Gardening from Your Kitchen: Tips from a Green Thumb-in-Progress

Laura Venner, Ohio State University and Global & Public Health Office for National SAVMA

We can all agree, social distancing is not ideal.  I have not enjoyed the online classes and I am a bit anxious to hear what is going to happen to my fourth year rotations.  Until a bit more light is shed on this situation, I am taking the opportunity to focus on myself and bring back some of the hobbies I haven’t had time for in veterinary school. 

One of those hobbies I’m dusting off is gardening.  My friends can attest to the fact that I cannot keep a fern or flower alive in my apartment.  But when it comes to growing vegetables, I have a bit of a green thumb.  At the end of my first year, I decided to ditch my dead decoration plants and used that space in my house to grow some veggies.  My lettuce plants thrived and my tomatoes grew so big that I had to get trellises to hold them up! So, in support of the environmental wellness dimension for our SAVMA EB virtual VMUD, I thought I’d share with you some of my tricks on how to grow your own tomato plants in your kitchen.

Here’s what you need to get started:

●      Soil - preferably fresh potting soil but if the only soil you have access to is what is outside your window, grab a bit.  Potting soil will be the most effective as it will have nutrients that can help your tomato plant grow

●      Slice of tomato - ripe! Any type of tomato can be used, but I prefer organic because in my experience, they grow easier when in the kitchen.  You also may have more success with cherry tomatoes, but I only have heirlooms today!

●      Pot - make sure there is a hole (or holes!) in the bottom so any extra water can drip out

Slice your tomato!  All you need is a few pieces! I used the rest of my tomato for my dinner!  I only used about one slice. Fill your pot with soil, leaving about 3 inches from the top and place chunks of the tomato into the soil.  If you have compost (see Collin’s post about composting!), feel free to add it to your potting soil to maximize your success!

** Side note - I added a picture of my cat Arlo assisting me with some of these more challenging steps (haha but a cat is not necessary for success!)!

Cover the tomato slices with potting soil and water your soil until it is moistened.  Place your plant in a sunny window.  You should see some sprouts in 20 days!

At some point, your tomato plant will get too big for the pot, so you will need to transfer it to a bigger pot or provide a trellis for your tomato plant to grow on.  Or, you can also easily transplant your tomato plant into your garden!

Send us pictures of the plants you start during social distancing at the SAVMA instagram at @studentAVMA and make sure to include the hashtag #savmagoesgreen!