The first tomato of 2007

I am pleased to report that I picked our first two ripe tomatoes of this season yesterday, only one day short of my July 4th goal.

I will have to give the climate on North Carolina's Crystal Coast much of the credit.

All I did was dig three holes in the sand and fill them with topsoil and some Osmocote and keep the plants well watered.

When I stuck the plants which we got from Lowe's into the ground on May 5th,  I knew that I had planted a little late for the area, but I also knew that barring some some unforeseen difficulties that I would still get tomatoes.

Sixty days from planting to crop is pretty good in my book.  I did not have to use smelly socks in an attempt to protect the plants from deer this year.

Deer have not been a problem so I haven't faced a bitter harvest or even the world uglest tomatoes like I did last year.

We did have an attack from tobacco worms (tomato hornworms) but they were fed to the blue crabs in the gut behind the house. I also had to send a fiddler crab scrambling afer I caught him attacking one of the tomatoes damaged by the tobacco worms.

I am looking forward to some great tomato sandwiches without having to visit the tomato hunter's paradise down in Charlotte.

While I have grown some fantastic tomatoes over the years in Roanoke, especially while they were protected by our Lab Chester, I am ready to concede that growing tomatoes is much easier in North Carolina where the heat is more consistent and the deer aren't a problem.

Perhaps I should offer up some fireworks to commemorate my first early tomato in a number of years.

The fireworks are from the great exhibition that Emerald Isle put on the night of July 4th.  Those fireworks were the conclusion to a great holiday which included a trip up the White Oak River and even a parade in our subdivision on the shores of the White Oak near Swansboro.