Tomatoes: The Real Magical Fruit

“Get your fresh tomato plants! Straight out of the ground! 50 cents each!” I said as I strutted down the halls of my high school, way back in 10th grade. In my hands, I toted a shoebox with 8 little tomato plants. Their homes were plastic bottles, minus the top half. Most people ignored my product, but a few teachers and high schoolers handed me 50 cents and picked out a 2 week old baby tomato plant.

About a month before this, I started plotting. I ran outside to my little garden area. Ready to expand, I started pulling up grass and tossing it into a plastic bin. I did this for several days in a row. Satisfied with my work, I continued to the second step- asking my dad to drive me to Lowes. My father agreed. The deal was if I drove and paid for the trip with my $25 Lowes gift card I got as a birthday present, he would come along. At this point, I only had a permit, and still do to this day, so I needed my dad in the car to direct me and to be legally allowed to drive.

I parked in the parking lot of the beloved Lowes, turned off the car, and opened the door. My dad met me at the car door and I practically skipped inside the store. We grabbed a cart and headed straight for the garden center.

I picked up planters, seeds, herbs, dirt, and scented hand soap (a necessity when you are getting dirt underneath your fingernails on a regular basis). My dad helped me and showed me the best dirt to get, which tomato plant types my great grandfather liked(when my great grandpa retired, he and his wife started gardening. I never got to see it, since they were about 85 when I was born, but I got to hear stories of how large it was. He was the reason I started gardening, so that my dad could pass along the gardening wisdom that his grandpa gave him so many years ago.) We got to the register. The total: $96. My gift card covered a little more than ¼ of it. Dad, knowing what would happen, was prepared to help me pay. He would be the one saving money on buying tomatoes after all, at least, that was my argument.

As soon as I got home, I FaceTimed my best friend to show her all my new exciting things. A friend from church had given me starter peat pots to begin the plant process. We talked all about plants as I put dirt and the seeds in the peat pots.

Here is the part of the story where we reach our problem. I planted too many tomato seeds. I realized this all too late, about 2 weeks later when they all started sprouting up and I counted 45 tomato seedlings. A few days went by and then there were 68 tomato seedlings. I ended up with 85 tomato seedlings.

The solution? I did what all high schoolers do when they mess up- I asked my parents, teachers, plant nurseries, and friends. I did research. I got a brand new notebook to write down suggestions and ideas. Sadly, I got the same answer from most people. Over and over again, I heard, “Just let them die.” WHAT?! Let beautiful plants die? They had so much potential! They could make 20-30 tomatoes per plant! We are talking about the possibility of around 2,550 tomatoes. The average person will eat about 75 tomatoes per year, meaning I could provide tomatoes for 34 people with these tomatoes.

At this time in my life, like many other teens, I was dirt poor. So, I did a bit of research, and decided to start selling. I separated plants, collected water bottles, spent hours each night making little labels and putting them into a big box. These plants were pretty much my children at this point. I guess that is why people say they are a plant parent, they give so much time, effort and money into a tiny, helpless life form, and hope to one day see them flourish. I loved those tomato seedlings so much, and I couldn’t wait to give them new homes.

I wanted to make the plants cheap enough for people to want, but expensive enough to make a bit of profit. I decided on 50 cents per plant. ‘That’s fair,’ I thought, ‘they are only 2 weeks old, so the new owners will have to do a bit of work to keep them alive.’ I also planted too many squash and zucchini seeds, so I sold around 5 of those plants each.

I made a good little profit from it, around $40. My biggest order was 20 seedlings. That was a good day. My mom showed me how to market the item. My dad told me that I should carry the box of tomato plants around school. Even though the biggest order was 20 seedlings, my favorite order was a guy in my grade that said, and I quote, “a new pet.” He named it Frank and stroked its little leaves. And then, like all high school boys, lost interest only two minutes later, and gave it to the girl that sat behind him in class, who then passed it on, and after about 5 minutes the tomato plant disappeared. I wonder to this day where it ended up, and whether it had a good life or not.

Through this accident, I found a deep love for gardening and owning a (very) small business. I really enjoyed this and decided to start taking business classes. As of right now, I am planning and plotting for this year’s tomato plant business. I can’t wait to experience the tomato adventures that lie ahead. That’s why tomatoes are the the magical fruit in my life.

Author Notes: Hope y’all enjoyed!!!! <3<3

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