Organic tomato harvest was a good one, despite the plants being attacked by wilt as the tomatoes ripened.

First: the good news. The tomatoes have produced a large crop — probably about ten pounds — of yellow and red organic tomatoes. Also, the chickens, interestingly, have started laying again, despite the daily over-100 heat. I don’t know how long this will last but it’s good as far as it goes.

On the bad side, a type of tomato wilt is taking over the garden. My stepfather David visited the Cowtown Farmer’s Market last weekend, partly to check out the stuff they were selling, and partly to ask for advice since his tomatoes have the wilt as well. The chief advice? Choose wilt resistent varieties. I did notice that the Celebrity tomato seems perkier and stronger against the wilt than the others. The heirloom variety I planted seems to have no green leaves left. We will soon have to tear out the tomatoes. David is, I think, starting some new tomatoes in the Gurney Smart Start so perhaps we can still have a fall crop.

Meanwhile, to try to make an accounting of the current state of “Mom Farm:”

Income:

Organic chicken eggs:  maybe 132 this year at 25 cents each: $33.

And tomatoes: 10 lbs at $3 per pound, $30.

Basil: Ten bundles at $1.75 per bundle: $17.50

Yellow crookneck squaush: 1 at $.75.

Total income: $81.25

Costs?

Chicken food — $24.

Seeds and drip watering supplies, hardware for chicken pen: $30

(Then there is the money that my mother and stepfather put into the drip system, garden boxes, and berry vines, but I don’t know that I can bill against a gift. Also, in fairness anything used over the space of several years has to be depreciated, not charged out total.) So:

total expense: $54

Current “farm” income: $27.25.

Not much, I suppose, when you consider the amount of labor. It’s probably best looked at as a hobby that pays you back. And the year’s not over, so maybe we’ll get more crops.