A MAN growing his own vegetables has managed to reduce the cost-per-unit of his tomatoes to just £35.18 per tomato.
Through a combination of thrifty seed trading, a polytunnel, an irrigation system, fertiliser and hours of hard work, Norman Steele now pays less than the equivalent of ten pints of beer for each of the salad favourites.
Leaning on a spade, Steele said: “I feel sorry for them that get their veg from Tesco. They’ll never know the joy of growing your own, and knowing your full English breakfast cost you close to a hundred pounds.
“Cost per kilo that’s close to £210, which yes doesn’t compare to greengrocer prices but these tomatoes are grown with love. Though of course writing off a whole leek crop left me £600 in the hole.
“If everyone grew their own like me, and my neighbours on the allotment who I hate and believe secretly sabotaged my pumpkins, the cost to Britain would be immeasurable. Like in the war years.
“And the carrots are all misshapen. You don’t get that from Sainsbury’s.”
Steele plans to continue sinking cash into his uneconomic hobby until the collapse of society, after which he plans to move to his allotment and style himself as The Tomato Emperor.
