I haven’t had a real tomato in years, when like you I grew them. These in the stores have no taste none! You have to go to a farmer’s market. The store bought go bad within days.... I bought a dryer, so I’m not throwing away food anymore. It goes into the dryer, then I put in my sauces.
Have a dryer that I bought at a yard sale for five dollars. Always forget to use it. Have done onions and green peppers in it. Also dried some apples with cinnamon. Have a very productive Granny Smith tree
Nik, I have set up several container gardens for people too busy for a real garden. One large container will hold everything you need a tomatoe, pepper, lettuce, green onions, spinach. Even have a friend who like a certain type of potatoe and sweet potatoe and keeps several five gallon buckets alternating between planted-growing-harvesting.
Checked my sweet potatoes tonight. Beautiful vines growing up a trellis