The theme of the latest issue of the Gardening Secrets Newsletter centered on Homegrown Tomatoes so I thought I’d post a brief summary here of some of the tips for growing tomatoes that were covered in the newsletter:

Charlene left the following comment on a previous Veggie Gardening Tips Blog entry entitled Growing Shallots in which she inquired into curing shallots harvested from the backyard garden: “We live in the deep south part of Louisiana. Our shallots are ready for harvest now. You spoke of drying and curing… could you please elaborate?

Kim, who gardens in sunny Southern California just shared the following strange and puzzling experience that sounds like something right out of the X-Files: “I love your gardening newsletter. I find it very helpful and full of useful information. I have a question about pepper plants.”

The latest issue of the Gardening Secrets Newsletter has been released and is on its way to every gardener on the e-mail list. If you haven’t subscribed yet you can do so at te following link: http://www.mygardeningsecrets.com/optin.html. The focus of this month’s newsletter is a garden favorite; the homegrown tomato.

I started the important hardening off process for my frost sensitive seedlings over a week ago, but I’ve been resisting the urge to transplant those tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, squash, and melons out into the open garden.

My recent trek to the Landis Valley Herb & Garden Faire rewarded me with a half dozen heirloom tomato seedlings to add to the collection of tomato transplants that I grew from seed. The biggest surprise was that many of the heirlooms purchased were varieties that I had never even heard of.

I received an interesting comment yesterday from an avid gardener who responded to my Top 5 Gardening Tips post. She agreed with my gardening tips for the most part, but raised an interesting question regarding the nutritional differences of food produced through organic gardening vs. conventional growing methods.

You love the idea of growing a garden full of vegetables, flowers, fruits, and herbs, but aren’t excited about pulling weeds, applying chemical pesticides, back-breaking digging, plants that don’t grow well, or toiling away under the merciless summer sun. Well here are my Top 5 Gardening Tips that are guaranteed to ease the pains and multiply the enjoyment and satisfaction that you will reap from growing an incredibly attractive and productive garden.