Secret Technology

Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz on our block about the tomatoes at number 23. I can’t think of the name of the young fellow who lives there. I’m not sure we’ve even introduced ourselves by name, although I’ve had a few pleasant natters with him over the fence, mostly concerning his veggie patch. I know he’s had trouble with getting enough sun on it in the past; I’ve got the same problem myself. It’s always made it difficult to get a good haul of tomatoes, but we both persevere with trying to grow them, occasionally swapping tips and tricks.

People are saying that this fellow’s patch is going gangbusters. It’s early September so it doesn’t make any sense, but reportedly he’s already got tomato plants shooting up and starting to bear fruit. Frankly, this is something I’ll have to see for myself before I can believe it. If I’m not mistaken, the frosts are still quite a way off being over, so I don’t understand how it’s possible for the plants to be coming up at all, let alone starting to fruit. But if it’s true, I need to know the secret.

Linda next door said he’s using a device called a hyperbaric oxygen chamber – a portable one, which he’s rigged up in a bed using an extension cable. Now, I’ve heard about this hyperbaric medicine. Around Melbourne, there are a few clinics that have these chambers. My dear friend Margaret did a round of hyperbaric therapy for her diabetic foot condition, so it’s not completely new to me.

I’ve never heard of anyone using these chambers for raising plants, but nothing shocks me these days when it comes to technology. The kids are always thinking of new ways to use the telephones and the radios, and my son-in-law even set me up with this blog. It takes a good while to type anything as I have to look for each letter individually, but still – what a world!