Grandpas Homestead: The Tomato Garden
Hello Steemians,
Grandpa And Grandma Had A Tomato
Garden Separate From
The Big Vegetable Garden.
In The Tomato Garden Were Many
Varieties
Big Huge Beef Steak Tomatoes
All The Way Down
To Cherry Tomatoes.
In The Late Winter, Grandpa And
Grandma Would Start The Seeds In
The House.
They Would Use What Ever
They Had In The House Such
As Saved Egg cartons,
Cut Off Milk Cartons,
Recycled Dixie Cups,
Old Cream Cheese Containers,
Etc...
They Planted The Seeds In
A Special Potting Soil Mix
That Grandpa Made. Using
Seeds Leftover From
The Year Before.
The Planted Seeds Were
Then Put On A Table In Front
Of A Window
In The Back Room To Sprout
Once The Sprouted Seeds
Are A Few inches Tall
It Is Then Time To Transplant
Into A Bigger Container
To Finish Growing Before
Transplanting Outside
In The Spring Grandpa
Would Till The Ground
To Get It Ready For
The Tomatoes.
Then Transplanting Begins
Old Long Branches And Sticks
And Bamboo Stakes Were
Tied To The Plants To Hold
Them Up.
Once The Tomato Plants Put Out
Green Tomatoes, My Mother Would
Bring Some Home And Fry Them
In A Seasoned Flour Mixture And We
Would Eat Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches
Yum!
Grandpas Tomato Garden Was Famous
For Huge Beefsteak Tomatoes.
The Neighbors And Grandpa
Socialized Via What They Called
"The Tomato Barter And Seed Exchange Club"
The Neighbors Would Exchange
What They Had In Their Garden For Some
Of Grandpas Famous
Beefsteak Tomatoes
They Would Trade,
Cucumbers, Peppers Of All Kinds,
Even Home Canned Goods Just To
Get Some Of Grandpas Beefsteak Tomato
Goodness.
Grandma Would Use Some
Of The Tomato Harvest To
To Cook Homemade Canned
Tomato Ketchup, Tomato Paste,
Tomato Sauce, Tomato Juice And
Tomatoes And Store Them
For The Coming Winter.
I Hoped You Enjoyed This Edition Of
" Grandpas Homestead"
If You Like To Keep Up On True
Stories Of Grandpas Homestead
Follow Me
Until Next Time
STEEMON!
Nice! What was the recipe for : "They Planted The Seeds In a Special Potting Soil Mix that Grandpa Made." ?
He Used Potting Soil
Added
Damp Peat Moss
And
Compost From the
Bottom of The Compost Pile
3 parts Potting Soil
1 Part Damp Peat Moss
1 Part Oldest Compost
Mix
This Helps Retain Moisture
Put Outside After Last Frost
Reality was that household staff were expected to be very good at their jobs in the old days. The Rich often had maids, cooks, drivers, servants and gardeners to tend their oversized status properties.
Long before confidientiality agreements and servants duties ethics were the norm a servant was expects to become very discreet and very good at their roles. One role was that of gardener, delicious fresh vegetables were a sign of a talented servant.
Many times employers expected to be given this magical secret formula to growing success. Often gerdeners begged off saying they did not fully understand the reasoning or could not in good conscious revel this ' trade' secret ! ! !
Question : Do YOU know what it was ???
Answer : human Urine, this chemical blend would add vital nutrients and alter the pH level to aid growing ! ! !
So : what do you think a rich employer would think or do if the common lowly gardener said he had been " pissing " on his masters food : )
True story BTW ; )
( It is never a good reason to burn your employment bridges and almost ask to get put out of work ) . . .
Actually the urinating was done on the compost heap not the actual plants but you should see many status conscious employers would be unlikely to dismiss is minor technicality : )
I See
Grandpas Family Came From Europe
They Weren't Very Wealthy
Up Til Grandpa
Grandpa Had A Job
They All Lived Off Of The Land
Grandpa And Great Grandpa Were Also Carpenters
They Made The Fancy Stuff, But Got Paid Very Little
Love me some tomatoes. Thank you for sharing.
Your Welcome!
My grandparents used to grow alot of tomatoes for making pasta sauce! Yumm!
Oh goodness! It makes my tiny greenhouse produce look paltry!
It's So Hard Now Days
Though To Have That
Lifestyle of Days Gone Past
Yes, that's sad but true <3
True, though there are still many people practicing this sort of life! I'm learning gardening and food preservation techniques from my parents, and hope to learn wine making, carpentry, etc. We're becoming so dependent on technology, it's so rewarding learning these skills to live closer to the land and closer to nature!
:))
True!