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By Miles Hunter, May 9, 2011

May9th, 2011

Taste the flavour of home grown Tomatoes!

The weather is finally warm enough to start thinking about putting tomatoes outside in the garden. It is still recommended that you provide some protection from the cold night temperatures. You can do this by covering your tomatoes with plastic or a white cloth like our “Crop Cover” or “Frost Blanket”. When the night time low is above 10 degrees Celsius, or 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you can leave them uncovered.

Whether you are a seasoned tomato growing veteran or a new gardener here are a few tips to help you grow better tomatoes:

1. Tomatoes are heavy feeder, they are the teenage boys of the plant world. You should add manure and fertilizer to the soil before you plant.
2. When you plant the tomatoes plant them deeper as new roots will develop along the stem helping your plants grow faster and stronger.
3. Water regularly all summer, twice a week early in the season and daily during the summer months. Tomatoes that do not get regular water are more likely to develop diseases and are less likely to produce as much fruit.
4. Fertilize weekly with a water soluble fertilizer like Miracle Gro Tomato Food 18-18-21 or monthly with a granular fertilizer like Evegro’s Vegetable and Tomato Food 10-15-19.
5. Add Lime to your soil before you plant and every month during the growing season. Lime helps balance the pH and provides Calcium and Magnesium to the plants.

With so many varieties of Tomatoes to choose from here are a few varieties that perform well in our climate:

• Ball Extra Early – a medium sized tomato that produces early
• Beefsteak – one of the largest tomatoes with lots of meaty flesh
• Early Girl – a medium sized early producing variety
• Sungold – a golden cherry tomato
• Sweet 100 – an excellent small cherry tomato
• Sweet Million – a smaller version of the sweet 100 that produces an abundant crop
• Tumbler – a great cherry tomato for hanging baskets that produces all summer until frost

In addition to these varieties you can choose from a selection of heirloom varieties including:

• Bloody Butcher – a medium sized tomato that is great for slicing
• Brandywine Black – a large heirloom tomato
• Japanese Black Trifele – a medium sized mid season tomato
• Latah – an early producing medium sized tomato
• Nyagous – a medium to large early to mid season tomato
• Prudens Purple – a medium tomato great for slicing
• Red Striped Roman – a roma type oblong, full and sweet
• Super Snow White – a golden yellow cherry type tomato that is super sweet
• Thessaloniki – a large beefsteak type tomato
• Wapsinpinicon Peach – a golden yellow mid to late season medium sized tomato

Be sure to stake your tomatoes as they grow to give them support as the fruit matures. You can stake them up with a basic bamboo or cedar stake or buy a “Tomato Cage” that provides support for the leaves as well.

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By Miles Hunter, February 5, 2010

Start your vegetables from seed!

There are many vegetables that can be started from seed at this time of year. Some can be planted directly outside. Others you should start indoors and transplant outside once the weather warms up. Some seeds that you can start outdoors now include Broad Beans and Radishes. Indoors you can start Celery, Leeks, Onions, and/or Parsley.

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By Miles Hunter, January 8, 2010

If you started your winter vegetables like cabbage, kale, or winter lettuce now is the time to harvest them. To protect your winter vegetable if we receive snow or severely cold temperatures cover them with burlap, a frost blanket or similar protection.

Some other things to do with the vegetable garden include:

• Spray your fruit trees with Lime Sulphur and Dormant Oil to prevent insect and fungus infections later in the season
• Clean up any dead or dying plants as they serve as food for insects
• Prepare your vegetable beds for spring planting by adding compost, manure, and/or lime
• Pick out seeds for the vegetables that you want to grow this summer

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By admin, November 3, 2009

At this time of year you should clean up any dead or dying plants as they attract animals that may feed on them. You should prepare your vegetable beds for next season by adding compost, manure, and/or lime.

There are many vegetables that will grow in the fall and winter in our climate. You can grow a variety of lettuce, cabbage, kale, and Swiss chard. We have a selection of these and other vegetable crops throughout the fall.