plant: tomatoes

Gardening is not just about following a set of guidelines, it’s much more than that. It’s about observing, listening, and building relationships with those we’re working alongside: the plants, the soil, the weather. This post will be a little different than usual. Let me take you with me as I reflect on a quiet but significant shift, my garden’s turning point. ‘‘Nuchter’’ I grew up in a small village in the Netherlands, where we have a particular word to describe our outlook on life: ‘’nuchter’’....

We just took over a farm, and the previous owner planted about 150 tomato plants. You might think that’s a crazy amount, and yes, it absolutely is. But here’s the thing: we also run a micro-bakery and head to the market every week to sell our bread. And what goes perfectly with fresh bread? Tomatoes! Unfortunately, this summer’s weather has been all over the place, and a lot of our tomatoes have split....

Hi it’s Samantha with Planter! Welcome to my second journal entry. I’m talking about how my summer in my Pacific Northwest garden has been going. Our spring seemed a little drier, and parts of it were definitely hotter. So some of my cool-weather crops, like lettuce, didn’t do the best. In the beginning, I had nice and steady growth of my lettuce and peas. Then we got a random heat wave in May, and it caused some problems like bolting and wilting....

Growing a veggie garden is fun and rewarding, but there are some times when it can feel like work. From prepping beds to planting, watering, weeding and fertilizing- there’s always a chore to tackle. If you’re looking to minimize your gardening effort out but still get some awesome harvests- we’ve got you covered! Read on for our top picks for low-maintenance plants: Kale Kale is truly an incredible plant. Not only is it astoundingly cold-hardy, once established it can grow through almost anything you can throw at it....

One of my favorite things about summer is enjoying fresh salsa from the garden. It’s sweet, spicy, and best of all…fresh, so it tastes better than store-bought salsa and lasts longer in the fridge (if I don’t eat it first!). This year, I wanted to maximize my chances of successfully harvesting every major component to make fresh salsa, so I dedicated a good portion of my veggie plot as a “salsa garden”....

Harvesting fresh veggies is the ultimate reward for all the time and care we invest in our gardens! When harvest time finally arrives it’s easy to just get out there and start picking, but there is a bit of technique involved to harvest properly. You’ll want to make sure to harvest vegetables at their peak, while also helping the plants stay healthy and productive. How to harvest, and when to harvest, will vary for different crops:...

The taste of a sun-ripened tomato fresh from the garden can’t be beat. But tomato plants need a little extra support to perform at their best. Many types of tomatoes benefit from trellising- adding structural support to help them grow upright instead of sprawling out. Why trellis tomatoes? Trellising tomato plants helps to: Keep the foliage up off the ground which, along with pruning, helps prevent soil-borne diseases Increase airflow around the plant, which also helps reduce the spread of disease Maximize garden space, as the plants can be grown closer together than if they were allowed to grow wild Provide extra support for plants that are heavily fruit-laden, so they don’t flop over or end up with broken branches While you can let your tomato plants grow au naturel, for many tomato varieties trellising is important for healthy plants and abundant harvests....