Monday, June 11, 2012

How to Grow Tomato's

    Hello friends, sorry it's been awhile. If you follow my other blog Bridget's Daughter than you'll know why, if you don't follow it-why not? LOL
   I'm sure most of you have grown tomato's before, but I had a request to write about this so I am, for you wonderful pro's just skip this blog-but come back later! And as you all know I love to answer question, get your idea's or learn from you!
   Tomatoes like a nice warm area in full sun, and need at least eight hours of sunlight a day, or they get spindly and produce little mature fruit. 
    You'll want soil that will hold water as evenly as possible because uneven uptake of water can cause all kinds of problems with tomatoes including: flower drop, fruit splitting and blossom-end rot.
   Honestly I think the three most important things you need to do to grow wonderful, tasty tomato's is lot's of sunshine, good organic filled soil, and water consistently.
    My mother has a friend that grows them in concrete blocks, you know the ones with two big holes in them? I believe that she has them sitting on her porch. My Dad plants them in flower pots then bury's the pot's, IDK why but it works!
   I have grown them in both pot's and in ground. I like both ways. 
   I'm also a big believer in pairing them with certain other plants,one is pairing it with the herb Borage  is an annual, edible herb with  blue star-shaped flowers. The leaves can be used in salads. It improves tomato plant health and even makes them taste better. Borage also repels the tomato horn-worm, the bane of many a tomato grower.
    Another pairing is with young dill . Young dill also improves the health and growth of tomato plants. Be sure to remove the dill before it is mature, because it will actually have the opposite effect and stunt tomato growth.
   Basil is not just great in tomato sauce. The plant is also able to ward off spider mites, aphids, and white flies. You will have better pollination results,  it attracts bees.
    Try planting any member of the Umbilliferae family near your tomatoes. Members are, among others : parsnip, carrots, Queen Anne’s Lace, and parsley. These plants attract hover flies, which go after many tomato pests. 
   You shouldn't need pesticides with them around. Also Marigolds are good for keeping pest away, Plant them around your whole garden.
    If you grow alot of tomato's or have a big garden a natural way to restore the soil is to plant Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa), a nitrogen-fixing legume, in your garden bed in the fall.
     In the spring, cut it down and till the residue into the soil. This provides both nitrogen and an instant mulch that preserves moisture.
    And last, many tomato diseases reside in the soil and affect peppers, eggplants, potatoes, and other crops in the nightshade (Solanaceae) family. 
    To break the disease cycle, and to help get rid of the disease-causing organisms, rotate tomatoes with unrelated crops, such as corn, beans or lettuce.
  Here's a list of a few different types of tomato's:
1)Roma, tomatoes are plum-shaped or oval tomatoes that are typically smaller than common slicing tomatoes. When picked up, the Roma tends to weigh more than expected because of its thick, dense flesh. A 2-inch long Roma can weigh up to 4 oz., with some versions of this tomato reaching weights as high as 12 oz. Romas are ideal for making tomato sauces and ketchup because of their dense flesh and low water content.
2)Sun Gold tomato is a popular indeterminate variety of hybrid tomato, meaning that it continues to produce fruit until the weather no longer allows it. These cherry tomatoes are an especially sweet variety that work well for sun drying and ripen to a bright orange color.
3)Beefsteak tomato is perhaps the most common slicing tomato there is. These large tomatoes are dark red in color, full of juice and often weigh more than a pound.
4)Brandywine tomato is a popular, pale-red tomato with a tangy taste, many varieties of which are open-pollinated heirloom tomatoes.
    This is just a short list, we'd be here all day if I tried to name them all.
     I hope you liked this article today, I feel like I didn't give you enough information but couldn't decide what else to tell you. If you have anything to add please let me know. Until we met again.....

PS Have you checked out my new Woman2Woman fan page? https://www.facebook.com/woman2womanforum
 Or join Woman to Woman forum


 











Sunday, May 27, 2012

Sunday's Picture

    Hello friends, last week I told you I was going to start picking different place's that my blogging friends are from and show pictures from their country's or states. Today it's Australia.

 A beautiful country I want to visit someday-watch out FoxyMoron I'm coming for a visit! Until we meet again....

PS Woman2Woman's FB fan page has a new URL its:https://www.facebook.com/woman2womanforum












Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Cosmos Dance in your Garden!

     Hello friends, I have to be honest here friends this has not been my best year of planning ahead for my flower garden-to much crap going on. 
     So this year I had forgotten all about starting my seeds for my Cosmos. Until I got free seed packets of them in my mail. I planted them this last weekend, they grow pretty fast and I love the way they look like their "dancing" in the breeze.
   Cosmos are prized for their abundant, silky, daisy like flowers and their unflappable, easy-care nature in the garden. 
   While bedding plants are sold in spring, cosmos are simple and inexpensive to grow from seeds. Plant them in full sun (in very hot regions, cosmos can take afternoon shade) and give them protection from strong winds. 
   Cosmos tolerates a wide range of soil types, including poor soil. Plants need even moisture to get started, but mature cosmos are drought tolerant; plants produce more and larger flowers, however, if they are watered regularly.
   SEEDS OR PLANTS?
   Either sow cosmos seeds outdoors after danger of frost has passed, or for an early start on summer blooms, sow seeds indoors four to five weeks before the last spring-frost date. 
    Plant cosmos in full sun and protect them from strong winds. Space plants approximately two feet apart; with tall cosmos, space plants closer than the recommended two feet and let them support each other. 
    Both germination and growth are fast, but cosmos plants are frost tender, so don’t be in a rush. Cosmos are light sensitive and don’t bloom their best until late summer, when the days grow shorter.
CULTIVATION
   Move these heat-loving annuals to the garden after danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed.
    Cosmos need light soil with average to poor fertility that has a neutral or slightly alkaline pH and is well-drained. Soil that is too rich yields weak-stemmed, sparsely flowered plants that bloom late and flop over, so avoid soil that has been heavily amended, and don’t feed the plants. 
   Tall cosmos sometimes require staking to prevent their thick, hollow stems from breaking due to heavy rain or wind. Instead of staking, a gardener may also space plants closer than the recommended two feet and have the plants support each other.
GROWING TIPS
    Pinch off spent flowers to encourage continuous bloom. Pinching stem tips can reduce height and encourage branching but isn't necessary. 
    Deadheading is recommended since it lengthens the bloom season. Cosmos plants that aren’t deadheaded will self-sow in warm regions. Typical plant height for cosmos is one to five feet.

   As you can see they come in many different colors I like the chocolate ones the best(top picture)
but all are pretty. 
   I hope you grow some yourself! Until we meet again......








Sunday, May 20, 2012

Sunday's Picture

   Hello friends, so I decided rather than just put up random beautiful pictures that I would pick a state that all my wonderful blogger friends are from and feature them.
   I also decided to start with my state Indiana-it gets a bad wrap, we have lots of beauty here too.

  There's more than corn in Indiana! The next two pictures are of Cataract Falls near where I live.


   Hope you enjoyed a peak into my world, what state or country will be next? I'll keep you guessing! Until we meet again....