I was popping into a grocery store when an unusual planting caught my eye. Usually stores plant flowers, bushes, or trees to beautify their landscape, but this was different.
Do you recognize these plants? It’s a very interesting choice for a grocery store.
How about a closer look?
If you guessed tomato, you’re correct. I didn’t see any ripe fruit, or even any decent sized green tomatoes, but that didn’t surprise me.
It’s still pretty hot here, and not many varieties of tomatoes will set fruit at these temps.
I do have to say that I was impressed by how good these plants look.
Mine have usually succumbed to mildew, blight, or some other ailment by now.
In about a month or so, they should be overrun by tomatoes.
Anybody else in Florida have tomato plants that look this good?
My front flower planting has filled in nicely, so I’ll share some of those hardy souls with you soon.
It’s almost time for fall plantings, and I am looking forward to that!
Coffee to Compost 
There is a discount cost plus 10% grocery store near Davis and Olive that has tomatoes growing in a box out front. My luck with tomatoes has been quite mixed and generally with death of plants the common outcome. I have found one that will produce fertile flowers at high temps, but I need to go to raised beds if I want any success. When as a child in NW Indiana tomatoes were easy to grow, but not here in NW Florida. I saw a hydroponics setup at the IFAS in nearby Santa Rosa county one year that was full of heirloom tomatoes. That might be the way to go. IFAS from the University of Florida has a bit going on the north of the county. Mostly what we saw were studies on turf for golf courses some years ago.
Tomatoes are tricky here. You’ve got to really want them. I got a few Matt’s Wild Cherry tomatoes this year, despite poor growing conditions. I may start some more for the fall garden.