Quotation of the Week: "My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view." — H. Fred Ale

Extending Your Tomato Growing Season

One of the great pleasures of vegetable gardening is finding new and unusual varieties to grow and tantalize our taste buds. Heirloom tomatoes are one of these that have surged in popularity in the past several years. Tomato enthusiasts are finding bounties of bright rainbow colored, sugar-sweet-flavored tomatoes that they harvest from their gardens with pride and consume or share with friends and family.
This enthusiasm is evident at Green Thumb during the spring when many serious tomato enthusiasts mob the tables for their favorite variety to satisfy their craving for these ripe sweet fruits. Until recently our tomato season would finish at the first signs of frost and then we endured the next several months with out our favorite sweet bounty. But, what if we could prolong the season and have plants that would bring us a late harvest of fruit in what we would normally consider the off season? After several years of trialing many tomato varieties, we found it is possible to grow tomatoes in the “off season.” After the completion of the trial, we chose those varieties that we felt would produce well on the West Coast. These cool season varieties were selected for their adaptation to cooler temperatures, fewer daylight hours and more humid climates. You will need to follow a slightly different set of rules when planting these varieties, but it is well worth the effort to have tomatoes when the only tomatoes offered are the tasteless fruit you would find at the grocery store. The rules are simple: To have a successful crop, we recommend planting these varieties starting from mid-summer through the end of September. It seems strange that these off season varieties would be planted so early and in such warm temperatures, but getting your plants started is important because we need to utilize the heat of the summer to produce a large canopy of foliage and a mature root system. When the cooler temperatures arrive, the plant will be able to withstand the cold and still survive to produce fruit. In most cases, if the temperatures fall into the forty degree range, these plants will survive the cold. If you live in an area that falls below forty, use your tomato cage from spring as a shelter wrapping it with clear plastic sandwich wrap. Leave a six inch gap at the bottom and top of the cage to allow for some air circulation and put a piece of cardboard over the top of the cage to prevent cold air from traveling down inside the cage from the open top. As long as foliage does not have direct contact with the frost, it will survive. As an advocate for organic gardening, I like to prepare my soil with an organic planting mix, add Worm Gold earthworm castings and an organic fertilizer like Gro Power with Humic Acids. In an experiment we conducted several years ago, we found that using fertilizers with humic acids helped prevent frost damage to our test plant. Humic Acids stimulated the plant to create a larger canopy of foliage, which translates to the amount of starches it can produce. These starches in the vascular system act like anti-freeze in your automobile and protects the foliage from frost damage. Water as necessary. Tomato plants still need as much water in the cooler season as in the summer. The only constants that change are the humidity level and the rate of evaporation. Glacier, semi-indeterminate. 63 days maturity. Extremely early producing 2 to 3 oz. red fruit. Cold tolerant with high yields. Jettsetter Hybrid VFFNTsa, indeterminate, 64 days maturity. A short season plant that doesn't sacrifice size or flavor. Good, rich flavor from tomato fruit that grows to 8 oz. Large yields on vigorous plants and highly disease resistant. Manitoba, determinate, 58 days maturity. An extremely early variety developed in Canada. Well suited for extreme northern United States climate. Produces bright red, slightly flattened fruit. Weighing at 6 oz., Manitoba has good flavor and grows easily in small spaces. Siberia, determinate, 48 days maturity. A very early Russian variety smuggled out of Siberia in 1975. Capable of setting fruit at 38 degrees, this sturdy dark green plant produces 3 to 5 oz. fruit in clusters of 30 or more. A very popular variety in Alaska. Silvery Fir Tree, determinate, 58 days maturity. An unusual Russian variety with carrot like silvery-grey foliage, this plant produces heavy drops of 6 to 8 oz. red fruit on very sturdy stems and branches. Very compact growth makes this variety a great plant for container and small spaces. Stupice, indeterminate. 52 days maturity. From the Czech Republic, this extremely early, cold-tolerant is our workhorse for the fall as well as the spring and summer. Small red fruit to 2 oz, have superior flavor and produces outstanding yields. Averaging 90 per plant, in our trials, this plant produced over 300 fruits in 2004. Taxi, semi-indeterminate, 65 days maturity. An attractive bright yellow tomato is the favorite of its class. 1 to 2 oz. fruits have a sweet distinctive flavor. Voted in our tastings in the top 25, competing with spring/summer varieties. Heavy yields on smaller plants. The best yellow tomato for cool areas.
Steve Goto Garden Pro

Preparing Leafy Herbs for Storage

If you have an herb garden you know what a great pleasure it is to have access to your own home-grown herbs - ones that are exactly to your taste, rather than a generic supermarket blend. Drying or freezing some of your herbs can give you that pleasure year-round. Along with the taste advantage - your own herbs are much, much cheaper. The method of preparing herbs for storage that gives you the best flavor and fragrance is air-drying. But if you don't have a warm, dry area that is suitable, or you have herbs that aren't suited for air-drying, don't despair! There are other methods that work almost as well. Natural Air-drying: Note: Sturdy, low-moisture herbs are best suited for air-drying. Some examples: bay leaves, dill, oregano, marjoram, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Basil, lemon balm, and most mints have a high moisture content - these can mold if not dried quickly. Method one is good for large batches of herbs. Cut large stems/branches from mature plants. Shake them to get rid of any any insects, then take off any damaged leaves. Rinse them with cool water and gently pat them dry with towels or paper towels. Turn the branches upside down and take off some of the leaves along the lower stem (the top, after you've turned them upside down). Gather five or six branches together in a bunch. Get a large paper bag and make several holes in it for ventilation. Put the bunch upside down inside the bag, gather the opening around the leafless stem ends, and tie securely.The bag will protect the bunch from dust and other pollutants. (You can skip the bag if drying for sachets - but keep them away from direct sunlight; that will tend to reduce the fragrance.) Hang the bag in a warm airy place and leave it alone for several weeks. When the leaves are dry, check for any signs of mold growth - if you find mold, discard the whole bunch! If the bunch is clean, strip the leaves off of the stems and toss the stems. Store the whole leaves in small airtight containers (plastic 'zip' bags are great). Label them and store them in a cool, dry, dark place. Method two - for faster drying, strip the leaves first, and put them in a single layer on a screen (again, you need a warm, dry area with good circulation). This takes up more space but works very well. Try cheesecloth stretched over a frame or a clean window screen. Drying in a Dehydrator or Oven: These work well for herbs that tend to mold if not dried quickly - but can also be used if you don't have a warm, dry, well-ventilated (and convenient) place to hang herbs. If you have a dehydrator - follow the directions in your book. For oven-drying, heat the oven to a low heat (150-200F), place the herbs on a baking sheet in the oven, keep the oven door open and bake the herbs until they are dry. This will take several hours - maybe longer if you are drying high-moisture herbs. Keep an eye on them - you want them dried, not burned! Some people dry herbs in the microwave - we don't advise that, as it takes out a lot of the flavor and fragrance. If you must dry this way, put about 4 branches in the oven between paper towels. Heat for a minute or two on high. If the herbs are not brittle and dry when removed from the oven, repeat for 30 seconds more each time until dry. Freezing Herbs: Note: Don't freeze herbs to use as garnish - they become limp and unsightly. If they are to be used in soups or stews, you can do a quick and handy freeze in an ice cube tray. Chop up the leaves and put a teaspoon (or a half teaspoon for smaller trays) of the herb in each section. Fill with water and put the tray in the freezer. To use, simply remove the pre-measured herb in the ice cube, and drop as many as you need in your soup or stew. You can also simply put a few bunches in a freezer bag or other container and put them in the freezer. Some herbs that freeze well are: basil, borage, chives, dill, lemongrass, mint, oregano, sage, savory, sorrel, tarragon, and thyme.

Renew Your Japanese Maple

The Japanese Maple is a striking tree in almost any landscape. However, the summer winds can scorch the leaves and make your plant look less than spectacular. The good news is that you can make it fresh and green again. Simply use a gloved hand to gently strip off those scorched and tired leaves. Pull loosely along the branch away from the trunk. You will find most of the leaves are easily and quickly removed. Be careful not to break the delicate branches. In 3 to 4 weeks, a new set of leaves will grow, with all of the glory of the first spring growth. You will find this new leaf set is more sun tolerant and will give a great display until the glorious fall color arrives in later in the season.

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What you need: 1 tbsp. grated orange rind 1 cup fresh orange sections 1 cup fresh cherries 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved 1 cup fresh pear, cubed 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/8 tsp. ground cloves Fresh mint sprigs Step by Step: Combine the first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir mixture well. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs. Yield: 8 servings