Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 24, 1990                   TAG: 9005230239
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Ben Beagle
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM TOMATOES?

This year, we are moving ahead with modernization of our agricultural division as it exists in a small plot at my son's house.

It is at his house because we don't have a sunny place at my house. It also is at his house because he does most of the weeding and watering and stuff like that, while his intelligent, witty father uses his time wisely to prepare for the future.

I always say that gardening requires both brains and brawn, and besides I hate to have anything to do with weeds.

We decided early that we would streamline our operation by ignoring corn this year.

You will recall that our corn, before it came to full tassel, fell over last year in what appeared to have been a rare episode of wind sheer.

We have never been really tight with the Gods of the Corn - although one year we meant to do the right thing by putting fish heads in the hills.

Actually, the corn fell over last year partly because we forgot to hill the plants when they first came up.

This year, we are confining our planting to tomatoes and beans.

And I can tell you that we have not been conservative and depended on six Golden Zephyr Super Whoopee plants and another half-dozen Glorious Morning Buster/Jets.

No. We have four different kinds - including those yellow ones that you would kill to get.

It hasn't been easy. We have had to put up with complaints that we are not good Americans because we have taken a very hard line on squash and cucumbers.

That is, we have refused to plant any. We are not after mediocrity here.

There is not much you can do to make a row or two of stringbeans look exotic, but this does not worry us.

Our tomato operation, in addition to being daring in the choice of the field of varieties, is extremely interesting.

We have invested in these wire cages instead of stakes, and it kind of reminds you of a science-fiction movie. Come by and see for yourself.

We cannot, however, extend this invitation to people who are obsessed with squash and cucumbers.

We are expecting our first tomatoes by July 4, and we are looking for even more innovative approaches to gardening.

Yep. I expect we'll have to put up stakes when the tomato plants get too big for the cages, but we are not going to tell anybody about that, George.