My tomato plants have thrived this year. I have been diligent in removing suckers on the indeterminate plants, and now I am reaping the rewards of the time spent caring for them. I am pleased with the heirloom varieties and also the varieties I planted that are said to contain high amounts of the antioxidant anthocyanin. Indigo Apple, along with Gypsy (another dark tomato) have been welcome additions to the garden.

I’ve had a few problems, this stem at one point in time had several leaves, now it is bare. I never found the culprit, but I am pretty sure it was a tomato hornworm. I am crossing my fingers that he fell victim to a predatory wasp. Hopefully, he is the only one of his kind to visit my plants this summer, and I won’t feel compelled to whip up an organic spray. I’d much rather hand-pick the pests away or let nature’s predators help me out.

This is the largest tomato I have ever grown. To protect if from squirrels eager to sample its lushness I surrounded it with hair from my cats. I know it looks ugly, but it worked. Here is the harvested tomato, finishing its ripening process in my kitchen. Success!

If you don’t have cats or dogs, I’ve read that human hair will also repel critters. Happy Gardening!