Organic matter is a major contributor to soil health.
A heat mat is placed beneath the seed-starting containers, and the heat is absorbed by the soil.
Some gardeners prefer to start their seeds indoors using Jiffy peat pellet greenhouses because of their structural and design benefits, using peat to start your seeds has its perks and transplanting seedlings growing out of the expanded peat pellets is very convenient.
Giving your plants some much-needed sun shelter can be easier than you might think.
When do your plants need some shelter? Typically during the hottest parts of the day – afternoons – during the hottest parts of the year – May or June through August or September.
Shade for a garden is a polarizing subject – it seems like we’ve either got too much or too little.
Not only does straw bale gardening compensate for poor soil, but it also extends the length of the gardening season and makes planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting a whole lot easier than traditional gardening methods.
An ancient gardening technique dating back to the Romans, straw bale gardening is a simple concept.
Organic mulches, including tree leaves, grass clippings, straw, wood bark, and wood chips, decompose and contribute to soil organic matter.
Compost can be added at any time of year and can be used as a top-dressing or mulch during the growing season.
Fully composted manures can be applied to the soil at any time of the year.
Milk is a research-proven fungicide and soft-bodied insecticide – insects have no pancreas to digest the milk sugars.
Compost tea is a liquid made by running compost through a “brewer,” a device somewhat akin to a fish tank, in that oxygen is added to the water containing the compost and this action flushes the microbes out of the compost into the water.
Sea minerals might be the best way to improve poor or depleted soils.
You need to make sure that the soil in which your seeds are going to be planted is fertile, contains the right balance of nutrients, and has the proper pH balance to provide those growing seeds with a healthy environment in which to grow.
Starting seeds under lights is the way to be certain that your young plants and seedlings get all the “sunlight” they need to grow.
Start with good quality seeds, plant them at the optimal time (when the soil temperature is just right), and offer the best care you can (watering and sunlight) as your garden grows.
There are a lot of things needed to ensure that the seeds you plant can grow into strong seedlings and young plants.
Cover crops form a living mulch in gardens because they grow thickly among each other.
Soil organisms include bacteria and fungi, protozoa and nematodes, mites, springtails, earthworms, and other tiny creatures found in healthy soil.
Even very poor soil can be dramatically improved, and your efforts will be well rewarded.
Liquid soil conditioners typically contain a blend of humic acid and catalytic enzymes, which are produced in a controlled environment by the same sort of microorganisms that are at work in your compost pile.
Soil texture can range from very fine particles to coarse and gravelly.
A professional soil test will provide you with a wealth of information about your soil, including the pH and amount of different nutrients.
The pH level of your soil indicates its relative acidity or alkalinity.
Rather than go the more labor-intensive route of building raised beds for your veggies, let the straw bales do the work for you.
Leaf mold on tomato foliage is usually not a problem in field crops, Cladosporium Fulvum, on the other hand, does pose a threat to crops in enclosed environments.
The saprophytic fungus Botrytis cinerea (gray mold) lives primarily on dead or decaying organic matter, but in favorable conditions such as excessive humidity, this fungus can very quickly become an aggressive parasite on healthy plants.
If you are seeking to preserve cultural heritage in your garden, heirlooms are definitely the number one way to go.
Before getting overwhelmed by a luscious, brightly colored seed catalog, flipping through page after page full of hybrids and exotics, stand your ground and figure out just what you need before being lured into a disaster of wants.
Bacterial spot on tomatoes is caused by four closely related strains of bacteria: Xanthomonas vesicatoria, Xanthomonas euvesicatoria, Xanthomonas gardneri, and Xanthomonas perforans.
Powdery mildew can attack tomatoes at all stages of development, even small seedlings in the cotyledon stage, but it is most commonly seen in older plants.
Did you follow the germination instructions on the seed packet? Go back and read them again; we sometimes spend hours researching and experimenting to find the best methods, temperatures, etc.
Let’s look at the major factors that a seed needs for germination.
Other conditions such as improper soil temperature and moisture, or a combination of the two, are the majority of the reasons that seeds don’t germinate in a timely manner.
Seed germination issues happen every spring and challenge many new and experienced gardeners and growers.
The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the nightshade family that is typically cultivated for its edible fruit.
Tomatoes have high requirement for nutrients, either from soil organic matter or fertilizers.
Most gardeners prefer staking, trellising, or caging tomatoes because it requires less space, reduces fruit rots, makes harvesting easier, and increases yields per area of garden space.
The next thing you’ll want to figure out is how much sun and/or shade your garden receives.
Gardeners often notice that certain plants grow well when planted next to other specific plants.
If you’re new to gardening and want to start out small, you might find yourself tending a single raised bed or deck planter as a way to get your feet wet.
The age-old practice of using trap crops can divert unwanted pests from your prized plantings and toward more sacrificial seedlings—naturally.
By proactively planning and planting your beds for pest prevention, you can preserve your plots without introducing pesticides and other damaging chemicals into our shared natural environment.
If you want to move beyond hot composting or constrain your compost pile to a smaller space, you can get a little bit of help from a surprising source: worms.
Hot composting is just what it sounds like: naturally “cooking” your compost to speed up the breakdown of materials and the creation of compost.
Soil organic matter (OM) releases plant-available nutrients slowly during the growing season.
Nitrogen is needed by plants in large quantities.
Fertilizer, whether organic or synthetic, is used to supply nutrients to plants when they need them.
Molasses is a very valuable addition to the compost pile, as well as to the garden itself.
An Illinois steel-company executive turned Nebraska dairyman has stumbled onto an amazingly low-cost way to grow high-quality grass – and probably even crops – on depleted soil.
There are four principal types of microbes – bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes.
Lowenfels, who co-authored the book on microbes, urges anyone who uses herbicides or insecticides to soon thereafter apply compost tea to increase the microbe population that was probably greatly reduced by the chemical spray.
Soil is a dynamic and complex system that provides important ecosystem services and functions.
To produce seeds, flowers, fruits, and vegetables, many plants need to be pollinated.
Most often, a lack of calcium in the soil is not the true cause of blossom end rot.
Now we are ready for the fun to begin! The F2 generation is where all the genetics start to segregate out into the different plant and fruit types as the dominant and recessive genes split up and pair off.
The F1 (first filial generation) grow-out is the very first chance you’ll have to see if the cross was successful.
When planting tomatoes in your garden, you should take into account their fertilization requirements, necessary insolation distances, and also remember that some other plants growing alongside tomatoes can affect the condition, health, and growth of tomatoes.
We have discussed how to time and apply pollen to the mother plant in order to make a successful cross.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
We have talked about emasculating the maternal host blossoms and collecting pollen from the paternal donor, let’s discuss the timing of blossom maturity and fertilization techniques.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
The next two types of leaves are sometimes confused with each other because they have similar habits.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
Fallow Your Garden For centuries, farmers allowed their soil to go fallow, and today’s modern gardeners are now following suit.
Choosing which tomato variety/varieties to plant is probably one of the most critical decisions commercial producers make each year.
There are a number of potential diseases, insect and nematode pests that can cause significant damage to tomatoes (see list at end of article).
I love promiscuous pollination in every crop that I grow.
Solanum peruvianum are a group of closely related species of wild tomato that are native to the western slope of the Andes in Peru and northern Chile.
Solanum pennellii is a dryland-adapted species of wild tomato that’s native to the western slope of the Andes in Peru.
Solanum habrochaites is a species of wild tomato that is native to the western slope of the Andes from central Ecuador to central Peru.
Longevity and appearance matter on the supermarket shelf It’s a tough world out there for a tomato.
To Feed or Not to Foliar Feed? What’s the best nutrient feeding method for your urban, hydroponic, aquaponic, indoor, organic, greenhouse, or vertical tomato garden? There are many ways — and many climates — in which to grow tomatoes.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
This calendar’s monthly planting guidelines are based on USDA zone 9, but they are adaptable to most zones.
Microberry was bred in Austria in 2008 by the breeder, Lukas Wallmann.
Installing a passion for gardening Instilling a passion for gardening in a child is a delicious gift.
My love of heirloom tomatoes began 60 years ago in my Grandfather’s garden.
The tomato is one of many plants that have evolved an “edible fruit” strategy for seed dispersal.
My name is Lukas Wallmann of Uttendorf, Austria where I live in a tough 900 meter-high climate that is cold, windy, and wet.
You just harvested your first tomato… and it’s bliss! The color is sparkling gorgeousness.
In 2018 I participated in two separate grow outs: Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa, and Dwarf Tomato Project with Craig Lehoullier from North Carolina.
Taxonomy Solanum habrochaites is a “wild tomato,” one of about 13 species in the Solanum lycopersicum genus, or tomato “family.
My name is Clifton Hedrick, I am 55 years old and currently live in Somerset Kentucky.
As the “I’m starting my tomato seeds” posts start showing up on social media more often, the thought will suddenly hit: “Should I be starting my tomato seeds now?” The answer for most of us is no.
Part of my grow plan every year includes trialing new variety selections.
Chefs and plant breeders met recently to taste tomatoes from The Beautifully Promiscuous & Tasty Tomato Project.
I am Joseph Lofthouse, a subsistence farmer from a cold mountain valley in the Rockies.
There is no universal agreement on what a “perfect” tomato tastes like.
Hello my name is Bill Yoder and I am a tomato grower located in the southeastern U.
Have you ever wondered why tomato plants have so many little hairs on the stems and leaves? They are kind of neat to look at, but they actually serve a purpose too.
Did you know that tomato plants have a special way of breathing and circulating nutrients all at the same time? Tomato plants have a vascular system that functions much like a siphon or a wick.
Indeterminates, determinates, and semi-determinates are the three main plant types most people know of; they can generally be found in most greenhouses, but the market is broadening thanks to the efforts of many breeders.
What are the differences between plant types, and how do you know which type is best for your gardening needs? These are questions people ask themselves when ordering seeds or standing in the local greenhouse, trying to pick the plants they want to grow for the season.
Another interesting type of tomato foliage to look at is the woolly or angora type.
This leaf type is my most favorite of all, and that’s because it can be so beautiful.
We are getting to some of the most aesthetically pleasing leaf types of all.
Anthocyanin, which can appear in a number of different leaf shapes, involves a blue/purple pigment on the epidermis of the fruit.
Did you know that tomatoes come in all sorts of different types of leaf patterns and colors? There are some wild and crazy ones we are excited to show you, but first let’s look at some of the common ones that we can all recognize.
In the last article, we talked about the male blossom parts and how pollen is vibrated loose inside the anther cone.
We are getting oh so close to the actual concepts of tomato breeding, but first, let me take you through a crash course on the basic anatomy of a tomato blossom.
From Brad Gates’s Pink Berkeley Tie Dye and Boar lines to Fred Hempel’s Artisan Bumblebee series—and all the way back to one of the pioneering lines of stripes, the Green Zebra, bred by Tom Wagner—there’s just something so visually fascinating about these eye-catching tomatoes.
In previous articles, we discussed different pigments that promote what our eyes see as “single” colors—red, pink, yellow, white, orange, green, brown, and purple—in tomatoes.
In our last article, we talked about a yellow flavonoid pigment called chalconaringenin, found in the cuticle of the skin on some tomatoes, and how this pigment can affect the color we perceive as we view the whole fruit—flesh and skin.
In the previous article, we talked about the phytonutrients that express the pigment colors in tomatoes.
Have you ever thought about the color of tomatoes? They come in so many colors these days: red, pink, purple, brown, yellow, white, green, orange, bicolor, and even blue and black! Here’s the breakdown of some of the genetic reasoning behind specific colors of tomatoes, but first let’s talk about what creates the color palette.
When it comes to supporting tomato plants, there are many choices, but most require a decision at planting time.
Your plants are hardened off, the sun is shining and you’re ready to plant your tomato seedlings into the garden.
Now that your seedlings have reached a few leafsets high, it may be time to transplant them into larger containers before their roots outgrow the little cells you had started them off in.
Edema or Oedema is a common problem with many types of seedlings, but it’s not widely recognized and is frequently mistaken for insect larvae or insect damage.
“How do I grow my tomatoes from seed without the stems getting leggy?” This is a question I hear a lot this time of year, either that or I see people posting photos who are in a state of panic because their seedlings have already grown leggy.
One topic that many people find overwhelming when deciding whether or not they want to grow their own tomato starts is lighting.
We discussed selecting and preparing the maternal host blossom, leaving off at the actual pollination timing.
When it comes to breeding tomatoes, the first step is deciding on what the parents will be.
Early in the spring, when tomato plants are starting to load up with blossoms, this is the best time to find viable mother blossoms; pollination has a higher success rate in cooler temperatures.
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