Tomatoes and Tobacco
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 08:00 Written by Ward Tipton Monday, 08 June 2009 19:17
Non Fiction Writing Samples - Miscellaneous Non Fiction Writing
With the economic times getting tougher for everybody, many people are looking for ways to save money without making too many personal sacrifices. One of the most common and very popular results of this is what is known as window-box gardening. This is especially popular in more urban settings where yards and open ground are more than just a little bit scarce.
The “window-box” is a small wooden box that is mounted on the window sill, generally on the outside. It is filled with soil and plants can be grown without taking up precious space indoors and without needing large areas outside. However, due to the natural limitations of construction, growth is limited to small plants. Among the favorite flower box gardens are herb gardens and tomatoes.
It is difficult to say with any certainty exactly why tomatoes are so popular but they are. Additionally, many people have difficulty getting them to grow and prosper under these conditions. One thing that is not commonly known is that the tomato plants suffer from numerous allergies. Yes. Tomato plants really are allergic to many things.
Often it is not the gardener who may be at fault for a failed tomato crop but simply, the environment in which the tomatoes are grown. This does not mean that tomatoes can not be grown almost anywhere, only that some additional steps may need to be taken in order to allow them to prosper and multiply.
Tomatoes are deathly allergic to nicotine. If the gardener is a smoker, the tomato plants require some additional maintenance. Care should be taken to wash the hands thoroughly before handling the tomato plants. The tomato plants should not be placed where they will be directly exposed to cigarette smoke either. This is perhaps, one of the most common reasons for crop failure in both small and large gardens.
Often times, the window will be over a street and smog or other pollutants are affecting the growth of the fruits. Even in these instances, there is hope. Keeping the window open and keeping (relatively) fresh air from the interior of the home blowing out over the tomato plants will prevent them from being overcome by the smog or pollutants. Since tomato plants will not grow in the winter, this should not be a major problem for most people.
In some cases, none of this can be avoided and it may be suspected that tomatoes can never thrive. Such is not the case so there is no need to despair. Just like people who suffer from allergies, there are signs that can be easily seen when an allergic reaction occurs. Unlike with humans, most people can easily solve the problem when their tomatoes are suffering from adverse reactions to the environment.
Tomato plants will suffer from brown spots anywhere that the infection or allergic reaction begins. Most of the time, the reaction will appear in the center of the leaves. Remove the infected leaves and make whatever adjustments are possible with the above hints. It may take a little while to perfect the entire process but the reward will be all the sweeter … and juicier.
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