Growing Perfect Tomatoes By Piper Cox

 

A tomato fresh from the garden, nothing is better! No tomato in the produce section can compare to one fresh from the field. Sun ripened and full of flavor and harvested at the perfect time. No green tomatoes forced to ripen as they are shipped off to the store. Harvested at the peak of perfection and flavor, there is nothing quite as good.

Growing the perfect tomato is easier than you think. It really isn’t hard at all. You just need a few tips to begin. Soon you will have the perfect tomato garden just by following this easy design:

Selecting A Planting Area
Just like real estate, location is everything for perfect tomatoes. Full sun is best for growing perfect tomatoes. Find a spot in your garden that gets plenty of sun all day long for your sun worshipping tomatoes!

Plan about 18 inches of space for each tomato plant. If you have a sizeable yard, you can plant as many as your garden will hold then sell them at a farmers market, or preserve them for later use. Tomatoes also grow well in containers so if you have a small garden they will flourish in a small space. Plant them in a container that is well drained and gets ample sun. A stake should be placed in a container tomato to help it stand straight.

Which Kind?
There are more kinds of tomatoes than you can number! It will be difficult to decide which kind is the best to plant. Your local garden center or extension office can help you choose the best variety for the area. You usually don't have to be concerned because most tomatoes grow well anyplace, but it is good to have a professional opinion. It is a great idea to plant some small kinds of tomatoes as well. They are perfect to pick fresh and add to salads and recipes.

Cherry tomatoes are perfect container plants and they also look great mixed in with your flowers. The little red fruit really looks striking planted together with marigolds. In addition, the marigolds help to deter bugs from attacking the tomatoes!

How to Begin
You don’t want to put your tomatoes in the ground until the possibility of frost has gone. After the threat of frost is gone, put your tomato plants in the garden or plant them in containers. You can get tomato plants at most nurseries or you can start your own from seed indoors. Tomatoes do best if they are transplanted into the garden rather than seeded into the garden. If you decide to grow your own with seed, then start them indoors six to eight weeks before you will be transplanting them outdoors.

Starting seeds indoors is simple. Simply fill a growing tray with a soil mixture made specially for starting seeds and gently place the seeds into the soil. The soil needs to stay damp, but don't get it soggy. You don't want to be able to see water standing in the soil, but if you press on it you will feel dampness. Within one to two weeks your seeds will begin to spring up. Keep the plants in a sunny window or under a grow light. Once the plants are big enough and the risk of frost is over, plant them in your garden.

Don't Let the Bugs Get You!
Although tomatoes are very easy to grow, they do have their share of insect problems. Most likely the biggest tomato pest is the hornworm. They like to go after the underside of the leaves so you won’t really see them on the plant. When you come across one, make sure you kill it by stepping on it. Parasitic wasps can be introduced to your garden, they will lay their eggs on the worms and then the young larvae will eat the worm Inspect your plants often to make sure you don’t get infested with the hornworm.

You can help to avoid pests by planting things like marigolds or garlic close to your tomatoes. If you have ever noticed marigolds planted in vegetable gardens now you know why. It is remarkable how nature provides it's own natural repellants.

As you can see, it is easy to grow the perfect tomato. With these easy steps you will enjoy delicious tomatoes all season long!

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About The Author:
Piper is a freelance writer who loves spending time with her kids, good nutrition, and the great outdoors. She enjoys working in her garden and loves growing perfect tomatoes. She loves gardening, reading and exercise. Check out her website, www.smallgardentiller.org to learn all about getting the best small garden tiller so you can have a beautiful garden too!

Article Source: http://www.articlelisted.com

How To Make Your Own Compost By Jacque Crook

 

Compost is known as black gold for the garden, the rich organic mix of decayed plant material that is rich with nutrients and minerals plants need to thrive and produce enormous yields of fruit and vegetables. With the economy being what it is, compost is often a little more expensive then we want to spend.

There is a solution at hand and it does not cost a great deal of money. Learning how to make your own compost is both fun and educational, so it is a great idea to involve the whole family in this project. Compost is beneficial for plants and the environment because it is recycling vegetative material that otherwise would be thrown away and would fill up the landfills.

The first item that you need is a composting bin; there are several different types on the market. This is one instance where it pays to spend a bit more and find a compost bin that will be easy to operate and durable. Set up the compost bin in a place in your garden area where it is not shaded by trees or difficult to work around. There are different styles and dimensions of compost bins available, the ones with the hand crank are especially nice because it is easier to mix the layers of dirt and plant material evenly.

After setting it up, start to add the ingredients to make rich compost. The first layer should be some soil from the garden area because it is already alive with the microbes and worms that help break down the plant material. The next layer should consist of green plant material, such as mown grass clippings; then next a dryer layer of vegetative material such as old leaves. Alternate the layers, adding enough water to keep damp. The other key ingredient is time; let the compost sit and decompose; turning often enough to ensure that the layers are mixed well.

The composter absorbs the heat from the plant material and the sun, causing the plants to decay faster. The correct proportions of water, dirt, plant material and heat all work together to produce compost. An important fact: only put plant material into the composter. This includes grass clippings, vegetable waste from the kitchen, coffee grounds, tea grounds, banana peels, etc. Do not include any meat scraps of any kind as it will draw animals that will try and eat it, causing a mess and costing time and money to repair the damage. After the plant material has decayed, mulch the plants in your garden to give them the nutrients they require.

You can keep adding vegetable matter as needed, just make sure the compost does not dry out too much and has enough air circulation to keep the cycle of decomposition going. A properly maintained composter should not smell sour or rotten, this is a sign that something is not working right. It is usually the lack of air or brown plant material. As you experiment more with how to make compost, you will find the right measure of ingredients to produce fantastic compost for your yard and garden.

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About The Author:
Learning how to make your own compost is both fun and educational.

Article Source: http://www.articleslide.com

Helpful Tips For Your Organic Vegetable Gardening Success

 

Many farmers are starting to garden organically because they are able to produce virtually the same yield of crops in a cost-effective manner. You can also do this at home, but first you have to understand certain principles.

Organic vegetable gardening does not make use of any fertilizers, nutrients or pesticides. Nature is your partner because you will be using two things to make it all work - sunlight and water. We don't produce these ourselves but you have to find the ideal area for your garden and provide adequate drainage.

Aside from sunlight and water, you can help the crops to grow by using a compost heap from leftover food, chipped bark, leaf moulds, garden compost and manure. Mix these together and then spread throughout your garden.

To keep your vegetable garden disease free, good sanitation is essential. Make sure that you wash your hands and tools thoroughly with soap before you work on your garden. Gardeners who use tobacco products should wash their hands especially, because many plant viruses can be passed through tobacco to your garden.

Some people use dead animals or meat products. You don't put these in the soil but leave it for a couple of weeks in the bin and wait for maggots to appear. This is what you use to help fertilize your garden.

Another helpful creature is the earthworm because it digs deep into the ground and aerates the soil, bringing various minerals to the surface which provide better drainage. Earthworms also leave casting behind that experts say is five times as rich in nitrogen phosphorous and potassium.

Organic gardening is challenging since you have to deal with unwanted guests. Some of these pests include crickets, gypsy moth caterpillars, slugs and squash bugs. In the past, people used fertilizer to kill them but in an organic setting, the best weapon is the toad. The toad is known to eat almost every type of insect. In some cases, you don't have to buy a toad. They may come in to your garden as long as you set the ideal environment for them. Put in a small pond and you may have some new occupants protecting your garden within days.

Plants can also be used to protect your vegetables. For example, the rosemary, sage or thyme is an effective deterrent against butterflies.

Despite all the flowers and creatures that nature has to offer, crop rotation is seen as the best way to keep the soil fertile. If you planted one particular kind of vegetable for this season, change it with another for next season and then return to the first after this one is harvested.

The principles behind organic vegetable gardening are very simple. You just have to put them into practice, and then harvest the vegetables you planted weeks ago.

As a final thought, it's always best to continue your education by reading as much information as you can find. There are many other ways to increase your success when planting an organic vegetable garden and enjoy fresh, healthy vegetables to eat all year round.