The Stanford Tomato Experiment

When a grape tomato I’ve been cultivating for months finally turns crimson on the vine, I feel joy, accomplishment, and the great internal battle of whether to be - or not to be - completely indulgent. Do I wait until the other tomatoes ripen so I can make a proper sauce, or do I pop this in my mouth to satisfy the desire to know it’s taste immediately? These are time honored questions we all ask ourselves as gardeners and foragers. Harvest now or harvest later? Eat now or eat later? Grow less or grow more?

It's been two years since I started growing tomatoes in Maryland and I have never successfully saved enough for a sauce. I could draw general conclusions about my ability to self-regulate when faced with temptation, but the reality is, I have discipline about a great number of things. Resisting temptation is highly contextual. I know I could control myself if it was a beef steak tomato. I know I could resist if the tomato was a marshmallow. I know my impulses would be tempered if there was an abundance of tomatoes or if I had just eaten lunch. The trick is to know under what conditions we are less likely to indulge so that we might crack the code of our own vices.

It's also important to consider if making sauce is for all of us. Maybe it’s just enough to have grown something you can enjoy on your own terms. Horticultural therapy is one of my favorite ways to explore these questions and to reflect on our preferences and behaviors. Being in the garden is such a beautiful and reflective space to learn about ourselves. The learning seems to multiply when we can sow seeds and harvest with other people. For this reason, we are excited to offer group garden programs because sometimes reflecting on our own tendencies can be enriched with the perspective and company of others.