Sweet tomatoes, rare flower

ashburton.png

Bill Stewart’s garden is bursting with delectable goodness like these Sweet 100s tomatoes.
Bill Stewart’s garden is bursting with delectable goodness like these Sweet 100s tomatoes.
Tomatoes of many shapes and sizes, in varying states of ripening, are hanging on the 20 or so plants of green-fingered gardener, Bill Stewart.

The flowering cactus.
The flowering cactus.
There are Beefsteak tomatoes, Russian Reds and Sweet 100s strategically placed in sheltered positions to attract the sun.

Mr Stewart eats most of them fresh, but others he gives away or swaps for eggs.

He lost a few plants in one area of the garden due to hail damage in December but replanted and was already seeing results.

He uses phostrogen to feed the tomatoes along with good doses of nature’s weather.

The plants are already healthy and loaded with budding fruit, albeit very green.

It’s a testimony to his gardening skills and his immaculately kept property which also includes a pumpkin patch, an abundant vegetable garden, a plum tree and a curious looking cactus, which sits around 50cm tall, and just this past week flowered.

The two year old plant, which is not meant to be watered, has grown from a small plant cutting which Mr Stewart watered.

Cactus usually only flower every seven or so years, so Mr Stewart was pleasantly surprised when one of its two buds bloomed to reveal a large long-petalled white flower.


 

Add a Comment