Guard Soakers

Tips To Grow Your Best Tomatoes

Tending a garden is a favorite hobby for many people, not only for the relaxation, but for the tasty harvest in due season. Tomatoes are a versatile plant with many varieties to sample and are one of the easiest garden treats to grow. Whether you opt for starting your plants from scratch with the seedlings or buying your plants in a semi mature stage, tomato gardens don't ask for much: just a little sunlight, water and TLC. And to help you get started and give your plants a boost, try these 10 easy tips to help your garden thrive.

1. To increase your garden results, choose locally approved varieties of tomatoes that contain VFN on the package. This variety helps to protect your vines from major plant diseases and nematodes.

2. Plant your tomatoes in the sunlight and avoid fully or partially shaded areas. Outdoor lighting is the best, however, indoor plants do well will special horticultural lighting systems installed over head, directly striking the plants.

3. Use stakes or caging to keep your tomatoes off the ground. In addition, tomatoes planted in windy climates may need to have a windbreak shield to guard them from high speed gusts. If you are using a cage, attach the windbreak to keep the container in an upright postion.

4. Keep your tomato plants well hydrated, especially in hot water. Every tomato could use a good soaking on a regular basis. Home kits for drip irrigation are easy to install or choose a soaker hose for a deep hydration of the soil. And if you choose not to invest in automation, the good old garden hose will do.

5. Add fertilizer or compost to keep your soil moist for maximum water intake to the plant. However, if you have just transplanted your tomatoes, give them two weeks to settle in before adding a mulch.

6. Estimate your garden space and choose between the determinate and indeterminate tomato vines. The former grows to a fixed length and works well with smaller spaces, and the latter will continue to spread beyond the boundaries you have set for your garden.

7. When planting seedlings, be sure to leave ample room for the tomatoes to grow. Cramped quarters will cause some of the vines to choke and block the mandatory sunlight for others to thrive.

8. Prune the under lying leaves away, especially the discolored ones that are showing signs of disease. Infections will spread quickly and can destroy the bulk of your harvest. In addition, to protect the healthy vine, its best to use clippers rather than plucking the dead leaves.

9. When transplanting a tomato, be sure to submerge the plant three quarters into the ground. The depth will allow the plant to adapt quickly to its new environment and sprout its new roots.

10. Plant your tomatoes after the last cold snap of the year. Frost can do great damage to any young plant, and the tomatoes are highly susceptible. If your tomatoes were planted in the spring, you should be able to harvest from the same vines for the entire season.

About the Author

Joe Cline writes articles for Austin Texas real estate. Other articles written by the author related to Austin real estate and Round Rock real estate can be found on the net.

Challenges of Ocean Front Landscaping

Planting and maintaining a garden near a large body of salt water can be quite different from your average inland garden.

If your plants are yellowing, burnt, or hard to establish, chances are they aren't the best choices for your seaside growing conditions. You may have to make some adjustments to your garden or re-think the type of plants that will grow successfully.

The five main challenges that confront oceanfront gardeners are:

1. Damage from strong winds
2. Drought
3. High salt levels in the soil
4. Sandy soil
5. Contributing to ocean pollution

Dealing With These Challenges:

Wind and Salt Spray - Plant a natural wind guard using a combination of trees and smaller shrubs in a front row. Do your research – you don't want trees that will grow large enough to block your view.

A man-made trellis may be required to supplement your natural wind break. Solid fences or brick walls work well, but may also block your view.

Ocean or Seaside Drought - Combat this problem with a thick layer of organic compost and use plants that do not require constant watering.

Salty & Sandy Soil - Salt is the most common cause of severe leaf burn and shedding leaves. It also affects the plant's ability to thrive. Choose plants that thrive in salty soils and use wind blocks to prevent the passage of salt into the soil. (See list below)

Mixing in plenty of organic compost with the soil will help improve the quality and add much needed nutrients.

Using Green Practices to Reduce Pollution - Often times the run off from ocean front gardens contributes heavily to ocean pollution. This includes waste from the yard, fertilizer, and other chemicals that seep into storm drains. In an effort to improve the quality of our gardens, these pollutants can poison fish and contaminate ground and ocean water.

Ways to alleviate this problem include:

Cover piles of organic waste, or other materials with tarps to prevent run off during rain and storms.
Do all your excavating during dry weather conditions.
Make small dams or ditches to divert runoff from storm drains.
Prevent erosion on your property by planting native plants and grasses to bind the soil.
Don't overwater. Instead employ the use of drip irrigation or soaker hoses.
Do not blow or rake leaves into storm drains or on the street.
Use organic or non-toxic fertilizers.
Store chemicals in a covered area to prevent run off.

Plants that grow well in salty, sandy soil, and don't cower from high winds include:

Trees

Acacia longifolia var. sophorae (Coast Wattle), Agonis flexuosa (Willow Myrtle), Allocasuarina littoralis (Drooping She Oak), Arbutus unedo (Irish Strawberry Tree), Callitris columellaris (Coast Cypress Pine), Cocos nucifera (Coconut Palm), Eucalyptus ficifolia (Red Flowering Gum), Olea europea (Olive), and Phoenix canariensis (Date Palm).

Shrubs

Banksia ericifolia (Heath Banksia), Brachysema lanceolata (Swan River Pea), Dodonea viscosa (Hop Bush), Leptospermum laevigatum (Coast Tea Tree), Murraya exotica (Mock Orange), Nerium oleander (Oleander), and Westringia fruticosa (Coastal Rosemary).

Groundcovers

Alyssum maritimum (Sweet Alice), Cerastium tomentosum (Snow in Summer), Osteospermum cultivars (African Daisy), and Mesembryanthemum sp. (Pigface).

Beach wormwood (Artemisia stelleriana, Z3-7)

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa, Z4-9)

Catmints (Nepeta spp. and cvs., Z4-8)

Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum, Z6-10)

Salt spray rose (Rosa rugosa, Z2-9)

Sea lavender (Limonium latifolium, Z4-9)

Summersweet (Clethera alnifolia, Z3-9)

Wand flower (Gaura lindheimeri, Z6-9)

About the Author

Visit PreviewNaples.com for all the tools and information you need to navigate the Naples real estate and greater Southwest Florida real estate market. You'll find local realty info, including details about Grey Oaks Naples real estate.