"As a gardener, to keep my little space on earth the way God would want it to be is a great privilege." -- Joan Adams Burchell
Crescendo: "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning" ZONES 8/9 I ESPECIALLY ENJOY GROWING TOMATOES. A retired Agriculture Teacher (Gary Clausen) from Merced College (Merced, California) told me to always plant tomatoes on Good Friday, and I have always had good luck doing that (although Gary recently told me that he has begun planting his tomatoes the first of April, and I have even planted in March if the weather is warm enough). Used to be, I liked to pinch off the small branches from the stalk except the two at the top and then put the plant into the ground all the way up to those two branches. That makes for a strong root system. I used to also pinch off the suckers growing where new leaves grew. However, later, I just let the plants grow without pinching off the suckers, and that worked better for our hot Merced summers. I like to put a shovelful of steer manure in the hole and mix it with the dirt before planting the tomato. I also add a shovelful of Miracle Gro garden mix, and these mixtures give the plant a boost. Also, adding a cupful or two of B-1 mixture and a little sugar can give the plant a good start. Next to last, I cut the bottom from a small, used plastic pot that plants come in and put it around the tomato plant with a little snail bait inside to keep the little pests from eating the young plant. This also works well if I want to water the plants individually with a hose. Finally, I put a wire cage about 18-24 inches in diameter and 4 to 6 feet high around the plant to keep it off the ground. For the extra tall plants, like Early Girl, I will tie two four feet cages one on top of the other to make a cage eight feet high. I position the cages by driving a small pole on each side of the cage and bind it to the cage with a little piece of wire. NOTE: In 2002, instead of the wire, I used rebar stakes, about 6 feet high and three to a plant, and they worked fine. I like to MULCH around the tomato plants with my grass clippings in the summer. This helps the soil hold the water, and it eventually makes the soil easier to work with. Here in Merced we have a clay soil that can get very hard, so I constantly work mulch into it. Instead of grass clippings, you can use a ground-up redwood bark with the consistency of sawdust, and it works well. I used to use Miracle Gro as fertilizer for the plants, feeding them every one or two weeks. However, I have tried "Tomatoes Alive Plus," from GARDENS ALIVE organic suppliers, and it worked very well. Lately I have used Spray and Grow, which is sprayed directly on the plant, and that seems to work fine. TYPES OF TOMATOES:In the past I have planted Early Girl, Better Boy, Ace, Beefsteak, Roma, and Cherry tomatoes, but I also love Super Fantastic, and it is wonderful. The tomatoes are the size of Beefsteaks, the bunches of tomatoes are huge, the vine is strong and tall, and the flavor is great. If you would like to learn how to plant tomatoes in a bale of hay, then click HERE There is an excellent Garden Guides web site you can click on that discusses starting plants from seeds, location, transplanting, pruning, side-dressing, staking, recipes (including Fried Tomatoes), books on tomatoes, and lots of Internet Links on tomatoes:Garden Guide to Tomatoes. COMPOSTING IS CHEAP, SAVES RESOURCES, AND BUILDS THE SOIL. If you are interested in composting your grass, leaves, etc., here are two links you can click on to find out further information. One is Tips and Techniques, and the other is Virginia Extension. HERE ARE SOME GARDEN JOKES. "I have a rock garden. Last week three of them died."- Richard Diran ~~~ Plant Some Potatoes! ~~~ An old man living alone in South Armagh, whose only son was in Long Kesh Prison, didn't have anyone to dig his garden for his potatoes. So he wrote to his son about his predicament. The son sent the reply, "For HEAVENS SAKE, don't dig the garden up, that's where I buried the guns!!!!!" At 3 AM the next morning, a dozen British soldiers turned up and dug the garden for 3 hours, but didn't find any guns. Confused, the man wrote to his son telling him what had happened, asking him what he should do now? The son sent the reply: "NOW plant the potatoes!" - As told by laughalot-owner@laughalot.com "I think, therefore I Yam!" - Ratbert "Old Gardeners never die...they just go to seed." ~~~ People are like Potatoes! ~~~ Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are content to watch others...They are called "Speck Tators." Some people never do anything spectacular; they just lead dull lives...They are called "Common Tators." Some are always looking to cause problems and really get under your skin...They are called "Aggie Tators." There are those who are always saying they will, but somehow, they never get around to doing...We call them "Hezzie Tators." Some people put on a front and act like someone else...They're called "Emma Tators." Then, there are those who walk what they talk. They're always prepared to stop what they're doing to lend a hand to others, and bring real sunshine into the lives of others. You can call them "Sweet Tators." - As told by laughalot-owner@laughalot.com HERE ARE SOME PICTURES OF THE LANDSCAPING AROUND OUR NEW HOUSE. This is part of the front yard looking north. This is part of the front yard looking west. This is part of the back yard looking north. This is part of the back yard looking north. This is part of the back yard looking south. A friend of mine, Rich Michaels, when I told him of a new project in the back yard, said, "That back yard is your life!" And he was close to the truth because it is a pleasure to work there and to sit there and enjoy the beauty. Although the plants and flowers are pretty new, in a couple of years, it should truly be a garden spot. This is the back yard looking south, and Vincas, my favorite flower, whose leaves stay green in the hot summer weather in Merced, and the blooms are numerous. The trees are called Bradford Pear trees, and they keep their lovely shape as they grow (no pruning is necessary). This is part of the back yard looking east. This is the garden bed on the south side of the house. On 8-2-00 the first Zennia appeared, and with the flowers came the hummingbirds and butterflies. I love the hummingbirds--one day one actually stopped fluttering and just perched on a flower and looked at me for a couple of minutes, then flew away. This is the garden bed on May 1, 2001 with tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and flowers. I got my first ripe tomato on May 30, and guess who picked it? Coco my dog. I wanted to pick it myself, but she was so proud of herself I couldn't be too angry with her. The picture of tomatoes shows some of my "Super Fantastic" brand of tomatoes; I didn't get a large crop like I had in recent years, but the taste was marvelous. In 2002, I started using some organic fertilizer I ordered from a web site called "Gardens Alive," and the tomatoes started ripening on July 1. We had a very mild winter, and I took my last tomato vine down on January 28, 2003. As of February 3, 2003, I was still eating tomatoes from the garden. MOST OF THE GRAPHICS ON THIS PAGE ARE COPYRIGHT BY ARTTODAY. © 1998 -- 2009 by the 4 Star Listening Post This Is The GARDEN PAGE.Just Click On A Box To Go To Another Page.Click On The SITE MAP For A Brief Summary Of All The Pages. 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I like to put a shovelful of steer manure in the hole and mix it with the dirt before planting the tomato. I also add a shovelful of Miracle Gro garden mix, and these mixtures give the plant a boost. Also, adding a cupful or two of B-1 mixture and a little sugar can give the plant a good start.
Next to last, I cut the bottom from a small, used plastic pot that plants come in and put it around the tomato plant with a little snail bait inside to keep the little pests from eating the young plant. This also works well if I want to water the plants individually with a hose.
Finally, I put a wire cage about 18-24 inches in diameter and 4 to 6 feet high around the plant to keep it off the ground. For the extra tall plants, like Early Girl, I will tie two four feet cages one on top of the other to make a cage eight feet high. I position the cages by driving a small pole on each side of the cage and bind it to the cage with a little piece of wire. NOTE: In 2002, instead of the wire, I used rebar stakes, about 6 feet high and three to a plant, and they worked fine.
I like to MULCH around the tomato plants with my grass clippings in the summer. This helps the soil hold the water, and it eventually makes the soil easier to work with. Here in Merced we have a clay soil that can get very hard, so I constantly work mulch into it. Instead of grass clippings, you can use a ground-up redwood bark with the consistency of sawdust, and it works well.
I used to use Miracle Gro as fertilizer for the plants, feeding them every one or two weeks. However, I have tried "Tomatoes Alive Plus," from GARDENS ALIVE organic suppliers, and it worked very well. Lately I have used Spray and Grow, which is sprayed directly on the plant, and that seems to work fine.
TYPES OF TOMATOES:In the past I have planted Early Girl, Better Boy, Ace, Beefsteak, Roma, and Cherry tomatoes, but I also love Super Fantastic, and it is wonderful. The tomatoes are the size of Beefsteaks, the bunches of tomatoes are huge, the vine is strong and tall, and the flavor is great.
If you would like to learn how to plant tomatoes in a bale of hay, then click HERE
There is an excellent Garden Guides web site you can click on that discusses starting plants from seeds, location, transplanting, pruning, side-dressing, staking, recipes (including Fried Tomatoes), books on tomatoes, and lots of Internet Links on tomatoes:Garden Guide to Tomatoes.
If you are interested in composting your grass, leaves, etc., here are two links you can click on to find out further information. One is Tips and Techniques, and the other is Virginia Extension.
~~~ Plant Some Potatoes! ~~~
An old man living alone in South Armagh, whose only son was in Long Kesh Prison, didn't have anyone to dig his garden for his potatoes. So he wrote to his son about his predicament.
The son sent the reply, "For HEAVENS SAKE, don't dig the garden up, that's where I buried the guns!!!!!" At 3 AM the next morning, a dozen British soldiers turned up and dug the garden for 3 hours, but didn't find any guns.
Confused, the man wrote to his son telling him what had happened, asking him what he should do now?
The son sent the reply: "NOW plant the potatoes!"
"I think, therefore I Yam!" - Ratbert
"Old Gardeners never die...they just go to seed."
~~~ People are like Potatoes! ~~~
Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are content to watch others...They are called "Speck Tators."
Some people never do anything spectacular; they just lead dull lives...They are called "Common Tators."
Some are always looking to cause problems and really get under your skin...They are called "Aggie Tators."
There are those who are always saying they will, but somehow, they never get around to doing...We call them "Hezzie Tators."
Some people put on a front and act like someone else...They're called "Emma Tators."
Then, there are those who walk what they talk. They're always prepared to stop what they're doing to lend a hand to others, and bring real sunshine into the lives of others. You can call them "Sweet Tators."
This is part of the front yard looking west.
This is part of the back yard looking north.
This is part of the back yard looking south. A friend of mine, Rich Michaels, when I told him of a new project in the back yard, said, "That back yard is your life!" And he was close to the truth because it is a pleasure to work there and to sit there and enjoy the beauty. Although the plants and flowers are pretty new, in a couple of years, it should truly be a garden spot.
This is part of the back yard looking east.
This is the garden bed on the south side of the house. On 8-2-00 the first Zennia appeared, and with the flowers came the hummingbirds and butterflies. I love the hummingbirds--one day one actually stopped fluttering and just perched on a flower and looked at me for a couple of minutes, then flew away.
This is the garden bed on May 1, 2001 with tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and flowers. I got my first ripe tomato on May 30, and guess who picked it? Coco my dog. I wanted to pick it myself, but she was so proud of herself I couldn't be too angry with her. The picture of tomatoes shows some of my "Super Fantastic" brand of tomatoes; I didn't get a large crop like I had in recent years, but the taste was marvelous.
In 2002, I started using some organic fertilizer I ordered from a web site called "Gardens Alive," and the tomatoes started ripening on July 1. We had a very mild winter, and I took my last tomato vine down on January 28, 2003. As of February 3, 2003, I was still eating tomatoes from the garden.
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