I read a book called "The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden." I would never have the courage of William Alexander to compute my per fruit/vegetable/blossom dollar cost. My recovery is in the intense pleasure I get from looking at my small city garden. It is bursting right now with delphiniums,roses and peonies.I would love to hold an eight guest wedding here. There is even some arugula available for a salad course.

Over the years I have taken away most of the small lawn where my children had a climbing structure. It gets full sun and this is where I put my tomatoes. I have for the last 15 years grown my own from seed. I was taken with Shepherd Seeds', now Renee Shepherd's Gardens' descriptions of Dona and Carmello tomatoes. (http://www.reneesgarden.com/) I ordered and set up my seed growing sites. It always involved moving furniture and a great increase in our electric bill. I endured the guilt of drowning and/or scalding my seedlings, the terror of their first day outside, their unpredictable growth rates. It was rather like parenting. For many of these years I had a job that required lengthy summer hours. Once I hit mid-July I succumbed to my ruling principle (see my title) and let things go to pot or seed or something . I often did not have large harvests, and frequented the farmers markets for their heirloom tomatoes. My new job gives me summers off. I did not want to start seeds again and could not find any local (the whole East Coast ) supplier of Carmello or Dona seedlings. I did find a lovely site called Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants (http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/) that offered to grow me any number of exotic plants. Laurel lives and works in Lomita CA.

As I was reading the site I contemplated becoming a tomato farmer but resisted the impulse. They only do phone orders because shipping weights are so variable that the orders are individually done. I was lucky enough to speak with Laurel herself. (She is the smiling blond woman on the website) These are her descriptions of the plants I ordered:

Carmello " An extremely popular French tomato. This one has become a great favorite among my customers. A very reliable and bountiful producer of heavy, juicy, 8 oz. red fruits with immense flavor, this plant is among the most prolific ever bred, and produces so many fruits; you will be giving them away by the basketful." I have grown this and it is all true.

Costoluto Genovese " A big beautiful and classic Italian heirloom, the deeply fluted, ribbed intensely-red 8 oz. fruits are mouthwatering and utterly scrumptious. This stunning tomato has a splendid, complex old-time flavor which makes it a perfect choice for sauce and fresh eating."
I have also grown this before and buy tons of them at farmers markets.( and try to pass them off as my own)

I have never heard of , seen, or tasted the next two but am intrigued by the descriptions and went ahead and ordered them.

Dagma's Perfection "As described by Gary Ibsen, renowned tomato expert, gourmet, author, connoisseur, and owner of Carmel TomatoFest, who named this extraordinary tomato for his lady love. 'This vigorous and abundant plant offers a bountiful harvest of medium-sized, 3" 12 oz., light yellow beefsteak fruits with beautifully delicate red striping. Deliciously flavorful with lingering sweet overtones of tropical fruit and subtle hints of lime, it is firm, juicy and elegant in the mouth. An enchanting tomato...delightful and jewel-like, just marvelous. 'Dagma's Perfection is a best seller." This man named a tomato for his partner, we shall see.

Paul Robeson "This is my all-time favorite tomato and our top seller. It is a gorgeous, dark and dusky-hued fruit with intensely sweet earthy taste with a hint of tanginess, a luscious velvety smooth texture, beautiful skin, rich with juice. You will go mad with delight. The seed was made available by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seedswoman. This luxurious tomato is named for Paul Robeson (1898-1976), the elegant, renowned and charismatic operatic singer, law school graduate, champion athlete, film star, stage actor, and boundlessly brave champion of civil and personal rights throughout the world. This marvelous plant will give you its perfect 3"- 4" fruit in only 65 days from planting. Incredible; a symphony. I do believe this is the finest tomato in existence. " We shall really see, this is tough to live up to. I can't wait.

The plant cost is reasonable but they are leaving Lomita CA on a jet plane to Logan at a cost of $29.50 (plus a fancy handling charge). I am so excited that this seems totally reasonable.

They have just arrived , announced by my barking dog.

They have come with six pages of directions to read. Here they are, pretty things, sitting around, waiting to be planted.