Archive for the ‘Information’ Category

The tomato horn worm is the biggest pest your tomato plants will have. You will know one has moved onto one of your plants when you notice leaves being eaten off of the stems.  They will also eat into the side of your tomatoes. Tomato horn worms have large appetites.  It will not take too many days before you will see the damage they create. Once you see the signs, start looking very carefully on the bottom of each leaf stem until you spot the worm.

After you hand remove the horn worm, kill it by cutting it in half. You can smash it; just beware that it will make a bit of a mess this way.

If you find a worm that has white sacks hanging onto its back, do NOT remove it! Leave it right where it is on your tomato plant. The white sacks are the eggs of the parasitic wasp, one of nature’s beneficial insects. These eggs survive by sucking the life out of the horn worm. Once these eggs hatch, the wasp will go out looking for more horn worms to lay eggs into and kill.

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Before I tell you about the benefits of using worm castings or vermicompost, you need to know why you should not be utilizing chemicals.

If you watch the news at all, you are well aware of the environmental crises that occur around the world involving hazardous materials and chemicals. The components of chemical fertilizer have even been used to make life-destroying bombs, which should be a big hint to all of us that they are not the best thing to be using on our lawns; and especially on our vegetable gardens that supply the food we feed to our family.

Chemical fertilizers are considered potentially harmful to both humans and to our planet. They are completely inorganic, synthesized to mimic the minerals and nutrients that plants need to grow. Yes, they work; but at what cost? Chemical fertilizers can pollute wells and ground water and eventually ends up in the rivers, lakes and oceans as rain washes it to these water sources. How many times have you seen someone overwatering their lawn to the point that it is running in the gutters? How many times have you stopped to think that whatever he or she has used to kill weeds on their lawn or to make their lawn grow is being washed, along with the wasted water, into the storm drains? Where do you think the water from the storm drains ends up? Yep, I’ve been guilty too, but I’ve made learning about the best ways to garden while leaving the world a better place for my children, my personal goal and my business, and that does not involve using harmful chemicals.

I’m sure you’ve heard how important it is to wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly; in fact, in some instances the experts are now recommending that you remove the skins completely. The same skins that your Mom always told you has so many more healthful vitamins and nutrients than the flesh of the fruit, is now being contaminated. Some of the most common fruits, such as strawberries, have some of the highest concentrations of fertilizer-borne chemical concentrations.

And if that isn’t enough, chemical fertilizers can actually, over time, cause mineral depletion of the soil, a loss of humus content and fertile top soil, as well as increasing pest problems due to the destruction of beneficial bacteria and microbes that help the plants to defend themselves against diseases and pests. Long-term use of chemical fertilizers may mean that you have to water more and that you also may have to use more chemicals to destroy the pests and diseases that have been enabled by the use of chemicals to begin with.

This vicious cycle has been perpetuated, not only by us, but by the chemical companies that heard our demands for the “instant” picture perfect lawn. That was the American Dream, after all. But the perfect lawn takes time, which is something we all seemed to have run completely out of as the race was on to keep up with the Joneses and then with the Rockefellers and the American housewife put shoes on and started carrying a brief case. It was all we could do to raise our 2.5 children and bring home the bacon, but we still wanted that perfect lawn. Necessity is the mother of invention—which is how chemical fertilizers came to be.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention again—as we now know at what cost our “instant” green lawn was achieved. Today, as more and more Americans are out of work or struggling to make ends meet, the return to gardening is like a tidal wave spreading across this country of ours. Even vacant city lots are becoming community gardens to feed the citizens, but the by-product of this movement is that people are learning to care again. They are getting to know their neighbors as they band together so that more can eat. They are getting to know their children as they opt out of the movie theater and opt in for family gardening. The dancing shoes are being put away and being replaced by a hoe; after all, who can afford to go out AND pay a babysitter? The backyard garden is becoming what the sit-down family dinner used to be in the 60′s.

And people care. They care more about the environment because they are thinking twice about what they put on the home-grown vegetables that they will put in their mouth. They see our natural resources shrinking, right along with their bank account, and hope that we are all not doing too little too late. And they are looking for solutions.

Here is a HUGE solution—an army of people working together to raise an army of worms that can supply the U.S. with all the natural, organic and chemical-free fertilizer that is needed to rebuild our tired soil and to fertilize every backyard garden, every community garden, every farmers’ crops and every acre of produce commercially grown.

Worm castings, worm compost, vermicompost and organic fertilizer are all terms for the same thing. It is the result of different types of worms, usually earthworms, particularly red wigglers, and white worms, being used to create nutrient rich compost. The worms break down organic matter, passing it through their digestive system, the end result being an organic fertilizer and soil amendment with 60 different minerals and nutrients essential to growing healthy plants. No dairy, meat, fats or oils are fed to the worms and what IS fed to the worms also determines the quality of the worm castings, as does the worm itself. Regular earthworms are not generally utilized for vermicomposting. The common earthworm cannot survive the heat that is necessary for the efficient decomposition of the organic materials. The Red Worm, on the other hand, has a voracious appetite, often eating one-half to one times their own weight in food every day, and thrives in the temperatures necessary to help their composting. Well fed worms also reproduce quicker, which means even more compost.

And what is fed to these worms? Every type of organic matter available. A lot of it would end up in landfills or down garbage disposals if it was not rescued for worm food. For example, the leaves removed from the outside of the head of lettuce and the core. Any type of perishable fruit or vegetable, even breads can be bound for the worm’s gullet if it is going to waste or has become overripe. And then some bedding material is added, to make the worms comfortable and to get things started. We have a selection of compost bins designed specifically for worm composting if you’d like to try this at home, but we also sell Earthworm Castings, made by that army of people and worms that I mentioned earlier, and which will require much less work on your part.

So, now that you know how the worm castings are created, let’s get to the benefits of using them.

Where chemical fertilizers destroy, the worm restores. Completely 100% planet-friendly, this whole process is naturally-occurring. Man is just here to help the worm do their job better, to distribute this worm-made black gold and to spread the word that worms can save the world! Okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but I made my point.

Naturally rich in microbes, humus and nutrients, vermicompost improves and then maintains the fertility of your soil. Humus is quite complex, and I won’t even attempt to explain it, but to say that humus is what allows the roots of your plants to access the necessary nutrients from the soil. It allows your plants to feed themselves, rather than having to be “force fed” with a chemical fertilizer. The humus aides the soil’s ability to hold more moisture, air and nutrients, which then feeds all of the microbes that bring the nutrients to the plants’ roots. Wikipedia does a much better job of breaking it all down, but suffice to say that humus is the key to the most successful organic gardening.

You also won’t find humus in most manures or compost for sale commercially. Most of these products are simply dried manure or composted organic matter and once it looks like dirt, it can be sold to fertilize your lawns and gardens. The trick is to build the compost up to contain a high level of humus, which is exactly what the worms do!

And the list of benefits goes on:

• Many fungal diseases are suppressed, such as phythium, fusarium, dollar spot, etc.
• The use of worm castings reduces algae in lagoons, ponds and greenhouses because there is no nitrogen run-off. Using worm castings will not contaminate ground water.
• You can reduce water consumption up to 50% and increase drought-resistance.
• Worm castings improve the structure of the soil, allowing for better aeration, root development and nutritional uptake.
• Worm castings can even be applied to phosphate sensitive areas.
• Beneficial enzymes are produced by the plants that are fed by the worm castings, enabling them to naturally repel many of the pests that feed on the juices of the plants.
• It is odorless. You don’t have to wear a mask while applying it, indoors or out.
• You can even dissolve it in water and use it as ‘compost tea’.

The worm restores what chemicals have destroyed. I can’t think of any better reason to quit using chemical fertilizers and switch to worm castings.

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Have you ever passed by a large cattle operation and grumbled at the smell? Some of those feedlots and dairies look like a never-ending field of manure. Their owners will argue that it’s a necessary by-product, which it is, but in reality it is a huge problem that feedlot and dairy owners have to deal with, while they go about the business of feeding and clothing America. Cows poop—plain and simple—but what do you do with all that poop?

Yes, some people will gladly spread fresh, or not so fresh, manure all over their lawn. It is a fantastic fertilizer! But it is messy, it is clumpy, it takes weeks to finally work its way into the soil supporting an established lawn and landscape plants…and it stinks! Just ask your neighbors!

Poopeas compost is the answer to having a beautiful landscape without the smell and the clumps, and also without resorting to chemical fertilizers.

In today’s world, instant gratification has become a way of life. Patience is a virtue, and we may have developed that trait with our children and coworkers, but when it comes to our lawns and gardens, we want instant beauty with as little work as possible. We just don’t have the time to devote to the slow nurture of our personal outdoor spaces. So, we resort to chemical fertilizers, which even as we apply them, many of us are having pangs of guilt over the fact that we know the runoff is not good and we worry about the harm that may come to our children and pets, so we keep them off the lawn that is supposed to be a place to play, not just a neighborhood fashion statement, and we experience another guilty pang when we hear a report about how chemical fertilizers have gotten into the ground water and over time the concentrations of chemicals will make the environment extremely unhealthy, threatening even our way of life, as our water supplies are polluted. We then justify it by the fact that “I am just one person…my little piece of real estate is not going to spell the end of our single most valuable resource.” Or—”What am I supposed to do? Everyone else is doing it. It must not be that bad”” Or—”Just more scientific mumbo jumbo to confuse us.” Sound familiar?

Well, you can quit having this conversation with yourself and you can quit feeling guilty about the way you fertilize your lawn, landscape plants and gardens. Poopeas to the rescue!

Poopeas has solved both the agricultural feeding operators’ problem of what to do with all that poop, while also solving your problem of how to have a guilt-free, lush lawn, at about the same price you’re already spending on chemical fertilizers and with the same amount of effort.  Poopeas has made it easy for you!

A special process of aerobically (relating to, involving or requiring free oxygen) composting and processing manure products into a more usable product that can be spread using any broadcast fertilizer spreader, has provided a solution to the chemical fertilizer conundrum and a means to be an “earth healer” while also getting that ‘perfect’ looking landscape.  These little, dry peas made of poop are part of the solution; not a part of the problem!

Poopeas is dry, easy to spread, an all organic fertilizer solution and it does NOT smell! No more wearing a medical mask as you spread (and maybe for days afterwards); no more ticked off neighbors, no more “stay off the lawn kids” over and over and…. Instead, you can spread it and forget it! You don’t have to test your soil and you don’t have to worry about giving your lawn or plants too much of anything. This all organic fertilizer has everything they need, in just the right amount, just as nature intended. You can even use it on your houseplants. Either mix it with your potting medium when planting new plants, or dissolve it in water and feed as you normally feed your house plants…and it does NOT smell!

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So, you’ve planted your tomatoes, you’ve been watering them religiously and hopefully you’ve left plenty of room for big growth, because these tomato plants won’t stay little for long.

If you have not already mulched, now might be the time to do so. It is important though, that the soil is nice and warm; tomato plants LOVE warm soil. (In fact, if you didn’t do so this year, next year put down plastic sheeting for a few days and up to two weeks before you transplant your tomatoes or peppers. They will love it and you can transplant right through the plastic if you want to!) But, if you didn’t and your tomatoes seem to be struggling, use some plastic mulch to warm up the soil before you put down wood mulch. Loose mulch will shade the soil and keep it cool, as well as deterring weed growth, conserving water and looking pretty. Mulch also helps to keep soil-borne diseases from splashing onto the plants when they are being watered. It is well worth the little bit of extra effort and the rewards more than pay for the cost. If you are planting a fall crop, the soil is already warm enough, so you can mulch as you plant. Another option is to use the Gardeneer Tomato Tray. It also prevents weeds right around the plant, but with the added bonus of being able to add fertilizers like Tomato-tone® directly to the roots where your plants can more efficiently use it. Just use the recommended amount and add water to the reservoir to gently feed. Tomato-tone® will not force rapid growth, but will feed your tomatoes with the essential nutrients necessary to optimize the production and quality of your tomatoes.

Once your tomato plants are 2.5 to 3-feet tall, remove the leaves from the bottom set of leaves. If you don’t have the benefit of strong fingernails with which to pinch them off, then use a sharp pair of scissors; you don’t want to tear them off, leaving a wound for diseases or pests to enter. These leaves get the least amount of sun and will eventually yellow and die anyway and are almost always the first to develop fungus.

You may also start to see tiny stems and leaves (called suckers) starting to grow at the joints of the main branches and/or from the bottom of the main stem. Pinch these off; they are just taking energy away from the rest of the plant and ensure your tomatoes grow to their full potential. If, after fruit starts to develop, you notice that your plants are exceptionally bushy, it is also okay to prune a few leaves in order for the sun to reach the fruit, but go easy. The leaves, through the process of photosynthesis, are providing valuable sugars to your tomatoes, giving them that wonderful flavor.

Watering is extremely important, throughout the growing process. Watering regularly, both when your plants are becoming established after transplanting and once they mature, is one of the tricks to having beautiful, blemish free tomatoes. Irregular watering is a contributing factor to blossom end rot, dropped blossoms and cracked fruit. You should have been keeping them moist, but not wet, during the first 2 to 3 weeks. Now you can start a regular deep-watering regimen. Watering deeply will allow the roots to take better hold, as they will grow deeper and stronger to reach the still moist soil below. It all depends upon your soil conditions; whether or not you mulch, and of course, the moisture you are receiving from Mother Nature, but a good rule of thumb on an average year is to thoroughly soak sandy soils every four to five days, soaking heavier soils and clay every seven to ten days. You want the soil to be moist at a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Also be aware, if you are growing your tomatoes in containers, the watering requirements will be much different. Your containers should have good drainage. You can still deep water them, but the time-span will be shorter between watering. The absolute easiest way to determine the moisture content of your soil at any given moment is with a moisture tester. They are really inexpensive and you can get one that tests for pH, moisture, fertility and sunlight, or one that tests just for moisture. Many people new to gardening have found these to be an invaluable tool. Also be aware that as the days heat up, it is perfectly normal for the leaves on your tomato plants to wilt a little in the hottest part of the day. They will normally perk up over night. On the other hand, if they are wilted first thing in the morning, water them quickly. And always water early in the day. Tomato plants should not be wet overnight and watering during the heat of the day results in evaporation, a real waste of our natural resources.

It is always a good idea to take a short walk to the garden, even if there’s nothing to pick, a few times a day just to see what’s new. It is always exciting when the first blossoms appear, and then again as you are able to see the first small tomatoes. If you make it a practice to check your garden regularly, you will be able to get a quick jump on eliminating tomato horned worms, or discovering a fungal infection, or even take steps to keep that hungry rabbit, that you didn’t know existed, from eating any more.

Blight, the most common fungal disease for tomatoes, is actually preventable with the application of Serenade Garden Disease Control. Approved and recommended by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), it safely controls many fungal, foliar and bacterial diseases on your tomatoes and in your garden with absolutely no harm being done to you, your family, your pets or livestock, or the environment. You also might benefit from reading The 10 Most Common Tomato Plant Problems, in our Latest News blog section. This article covers the 10 most common problems, how to recognize them, how to treat them and most importantly, how to prevent them.

And, if you take your daily stroll, you will know when to harvest! As the fruit develops, it will first be spring green, developing a yellow cast just before it starts to turn its mature color. Once it starts to turn yellow, some tomatoes will ripen very quickly, especially the cherry or grape varieties. If the temperatures are well over 100, you may want to pick the fruit before it is completely ripe. Sometimes extreme heat can cause cracking and though that doesn’t mean the fruit is no good, it will look much better if you let it ripen on the kitchen counter. Don’t refrigerate until they’ve become fully ripe.

And…finally…Enjoy! If you’ve never experienced it, there is nothing quite as good as a warm, ripe, fresh tomato right from the vine. (Don’t forget the salt shaker if you like them salted!)

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Many of you are experienced spring and fall vegetable garden gardeners, already knowing what works in your area, and what doesn’t work as well. Of course, personal preference also plays a huge part—who’s going to plant vegetables they don’t like? But, on the other hand, trying something new is always a good thing! You don’t have to plant a whole row to get a taste for a new variety of an old favorite, or even for something you’ve never put in your mouth before. Planting one or two vegetable plants will do, and then if you like the flavor and it grows well in your area, you can plant it again next year in larger quantities. You may also be completely surprised that what comes out of the grocery store will often taste bland and uninteresting compared to your home-grown produce, so….grow away!

For those of you whom are new to fall vegetable gardening, you can rely upon the advice here and the forthcoming comments from our expert customers who have “been there and done that”. And of course, you can always ask our Master Gardener if we have failed to answer any of your questions here. That is just one reason we recommend you buy vegetable plants online, from us. We promise a quick and complete answer from a seasoned professional and every order is backed by our Satisfaction Guarantee!

The first thing to do is to plan. You, of course, will have vegetables you planted in the spring or early summer that are still producing, but there will be many that don’t tolerate the dog days of summer well and that will have quit fruiting or growing by mid July and into August. Pull up all of those that are now just taking up space! Determinate tomatoes and early lettuce will definitely be on this list. Weed well, remove any over-grown plants from these areas, turn the soil, stand back and take stock. Now you know exactly where you have room to plant. You might even want to make yourself a list so that when your plants arrive, you don’t have to try to remember where you wanted to plant what.

You also need to take into consideration your first fall frost date. This information can be found at your local university extension office, online at Plant Maps, or in the Farmer’s Almanac, though unless you are new to an area, you probably already know when the first winter frost usually is. You can also ask your neighbors. Furthermore, there is a difference between early occurring frost and winter frost. Many of the earlier frosts are very light and of a short duration, which only serve to enhance fall vegetable plant growth; the winter frost is considered the “killing” frost.

In fact, many of the earlier, light frosts are followed by an Indian summer with warmer than fall-like daytime temperatures and cool fall nighttime temps for a period of two weeks to a month, during which time your fall vegetable garden may explode with growth! So, when researching the fall vegetable plants for sale, count backwards from your first winter frost day, using the “days to harvest” as a guide, and then plant those fall garden plants that will produce prior to that killer frost. The “days to harvest” is the period of time from transplant or first mature leafing to the average harvest day, which, of course, will also be determined by the weather conditions for any particular year. We try to make gardening an exact science, but Mother Nature keeps us all guessing!

Once you have made your selections, you will also want to order those essential nutrients that you may need to replace. Hopefully you already have a soil tester that will easily determine what you require, but if you don’t, you can search online for what vegetables deplete what nutrients and order those nutrients that will rebuild the soil from the areas that have already been harvested and cleared. You can also order your soil tester at the same time as your fall vegetables and then add supplements as needed. A good rule of thumb is not to plant the same thing in the same place in successive seasons. For example, if you’ve already planted lettuce, do not follow up with another lettuce crop in the same spot. Rotating your crops, as well as repairing or ‘remineralising’ your soil by using organic waste products, like compost, are the best methods by which you can be assured of providing the necessary essential nutrients that will grow healthy plants, but that will also supply the necessary nutrients to your family.

Now, as far as fall vegetables go, you want to look for the words “cool temperatures” or “cool weather”. There are also fall vegetable plants that are classified as tender, semi-tender, semi-hardy and hardy crops. The tender and semi-tender varieties may withstand a first light frost, but will not survive repeated frosts, so plan accordingly. By the same token, the hardy and semi-hardy can often overwinter, depending upon your area, so you may not need to even worry about the days to harvest. And, as always, this may vary slightly, or a lot, from year to year.

You can look to our Guide For Fall Vegetable Planting for additional information on this topic and for a list of those fall vegetable plants that are categorized as tender, semi-tender, hardy or semi-hardy fall vegetable plants.

Through the years, we’ve found that we are always learning, and we strive to provide you, our customers, with the most up-to-date and valuable information available. Please feel free to comment at any time!

Happy Fall Gardening & Harvesting!

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If you’ve put off the purchase of your perennial plants for one reason or another, your delay, unintended or otherwise, has paid off big!

From now until July 5th you can buy any perennial that we have in stock for 30% off! That is ANY perennial!

You can choose from flowering beauties, such as Alcea, Kniphofia or Papaver (Poppy) plants, one of which will meet your requirements when it comes to shade or sun, moist or dry, or even a particular color or height that you would like to have.

You can also browse our foliage perennials like Athyrium, Brunnera or Heucherella plants, which will also produce flowers, but whose flowers pale in comparison to the striking multi-colored or variegated leaves.

Or select a perennial that has both beautiful blossoms and unique foliage such as one of the delicious varieties of Ajuga, Lamium, or Polemonium.

Perennials are the basis for your landscaping, along with your trees, shrubs and lawn. They come back year after year after year, getting better each year, with minimal care. They may require dividing or thinning every few years or so, in order to refresh their good looks, kind of like a facial for your flowers, but otherwise the normal requirements for essential nutrients, sun and water will suffice.

You will want to choose your perennials with placement in mind and with an eye to symmetry and color combinations. If there is a place that you know you would like to plant perennials, check that area a number of times throughout the day so that you know how much sun it receives. Also be aware of what type of soil it is; is it loamy, moist, sandy, dry, well-drained? And if you have fallen in love with a certain variety and it meets all of the requirements, say, except for moisture, then consider installing an inexpensive soaker hose on a timer in order to easily satisfy those requirements. You will save water and time, but still be able to have that one perennial that you just can’t live without!

Our perennials, just as all of our plants are, are presented with the best photos available and with detailed descriptions so that you can make informed choices on what would be best planted where. And, if after reading the descriptions, you still have questions, you can ask our Master Gardener, Karen. She has almost all of the answers, and if, by chance, you ask one that she does not feel comfortable answering; she will do the research to give you the best and most complete answer possible.

In addition to offering 30% OFF ALL OF OUR PERENIIALS right now, we are also extending our 50% OFF ANNUAL ANNUAL SALE. This dual sale will enable you to not only plan your flower beds for the future, but to continue that colorful display long after many perennials may have stopped blooming; right up to the first winter frost in many cases.

Experiment with color and texture. Plant the taller plants towards the back and the shorter plants near the front and consider planting a trailing groundcover in an area that is hard to mow or maintain, such as the Centaurea plant that will spread 18 to 30-inches, or Creepng Phlox that blooms in the spring and is partial-shade tolerant. With careful consideration, you can make your landscape a most welcome retreat from the computer, the television and the telephone, while also making it easy to care for.

In our busy lives, we all need a place we can retreat to, but also require inviting spaces that don’t take a lot of work. Unfortunately, especially during these challenging economic times, we all have to consider our budget. Balancing emotional or aesthetic needs with monetary restrictions has become a way of life.

We have given you the tools to do just that by offering all of our Perennial Plants at 30% off, from now until July 5th. In addition, we have extended our Annual Annual Plant Sale so as to provide you with a more total decorating package, at a more affordable cost.

Happy Outdoor Decorating Everyone!!!

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Whether you have a vegetable garden or flower gardens, or no gardens at all, a garden plaque can say the one thing that is closest to your heart or be a reminder and tribute to someone you care for.

Proudly made in the U.S.A., our garden plaques are cast from concrete, not resin, therefore having the true look, feel and weight of real stone. Colored throughout, not just on the surface, they are designed to last a lifetime while decorating your favorite outdoor spaces. Each garden plaque or stone has a meaningful quotation or comment on life and is artfully decorated, designed to contribute to the beauty of your outside world. Our selection features a wide range of colors, everything from natural to charcoal gray, terra cotta, sand, white granite and even more vibrant colors. All of our garden plaques come complete with a stand, while our garden stones are meant to be displayed like a stepping stone. It is up to you if you choose to use the provided stand or not.

There are many reasons that you may want to express your feelings through a garden plaque or garden stone. One of the most common is in memorial to a loved one that has passed, leaving you feeling somewhat adrift and lonely. Many gardeners choose to plant a bush, shrub or perennial plant in honor of this special someone and many will add a fountain, wind chimes or gazing ball and stand to further memorialize them; a garden plaque will serve to let all who enter your yard know that your heart was touched by this person and that he or she will never be forgotten. It can be like a healing salve to know that you have remembered someone so cherished, even in this simple way. We even have garden stones for beloved dogs and cats.

Garden plaques can also display your pride in our Armed Services. So many of our country’s young men and women are serving in dangerous places around the globe, the guardians of our freedom and that of the down-trodden in other nations. Many of you are probably related to or are friends with a soldier. We have Honor Garden Plaques with each of the armed service logos for the US Army, US Air Force, US Navy and US Marine Corp. as well as for the National Guard.

And if your loved one serves here in the U.S. as a public servant in the form of a Police Officer, in the Fire Department or as an EMT Paramedic, they too are deserving of recognition and their community’s pride. Garden plaques of this kind will always bring a warm smile and a bit of hope to the heart of someone who may be feeling down, and will definitely boost the morale of those people who serve both their country and their community so selflessly.

Proclaim your faith, honor a friend or make a loving statement through the permanent and reverent display of a garden plaque or garden stone. It is amazing that such a simple artifact can bring such peace of mind or joy to those who display it, to those who see it and to those who give it as a gift!

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Ahhh. Just the mere mention of a succulent, sweet, juicy, humongous Better Boy tomato will have gardeners licking their lips with anticipation and preparing their garden bed or containers for the day when they can finally begin the growing season and start producing this most popular of all tomato varieties. There are even backyard “tomato gardeners” that will grow nothing but the Better Boy tomato, their whole garden being a tribute to this one vegetable; this tomato is THAT good!

The Better Boy tomato is a hybrid indeterminate variety, which is a fancy name that means it is a cross between two other tomato plants and that it will produce tomatoes all season long. Hybrids are bred for qualities in the parent plants that are desirable, such as better disease resistance, color, meatiness, size and ease of growth. The Better Boy’s parents are the Big Boy and the Lemon Boy, both of which are still available and popular in their own right, but the Better Boy has surpassed both of them when it comes to popularity with both commercial and individual producers.

The Lemon Boy tomato is often advertised as an heirloom because of its unusual lemony color, but is actually an F-1 hybrid itself; the F-1 simply means it is resistant to Fusarium wilt, a very common tomato disease. It is a particularly meaty tomato with few seeds and has an exceptional flavor when compared to many bland tasting yellow varieties. Yellows also tend to be less acidic, which heart-burn and acid-reflux sufferers appreciate. Big Boy’s parentage, on the other hand, is a trade secret, as it has been for over 50 years. An Israeli vegetable breeder joined Burpee’s staff and produced a number of successful hybrid vegetables; his most significant being the Big Boy tomato in 1949. With a sweet, full flavor, this smooth, red-skinned fruit is also remarkably fragrant and can often weigh in at a pound or more. Being blessed with good disease resistance, it also has a bushy growth habit and is a strong grower. In fact, tomato connoisseurs often list it amongst the top five of their all time favorites.

So, now that you know where it came from, let’s look at the Better Boy’s qualities. First and foremost, Better Boy is resistant to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt and nematodes, often annotated with the initials VFN either before or after the variety name. When it comes to tomatoes, it’s a good idea to know what the initials mean: V – Verticillium wilt, F – Fusarium wilt (F1, race 1; F2, race 2), N – nematode, T – tobacco mosaic virus, A – Alternaria alternata (crown wilt disease) and L – Septoria leafspot. Obviously, the more initials the better, but most will have 3 or less, with some having no special resistance at all; VFN are the most prolific diseases that you would like your tomatoes to be resistant to, but you can find more information about The 10 Most Common Tomato Plant Problems here.

Being an indeterminate variety, the Better Boy tomato plant will produce tomatoes all season long. In fact, the green tomatoes can be picked when the first frost is expected and allowed to ripen in a cool place in a brown paper bag. You really don’t want to let a single one of these juicy fruits go to waste. Determinate varieties, on the other hand, will form blossoms and then fruit, all at one time, and then quit producing. These varieties are most popular with people wanting to make tomato pastes, sauces, salsas, stewed tomatoes, etc. for canning. You can pretty much determine when the crop will be ready to harvest and process. Most serious gardeners will plant both the determinate and indeterminate varieties.

One or two plants will produce more than enough tomatoes for a family of 4, maybe allowing you to give away a few too. Plan accordingly. One of the biggest mistakes someone growing tomatoes for the first time will make—planting way too many plants, which means some going to waste (which is a shame), the creation of more and more creative ways to use tomatoes, your first efforts at home canning, or really happy neighbors and coworkers who receive the extra tomatoes your family is tired of seeing by now. The other by-product of over planting is frustration.

Better Boys are meaty and have a superb flavor. They are large enough to make great sandwich slices and their smooth, red skin is a joy to see hanging from the branches. Most Better Boy tomatoes weigh in at around 8 to 12-ounces, sometimes more and tend to have fewer problems when it comes to cracking and splitting.

You can grow Better Boys just as you would any other tomato plant, but definitely be sure to provide support for this precious plant. You don’t want these tomatoes hanging on the ground to be easy prey to critters or insects; their size and weight make that a real possibility.

You will find that tomatoes are remarkably easy to grow, though some seasons, like 2010, just seem to be “bad” years, with the instances of tomato growers grumbling about high temperatures, disease run rampant and even soil borne diseases. The best way to guard against this is to buy your plants from a reputable green house. Local greenhouses are best, because they grow tomatoes common to your area. Beware though—many of the so-called largest local retailers are importing their plants from other countries which can lead to diseases and pests being imported as well. If you are not confident in your local supplier or they do not have a large selection of tomatoes to choose from, we grow all of our tomato plants right here in our greenhouses in the heart of the U.S., in Berne, IN. We guarantee their quality and their arrival and provide amazing one-on-one customer support. We even have a Master Gardener on staff to answer any questions you may have…without waiting in line!

We have many varieties from open-pollinated to Heirloom to Hybrids, of which the Better Boy is. Better Boy will produce ripe tomatoes about 70 days after you’ve transplanted…and then for the rest of the season. You better order right now—the longer you wait, the longer you will be waiting for that first beautiful tomato to appear!

We are quite sure that you will be just as enamored of the Better Boy tomato as are most tomato lovers! Enjoy!

*The Better Boy photo was provided courtesy of Becca from Little Green Bees.

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Whiteflies are a scourge that more and more gardeners are falling victim to. A world-wide problem, the use of insecticides has created a whitefly “monster”, immune to the most common pesticides and becoming more immune every year, until there will be a point where insecticides may no longer work. Insecticidal soap is becoming the most accepted form of control because pesticides are now known to go more than skin deep on fruits and veggies, it is safe to use, it produces results quickly and insecticidal soap is a solution that whiteflies cannot become immune to.  

A tiny pest, they work in huge numbers to devastate your house plants, greenhouse plants, vegetable plants and the world’s food supply. Most of you will be the victim of the greenhouse whitefly, which is so-named because it is frequently seen in greenhouses, but is a major pest that attacks numerous fruit, vegetable and ornamentals, both inside and outside. In fact, these thirsty pests not only feed on just about everything, they transmit any number of plant diseases. Tomato yellow leaf-curl begomovirus, TYLCV, is considered the worst, but they are attributed with spreading 60 different viral plant diseases.

In addition to the Greenhouse whitefly, the Silverleaf whitefly is becoming more prevalent. Your plants are likely to be attacked by either one of these species and though the physical differences may seem minute, the damage they are both capable of causing can be catastrophic. They often go unnoticed for a while because they attack the undersides of the leaves, staying out of the direct sun and out of sight, so the first preventative measure is to check the undersides of random leaves throughout your garden, especially on your tomatoes, squash and watermelons.  

An adult female Greenhouse whitefly will lay an average of 50 to 150 eggs, and though the Silverleaf whitefly is smaller, she can lay up to 7 times the number of eggs that the Greenhouse whitefly can. The life cycle of both is also similar, growing from eggs, which hatch in 5 to 10 days, depending upon the temperatures, at which time a “crawler” emerges, travels a short distance and then starts feeding, which is when they start damaging your plants. From crawler to nymph to pupa takes about two weeks, and then the adult female will emerge from the pupa about a week later and will start laying eggs almost immediately. Her average life span is only 6 days, so she makes the most of it. She feeds with sucking mouthparts that extract the sap from the phloem of your plants. The phloem is the living tissue of your plants that carries nutrients throughout the plant. Without it, plant death can be quick to occur, but the warning signs are usually quite easy to spot:

• Yellowing leaves, yellow-spotted leaves and curling leaves can all be symptoms
• Eggs will normally be laid in a circular pattern and will either be opaque or slightly yellow, depending upon whether it is a Greenhouse or Silverleaf whitefly. The eggs will be laid on the undersides of your plants’ leaves.
• The nymph and pre-pupa stage will see the emergence of tiny white “legs” or fibers all around the small oval in the Greenhouse whitefly and not so much in the Silverleaf whitefly.
• As they reach pupa stage, they may appear to look like fish scales on the backs of your plants’ leaves.
• The most obvious sign is if you are enveloped in a white cloud as you bend down to inspect your garden. By that time, your infestation is probably quite advanced and at least partial plant death may be occurring. (Silverleaf whiteflies will be smaller and more yellow than white)
• Adults secrete honeydew as they suck the life out of your plants, and this will attract ants in droves; another sign to watch for.
• The honeydew that is secreted is the perfect growing medium for sooty mold, a black sticky mess that is impossible not to notice, but even more difficult to deal with than the whiteflies.

As stated above, there are pesticides to combat the problem…for now. Just remember that every time you use a pesticide, you are contributing to a future generation of whiteflies that will be immune to the pesticide you use today.

We recommend, instead, organic means by which to control this stubborn and adaptable pest. There are, of course, natural enemies of the whitefly, such as green lacewings, ladybirds (ladybugs), minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs and damsel bugs. You can either buy them in egg form or as adult insects from commercial enterprises or you can plant plants that will attract them. Lacewings and ladybugs are both attracted to fern-leaf and common yarrow (achillea), fennel, dill and cilantro/coriander. There is more information here on which plants to grow in order to attract beneficial insects to your yard.

But, if you have a whitefly infestation to deal with now, you don’t have the time or the luxury to wait for plants to grow, or even if you buy plants already close to adult size, for the word to get out to the “whitefly brigade” of insect assassins to gather for the whitefly buffet in your garden. You need something now and you need something that will act quickly (remember, it only takes them about 3 weeks to go from egg to egg-laying adult). 

The most common and safest organic method used is an insecticidal soap. We carry Safer Insecticidal Soap, derived from all-natural potassium salts and OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institue) listed for organic gardening. You simply spray Safer Insecticidal Soap on the undersides of the infected plants’ leaves, either in the very early morning or in the late evening when the temperatures are below 85°F and when the whiteflies are not actively flying. It kills by penetrating the outer shells of these soft bodied insect pests, smothering, dehydrating and causing death in just a few hours. Insecticidal soap is non-lethal to beneficial insects and can be used indoors or out. A 32-ounce ready-to-use bottle will treat about a 1000 square foot garden plot. It is gentle on your most prized ornamentals but lethal for whiteflies and it has no unpleasant odor.

Whiteflies do not have to be the death of your garden. Besides ornamentals, palms, weeds, poinsettias and countless other plants, the fruits and vegetables most affected are: Avocado, Cantaloupe, Carrot, Citrus, Cucumber, Eggplant, Gourds, Drapes, Lettuce, Peas, Pepper, Potato, Sage, Squash, Strawberry, Sweet potato, Tomato & Watermelon

Always look for whitefly infestation prior to bringing home new plants. It will save you a world of heartache. But, whiteflies can attack at any time, so we also recommend having insecticidal soap on hand, ready to do away with this pest before they have a chance to become a real problem for you.

Happy Gardening!

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So which plant is it? If you look up the first instance, with the “s” before the “ch”, Webster will tell you that it is definitely wrong. In fact, as I write this, Word has underlined F-U-S-C-H-I-A in the red wavy line that tells me it is incorrect, while the spelling F-U-C-H-S-I-A, has not been marked for correction.

That should be all the proof you need, and yet there is a battle constantly waged over this issue across back yard fences and in local gardening circles around the world! There is, however, no confusion (okay, just a little) over its pronunciation. The most common pronunciation is FEW-she-uh, while some of us tend to run it all together, saying FEW-sha, and still others pronounce it FEWK-see-uh. We, by the way, have got the run-together version and a new one, FOOKS-ee-uh, listed in our description, derived from some botany pronunciation guide or other. I’m afraid the original pronunciation has been lost to time. And the truth is, that regardless of how you spell it—Fuchsia Plant or Fuschia Plant, everyone is going to know what you are talking about anyway!

We are here, though, to set the record straight, at least insofar as the proper spelling goes. The proper spelling is with the ‘CH’ before the ‘S’. The reason for this is that the Fuchsia plant was named after Leonhart (or Leonhard) Fuchs who was one of the founding fathers of botany (and I can find no phonetic pronunciation for his name). A very well-known German physician, at least in the 16th century, he created the first medicinal garden at the University of Tubingen in 1535. The Fuchsia, which bears his name, was discovered on Santo Domingo in the Caribbean in 1696 or 1697(record-keeping at that time left much to be desired) by French scientist Dom Charles Plumier. Okay, this is probably where the original confusion started—a French scientist named a tropical plant after a German botanist.

So, there you have it! Webster describes the fuchsia as “ any of a genus (Fuchsia) of ornamental shrubs of the evening-primrose family having showy nodding flowers usually in deep pinks, reds, and purples”. Most of us though,  just call them beautiful! Maybe we should just take a clue from Shakespeare and know that “a fuchsia by any other name, would smell just as sweet” and just enjoy the flower, not worrying about whether it’s spelled it Fuchsia or Fuschia.

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