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When is the Right Time to Harvest Winter Squash?

Friday, October 30th, 2009

If you’re still wondering when to harvest those winter squash and pumpkins, you’re not alone.

Butternut Ripening on the Vine in October

Butternut Ripening on the Vine in October

Our Gardenhelp.org readers have written in more than once to ask when to harvest their squash and pumpkins. (If you are reading this posting on any website than gardenhelp.org or said networked blog, know that this content has been stolen without permission. Please redirect to gardenhelp.org here.)

Most of winter squash are off the vine and stored in my root cellar by now, but my butternut is still struggling with one last fruit, so my vine is still going on the day before Halloween. It’s going to be a small squash, but every edible is worth the wait!

Read more on winter squash harvesting here (and sneak a peek at the Peanuts gang celebrating the return of their favorite pumpkin as well):

(more…)

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Posted in Edible Gardens, Food, right plant right place, vegetable gardening, vegetable starts | 3 Comments »

Buy a Living Christmas Tree in Seattle for Salmon

Saturday, December 6th, 2008

Yesterday, I visited Swanson’s Nursery with my husband. We had dropped by the Christmas tree lot where we have bought trees in the past, but we held off on making a purchase. This lot offers trees at $5/a foot less before 1pm than later in the day; I had thought it was before 4pm. Given we’re looking at a 7+’ tree, that’s a pretty significant costs difference, especially in light of the current economic downturn that is blamed for my husband’s layoff earlier this week. Sigh…that’s a different story altogether.

Anyway…back to the point…

Since we could get our tree for much less by waiting a day, we decided to visit nearby Swanson’s Nursery for a little holiday cheer. They bring in Reindeer, decorate beautifully and it’s just a beautiful location to visit during the holidays whether you’re buying or not. While we were there, we decided to price their Christmas trees. Honestly, they’re more expensive than our discount lot, but the trees are spectacular.

As well, they have a beautiful selection of living trees, and they’ve partnered with nearby Carkeek park in a Trees for Salmon program. If you purchase one of their select living trees, it will be donated to Carkeek park after the holidays. You can return the tree to Swanson’s after the holidays, and they will arrange for it to be planted at Carkeek where salmon run through the park seasonally and native plantings thrive.

Unfortunately, I can’t afford the steep price for one of these this year, but maybe you can. Sure, I know, look at the longterm environmental cost and realize $125+ isn’t terribly steep, right? Well, this week taught me how quickly my pricing perspective can change. Deciding whether any tree is possible is the new question that we needed to answer first. Heck, I just now decided to buy an even smaller tree to place on a small table. That’ll save us another 2′ of tree cost!

One part of the Swansons-Carkeek program that I can afford is the purchase of a $5.00 “Sammy” medallion. This $5.00 purchase becomes the donation of a native plant to the Salmon stream restoration at Carkeek. Plus, the little medallion can be a holiday gift or a tree decoration. It’s not a fantastically beautiful ornament, but the plant that restores the stream that rebuilds the environment sure will be lovely!

For more information on Living Christmas trees and the Sammy Medallions:

And, if you’re outside Seattle looking for a Living Tree program:

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Posted in right plant right place, trees | 3 Comments »

Plants as Architecture – A Euclidian Approach to the Garden

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I visited the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The center is located on a prime set of mountaintop ridges overlooking the Pacific ocean and the western LA basin. It is an architectural masterpiece housing a wide array of permanent and rotating art displays. As well, the buildings are surrounded and complimented with several distinct gardens and water features.

Stormy View of the Pacific

Stormy View of the Pacific

After touring through the grounds with my family to view some of the rotating art displays and then enjoying a fantastic lunch while watching the sun break through rainclouds over the Pacific, I joined an afternoon garden tour. I was curious about some of the plants I didn’t recognize and about the garden care program.

As regular readers know, I’m proponent of pruning plants to enhance form and health. This means I avoid topping trees. Modern arboriculturists such as Alex Shigo have demonstrated that topping trees is not a healthy way to maintain them. I subscribe to the non-topping methodology mainly for this reason. However, honestly I tend to prefer natural forms rather than contrived ones. Call me fractal.

This doesn’t mean I don’t use plants to reinforce architectural forms in my garden designs. Many plants take strong vertical shapes, for instance, naturally. Using these can easily reinforce building lines without constraining a plant and indenturing the maintenance crews to ridiculous care programs. However, at the Getty Center I was faced with otherwise spectacular trees that had been topped, sheared and hacked into forms that pleased the architect’s eye.

Young Mexican Cypress in a Line

Young Mexican Cypress in a Line

Here’s what I learned from the tour guide (to whom I probably owe an apology for my inability to keep my mouth shut when confronted with what I perceive to be pruning outrages.):

  • White blooming Crepe Myrtles were planted in a straight line along the ridge where two mountain ridges meet. This was to reinforce the lines of the meeting mountains. The trees are “pruned” (aka topped) regularly to create rectangular canopies repeating the architectural building forms around them.
  • London Plane trees were selected by the artist designer (who is not a horticulturist) to line the winding path down to the sunken garden. The idea was to create dappled light along the path. Since the trees got too big to create dappled light by forming large canopies and big leaves, the trees are now topped regularly and leaves are hand-removed daily by maintenance teams to force the artist’s vision.
  • London Plane trees were selected for a “square” outside the restaurant and are pollarded regularly. To keep them small and with a squarish form repeating the patio squares in which they were planted.
  • Mexican Cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) were planted in a line along a waterfeature. They were surprised when this cousin of the bald cypress began losing its leaves and heaving the space around their feet. (And, they mounted lights on the trees and are tipping branches to keep them out of a stairway. I didn’t ask why they aren’t removing the branches to a point of origin.)
  • All of the trees planted on the rooftop gardens are doomed to a lifespan of 30 years max because they will exceed the garden vision and space. This includes every tree I’ve discussed here less the London Plane trees planted along the winding path to the sunken garden.
Square London Plane Trees are Central

Square London Plane Trees are Central

So, what’s your take? Is it appropriate for plants to be used in landscapes this way? I’m certain some of you horticulturists and arborists will agree that plants should not be manipulated this way. But what about the architects and landscape architects out there? Does form rule? Does it matter if we follow the concept of “Right plant: Right Place” in order that our gardens will mature with minimal care from us? If the Getty has an arborist evaluating the trees regularly as my tour guide indicated and the one arborist approves their care program, is it appropriate? If the Getty can afford a crew to pick away a leaf at a time from topped trees to maintain an artist’s vision, is it better to maintain the “wrong”, uncooperative trees this way or spend the dollars on new trees that will require less hands-on work than these?

We have abolished footbinding, and many of my generation are choosing not to circumcise their sons regardless of religion or the practice of generations before them. If we’ve learned that these cutting and constraining practices are unhealthy or unnecessary for our human bodies, when will we come around to the idea that plants just don’t grow as boxes and triangles. Should we just let nature take its course? When will we design gardens that have the long-term plant life in mind rather than just the foreseeable future of our own fleeting lifetimes? Or, does it matter? Do we continue as artists to manipulate plant life and hope that the beauty we envision in our cropping and chopping Euclidian lines and rectangles fits the desires of our art’s beholders?

I look forward to your responses and thoughts on this question. Do you prefer a Euclidian or Mandelbrotian approach to horticultural garden design?

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Posted in Pruning, landscape design, right plant right place | 4 Comments »

How to Install Bamboo Properly

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

I love bamboo. Honestly, it is one of my favorite choices for instant screening in the garden. It is readily available in many shapes and sizes. It will grow in many different soils and exposures. It is evergreen. It creates wildlife habitat (though sometimes the wildlife is a pest, but we’ll get to that later). It rustles in the breeze adding distraction from noise pollution. And, its just plain beautiful.

Contained Bamboo within a Beautiful Planting Bed

Contained Bamboo within a Beautiful Planting Bed

But, let’s face it. This stuff can be invasive. I’ve been invited to consult in gardens where bamboo had no only left the bed it was meant to live in, but it had invaded the root systems of a massive Western Red Cedar, grown over and around every brick in a patio, insinuated itself into a cement house foundation, and busted through the asphalt of a nearby street. Improperly installed and cared for, this stuff can become a nightmare. But, with a little prep work and proper care, bamboo becomes a fantastic addition to the garden.

Here are some tips for installing bamboo. If you do plan to install it in your area I recommend you have a conversation with the nursery owner where you procure your plants. There may be some additional caveots to go along with installing your particular bamboo in your particular location. But, over the years I’ve found taking the following steps should help you keep your bamboo in check:

  • To Clump or to Spread: Determine if your bamboo is a clumper or a spreader and then assume its a spreader no matter what. I’ve had clients insist they put in a clumper because it didn’t need to be barriered only to find out it travelled into their garden anyway. Always plan for the most invasive potential!
  • Don’t Skimp on the barrier: Don’t assume that burying bamboo in a pot in the ground is going to keep it contained. Often bamboo is installed in wooden containers like wine barrels that eventually decompose. Or in plastic tubs submerged in the soil. Know that given the chance bamboo will bust through these flimsy plastics, travel downward several inches to escape through drain holes, and eat away at wooden materials or cracks to be free of any constraints you impose on it.
  • Use Quality Bamboo Barrier Materials:
    White Paint for the Bamboo Area

    White Paint for the Bamboo Area

    Instead of using a pot or flimsy plastics, most quality bamboo suppliers will provide you with rolls of thick plastic sheeting anywhere from 24″ to 36″ deep and as long as you need to line the hole for your bamboo. This material is sold by the linear foot. And you’ll need something to seal it tight.

    • Determine how much barrier you need: I like to paint out the area where I plan to install the bamboo and then measure the area. I usually buy several extra feet to ensure I have plenty of material to overlap or in case I decide to dig my hole just a bit bigger. (Keep in mind that you’ll need the hole to be wide and long enough to get the bamboo into the ground. Less than 2′ wide is generally going to be too tight.)
    • How to seal the barrier:
      Overlapped barrier & bolting system

      Overlapped barrier & bolting system

      Some nurseries will recommend using thick two-sided tape to seal the barrier material. This makes me nervous as I know bamboo will bust through it eventually. Others will supply you with two thin pieces of metal and a matching bolt and screw system designed for this job. As shown in the photo here, the material is overlapped and then the bolting system is installed to tightly complete the barrier loop.

  • How deep do I dig and use the barrier: Depending on the type of bamboo you plan to install, you will want to dig a trench to meet its needs. Again, talk to your bamboo supplier to find out how deep you’ll need to dig and which depth of barrier material to install for your bamboo. (Some bamboos can travel more deeply underground and therefore require a deeper barrier material.
    Tamping the Soil

    Tamping the Soil

    Some bamboos are stronger than others and may require a thicker barrier materials than others.) Once you have your barrier material in hand, you can use it to measure the depth of your bamboo hole or trench. Keep in mind that the top of the barrier material should remain exposed above the soil about 4″ to ensure that the bamboo rhizomes don’t hop over it and escape!

  • Tips on digging your trench: Over the years I’ve found that digging the outer perimeter, which I line with barrier, and leaving the inner soil nearly intact is easier than digging everything out of a long trench. I tamp the middle of the trench hole to help compact it, which may deter the bamboo from travelling downward initially. If it travels outward where it hits the bamboo barrier, it will send up new shoots more rapidly.
  • The barrier I left above ground is ugly: Yes, exposed bamboo barrier is unsightly. But, if you don’t leave it exposed, your bamboo will escape and your efforts will have been wasted. I always leave a nice planting border around a bamboo barrier so I can install evergreen plants to eventually hide the barrier. Since it does take time for plants to mature and completely hide an ugly barrier, I use garden artwork like the willow fence and bamboo fencing shown here. Stone also makes a nice barrier to hide the ugly plastic.
Bamboo installed & Barrier Hidden with Willow Edging

Bamboo installed & Barrier Hidden with Willow Edging

It is critical that you check your bamboo a few times a year, at least, to make sure it hasn’t hopped the border or busted through your barrier. As much as I like to trust my work, I know that being an active participant in my garden’s evolution is critical.

When I’m checking my bamboo, I also keep an eye out for pests. Bamboo mites tend to invade pretty quickly. Bamboo installed in a contained environment is put under stress. Its natural tendency is to travel and grove. The container breaks its natural habit. There are miticides that may be applied, and I’ve heard that compost tea applications can help beat back the mites by increasing the pro-biotic populations. That being said, I have a fairly high tolerance for pests in my bamboo. Why? Well, if the mites come in so do the predatory bees that hunt them and the birds that eat them. I may not get close to the grove when it is buzzing with bees doing their job, but if I leave them be, they leave me be and the bamboo is all the better for it.

Have more questions about bamboo? Please let us know!

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Posted in Bamboo, Gardening, landscape design, right plant right place, training plants | No Comments »

Chopping Down a Specimen, Part III

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Over the weekend my husband walked past the Stewartia I’ve been mourning, and the homeowner was in the garden. He bravely asked why they had cut down the tree. The answer, “It was getting too big.” I’m still a bit suspicious about that answer, but I do recognize that Stewartia get quite large and this tree was planted pretty darn close to the house.  Still…hmmm…

As well, he told my husband that he had tried to get someone to dig the tree out for him, but the tree services he’d spoken to did not think they could remove it by hand. And, they weren’t able to get their tree spades into the tree without damaging the other trees between the street and the tree to be removed. Plus, they were concerned about damaging the retaining wall between the house and the sidewalk during any removal. I’m sad about that answer too.

Arbutus unedo Blooming in November

Arbutus unedo Blooming in November

I’ve dug out and successfully moved some smaller, but established trees by hand in my time. I will readily admit this tree far exceeded any tree I’ve ever removed through hand digging and hauling. However, given the chance, I would have tried. Even if I’d failed and the tree didn’t make it, I’d have only lost an afternoon (or two) with friends trying. Clearly, this “too big” tree was going to be removed one way or the other.

Now I’m curious to see what happens when the five Arbutus unedo they planted 18″ on center start to mature. At least they’re close to the curb and a tree spade might be able to take them out “when they get too big”. Then again, they’re crammed in between two maturing Katsuras, so some poor plant is going to pay when the poorly planned over planted area out grows the space.  I guess a few more specimens will eventually bite the dust — unless this area gets corrected soon, while the Arbutus are still young.

More on moving big trees and chopping down this specimen here:

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Posted in right plant right place, transplanting, trees | 2 Comments »

Chopping Down a Specimen, Part II

Friday, November 14th, 2008
A destroyed tree and pile of sticks

A destroyed tree and pile of sticks

Earlier this week I was devastated when I discovered a neighbor had hacked up one of my favorite trees. Many of you may have already read my post on the discovery  that put me out of sorts for days. I did try to take the high road in that post and offer some options that could have been taken rather than what happened which was to convert this previously fantastic tree into an ugly set of stumpy, topped branches. But, really, at heart I was sad and mad. The butchered tree is on my regular dog walking route, which I almost completely altered to avoid seeing the remains of the tree I so loved for years. But, I didn’t. I made myself walk past it everyday this week, and each day it got a little easier, but the sight of the tree still makes me sad. Call me sentimental; call me a tree hugger. I guess that’s just who I am. Today I took my camera along, so I could share a photo of what I’ve walked past all week. Pretty sad isn’t it? I can only hope they plan to remove the rest of the tree rather than see what kind of monstrosity tries to awaken from this horrendous pruning job.
A Lovely Stewartia Before the Hack Job Began

A Lovely Stewartia Before the Hack Job Began

In the past I used to offer free advice to my neighbors as I saw them doing strange things in the garden that was clearly because they didn’t know better and just needed a little help. It didn’t take me long to learn that most of these people don’t want my helpful advice and it just gets me in trouble. That being said, there are a few out there who have been thankful for my help. I can think of one poorly staked Gingko that was freed from its bonds and set forth to grow quite happily after I made a suggestion to its caretaker who was looking very confused about it one day as I walked by. Still, do I leave a note for these folks suggesting options for them in the future? Or do I keep my mouth shut and just pray they don’t go after their specimen Katsura the way they did this previously lovely Stewartia? If you’ve got the answer, pray tell!

I suppose that on the bright side, this homeowner is now the proud owner of many iterations of this year’s hall of fame toy, the stick. But, really, it’s not that bright at all.

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Posted in right plant right place, trees | 2 Comments »

Options to Chopping Down a Big Tree

Monday, November 10th, 2008
A Lovely Stewartia Before the Hack Job Began

A Lovely Stewartia Before the Hack Job Began

Today my heart hurts for the death of a beautiful specimen tree I’ve enjoyed daily for the past 10 years. One of my neighbors was blessed with one of the most beautiful Stewartias I’ve seen. It had fantastic orange, peeling bark to enjoy in the drab days of winter. It bloomed later in spring than most other blooming trees offering bright white blossoms amid its sweet green leaves. And, it was branched low to the ground with fantastic form. True, it was planted closer to a foundation than I would have liked, but over the years it had been pruned with loving care to keep it away from the house and allow it to develop beautifully.

Today it was hacked into stumps. And, I’m about ready to cry about it. This tree was a fantastic specimen, and now it has been decimated. I didn’t have a camera, so I don’t have a picture of the hack job. I don’t think my soul can handle going back to take one right now — maybe later.

Instead, I offer this help for anyone wondering what to do about a tree that they no longer want or that has fallen to the ground or that needs to be removed. There are options to hacking them up or making them into firewood.

Two companies in the greater Seattle area will rescue and remove (and sometimes purchase from you) specimen trees. Not only does someone do the removal work for you, but you might just make some money on it. And, you get the added joy of knowing the tree is going to LIVE! Try contacting them before you get out the saw and start cutting:

If you have a smaller tree or shrub that you no longer want, try offering it for free to someone else (or even charge for it):

And, if you have a big tree that’s fallen, broken or about to do so, there are companies that will buy the lumber:

If you’re outside the greater Seattle area and know of tree recycling programs in your area, I invite you to share them here. If you need help deciding what to do about a tree on your property, I invite you to ask here before you head out with your saw. We might just have some ideas that will save your tree’s life and possibly help your bank account at the same time.

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Posted in moving plants, right plant right place, trees | 5 Comments »

Hummingbirds and Water Features

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Hummingbird perched on waterfeature

Hummingbird perched on waterfeature

Throughout the year I’m blessed with hummingbirds in my garden. In the winter they feast on Garrya elliptica, Flowering Winter Currant and Witch Hazel. In fall they sip at Monkshood, Hardy Fuchsia and Pineapple Sage. In spring they snap up aphids and sip nectar from a smorgasborg of annuals and perennials. And in summer the bountiful feast includes Hot Lips Salvia, Penstemon, Bee Balm, Cleome and much more. Plus, in the height of summer these marvelous creatures visit my garden to sip from and bathe in the flowing water in my waterfeature’s bamboo spigot.

Hummingbird hovering over Waterfeature

Hummingbird hovering over Waterfeature

Anyone familiar with hummingbirds knows they’ll hover and toy with you, appearing whenever you are without a camera in the garden. They’ll watch you, buzz you and chirp away if they are accustomed to sharing the garden with you. If they aren’t accustomed to you, they may buzz and dive at you in a not-so-nice “get out of my territory” way.

Hummingbird washing in stream

Hummingbird washing in stream

Over the last several weeks my resident hummingbird has been in the garden feeding away. He seems to visit mostly in the morning and just before dusk, or maybe that’s just when I tend to see him out there. And, during several mornings I have found him sipping at the bamboo spigot. He is very accustomed to sharing the garden with me, and I swear we talk to each other. He chirps. I say, “good morning beautiful.” Today as he took his morning bath, he posed for the camera. Usually, he’s quite shy, but as you can see, he wasn’t this morning.

So, to those who would like us to believe that “…these water features serve no functional or practical purpose, their water use is not considered efficient.” (section 4.1.4). I propose they are functional and practical in ways beyond human purpose.

If you would like to comment back to the EPA on their suggestion in the Watersense program draft that waterfeatures are functionless and impractical, the comment period has been extended once again to September 4, 2008.

If you’re interested in building your own small water feature, check out a couple of installation diaries:

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Posted in birds, hummingbirds, right plant right place, water feature | 1 Comment »

Annual Veggie Gardening Whoops-Awards

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

A mistake many gardeners make is planting too close or putting tall plants in front of short plants. Its easy to get confused when you purchase plants that are all about the same size. If you don’t realize that plant A will eventually exceed plant B’s size, you might just put the big one in front of the small one. I see this happen quite often. Heck! I’ve even done it — this year by accident in my vegetable garden.

So, two mistakes I made this year:

Can you See the Tiny Tomato Below the Mass of Pineapple Sage?

Can you See the Tiny Tomato Below the Mass of Pineapple Sage?

Pineapple Sage Shadowing Tomatoes: In past years my Pineapple Sage hasn’t made it through the winter. I love it, so each year I put a new one in as an annual. It brings in the hummingbirds, and I adore the scent. This year it came up again, right in the middle of my tomato bed, blocking sun to a couple of tomato plants. Oops — wrong plant, wrong place. What to do? I’m going to thin the sage significantly for the growing season, and if I see it sprout up again next year, I’ll move it to a better garden location as my tomatoes tend to do their best in this bed.

Bush Beans Turned Pole Beans in Front of Bed - Oops!

Bush Beans Turned Pole Beans in Front of Bed - Oops!

Pole beans in the front of a bed: Usually I grow bush beans. I love pole beans and find their flavor usually exceeds the bush beans, but because of the shape of my beds, bush beans make a great small edging below lettuce/chard/beets that make a row just below tomatoes. Unfortunately some of the bush beans I put in this year decided that they’d like to climb. My dilemma is do I pull the beans or train them on poles? By training them up from their current location, they will likely shade my tomatoes from the western end-of-day sun, but so does the Acer triflorum on the other side of the patio, though its shading adds dappled light, not complete blockage. After consideirng the problem, I decided to train them and see what happens. Hopefully the tomatoes will get enough sun earlier in the day that this western blockage won’t cause them too much trouble! Plus, I have other tomatoes growing in the green house and on the East patio, so all will not be lost, regardless!

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Posted in Edible Gardens, Uncategorized, herbs, right plant right place, vegetable gardening | 1 Comment »

Can I Eat Tomatoes Sprayed with Bonide Rot Stop?

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

J. Laframboise (what a great name!) writes in from Rhode Island to ask:

“We have tomato blossom end rot and I would like to know if it is safe to eat the tomatoes not affected even though they’ve been sprayed with Bonide rot stop”

I’ll start by saying that this isn’t a problem I end up dealing with very often. Ironically, I tend to find it is a problem here in Seattle when we get a lot of late season rain (after our seasonal summer drought) before the fruiting is finished or when I water at night or when I neglect watering and the plants dry out and then get a heavy dose of water. Basically, it seems to happen when the plants are stressed unnecessarily.  I mulch regularly and have built some great soil that my plants seem to love. If anything I’m low in Nitrogen, which if used heavily on tomatoes, can lead to rot issues.

I’ve done some additional reading on this problem, and found that the problem comes from a calcium deficiency. (Another reader wrote in on this & I accidentally deleted his post. I hope he writes in again, so I can share his knowledge with you.) Now, keep in mind that calcium deficiency can be the result of planting in soils where calcium is lacking or where it is difficult for the plants to take up.  As well, applying calcium, perhaps as bone meal, to the tomatoes can also help them with this problem.

Additonally, reducing your cultivation around the roots of your tomatoes is also a good idea. The feeder roots are tender and easily damaged.

Now, I know that’s a lot of information that doesn’t really answer the question about the safety of plants that have already been sprayed with Bonide Rot Stop, but I feel obligated to discuss the problem and optional solutions for the future. But, here are some thoughts on the existing problem.

I don’t use this product myself, so I went to the Bonide Corporation Website to read up on their “Rot Stop Tomato Blossom End Rot” product. It is a product that is designed to be applied to the fruit, so it sounds like you’re good there. It is a product designed to manage the problem that you have, and it does help correct Calcium deficiencies.

I read the label  and discovered that it is 9.2% Calcium from Calcium chloride. It doesn’t tell me how they create the calcium chloride, so I don’t know how sustainable it is to produce. Since this product is a spray, it makes sense that they would use this form of calcium, which is highly soluable.  I tried to do some reading on the MSDS, but the website link is broken.

So, is it safe to eat the fruit? Well, Bonide sells this product throughout the U.S. No states have banned it. What we know of the product seems relatively safe. We don’t know what the “inert ingredients” are, so no ideas on that.

So, can you eat the tomatoes that have been sprayed? Seems okay. Now, I can’t promise that some study someday won’t prove otherwise, but if you trust the chemical company who makes the product you used and you trust the regulatory companies that determine safety, then you should be good to go. 

If you’re concerned you did the wrong thing this time, maybe try applying some other calcium sources next time. I like to use egg shells in the garden around seedlings to keep slugs out. The added benefit is that they add calcium to the soil. Oyster and other shell products will do the same; they release slowly though, so keep that in mind.  And, as I mentioned earlier, bone meal is another great way to go.

Thanks for writing in & good luck (and good eating). For more on growing tomatoes, look here.

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Posted in Gardening, Horticulture, IPM, right plant right place, vegetable gardening | No Comments »

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