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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Frost Protection, 'Tuff' Tomatoes and A Tour of My Garden

Mid March Garden Update at The Rusted Garden
Frost Protection and 'Toughen-Up' Tomato Tips

I will be doing two monthly updates of my garden as 2013 progresses. This is my first update. I will be adding in several garden tips and tricks within the updates to help make the videos a little more valuable toward your time.

It is mid march and because we have had unseasonably colder temperatures, I am about 2 weeks behind in planting and my greenhouse shelf units have filled up with plants. This week we will be having two 25 degree nights. That is just too cold. A little frost is fine for cool crops but 7 degrees below freezing is a lot.  I did push my beets, lettuce and kohlrabi into the ground. I made micro domes out of cups to keep them from freezing through. I hope it works!



The tips I discuss are:
  • Using plastic cups for frost protection
  • Thirty minutes of sun an wind to 'toughen-up' your tomatoes
  • Black painted milk jugs to hold heat
  • Perennial beds to bring in good bugs
  • And a couple other things.
I hope you enjoy the short tour of my garden. I wish you luck and success in your 2013 gardens!



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Monday, March 4, 2013

60 Seconds or Sow: How to Use Baking Soda to Fight Powdery Mildew

60 Seconds or Sow: 
How to Use Baking Soda to Fight Powdery Mildew

Baking soda mixed with water can control powdery mildew in your garden. That white powdery dust that often covers melons, zukes and cukes is the powdery mildew fungus. Treating it with baking soda, by changing the PH value on the leaves, stops the growth and spread of the fungus.









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Warm Season Vegetable Crops

Warm season is typically defined as 70 to 90+ degree days. These vegetables don't like cool days or cool nights. The nights need to be nearly 60 degrees or warmer. Warm soil too.

Temperatures below 55 degrees will inhibit growth of these vegetables and can harm normal growth. They really don't like cold damp soil. The warm days tend to dry gardens more quickly and the seeds of the warm weather crops need that to germinate with success.

Warm Season Vegetable Crops

(Will be expanded & detailed Summer 2013)


Basil
Start planting basil when the days stay in the 70's.

Beans
They germinate best between 70 and 80 degrees. They don't like soggy soil.

Beets
Are cold tolerant and can be started earlier but they are also heat tolerant and be planted almost any time.

Cantaloupe
Like most melons they need 80 degree days to thrive best.

Corn
Gets planted when the days are regularly in the 70's and 80's.

Cucumbers
Like beans germinate best around 70 to 80 degrees. They don't like soggy soil.

Celery
Though I managed to grow it as a cool season crop. It is thriving now the day temperature is in the 70's.

Eggplant
They need 70-80 degree days.

Kale Varieties
They love the cold but also grow through the warm season without bolting. They bolt the 2nd year typically.

Peppers
They need 70-80 degree days and 60 degree nights to grow. And 50 degree plus soil.

Pumpkins
They like 80 to 90 degree days.

Tomatillos
Treat them like peppers and tomatoes.

Tomatoes
Treat them just like peppers.

Spinach (New Zealand Variety)
It will grow in 80 degree days without bolting like standard spinach.

Squash (Summer & Winter)
They start thriving when the days break 80 degrees. 70 degrees will get them germinated and going.

Watermelons
Just like cantaloupe

Zucchini
Treat them like squash.



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Sunday, March 3, 2013

60 Seconds or Sow: Using Aspirin to Bolster Your Tomato's Defenses

Using Aspirin to Bolster a Tomato's Defense Response

I started a series of garden videos called: 60 Seconds or Sow. In about a minute or so I hopefully provide you with information to help you with gardening.  Just the quick facts. You can check out my YouTube channel for more 60 Second or Sow garden videos.

Aspirin can be used to trigger a response in a tomato plant to boost its defenses. The salicylic acid in aspirin triggers a response - tricking your tomato into thinking it is being attacked by disease, pests or damage. By stimulating this defense mode, your tomato will be stronger and it will be able to better handle diseases. Search salicylic acid and tomatoes. There are a lot of studies on it. 










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Saturday, March 2, 2013

60 Second or Sow: Using Cinnamon to Control Seedling Diseases

 Using Cinnamon to Treat 'Damping-Off' Diseases on Seedlings


I started a series of garden videos called: 60 Seconds or Sow. In about a minute or so I hopefully provide you with information to help you with gardening.  Just the quick facts. You can check out my YouTube channel for more 60 Second or Sow garden videos.

This video show you how to use cinnamon and its natural anti-fungal properties to treat and prevent 'damping off' diseases on your seedlings. It is that grayish white cotton like fuzzy growth on top of your seed mix or on the stems of your seedlings.






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Friday, March 1, 2013

Ten Things About Tomatoes: Tips for Growing Tomatoes

Ten Things About Tomatoes:Tips for Growing Tomatoes
 


Tomato Thing One: Two Types of Tomatoes
Determinate and Indeterminate
There are two types of tomato plants. A tomato plant is either a determinate plant or indeterminate plant. A determinate tomato grows to a set height and stops growing. The fruits mature all at once and the plant dies shortly after the fruits mature. This determinate type of tomato is great for getting the first round of tomatoes from your garden and they do well in containers. The indeterminate tomato continues to grow and grow until frost. It sets fruit throughout the season. Only frost or disease will stop an indeterminate tomato from producing. Think of it this way, a determinate tomato grows to a predetermined size. 

Tomato Thing Two: Plant Them Deep

It's a Vine

A tomato is a vine. When you plant them, you want to plant them deep in the ground. When you buy a tomato they should be 8 to 12 inches tall. You should plant the tomato to at least a third or half of its height. If the tomato is 12 inches tall then plant 4-6 inches of the plant stem below ground. Why? Because a tomato is a vine that will set roots from any part of the stem, if the stem is below the ground or on the soil. A strong deep root system leads to a stronger plant. 

Tomato Thing Three: Planting a Container?

Determinate Tomatoes

The determinate tomato grows to a set height. This makes them the best bet to survive in a pot or container. I recommend buying a very large container (5 gallon). A smaller container can work but you really have to keep an eye on watering. If you let the plant dry out, it really messes up the fruit. The fruit will crack. If you over water and then let it dry out and repeat, you will probably see your tomatoes rot from the bottom. This is know as blossom end rot. It is a calcium deficiency and occurs when the roots aren't watered properly and therefore can't absorb nutrients properly. An indeterminate tomato may just grow to large for containers. 

Tomato Thing Four: Prune Your Plant

They Can't Fair Without Air

Indeterminate tomatoes needs to have air circulating through and around the plant. Poor air circulation leads to disease. As your tomato grows, you should pinch off the leaves nearest to the ground. I try and keep 12 inches between the ground and the the first leaves (sometimes more). Now you can't do this all at once but as the plant grows taller, you should prune the bottom leaves to about 12 inches from the ground. This will allow air to circulate below the plant and make it harder for disease/spores to splash up on the plant. You will also need to prune back shoots/branches from the upper part of the plant. That sometimes means taking off two or three foot pieces of your plant. Painful to do but necessary. Air also needs to circulate through the plant. Air circulation helps keep humid air from sitting around the plant and it helps to dry the plant leaves after watering or a good rain. 

Tomato Thing Five: Keep Them Off the Ground

Staking

Tomatoes are vines. If you let them sprawl on the ground you will see them root from  the vine touches the ground. You will see additional vines growing all over the place and end up with a mess. Sure you will get tomatoes but you will also increase the chances of your tomatoes getting diseases like blights. A 6-foot stake is the best way to train your tomatoes to grow upwards and stay off the ground. 

Tomato Thing Five: Fertilizing

Feeding Your Friends

You know what happens if you over fertilize a tomato? You get a very happy large green plant with less fruit. I fertilize when the plant is planted and when the plant has been growing about 6-8 weeks. This is mid July in my area. It isn't etched in stone but that is how I do it.  A table spoons of 10-10-10 fertilizer deep in the hole and one higher in the hole when I plant. I typically give them a half of gallon to gallon sprinkle of Miracle Grow in June to keep them happy. In July I do a side dressing which is tossing some fertilizer on the ground about 6 to 8 inches from the stem. I drop a handful. I also give them a big drink of Miracle Grow. After that, fertilizing is done. You just don't want to give them so much nitrogen you end up with a great looking green tomato plant with a couple of tomatoes. Unless you are eating the leaves. If you are container gardening then I recommend feeding them weekly with miracle grow or the like when they are large.

Certainly replace my suggestions with organic products of you wish. 

Tomato Thing Six: Early Doesn't Mean Sooner

Warm Weather Plants

Tomatoes are warm weather plants. They need 50 degree nights and 70 degree days to really start growing. But more importantly the soil temperature needs to be 50+ degrees. You don't need to put plants in early before the temperatures are ready. Putting a tomato out April 10th doesn't mean it will be bigger than a plant you put on on May 1st come the middle of May. Sure, initially it might look bigger but once the heat hits, tomatoes grow. If it is colder in April your plant is just going to sit there in shiver mode and not really grow.  The plant you plant May 1st isn't really at a disadvantage. The bottom line is they will catch up to each other and you don't get fruit any sooner. So wait for the right temperature to plant. But once the temperatures comes, the first one to get them in the ground wins. 

Tomato Thing Seven: Water Evenly

Mulch Much Mulch

Two thing can happen with poor watering habits. If your plant gets stressed from too little water and then you soak it, it will develop cracked fruit. If you continually let the ground dry and then over water the plant and let it dry and over water, you'll increase the chances of blossom end rot. Basically, you mess the root system up and the plant can get a calcium deficiency and you end up with blossom end rot. Mulch is your best friend. I use grass clippings. I put down two inches of grass clippings and let it dry out. The next week I put down two more inches and let the clipping dry up and turn brown. I continue this throughout the summer. It is important to let grass clipping dry out before adding more. If you don't, you run the risk of developing smelly grass clippings which creates a bad smelling garden. Water regularly in the morning. I tend to water my plant from the bottom, with a hose, as to not soak the tomato plant leaves or splash mud up. I am always battling blights and mildew. If that isn't  a problem in your area, a sprinkler is fine. 

Tomato Thing Eight: Planting Location

Shading Other Plants

Tomatoes get quite large. You want to make sure you plant them in the garden so they don't grow up to shade out other plants. If you reach out both arms to the side and pretend the length of your arms is your garden, you can figure out where to plant the tomatoes. If the sun is mostly where your left hand is then you need to plant the tomatoes way down by your right hand. Get it? Sun mostly to the left of the garden will cause or cast shade to the right side of the plants. Sun to the right of the garden will cause or cast shade to the left side of plants. When in doubt go stand in your garden plot around 2 pm. Pretend your a tomato plant and see which way your shadow falls. I use raised beds and plant my tomatoes so the shade they produce mostly falls outside the box. 

Tomato Thing Nine: What the Tomato is VFF or VFTA?

Don't Worry About It

I know that isn't a great answer but they stand for disease resistances. If you don't run into tomato diseases then it doesn't really matter. Unless of course they come up with a tomato that is resistant to late blight. So far no luck. Most of us buy tomatoes from the garden shops and they usually stock the standard varieties that have these resistances. If you are buying seeds from catalogs the catalogs will tell you what the letters stand for. Fusarium and verticillum wilts. See it doesn't help. 

Tomato Thing Ten: There Is Never Enough Room

Just One More

If you love tomatoes then you'll agree there is just never enough room to plant all the tomatoes you want. Even if you expand your garden year after year, there seems to be a need for more space. There is always that variety you haven't tried but it's right there within your reach at your local nursery. You wonder if you could squeeze it in. You think you could possibly negotiate another garden bed from your wife. You ponder what you can trade her for a little more space. If you are like me - you buy it and worry about the space later. Remember, 2 plants is plenty of tomatoes for one adult. I can say it. I can write it but I don't think I can come to terms with it. A family of four and a garden of twenty plus plants last year... I know I can get in twenty this year. Enjoy!




Questions? Join My Google+ Community
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Videos: Growing, Tending & Pruning Tomatoes

Complete Guide to Starting Tomatoes Indoors


How to Grow Large Tomatoes in Containers


Growing Brandywine Tomatoes


How to Build a Hot-House Tomato Cage


How to Transplant Tomato Seedlings into Cups


How Prune, Stake and Remove Suckers


Using Grass Clipping for Mulch and a Soil Barrier


Single, Double and Triple Tomato Stem Pruning


The Baxter's Bush Cherry Container Tomato


Complete Guide to Growing Heirloom Tomatoes


The Kentucky Orange Heirloom Tomato

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