The 'encouraging' looking box

I love tomatoes. My Aunt S loves tomatoes. This is how the tale of Johnson Topsy Turvy Tomato planting began. Two summers ago we spent hours on the phone yakking about homegrown tomatoes. Aunt S has a quaint vegetable stand two blocks from her house- the renown Johns Island tomato growing fields on Wadmalaw Island are just as far away as they sound: or we like to say in the south “a bit too fer to drive to evry day.” Sometimes we get them all the way to Summerville, but usually the tomato scavengers scarf them off long before they leave Charleston city limits. What’s a tomato lover like myself to do?

Bemoaning my sentiments to my Aunt S, I told her that I had been having a specific urge for a BLT for 72 hours. She assured me ‘that problem’ had already been taken care of- the solution was on its way via the US mail. She was sending me home grown tomatoes from the vegetable market? I was not saying a word- My Aunt S is known for her solutions.

Days went by… then the box came. I waited until LT came home before I opened it. When we did open it, I WAS surprised. Inside was my very own Topsy Turvy Tomato kit!

On the way to a local nursery to get some seedlings, I called Aunt S to thank her for my spring ‘gadget gift.’ Upon inquisition over the box ingredients, Aunt S became indignant. “Where are the tomato plants?” She asked me repeatedly. There must be a mistake. I’m going to call the company and ask them. I assured her LT and I had our budding forming, tomato producing topsy turvy’s location already located on our back porch area: not to worry about the plant mix-up ;-). We could take care of purchasing some tomato seedlings. Ahem. Couldn’t we?

Little did I know the curse of the Topsy Turvy Tomato planter; in some backyards succulent, delicious tomatoes grow, in others, no tomatoes grow. None. Nada. Zip. That’s right- no typo. We planted our tomato seedlings. We showered them with water, fertilizer and attention. We did not get any tomatoes. We did have a gorgeous hanging plant (that is if you could get past the piñata, crepe paper top of the TT).

Tomatoes before the bandits- nice, huh?

What’s a tomato-loving southern woman to do? I got in my car EARLY one morning to get to my vegetable market before the local vegetable bandits got there. My trip proved fruitful as the Wadmalaw truck had just left scores of ripe tomatoes for lucky lasses like me.

Note: When the Topsy Turvy Tomato ad comes on, LT and I look knowingly at each other before he promptly mutes the announcer.

Once again, we must remember, the thought behind a gift is what counts. Thank you Aunt S.