By Vanessa Richins

Recently we learned about the friends of tomatoes.

This time we turn attention to the foes - these are the plants that you don’t want to grow anywhere near your tomatoes.

Corn: Corn and tomatoes have an enemy in common. Whether you know it as the tomato fruitworm or the corn earworm, it’s bad, bad news. These 1.5-2″ monsters chew their way through your tomatoes, corn, and a host of other plants.

Dill: It’s strange….when dill is young, it actually enhances tomato growth and health. Once it is mature, however, the opposite is true and it will stunt tomato growth.

Potatoes: Remember how there was a Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

In a minute I’m going to rant about fertilizing your tomato plants, but first I need to cover something that is a little more important.

This topic was supposed to be saved for another couple of weeks, but when I read the news today, I felt that I should go ahead and write it now.

A popular brand of fertilizer products has been recalled and you need to know about it as soon as possible.

The products are all made by the Scotts company, and the specific items that are recalled are: Read the rest of this entry »

By Kira Hamman

If you’re anything like me, you started just a few too many tomato seeds.

They’re so little, really, and it always seems like an extra flat or two is no big deal.

I somehow manage to ignore the little voice reminding me that an extra flat or two when I sow the seeds translates to, oh, about an extra 300 square feet of garden space and at least that many extra pounds of actual tomatoes.

Then it gets to be the end of April and the plants (now in 4-inch pots) are covering every horizontal surface in my home. My kids have nowhere to do their projects. Or brush their teeth. Or sleep. My husband says it’s him or the tomatoes.

Happily, the same principle of three Rs that every self-respecting environmentalist has memorized applies here, too. Read the rest of this entry »

In a society that seems bent on overmedicating every problem we have as humans (don’t get me started on that one), it should come as no surprise that we tend to overuse poisons to get rid of common pests in our tomato gardens as well.

I am one of those oddballs who would rather do things the way Laura Ingalls did them than the way mass production tomato farmers think is right.

That’s one of the things that initially drew me to organic gardening in the first place – second only to the health benefits of a pesticide-free organic garden home for my tomatoes.

I haven’t sprayed the first poison on one of my plants in years. Of course I also believe that I am to expect a certain – and hopefully small - percentage of loss of my tomato plants each year due to pests and diseases.

Natural Pest Control Tips
The most important things to remember Read the rest of this entry »

By Kira Hamman

Unfortunately for tomato-worshipping parents, this is not necessarily true.

What kids love is (a) dirt, especially when combined with (b) water. Also (c) tools of any kind, particularly those used in (d) digging. Certain kids love (e) worms and (f) bugs.

And all kids tend to have a pride approaching zealotry in anything they produce themselves.

The combination of these factors makes them highly enthusiastic gardeners, and what they lack in skill they more than make up for in sheer joy.

So – get your kids growing tomatoes!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Let kids grow cherry tomatoes, which surely must have been made for them. Even kids who refuse to eat a slice of tomato on a dinner plate will love popping Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Companion planting is the art of placing certain plants next to others.

These combinations offer benefits to one or both plants.

One such pairing is the herb Borage with our lovely tomatoes. Borage is an annual, edible herb with lovely blue star-shaped flowers. The leaves can be used in salads. It improves tomato plant health and even makes them taste better. Borage also repels the tomato hornworm, the bane of many a tomato grower.

Another pairing is Read the rest of this entry »