從巴士站到慈善店的車厘茄苗 From Bus Stop to Charity Shop: Cherry Tomato Seedlings

我種菜的大原則是：街外買不到、難買的我才自己種，但車厘茄是例外。我家不特別喜愛吃蕃茄，但做沙律時愛放幾粒車厘茄。由於只放幾粒，買一盒回來通常很久都吃不完。自己種植的話，比較符合我的習慣，而且新鮮摘下來的車厘茄，比街外買的美味得多！

我對車厘茄的品種無特別考究，買回來覺得好吃的，就用它的種子來種植。每次發種子，我都會多發幾粒，以防萬一，待長出幼苗後，像選美那樣揀選最強壯的一棵留下，其他的就送出去。

去年我把多出的蕃茄苗放在巴士站讓人領取，轉眼就全掃一空！後來我發現附近一間charity shop有賣盆栽，於是今年問問他們會否接收蕃茄苗，他們說會。結果我把六盆蕃茄苗拿過去，甫放下已經賣出三盤，很受歡迎呢！

這樣下來，那些幼苗沒有浪費，其他人又可以廉價獲得幼苗，更為charity shop帶來一點收入，實在是一舉三得！

My guiding principle in gardening is to grow what’s hard to find or not easily available (link), but cherry tomatoes are an exception. While my family isn’t particularly fond of tomatoes, we love adding a few cherry tomatoes to our salads. Since we only use a few, a box of store-bought cherry tomatoes often takes a long time to finish. Growing them at home aligns better with our habits, and freshly picked cherry tomatoes are much more delicious than those bought from the store!

I don’t have any particular preferences for cherry tomato varieties. If I find a tasty one, I use its seeds for planting. I would sow a few extra seeds just in case, and after the seedlings are established, I keep the strongest one and give away the others.

Last year, I placed the surplus tomato seedlings at a bus stop for people to take, and they were gone in no time! Later, I discovered a nearby charity shop that sells potted plants. So this year, I asked them if they would accept donation of tomato seedlings; they said they would. I took six pots of tomato seedlings to the shop, and within no time, three of them were sold. They are very popular indeed!

This way, the seedlings aren’t wasted, others can acquire them inexpensively, and the charity shop earns a little income. It’s truly a win-win-win situation!