I’ve never really lived on a farm, but I’ve always had a garden. There have been only two constants in my gardens here on Brookside: tomatoes and change. We inherited some wonderful flowering shrubs and annuals, but no matter how much I love my farmers I like to grow something I can eat. For years we grew tomatoes in the back yard in pots, and then, when our neighbors eliminated some shade-producing bushes between our properties, I finally had enough sun for some raised beds. Although the old bushes were replaced by even taller trees, those beds were a perfect spot for eggplants, tomatoes, lettuces and herbs. Then came the deer! One morning there were tomatoes, one bite out of each one, languishing mysteriously in the path between the beds. Soon after I looked out the window to see a deer grazing on the plants. The next year we moved our tomato efforts to the front porch, which because of the death-by-lightning of a big old crabapple, now had more sun than the back. After one year of a healthy harvest on the driveway side, for some reason we tried a different porch section where a heavy crop and a windy summer required us to literally wire the tomato plants to the front of the house. The next year, following the sun, we put the pots in the center, near the front of the porch and behind the roses. That’s the year we learned that deer will not only eat roses, they will lean WAAAY over the roses to eat tomatoes. Each spring, taking into account the height of the dogwood and the reach of the deer, we select the sunniest spot we can find. This year our four big pots feature tomatoes and basil, and the space in front is filled with pots of eggplant and mint, which (so far) the deer don’t eat. My hopes are high, but thank goodness for our CSA.
