...when you read the answers to this thread and wonder....why would anyone plant LESS than 40 tomato plants for two people? I was going for 50 myself....hmmmm

.....of course, then....

In the summer time you not only have tomatoes at every meal, you have tomatoes in EVERY dish at EVERY meal, and this is OK with you!

(I dream of golden Gazpacho, and the Kellog's Breakfast have not even sprouted yet....I know I am LATE!)

During your daily commute to work, store, etc. you critique houses you see with for sale/rent signs based on the possible garden layout, sun, too much shade, too many trees. I do this almost every day

I am turning 17 this year, and next year I will be old enough to do this for real...but I do it already! When my mom points out a nice looking house for sale, the first thing I look for is garden space...

Man you people are sick. I'm glad I'm not like that.

hahaha - Just kidding.

Seriously, why are you calling it a disease? There is a difference between a nice healthy obsession that doesn't hurt anyone and a disease. Yes, I am in denial.

Anyhow, I'll do an obvious one (no one seems to have done it yet)...

You know you've got TMD when you...start planning what varieties you're going to grow next year long before the killing frost of the current year.

Happy growing.

Randy

...was it in the shade? Do they have it supported? Nope! They left them in the CUPS! Doohhh!

Wow, I don't think they know how a plant even works. If they even knew what a plant is...

When you can't wait for Planting Day but also fear it because you'll have to play "Sophie's Choice" with the seedlings. And then spend an hour profusely apologizing to those that didn't make the cut.

"I am turning 17 this year, and next year I will be old enough to do this for real...but I do it already!"
catman529,
Wow!! I never thought I'd see another teen on this thread.I thought I was the only freaky garden-crazed teen. And yes. I do that too. Critiquing houses based on their garden potential.
You know you've got TMD when you get into it really young.

"...was it in the shade? Do they have it supported? Nope! They left them in the CUPS! "
That really, really irritates me.
I can't believe they actually had the nerve to ask when they'd get tomatoes.
That ticks me off sooo bad. Leaves me speechless with incredulity.
Yup. TMD & me. Definitely. Hey...that rhymes! (pathetic, right?)
You know you've got TMD when you made poems about it. Unintentionally.

Poetry, lol

If I act kind of strange, please excuse me-
Because I have this disease that's called TMD.

It is pathetic. I will stop making poetry now, because I have to go check on my seedlings...

There's never enough tomatoes nor space to grow them in to keep us happy! No matter what I'll still try.

"There's never enough tomatoes nor space to grow them in to keep us happy!"
What's the key word(s) here?
Is it "never enough"?
"space to grow", perhaps?
nope.
It's TOMATOES!!! Of course.
Of course.

When you can decimate a broccoli crop
to get more tomato growing space, without remorse
You know you've got the
Tomato Madness Disorder. Of course.
When you sing song upon song about tomatoes
with horrifying ease
then yes. You definitely have
the Tomato Madness Disease.
When you suck at making poems
but you insist on doing so anyway
Then you're beyond curing
and you want it to stay. That way.

[waiting for applause].

[cricket chirps].

Poetry, lol.

bump.

I have just figured out how severe a case of TMD I have. Because I know that if I die of natural causes, it will probably be either from Fusarium or Bacterial Canker.

And I'm also very careful not to stand on moist garden soil for too long if my feet are coated in rooting hormone.

OK so I'm done for now...just thought I would bring this thread back up.

potatohead: haha...love that pic...looks like an ostrich sticking his head in the dirt, but in fact it's you sticking your head in your plants looking for hornworms. =)

You know you've got TMD when....

you can't walk any more on your apartment porch and you still have things left to move out there, not counting the 20+ plants you've already given away or the few waiting to arrive in the mail. ;)

""I am turning 17 this year, and next year I will be old enough to do this for real...but I do it already!"
catman529,
Wow!! I never thought I'd see another teen on this thread.I thought I was the only freaky garden-crazed teen. And yes. I do that too. Critiquing houses based on their garden potential.
You know you've got TMD when you get into it really young. "

count me in too, im 19 and have TMD as well.... were looking for a new house and i will refuse to move into a house with a small yard, poor sunlight, and bad soil..... but thats ok to have tomato gardening designate which house to move into!

you shorten your vaccation a day so that you can come home and water your babies.

chellestar83 -

I am not wanting to leave this year for vacation! I would rather stay home so I can water my tomatoes and harvest the first fruit of the year. Last year I paid a friend to water them and I had to be away from them for two weeks....I think it will only be a week this year. Not wanting to have a long vacation is definitely a sure symptom of TMD.

I must praise catman, for he is young, yet very knowledgeable regarding gardening, for his age...and also very mature for his age. =)

Thanks!

When I become obsessed with something, I spend hours on the comp learning about them till I become sort of a knowledge base full of info...tomatoes are a great example, and I love to see how many other people on this forum have the same TMD condition. ;)

muahahahahaha...I'm a Mad Tomato Scientist! ;-)

When, in your head, the places in your apartment are not "the bathroom" "the kitchen window" "the bedroom window" and "the deck," but "the room with the long shop light," "the seed germinating area" "the window with the short shop light" and "the natural sunlight place" :-)

... when your wife actualy becomes jealous of your tomato plants. and when the first time one of your neighbors steps in your back yard and looks at you like "are you ok dude?!".

...when you're trying to get people to take all your extra plants because you can't handle them all.

When you have acid sores on your lip all summer long from eating tomatos at every meal!

When, after most of your seedlings have been wiped out by damping-off disease, you seriously consider talking to your pastor about how you've been faring spiritually.

raise: lol....good one

When you have 2 1/2 acres of Florida sand-dirt that barely grows grass, you had $200 of good dirt brought in for your measly 24 T-plants, and cant figure out why everone else on this website in FL is so happy about growing tomatoes in FL!(this dirt is horrible!)(give me your secrets FL growers!)

Also, when your worried that your garden will be vandalized by the people at the produce-stand down the street that sells crappy tomatoes.

... when you don't think of cats when you hear the term "catfacing"

When your arch nemesis is the tomatoe hornworm, and you gently escort wasps out of your house like the benefitial princesses they are.

... when you hear about Swine Flu spreading and the first thing you check on is to see if the soap you have been using to spray with is anti-bacterial .... then proceed to see if any of your sprays ( Daconil, Ortho etc...) have you covered ;)
Got to protect the babies! LOL

...when you stay up until 2:30 AM in the morning (gotta be at work at 8 am) because you're scared an incoming storm will hurt your plants! =)

....when you spend all summer long looking for a house to buy that has ample room for a garden (who cares about the inside). Then once you move in and set up the shop lights you sit on a stool in front of the tomato seedlings like your expecting them to do something other than sit there. When friends and family come over to see the new house the first thing you show them is the seedlings and garden area. I also hardened them off on the front lawn so all the neighbors could see.

wvtomatoman said You know you've got TMD when you...start planning what varieties you're going to grow next year long before the killing frost of the current year.

What???? Why do you wait so long??!? I have seeds that have not sprouted yet and I am already poring over my spread sheets and seed bottles planning which ones to grow next year that I did not start this year. I have nearly 400 varieties of seeds and started nearly 120 varieties (2-4 seeds each). Darn it all I have over 90% germination!

I told myself that I would only plant 75 or so in the garden and that is the only place I plant them.

I guess I will be busting some pasture sod....

NO! I am NOT obsessed.

Bets

...when you pay to have a large tree pruned back so your tomatoes can get an extra hour or so of sunlight.
Yes, I am having that done today.

Wow. I can't believe this thread's still going. I made it months ago!!

"I guess I will be busting some pasture sod....

NO! I am NOT obsessed."

Tsk, tsk, Bets. You're in denial.
y ou've got TMD ...when you planted your tomatoes in last year's compost bin (with the compost still in it). You think about all that other stuff could have done with it instead of using it all up on the t-plants.
And then you glance at the t-plant monster, thriving in the compost.
And you smile.
It's worth it.
Click on the link of my first Golden Boy tomatoes, from the plant in the compost, and it will give you another reason.The same one is on the "Post your tomato pics (part 5) thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: My

You lay on your back under your plants to look at a 1mm tomato just to confirm that you do, in fact, have tomatoes on yous plants.

very true, very true....

...when you repeatedly count the number of tomatoes on your plant to make sure that you really do have 12 tomatoes on it.

I have TMD and I can't even eat the darn things because I'm allergic! Oh well, hives be damned if the Cherokee Purples come out good - I've never tasted them before. I'll leave the Early Girls for my DH. ;)

Taking the disease a step further...entering contests and you win dinner for four! Now you google more contests to enter and plan more varities to grow so you can win, win, win!

Here, read the thread attached... it's similiar to this one. It's great.

...When you reread that book (memoir?) by William Alexander, called "The $64 Tomato". It's absolutely hilarious--you should read it. Perhaps you have already (well, you do have TMD after all...)

Here is a link that might be useful: You might be e a tomatoholic if....

you're on vacation and you call home just to "check up on your babies.......

you meet somebody you gave tomato seedlings to, and struggle to make smalltalk before bulldozing them with your burning desire to know how the tomatoes are doing.
And even better, if they killed your tomatoes through neglect and act all casual about it, you make a mental note and vow not to give them any of your most vigorous seedlings next year. They're going to get spindly rejects, IF ANY!

I planted 2 extra plants in the back of my truck bed with some scrap potting soil I had laying around.

They go everywhere with me.

ROFLMAO! This thread is HILARIOUS!! I agree with everyone 100%!

...when you can smell the tomato vines from the computer screen, Yum!

...and when you vow to stay off this message board, but come back the very next day 'just to check what's new.' :-)

...when you get depressed over health stuff, then get drunk & post about 1 cherry tomato in 20+ different forums. ;-)

When you walk around the block late at night with a flashlight the night before garbage pick up to find usable containers

When the names on your most admired list are not Oprah or Dr. Phil or Barack. They're Carolyn & Trudi.

When you want to cut back to 60 varieties but you try a more sucessful starting method, wet paper towels in ziplock bags, and end up with 170 seedlings and must put together new light shelves in every available spot.

When you can't resist saving seeds from every delectable tomato that ripens.... even though the little cups are moldy on top and attracting fruit flies. LOL

When you delay going to the doctor (to find out if that pain in your right side is really your appendix) two hours while you water the baby (mostly tomato) seedlings, move them to the basement, and set up the timer and the last shoplights so they'll stay alive in your (possibly extended) absence.

When you spend hours of your recovery time writing and printing labels with not only the variety names, but detailed descriptions for the several dozen extra seedlings you're giving to the scholarship plant sale.

[It wasn't ever very painful, but the CT-scan impressed the radiologist, the appendix impressed the surgeon, and I didn't get home for 3 1/2 days, which is ... not normal. (I'm convinced it would have been a day or two less if only they'd ever let me sleep.) The seedlings did quite well in my absence.]

When you think "winter's coming, and there won't be any more tomatoes" and get a flash of panic, and go buy an aerogarden.

Bump for fun, and another round of TMD.

Wow. this thread is alot of fun!(bumping this up!)

I know I've got TMD when............

I think about different varieties of tomato seeds I have and can picture their fruits in my head every night before I fall a sleep in bed............ and still thinking of other varieties I think I should get in addition to what I already have. And also meet them in my dreams. lol