The Grittiest Tomato

Here in San Francisco there exists numerous urban gardens tended by green thumbs bent on having a small pastoral slice of life. I work in the Civic Center area of San Francisco, where there are wonderfully cared public gardens in the South of Market Area. These gardens are intentionally planted and make for a quiet lunchtime to mellow out and relax. They are peaceful retreats from the workplace and the urban flux of noise, grit, broken bottles and the smell of homeless urine.


I walk by the intersection of Market Street and 10th Street every day on my way to and from work. There exists a vacant lot of debris and rubble from a previous building.

To my surprise, I saw a wild tomato plant sprouting from the broken concrete and brick just inside the chain link surrounding the site.



Nature and chance will never cease to amaze me. How little tomato plant could sprout in such a seemingly inhospitable place is confounding, but offers the biggest pleasure of surprise and wonder.

The plant had two other smaller tomatoes beginning to emerge and I hope they make it to full ripeness.

I can't help but wonder how they got here. Some errant seed blown by the wind? Did someone discard a half eaten sandwich with a slice of tomato? No matter how, my day of discovering this was enlightened with an early morning smile, appreciating a small patch of wilderness in an urban setting.