Buster's Green Thumb

Summary
Buster discovers gardening, composting, and the thrill of having fresh veggies to give away.

Plot
In Buster’s food collection, various old bits of food are quarreling, when Mrs. Baxter enters.

Title Card

Mrs. Baxter throws the old food in the trash (“When I can smell it, it goes in the trash”), and tells Buster to take it to Mr. Langley at the community garden as compost.

Mr. Langley is an older man who talks like a drill sergeant. He tells Buster to check the trash for man made things like bottle caps before putting it on the compost. He also gives Buster fresh tomatoes to give to his mom.

Buster brings tomatoes not just to his mom, but also to Arthur, Mr. Ratburn and Brain. All agree that they are the best tomatoes they have ever tasted. Muffy offers Buster to start a business selling tomato products.

That night Buster has a dream, in which he is a Santa-like superhero (“Captain Pomodoro”) bringing tomatoes to hungry children (Arthur and Brain).

The next morning Buster gets more tomatoes from the community garden. Mr. Langley scolds him for taking more than his share.

Buster gets a mixed salad at the Sugar Bowl, but the tomatoes are not as good. Arthur suggests growing his own tomatoes.

Buster buys a tomato plant, which he names Tom, and plants it in the garden behind the Baxters’ condo. Despite his best efforts, after five days the plant appears to be dead.

Buster takes the plant to Mr. Langley, who diagnoses hornworms and over-watering but believes the plant is still alive. Together they plant it in the community garden and start becoming friends.

At the pool Muffy asks for more tomatoes for her business. She has already sold a bottle of tomato suntan lotion to Emily (who seems less than thrilled). Buster tells her that tomatoes need time to grow and asks his friends for a favor.

A few days later Buster’s friends and Mr. Ratburn are tending the community garden under the command of Mr. Langley. They have pasta with homemade tomato sauce.

Major

 * Buster Baxter
 * Bitzi Baxter
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Arthur Read
 * Fritz Langley

Minor

 * The Brain
 * Nigel Ratburn

Cameo

 * Bailey
 * D.W. Read
 * Binky Barnes
 * Ms. Albright
 * Pal
 * Emily
 * Marie-Hélène
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Beulah McInnerny
 * 3rd Grade Male Dog (Number 3)
 * Jessica
 * Jane Read
 * Unknown Female Adult Rabbit (Number 4)

Trivia

 * First appearance of the Community Gardens.

Episode Connections

 * Ray (the pizza slice kept in Buster's collection) might've been part of the same pizza previously seen in Castles in the Sky.
 * The banana mentions being part of Buster's collection since Baxter Day, which was celebrated in Arthur's Perfect Christmas.
 * Captain Pomodoro is mistaken for Buster's other alter egos "Cat Saver" and "Piano Tamer" from Buster Baxter, Cat Saver.

Cultural references

 * Pomodoro is Italian for „tomato”. Ragù is an Italian meat-based sauce which may contain tomatoes. Plum, Cherry, Beefsteak, Vine-Ripe, Heirloom and Jersey are various kinds of tomatoes.


 * Fritz's tomato plants were named Douglas, George, Dwight and Mamie. These are likely references to, , and.

Errors

 * When Buster buys a tomato plant, there are a couple of young green fruits growing on the plant, but when the plant dies, Buster says "It's been three days and there isn't even a sign of a tomato."