Garden Tomatoes

Tips on growing tomatoes and gardening from Dave’s Garden.

Imagine finding a way to save money, get some fresh air and eat healthier- all at the same time. The easy way to slash your grocery bill this summer is to grow a kitchen garden. A simple garden, that’s easy to tend to and maintain will supply you with an abundance of healthy vegetables and herbs all summer. Even a small investment of $50 in some basic supplies and seeds can result over $1200 in produce! That’s a huge return- plus you know it will all taste better than anything that’s been shipped to your local grocery store. There are three basic steps to get started. Plan, Prepare and Plant, it’s that simple. 1) Planning: It can be overwhelming to stand in front of a display of seeds and try to decide what to grab. First start with what you enjoy eating. There’s no sense in growing peppers if you won’t be enjoying them on your salad. You are in charge here and there is no obligation to grow certain things just because you think you should, or your neighbor is growing it. Sit down and really be honest about what you eat and enjoy. Start simple, maybe just go with two types of tomatoes, snap peas and green beans. Don’t go crazy and try to start with a dozen different vegetables, you’ll just get overwhelmed and not tend to the plants, or throw away excess. 2) Prepare: Head out into the yard and see what areas receive the most amount of sun during the day- Vegetable gardens need full sun! Now you’ll need to decide how much space you want to devote to your new garden. If you want to keep it simple, something as small as a 4 x 4 foot space would be enough. You could even get started with pots on a deck- the point it to just get growing! Next you need to dig up the soil and remove any sod (grass) from the area. Digging down about 6 inches to loosen up the dirt will suffice. Remove any roots, rocks and debris you unearth. To make sure you new plants are happy, you should amend the soil with some peat moss and compost. Compost is available for purchase, but starting your own compost pile is easy! 3) Plant: You know what you want to grow and you’ve got your seeds started, or purchased seedlings at your local greenhouse. Following directions for each to ensure proper spacing. Some plants will need some vertical support if they’re vining plants (i.e. green beans). You can string up trellis netting, or build a simple three-leg pyramid out of long branches. And keep up with the watering. Long hot stretches of dry weather will keep you plant too busy growing roots to find water, instead of growing up and producing! Put out some clean buckets and start catching free rainwater. Enjoying that warm juicy tomato you grew yourself will get you hooked on gardening forever. Maybe you want to have a more elaborate garden and are ready to take the next step beyond tomatoes and peas? Maybe you’re ready to get your own compost pile started so you can put that “black gold” straight into your garden? Go to: www.FirstLadyGardens.com for more tips and plans to create the kitchen garden of your dreams.

Bacterial Leaf Spot:  This is something that is common in some gardens and that many new organic gardeners will recognize immediately.  The leaves infected with this disease will have small, black or brown water-soaked spots.  The spots will eventually dry up; crack, and leave holes and the infected leaves will often drop off and die prematurely.  This disease is common with tomatoes, peppers, and members of the cabbage family.  The symptoms will often appear during wet weather and can be controlled by immediately removing infected leaves.  It can be hard to keep up with the disease during wet weather but it can be done.Late Blight:  This disease most often affects tomatoes and potato plants later in the growing season.  The disease will start out as wet grayish or greenish spots on the leaves and will progress into a white fungal growth that will form on the undersides of the leaves.  There are some varieties and tomatoes and potatoes that are resistant to the disease.  When these varieties are available select them regardless of the expense since you will benefit from a larger harvest.  If you are unable to find a resistant variety remove and dispose of any infect parts of a plant.  One way to help avoid this disease is to water plants early in the morning so that they have a chance to dry out completely during the day which will discourage fungus growth. Common Rust:  Rust will affect many vegetables so it must be watched for carefully.  The following vegetables are commonly affected by vegetables:AsparagusBeansCornOnionsThe primary symptom of common rust is a reddish brown spot that appears to be powdery.  These spots will usually appear on the leaves of the vegetables affected and will rub off when touch.  Hand picking infected leaves will help reduce the spread of infection.  Plants that are seriously infected should be completely removed and destroyed.  There are ways to avoid common rust completely.  One way is to make sure all plants have good air circulation so avoid planting your seeds to close together since this will lead to crowded conditions.  Also weed your garden often and prune plants to make sure plants continue to be well circulated.Anthracnose:  Organic vegetable growers in the United States will have to deal with anthracnose more often than organic vegetable growers in other countries.  This disease occurs in warm, wet climates and will affect the stems, leaves, and fruits of the plants.  Cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, and beans are the vegetables that are most often affected by the disease.It will begin as small spots on various parts of the affected vegetable.  Later pink spores will start to appear in the center of the spots.  Water with a bit of lime juice sprayed on the leaf buds will help reduce the chances of this disease starting or spreading.  Any seriously infected plants must be completely removed and destroyed.

      We are all looking for ways to save money through any avenue possible. With the rising cost of daily living due to outrageous gas prices. We all feel the same cruel pinch in the pocketbook. It effects everything from groceries to the price we pay to clothe our children. I want to share with you some ideas and thoughts that might help you save some cash in the “feeding the family” department! My friend it is time to tap into the “Inner Farmer” that is hiding inside the deep recesses of your being!

    So what is that you say? You don’t have room for a lavish vegetable garden? I beg to differ. Anyone can have a garden. Yes that even includes those who live in tiny apartments tucked so far into the corners that no one but them knows it is there. I will share with you a few ways to maximize your space and your resources no matter where you live.

    If you have a small amount of land that you can use then have no fear there is hope. You would be surprised at how much you can harvest out of even the smallest garden patch if you manage your space correctly. You can use a small garden tiller and turn up a small patch of ground with maybe about 8 rows or more. You can plant things such as green beans and cucumbers that grow on vines. You can train these types of vegetables to run up instead of out thus maximizing your space. You can drive stakes about 3 ft long on each end of the row. You can then run twine from one end to the other weaving it back and forth and up and down to look like a fish net. You can simply train the vines to run up your make shift net. This type of growing vegetables on a vine makes the vegetable larger and reduces the risk of rot due to not being on the ground. While you are at it plant a row or two of corn. Corn is a vegetable that is easy to grow and since it grows up instead of out you can make better use of yours space. Also I would suggest that you plant some hardy tomatoes. You can place tomato baskets around the plants to keep the heavy fruit baring plants neat and standing tall. The list is endless as to what you can plant. Just use your imagination and the sky is the limit.

     You can also build raised plant beds. You can build these handy boxes normally about 6 ft long and at least 3 ft wide and about 2 ft deep. You can use any type of wood to construct these handy boxes. You can fill these boxes with growing mix of your choice. Plants thrive in raised beds. This way of growing makes weeding your garden almost obsolete. You can also use the creative trick I mentioned above to grow vine type plants. Just train the vines to climb up a guide. This makes good use of your space since things are growing up instead of out. You can plant any type of plants in raised beds that you can grown in a traditional garden.

     For those who are in apartments or those who just do not have any space at all. You can try container gardening. Just simply plant your garden in flower pots. Yes you heard me, FLOWER POTS. They can be moved around easily. If you have a patio or a terrace this idea is a wonderful way to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, okra, squash and such grow great in containers. You can even plant root type veggies in deeper containers. These veggies would be things like radishes, potatoes, carrot, turnips. The key to any of these types of gardening is to know how to fertilize and water your plants. One very important thing is to make sure they get the proper amount of sunlight. You can even use all three types of gardening in conjunction with each other.

    With a little elbow grease and dirt under the Ole nails you will be reaping the rewards of your harvest well into the fall. The pay back of doing the hard work yourself is more money in your wallet. It is hard in some areas of the US to buy fresh vegetables without taking out a 2nd mortgage on your home. In my next article I will touch base on the money saving options of preserving your bountiful harvest via canning, freezing & drying.

Are you looking for good garden design advice in Tucson, Arizona? Perhaps some of the best advice is on how to prevent the spread of destructive pests in your garden! This article will provide you with garden design tips that will help you cultivate and protect your crops. Whether you’re looking to grow edible plants or beautiful flowers, the following information will be beneficial to you.
Garden Design Advice for Tucson: Raise Companion Plants That Thwart the Spread of Destructive Pests:
Dills for cabbages. The number one enemy of plants belonging to the cabbage family is the cabbageworm. These tiny creatures bore holes into the cabbage plants, making them useless for consumption or trading. Dills are plants that attract Tachinid flies that feed on cabbageworms and their eggs. Dills are known to be permanent solutions to the problems caused by unwanted cabbageworms.
Tomatoes for cabbages. Some moths feed on cabbage foliage as well, creating the same problems as those brought on by cabbageworms. Worse, moths produce larvae at such a rapid pace that a full-blown invasion is almost always inevitable. By growing tomatoes near your cabbage plants will help you deter moths. Is is said that tomato plants emit a particular odor that moths loathe, keeping them (and their larvae) away from your garden.
Chives or garlic for roses. Roses are grown for the beautiful flowers. Pests often ruin these blooms, making a quarter of a year’s work rather useless. Cultivating chives alongside roses assists in repelling the usual pests that feed on rose bushes. Garlic is believed to have the same effect.
Beans for corn. A bug infestation in corn crops can be very harmful for the entire garden. Cultivating beans in your garden will help attract useful insects that will prey on the usual pests that trouble corn fields. Armyworms, leaf beetles and leaf hoppers will be all but sad memories with bean plants surrounding growing corn stalks.
Nasturtiums for cucumbers. Cukes attract cucumber beetles – little insects with strong jaws that hack through cucumbers themselves. Nasturtiums, however, repel cucumber beetles, allowing for the healthy growth of cucumber plants.
Here’s some information about a popular desert plant that will make a great addition to the area around your garden design in Tucson.
Boxwood Beauty, also called “Green Carpet” or Carissa Macrocarpa, is a fast-growing, ornamental shrub that is wind resistant and can grow in coastal area. It usually forms a dense, thorny shrub, but can also grow into a small tree.
Boxwood Beauty has y-shaped thorns that grow from green branches. The plant exudes a milky, white non-toxic latex material. Its leaves are shiny, dark and leathery. The flowers vary in size, are pure white in color and have the scent of orange blossoms. Boxwood Beauty produces large oval red fruit that is edible and rich in Vitamin C. “Green Carpet” is a popular ground cover.
Boxwood Beauty attracts birds and butterflies to the garden. It can be pruned if necessary.
If you are still unsure about what will work in your garden design and landscaping in Tucson, there are plenty of online resources that can help you. For instance, many local landscaping companies have expertise in garden design and plants that thrive in the area. Hiring a professional garden design and landscaping company in Tucson, Arizona might just be your best bet. They can work with you to pick out the best plants that fit your taste, lifestyle and budget – and they can even help you maintain it!