Emotional hang-ups

Alpinejs · December 2, 2011

A two yr. old thread got me to think and realizing that I have emotional
problems with my fairly new tomato addictions. I will just list two and see if
others have "conditions" that need the attention of a good psychiatrist.

I grow seedlings to sell. One can never balance perfectly "supply and demand" and preferences, so I end up with some I neither have room for
nor can sell or even reasonably give away. Sooooo, I must MURDER them.
Seriously, I almost see it as murder. Hey, do-do, it is just a plant!!

Also, I do sing to my tomatoes. I sing stupid, made up songs and the worse
that I sing them, I think the better the maters like it. I won't even sing in
the shower cause my singing voice is so bad, but I get the feeling that the
tomatoes think I rank with Caruso and Pavoratti or even Perry Como.

Okay, I feel better now. Confession is good for the soul. And so what is
your hang-ups or are you psychologically healthy?

Worth1 · December 2, 2011

I cant say I talk or sing to plants.

If you listen closely to can hear the tomatoes scream for their mothers as you walk away from the garden with them all tucked away in a basket.

I also take pleasure in killing plants just as they start to have babies.

Worth

saltmarsh · December 3, 2011

Pretty Babies. Such pretty babies. Yes you are.

SEAMSFASTER · December 3, 2011

Confession time eh?

I can't find a reason to sing anymore, but I raise my seedlings indoors and play classical music to them. Several customers claimed they were the healthiest seedlings they ever had. Perhaps...

Likewise I cannot bring myself to intentionally snuff the life out of one of the seedlings I've tended since "birth" before it's had a chance to produce something of value. I ended up giving away hundreds of seedlings to community gardens, schools, etc. Then I had to (compulsively...) find more space to grow the leftovers.

I'm still guilt-ridden and grief-stricken over the 100 or little ones I murdered back in April by giving them a double concentrated dose of fish emulsion. Mass murderer.

No wait, wouldn't that be negligent tomatocide, or involuntary tomatoslaughter? Ok, now I don't feel quite so guilty..

Have I finally found here the genuine TA recovery group which I obviously need?

51 varieties in 2010, 280 in 2011, I'm too ashamed to even confess how many I'll be planting in 2012.

How can I find space or time to grow them all?

Good thing tomatoes are not fattening or I might qualify for a leading role as a rolling red mass in one of those old, weird B movies - Attack of something...

I hope this confession doesn't cause the TV admin people to change my designation from Tomatovillian to Tomatoholic - or Tomatocidal maniac.

OCD - what AM I doing up in the middle of the night anyway, again?

Shhhh

Alpinejs · December 3, 2011

Oh happy days! Oh happy me! I am not alone.

For anyone considering a career in psychoanalysis, it appears tomato
fruitcakes are a fertile area just awaiting treatment.

kurt · December 3, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alpinejs

A two yr. old thread got me to think and realizing that I have emotional
problems with my fairly new tomato addictions. I will just list two and see if
others have "conditions" that need the attention of a good psychiatrist.

I grow seedlings to sell. One can never balance perfectly "supply and demand" and preferences, so I end up with some I neither have room for
nor can sell or even reasonably give away. Sooooo, I must MURDER them.
Seriously, I almost see it as murder. Hey, do-do, it is just a plant!!

Also, I do sing to my tomatoes. I sing stupid, made up songs and the worse
that I sing them, I think the better the maters like it. I won't even sing in
the shower cause my singing voice is so bad, but I get the feeling that the
tomatoes think I rank with Caruso and Pavoratti or even Perry Como.

Okay, I feel better now. Confession is good for the soul. And so what is
your hang-ups or are you psychologically healthy?

I feel the same way,so when it comes time to remove the weaker seedlings I will gently remove them and bury them when I transplant the maters so as they dont really die they just go to sleep and help its sisters and in theory be part of the new plant.

Tania · December 3, 2011

I do talk to my tomato plants. My psychologist thinks it is OK. I think by the end of the therapy she will be fully addicted to tomatoes too.

tgplp · December 3, 2011

I talk to my seedlings all the time, when I think no one is listening. Also, I pet them a lot, which apparently is good for their stems, so that's my excuse.

I keep a journal of my garden, and last year I named a bunch of my plants, something that had to do with the variety! I called one of my Stupice plants Peachy, and I named one of the runts Gimpy. Once, at the end of the season, I buried three plants and put flowers on their graves!

Glad to hear I'm not the only weird one!

Taryn

Neohippie · December 4, 2011

Oh, I HATE murdering plants! It's one thing to cull out the weak ones. That's more like plant euthanasia. But perfectly healthy plants that you just don't have room for? "Oh, I'm so sorry little plants! So, so sorry!"

This summer took a great emotional toll on me, because the drought restrictions made it hard to keep all my garden plants watered, so I had to let some of them die!

And I probably should have let more die, but when they got all wilted, it was like they were silently screaming to me, "Please! Just a little water! *gasp!* We're soooo thirsty!" So then I kept watering them anyway, even though I never got a crop of anything from them, and pretty much just threw all that water away keeping plants alive through the drought for no reason but guilt.

I don't sing to my plants, but I do give them words of encouragement. "Oh, you're starting to grow your first true leaves? Well done!"

Keiththibodeaux · December 4, 2011

I talk to my plants all the time. And yes, I have even given the a gently stroke of congratulations when they are recovery from a dastardly dead, man made or natural.

Of course sometimes I cut them off at the ankles and eat them too. How confused my plants must be.

Alpinejs · December 4, 2011

Whew!!! At least so far, no one has confessed to having a bigger photo
album of their tomatoes than they do of their kids!!

Keiththibodeaux · December 4, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alpinejs

Whew!!! At least so far, no one has confessed to having a bigger photo
album of their tomatoes than they do of their kids!!

I do, well at least of my garden. Wait, I have no kids. Is that cheating?

Zana · December 4, 2011

Originally Posted by Alpinejs
Whew!!! At least so far, no one has confessed to having a bigger photo
album of their tomatoes than they do of their kids!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keiththibodeaux

I do, well at least of my garden. Wait, I have no kids. Is that cheating?

I guess I'm with you Keith....only a furry kid...and I still have more photos of my garden than my furry kid. Granted I've only had him for a year though. LOL

Worth1 · December 4, 2011

Count me in too, I am childless except for furry kids.

Worth

Alpinejs · December 5, 2011

I'll add one more of my own hangups. As much as I feel like a murderer when I dispose of a seedling, I even feel badly for seeds that don't get used. When I read about a variety
that I want to try, I order a packet of seeds (usually 30). I plant two and if it doesn't make it into my "must grow" list, I have 28 seeds crying for a chance to do their thing. So, now I PM folks seeking any of those varieties, offer my list to newbies, give them to the firemen
at the firestation, send them out in Christmas cards, give to friends and relatives, etc.
I get teary-eyed in seeing a healthy seedling about 8" tall and soon to be rootbound that
emerged out of one of those little seeds. All that energy, beauty and promising future
all imprisoned in that little seed. Wow. It would be easy to go spiritual at this point, but will save that for a different board, plus this is a tomato seed, not a mustard seed, right?

December 2, 2011	#1
Alpinejs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Alpine, Calif. in winter. Sandpoint Lake, Ont. Canada summers Posts: 850	Emotional hang-ups A two yr. old thread got me to think and realizing that I have emotional problems with my fairly new tomato addictions. I will just list two and see if others have "conditions" that need the attention of a good psychiatrist. I grow seedlings to sell. One can never balance perfectly "supply and demand" and preferences, so I end up with some I neither have room for nor can sell or even reasonably give away. Sooooo, I must MURDER them. Seriously, I almost see it as murder. Hey, do-do, it is just a plant!! Also, I do sing to my tomatoes. I sing stupid, made up songs and the worse that I sing them, I think the better the maters like it. I won't even sing in the shower cause my singing voice is so bad, but I get the feeling that the tomatoes think I rank with Caruso and Pavoratti or even Perry Como. Okay, I feel better now. Confession is good for the soul. And so what is your hang-ups or are you psychologically healthy?

December 3, 2011	#7
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	I do talk to my tomato plants. My psychologist thinks it is OK. I think by the end of the therapy she will be fully addicted to tomatoes too. __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

December 2, 2011	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I cant say I talk or sing to plants. If you listen closely to can hear the tomatoes scream for their mothers as you walk away from the garden with them all tucked away in a basket. I also take pleasure in killing plants just as they start to have babies. Worth

December 3, 2011	#3
saltmarsh Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: 2 miles south of Yoknapatawpha Zone 7b Posts: 662	Pretty Babies. Such pretty babies. Yes you are.

December 3, 2011	#4
SEAMSFASTER Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: American Fork, Utah Posts: 160	Confession time eh? I can't find a reason to sing anymore, but I raise my seedlings indoors and play classical music to them. Several customers claimed they were the healthiest seedlings they ever had. Perhaps... Likewise I cannot bring myself to intentionally snuff the life out of one of the seedlings I've tended since "birth" before it's had a chance to produce something of value. I ended up giving away hundreds of seedlings to community gardens, schools, etc. Then I had to (compulsively...) find more space to grow the leftovers. I'm still guilt-ridden and grief-stricken over the 100 or little ones I murdered back in April by giving them a double concentrated dose of fish emulsion. Mass murderer. No wait, wouldn't that be negligent tomatocide, or involuntary tomatoslaughter? Ok, now I don't feel quite so guilty.. Have I finally found here the genuine TA recovery group which I obviously need? 51 varieties in 2010, 280 in 2011, I'm too ashamed to even confess how many I'll be planting in 2012. How can I find space or time to grow them all? Good thing tomatoes are not fattening or I might qualify for a leading role as a rolling red mass in one of those old, weird B movies - Attack of something... I hope this confession doesn't cause the TV admin people to change my designation from Tomatovillian to Tomatoholic - or Tomatocidal maniac. OCD - what AM I doing up in the middle of the night anyway, again? Shhhh

December 3, 2011	#8
tgplp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pacific North West, zone 8a Posts: 510	I talk to my seedlings all the time, when I think no one is listening. Also, I pet them a lot, which apparently is good for their stems, so that's my excuse. I keep a journal of my garden, and last year I named a bunch of my plants, something that had to do with the variety! I called one of my Stupice plants Peachy, and I named one of the runts Gimpy. Once, at the end of the season, I buried three plants and put flowers on their graves! Glad to hear I'm not the only weird one! Taryn

December 4, 2011	#9
Neohippie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: San Marcos, Texas Posts: 77	Oh, I HATE murdering plants! It's one thing to cull out the weak ones. That's more like plant euthanasia. But perfectly healthy plants that you just don't have room for? "Oh, I'm so sorry little plants! So, so sorry!" This summer took a great emotional toll on me, because the drought restrictions made it hard to keep all my garden plants watered, so I had to let some of them die! And I probably should have let more die, but when they got all wilted, it was like they were silently screaming to me, "Please! Just a little water! gasp! We're soooo thirsty!" So then I kept watering them anyway, even though I never got a crop of anything from them, and pretty much just threw all that water away keeping plants alive through the drought for no reason but guilt. I don't sing to my plants, but I do give them words of encouragement. "Oh, you're starting to grow your first true leaves? Well done!"

December 4, 2011	#10
Keiththibodeaux Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Louisiana Posts: 587	I talk to my plants all the time. And yes, I have even given the a gently stroke of congratulations when they are recovery from a dastardly dead, man made or natural. Of course sometimes I cut them off at the ankles and eat them too. How confused my plants must be.

December 5, 2011	#15
Alpinejs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Alpine, Calif. in winter. Sandpoint Lake, Ont. Canada summers Posts: 850	I'll add one more of my own hangups. As much as I feel like a murderer when I dispose of a seedling, I even feel badly for seeds that don't get used. When I read about a variety that I want to try, I order a packet of seeds (usually 30). I plant two and if it doesn't make it into my "must grow" list, I have 28 seeds crying for a chance to do their thing. So, now I PM folks seeking any of those varieties, offer my list to newbies, give them to the firemen at the firestation, send them out in Christmas cards, give to friends and relatives, etc. I get teary-eyed in seeing a healthy seedling about 8" tall and soon to be rootbound that emerged out of one of those little seeds. All that energy, beauty and promising future all imprisoned in that little seed. Wow. It would be easy to go spiritual at this point, but will save that for a different board, plus this is a tomato seed, not a mustard seed, right?