By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

My gardening experience started with my great-grandmother.

She would take me out to her garden and tell me the stories associated with each plant.

A certain flower that came in shades of violet was from Virginia.

A certain rosebush was given to her on her 50th birthday and the Johnny Jump-Ups started growing in her yard from her planters on the porch.

Through the history of Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Gardening in the good old days was simple.

Gather the plants together that you want to domesticate and plant.

Hope for the best and wait for the results.

This approach worked some years and other years were a way of controlling the population.

Then, man made some connection that aided with the process of domestication. Animal and/or human fertilizer made plants grow better.

Staking plants up helped save more produce and removing plants that just did not look right seemed to save crops. But through this process we, as a modern society, decided that this was not enough. So the birth of Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Many things can be learned through observing nature and what goes on in the tomato garden is just as interesting.

While nature is filled with a variety of plants and animals the tomato garden can be a monoculture nightmare on the surface but what goes on behind the scenes is a wonder.

Many people walk through their tomato garden and panic when the first insect is spotted.

They assume that the invasion will be biblical in proportion and will completely destroy the crop within five minutes. But tomatoes are different and with a few precautions and general garden maintenance problems can be stopped in their tracks.

The first step to reducing pest and disease problems in the tomato garden is to Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

This summer has been a unique one for any tomato gardener.

The cool and wet spring, dry summer temperatures and lack of rain along with insect infestations has been the norm it seems for the 2010 tomato season.

And the list does not stop there but for my dad the tomato season blues seemed to be never-ending.

First, as a seasoned tomato gardener, my dad decided to plant his tomatoes in planters. Two of these planters were near the house while the third was in the middle of the backyard. He staked his tomatoes in this third container and wrapped fishing line around the tomatoes to deter the deer.

But within a week Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Being brought up in the country I have a different viewpoint on deer damaging my garden especially my tomatoes.

My parents and I relished the times that the deer roamed freely across the yard.

And while we did loose vegetables and fruits to those beautiful deer it was a minor price to pay.

Some of my Dad’s neighbors shot the deer because they were eating into their farm profits and the law said they could do it without any repercussions but for my family the cost of loosing 1 deer over a few tomatoes was not worth it.

But as we as a society move farther into the country the encounters with deer increases. Some again will shoot the deer only to end up with a dead deer and missing produce. Some will try dogs, bullhorns Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

When I went into work today, my friend greeted me with the question:

“Why are my tomato plant’s leaves yellow?”

If only there was a simple answer to this. There are many different factors that can cause tomato plants to develop yellow leaves.

Here are some of the most common reasons:

• Under-watering: When plants don’t get enough water, they start to wilt and lose color. Under-watered plants are also more prone to attack from diseases and pests.

• Over-watering: On the flip side, Read the rest of this entry »