February 28th, 2011 by Veggie Master
You may have heard the buzz that is going around about the latest thing in tomatoes – grafted tomato plants. Why is this a good thing? Simple. Grafting your favorite tomato onto the right rootstock can result in a stronger, healthier, better yielding plant. One that may require the use of less pesticide. Good for you, good for the environment.
Koralik tomato
Territorial Seed Company had a number of varieties of grafted tomatoes for sale but has sold out most of them for 2011. Luckily I’m on the list to receive mine in May. I’m going to be growing Big Beef as well as two doubles (two different tomatoes grafted onto one rootstock) – one with Koralik & Legend, the other with Sungold & Sweet Million. Big Beef is listed as the all-American standard in beefsteak tomatoes. It is extra meaty with real homegrown flavor. The fruit size should be around 10-12 ounces.
Koralik is a big and bold cherry tomato originally from Russia. Trusses of 6-8 bright red, flavorful, one-inch fruit are produced throughout the summer season. What makes this variety unique? All the tomatoes on one truss will ripen simultaneously instead of one at a time like other cherry tomatoes. Perfect if you’re selling them at a farm stand or using them as decoration on your party platter. [Read more →]
February 5th, 2010 by Veggie Master
I’ve always loved Black-eyed Susans, even after I learned their botanical name is Rudbeckia hirta or fulgida – quite a mouthful, but what lovely plants! Their bright yellow petals are such a cheerful sight.
Years ago I added a few different cultivars to my veggie garden and have been reaping the rewards ever since. I soon noticed that each successive summer brought new and interesting Rudbeckias to life. It seems that these very industrious plants are always busy crossing their traits with the aid of pollinators flying from flower to flower. My habit of collecting and spreading seed around every autumn enabled more of these new crosses to grow to maturity. [Read more →]
February 1st, 2010 by Veggie Master
Many things are more expensive these days, and store-bought veggie and flower plants are no exception. Starting your own indoors is not that difficult. Here are nine important things to know before you begin.
Determine which seeds require an early start indoors in your area and which will do just as well direct-seeded outside in your garden. In the northeast I start broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, tomatoes, peppers, winter squash, cosmos, marigolds and nasturtiums inside. Check the seed packet to find out how many weeks of growth each one requires before planting out. Count backwards from the set-out date to determine the seed-starting date. Don’t forget to allow germination time, also specified on the seed packet.
[Read more →]
October 18th, 2009 by Veggie Master
I love the fresh, Easter egg colors of crocus popping up after a dreary winter. A small investment of money and effort in the autumn will reap big dividends the following spring and for many years to come. Here are a few pointers for the beginner and veteran bulb planter alike.
Scatter crocus all over your yard, lawn and garden beds. These small bulbs should be planted in groups of five or seven at a depth of three to five inches and the same distance apart. Peel back a section of sod in your lawn and throw in a handful. Dig shallow holes in flower beds, by your back door and next to the drive – you get the idea. By the following spring you’ll have forgotten where you planted them and the bright Easter egg colors will surprise and delight you!
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June 28th, 2009 by Veggie Master
Italian Large Leaf Basil
Growing basil is high on my garden list of priorities because I love pesto. Defrosting a container in mid-winter, releasing the rich basil aroma, transports me right back to my sun-filled veggie garden in summer. Beside using it on pasta, try it as a yummy sandwich spread, raw veggie dip or corn chowder spicer-upper. Since pesto in those tiny little jars is so expensive I have the added advantage of saving money. [Read more →]
June 7th, 2009 by Garden Sage
• ‘Wicked Plants’ by Amy Stewart (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2009). Ms. Stewart has delivered another exciting page-turner in the area of horticultural reads. Following her successful foray into the worldwide cut flower business in ‘Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers” and her fabulous journey into the lives of earthworms in ‘The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms’, Ms. Stewart has produced a fascinating journey into the world of wicked plants. [Read more →]
May 7th, 2009 by Veggie Master
Here are a number of ways to save water in the garden. If you think of more, please comment below and share them with all of us.
Compost – Amending your garden or container soil with lots of organic compost will help build the water-holding capacity of that soil reducing run-off.
Mulch – Use at least two inches of some kind of mulching material on ornamental beds and up to six inches of straw or other loose organic matter on veggie gardens. Make sure your mulch is free of weed seeds. [Read more →]
May 4th, 2009 by Veggie Master
Broccoli Packman Hybrid from Park Seed Co.
Growing broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage in the vegetable garden or containers is easy to do. You can buy plants or raise them from seed. Try growing your own if you want lots of choices when it comes to varieties. Start the seeds indoors 4-5 weeks before you’d like to set them out. Older transplants won’t do as well in the garden. Cole crop seedlings (that’s the family broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage belong to) can take more cold than tender crops. I set mine out 2-3 weeks before our expected last-frost date. A floating row cover will protect them from excessive cold. [Read more →]
April 28th, 2009 by Garden Sage
•WonderSoil is by far the best soilless potting mix I have ever used. It is a dehydrated, compressed medium that quickly expands 10 to 12 times in volume when water is added. It is made up of a combination of coconut coir, worm castings, kelp, mycorrhizal fungi, water-holding polymers and organic micro-nutrients. Seedlings germinate quickly and are sustained by the nutrients. [Read more →]
April 22nd, 2009 by Veggie Master
The gardening bug has really taken Washington DC by storm! Not only is Michelle Obama growing her own food garden at the White House, but the US Department of Agriculture will showcase sustainability at the new six acre People’s Garden on the National Mall. [Read more →]
