I think most gardeners are like me, we read, listen, succeed and fail. Sometimes all in the same growing season. We have crop rotation plans and visions of gargantuan yields. Then comes this giant variable called Mother Nature. She is the one that sets the rules and she changes them with every season. You can do everything right and wind up with bupkis. You’ve heard me say it before but I’ll say it again “that’s why they call it gardening and not harvesting”! This spring has exemplified that.
Ok, I’m living in the past and it’s time to move on. Fall gardening season is almost here. Clean up garden areas of dead or dying vegetation. If needed get a soil test done before adding compost, fertilizer or any amendments. Did you hear that Well Brothers does soil testing? A lot of folks get fall tomatoes and peppers in the ground around mid-July. I shoot for the first week in August. Fall crops of beans, okra, squash, eggplant and peppers should be in the ground mid-August. I have talked to people that have had success with fall cantaloupe, watermelon and corn but I’ve not tried them.
Have you ever tried to root cutting from existing tomato plant? Start by taking a healthy 6-inch cutting from one of your existing indeterminate tomatoes. Remove all of the bottom leaves but keep 3 or so top leaves. Place the stem in a 4-inch container with good moist potting soil. Some folks will start them in a glass of water. Keep the plant moist and in a warm spot but protect it from direct sunlight for a week. Then expose it to more direct sun. This process should continue for a week or two. Plant it in the garden.
