In early MayI planted potatoes in pots with a hopeful expectation of producing small potatoes for Father's Day in June. As you will see in the attached video the plants were hugh but did not have any flowers. Regardless, I was determined to see if it could be done, so I recorded the 7 weeks results with great expectation!
Unfortunately, we did not have potatoes for Father's Day :(
The plant was huge - 3 feet tall - but had no flowers. Perhaps there was too much nitrogen or it just needed more than 7 weeks to produce flowers and small potatoes. Since I have other pots in production, I will try again at the end of July. Garden on my friend.
Pruning suckers is a hotly debated subject with tomato growers and it's practice will vary depending upon your time, effort and beliefs. Prior to pruning suckers, I recall tomato plants growing into a tangled mess of vines with one plant trying to take over space from the others, especially when planted 2 feet apart. However, the plants still produced plenty of tomatoes although a bit smaller than the seed companies purported they would be in size. Tomato rock star Craig LeHoullier of "Epic Tomatoes" comments on suckering plants but his short segment appears to suggest that it is subjective depending upon intended results being the number of tomatoes and the size.
Tomato sucker in my garden
What is a sucker? It's a shoot that grows out of the joint where a branch intersects the main stem. If left alone it will grow into a full size branch that will set flowers and fruit. This new branch will also produce suckers that will repeat the same growth pattern exponentially. This results in a huge, bushy and sprawling plant. If you use large tomato cages and they are spaced 3+ feet apart the plant is manageable but any closer it becomes a jungle that Tarzan would find difficult to maneuver.
Keep in mind that pruning will reduce the number of tomatoes but may increase size. Which is more important to you? More tomatoes or bigger tomatoes? I have taken a middle stance on this issue by pruning some suckers especially on the lower level of the plant. Firstly, when planting I remove the leaves at the soil level as bury as deeply as possible. The buried stem will produce more roots to feed the plant. Once the plant starts to grow I remove the lower leaves that are wilting or damaged by insects. As the plant continues to grow I remove all the branches and suckers below the first group of flowers. At this point you will notice 2-3 main stems (1 original stem and 2 suckers that have become main stems). Most experts say 2-3 stems is sufficient to produce many and large tomatoes but again this is subjective; and relative to the size of the cage and the distance planted. As an extreme example of pruning suckers is the way greenhouse growers grow tomatoes. They space the plants 18" apart and prune to 1 stem wrapped around a string growing to a height of 7-8 feet tall. Backyard gardeners don't go to that extent but it illustrates how pruning can vary. As you can see, pruning can vary in process and subjectivity. So if you dare, prune on, my friend.
Composting at home is a great way to reduce your landfill footprint by recycling your kitchen and yard waste into a rich compost that will benefit your soil and plants. As you know from a previous post, I built a rolling compost barrel from a used olive barrel purchased from a local recycling firm for $17.00. For the past four weeks, I have been adding egg shells, coffee grounds/filters, tea bags, vegetable scraps, grass clippings, dead flowers, native soil and some composted horse manure into the rolling bin. The barrel is rotated every 1-2 days and watered to keep the medium moist but not wet. If the barrel smells I add more brown material and if it does not heat up I add more green materials. Ratios can vary but more brown over green is better. Over time you will notice small red wiggler worms, scientifically known as "eisenia fetada" which are a breed of earthworm adept to working their way through decaying organic material. Oddly, they are not usually found in native backyard soil but they are extremely beneficial to the transformation of garden waste to compost so lets welcome them with open arms! Sort of..... The advantage of a rolling bin v.s. a stationary compost pile is the time required to produce a finished compost material. Most pundits say that a rolling compost barrel will finish in about 3-4 weeks v.s. 6+ months for a pile. In addition, raccoons, rabbits are discouraged because they can't get into the barrel. When completed, the compost can be mixed with native soil or used as a top dressing for vegetables and flowers. Some pros of this magical product are:
Helps to retain moisture in sandy soils
Enhances air and water drainage in heavy or clay soils
Maintains a pH level benefiting plant growth
Keeps the soil penetrable allowing for optimal root growth
Prevents erosion of the soil bed
Provides a natural environment for earthworms and organisms
Contains macro and micronutrients necessary for optimum plant growth
Adding compost to your garden is the most organic means of transforming native soil into a crumb texture full of nutrients.
The following video will show you how the barrel is turned to provide oxygen and speed up the decomposition of raw materials. In addition you will get an update on "growing potatoes in pots" previously posted on May 11, 2016. Compost on, my friend.
Milk, anyone? It was early one morning around 6am I was having my coffee and I noticed them at the fence line. The warm morning sun was starting to rise in the east and the dense fog was starting to lift. The wind was unusually calm and it was very peaceful with the chirping of birds in the distance. As I started to photograph them, they turned their heads toward the camera with great interest. The morning sun was low and warm with colour creating patches of light on the herd, the composition was asymmetrically pleasing, the fog created visual senses and the colours blended into a pleasing palette. Every morning around 4am the herd is milked and turned out to pasture to graze on the lush green grass, and that leads me to the point of this post. One summer, my neighbour graciously offered me the contents of a very old wood corn silo that was falling down. It was filled with corn cobs that decomposed into a sweet smelling organic material. How lucky could I be! Get to know your neighbours especially if they have animals or even if they don't have animals 😄.The former, may have animal manure that needs to be piled, disposed and often given away. My current supply of manure comes from an equestrian riding stable that happily gives decomposed manure to anyone with a garbage can, shovel and strong arms. The manure is laden with small red wiggler worms that convert the manure to sweet smelling compost ready for the garden. That's pure gold to a backyard gardener. As Earl Hindman (Mr Wilson Wilson) on the sitcom Home Improvement would say "Hidy-ho, neighbour" my friend.
