Hi there, Rural Sprout Readers, 

It’s Sunday again, and this morning I’m feeling all that work in the garden I’ve done over the past few days. I’ve reached that age (ahem) where my body likes to remind me of all the things I accomplished the day before. I figure that’s a nice way of looking at it. I see an Epsom salt bath in my future. 
 

 

Did any of you get a chance to read the post reviewing the garden planners? We’ve decided to do a giveaway over on our Instagram account. If you would like to win a copy of The Family Garden Planner, click here to go to Instagram and follow the directions in the post. 

 

If any of you read Rural Sprout daily, you’ll know that a theme seemed to develop this past week. We had three different articles pop up about tomatoes.

 

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in home gardens. I’ve known a few people over the years who grew tomatoes exclusively. 
 

 

I hope I don’t offend anyone when I say tomato gardeners are a little crazy. Myself included. And it’s no wonder; tomatoes can be so finicky to grow. They’re many other crops you can plunk in the ground, and they’ll do just fine with very little supervision or intervention by you. 

 

 

It seems you’re always battling some pest or disease or too much rain or too little rain. Perhaps we should have left those crazy fruits in the Andes where we found them.

 

But then again, when you get it just right. When it’s just the right amount of sunny and just the right amount of rain when you conquer all the familiar tomato foes – all that crazy-making work becomes worth it with that first bite into a tomato sandwich. 

Around our house, it’s extra mayo, a few good cranks of the pepper grinder, a sprinkling of salt, and some fresh dill before piling thick slices of tomato on your bread. 

I can’t wait for the first tomato sandwich of the season, can you? 
 

Alright, my friends, I’ve reached the end of my coffee, although I’m not sure I can get up out of my chair at this point. I hope our little newsletter finds you happy and healthy this week. Go out there and get some dirt under your nails.