Vegetables

Growing Tomatoes

In growing tomatoes, there are some things that people do not tell you about. First, there are two different types of tomatoes, indeterminate and determinate varieties. Indeterminate types produce tomatoes thru the season while the determinate ones produce tomatoes faster in cycles making them good if you want to can or preserve.

Another secret is not to buy the cheap tomato cages. Most of you have experienced go out to the garden after a windstorm and seeing those cages all bent out of shape and twisted. Get the more expensive, taller ones and place and tie a T-post inside the cage. You can make your own cage out of heavy fence.

Tomatoes do not like the leaves to get wet which causes various fungus diseases. Water the plants with a soaker hose or drip irrigation. My mother use to dig trenches along the plants to get water to them allowing the water to get deep into the soil.

Plant deep, always deeper than the pot they are growing in. Plant much of the stem into the soils allows for better protection from the wind. Roots will form along the stem allowing for a sturdier plant.

Fertilize the plants when you transplant with a water diluted fertilizer like Miracle-Gro. However, do not feed the plants too heavily thru the growing period, this creates more foliage at the expense of fruit.

I you can, mulch the soil around the plants with 1 to 2 inches of straw or hay. This keeps the plants from drying out, controls weeds, and controls fluctuations in soil temperatures.

After the plants get taller, prune all the lower leaves and sucker off the bottom 12 inches of the plant. This lessens rain hitting the soil and splashing up to the plant reducing diseases like Septoria and other fungus diseases from affecting your plant. If you want to do further pruning, remove the suckers between the stem and main leaf. This allows for more air movement in the plant reducing diseases. Remember is you remove too much foliage, you will run into sunscald later on.

Home Improvement

Chalkboard Design is a Trend

Remember the old green chalkboards in schools? What is I told you that chalkboard design is a trend? You can buy chalkboard paint either the spray type or regular paint to paint entire walls. It goes on black which is the trending color and gradually fades to a slate color looking like stone.

Now you can customize your wall to your own desire. You can write or draw on it, use it for a background and put empty picture frames on it with sayings. Create an ever-changing style.

To write or design the area, use stencils, and fill in the lines. You can download the stencils and lettering off the internet.

You can make chalkboards from painting blank picture frames, mirrors, large plates, clay flowerpots, old windows, etc. From there, go with your imagination!

Landscaping

Using Mulches for Landscaping

Using mulches for landscaping reduces many problems. Group plants together and use a mulch to reduce weed growth, hold in water, protect your plants from heaving in the winter, prevent erosion, and of course, gives your beds a refined look.

Mulches are either organic (wood, bark and you may fine crushed coconut or cotton hulls) or inorganic (stone, rubber, mats, etc.). Whatever you use, apply the mulch to 3 because it will settle. Stone is more expensive, however, it will stay in place better than bark chips or shredded mulch.

I use circular rubber mats around newly planted trees to hold in water and control weeds. Works great!

If you need a lot of mulch, you can find it in bulk sizes at larger garden retail centers. You can buy it in bales, but you will need a pickup or trailer.

Use breathable landscape fabric under the mulch for better weed control, soil gas exchange, and allows water to get into the soil. Do not use a solid plastic barrier. Amend the soil with organic matter before installing landscape fabric and mulch.

I use edging stones to keep the mulch from washing away in thunderstorms. The edging rises 3 to 4 inches above the mulch.

You can create a design using different types and colors of mulches.