Coleus Seeds - The Rusted Vegetable Garden Blog You might notice my blog is following what I am doing at the moment for 2013. It is seed starting time here in Maryland. It isn't quite time to start this year's Coleus. They grow well indoors and don't like any cold as in under 60 degrees. I collected my Coleus seeds from last year's plants so I am looking forward to free seed. A great way to save money is to start vegetables indoors as I have mentioned a few times. If you don't want vegetables then seed starting flowers will also save you a lot of money. Coleus are expensive to buy at nurseries. They are really easy to start indoors as seen in the pictures. You will have to spend about $10 if you need all the supplies in the pictures. If you already have the materials, you might have to spend $3 for seeds and a portion of soil. You can easily spend $30, $40 or more on Coleus for your annual beds. Once you buy the seed trays and cells, you can re-use them for many years. Coleus transplants are expensive to buy from nurseries. They do great indoors as seed starts.So why not give it a try? I over seed my cells as you can see and then divide the cell plugs into 2 and put them in cups. I pretty much put in about 7-10 seeds per cell and lightly mix them in to a 1/4 inch. They germinate and grow well indoors. That is only one pack of seeds that made 36 plugs. The total cost... maybe $3. You can end up with 72 clumps of plants or more, depending on how you want to divide them up. Cheap! Coleus Seed Start - The Rusted Vegetable Garden Blog Questions? Join My Google+ Community Our Tomato and Vegetable Gardens (300+ Members!) Over 100 HD Garden Videos: Join My YouTube Video Gardening Channel Follow and Organize The Rusted Garden on Pinterest
Introducing our DIY Tomato Trellis Instant Download! Grow healthy and abundant tomatoes in your garden with our DIY Tomato Trellis Plans. Designed to provide sturdy support and maximize vertical space, this trellis will help your tomato plants thrive and produce an impressive harvest. What's included: - 6-page detailed booklet: Our comprehensive guide offers clear step-by-step instructions, accompanied by detailed diagrams and measurements. With our easy-to-follow instructions, you'll be able to build your own tomato trellis confidently. Why choose our DIY Tomato Trellis Plans: 1. Easy to build: Our detailed guide is created with both novice and experienced builders in mind. You don't need advanced woodworking skills to construct this functional and durable tomato trellis. Our step-by-step instructions make the process a breeze. 2. Optimal plant support: Tomatoes can grow tall and heavy, and without proper support, they can flop over and get damaged. Our trellis design ensures that your tomato plants grow upright, keeping the fruits off the ground, reducing the risk of diseases, and making harvesting easier. 3. Vertical space utilization: If you have limited garden space, our tomato trellis is the perfect solution. By training your tomato plants to grow vertically, you can make the most of your available space, allowing you to grow more plants in a compact area. 4. Increased air circulation: Growing tomatoes on a trellis promotes better air circulation around the plants, reducing the risk of fungal diseases and improving overall plant health. Proper air circulation also helps the plants receive adequate sunlight and nutrients for optimal growth. 5. Cost-effective and durable: Building your own tomato trellis is not only cost-effective but also allows you to customize the materials and dimensions to suit your garden's specific needs. Our DIY instant download provides detailed instructions to ensure your trellis is sturdy and built to last for many growing seasons. With our DIY Tomato Trellis Plans, you can enjoy the satisfaction of growing healthy and productive tomato plants in your own backyard. Enhance your gardening experience and harvest an abundance of delicious tomatoes. Get started today with our easy-to-follow guide and take your tomato-growing to new heights!
Tomato pruning mistakes are common but anyone can learn how to prune tomato plants to promote healthy growth and large harvests.
Create an arch trellis for your tomato plant to help them produce a bounty of fruit come harvest time! Your tomatoes will love you.
Control Tomato Blight & Powdery Mildew Organically With Baking Soda VIDEO: EZ Baking Soda Fungicide As Organic gardeners, we seem the get the short end of the stick when it comes to effective disease preventing tools. We seem to be the first to get blight on our tomatoes, and the first to get powdery mildew as well! This not only effects our tomato plants, but our zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, melons, potatoes, and even beans! BUT there is one fool proof method to preventing, and even STOPPING the spread of powdery mildew, and blight. That is by using the power of baking soda. What Does Tomato Blight Look like? What Does Powdery Mildew Look Like? What is Baking Soda? Baking soda is NAHCO3 or Sodium Bicarbonate. Is it natural? The answer is YES. Sodium bicarbonate is found very commonly by hot springs, geysers, and many sulfur rich places. So this does count as an organic supplement for your garden. But the real question is, Does it work? YES. How it works: Baking Soda works by creating an alkaline environment on the leaf,and fungus (powdery mildew and blight are both fungi) cannot colonize the surface of the leaf since they need a neutral pH (around 7.0) to survive and thrive. This spray of water and Baking soda will change the pH of the leaf from around 7.0 to around 8.0, this change is enough to kill, and prevent all blight spores! HOW TO APPLY: Step 1: Mix 3 tablespoons baking soda with 1 gallon of water.This is the baking soda we use: Arm and Hammer Pure Baking Soda.Step 2: Mix in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or cooking oil of your choice. This helps the spray to stick to the leaves.Step 3: Mix in 2 drops of dish soap to help emulsify (mix) everything. I recommend using a gentle dish soap since many have harmful chemicals and are not good for soil life. I get the Planet Ultra Brand and it works just a good to be honest. I used to use palmolive but switched last year once I saw all the harsh chemicals in it.Step 4: Spray on tops and bottoms of leaves till dripping Tip: Begin with 3 tablespoons, and apply that amount one time each week for 3 weeks. Then switch to 3 1/2 Tablespoons if fungus is still growing, or spreading. WARNING: Start spraying in the morning or evening - Spraying in the heat of the day can harm your leaves.
Here are the most common reasons for your tomato's leaves to turn brown, wilt, or have spots.
Costoluto Genovese Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum cv). Translates roughly as “ribbed one from Genoa”, comes from Piedmont, just northwest of Genoa. Heirloom variety. The Costoluto Genovese tomato is an Italian heirloom tomato variety. Its heavily lobed and often convoluted shape is indicative of early nineteenth century tomato varieties, but makes an oddity in today's vegetable garden. Its plants usually grow to about 180 centimetres tall and are high yielding and reliable. The fruits are ripen late from the end of August until the end of the season in bunches of four to six tomatoes. ‘Costoluto Genovese’ tomato plants are hardy and not very susceptible to disease. They can be cultivated in greenhouses, outdoors and in pots. This particular tomato variety benefits from warm locations like next to a wall. The ‘Costoluto Genovese’ tomato is a classic beefsteak tomato in every sense: large, aromatic, fruity in taste and heavily ribbed. Tender garden vegetable; flattened, deeply lobed and scalloped, bright rich red fruits; soft in texture, juicy and slightly tart. Average weight of about 200 grams. The Costoluto Genovese's stellar flavor is intense and acidic. Because of its odd shape, this tomato is best for sauces and pastes where the skin is removed. Excellent served sliced on bread or in salads. These beefsteak tomatoes are also delicious in soups and sauces.
Discover the ideal time to prune tomato plants and maximize your harvest. Find out how proper pruning can enhance the productivity and quality of your tomatoes.
For years we grew cabbage and other greens in our garden, but we always ended up with the same result. All of our cabbage and greens would be riddled with worm holes. It was always so disappointi…
This new take on the classic Southern pie combines fresh tomatoes, basil, and Vidalia onions in a warm, creamy, and crowd-pleasing dip. Our Tomato Pie Dip recipe is easy to prepare and delivers comforting flavors in every bite.
Learn how to manage and prevent tomato rot (blossom end rot) in your garden. We have all the information you need for blemish free tomatoes.
Growing tomatoes in containers is a great way to get fruit production in a small space, but not all tomato varieties work for containers.
Not sure what tomatoes to try this season? Home gardeners weigh in with their favorite tomato varieties for flavor and dependability.
Heavily lobed with intense flavor, ‘Costoluto Genovese’ are top sauce, canning, and slicing tomatoes. Learn how to grow these Italian heirlooms now.
Explore the pros and cons of pruning suckers on tomato plants with this detailed guide.
Control Tomato Blight & Powdery Mildew Organically With Baking Soda VIDEO: EZ Baking Soda Fungicide As Organic gardeners, we seem the get the short end of the stick when it comes to effective disease preventing tools. We seem to be the first to get blight on our tomatoes, and the first to get powdery mildew as well! This not only effects our tomato plants, but our zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, melons, potatoes, and even beans! BUT there is one fool proof method to preventing, and even STOPPING the spread of powdery mildew, and blight. That is by using the power of baking soda. What Does Tomato Blight Look like? What Does Powdery Mildew Look Like? What is Baking Soda? Baking soda is NAHCO3 or Sodium Bicarbonate. Is it natural? The answer is YES. Sodium bicarbonate is found very commonly by hot springs, geysers, and many sulfur rich places. So this does count as an organic supplement for your garden. But the real question is, Does it work? YES. How it works: Baking Soda works by creating an alkaline environment on the leaf,and fungus (powdery mildew and blight are both fungi) cannot colonize the surface of the leaf since they need a neutral pH (around 7.0) to survive and thrive. This spray of water and Baking soda will change the pH of the leaf from around 7.0 to around 8.0, this change is enough to kill, and prevent all blight spores! HOW TO APPLY: Step 1: Mix 3 tablespoons baking soda with 1 gallon of water.This is the baking soda we use: Arm and Hammer Pure Baking Soda.Step 2: Mix in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or cooking oil of your choice. This helps the spray to stick to the leaves.Step 3: Mix in 2 drops of dish soap to help emulsify (mix) everything. I recommend using a gentle dish soap since many have harmful chemicals and are not good for soil life. I get the Planet Ultra Brand and it works just a good to be honest. I used to use palmolive but switched last year once I saw all the harsh chemicals in it.Step 4: Spray on tops and bottoms of leaves till dripping Tip: Begin with 3 tablespoons, and apply that amount one time each week for 3 weeks. Then switch to 3 1/2 Tablespoons if fungus is still growing, or spreading. WARNING: Start spraying in the morning or evening - Spraying in the heat of the day can harm your leaves.
Pruning cucumbers - should you do it? Is it important? We answer those questions and more in our guide to pruning cucumbers the right way!
Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion Salad is a cool, crisp, and tangy salad. It’s a summer staple side dish that is quick, easy, and versatile.
One of the experiments we did this year in the field was a comparison of grafted and non-grafted tomato plants. After a season of patiently growing and observing these plants, I am excited to have some results to share with you..First, a little background information for those of you new to this grafting idea. The basic idea of grafting is to attach the top of a tomato variety you would like to eat to the bottom rootstock of a tomato variety that has strong disease resistance and more vigorous
In a discussion on the GardensAll Facebook someone asked, "Do squirrels eat tomatoes?" You bet they do! They not only eat tomatoes, they choose the best!
Do your tomato plants drop their flowers before fruit forms? This is called tomato blossom drop. Find out why it happens and how to fix it.
Recognize, prevent, and treat common tomato diseases with organic methods. Keep your garden healthy and productive with these essential tips and strategies.
Forget the tired rows of veggies and the same old flower beds! Envisage a garden that's a feast for your eyes, your nose, and most importantly, your table.
What fertilizer is good for tomatoes to grow successfully? Then, you must check out the latest blog post on The Gardening Dad related to the best Fertilizer Ratio For Tomatoes.
How to can homemade V8 juice from garden fresh tomatoes.
Still going strong after 7 years of use, these DIY wood tomato cages are easy to build and provide a very beautiful and functional, sturdy support for garden tomatoes! This is the ultimate guide to build tomato cages that are the perfect size, shape, and inexpensive design for growing big, healthy tomato plants. One of...Read More
Overtime we all learn tips and tricks which help us grow our vegetables... Here are some do's and don'ts about tomato plant care. [LEARN MORE]
Thinking of planting some tomatoes this season, but want to make sure you keep the bugs away when you start planting? Tomatoes have a whole host of different pests that can come after their juicy red fruits, so pest prevention is arguably more important than treatment. In this article, gardening and homestead expert Merideth Cohrs takes a look at the most common tomato pests and how to prevent them.
Here's how to can tomato sauce after you make it for homemade goodness all year long. Make a big batch of homemade sauce now and can it for later with these tips.
As Fall progresses and tomato season comes to an end you can use these tips to learn how to ripen green tomatoes. Just bring them in and follow these steps
From our favorite heirloom varieties to seed starting to harvesting, we share our best tips for growing heirloom tomatoes in your vegetable garden. This comprehensive guide covers all the steps to grow tasty heirloom tomatoes right in your backyard garden
Want to preserve the bounty from your very own canning tomato plants? Discover the best paste and plum tomatoes you can grow at home now on Gardener’s Path.
Homegrown tomatoes taste much better than the bland store-bought version. I have found tomatoes are not hard to grow but do need lots of fertilizer to grow big, juicy tomatoes. You may wonder, “How do I make my own tomato fertilizer?” There are lots of recipes for homemade tomato fertilizers on the internet. I have ... Read more
Protect your plants from these slimy guys! Here are four simple, nonpoisonous options to rid your garden of slugs.
