By Tori Jarrell
Salisbury Post
Greer Goodman’s “piggy back” tomato is the oddest vegetable that he has ever seen.
When he went to pick his tomatoes one evening, he pulled it off the plant and said, “Lookee here! I’ve never seen one like this before.”
So he brought it in for the Salisbury Post’s annual Garden Game.
Goodman’s gardens at his 1070 Mainsail Road home have about 60 tomato plants, along with peppers, beans, okra, peas, cucumbers and watermelons.
Goodman works hard to keep up his gardens. He has one large garden that is 60 feet by 70 feet, along with a couple of other smaller gardens to the side.
He drives up the hill from his home to the gardens every evening to tend them. He has to tote water to keep them well hydrated, due to the lack of rain this season.
He says his secret to a succesful garden is in the care.
“I put a lot of leaves in the rows, and then cut them in with the tiller,” he said. “Then I put the fertilzer in and till that in. After that I put more fertilizer on top of the ground and then cover that with a thick layer of leaves. The leaves keep in the moisture.”
Even though it’s a lot of work, Goodman says he enjoys every minute of it.
He gives a lot of his vegetables away to friends, family and neighbors. And he makes juice. Lots and lots of juice.
“I’ve made 35 quarts of tomato juice. Yesterday I made 15 quarts,” Goodman said. “I drink it for breakfast and give it to my relatives. I keep them supplied with tomatoes.”
Meanwhile, his piggy back tomato remains inside, sitting on top of a cabinet.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with it yet,” he said. “Maybe I’ll make me a sandwich out of it.”