Tip of the Week — 5/13/08
Posted in Gardening Tips on May 13 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Tomato Time
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden
I love growing tomatoes; they are easy, tasty, and fun. One year I had a friend who started heirloom varieties from seed. She gave her leftover seedlings to any willing recipient—and I was one of them. I had a small community plot at that time, and I waited with anticipation for the large heirlooms to ripen. The day before I was planning on picking a prized tomato, a woodchuck paid a visit to the garden and took just one big bite out of the tomato.
Heirlooms are wonderful—they are some of the tastiest tomatoes available. However, some of the modern hybrids tend to be more disease resistant and more prolific, so I try and make a habit of including some of each in my garden.
Last year, not by choice, I experimented with growing tomatoes in an area that didn’t receive enough sunlight. The result was a beautiful crop of green beefsteak tomatoes that I dipped in an egg and breadcrumb batter. The fried green tomatoes were so good that I am tempted to grow them in the same spot this year!
This year I plan on experimenting with Earthboxes and other self-watering containers. A few rules with tomatoes: plant them deep (place part of the stem underground and it will produce a beautiful, strong root system), give them sun (the more you can give them, the happier they will be), and keep them well-watered (consistency is the key).
One of my favorite springtime plants is the native azalea. It is a versatile shrub that is often overlooked by homeowners. Azaleas have spectacular blooms in spring, some are incredibly fragrant (nice and spicy), and many have outrageous fall color.
For those of you who love lilacs but are deprived of space, dwarf lilacs are something to think about. Some of them have nice fall color and they are small and compact, need minimal pruning, and tend to be more resistant to the powdery mildew that plagues many lilacs at the end of the season.