A mere four days have passed and already each of my tomato seedlings have grown a third leaf. As their height increases and new leaves continue to show, the stems are also becoming purple and a bit thicker *note to self- should probably start shaking them soon. This is a big step up from last year, when the sickly pale stems just became taller and stragglier trying to get closer to the grow light, but eventually just collapsed into a pitiful puddle. This year’s tomato seedlings could already beat the shit out of those ones, and I couldn’t be more proud. I hope their triumphant ascent continues.
In cruel irony, as my tomatoes finally breathe life into my garden, the state of the world is feeling more grim than usual. I recently scoured eBay to find a few cute, affordable outfits for summer things, but it feels possible that I might just be dressed really cute for global disasters. I hope I get to see the ripening of at least one tomato before the end’times. In the event of any number of not-too-far-fetched human disasters, I’m considering potentially living off of my tomatoes and using them for bartering. Might my future benefit more from pouring my time and energy into tomato rearing than my actual job? Perhaps. But for now I will continue to work in the event that the world does not end and I still need to pay off my condo.