Tomato Wars is officially in full swing, with all teams’ plants in the ground.
I hate to heap too much praise on the competition, but I’ve got to hand it to Team Idgie’s Lament. Not only do they have an awesome “Fried Green Tomatoes” inspired name, but Kim “Black Krim” White has put up a pretty amazing sign. If there was an early prize for creative skillz, I’d have to give it to her. Where does one even find fake tomatoes?
The deadline for getting your plants in the planters is today!
I like this tip from Cynthia Sandberg of Love Apple Farms, as featured in a Huffington Post piece about tomato growing.
For instance, take Cynthia Sandberg, owner of Love Apple Farms in Santa Cruz, CA (‘love apple,’ or ‘pomme d’amour’ is an old romantic French appellation for tomatoes). Into the hole she digs for each tomato plant Cynthia adds a fish head, worm castings, aspirin, egg shells, bone meal, and mycorrhizal fungi. (In case you doubt the efficacy of this method, the tomatoes Cynthia grows go to Manresa restaurant which has consistently received a two star Michelin rating.)
Looks like the Tow Mater team, comprised of Mike “Dutchman” Codde and Mardi “Marglobe Supreme” Browing are off to a great start right outta the gate. Check out that cool sign!
If anyone out there hasn’t read Barry Estabrook’s “Tomatoland,” I highly recommend it. Estabrook covers the fruit from top to bottom — from why our modern-day, grocery store ‘maters are lacking in taste to the trials and tribulations of the people who grow, care for and pick our nation’s tomatoes. 
Okay, okay. So maybe ours won’t be this kind of killer, but I’ve got a good feeling that the tomatoes produced by the Tom-Tom Club will be killer tasting. – Jessica “Beefsteak” Pasko
FWIW: I’m admittedly a tomato snob. Give me that ugly, crazy-colored heirloom variety over a hot-house tasteless tomato any day!
We’ve got a star-studded list of Sentinel staffers on our ten teams, compiled by the oh-so-aptly-named Marc DesJardins, features editor and tomato wars emcee extraordinaire.
Better start placing your bets now, because it’s about to get crazy.
