This morning I’d like you to be inspired…by a tomato!
Yes, I am calling this a picture of “The little tomato plant that could.”
I planted a garden really late this year (end of June), so I was going to be thankful if I got even one thing out of it! Besides being late, I was new to gardening, and the tomato plants actually were only even in existence thanks to some old seeds I’d found in my garage (I think packed for 2011). I planted them in trays around May or so, just to see what would happen.
The tomato plant in the picture is from one of those seeds. Not only were the little seedling plants watered on and off, but my son’s graduation took over full force around mid-May…and the seedlings were sort of left to make it on their own.
Finally, when the graduation festivities were finished and I had re-gained enough energy to even get a garden started, the seedlings were well past their time of transplant. So, when I transplanted the seedlings from a tray to the ground, I honestly thought none of them would make it, especially the one pictured!
Being the runt of the group, I assumed it to be the most disadvantaged. Besides it being small, the leaves were sort of brownish, and it wound up right next to a big burly tomato plant that I had bought full grown from a nursery (my garden buddy calls those “cheater tomatoes”).
To add insult to injury, I ran out of potting mix during the transplant. As if that weren’t enough cruelty, then I accidentally stepped on the seedling…twice. I felt bad about it, but I figured that it probably wasn’t going to make it anyway (I know some of you are laughing at me right now!)
Well, this little tomato overcame all of that adversity! Not only did it face all of the obstacles I already listed, then it faced certain drowning (thanks to a torrential downpour), PLUS it received too much shade from the large tomato plant, PLUS it avoided a case of blight that ended the larger tomato plant’s life! I am so proud of this little tomato plant and all that it has accomplished…it finally has a plump red tomato to boast and more on the way!
So, if you are having any mid-week discouragement…be encouraged…you can be stomped on, left out, drowned out, disadvantaged…and yet you can STILL give your best…and here is proof that something GREAT will come out of it!
~GGFGourmet