Lily Green writes light, playful columns about everyday life, blending gentle humour with a touch of freethinking curiosity. These short pieces explore ordinary moments with warmth, scepticism, and a smile.
People say tomatoes need love, classical music, and—according to one very convinced neighbour—‘positive words to ripen faster.’
I don’t judge.
But I remain sceptical.
This morning, while watering my plants, I caught a lady explaining to her tomatoes:
‘You are beautiful, you are strong, you are red.’
They were still green.
I wondered whether my own tomatoes were lacking compliments.
So I tried a scientific experiment—well, scientific in my own way.
I leaned toward one plant and whispered:
‘You will become an exceptional Bolognese sauce.’
Nothing.
Not a tremble.
Not a philosophical awakening.
Just a green tomato looking at me with the calm of a vegetable refusing to participate in my nonsense.
That’s when I understood:
Tomatoes don’t need flattery.
They need sun, water, and a gardener who doesn’t believe vegetables have a dramatic inner life.
Critical thinking sometimes begins in the soil:
by accepting that nature works perfectly well without our little superstitions.
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