Re: New Plants for spring

Frank, thanks for your suggestions too, especially the info about  Planters
II.  I don't have late blight here, though early blight is endemic.  I use
Soap Shield from Gardens Alive (I am an organic gardener) for it.  It
controls it though doesn't completely prevent it.  I put huge quantities of
homemade compost on the bed that will hold tomatoes  every spring, and the
plants now get enormous.
Merri Morgan
Zone 5b, WV

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "gentian21" <gentian21@insightBB.com>
To: <perennials@hort.net>
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 3:39 PM
Subject: Re: New Plants for spring


> Be careful with Planters II.  It does wonders for xeric plants that love
> high mineral content but too much can kill plants.  What you want is rock
> phosphate which can take a long time to make a difference.if I remember
> right.  The tomatoes probably died from late blight.  I almost can't grow
> them anymore.  For tomatoes you must absolutely never run a sprinkler on
> them which I had forgotten about.  I am going to grow them next year under
> cover.  Maybe get one of those zipper greenhouses.  Maybe if I can keep
the
> foliage dry and put a plastic mulch on the ground I can be successful.  My
> grandmother used to grow the best tomatoes in town but the diseases
weren't
> bad until the 70's.  I dig a deep hole between every 4 plants for my
> compost.  The tomatoes like freshly rotting compost.  I put the kitchen
> waste in the bottom of the whole the garden waste on the top.  When I have
> more to add I take the spading fork and stick it into the dried top to
open
> the lid to the composter.  Need to water?  Just put the hose in the hole
and
> slowly fill the hole.  The tomatoes get a nutritious drink.  This makes
the
> best tasting tomatoes with that wonderful bite.  You have to stake them so
> the get air and sun.  tomatoes rings allow a dark tangled interior that
can
> stay wet after a rain.  Spacing helps too.  A minimum of a spade length
> apart is needed.  This is advice from a person who can't grow tomatoes.
I'm
> picky though.  I've had people give me tomatoes that they though were good
> and I am always disappointed because I know what they can taste like,
When
> they are good 50% of my meals are tomatoes.  Last fall, my nicest clump of
> Colchicum that has bloomed every year for decades just peaked above the
> ground but never bloomed, I think the weather did it.  Could you have
water
> problems?  All of the raping of the state for the sake of strip mining can
> effect water supplies.  I would be wary of putting straw around tomatoes
> because the much cold lower the soil temperature which is what you don't
> want especially if you are in a cool area.  I hope you grow creeping phlox
> between you boulders.  I've always wondered how it would be gardening in
WV.
> I assume you have acid conditions and get a lot of acid rain in your area.
> I know you are limited because of how severe early and late frosts can be.
> visited Dolly Sods once and thought it was wonderful.  I bet you could
have
> a nice bog with gentians and cranberries.
>
> Frank Cooper
> Urbana, Illinois  USA  Zone 5b
> Record low temp -27 F (-32.8 C)
> Record high temp 105 F (40 C)
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Support hort.net -- join the hort.net fund drive!
> http://www.hort.net/funds/

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Support hort.net -- join the hort.net fund drive!
http://www.hort.net/funds/
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index