“I’ll volunteer,” said the little tomato plant that had come up on its own.
Hmmm! That could be the subject of my next children’s book, but in reality, we now have a volunteer tomato plant living with us in our bedroom, soaking up as much sun as its little vines and roots can gather.
The little plant sprouted in Nancy’s above-the-ground garden beds. She saw it as she was pulling up and getting rid of the old and dying vines last August. Actually, there were three small vines clustered together, so she dug them all up, put them in a pot and inside our house they went. One of the plants now has one small tomato – it looks like a cherry tomato, but it’s too early to tell. Nancy is going to try to nurse our volunteers through the winter and replant outside next spring.
I remember one summer when my original tomato plants petered out early, but a couple volunteer plants saved the day. Veteran gardeners say that volunteer plants sometimes produce the healthiest of all tomatoes. They are tough, resilient, and have a never-say-die will to live.
Will our plants make it? I guess we’ll find out next summer.
