Only 9 days away from first day of Spring (Vernal Equinox).

First day of Spring is scheduled to arrive March 20 at 23:21 hours

So why is Spring such a big deal some ask?

Spring throughout the Northern Hemisphere has been the usual time of garden activity. Designing the space, ordering seeds and plants, preparing the soil and checking your tools and equipment.

One of the most popular Spring planted Garden crops is tomatoes and they were the backbone of our truck farm cash flow in the 1970′s. Unless you have started your tomato plants in the hot house already, you will probably order plants from your local garden Center.

Three varieties I highly recommend are Stupice, Siberian and Black Prince. I am sure you Garden center can get your plants if you contact them now. These three varieties lend themselves to Cool springs and early Fall chill, since they evolved from the steppes of Asia and short seasons. The picture on the left is the 2nd set of Stupice turning Color late June 2008.

That Stupice Plant yielded close to 70 pounds of delicious marketable Tomatoes.

Want to know how we averaged over 50 pound of marketable tomatoes on 24 plants?

Order our DVD Today
Optimizing your Small Plot Tomato Garden

Good vegetable garden soil is the foundation of successful gardening.

Especially in smaller plots, where concentrated Growing is applied, but it is easier to control a small garden plot soil condition

Good healthy garden soil supports strong productive plants, it supplies abundant moisture, nutrients and support as plants grow.

Poor soils are often dry, compact, and water-logged, with poor drainage and an imbalance of nutrients restricts plant growth and will frustrate your efforts. Plants will fail, grow poorly, drought out and or suffer wet roots, be yellow or fall over depending on the problem.

Soils need to be better understood and cared for appropriately to soil type, plants grown and local conditions. You may have to dig more or maybe less.

It would be a beneficial investment to keep a Soil Moisture Tester on hand. The are affordable. Check out the one shown here. Affordable and easy to use. Click on the Photo

What constitutes good garden soil?

• good well defined open structure
• good drainage
• rich in organic carbon
• full of worms and life
• appropriate care

What constitutes poor garden soil?

• very tight solid structure
• compacted
• poor drainage
• too wet/ too dry
• low organic carbon
• ‘dead’
• over cultivated
• imbalance of nutrients

How do you examine your garden soil?

• using a spade, dig a spit of soil and drop the spade with the soil on to ground so the soil splits to reveal its structure
• define soil type/ texture
• look at the cracking in the soil
• look for roots and worm channels
• look at the color
• smell it
• check the surface structure
• look for problems like compaction, capping, lack of life and lack of structure

A reliable pH tester is advisable to keep available. Like the Moisture tester you can more easily make decisions on Organic Amendments and Aeration Click on Photo to order this valuable tool

How do you improve your vegetable garden soil?

• ensure what you do is appropriate to the soil type
• ensure you resolve any problems found
• build soil health
• add organic matter
• improve your soil preparation
• improve your soil management

Remember – good soil should be crumbly, dark brown in color, fresh smelling and moist. There should be good drainage with root and worm holes through the soil profile.

Improve your soil and enjoy your gardening like I do.

Happy gardening.

Colin is a keen vegetable gardener and has advised on soils and their management and cultivation commercially for many years.

To find out further detail on vegetable garden soil and how to improve your soil follow the link to easy-vegetable-gardening.com

You can also learn more about garden soil preparation at http://www.easy-vegetable-gardening.com/vegetable-garden-soil-preparation.html

Copyright Easy-vegetable-gardening.com 2008, All Rights Reserved.

Author: Colin S
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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Earlier posts  discussed “cold weather” Tomato Varieties performing in the Winter.

Including the Siberian and Black Prince Tomato Varieties.

The Siberian Tomato was producing well in December at a neighbors plot here in Corning California. As mentioned after some hard freezes.

The tomato plants were covered nightly, except as Jerry mentions in the video, he forgot to cover one night in January when temps dropped into the high 20′s.

If you live in an area of cool springs and cold Fall and early winter the Siberian Tomato may be a good choice for your 2011 Tomato patch.

Ask your Garden Center to order plants early or get seeds here and start indoors soon.

Siberian Tomato 25 Seeds – Early – Good Strong Flavor

Can You Grow Tomatoes In The Winter?

By Thomas G Taylor

Growing tomatoes in the winter is possible if one is willing to apply a bit more effort

It is common knowledge that tomatoes do not do well in the cold. They usually are beset by diseases and die off. A budding gardener, with a little help, may be able to grow his own “winter” tomatoes even in this extreme weather.

The trick is in finding a way to grow the tomatoes in a controlled environment where the extreme conditions are negated and choosing varieties more adaptable for Cool weather.

As soon as the garden plants begin to wither and die, plant your seeds in the outdoor garden just before frost hits. By this time seeds are usually cheaper. By the time frost is sets in, you have uprooted your seedlings and replanted them indoors in terra cotta pots or containers.

Growing a manageable quantity of plants will ensure that you have a steady supply of tomatoes even after winter sets in. For the plants indoors, ensure that they are continuously bathed in artificial light from a bulb as a substitute to the sun.

You can set the tomatoes inside containers that are cheaply available or you can recycle used ones. These containers act as green houses and should have perforations at the bottom so as to drain excessive water. For the soil, mix growing material like compost, water and fertilizer then plant the seedlings inside.

At this point the seedlings should be under the artificial light for a minimum of ten hours daily. As the plant grows bigger the period of illumination should be raised to fourteen hours.

Once the seedlings have grown big enough to be planted, focus shifts to the soil preparation. Drainage has to be adequate enough in the vessel. The special blend of soil and compost should fill the vessel up to three quarter way then you insert the seedling and add pour enough water on it.

Do not ever let the water dry up neither should you water the plant excessively. It’s a fine line to keep and maintain.

Though sometimes it can be a little time consuming, growing tomatoes during winter is actually fun as you can pride yourself in defying Mother Nature. The beauty of this form of tomato gardening is that you build up the potency of the soil as you continue.

The plant should be pruned regularly so that you may free more energy for use in developing better fruits, and fertilized after very two weeks.

The best tomatoes that are suited for cultivation during winter range from Small Fry, Cherry Gold, and Red Robin, all of which are of the cherry variety. You can also plant bigger tomatoes like the red, pink and gold variety of the husky tomato.

Since the plant is indoors, when it comes to flowering, the process of pollination will have to be done by you. All you have to do gently shake the flowers, this will release pollen. This exercise would have been negated in the outdoors, since birds and bees would do it. Otherwise, this form of gardening, though sometimes a little time consuming, really is fulfilling and ensures you have a never ending supply of fresh, organic tomatoes- even in the middle of winter.

Thomas Taylor is a Tomato growing enthusiast, and enjoys helping others get started in this amazing hobby by sharing information about Growing Winter Tomatoes

His newest book,”The Expert Guide On Growing Tasty, Tantalizing Tomatoes”teaches Tomato growers everything they need to know about planting and nurturing their tomato garden. http://www.tantalizingtomatoes.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_G_Taylor
http://EzineArticles.com/?Can-You-Grow-Tomatoes-In-The-Winter?&id=5424708

If you want to enjoy a long season Tomato in your garden , consider the Siberian Tomato variety.

The Siberian Variety is a cool weather Tomato from the steppes of Russia and does well with early planting and produces well into the fall in many areas.

We live in Northern California (Tehama County) and have had several hard Freezes already, but you will be amazed at the following Video, showing the Siberian Tomato in a container. Video is dated 12-11-2010

Jerry planted his Siberian Tomatoes from plants, but quality Seed are available, to start very early and set early spring. Check out the results from this comparison of Siberian Tomatoes and the Stupice variety.

Ask your Garden Center early in late winter to get some Siberian Tomato Plants or you can  order seeds Siberian Tomato 25 Seeds – Early – Good Strong Flavor

HERE’S The Video…Enjoy the coming Season

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As our population grows and our cities expand farther and farther into rural areas, the space the average homeowner has available for the Garden has shrunk to alarmingly small proportions.

While our grandparents planted victory gardens and grew enough food to make a real dent in the family’s needs, today we’re lucky if we can plant a couple of tomato plants and some flowers. With good planning, though, you can grow enough in a small space to both satisfy your green thumb and even share the bounty with neighbors.

For years PBS stations broadcast a show called “Square Foot Gardening“. In this show, homeowners were taught to plant gardens divided into plots of one square foot. Seeds were planted not with an eye to thinning out later, but with an eye to how much they’d grow now, and a garden produced more in about only 20% of the space. These concepts still apply, and they can help an urban gardener with a very small plot grow a surplus of flowers or vegetables in a tiny space.

Companion planting is also something to think about. Native Americans used to plant what was called the “three sister“: corn, beans, and squash. The corn provided a stalk for the beans to grow up, and the squash mulched the ground and thrived in the shade provided by the corn and beans. Many plants grow happily in companionship with others, and some plants, being slow to mature, can grow slowly underground while a faster crop ripens above in the same space.

Finally, don’t forget about container planting. Even apartment dwellers with only balcony space can use grow bags or patio containers for beautiful flowers or vegetables. Many containers are sold ready to add potting mix and plants, or an industrious homeowner or renter can put a few tools together and make their own for a very modest outlay in time and money. An added bonus is the ability to bring your plants inside and extend the growing season, something traditional gardeners can’t do!

Just because your space has become small, don’t assume that your ability to garden has been similarly constrained. Do your research – your local library is a wealth of information – and think outside the normal limits of your gardening repertoire. You will probably find growing space in places you never thought of before. Garden in new ways, and you’ll be happier, and greener, for it!

There are several easy ways to start a healthy eating habit and improve your overall health. Access more detailed information and learn simple daily steps that you can follow by visiting my website at http://EverydayHealthGirl.com

Author: Becki Andrus
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Planting a small vegetable garden is almost as much fun as harvesting.

Can’t you just taste the plump juicy tomatoes and the sweet tasting cantaloupe, from your small vegetable garden?

Before you grow the area’s largest pumpkin or zesty collards, and are short on space and time, take a look at some creative small vegetable garden plans.

Square Foot Gardening—space saving ideas

Intensive planting designs use every bit of garden space available. Square foot gardens (4 ft. by 4 ft.)are surprisingly productive. How many plants planted in each square foot is decided by the amount of room necessary for the specific crop planted to successfully produce a harvest.

For illustration, each single square in a square foot garden plan can contain 1-staked tomato, 4 bean plants, 1 pepper plant, or 50 radishes. Positioning of plants or seeds inside the square also depends on the crop selection. Where a single plant occupies a square, set the seed or transplant in the middle to allow room to grow in all directions.

Several plants may be planted in rows, smaller squares, or at random in small vegetable garden plans. For instance, fill a square with four bean plants, divide the area into smaller squares and plant one seed in the middle of each. A square can hold fifty radishes or twenty onions. The seeds can be scattered across the square or sown in small rows.

Harvest early by thinning out young plants for use as tender greens or roots, creating room for the rest to grow. Trellises add a third dimension to small vegetable garden plans. A trellis is useful to gardeners seeking to maximize space. Rather than allowing vine crops to sprawl across the garden, send plants such as cantaloupe, watermelon, and cucumbers growing skyward.

Cages also can be used to take advantage of vertical space and keep crops from sprawling over the ground. Many plants can be successfully grown in cages, including tomatoes, watermelons, and eggplants. In addition to space-saving planting techniques, gardeners have an additional resource: dwarf varieties and bush forms of plants that originally grew only as vines.

Be advised, while the dwarf varieties take up less garden room, the harvests are somewhat smaller than their full size relatives. Geometric planting patterns make maximum use of space in small vegetable garden plans. Gardeners use simple designs to fill wide beds with vegetables. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

Vegetable spacing for small plots

Beans are a sure producer and should be spaced four plants per square foot in small vegetable garden plans. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, and eggplant may need staking and space 1 plant each square ft. Cabbage and cauliflower produces a single head planted at one to a foot. Trellis or stake tomatoes at one plant per sq. ft. Make successive plantings of endive, kohlrabi, and lettuce, at four plants per square foot. Harvest individual leaves of kale and parsley spacing four plants per sq. feet.

A single stake will support floppy, low growing plants that might otherwise be injured by winds or abundant productions. A wire cage gives the best support for tall growing plants.

Don’t think just because you have small vegetable garden plans that means not much of a harvest. Vegetable gardening even on a smaller scale can produce bumper crops. In fact, with vertical gardening, the sky is the limit!

There are many more great plans and ideas for all types of vegetable gardening, (including indoor gardening), available for free on my website.

Charlotte Cheadle
http://www.vegetable-gardening-online.com

Author: Charlotte Cheadle
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

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Suffering from limited space does not mean you must do without a herb garden.

Delight in the fact that herbs need not take up a lot of space. Too often garden design concentrates on wide borders, endless lawns and flower beds and there is little instruction out there about herb garden design in a small space.

Very few of us have acres of land in which to create a garden, whether it is purely ornamental, functional or a mixture. Some of us do not even to want to have all that much garden. But there are very few people that do not enjoy growing plants, even if it comes right down to just a spider plant on the kitchen windowsill, and that is what makes Herb Gardens so attractive.

So, it really comes down to how small is small for your herb garden. How much space do you have; how much do you want to use, and even how small your budget is. Everything is relative and all these things have to be carefully considered before you even pick up a pencil to start drawing any plan.

After you have worked out exactly what you want in terms of size and shape and before you start to think about what herbs you will grow there is then what sort of look are you going for. Are you looking for a formal appearance, or a raised bed?

Getting complicated? No, no not really! You must just think about all the alternatives, and then delete from your mind anything that is not practical or is beyond the scope of your plot or even beyond your ability or budget.

If you are too ambitious you will fail and where is the fun in that? Remember whatever herb garden you finish up with, is really just the beginning. Your  herb plants will need to be looked after, weeded, pruned, and harvested. So how big, how small, how many plants, how many varieties; will they be culinary, medicinal, ornamental, or a mixture. Whatever you decide the principles of good garden design must apply, but you may need to adapt them slightly.

The challenges of designing a small herb garden can really be summarized into these considerations:

• The entire herb garden will be on view as a whole. There is no scope for hidden paths or even division into separate rooms, it will seen in one look.

• Limited space means you must make choices. You cannot grow every plant you love. You cannot on impulse see a plant and buy it just hoping there will be space for it.

• You must limit your choice of color of any blooms. Do not make the plot too busy with bright color, stick to pastels as that will make your plot appear larger than it is.

• Try to obtain a variety of textures. The contrast of various textures will make the whole thing more attractive.

• There will not be any room for wasted space or for plants that do not reach their full potential.

• Choose perennial plants as much as possible, annuals need replacing every year which means more work. But many perennials need to be divided every few years or they may die or even spread and squeeze out their neighbors.

When it comes putting your plan on paper do not think that you do not know where to begin. Having carried out a site evaluation to assess the physical attributes: size, shape, sun exposure, soil type, any nearby features; use that knowledge to begin your garden design and you will find this will answer many of the remaining questions and get you started.

My name is John and I’ve been interested in growing and using herbs for longer than I care to think about. Having carried out a great deal of research on the subject I’ve now compiled a huge amount of knowledge which I want to share.

Author: John Beaver
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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Water Conservation is as important in Small Plot Gardens as a large garden space or Truck Farm.

Even though a smaller plot may not have the need for large water resources, it is still important to practice Water Conservation.

Small Plot Gardens have the advantage of more easily affecting water conservation with relatively inexpensive methods.

We live in Northern California and are blessed with
abundant rainfall in the Fall through Spring, but summers are easily in the 100 degree range and evapotransporation rate is HIGH, so irrigating is critical

It is important for all gardeners to keep water conservation a factor in successful gardening. There are many ways to optimize ones garden to conserve water while still keeping it lush.

Some of the ways include drip irrigation (the use of a pipe or hose with small holes to gradually seep into the roots of the plant), the placement of plants in groups of equal watering needs (to prevent wasting water on plants that don’t need it) and using compost or mulch to insulate the water and prevent drainage. Composting is an efficient and low cost method of assuring Water Conservation

Drought conditions do occur throughout the Garden World and it is not difficult to take preventative measures. Occasionally a drought will be predicted far in advanced, or those already experiencing a drought will be given a few weeks of heavy rain. When this occurs, you should take the opportunity to
set up several rain barrels. Many people think this would be a time consuming, silly thing to do. But it can save you many gallons of water towards water conservation, and hardly requires any work.

Finding the barrels will probably be the hardest part. You can use your own garbage cans, or head to your home improvement store to get a few 55 gallon plastic drums. These can be expensive and difficult to transport, so keep that in mind before you go to the store. You will probably want to cover the top of the barrel with a screen of some sort to filter out any unwanted leaves or debris that might fall off the roof of your house.

Once you have your barrels ready, you’re faced with the decision of where to place them. Usually during rainfall, there is one corner or segment of the house that rain tends to pour off of. If you are taking the simple approach to barrel placement, just place the barrel under all the places where you see large amounts of drips.

If you want to take a more complicated approach to placing the barrels,you should consider tweaking your gutter system a bit. If you remove each individual segment and place it at a very slight slant so that all the water is diverted to the nearest corner of the house, you can place a rain barrel at each corner. So essentially your entire house acts as a catcher for the rain, instead of just a few feet worth of shingles. This is how to maximize the amount of water your rain barrel will catch.

They are some of the best ways to save water. They are easy and inexpensive and you can help save the environment by using these rain barrels. When the water collects on the roof, it would flow down to be collected in these barrels. Each barrel can give you enough water to take a bath in the tub.

If you have a roof of 1,000 square feet, a downspout can collect up to 600 gallons of water. This water can also be used to water plants as it is low in sodium and chlorine. You would be leaving fewer carbon footprints and thus emerge as an environment saviour. It is always a better idea to look for cost effective but environmental friendly options.

The use of water barrels might sound like an antiquated idea. However, when you’re in the midst of a drought and you’re able to spare that extra couple of gallons for your garden in addition the city allotment, you’ll be grateful for every bit of time and money you spent on collecting all that rain. All it takes is a few trips out in the backyard every time it starts to sprinkle, and you’ll be a very happy gardener when water isn’t
so abundant.

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A look at our Neighbor’s Small Plot of Black Prince Tomatoes

As mentioned in previous posts we have moved to a Senior Modular Home Community on the banks of the Sacramento River, so our  Tomato Gardening is limited to very Small Plots.

One solution for production is Raised Beds to assure maximum soil conditions. Our Neighbor experienced good fortune with his Small Plot of Black Prince Tomatoes, using Raised beds. I am planning for beds in the coming spring season 2011.

But what intrigued me was an invite from a neighbor to visit his small plot of Tomatoes which included 2 Black Prince Tomato vines. This “old Heirloom Variety of tomato is very adaptable in our Cool weather Fall and cool Springs.

Very similar to the Stupice I planted in 2008. Jerry, our Neighbor, mentioned he was producing Black Prince Tomatoes last season, up to our very hard frost in December. But 36-49 degrees still produced results.

Both of these varieties produce much foliage and you will notice the difference in Pruning Practices between my Heirloom Stupice and our Neighbors Black Prince Tomatoes

Be sure to leave Comment below about your experiences with any of the Cool Weather Tomato Varieties