To avoid using pesticides on our home grown tomatoes, Engogirl and I tie paper bags around them with twist ties when they are very small to stop the bugs getting at them. The paper bags are surprisingly robust and stand up to the rain without any problems. Sometimes we have to change the bags because the clumps of tomatoes get so big that they burst open the bags.

The bags shown in the photo above have already survived several downfalls of rain.

We found out about this through Engogirl’s uncle who has a green thumb and a healthy distrust of all pest control chemicals.

Home grown tomatoes taste so much better than commercially grown tomatoes. I can’t bring myself to buy tomatoes any more now that I grow my own. It really makes me angry when I see the nasty tomatoes that are on offer in the supermarkets. Apparently the supermarkets are the ones that are demanding that farmers grow varieties that have thicker skins allowing them to travel well and look good on arrival rather than taste good.