This one inquiry comes across in my email more often than any other as summer gets ready. Full with optimism and dreams of that first bite of a really homegrown tomato, a gardener seeks the secret. One important question still remains: where should the tomato plant really live? They have chosen the ideal kind, tenderly worked the ground, and are …
Any gardener who has ever fallen in love with cultivating their own tomatoes will recognize this scene. Tiny, hopeful seedlings that you carefully tend to mark the beginning of the season. Then, almost overnight, you are in charge of a vast, tumultuous jungle. Your tomato plants have grown into magnificent, wild giants, entangled with vines, leaves, and the promise of …
Your once-vibrant tomato jungle, which has been the cause of so much summer delight, is beginning to look a little worn as the air gets crisper and the days seem to be substantially shorter. This is the mixed ending of a great season. But now what? You wonder as you gaze at those spreading vines loaded with a mix of …
A tomato plant loaded in bright yellow blossoms is among the few things in a home garden that really seem hopeful. From a seedling, you have gently staked it and watched proudly as it developed into a rich, vivid plant. For the luscious, sun-ripened tomatoes to come, each of those flowers is a tiny lighthouse of hope for summer salads …
Understanding the Distress Signals of Your Tomato Haven’t you? Those tomato plants have been nurtured by you with all your heart and soul. Images of a summer overflowing with ripe, red fruit twirl in your mind. Then you see it: those formerly rich, vibrant green leaves are beginning to fade to a concerning yellow. But the interesting thing is the …
Isn’t it just so exciting to plan your summer food garden? Sketching out where everything will go, dreaming of those sun-ripened, juicy tomatoes and wonderfully crisp, tasty cucumbers always excites me. But then, while you’re planning your layout, that major question usually arises, particularly if space is limited: can you plant tomatoes and cucumbers together? Many gardeners, believe me, battle …
Walking out to your garden, you beam with pride at the rows of lush tomato plants and dreams of juicy red fruits spinning in your head. But wait a moment… What is that strange, almost talcum-powder-like dusting on some leaves? Should you notice this, you have most likely encountered a common garden foe: powdery mildew. At first look, it could …
Imagine that after watching your tomato plants from the beginning and witnessing their little green globes grow larger and larger, you are just anticipating that first juicy bite. Then, all of a sudden! Your beautiful tomatoes have these bothersome cracks. For those of us who cultivate tomatoes, is there anything more aggravating? To be honest, it’s a pretty typical headache …
Is there anything that really catches the core of summer like the flavor of a sun-warmed tomato, picked fresh from the vine? The often-disappointing grocery store selections are a world away from that explosion of genuine, garden-fresh taste. You, my friend, are in the correct location if you have ever fantasized of biting into a really wonderful tomato or experienced …