Our first report from the fields of Chicago

This Black Cherry Tomato is growing in Seth Zurer's backyard garden in Albany Park. Seth is a co-founder of BaconFest Chicago and will be a key partner in our BLT Fest later this summer. He bought the plant at the Uncommon Ground Plant Sale.

My suggestion to Seth is that he bring the level of the soil up to the top of the pot. The small leaves at the base can be stripped, and the small "hairs" at the base of the plant will grow into roots over the summer. I would look for a mix of potting soil and organic compost to give the plant a good slow feed.

I also encouraged Seth to consider planting either some herbs - basil, oregano or thyme - as companions, or perhaps a few carrots. It seems odd to grow carrots in a pot, but they really seem to love Tomatoes. (A fact I learned from a book on companion planting entitles "Carrots Love Tomatoes"). We tried it last year and had hands down the best carrot crop we ever have grown.

Whist I am doing some encouraging, I encourage you to go check out http://www.baconfestchicago.com/ and to follow Seth on Twitter: @baconfestchi
Earlier today, Seth and I had a very productive lunch meeting at Hot Doug's, and I don't say that only because we both enjoyed a Foie Gras and Sauternes dog. The Chicago BaconFest team is going to be a huge ally in the spreading of love for heirloom tomatoes and heritage breed pigs come the fall.

R to L - Seth Zurer, Hot Doug himself, Damien Casten