Earthly Garden

Growing tomatoes is one thing that almost all gardeners have as a staple in their gardens. But, growing good, healthy tomatoes may be an issue to some. Here are some tips to keep in mind when growing your tomatoes this season that will bring you bigger, better tomatoes that will be envious of anyone who is an avid gardener.

1. To insure that tomatoes won’t crack on the vine while growing larger enclose them in a clear sandwich bag. Place the bag over the tomatoes and close the ends together and secure it to the vine with the twist tie from the bag. This will help them ripen faster and healthier without all the cracks.

2. Place red plastic underneath tomatoes that will get too big and begin to sag. You don’t want your tomatoes to end up touching the ground while they are still growing in size. You can also place the red plastic under any tomato plant that has semi-red tomatoes to. This will encourage the color change to happen faster with your tomatoes.

3. Use proper support on any tomato plant. As the tomatoes grow they will need support from the rest of the tomato plant in order to not touch the ground while growing. Placing a tomato cage around the plant when it is younger will help during the tomato production process.

Growing tomatoes is not a science at all, it’s an art. Once you master the art your tomatoes will be ones worth bragging about to others. Tomatoes can be enjoyed just about anytime of the year, but the summer is the best time to pick your own grown tomato and slice it up for guests.

Tulle has been used for centuries for weddings and other festivities to help bring forth a more decorative touch to any occasion, but did you know that tulle can also be used in your garden to protect your delicate plants such as tomatoes, from pesky birds?

It’s true. You can use tulle for just about anything in your garden you want to protect. Tomatoes take a bit to ripen from green to red when on the vine and with a bit of tulle wrapped around the plant you can achieve a protected cover without harming or weighting down the tomato plant and eventually ruining the delicate tomatoes that the plant and vine bare.

Depending on how tall your plant is depends on how much you will need in tulle length. The best way to figure this out is to measure the tomato plants height with a tape measure and double that number by 2. Cut the tulle to length. Cover the plant and gather around the tomato plant at the bottom and secure with a long twist tie or twine. You will want to adjust the tulle as the plant grows and you may need more tulle as it gets taller as well.
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Earthly Garden Tip

Refresh you houseplants by placing the pots with the plants in tom in your shower or bathtub and spraying them with a shot of cool water from your shower head. It will help knock off any dust that has been on the plant through the winter and give them a drink as well. Finish off the pot with fertilizer and some fresh soil.

There really isn’t much to growing tomatoes, you just have to know the basic in order to have a great tomato patch that is the envy of your entire neighborhood this growing season. Here are the basics.

1. Get the right soil: Organic tomatoes are the better ones to grow and they taste better as well. They are higher in nutrients too. Mix about two gallons of compost into each hole that you are planting your tomatoes plants into or the same process if you are using seeds as well. The best compost to use is fresh grass clippings. They contain the nutrients your tomato plants crave. And it helps release the necessary components into the soil much quicker as well.

2. Get that soil warm: Tomato plants tend to grow a lot faster, especially from seed when the ground is warm. Never plant tomatoes in the early parts of the year when the ground is still cold, mainly because they won’t grow and you can end up killing the plant or the seeds germination time.

3. Add some support: If you get your tomato plants and stalks up off the ground you can help them produce more fruits. If they touch the ground you end up possibly gaining some insects on the plant as well and could end up rotting the fruits too. Make sure your plants have a sturdy trellis or a wire cage, which many are rather inexpensive; to help your tomatoes plants “branches” produce rather wonderful fruits this growing season. Place some of the grass clippings around the base of the tomato plant to keep grass from growing underneath the plant as well.

1. ‘Cupid’ Grape Tomato:

Days To Maturity: 75 (from transplant)

Description: Produces clusters of medium-sized tomatoes that resist cracking.

Pick them as they turn red, or leave them on the vine for a week or more.

2. ‘Ceylon’ Tomato:

Day To Maturity: 75

Description: Small, ruffled tomatoes are tender and tasty.

‘Ceylon’ produces odd-looking, squishy fruit, but if you live where tomatoes are tricky to grow, with cool summers or extended periods of extreme heat, try this breed.

These varieties are great for even kids to grow. If you have never strayed in growing different kinds of tomatoes, this growing season coming should be the time to try a new breed and variety. There are some many tomatoes to pick from and you can devote one whole section to just tomatoes in your garden and have a wide variety all season long.

These varieties listed above are great for kids to grow as well. At our house, my son, Skylar, has his very own garden area. He grows basil, parsley, cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, lettuce and even some peas and beans. The varieties of tomatoes change every season and he loves the fact that he can put in some love and care into something and be able to eat what he has grown through the season.

Tomatoes are one of the fruits that are easy to grow and if they are placed in the right location in your garden you can reap the benefits and the best part is you can eat the benefits that you reap as well.

During the summer months do you seem to have more tomatoes than you know what to do with? Most people, if they are avid gardeners, tend to grow more vegetables that they can eat or give away.

There are several options in order to make sure that those vegetables don’t spoil. You can become a volunteer Master Food Preserver (MFP). It’s a program that is offered by a local university, possibly in their cooperative extension office. Call your local university to see if they offer this program.

MFPs undergo an intense training in food preservation safety and lean how to can, pickle, freeze, dehydrate, and smoke some foods. In return for the training, MFPs volunteer to teach people how to preserve food safely at home.

Back to tomatoes, one way to preserve tomatoes is to dehydrate them and make tomato powder. A tiny jar of this trendy gourmet condiment sells for upwards of $6 at specialty stores, but it couldn’t be easier to make. All you need is tomatoes, a dehydrator and a bit of time. Here’s how:

1. Meaty, smaller tomatoes (no bigger than an apple), such as paste tomatoes, work best, but you can also use cherry tomatoes. Wash and dry the fruit. Then, slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick and cherry tomatoes in half.

2. Dry the tomatoes until they are very dry in a food dehydrator (this can take eight hours or more). The fruit should feel dry to the touch (not tacky or sticky to the touch) and snap in half easily. Check the dryness level often, because smaller tomatoes and paste tomatoes finish faster than larger or juicy ones.

3. Place the dried tomatoes in a blender or food processor and grind them into a fine powder. Store the powder in a lidded glass jar in a cool, dark, dry place such as a cupboard. Use in chili, soups, sauces, and dressings to add an intense tomato flavor.

*If you don’t have a dehydrator you can place on a baking sheet, and bake on your oven’s lowest heat setting until very dry (seven hours or more). Watch so that the tomatoes don’t burn

Tomatoes are more frequently weakened by disease than by insects, but several diseases are easily prevented by growing resistant varieties. The disease-resistant hybrids named below are famous for good flavor and represent a range of forms and colors. The letters indicate disease resistance:

V-Verticillium wilt is caused by a soil-borne fungus that causes plants to wilt and die while they are still green, usually then they being loading up with fruit.

F-Fusarium wilt fungi enter through roots and cause plants to turn yellow as they slowly wilt to death, often while holding green fruit. Two Fs indicated resistance to two different strains of fusarium.

N-Nematodes are a concern mostly in warm, sandy soil. These microscopic pests cannot attack the roosts of resistant varieties.

T-Tobacco mosaic virus is seldom a serious disease in gardens, though sometimes it occurs in serious regional outbreaks.

• ‘Early Cascade’: 55 days; small to medium size red fruits (VF)
• ‘Sungold’: 57 days; golden cherry (VFNT)
• ‘New Girl’: 62 days; red slicer (VFF)
• ‘Milano’: 60 days; red paste (VF)
• ‘Jelly Bean’: 60 days; red grape (VFFNT)
• ‘Sweet Tangerine’: 68 days; orange slicer (VFN)
• ‘Golden Girl’: 69 days; yellow-orange slicer (VFFNT)
• ‘Sun Leaper’: 69 days; heat-resistant red slicer (VFF)
• ‘Beefy Boy’: 69 days; red slicer (VFT)
• ‘Crimson Fancy’: 69 days; red slicer (VF)
• ‘Carmello”: 70 days; red slicer (VFNT)
• ‘Lemon Boy’: 72 days; yellow slicer (VFNT)
• ‘Viva Italia’: 72 days; red paste (VFN)
• ‘Roma’: 75 days; red paste (VF)
• ‘Supersonic’: 79 days; red slicer (VF)

Growing tomatoes is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in the garden, with a bit of sun, water and proper soil, they are super easy. So for this next growing season add them to your garden layout and reap the benefits.

Michael talked earlier last month about how a tomato plant saved his sanity during a heavy move he made. Tomatoes have always been a welcome fruit in my garden and I always tend to have so many that I am eating tomatoes constantly during the summer months and into the fall. This is the first year that I have actually strayed from my normal “whatever tomato plant” is available at the local seller and branched into the actual varieties and I have some wonderful tomatoes to enjoy and share with everyone that asks or sees the tomato varieties I am growing. Here is a simple list of some of the best varieties you can grow next summer in order to enjoy tomatoes all season.

• Big Rainbow: Matures in 102 days (huge fruit 1-2 lbs.)

• Burpee’s VF Hybrid: Matures in 72 days (fruit is very meaty)

• Celebrity Hybrid: Matures in 70 days (deep red fruit)

• Del Oro: Matures in 72 days (medium-sized fruit)

• Earlirouge: Matures in 65 days (medium size fruit)

• Early Girl Hybrid: Matures in 54 to about 62 days (common fruit, good for slicing)

• Evergreen: Matures in 72 days (amber green fruit)

• German Johnson: Matures in 76 days (heirloom, pink fruit)

• Giant Belgium: Matures in 54 days (small fruit 2-3 oz.)

• Golden Jubilee: Matures in 80 days (medium size, yellow orange fruit)

• Golden Queen: Matures in 80 days (yellow with mild flavor)

• Gold Nugget: Matures in 70 days (golden yellow cherry fruit)

• Green Grape: Matures in 80 days (yellow-green colored cherry tomatoes)

• Heat Wave Hybrid: Matures in 70 days (round fruit)

• Lemon Boy: Matures in 72 days (yellow medium-sized fruits)

• Oregon Spring: Matures in 63 days (very red and medium-sized fruit)

• Pixie II: Matures in 52 days (small cherry tomatoes)

• Rocket: Matures in 53 days (small fruit)

• Roma VF: Matures in 75 days (plum-shaped)

• San Marzano: Matures in 80 days (deep red in color)

• Santiam: Matures in 58 days (red medium-sized fruit)

• Sasha’s Altai: Matures in 59 days (medium-sized, delicious flavor)

• Siberia: Matures in 50 days (7 oz. fruit, low temp. tolerant)

• Solar Set: Matures in 70 days (Big fruit can withstand heat)

• Stupice: Matures in 52 days. (very good flavor)

• Sub-Arctic Plenty: Matures in 50 days (small fruit)

• Surefire: Matures ion 64 days (good fall tomatoes in hotter climates)

• Sweet 100 Hybrid: Matures 65 days (cherry tomato that grows very tall)

• Tanana: Matures in 60 days (resists the cold very well)

• Yellow Pear: Matures in 75 days (small fruit with a sweet flavor)

Due to a mid-life crisis need to change my life for the better I moved at the beginning of June.  My new home is much nicer, more comfortable and less stressful, but not a day has passed that I don’t miss the plethora of heirloom plants I had started from seed that I am certain are not being cared for.

Case in point - as mentioned previously herein, I am a fanatic about tomatoes and downright loony when it comes to heirloom tomatoes.  Before the spring growing season began I lovingly started several different varieties of heirloom tomato seedlings in my office window and nurtured them until they were ready for planting.  Any true gardener will no doubt understand my heartbreak when I was unable to take these beauties with me.

As a strong believer in karma I am happy to report that it wasn’t two weeks after my move that a very sweet lady at a local nursery asked me to have a look at a cart full of throwaway plants to see if there was anything I might be interested in saving, free of charge.  I had replayed my story of the lost plants and being a kindred spirit she wanted to do something.  Of course I would have taken the entire cart, but planting space at my new home is at a premium and I had to exercise restraint.  With tears in my eyes and a silent "thank you" that she no doubt understood, I accepted the gift of two Mortgage Lifter tomato plants that were more dead than alive.  Clutching them close to my chest I took them to the car and headed home.

Two months have passed since that wonderful day and I am so pleased with the progress these two neglected plants have made in such a short time.  While the blooms have yet to produce any fruit as of yet, the plants are growing stronger and greener by the day, producing that wonderful scent that only a tomato plant can emanate.

If you hadn’t yet surmised, I can be quite an emotional mess when it comes to my gardening but I have always believed that it is my spiritual connection to the this earthly garden that has allowed me to partake of such amazing results through the years.

When I get my first tomatoes, I promise you’ll hear about it here first!

Growing more and more every day,

Tags: environment garden gardening green heirloom tomatoes

Well after three weeks of sunny, warm, dry weather, we’re finally getting some rain. It’s been pouring all day. Maybe now we’ll finally get some fall weather! As much as I enjoy summer, I am ready for some crisp autumn days. I just harvested the last of my tomatoes-see the pic. Now it’s time to close up shop and plan for next year. I’m looking forward to all the seed and plant catalogs that will soon start arriving in the mail. In future columns I’ll review a few of the best and most interesting. The coming cold weather months also bring the chance to catch up on some reading. Don’t know about you but my “To Be Read” pile contains more than a few gardening books. I’ll be reviewing those as well, so stay tuned!

gardening, tomatoes, seed catalogs. gardening books, weather

I picked my first ripe tomato of the year today. It’s gorgeous and the smell is mouthwatering. I’m trying to decide wether to slice it into a salad or just eat it as is! Yummy either way!!

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardens, gardening, tomatoes, vegetables

Good morning!
If you haven’t already, now is the time to make sure your veggies such as tomatoes and cukes have the proper support. Don’t wait until they are full of developing fruit, by then it’s too late!
Cukes and zukes appreciate a trellis or tepee made of wooden stakes to climb. Training the vines to grow up saves space and protects the fruits. and tomatoes need a good strong cage around them. You can buy them at the hardware store or garden center, or make your own with twine and wood scraps. Just be sure they are sturdy yet flexible enough to allow the plant to grow. Without the proper support your tomatoes will sprawl out messily and the developing fruits could be damaged.

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardens,gardening,tomatoes,cucumbers,trellis,cages

gardens, gardening, tomatoes, cucumbers, trellis, cages

Good Morning!

Now that gardening season is in full swing for most of the country, doctors and emergency rooms will start seeing more and more gardening injuries. Most gardening injuries involve the back and knees, and are caused by awkward kneeling and bending. Here are some tips to keep yourself injury free!

1. Always bend at the knees and hips.
2. Never try and lift or move heavy things on your own
3. Be sure and move around every 30 minutes or so. Staying in the same position too long leads to strains and stiffness.
4. Avoid strenuous garden tasks in extreme heat, and when you are working, be sure to keep yourself hydrated.
5.Keep your tools sharpened and in good condition. Dull blades and damaged or worn equipment are dangerous.

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardens,gardening,garden injuries, tomatoes

gardens, gardening, garden injuries, tomatoes

I was annoyed to find that some of the seedlings I’m growing here in my office succumbed to some kind of withering disease. Maybe damping off, which is a sort of fungus. A good cure for that is to water them with chamomile tea. Also, two of the tomato plants I bought at a nearby garden center withered and fell over practically overnight. I suspect that the plants might have been carriers of some sort of virus that spread to the seedlings.

Lesson learned. I had already thought about all the salsas, homemade sauces and sundried tomatoes I would make from the fruit of those seedlings. In other words, I was “counting my chickens before they hatched”, as we say down here.

But, as we also say, never give up. I seem to have a stubborn Gardener Gene passed along to me from my paternal grandmother, and her parents who were farmers and share croppers, and my maternal AND paternal great-grandparents, who were avid gardeners. So I suppose I couldn’t give up on gardening if I even wanted to!

I’ll replant more tomato seeds, make a trip to the garden center with withered plants in hand and demand that they exchange them for something else.

We had a violent storm last night with almost 4-inches of rainfall. Many areas around here are flooded, but we’re up on a hill so that’s not a problem for us. The house shook with the thunder, and the lightning was fierce and so bright I could have read from the front porch if I’d wanted to. We needed the rain, but we didn’t need it all at once! On the bright side, our rainwater collection tanks are full. Since we are frugal with our water, that will last us for quite some time.

I was reluctant to peek outside this morning, fearing storm damage, but everything seems to be intact…even the nectarine and peach blossoms. Man, I’m already tasting the jelly I’ll make from those! LOL

dig it!

bobbi c.

damping off, plant diseases, tomato seedlings, vegetable virus, rainwater collection

As ya’ll know, I’m very fond of watching the birdies out my office window. That’s one reason I was distressed when I read that the month of March is the hardest of all for birds. According to an article by George H. Harrison on the eNature.com website published by the National Wildlife Federation, birds have a tough time in March because there just isn’t enough native food for them to eat–not many seeds, berries, insects, etc. So it’s doubly important to keep those birdfeeders filled. As I mentioned before, the longer we keep seed in our feeders, the more different varieties of birds we’re attracting to our gardens. And birdies in the garden is a great thing for Earthly Gardens!

I’m celebrating the arrival of thousands of bees to my garden. They are busy with the nectarine tree that is gorgeous and dripping with blooms. The irises are blooming, and the one lonely tomato plant I put out in the garden yesterday is still alive this morning. That’s a reason to celebrate! I can almost taste that salsa now!

dig it!

bobbi c.
All photos and text copyright ©2005-2007 Bobbi A. Chukran. all rights reserved.

birds in garden, birdfeeders, National Wildlife Federation, nectarine blossoms

Mornin’ all! I realize that some of us don’t have large yards or gardens, and that some of us have to grow our veggies in pots. But perhaps we need to rethink “garden space.” I’ve seen gardens grown on concrete pavement, and I’ve seen gardens grown in old plastic bags. Here’s a neat article about a different kind of garden….roof gardens.

Even if you don’t want to turn your roof into a garden (we couldn’t do that here because our roof is metal and any garden would literally COOK), it might give you some ideas about “gardening outside the box”, so to speak.

Many of my readers are still snowed in. I try to remember that, even as the temps here are already way too hot for this time of year. It was 85 yesterday in Austin, yet we will probably have one more freeze before it’s safe to put out the tomato plants. We always do!

dig it!

bobbi c.

roof gardens, roof gardening, planting tomatoes, spring gardening