Wild Tomatoes
I knew when I planted them that these would probably be the last tomatoes I would be able to grow in the back yard garden. Our trees have been getting steadily bigger, their flourishing foliage increasing the shade there year after year. From one crop to the next, I've moved their position in the plot to maximize their time in the sun. Vegetables in general tend not to be shade plants, but some require more sunshine than others to do well. Tomatoes and peppers, two of the most requested vegetables each time I ask my family what I should plant, are particularly sun-hungry. So, when spring buds unfurled into summer leaves, and the canopy began to block out the sun, I wondered if we would get any fruit at all from these plants. They started out looking weak and spindly, so I've worried over them all along. While I'm generous with the compost, I don't use chemical fertilizers in our garden to give things an artificial boost. ...