Miles of Smiles

A few weeks ago I showed you some tomato seedlings that were growing 'volunteer' on the carrot row in the garden - in January.  I pulled them up and re-potted them.  I am determined to make them survive until it is time to plant in the garden this spring.  If I can pull this off, we'll have EARLY tomatoes.  Why, check them out.  They're really happy.  They have grown like crazy since I re-potted them.  They are 13 inches tall.  I think they are too big for the little containers I have them in.  I need to let them stretch out their roots so they don't get root-bound.

Trouble is, I don't have any bigger containers and I don't want to go buy some.  I'll just make do with something I have.  Several years ago we went to LSU Homecoming.  They were having a parade and Raisin' Cane's was throwing out a ton of Les Miles cups.  We caught a stack of them 3 feet tall.  At the time Les Miles was LSU's head football coach.  He was known for eating grass.  Even a couple of years later, he is on commercials about taking care of grass on football fields.  Les Miles is no longer LSU's football coach, so all the cups or sort of obsolete.  However, I think if ol' Les can grow grass, perhaps he can grow tomatoes.

The love for Miles, unfortunately, faded when he couldn't beat Bama and stubbornly would not modernize the offense.

So I added some good garden soil to the cups and re-potted them.  The plants were very happy to have some elbow room.  They are healthy and happy.  I put them back outside tonight.  It will be milder tomorrow and they will be happy with the sunshine.

They are weeks ahead of my other tomato seedlings I have under grow lights in the foyer that are just putting on their first true leaves.  If we can get these tomatoes to live for a month more, who knows?  We might have blooms in February and tomatoes in March.  That would be unprecedented in our garden and would bring "Miles of Smiles" to Our Maker's Acres Family Farm.