By Vanessa Richins

Carbon nanotubes are usually discussed in the physical sciences.

However, a new study focused on whether carbon nanotubes could be used as a fertilizer for tomato plants.

As A Carbon Nanotube Page explains, “Carbon nanotubes are molecular-scale tubes of graphitic carbon with outstanding properties. They are among the stiffest and strongest fibres known, and have remarkable electronic properties and many other unique characteristics.”

The researchers began by planting Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

I love when tomatoes are used as a symbol of something good.

In London, England, a new private hire car service has opened shop - The Green Tomato Cars.

They offer an environmentally friendly alternative to a standard taxi ride.

Every car in their company is a Hybrid Toyota Prius. That doesn’t mean it will be more expensive though - they say it costs about the same as a regular taxi.

The car does have some emissions still, so, as Clean Technica explains “The Green Tomato Cars participates in double funding offsetting projects in order to Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

When you think of hurricanes, you think of destruction.

That was true when Hurricane Ike landed in Galveston, Texas in September 2008.

Many of the island’s plants were uprooted and destroyed in the wake of the storm.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, 40,000 trees alone died in the chaos.

However, Galveston citizens received a nice surprise this spring when all sorts of plants started popping up. The storm had brought hope amidst despair in the form of seeds.

Burke Evans, a local resident, found tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes, periwinkles, papaya trees and elephant ears. Pam Gilbert received petunias, a mulberry tree, and jalapeños.

The Christian Science Monitor recounts that Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

I hope to be like Larry Kimpell when I’m 80 years old.

I already am in some ways, since we both share a love of growing tomatoes.

Like him, I get seed catalogs in the spring and carefully study all of the varieties, trying to decide which ones I want to grow.

I learned how to garden and cook when I was growing up, as did he.

We both want to help our friends and neighbors eat better. I’m working on starting a community garden, and he helps provide fresh vegetables for the residents of the nursing home he calls home.

The Albert Lea, MN resident is still growing over 100 tomato plants yearly, as part of St. John’s Lutheran Home’s gardening program. He’s lived there for the past 6.5 years, zipping around the garden in Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

I found out today that October is National Tomato Month, as well as National Sun Dried Tomato Month (Unless you’re in Florida - April is National Florida Tomato Month).

I wonder how these National Months get started.

After all, October isn’t what I would choose to represent tomato-dom.

In most places, the harvest is over and the air is getting cold. I would nominate June, July or August as more likely months. That’s when tomato season is in full swing and you can celebrate every day with a fresh tomato right out of the garden.

In any case, it’s October - how do you plan to celebrate?

On another national note, there are Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Many people are looking for natural ways that they can boost the production and nutrition of their plants.

In Finland, scientists have been studying the effects of using human urine on tomato plants.

Before you worry too much right off the bat about the possibility of diseases, I learned years ago in my microbiology studies that urine itself is naturally sterile, and no microorganisms are usually growing there unless fecal matter has been introduced.

Another benefit is that urine comes complete with the ingredients that are the basis of your standard fertilizers - N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphorus) and K (Potassium).

When they tested three different groups - a control with no fertilizer, one with standard fertilizer, and one with a mixture of urine and wood ash - they found that both methods of fertilizing made the plants produce 4.2 times as well as the tomatoes grown with no fertilizer.

As Popular Science explains, Read the rest of this entry »