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Gardening can be a productive, positive outdoor activity and part of your outdoor lifestyle. Raising and harvesting your own fruits and vegetables can give you a sense of accomplishment, independence, self worth and pride - much like the feelings that our fellow outdoorsman achieve in productive hunting and fishing. Like fish and wild game, home gardened fruits and veggies are usually of a higher quality than commercially grown market produce. If you've ever tasted a homegrown tomato, especially the old "heirloom" varieties, or eaten an apple fresh from the tree you've undoubtedly tasted the difference.
In my home garden I grow 15 different kinds of fruits and veggies with differing varieties within those individual species. I also currently have six apple trees and 6 other varieties of fruit trees. All are newly planted and should be bearing fruit within a year or two. The garden is enclosed within a 7-½ foot polypropylene black mesh fence to keep out deer and other critters. It is very durable, and easy to put up. I highly recommend it to gardeners that have wild critters about. I grow the produce in 6x6 foot beds (15 beds total) and will be installing a drip system soon. In one bed I grow 5 different varieties of tomatoes that serve my family year round. I start my tomato plants from seed and I order the seeds from Tomato Growers Supply Co. (www.tomatogrowers.com). I highly recommend them to all you tomato seed starters. The fruits are made into salsas and sauces and some are even sold at a local community gardeners market. This year ('05) I plan on planting 4 "heirlooms" varieties. These old-world traditional favorites are prized for their rich tomato flavor. Many master gardeners feel that the "heirlooms" have more and better flavor than the newer hybrid tomatoes. I agree. Some popular heirlooms are "Brandywine" (my favorite tomato), "Mortgage Lifter", "Mr. Stripey", and "Cherokee Purple". Although the heirlooms are increasing in popularity and are showing up in more and more nursery stands the genetically engineered hybrids are still the most commonly found. Hybrid tomato plants are generally heartier, more reliable, and easier to grow than heirlooms. Hybrid fruits are usually fire red in color and are more uniform in size and shape. "Early Girl" is a popular hybrid (my favorite hybrid). It grows fast and produces fruit earlier than most other plants. It produces heavy yields throughout summer and the small 4 to 6 ounce fruits have great flavor. It is a good salad tomato. Other good hybrids include "Celebrity" and "Better Boy". "Lemon Boy" is a good, low-acid yellow hybrid. SOIL
CONDITIONING & PREPARATION Tomatoes, peppers, and melons can suffer from a lack of calcium, exacerbated in prolonged times of extreme heat. The result is a condition known as "blossom end rot" - brown patches that appear, and spread on the fruit ruining it. There are calcium products that can either be mixed into the soil before planting or added when the rot starts happening. The best way to prevent the condition is to have high calcium, nutrient-rich soil to start with. Liberally mix "Gypsum" or powdered lime into the soil before planting or better yet try this out. In my work with wild big game animals I discovered that calcium rich diets were needed for animals to produce large antlers. Animals that inhabited areas of limestone (high calcium) geology have the largest antlers. I ordered a truckload of limestone fill sand from a nearby quarry and tilled it into my home garden. I haven't had a rot problem since. The inexpensive limestone sand not only added the needed calcium, but also changed the color and composition of my heavy red clay soil. Additionally, I add a shovel full of the sand to each planting hole before putting in tomatoes, peppers, and melons to make sure that the calcium is adequate for the long hot summer. If
you don't have access to limestone sand you can order a 10 lb. vacuum-sealed bag
(enough for 2 tomato plants, 4 melons, or 4 pepper plants). Order here or contact
me @ (530) 409-9720. PRICE: $3.00 + $10.00 S+H. DER
ON-LINE Click Here to Order Gardening Supplies/Limestone Sand
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