DILEMMA! To grow or not to grow ... that is the question

[kimpossible]

I have a decision to make & I don't know what I should do.
Logically, I think I know what is right, but emotionally, that is another story.
Here is my situation.
I work in the automotive industry - it is always feast or famine. Right now, it is "feast" - as far as working hours go.
A year ago, we were laid off for weeks, & eventually months ...
This year, we are working mandatory overtime, at least 6 days a week. This started in Sept '09 & then was extended until April '10, and now it is looking like it will definitely last until July '10, with reliable rumours from our suppliers that it will continue until December 2010!
(We build the Chevy Equinox & the GMC Terrain = extremely successful GM vehicles right now.)

My logical mind says: "Kim. You need to be logical! Take it easy! Pare down your garden this year & only grow what you know you can absolutely take care of. Don't plant all those multiple coloured cherries, compare myriad Brandywine varieties, do taste-tests for Pastes, Earlies, Green-when-ripes, multiple Black varieties, etc., etc., etc."

My heart says "Do it anyway!!! You can always give them away, throw them in the freezer, feed them to the dogs, abandon them if absolutely exhausted & desparate!!!" LOL....

So what do I do? Be responsible and take it easy, or pretend that I am not working at least 6 days a week & I can do all those plants justice??

[veggie babe]

Here is my 2 cents, if you have enough time to take care of the plants go for it. You can make friends with everyone giving away tomatoes, and as you mentioned you can always freeze them for later.
My family wants tomatoes in everything so it is amazing how many we eat in a year. I never put up enough, I always have to buy tomatoes by the end of the year.
The good news is you have a job during these troubled times.
What ever you decide will be right for you.

Neva

[dipchip2000]

Kim
I wont go into my situation, however I totally understand where you are coming from. I am exhausted and fully stressed seven days a week. I look at gardening as my labor of love and believe it is wonderful therapy in a stressed out world. Plant what you want to plant and take care of them as best you can. While you may fail to do all you want with them, I promise that they will not fail to give your mental and emotional being a well deserved vacation from the stresses of daily life. Growing tomatoes is a whole lot cheaper than going to a shrink and then you get to eat the fruits of your labor. These are ramblings of an old man but are apropos no matter who you are. Just do it.
dipchip2000

[Blueaussi]

I feel you pain, although that always seems to happen to me after I get the garden in the ground. If the garden works as a stress buster, I think I would put at least a moderate garden in the ground. Maybe you could focus on some of the hardier types that take less care.

And Neva is right about sharing the excess. People love getting home grown tomatoes.

[oc tony]

I'd divide the garden into thirds. The first one would be priority one. The second would be less than the first and the third one last. This way you could give up a part at a time to match the work load with out as much guilt.

[darwinslair]

if you think you wont have much time, plant in such a way that there wont need to be a lot of maintenance. No time to weed? lay down landscape fabric, cut holes, and plant in them. No time to process beans? grow ones that dry down to soup beans. Really low maintenance? Grow potatoes. Other than harvesting them, not a lot else you need to do.

tom

[mtbigfish]

Kim
I think the verdict is in - grow em - OC Tony had a good idea too - make the areas prioritized - by the way if you get diseases it would sure be nice to have more plants with a chance for more to survive - I am sure you can find someone to give extras too - maybe a 'food bank' would be nice
Dennis

Ps I used to grow 100+ tomatoes at our house but I got laid off last Feb as did my entire team but one - he worked on different software - I don't have the area I used to have because we sold our house before it dropped more - I also have 2 gardening plots in the community garden and I am going to grow as many if not more this year

[gnut629]

Kim,

Do you have someone you trust that can help you, who could reap the benefits of free, delicious produce (your payment to them). I would say, plant them. You can always give back to mother earth if need be.

[BigdaddyJ]

"So what do I do? Be responsible and take it easy, or pretend that I am not working at least 6 days a week & I can do all those plants justice??"

Tomato plants are tougher than we think. You have no dilemma if you don't treat them like children. I say grow them! If you can't tend to them as much as you'd like to just don't! Leave them be. Let em sprawl if need be. Let them do whatever they want. If you lose them all so what? There are bigger things to worry about and in this economy and that would likely include your job.

I bet they surprise you though...

[stormymater]

Grow them! Set them out using your favorite mulch & make it EASY. I love the zonal approach - garden triage LOL. DO it! Do it! Do it! Otherwise you'll be wondering what those tomatoes would have been like whatwith the PERFECT growing season you're gonna get! Grow 'em!

[kimpossible]

OK !! You all talked me into it (Thank you!!! I was hoping for that concensus!! - for the moments when my supportive husband looks at me when I am stressed about working too much & not getting enough down-time in the garden, and asks me "Why do you do this to yourself?? Don't you think you should plant less next year???" - and then I look at him like he is crazy!! )

I just needed like-minded, similarly obsessed, tomato-growing gardeners to say it's OK!

And I do like the idea of prioritizing certain sections or plants in the garden. And I work at a plant with about 2200 employees - so no shortage of victims to dump my out-of-control produce upon!

I love you guys!