May 2013 Newsletter

The Gardening Corner:  Most years it is safe to plant your tomatoes in the garden around Mother’s Day in Northern Utah or zone 6.  If you plant them before that day, or even afterwards and the weather is unusually cool…place Wall-o-water’s around them to protect them.  Remove them when it is consistently warm and the tomato plant is growing out the top.  A hint for using the Wall-o-waters:  I plant the seedling, place a tomato cage around it and then place the wall-o-water around the cage.  That way the wind cannot blow it over and kill your seedling. 

How to plant a tomato plant for the best success:  It is ok and even recommended to plant tomatoes “deep”.  Roots will grow all along the stem length.  If a plant is really crooked it is ok to lay the plant in the hole on its side and have the top pointing up so it looks straight above ground.  Add some great compost or manure to the bottom of the planting hole.

What is the difference between Determinate and Indeterminate tomatoes?  Determinate tomatoes grow to a certain size and stop growing.  Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow all Summer and Fall until killed by frost.  If you want to grow “giant” tomato plants in very tall cages or have them tied to a tall trellis, these are the ones you will want to grow.  Check for this information on the plant tag or seed packet.

Spinach:  If you want to grow your own spinach but have a hard time growing it there is a solution!  Spinach is a cool weather crop and like lettuce once it gets too hot it will bolt and go bitter.  You can grow “New Zealand” spinach by seed. This spinach does well in hotter weather and will not go bitter for quite a while.  I grew a patch of it last Summer and it did too well!  Plant some and wait about 2 weeks before planting a little more to prolong the harvest.

Deals of the Month:    IFA Country Stores is a great source for home canning and food processing equipment.  They have all kinds of canners, cherry pitters, grinders, steamers and strainers as well as canning jars and books. They also carry cast iron camp cookware.

Do you want to make a garden vegetable trellis that will never rot or fall down?  My family has discovered “cattle panel fencing”.  This can be bought at any farm store as well as major hardware stores.  It is made of heavy gauge wire and comes in lengths of 8 feet and longer.  It has large holes in it so one can reach through to pick your vegetables.  Use wire cutters to cut to the desired length and attach to fence posts on each end with wire or zip ties.  This fencing can also be curved as desired and one can even build an arch from one grow box to another for crops such as peas and beans.

Use the Internet for great tutorials for preparedness topics:  You can find a tutorial and many videos on the internet for any preparedness topic you want.  I have recently found videos on canning butter in pint jars and for building your own grow-light stand for plant starts for almost nothing!  I already have projects in mind for next winter.

If anyone has a topic they want to know more about let me know. If you have some great information to share with others via me…let me know that too.