Meeilei Grows Tomato, The Organic Way Without Being Told

This summer in Wisconsin is quite cool. Temperatures have been in the range of 60-70 F (or 15-21 C); very few days go beyond 80F (27 C). On August 28, the morning temperature dipped down to 48 F ( or 9 C, that is the temperature for Taiwanese winter). You need to be patient to grow tomato. And my wife, Meeilei, is a very patient person.

After several months of laboring, many tomato plants in her garden finally begin to ripe.

"I will pick up THIS tomato tomorrow", Meeilei pointed to the ripen tomato and said to me one day.

The next day, she walked to the garden to pick up that ripen tomato.

"Oh, no, some animals had bitten MY tomato !! damm..." She yelled and almost swore.

She was about to pick-up that tomato and threw it away but a second thought came in mind, she decided to leave that tomato on the ground near the tomato plant to 'feed the animal'

" I will use that tomato as a 'bait' for animals and will save the rest of my tomatos."

The strategy works like a magic. Animals which had bitten that tomato continued to enjoy the rest of it while leaving the other tomatos alone. The middle photo on top was taken when she first saw the 'bitten' tomato. the third photo was taken a week after she first saw the 'bitten' tomato. Meeilei finally got the rest of the ripen tomato free from the animal bits.

Recently, she also stringed old CD disks near the plant, as to "to scare the birds" from the CD disk reflection. (the top photo)

Meeilei has learned 'organic farming' herself. I had heard similar stories from the organic farmer friends in Taiwan. They usually plant few fruit trees in the outskirt of their fruit garden to feed the pest or animals and they can harvest the rest of the fruit free from pest. They also use reflection techniques to keep the birds off their fruit plants.

You would say, "All Taiwanese think the same."

First photo shows a CD disk hung near the tomato plant, second photo shows the tomato which got the initial bite from an animal. Third photo shows the remaining tomato that animals continued to enjoy leaving the rest of the tomato free.