Okay, I’ll admit that this summer was a terrible one for growing tomatoes, and no, I can’t make claims that my garden was immune from the sting of Tomato Blight! But you know what, I still had more than enough homegrown tomatoes to enjoy and share with friends in spite of the widespread disease. This entry is a recap of the past season’s tomato production.

Most of the tomato transplants were started from seed but I did purchase a few seedlings to add to my home grown tomato plants. So I don’t know if the imports were the source of the contamination or if the blight found its way into my plot from neighboring gardens.

Looking Back at the Summer’s Heirloom Tomato Harvest

In total, there were about a dozen heirloom tomato varieties growing in the garden last summer, and they were all trained on a new trellising system designed to handle anything the vines could pile on. The plants looked pretty promising at first, and then slowly declined as signs of tomato blight began to appear and spread.

I allowed the disease to run its course and didn’t make any futile attempts to control or eliminate it. Some plants suffered more than others, but all of them yielded fruit regardless of how sad and pathetic their vines looked.

A number of the tomato plants seemed to rebound slightly as the summer progressed, and others like Matt’s Wild Cherry barely seemed to notice that the blight had come calling. Overall, I’m sure the production was reduced but I was still handing out plenty of tomatoes to grateful coworkers.

Looks can be Deliciously Deceiving with Heirloom Tomatoes

It didn’t take family and friends long to realize that the saying about beauty being skin deep applies quite nicely to heirloom tomatoes. Those very strange looking, dark-colored tomatoes with the rough green shoulders were passed over initially in favor of the normal looking bright red fruits.

But those “ugly” tomatoes that looked like they weren’t even fully ripened quickly became the most sought after of all the varieties that I grew last summer. I’ve always liked the dark heirlooms such as Black Krim and Carbon, but the Amazon Chocolate tomato has just moved towards the top of my personal favorite’s list.

Matt’s Wild Cherry was the small fruited tomato variety that I raised in the garden this summer, it was extremely productive, and stood up well to the tomato blight, but I’m still searching for a cherry tomato variety that compares favorably to Sungold!

Those New “Cage-Free” Tomatoes were a Huge Success

The tomato trellising system was a big success and I’ll definitely be setting it up again next summer. The only improvement that I may toy with is using a slightly lighter gauge wire that is a bit easier to stretch tightly from one end to the other.

If you missed the details about this trellis and the video that I created about its simple set up, you can catch up by visiting the post titled; “New Tomato Trellising and Training System.” If you’re tired of the cages, towers, and other support devices, this trellising system comes highly recommended.

It hasn’t been that long since I picked the last juicy, vine-ripened, heirloom tomato, but I’m already looking forward to next season and making plans to grow an even better crop. I’ll be fine tuning the list of varieties and searching for new tomatoes to trial in the garden.

And hopefully the next time around that tomato blight will be nowhere to be found!

Everything was so going well out in the vegetable garden and I was taking full advantage of the cool weather, abundant rain, a frost free start, and the ideal conditions for growing lush fall vegetable crops.

That is until yesterday evening as I ventured out into the backyard to take some photos. Then I noticed what looked like something had been digging in a couple of places in one of the raised beds, but I thought nothing of it until it finally hit me… “those are DEER TRACKS!”

A Disastrous Discovery in the Fall Vegetable Garden

From that moment everywhere I turned there were obvious signs that what looked like an entire herd of deer had been partying in the garden all night long! So much for my ideal growing conditions; deer have a quick way of ruining all that.

It wasn’t a dream, but I can still hope it was a fluke and that these deer were simply lost, got turned around and decided to check out the garden before returning to their usual feeding grounds. After all I am smack dab in the midst of a residential neighborhood! Continue Reading About “Garden Log 10-28-09 – Oh My Deer!” »

The following message arrived via my Facebook Page from a gardener in Israel who is fervently searching for new edible plants to raise in the veggie garden. The difficulty revolves around a very limited water supply and tough growing conditions that can quickly turn a productive garden into a barren plot.

Here is Trish’s account along with a special request for crop recommendations from any experienced gardeners out there; particularly if you have grown vegetables in an arid climate:

Vegetable Gardening Successes and Challenges in the Mediterranean

As a fledgling veggie gardener, I love your gardening secrets newletters! They’re great and give me a host of information. Our Mediterranean climate is perfect for growing almost everything but I’ve not been able to grow anything for years – a total failure.

Now, with your help, I have tomatoes and eggplants in raised beds and I’m planning asparagus and blackberries although I have to take sun and heat and very limited water into consideration.

Our latest challenge is the newly issued water limitation for every household to 2.5 cubic meters of water per person per month. And that includes showers, toilets, gardens, washing machines – the lot! SO I have to find edible, drought resistant – nay drought loving plants. Now there’s a challenge! Continue Reading About “Raising Succulent Veggies in Harsh Climates” »

The latest issue of the Gardening Secrets Newsletter brings some changes to the landscape as the newsletter is now being offered in a more user friendly HTML format. In spite of the fancy new look, you can still subscribe for FREE! If your email reader doesn’t do HTML don’t worry, a text version of the newsletter will continue to be made available.

The format change didn’t come without a few headaches and challenges, so if you are a subscriber who didn’t receive an issue during September check your spam filter or verify your subscription’s status by visiting the sign up page.

Your Feedback on the Revised Newsletter Format is Welcomed

Please let me know if you have any difficulty viewing the updated newsletter format, or if there is anything that I can do to make improvements. I plan to send the newsletter out on the 20th day of each month and this revised format should help me to meet that goal.

In September’s issue the featured topic explored the many advantages backyard gardeners can reap by including a few perennial vegetables and fruits in their gardens. There are also simple tips to help make raising these plants a breeze, along with a Top Ten Edible Perennials line-up that no garden should grow without. Continue Reading About “A New HTML Look for the Gardening Secrets Newsletter” »

I was impressed with the answers to the little gardening riddle that was posed last time. I was also told that I offered too many clues and that I made things too easy for you to solve… so I’ll have to remember that next time, and yes the answer to the riddle was a Chicken Tractor!

Okay, maybe Chicken Tractors aren’t for everyone or every garden, but even if your local ordinances prohibit keeping one in your backyard, you have to admit that it’s a pretty slick setup all the same!

Who Wants a Coop when a Chicken Tractor is in the Neighborhood

Chickens are the engine that powers this machine and can quickly reclaim an overgrown, weed and bug infested patch of ground and transform it into a cleared and fertilized area, all without the luxury of gasoline powered equipment and without back breaking struggles.

The tractor itself keeps the chickens in and predators out; if things work as planned! There is screening on the top and sides, but the floor is open so the birds have freedom to forage to their heart’s content. Nesting boxes and shade cloth or enclosures provide shelter from the elements as needed.

Following are a few photos taken at the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute during a trip to St. Croix that I made earlier this year. You can see the chicken tractor in action and get a better feel for how it actually works:

Before - look at how thick and overgrown the weeds are before the tractor goes into operation, it’s definitely not a job you would want to take on with just a tiller or a hoe.

During - the chickens are happy and content as they go about the task of foraging greens and weeds, snacking on insects and weed seeds, scratching to loosen up the soil, and depositing chicken poop. Continue Reading About “A Chicken Tractor in Every Backyard Garden” »

What has wings but doesn’t fly? And a set of wheels that never see the road? Its travel is limited to a distance that is measured by the number of feet per week, rather than the miles per hour that it covers!

No gasoline, electricity, or even solar batteries are needed to power this ingenious farm implement; so you could call it the ultimate in sustainability. And in spite of its amazing efficiency, it’s far from a slouch when it comes to performance…

This contraption will make short work of even the thickest tangle of weeds, and can cultivate the garden’s soil at the same time that it applies a layer of nitrogen rich organic fertilizer. Did I forget to mention that it also eliminates bugs, grubs, and the tiniest weed seeds?

If all that isn’t good enough for you, this hands-free device has an auto setting so that it works while you are off tending to other tasks. This baby can even be equipped with an optional attachment that will serve up breakfast if you’d like. So what do you think it could be? Continue Reading About “A Sustainable Riddle from the Organic Farm” »

Two recent articles have focused on the designs and construction of a bean trellis and a tomato tower for the vegetable garden. Today Barb returns to share ideas for putting those trellises to good use, and also shows how to reduce the seed budget without sacrificing variety.

Heirloom beans are a fantastic crop for the backyard gardener, and if you’re a bit cramped for growing space pole beans allow you to go vertical in order to increase your yields even more. So here’s Barb from her small but productive garden in Northern Virginia:

Springing for an Economical Mix of Pole Bean Seeds

Hiya, Kenny! I am going to report on beans today. This is the first year I have dedicated space to pole beans. One was an early producer called “Spanish Music.” The second packet was a mix of three different beans. This is what I want to talk about.

I have never been a fan of buying mixed seeds. Oh, I’ll spring for salad mixes, of course, but really prefer one-per-package. I guess it’s the purist in me. BUT this small packet of three pole beans has turned out to be the best investment made.

Continue Reading About “Pole Beans; a Perfect Fit for Small Gardens” »

“I am from Botswana and have developed interest in mushroom cultivation. So I would like you to help with where I can find the kit in South Africa and at what cost. I would be very happy if you can help me.”

That was the inquiry that I recently received from Samson in South Africa and it got me to thinking about growing mushrooms and the many ways that the task can be accomplished. I’ve posted a video about mushroom log inoculation, and wrote several articles on the subject including; Outdoor Mushroom Growing and Growing Mushrooms Indoors.

Cultivating Mushrooms on Straw in South Africa

But the following account that I received last month from Linus in Namibia demonstrates that the best way to go about growing mushrooms can vary greatly depending on your climate and the local resources…

Hi Kenny! Thank you very much for sharing the little knowledge I have with you. To answer on the comment raised about time of growing mushrooms…

Mushrooms can be grown throughout the year provided it is well maintained outdoors. Here one can use a black plastic sheet that can accumulate more heat and humidity during winter as on the picture attached. Hence, here in Namibia we are experiencing winter this time though it is coming to an end. Continue Reading About “There’s More than One Way to Grow Mushrooms” »