My neighbor said my tomatoes were "too much work" and it got under my skin

Beth Stone · 2026-10-19T08:45:04.833256+00:00

I was out on my balcony last Tuesday repotting a cherry tomato seedling when my neighbor Dave leaned over from his unit and said, "Why bother with tomatoes? They're too much work, just buy them at the store." At first I laughed it off, but then I started thinking about how wrong he is. I've been growing tomatoes on this 4x2 balcony for three seasons now, and last summer I got 8 pounds off two plants. The trick is just a self-watering pot and a $6 bag of fertilizer from the hardware store on 5th. Dave's balcony is full of dead succulents, so maybe he's not the expert he thinks he is. But now I'm second-guessing whether I'm wasting my time, even though I know I'm not. Has anyone else had someone tell them their balcony garden is pointless, and how did you deal with it?

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My neighbor said my tomatoes were "too much work" and it got under my skin | Balcony Veggie Gardens - Librear