More Tomatoes

Yesterday was hot. From 9:30am - 12pm, three other volunteers and I strung tomatoes, and it was definitely a workout. The novelty of farming wore off sometime around 10:30 when the sun was beating down and the plants were being particularly uncooperative. But there is nothing more satisfying than seeing progress and the real benefit of your work at the end.

Before we strung the rows, the plants sprawled out all over as the weight of the tomatoes growing on them pulled them down. Once supported by a few lines of string, the plants stood upright and orderly, allowing the rotor tiller to go through the rows to remove the weeds that had sprung up around them, and ensuring the tomatoes weren't smothered on the ground as they grew. Below, you can see what a row looks like before it is strung (middle row) compared to rows that have been supported by string (far left and right).

I was reminded how much work goes into growing our food, and that we often take all that work for granted when we simply pull something off the shelf in the grocery store. Next time I eat a tomato, I'm going to be that much more grateful that the farmer who grew it put all that time and effort into it (or I will think about all of the machines needed to grow and harvest it, if it was grown on a conventional industrial farm). And it was interesting that I hastened to clean off all evidence of my hard work, as I profusely scrubbed the tomato resin off my hands before I rejoined the rest of the world and met some friends for lunch. Having your arms and legs covered in dirt and tomato resin is not a sign of accomplishment once you leave the farm - but in a sense it should be. Not that I think everyone should go around with dirt under their fingernails all the time, but I hope that people will be more accepting and interested in of the idea of working on a farm as we begin to realize how important knowing how to grow food locally truly is for the future.