Rain or shine, our gardens are now heading into the home stretch with tomatoes leading the way! Tomatoes are actually sub-tropical plants and don’t know that winter is coming so they are still growing and producing as though they have many months ahead. We know better and there are several things we can do right now to get the most out of what’s left of this year’s growing season for tomatoes and our other gardening investments. Despite the calendar and…
It’s a great feeling to see your garden in full maturity and producing as much or more than you hoped for. That’s the reward that a hard-working gardener deserves and should enjoy this time of year. Harvesting is vital to good production, the more you pick the more you get! Leaving fruits on plants to get over-ripe signals the plants to slow or stop production. Of course, overabundance can become a burden too, unless we have some good ways to…
Composting is like printing your own money, maybe better! As a home composter you take your kitchen scraps and lawn wastes and turn them into “black gold” for free. I call it gold but it is so valuable and provides so many benefits that it’s actually better than gold. Gardeners, farmers, and landscapers all know about the amazing benefits of compost for gardens and lawns, the environment, and your local economy. With a vision for the future Vermont passed a…
As plants enter their peak vegetative growth phase in June their nutrient requirements increase so they can get bigger and prepare for fruiting (tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, etc.) or storage (carrots, beets, onions, etc.). We’ve had some badly needed rains and things should start to look good out there. Also, this can be when plants in deficient soils run short of essential nutrients and show signs of poor health. In order to promote strong growth and avoid nutrient shortages now…