Story of the rescued tomato plant!

The elegant style in which this tomato plant is growing in a garden pot with aluminium channel for support was not the way it sprouted. It was seen as a sprout from the vegetable waste in my waste dump area. I thought that it would grow up as a healthy plant and replanted it into this garden pot and took good care of it as I am always fond of tomato plants. I like the pleasant odour when you go near tomato plants or when they sway in the breeze very much.

This was the video clip taken soon after replanting in this garden pot. At that time it one would wonder why such a tall aluminium channel was needed to support such a tiny plant. Now you know why! The tomato plant is ready to overgrow the aluminium channel in height and I am wondering what to do next.

Here is a video clip taken a few days later and you can see that the tomato plant is growing very well. Due to the dense growth of chinese potato plants in the nearby garden pots, it is rather difficult to see the tomato plant well. Chinese potato plants are even encroaching into the pot in which the tomato plant is growing. Chinese potato plants can easily grow new roots if the branches touch soil in the nearby pot.

I had to add extra nylon ties as the plant grew up, to prevent it from falling down. If the plant is growing on ground soil, if it falls down, new roots will spring up at the axils which are touching ground and probably will help in getting more nourishment. But in courtyard there is no chance for new roots as the whole area is covered by concrete tiles. That is why I am favouring vertical growth and no horizontal growth!

A close look at the plant now tells me that there are early flower buds. I am hoping that this rescued tomato plant will start flowering soon and bear good number of tomatoes. Problem of pests is something which I am tired of most of the time with my horticulture efforts. Some time back I sprayed neem oil mixed with a little bit of soap water as a pest repellent. Few days back I sprayed an over the counter pest repellent which has neem oil, eucalyptus oil, lemongrass oil and turmeric powder as ingredients. Pests have not started bothering this plant yet and let me hope that it remains so.