Please Enjoy this silly little story.

Tommy the Tomato wasn’t having a good day. His leaves drooped slightly as he watched yet another gardening show where perfectly uniform hydroponic tomatoes were being praised for their “efficiency” and “consistency.”

“But what about flavor?” Tommy muttered to himself, his stem quivering with indignation. “What about the complex microbiome that makes us who we are?”

Tommy had been raised in rich, black soil. His roots had stretched and explored, forming relationships with mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria. He’d weathered storms, adapted to temperature changes, and developed a robust immune system and deep, complex flavors. In short, he was proud to be a soil-grown tomato.

His human caretaker, Mrs. Farnsworth, had left her laptop open on the porch table. A gentle breeze had nudged the mouse just enough to wake the screen from sleep mode. That’s when Tommy spotted it—a webpage that made his green shoulders flush with excitement.

“The Real Organic Project?” Tommy gasped, his leaves perking up instantly. “What’s this?”

Using the strength he’d built from growing in challenging conditions (another soil-grown advantage, Tommy would proudly tell you), he stretched his vines just far enough to tap the trackpad and scroll down.

“Oh. My. Compost!” Tommy exclaimed, his tiny tomato heart racing. “It’s a whole movement dedicated to REAL soil farming practices!”

He read eagerly about farmers committed to growing in soil rather than hydroponic systems. About the importance of healthy soil ecosystems. About flavor, nutrition, and environmental sustainability.

“They get it!” Tommy shouted, nearly dropping a not-quite-ripe fruit in excitement. “They actually get it!”

The neighboring zucchini plant, who had been napping in the afternoon sun, stirred irritably. “What are you going on about now?”

“There are humans fighting for us soil-grown veggies!” Tommy explained, vibrating with enthusiasm. “Look, they even have a certification program and educational resources!”

Tommy couldn’t contain himself. He began singing—a rich, earthy tune that only soil-grown tomatoes can truly master.

Tommy couldn’t contain himself. He began singing—a rich, earthy tune that only soil-grown tomatoes can truly master.

“We’ve got the good microbes, yes we do!
We’ve got the flavor that comes through!
Our roots run deep, our stems grow strong,
In living soil where we belong!”

Mrs. Farnsworth, hearing the commotion, came outside to find her prized tomato plant seemingly dancing in the breeze.

“Well, you’re certainly happy today,” she remarked, adjusting Tommy’s support stake. “Must be all that compost I added last week.”

Tommy tried desperately to communicate with her. “Look at your computer! The Real Organic Project! Join the movement!”

Mrs. Farnsworth noticed her laptop was open. “Oh, I was just researching that certification for our little garden,” she said, seeming to understand Tommy perfectly. “Imagine that—a movement to remind people that plants are supposed to grow in soil. What a world we live in.”

Tommy beamed with pride as Mrs. Farnsworth watered his roots thoroughly. He’d never felt so validated.

That night, as the garden settled into darkness, Tommy whispered to the young seedlings nearby, “We matter. Our roots in the soil matter. And there are humans fighting to keep it that way.”

The seedlings stretched a little taller in the moonlight, their tiny roots digging deeper into the rich, living soil beneath them.

And Tommy, his leaves spread wide under the stars, dreamed of a world where “organic” always meant “grown in soil”—exactly as nature intended.