stop and smell the tomatoes

Tomatoes have a distinct smell when you grow them. It’s an earthy, plant smell. And when I smell tomatoes still on the vine in the produce aisle, I remember growing them as a child. I guess certain smells can bring back memories of places we have been, or things we remember. I was four years old. My parents lived on Ave B in a large two story house. We always referred to it as the Old House. It was old but cheap and we called it home. I wish this house still existed, so I could go back and see it. In my mind it was large, with cracked windows and yellow peeling paint. The only flowers that grew were the honeysuckle along the side of the house and a spray of purple iris at the corner of the house. In the spring the bees loved exploring the blossoms. We had space beside the house that was grass with a few small bushes. But one spring my mother was motivated to plant a garden there. It was the sunny side of the house too. Plants could get plenty of the warm Texas sun. I don’t know the exact reason, but my mother just started digging and turning the soil. She told me to follow behind and break up the clumps of grass and release the dirt from their roots. The dirt would fall and the grass would be raked up and disposed in the far corner of the lot. We did not have a motorized gas tiller, so the digging and clearing was done with a shovel and a hoe. She would purchase seeds and seedlings at the feed store in town. It was not a big plot, but it would be enough space to grow some okra, squash, cucumbers and tomatoes. We planted the seeds and placed the tomato seedlings in rows. My mom would cut the bottom of old milk jugs to use to cover the plants and help hold in the warmth around the plant at night. I remember sitting on a bucket while watching my mom water and weed her little garden. I would walk in the warm wet dirt and then have to rinse my feet with the hose before going back inside the house. The plant needs sunshine and water, but began to show visible growth. Eventually wire cages would be used to help support the growing tomato plants. The smell of tomatoes plants would soon be infused with the smell of okra and squash. Once the tomatoes starting to grow, my mother would pick them and let them ripen on the window sill. I remember red natural luster of the fruit. She even had some extras to share with friends and neighbors. It was a lesson in life that if you can turn a small plot of nothing into a home garden I think of that small garden every time I see vegetables in the grocery store. I always stop to smell the tomatoes.