The $64 Tomato
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| Author | William Alexander |
|---|---|
| Subject | Gardening |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Publisher | Algonquin Books |
Publication date | 2006 |
| ISBN | 9781565125032 |
| Website | http://williamalexander.com/books.cfm |
The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden is a nonfiction book by William Alexander, published in 2006. The $64 Tomato was a nominee for Quill Award in the debut author of the year category[1] and was selected for the 2006 National Book Festival.[2]
The $64 Tomato is a memoir of Alexander's gardening project. When he and his family purchased a home with several acres in a small town in New York, he was determined to use some of the property to create a 2,000 sq ft (190 m2) organic garden. Alexander documents his adventures battling pests, weeds, plant diseases, deer, and a persistent groundhog he names Superchuck. After several years of gardening, he calculates that each Brandywine tomato he grew and harvested cost him $64.
Author
William Alexander is the director of technology at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, New York.[3] He graduated from the University at Albany with a degree in English literature.[4] He is married to Anne Mullin, an internist,[3] and they have two children.[4]
In addition to The $64 Tomato, Alexander has written op-eds for The New York Times.[4]