Tomato Plants at Demen's Landing - Click for Larger View

Today’s post, I have to admit, is just for fun. It doesn’t necessarily tell you anything about St. Petersburg. Or maybe it does? 

Some time ago, I was down at Demen’s Landing, which is on the water just south of downtown St. Petersburg. It’s a great place that’s home to a marina, a ship’s store, a nice, open piece of parkland, a playground, some picnic tables and grills, and, once a year, American Stage’s annual outdoor production in the park.

When you reach the end of the roadway as you approach the bay, there is a circle/loop that allows you to turn around and head back out of the park without having to stop at a dead end and back up to pull out. At that loop, there’s also a small parking area and there is a raised-elevation overlook that you can walk up to that provides a really pretty view of the bay, the Pier, the sailboats and powerboats that are coming and going, and just about anything else that’s going on in the area. To reach the overlook, you can either climb up a few steps on a center staircase or you can walk to either side and walk up slopes instead of stairs.

Okay, now to the point! I was walking up the steps toward the top and something caught my eye in the planter next to the steps. I stopped and backed up a few feet and looked more closely and there, nestled among the intentionally planted shrubs, were a few little tomato plants poking up out of the shade, reaching for the sunshine! They were healthy as can be and they had a few buds on them, so I decided to come back in a few weeks and check them out again.

I did, and this time there were several yellow flowers, along with several small tomatoes hanging from the plants. I brought my camera with me because it all seemed so unlikely. I have no idea whether it was a complete accident – maybe somebody was eating a tomato or a sandwich with tomato on it and threw their trash into the planter. Or maybe one of the people that lives aboard a boat there chose this spot for their personal garden? That actually seemed unlikely, because there are some much more hidden areas to plant, if one wanted to ensure that the tomatoes would be there after they ripened. In any case, what I guess it does say about St. Petersburg is that we have a fantastic climate for gardening – these plants were clearly thriving in what appeared to be a fairly wild setting. It was fun to see them.