the holiday? I met Stan at his garden to see whether he had started picking tomatoes.


The photos tell the story. Stan’s plants have given him two Better Boy and one Green Zebra tomatoes. The three picked tomatoes are from the two plants shown in their Walls ‘O Water protectors in the May posting. To read that posting, CLICK HERE.

Stan's Better Boy, ready for picking July 3