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Tomato Varieties

Tomato Varieties: Did you know?

There are a great many (around 7500) tomato varieties grown. While Hybrid tomatoes remain common, Heirloom tomato strains are becoming increasingly popular, particularly among home gardeners and organic producers, since they tend to produce more flavorful and interesting crops - although they may not be as disease resistance. Hybrid plants remain popular because tend to be heavier producers and sometimes combine some characteristics of the heirloom tomatoes with the heartiness of conventional commercial tomatoes.
The heirloom tomatoes.

Tomato varieties are segmented into several general categories, based mostly on shape and size. “Globe” tomatoes are the typical tomatoes of commerce. Globe tomatoes are of the category of canners used for a wide variety of processing and fresh eating. Oxheart tomatoes can range in size up to beefsteaks, and are shaped like large strawberries. This includes beefsteak, which are the large tomatoes often used for sandwiches and similar applications. Their shape and thinner skin makes commercial use impractical along with not being bred for a long shelf life.

Plum tomatoes, also known as paste tomatoes which do include pear tomatoes, are bred with a higher density for use in tomato sauce and paste and are usually oblong.

Pear tomatoes are pear shaped and based upon the San Marzano types and used for richer gourmet paste.

Cherry tomatoes are small, round and often sweet tomatoes generally eaten in salads. Grape tomatoes are a more recent introduction are smaller and used in salads as well.

Tomatoes grow well with 7 hours of sunlight a day. A fertilizer with the ratio 5-10-10 can be used for extra growth, but manure or compost works well too

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15 Dec 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Gardening Advice

Plant Garlic

How to Plant Garlic

Planting garlic in the fall is a great way to keep your garden productive all winter long.

Since garlic mostly takes care of itself, this is a simple way for you to get value from your garden and have the opportunity to try many different types of garlic. Did you know that they come in red, white, purplish-pink and silvery varieties?

The first thing you do is plant your garlic in September or October. You will want to break the bulb apart into cloves and make sure you keep the skins covering the cloves in place.
Mix a jar with water and a table spoon of baking soda and liquid sea weed. Soak the cloves in this solution for a couple of hours before planting. This prevents disease.
Garlic grows best in rich, organic soil that is well-drained. You may want to treat the soil with liquid organic compost the day before planting.
Plant the cloves 6 - 8 inches apart with the flat end root down. They should be covered with approximately 2 inches of soil.
You should see shoots in four to six weeks. The garlic will pause growing in the cold part of winter and resume growing in the early spring.

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20 Nov 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Gardening Advice

Garden Grasses

A great way to extend your garden into the fall and winter is by planting ornamental grasses.

These ornamental grasses can be used for borders and to break up your landscaping and add a more exotic look to your outdoor view.

Ornamental grasses can be grouped into two categories. There are the warm season ornamental grasses that thrive in the hotter weather and the cool season ornamental grasses that thrive in cooler temperatures.

Keep in mind that some ornamental grasses can be invasive and become a pest. Some examples of these are Gardener’s Garters and Miscanthus sinensis.

While it is possible to start some grasses by seeds, it is more common to divide ornamental grass for replanting. When doing this, be sure to prepare the soil before replanting the grass. This will help transition the plant and assure best results. However, remember that oramental grass will flop over if over-fed. Other than the liquid compost, avoid feeding the ornamental grass.

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19 Nov 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Gardening Advice

Cybister Amaryllis

What is a Cybister Amaryllis and is it a plant worth having?

Reading organic gardener today I came across a short piece on Cybister Amaryllis.

The article mentions that it is easy to grow in the winter and gives you a tropical, exotic feel with its sidery-pedals and bright colors.

In many cases, you will need to grow this indoors in a bright spot, but not in direct sunlight. The Cybister Amaryllis will need rotated occasionally to keep it from leaning into the light source.

Once you have the organic soil prepared, you plant the bulb so that its sholders are clear of the potting soil and the nose of the bulb is above the rim of the pot.

Lastly, do not overwater the Cybister Amaryllis and you will be enjoying a tropical delight in no time.

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19 Nov 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Gardening Advice

Grow Healthy Plants

3 Keys to Healthy Plants

3 things missing from every popular fertilizer:

Carbon
Microbes
Trace minerals

3 things that every farmer knows … and you should too!

Carbon Cycle.

Carbon in Soil - Nutrients Plants Need

The most influential element that effects plant productivity is carbon in soil. The carbon cycle describes the exchange of carbon between living organisms and the environment. Plants directly use carbon from the atmosphere, in the form of carbon dioxide, for photosynthesis. Plants also benefit by the indirect utilization of carbon by soil microorganisms from soil organic matter.

Each season more carbon is depleted from the soil and is not added back by application of chemical fertilizers, since they do not contain carbon. WIth low carbon in soil, it quickly becomes tired and its fertility declines.

The high concentration of carbon in Great Big Plants replenishes the carbon in soil. Great Big Plants’ liquid formulation carries the carbon directly to where it’s needed - the plant’s root zone. The specially selected carbon-releasing microbes accelerate the carbon cycle to your plant’s benefit.

Nitrogen Cycle.

Nitrogen Fertilizer - Nutrients Plants Need

The growth of all organisms depends on the availability of nutrients - and none of the nutrients plants need is more important than nitrogen, an essential building block in plants.

Nitrogen is difficult to absorb by plants because of the binding structure of its atoms. It is estimated that 40% of all chemical nitrogen fertilizer additions are never used by plants. This is not the case with Great Big Plants Organic Plant Food.

Microorganisms have a central role in almost all aspects of nitrogen availability. Some bacteria convert nitrogen into ammonia by the process called nitrogen fixation; other bacteria bring about transformations of ammonia to nitrate, and of nitrate to nitrogen and other nitrogen gases; many bacteria and fungi degrade organic matter, releasing nitrogen for reuse by other organisms.

Bottom line… the microbes in Great Big Plants Organic Plant Food facilitate the nitrogen cycle by transforming nitrogen into a form your plants can efficiently use. Great Big Plants Organic Plant Food can pack your soil with the necessary nitrogen and nutrients plants need to grow healthy, big, and strong.

Law of the Minimum.

Law of Minimum - Organic Liquid Compost

“Growth is proportional to the amount of the most limiting nutrient, whichever nutrient it may be. Likewise a plant’s growth is restricted by the lack of a single element, even though there may be sufficient quantities of all other essential nutrients.” — Justus von Liebig (1803 - 1873)

This historic principle compares the growth of a plant with the amount of water a barrel can hold, where the boards of the barrel equal the essential nutrients plants need. The barrel can be filled up only as high as the shortest board allows. Repair the too-short boards - that is, add the essential nutrients plants need back into the soil - and the plants can grow to their maximum potential.

Great Big Plants Organic Plant Food compost protects your plants against the Law of the Minimum by adding back into your soil the major nutrients plants need, micronutrients and rare earths that your plants need for maximum growth.

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23 Oct 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Gardening Advice

How to Grow Vegetables

How to grow vegetables - planning your garden is essectial for successfully growing a great harvest of vegetables.

First, consider what you use in cooking. There is no reason to grow venegtables if you cannot and will not cook with them.

Second, what grows well in your climate? You can talk to other gardeners or look at the seed packets to get an idea of what is going to grow well in your garden.

Third, treat your spoil with organic liquid compost before you begin to ensure bigger vegetables.

Plan for your harvest. What will you do with excess tomatos, watermellon or cucumbers?

Obviously, you need to lay out the garden in a strategic way so that you can grow vegetables that need various amounts of sun and water. You might even decide to add herbs into your mix in portable containers.

Lastly, consider the cost of vegetables in the grocery store. Grow vegetables that will help you save money because they are more expensive to buy.

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23 Oct 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Gardening Advice

Garden Elements

What are the elements that make up a garden?

Natural Garden Elements

Garden Soil
Rocks
Light
Air Quality
Wind
Plant materials

Man made garden elements

paths
Deck, patio, terrace
Lighting
Raised beds
Sculptures
Pools, fountains

To read more about gardens, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden

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22 Oct 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Gardening Advice

Ground Cover Plants For Dry Climate Garden

As water gets scarcer and scarcer in dry climates and in not so dry climates, we gardeners have got to find ways of reducing the water consumption of the garden. In practice this means amongst other measures, that lawns have to be seriously reduced in size. In some instances there is simply no substitute for a lawn. Nothing can take traffic or be used for playing like grass.

However in many parts of the garden, an area has been grassed up because the gardener or home owner couldn’t think of anything else, or probably didn’t think of thinking of an alternative. Once we break the paradigm and start to design our garden space, which is garden-speak for thinking, then we begin to see so many more possibilities. We discover that there is far more potential to this “outdoor room” than was previously imagined.

This is where ground cover or prostrate plants come into their own. Today I’m talking about three plants for three different design situations. Small scale, medium and large scale.

For small spaces I’ve grown (pun intended) to love the species of Cranebill, Erodium reichardii. It grows to about 10-15cm forming small mounds. Its cushion shape makes it an excellent companion, style wise, to many xerophyte species. It sports delicate pink flowers virtually all year round, and can take light shade .I planted it in one garden over 4 years ago, and it’s showing no signs of degeneration. It is virtually maintenance free.

For larger spaces, The Morning Glory, Convolvulus sabatius (mauritanicus), is great. It can be planted small, because each plant can cover at least a radius of 1 meter. It has a very prostrate habit, with light purple flowers, most of the year. To be grown in full sun only. Although Ground Morning Glory does tend to spread as a weed a bit, it can be uprooted without resource to spraying.

A very useful large scale flowering ground cover is Lantana montevidensis. It has a rather sprawling, slightly untidy habit, and a pungent smell, which makes it unsuitable for small, intimate spaces. But it can be superb when seen at a distance, with its mass of deep purple flowers. There are also a number of varieties available at nurseries.

As far as watering is concerned, both Erodium and Convolvulus can grown on an average shrub regime, about 1/4 of the requirements of a lawn, whereas the Lantana is more thirsty, probably needing an additional 400mm per annum in a Mediterranean climate.

About the author - Jonathan Ya’akobi

I’ve been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984. I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners. I also teach horticulture to students on training courses. I’d love to share my knowledge and experience with you.

So you’re welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Ya’akobi

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21 Oct 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Gardening Advice

Test Soil Today

Late Fall and early Spring are the best times to test soil. It gives you time to adjust the soil in your garden before planting season. Here are some tips on testing your soil and preparing your Garden.

1. Do a garden pH test — A pH test and determines how acid/alkaline your soil is. Then pick plants that will survive and thrive in your soil conditions.

2. Determine what key elements are missing from your soil. Use Organic gardening products like Great Big Plants to add key ingredients back to the soil of your garden.

3. Monitor nutrients — Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous are needed for plant growth, color and blooming.

Soil test kits are available at many garden centers. The kits allow you to get an analysis of your soil’s pH.

A local agricultural extension office will test your soil sample for pH and nutrient levels if you want more information. They usually provide you with a sterile container for your soil sample and a form to answer questions about your garden, where you live and the plants you want to grow. They test the soil and the soil analysis usually takes a few weeks to get back to you. The soil analysis includes detailed results.

How to test the soil in your garden.

1. Clean the tools you are using to collect the garden soil sample.

2. In the planting area, dig 5 holes 6″ - 8″ deep.

3. Scrap a 1/2″ slice along the side of a hole and put it in a clean container. Repeat this process for all holes.

4. Collect soil samples from different areas that will be growing similar plants.

5. Mix the soil samples in the bucket. Spread the soil mixture on a newspaper to dry out. Collect a pint for your sample.

Wet soil can sometimes give a false soil test reading. Take the sample when the soil is fairly dry. You may want to check your soil more than once to verify your results.

Here is more in depth research on Soil Test Results using organic liquid compost.

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08 Oct 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Gardening Advice

Garden Design

Image via WikipediaGood garden design - Why is it important.

Why go to all the trouble of planting a garden if you are not going to get all the great benefits. Good garden design can mean the difference between a utilitarian organic garden and a great enhancement to your property.

The difference is simply doing a garden plan that takes into account some other benefits.

Relaxing - Can you design your garden in a way that makes it a relaxing place to sit?
Walkability - Can you create paths that make your garden enjoyable to walk in?
Aesthetics - Can your garden design make your whole property look better?
Environment - Does your garden design enhance the environment?

For example, you could have a gazebo in the center of your garden or a hammock hung to relax in.

You could add a fountain that doubles as a source of water for dry times.

Go do a search on garden design and look at the wealth of garden design options. The benefits your organic garden can bring you are only limited by your imagination.

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29 Sep 2008 The Organic Gardener 0 comments

Author Archive

Tomato Varieties

Plant Garlic

Garden Grasses

Cybister Amaryllis

Grow Healthy Plants

3 Keys to Healthy Plants

3 things missing from every popular fertilizer:

3 things that every farmer knows … and you should too!

Carbon Cycle.

Nitrogen Cycle.

Law of the Minimum.

How to Grow Vegetables

Garden Elements

Ground Cover Plants For Dry Climate Garden

Test Soil Today

Garden Design

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