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Breton Bay couple puzzles over standout tomato plant
THIS ‘N' THAT
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photo
Nancy Watts of Breton Bay has a 7-foot-tall tomato plant.
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W.C. and Nancy Watts, longtime Breton Bay residents, have never been serious vegetable gardeners.
"Once in awhile, we'll put in a few things, some tomatoes, lettuce … some herbs," W.C. said last week. So, the couple wasn't expecting great things when their son, Paul Watts of Leonardtown, brought them three tomato plants that he'd bought at Green Acres Nursery on Parsons Mill Road in Loveville this spring.
The couple planted the three tomato plants in their backyard. "Unfortunately, the deer got to them," W.C. said.
So in June, the couple transplanted the chewed-up plants to a spot next to their deck. "I put some wire fencing around it and it held [the deer] back a little," he said.
Nothing special happened with the plants until about six weeks ago. Then one of them began growing at a notable clip. "This one wasn't particularly impressive until about a month and a half ago. Then, suddenly, it took off," W.C. said.
Recently, the couple measured the plant at 7 feet tall. It towers over the other two plants.
The Wattses don't have a clue what sparked their plant's growth spurt. And the plant's unusual height hasn't translated to unusual yield. "No. That was a disappointment," W.C. said.
Nevertheless, the Wattses are considering saving the seeds from some of what they are calling the "beanstalk" tomato plant to see what they might produce next year.
When pressed to suggest some reason for their tomato's unusual growth, W.C. admits that he does have one theory. "Earlier in the year, we had a friendly family of skunks living under the deck," he said. He recalls taking a photo of one of them at the exact spot where the giant tomato plant is located. "I don't know if he left something behind or not," W.C. said, laughing.
GMHS senior shines in dance competition
Dimitri Reeves, a 12th-grade student at Great Mills High School, won the Greater Washington D.C. Urban League Michael Jackson Dance Competition this weekend. Reeves was the youngest competitor and the only one of the five finalists who was not a professional dancer. His performance will air during the Ms. Teen Black America Pageant. He won a cash prize of $2,000 and a celebrity gift package.
Kits to be prepared for senior citizens
Emergency preparedness go-kits will be filled by volunteers on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. at the Cedar Lane Apartments in Leonardtown for distribution to vulnerable senior citizens in St. Mary's County. The kits will contain basic items including first aid kits, bottled water, individual meal bars and important information.
The St. Mary's County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, the St. Mary's County Department of Public Safety, Southern Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross and Cedar Lane Apartments will provide volunteer assistance for the project. The kits will be distributed to homebound Meals on Wheels recipients and other identified older adults.
For more information about the emergency preparedness go-kits, visit www.stmarysmd.com/aging or call Jayne Hunsinger, RSVP manager, at 301-737-5670, ext. 1653. For more information on emergency preparedness, visit www.stmarysmd.com/emergencycomm.
Program on staying connected offered
St. Mary's County's Department of Human Services is offering the nationally recognized "Staying Connected with Your Teen" program on five Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., beginning Nov. 5 and ending Dec. 10. There will be no class on Thanksgiving Day.
The program is designed to teach parents skills needed to help teens successfully make the transition to adulthood by reducing risk factors and strengthening protective factors.
This parent education program will be held at the Governmental Center, Potomac Building, Meeting Room 14, located at 23115 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown. Registration and program materials are free.
The program is funded through the state of Maryland, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration Prevention Grant.
For more information or to register, call 301-475-4200, ext 1847, or e-mail walter.biscoe@stmarysmd.com.
Basket bingo to aid animal rescue group
A basket bingo to benefit Second Hope Rescue will be held Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Moose Lodge in Mechanicsville. Doors open at 1 p.m.; games begin at 2 p.m. There will be special games, pull tabs for baskets, raffles, food and more. All baskets will have liners and/or protectors and will come with the 2009 Longaberger holiday tote. Admission is $20 for 20 regular games and each special is $1. Second Hope Rescue is a nonprofit organization that specializes in finding new homes for older and harder-to-place dogs and cats. For more information call Second Hope Rescue at 240-925-0628 or e-mail mcbeuchert@hotmail.com.
CHS athletic boosters are cooking
The Chopticon High School Athletic Boosters are selling cookbooks. The cookbooks are $10. To purchase a cookbook and assist the athletic programs at Chopticon, contact the school athletic department or e-mail Margaret Hornbeck at bhacwife@yahoo.com.
Forum on wind power set Nov. 17
A wind power forum will be held Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center at 44219 Airport Road in California. The forum is sponsored by the Potomac River Association.
Speakers will address financial incentives, practicality, legal issues and advisable locations.
For more information visit potomacriverassociation.org, or call Dudley Lindsley at 301-373-2551.
