Vacationing with friends!
The Author of this site has been growing tomatoes and other vegetables off and on for over 30 years. I remember as a kid taking the time-life gardening books to bed to read before falling asleep. I also liked encyclopedias, but mainly I liked gardening books. With all the diagrams and charts and different plant names. I also come from a long line of hortoculturists that are somewhat famous in the midwest for starting the Gurney Seeds and Nursery Company. There are still a few of the Gurneys in the greenhouse business, and I’m quite the avid gardener myself. I have also grown tomatos for some of the local fancy restaurants and have had over 300 tomato plants going at one time, pretty much by myself.
I live in southern california, so there are somethings which are easier for me, especially the longer milder growing season. On the other hand, the dirt in my yard is as hard as a rock. When I go back to visit relatives in the midwest I admire their rich chocolate soil, but then I’m getting my first tomatoes when they’re just putting their sprouts in the ground.