Three year old Jackson Tawney visited The Pocahontas Times office Friday with his grandparents, Pete and Fran Tawney, of Buckeye.
Jackson is a real farm boy and cowboy. His boots are not just for show, he is now in his second year of rodeo with his horse, named Thomas.
Jackson is pictured with some of this year’s Holy Land tomatoes, weighing an average of two pounds each. The near perfect shaped watermelon was too much for Jackson to hold, as it weighed nearly as much he does.
Pete reported a good tomato crop with no blight, and plants that were six to eight feet tall. He stakes the plants with cattle panels, two rows at a time.
He continues to use the Holy Land tomato seeds he originally got from Wilbur Walton, of Droop Mountain. The seeds are kept in the freezer, and planted in cups in April. These tomatoes are very meaty with fewer seeds than other varieties.
Jackson is the son of Freddie and Stacy Tawney, of Marlinton. His maternal grandparents are Sam and Fran McPaters, of Marlinton. S. Stewart photo