It’s Harvest Time! The Best Time To Pull Tomatoes From Their Vines
We’re in peak tomato season, with many plants reaching maturity now. After nurturing our babies throughout the growing season, many of us are getting ready for harvest. And while growing the plants and getting to this stage is the hard part, knowing when to pick tomatoes is also crucial if you want ultimate flavor and […]
Edible Houseplants: Grow These Tiny Orange Hat Tomatoes
It’s time to turn our focus from the outdoor gardens to our indoor plant buddies! Beyond adding to the interior decor, houseplants are serious mood boosters, with sales skyrocketing in many parts of the globe during the coronavirus lockdown. This post’s featured houseplant is the Orange Hat Tomato; beautiful and edible too! Talk about pleasing […]
Farm To Table: Delicious Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce
The beauty of growing many tomato plants is that you experiment with different varieties and have a consistent crop throughout the season. But when dozens ripen all at once, you need a plan. This delicious roasted tomato sauce is perfect for pasta on colder days and freezes well so you can enjoy fresh tomatoes all […]
Pruning Leads To Healthier And More Abundant Tomatoes
To prune, or not to prune? That is the question. Anyone who has grown tomatoes before will tell you a crop can quickly overtake the garden, especially when growing indeterminate varieties. While some gardeners choose to leave every leaf and stem intact, there are many valid arguments as to why a little pruning should be […]
Save A Few Bucks By Growing Your Own Tomatoes
Of all the years to decide to grow your own tomatoes, this could be one of the best. It’s not about growing conditions; it’s about the price. Consumers are being warned that the cost of tomatoes is about to skyrocket, translating into bigger bills at the supermarket. That’s because the relationship between the United States […]
Transplanting Precious Tomato Seedlings Into Bigger Containers
A successful crop of tomato plants is something that brings great joy to many gardeners. Time, effort, and a whole lot of TLC is usually rewarded with a bountiful yield. There’s nothing better than a tomato fresh off the vine, walked just a few steps from the garden to the kitchen. When growing tomatoes from […]
Diary of an Indoor Grower: Hydroponics Garden Evolution
The only thing that hasn’t changed in my hydroponics garden is its dimensions. It is just over 70 Sq feet (6.6 X 11.2).with 8-foot ceilings. Otherwise, it is in a constant state of flux. Lights, systems, nutrients, fans, controllers, you name it I have changed it. Part of the reason is that I have, especially […]
The Tall Plant Indoor Garden System
Finally, someone realizes that even with little space to spare, there’s a big need for a fully automated indoor garden system that accommodates larger plants. Knowing just how tall a fruiting plant like a tomato or eggplant gets in the outdoor garden, I’m amazed when I see someone trying to grow them in the confines of a counter […]
Straw Bale Garden: Take 2, Scene 2
If you’re going to grow a straw bale garden, adding compost tea with microbes is a definite asset. Not just during conditioning the bales for introducing microbes that make the composting process possible, but in your fertilizing schedule. The difference it makes in growth and vigor is remarkable. Last week, in the Scene 1 of this saga, […]
Material Matters: Seed Tray Wicking Mat
After several years of sprouting season service, a seed tray wicking mat really starts looking sad. You remember that reusing things could lead to disease, so looking for a replacement becomes important. After all, not being able to remove ALL the old dried up roots hooked into the fabric covering might present unnecessary problems. But the […]
How To Preserve Every Tomato
About this time of year, gardeners have entered the tomato tsunami season. You’ve eaten them every day in every way imaginable, but they just keep coming. Before you start giving away the fruit of your labor, consider preserving your harvest and enjoy it for months to come, even on a cold winter day! Preserve ALL […]
Straw Bale Gardening 2
Things are looking pretty good out there now that we’re almost into mid-August. Straw bale gardening has presented me with challenges just as much as it’s been amazing despite chilly nights all summer, and except for one 10-day stretch of hot days, the average temp this year has been around 74 degrees F. Still the […]
The Terrifying Tomatoes
Its hard to imagine that once upon a time a huge part of the world thought tomatoes were deadly. How can you live without them? The Aztecs never feared them. The tomatl has been part of their cuisine since the 8th century, but the British and Europeans certainly did, and for more reasons than their […]
Media Matters… A Lot
While shopping for seed starting supplies this winter, I came across this growing media called, Wonder Soil. Never heard of it, but the reviews on that shopping site were all extremely positive. So, I dug deeper, researching user reviews on any store site that sold the stuff. People were raving about how awesome it was… […]
Seed Starting Problems?
Even when you know a good deal about propagating from seed, you can still find yourself puzzled over why you’re having problems getting your veggie garden seedlings started. Last year my germination troubleshooting on what was wrong with my trays of tomatoes and peppers led me to suspect it was the potting mix used. All […]
Nutrients: How Sweet It Is
Or isn’t, depending on your latest harvest’s tastiness. Should you have used a different nutrient, or is something else amiss in the indoor garden when your strawberries could be sweeter, or your tomatoes richer flavored? You can’t just add some sugar. Flavor is a delicate thing to achieve. One that relies on a number of […]
Do Tomatoes Need Pruning?
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] Perhaps it depends on where you’re trying to grow them and why. Are these tomatoes for home use or are you going to market them all? One reason that commercial tomato growers would prune their plants it to have more uniform fruit. Sort of like if you’re growing apples, you want only […]