The Tomato Guy: My Story, My Cause

I’m Dave Freed, the tomato guy. I teach to you and others, on Zoom and in person at little or no cost how to grow tomatoes easily. In my blogsite you see tomato plants with over 100# of tomatoes on a single plant. When you see these pictures, you see the results, you know that I know what I’m doing.

In addition to tomatoes, my techniques, methods, specific recommendations apply to most all vegetables. We need more home vegetable and tomato gardens. Many younger parents want to teach their children how to grow a vegetable garden. What could be healthier than growing a vegetable garden and home grown tomatoes at home? I’m always happy to help when I can.

I’m hoping you can help me with some expenses so I can keep going forward bringing you and everyone else everything I know on tomatoes and more for free. It’s as easy as clicking the link to my GoFundMe account and with a credit or debit card, contribute $3-$4-$5.00 to help.

My goal – to raise about $3,000.00 this year. This would be enough to maintain the existing. With additional contributions I will expand and improve as outlined below.

Below are 3 tomato plants each with over 100# of home grown tomatoes.
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The Los Angeles Times story.
One day, couple of years ago, the Los Angeles Times called and asked for an interview. I was humbled and of course I said yes. The lady doing the interview said people in her office through word of mouth apparently had heard about me and kept telling her she needed to contact and maybe interview me and do a story on homegrown tomatoes. You can see rest of the nice Los Angeles Times article she wrote on my blog site. It was almost a full page story.

My cause? Where and how will I spend the money?

I’m retired and on a limited income. I drive a 1999 Toyota pickup truck and I’m happy with it. I will use funding to continue researching tomato plants, equipment, products, growing methods and teaching props so I can continue teaching others for mostly free how to grow tomatoes easily. I will continue writing and updating this blog. I write all the articles myself—with extra funds, maybe I will have someone clean up my writing making easier to read and understand. Perhaps check into creating a website, expanding on YouTube. Maybe expand on Facebook. After Covid passes, I would like to do more on teaching how to grow tomatoes easily with PowerPoint in person. I will also continue Zoom sessions all at no charge to the public.

Google Dave Freed the tomato guy & see I do a lot now but it’s getting more & more expensive.

Part of my goal is to continue not accepting any form of advertising, money or free products, offered by gardening type companies in exchange for promoting their products. I have had many offers. I want to always show and suggest products to you that work best and not those I need to promote for income. Also, my goal is not to charge anyone individually or as a group to teach them how to grow tomatoes easily. I’m not trying to make a living from this. I don’t need to, I don’t want to.

Why this cause has become important to me?

I have always grown homegrown tomatoes. I love the taste and flavor of homegrown tomatoes. I always seem to grow too many and so I share with others. In time people would say “you really seem to know what you are doing, could you come to our garden club and teach us how?” I did. Soon, during springtime I was going in person using PowerPoint teaching 15-20 garden clubs each spring how to grow tomatoes easily. Clubs with as few as 10 members to clubs with over 150 members. Word traveled and I kept getting invitations from new club all over Southern California. People didn’t always remember my name and many would call me “The tomato guy”

As it grew, it became more and more difficult to keep up with email questions and answers so I started the blogsite you see today.

http://growtomatoeseasily.blogspot.com/

Click on the link and take a look.

People could now go onto the site and learn how to grow tomatoes easily with most of their questions answered on the blog site. Each year, I would continue to expand the blogsite content. I continued teaching garden clubs in person until the pandemic and now started doing Zoom sessions. Where at one time garden clubs would contribute “Stipend” speaker fees of $50.00-$100.00 towards helping with my expenses that has all dried up. If a club couldn’t afford to contribute – I still spoke for free.

My blog site will soon have over 100,000 visits.

An amazing number. You ask why the blog site is so popular. I think it’s because people go to the blog site and see pictures of my tomatoes. Big, strong healthy tomato plants loaded with tomatoes. Some with over 100# of tomatoes on a single plant. People see plants, 3-4 feet in diameter and 6-8-10 foot tall just loaded with tomatoes. (See the picture below.) I write articles and I show and tell people exactly what I do to grow those tomatoes they see on the blog site. And then they do it. Sometimes better than me. Hahahaha

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As the site continues to grow bigger and more expanded, and it has continued seems with or without me, it simply costs more to maintain and continue to develop and I am on a limited income.

Now, thousands of people each year learn the specifics of growing tomatoes easily as well as vegetable gardens. People are amazed at how easily they are growing great tomatoes, great vegetable gardens at home even with little or no gardening experience.

So I thought perhaps I could do a GoFundMe and maybe you would help with contributions of a few dollars or whatever you can contribute whenever you can so I can continue and expand the mission.

Please feel free to copy and paste and share this call for help on your social media with others.

My goal – to raise about $3,000.00 this year. This would be enough to maintain the existing. With additional contributions I will expand and improve as outlined above. And I will let you know how I’m doing.

That’s my story, that’s my cause, that’s my mission and I appreciate any help you can give.

Thanks Dave Freed The Tomato Guy.