Planting Tomatoes

Tomatoes are my family’s most favorite garden crop.  The selection for tomatoes is huge!  For those of you just starting out, you might be overwhelmed with the variety available to you.  Below is a list of my family’s favorite varieties as well as some helpful tips to get your tomato plant off to a great start this spring!

If I could only plant one tomato plant, it would be the Super Sweet 100.  This tomato is a tiny, bite-sized, cherry tomato that is loaded with zip and flavor.  My kids eat these like candy!  We even take them to the movies (instead of buying popcorn)- seriously!  Super Sweet 100 is an indeterminate variety which means it grows wide and tall.  Determinate varieties stay smaller and do not “vine” out so much.  I would encourage everyone to find a 2’ x 2’ square piece of land where you could plant just one of these delectable sweeties in the ground!  They require very little care, can handle our Fresno heat quite well and produce abundantly all-season-long.

My second favorite is the Yellow Pear.  These are also small, cherry-like tomatoes except this is yellow in color (obviously).  I have found the Yellow Pear is a bit more  tangy than other varieties (like Sun Gold).  These plants grow the same as the Super Sweet 100 and are just as easy to get a bountiful harvest.

Those are my top two favorites.  Other tomato plants require more time and care, but will bring you great results!  I don’t have “favorites” per say.  I tend to experiment with different large tomatoes and have not found a favorite as of yet.  This year I am growing Early Girl (which will provide me with an early harvest), Big Boy (these are a “hamburger-sized” tomato – if all goes well), Roma Toma (great for salads and sauces), Fresh Salsa (they hold their form so you can chop them up easy for salsa- yumm!),  and Tye-Dye (just for fun I grow a crazy one).

Planting Tips:

1. Lots of Sun!  Tomatoes need a HUGE amount of sun!  The more sun, the more tomatoes!  Plant them in a very sunny location.
2. Tomatoes take up an approximately 2’ x 2’ square.  Be sure you have enough room for the amount of tomatoes you want to plant.
3. When you actually plant your plant, I plant mine nice and deep.  My tomato plants right now are about 4-6” tall.  When I planted my tomatoes this weekend, I dug a nice deep hole and then stuck my plant in.  When your plant is covered, you should only have the top part of your plant showing.  The deeper your plant is planted, the stronger your roots will develop.  All along the stem of your tomato plant, more roots will shoot off once it is planted.  This will also give it more support.  Make sure enough of the leaves are above ground so they can photosynthesize! 
4. Tomato plants DO NOT like standing in water.  Your soil (whether in the ground or in a pot) needs to be porous enough it can drain.
5. I have found my tomatoes prefer a nice long soak twice (3x in the summer months) a week compared to being watered every day.  They actually seem to enjoy drying out a tad (not dried out) between watering.
6. Tomato plants prefer to be watered from below.  You can stick a metal pipe or cut off a piece of PVC pipe to stick down deep into your tomato hole.  Then, when you water, send your water down the hole so it waters your plants down deep.  As your plants are small right now, be sure to water from the surface too.  Plants have a way of finding their water source.  If you train them at this early stage to go down into the ground to find water, you will have a stronger, healthier plant.
7. While your plants are small, be sure to purchase some kind of tomato cage to give them support.  It is easier to train your branches and direct them while they are new and green than try to shove mature, hard branches into a cage.

Those are a few basic tips I do with my plants.  If you have any questions, just ask!

Soil Preparation & Planning

With more rain and cool weather in the forecast for the Central Valley, be sure to keep busy with soil preparation and garden planning.  I have already begun planting my plants in the ground, but March and April are considered the months to plant- so you are not too late!  If you have already started planting- good job!  If not, be sure to read below on how to prepare your soil for planting.

Wherever you plan on planting your garden (no matter how big or how small) your soil composition is one of the most important ingredients (the other two being sun and water!).  If you are new to planting, you might want to consider a soil-test kit available at a local garden-supply store.  These inexpensive kits can give you a gage as to the characteristics of you soil as well as what your soil is lacking (or if your soil is too high in a certain element).  Years ago during my “baby-stage” of life, when my days were filled with laundry, nursing & diapers, I loved to watch on PBS the Master Gardener, Jerry Baker.  One thing I remember him saying over and over again was, “You don’t feed your plants.  Your soil feeds your plants.”  Those two sentences have stuck with me since that time.  One way, in fact, that I literally “feed my plants” is by composting.  My soil health has increased dramatically the last four years since my family began composting.  Composting adds organic material to my soil.  I toss all my vegetable scraps, bunny droppings and plant trimmings (pesticide & disease free) into my compost bin.  This keeps my soil free of disease, plus recycles our “trash” back into a renewable source of food for our family.  I will blog more about composting once our gardens are healthy and growing well.  Common problems in Fresno County with soils: soil is overly acidic, lacks nitrogen, hard pan (too much clay), too sandy (for my Caruthers friend!) or too alkaline (opposite of acidic).  Each of these problems can be solved by adding missing elements to your dirt.  So, first figure out what kind of soil you have and then we’ll troubleshoot soil that needs extra care.

If this is your very first year to stick a vegetable plant in the ground, here are some good tips.  First, purchase some basic soil mix.  I have seen soil mixes specifically for vegetables, which work good too.  When I start a new garden bin or work on a new plot of ground, I will add a nice big bag to my dirt and then till it under.  You want your soil to be light and easy to work in.  I usually try to turn up about two feet in depth.  You can add green material (leaves, clippings, etc.) as long as they are clean.  In the Central Valley especially, the next important factor in preparing for a garden is a watering system.  I try to hand-water most my garden (since it is so small), but I still have a watering system set up for those times when I am just too busy to get outside and water (or we go out-of-town).  I never depend on my sprinklers for watering.  For me watering is my chance to say, “hi” to each of my plants, troubleshoot impending problems, watch for the first sign of pests, divide plants, help trellis my plants and adjust water basins around the plants themselves. 

Same holds true if you plan on sticking a tomato plant in a barrel/pot.  Be sure you fill the barrel with good soil and attach a drip-system sprinkler into the bucket for those days when you can’t seem to get outside to water.  Depending on the plant, our lovely Fresno heat can kill a plant in just one day. Our sun dries up the soil in a barrel/pot much quicker than the plants in-ground.  Make sure your barrel has a hole (or two) in the bottom for drainage.  Your plant will rot at the roots if it sits in water.  I actually set my barrels on bricks to help the water drain.

Another early-spring activity is to sketch out your garden.  A technique (and book) I have used for years (and another PBS special) is called Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew.  My garden is very small and limiting.  To optimize my space, I draw out my garden space onto graph paper (bird’s eye view- from above).  Then, I estimate how much space each plant will take.  This gives me a good idea how many plants to plant/buy as well as provides an opportunity for me to think through my garden height demands and water drainage issues before putting an actually plant/seed in the ground.  For example, my gardening boxes are 4’x 8’.  An average indeterminate tomato plant takes up a 2’x 2’ square.  So in one of my garden bins, I can only plant 8 tomatoes.  I have learned the square foot gardening specifications are not “if you feel like it, plant tomatoes this particular distance apart.”  Planting much closer inhibits airflow through and around your tomatoes and keeps plants from getting the sunlight and water they need. 

If your soil is healthy and your garden is planned out, you are sure to have a bountiful year in vegetables this summer!

Conquer Plant Intimidation

I began gardening as a stress-reliever when I was in high school.  A friend of mine would laugh at me as I saved my lunch money to buy plants on the way home from school.  Since that time, I have gradually added a new plant here or there.  At this point in my gardening “career” I have a good handle on the summer basics: tomatoes, beans, peas, squashes, cucumbers and berries. 

Recently a friend mentioned she planted broccoli, brussel sprouts, swiss chard and beets.  I was amazed at how intimidating those four plants sounded to me.  Those “cool weather” plants are strangers to my world of gardening.  The thought crossed my mind that I could plant them too.  At first I dismissed the thought but then, after more consideration, I decided to not let a plant intimidate me.  What’s the worst that could happen?  The plants die and I wasted $4.  So…today I bought four broccoli and four brussel sprout plants.  (Lowe's is selling a nice, healthy four-pack for about $1.69.)  This is my first year to grow these.  Time will tell if we will be friends or foes.  Perhaps next year: swiss chard and beets? 

All that to say, we are never too old to try something new!  If you have only grown tomatoes, this year plant a few bush beans.  If you only grow yellow crook-neck squash, branch out this year with some carrots.  You will not know unless you try!  Walk on the wild side and plant something new!  I did!

Happy Gardening!

No sense wasting sunshine!

** If this is your first time to visit my site, I encourage you to check out my first blog, "Here We Go" to better understand the purpose and goals for my gardening blogs. **

While the air is a brisk 50 degrees outside, the sunshine adds remarkable warmth to my yummy dark soil.  Below is a summary of what I was up to in my yard on Saturday. 

Before you begin gardening, make sure the location of your garden will have at least eight hours of (summer) sunlight.  Garden vegetable require a lot of sun!  My garden consists of four 4’x8’ raised beds.  For a family of five, this is actually a bit small, but I make-do with what I have.  I have learned to overplant my beds and train plants to grow vertically to save space.  My problems with vertical gardening in a small backyard are my surrounding neighbor's trees and my monster two-story house that shades my garden in the afternoon.  Be sure if you decide to use vertical garden techniques to save space that you place your tallest plants and structures to the north end of your garden so these do not shade your garden.

So, in the beautiful sunshine, my husband and I emptied the lower-half of my compost into my four garden bins.  I also scooped up some bunny droppings and turned it into my soil.  The raised bed closest to my house is loaded with strawberry plants.  The other three bins are where I will grow my summer crops.

With the soil turned and looking absolutely lovely, I decided it was time to plant a few seeds.  While my frost-sensitive plants continue to thrive in a sunny window in my bathtub, I planted my peas & spinach directly in the ground.  The peas are sugar-snap peas (Burpee’s Snowbird Sugar-Snap Peas).  These grow well in the cool of spring, but stop growing once the summer months come.  I attached a net above my seeds to encourage them to grow vertically.  I planted my peas in pairs along half the length of my most northern bin, just below my vertical netting.  With the limited space, I plan on 4 feet being used for peas, while I reserve the other 4 feet for my beans once the weather warms a little more.  At the front of my small strip of peas I planted a row of spinach (Burpee’s Baby Leaf Hybrid Spinach).  This spinach is fast growing and tastes delicious picked young.  My girls love to go outside with a small pair of scissors and snip spinach leaves for our dinner salad.

Already growing indoors, I have my tomatoes, peppers & eggplant.  I typically start indoors the plants that are sensitive to frost.  This gives my garden a jump-start on its yield.  Once Clovis is past the danger of frost (typically mid/end of March), then I will bring my cold-sensitive plants outdoors.  In the meantime, I have them growing in a sunny window in my bathtub.

I hoped you enjoyed your yard a little this weekend while the weather was cool, but the sun was warm!  It's not too early to begin preparing for spring!

Here We Go!

With much intrepidation, I set off on the task of blogging about my gardening experience this 2011 season.

Many friends ask me when to plant certain vegetables and how I prune vines.  This blog is an opportunity to "peek" into my backyard to read about what I've been doing.  I do not consider myself a gardening expert.  Nor do I claim to know all the best techniques for backyard gardening.  I am simply a busy Mom who has gardened for years who hopes to help friends & family keep on-pace with the growing season. 

I have read Sunset Gardening Magazines, Square Foot Gardening Methods, Western Garden books and a many more books through my gardening journey.  Sometimes I laugh-out-loud at the time requirements or space needed for projects in magazines.  Other times, I take a few notes and try out ideas. 

This blog is a compilation of years of trial and error.  I will post the good, the bad and the ugly that occurs in my garden this season. I like to think of every new season as an opportunity to experiment a little and learn something new.

I live in Clovis, CA where temperatures can soar up to 110 degrees! My planting methods reflect the hot climate where I live.

I have very little time, few resources and a small yard.  If I can do this...anyone can!

If you have always wanted to grow a simple garden, but are unsure when to plant, where to plant, or how do to it, keep pace with me as I write about all the "happenings" in my backyard!

Happy reading and let's get dirty!