Red Sox tomatoes: some kind of feng shui?

Alerted by an eleven year old friend to the tomatoes growing in the Red Sox bullpen, I did some internet research to find out why they are there. Is it some kind of feng shui or good luck token? Here is what I found on a blog post dating from the summer of 2001:

Red Sox bullpen coach John Cumberland, who grew up on a farm in Westbrook, Maine, has started a tomato garden in the home bullpen at Fenway Park. He has dug 18 plants, and put sweet basil between each one.

"We haven't won since 1918," says Cumberland, "so there's the magic number. I'm trying to change the karma around here, get some sweet tomatoes and basil in the soil and change it. Hopefully, we'll have a nice, bountiful crop by October."

My young friend noted that the tomatoes aren't yet ripe; they should try Early Cascades--I have a steady supply of delicious red tomatoes now.

This blog is back

After a long hiatus, this blog is back. Let me begin with a report on the annual Munjoy Hill garden tour, Secret Gardens of Munjoy Hill. This year's tour netted $4000 for a number of local non-profit ventures, including a collection of gardening books for the new Munjoy Hill library. Thumbs up for the many gardeners who shared their hard work with visitors on July 9, a hot and sunny day. Thumbs down for the occasional lack of grooming in some of the gardens as well as those where plants were installed just prior to the tour. Especially enjoyable were the repeat gardens, which are clearly developing and maturing year to year. Among the outstanding locations: Aurelia Scott's stunning use of stone dust to create a fragrant English style herb garden, in which thymes, lavenders, dianthus, johnny jump ups, and other old fashioned favorites were growing as ground covers. And, Peter Blackstone's riot of tropical plants, with orchids hanging from trees and other tropicals on shelves around the garden's perimeter. The photo shows Peter's pond, with a mirror reflection of one of the low voltage lights placed around the garden.