Bob’s Blog
Sowing the Seeds of Summer
As the days lengthen and the sun warms the earth, gardeners everywhere eagerly anticipate the joys of summer planting.
Pruning and Suckering Tomato Plants: A Guide to Maximizing Yield and Plant Health
To ensure a bountiful harvest and promote healthy growth, it is crucial to understand two essential techniques: pruning and suckering.
Wet Summer Disease on Tomatoes
Earlier this week, I received some troubling photos from Cynthia, one of our readers. The photos featured tomato leaves that were yellowing, wilting, and spotted.
Mini Maters
This year I went a little crazy with tomatoes. I have close to fifty plants in my garden. I had hoped for a bumper crop that I could freeze and can for future use, but this hasn’t been the best growing season. My tomatoes are ripening at a smaller size than typically expected and ripening more slowly at that. Also, some of them are developing splits in the skin are this last round of much needed rain.
Preventing Blossom End Rot
Blossom-end rot is a serious disorder of tomato, pepper, and eggplant. Growers often are distressed to notice that a dry sunken decay has developed on the blossom end (opposite the stem) of many fruit, especially the first fruit of the season. This nonparasitic disorder can be very damaging, with losses of 50% or more in some years.
The Florida Weave
The Florida Weave. Is it the latest dance craze sweeping Miami? Umm no. It is a surprisingly simple way to tie up tomatoes.