Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old August 6, 2019   #1
Solanum315
Tomatovillian™
 
Solanum315's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New York
Posts: 244
Default Found Tomato Plants in Public Spaces

Anyone else find tomatoes growing “wild” when out and about? Some notable ones I’ve found were volunteers growing on my base in Iraq, in my parking lot at work, through a crack in the sidewalk near a Mexican restaurant and most recently in my grocery store parking lot. It was already way too hot for the Iraq plant to set fruit. I took a big beefsteak off of the plant in my work parking lot and have grown it out and saved seeds although they are unremarkable; typical commercial variety. I pulled up and transplanted the sidewalk plant and have seeds from that as well. Again, unremarkable commercial Roma type. The latest one at the grocery store is a very large and productive cherry type growing out from a patch of gravel. I’ll grab a few fruits and save seeds when they mature. If nothing else, it is impressive that it’s as large and productive as most cared for plants and as far as I can tell, no one has ever done anything for it.
__________________
Scott

http://worldtomatoes.blogspot.com/
Solanum315 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 6, 2019   #2
PaulF
Tomatovillian™
 
PaulF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Brownville, Ne
Posts: 3,276
Default

This year we planted tomatoes and peppers along with herbs and flowers in the big flower pots we take care of in our little village. The purpose was for folks to harvest whatever they wanted...and save seeds for themselves if they desired.

We see a few people partaking but not many. Next year maybe it will catch on better.
__________________
there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.
PaulF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 6, 2019   #3
Tormato
Tomatovillian™
 
Tormato's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,958
Default

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=16104


http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=29528
Tormato is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 6, 2019   #4
ScottinAtlanta
Tomatovillian™
 
ScottinAtlanta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 2,593
Default

Interesting about Iraq. I grew some Cherokee Purple in Baghdad in 2015-2016, but had to use a fabric cover to protect them from the heat. The Iraqiis loved them, and perhaps still grow them.
ScottinAtlanta is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 6, 2019   #5
Solanum315
Tomatovillian™
 
Solanum315's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New York
Posts: 244
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta View Post
Interesting about Iraq. I grew some Cherokee Purple in Baghdad in 2015-2016, but had to use a fabric cover to protect them from the heat. The Iraqiis loved them, and perhaps still grow them.
Tomatoes in Iraq are tough. Surprisingly cold winters with very little transition to blazing heat. I believe the local farmers grew tomatoes in greenhouses mostly during the winter.
__________________
Scott

http://worldtomatoes.blogspot.com/
Solanum315 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 6, 2019   #6
Solanum315
Tomatovillian™
 
Solanum315's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New York
Posts: 244
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulF View Post
This year we planted tomatoes and peppers along with herbs and flowers in the big flower pots we take care of in our little village. The purpose was for folks to harvest whatever they wanted...and save seeds for themselves if they desired.

We see a few people partaking but not many. Next year maybe it will catch on better.
I had the same idea. I wanted to start a local public produce project. The local community center had a few big empty planters so I asked if I could put a cherry tomato plant in it. The representative there said that they would have to bring the issue to the council. I walked out and just stuck a small plant in one of the planters. The next day it was pulled out and the container remained empty from that point on. It’s funny how people are so sensitive about their authority being questioned.

That said, I am skeptical if public produce would ever catch on in modern American society. In general, my observation is that the biggest consumers of produce are usually economically stable enough to not need/feel awkward taking food that seems to be for the poor...on the other hand, when I was in Rwanda for a month, I noticed that nearly every square foot of arable land had corn, beans, bananas and tomatoes planted. Probably not intended as a free for all but nevertheless a society that was more wedded to their agriculture.
__________________
Scott

http://worldtomatoes.blogspot.com/
Solanum315 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 6, 2019   #7
Solanum315
Tomatovillian™
 
Solanum315's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New York
Posts: 244
Default

The Iraqi volunteer...that is growth in some serious adversity...
Attached Images
File Type: jpg P3080057.jpg (459.8 KB, 116 views)
__________________
Scott

http://worldtomatoes.blogspot.com/
Solanum315 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 6, 2019   #8
slugworth
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: connecticut,usa
Posts: 1,150
Default

I was talking to a landscaper for burger king years ago and he said people
fling the tomatoes off the burgers into the grass and the plants pop up.
slugworth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 19, 2019   #9
Solanum315
Tomatovillian™
 
Solanum315's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New York
Posts: 244
Default

Just came across an old photo of the parking lot volunteer. It was a fairly generic beefsteak but I saved seeds.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMG_1434.jpg (139.3 KB, 65 views)
__________________
Scott

http://worldtomatoes.blogspot.com/
Solanum315 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 19, 2019   #10
Shrinkrap
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: N. California
Posts: 694
Default

Resilience!
Shrinkrap is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 20, 2019   #11
JosephineRose
Tomatovillian™
 
JosephineRose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: California
Posts: 383
Default

Disneyland had some outside of Tomorrowland back in June. In fact, most of the landscaping in Tomorrowland is edible.
JosephineRose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old August 21, 2019   #12
sdambr
Tomatovillian™
 
sdambr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 421
Default

Went to a football game a Princeton U there was a tomato plant growing in a crack on the bleachers, it was healthier than anything I had in my yard.
__________________
Sue

"There are only two ways to live your life: as though nothing is a miracle, or as though everything is a miracle."
Albert Einstein
sdambr is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:31 PM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★