My first Johnstown red “tomato”: Right off the vine

Looks great!

Well, I no longer have that wonderful Lilly garden that my brother nastily took away from our family lore, but returning to Cambria County, I thought that maybe I would see if I could raise a few tomatoes in Johnstown.

The Lilly garden provided enough potatoes for the family from August through the next April, and we added tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, zucchini, asparagus, and when the rabbits stayed away, lettuce, beets, and green beans.

The result for 2026?

Success: The vines are loaded, but this is the first red one.

Strange way of starting this garden: I saw an advertisement online from a company that mails plants to you. Price was decent, they are about ten inches high.

However, would they arrive safely?

They did, and I planted nine of them with the hopes of having some tasty ones in late summer.

I am not yet certain how tasty they are: I will discover that tonight, but I pulled the first beautiful one off the vine yesterday. It certainly looks good, and hopefully, the dozens more green ones will ripen quickly.

So, planting tomatoes in Johnstown does work. I will let you know how the taste is.