Last month I reported on our ongoing trial with growing tomatoes in containers. To recap briefly, we are growing three different tomato varieties in containers. Our goal is to learn about best practices for growing tomatoes in containers and to see if these three varieties are suitable for this method. The three varieties we chose all claim to be suitable, but we don't always trust the seed catalogs! They are Renee's Better Bush (a round slicing tomato), Inca Jewel (a paste or Roma type), and Prairie Fire (a grape tomato).
Our Field Test committee met recently to check in on our progress. Most of us reported our tomatoes growing quickly and in good health. So far, the weather hasn't been too hot, which has been a boon. We discussed strategies for hot summer weather, which is almost certain to hit us eventually. Most of us planted our tomatoes in large black plastic pots. This material attracts heat and doesn't have any insulation, so it will be hard on tomato roots confined in such a space. Several ideas were offered on ways to shield the pots from the direct sun. Painting them white should help, since white reflects heat, as opposed to black, which absorbs heat. Pots can be wrapped in insulating materials. They can be placed inside a slightly larger box, which will absorb heat and provide shade. You can place potted plants or other obstacles around them. In hot weather some shade can be helpful.
Your watering schedule should provide consistent moisture for the roots. Watering from the bottom is recommended, providing you have a large enough tray to put under the pot. If this is not possible, water from the top deeply enough that the water can drain out of the bottom. Some drooping of leaves in mid-afternoon is not cause for alarm. Water in the early morning or evening. Soil should be kept moist but not wet. One useful tool is a probe for detecting moisture levels. These are inexpensive and give you some peace of mind if you're unsure about when to water.
If your plants are getting tall, it's time to stake them. You can put a tomato cage over the plant with the feet buried inside the pot. If you place the plant against a wall or pole, you can tie the stake to that to add stability. Any structure that will stay firmly in place and can contain the growing stems will work. The corner of a gazebo is a great place for a plant. It's best to get the stakes in place early so you can gently tuck the new growth inside the horizontal constraints and keep them growing upward. Otherwise, they will grow sideways and be vulnerable to breakage. Prairie Fire is the one test plant that is semi-determinate, meaning a vining type that will continue to grow taller, so it is most in need of support. The other two are supposed to grow to about 3 feet, but they may need support as well. Better to be safe and provide support than to have the stems fall over and break off.
Whether and when to fertilize depends on your planting materials. An all-purpose planting mix will provide all the fertilizer you need at first, but as the plant grows and consumes the available nutrients you will have to add some food. A plant in the ground can send its roots down and out to search for more nutrients but a plant in a pot is limited to what you can provide. The potting soil bag probably specified some guidelines for when and how much to fertilize. When you do fertilize, choose an all-purpose balanced fertilizer. Monitor your plants carefully and be alert to changes in color or vigor.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo: Donna Woodward
by Cynthia Kerson
One of our garden owners waters twice a week for 20 minutes from her well-designed drip system. She shared that one of her plants wasn't “performing” as well as she had hoped and bent down to apologize to it while patting it.
She has been experimenting with perennializing vegetables over the past couple of years by cutting them to the ground and seeing what they do. Pictured is a Swiss Chard and she reports that the leaves are still delicious, but she will have to get her garden saw out to cut it back this year as the stem has grown so large.
The properties we toured are quite different from one another – one is sprawling in the Coombsville area among massive wineries and the other is in central Napa proper. Both gardens speak the same language, though – support nature, be conscious about water, and develop and live in beauty.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Cynthia Kerson
Information links:
UC IPM Poppies ; UC ANR irrigation in the home garden ; UC ANR perennial vegetables
by Saira Bates
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Saira Bates
Information links: UCMG Riverside County Hollyhock info
by Donna Woodward
We gardeners who have space to grow plants are fortunate. Many people would love to grow some vegetables, such as tomatoes, but have no garden space. We Napa MGs in the Field Test Committee felt we should do something to help these people. We decided to try a field (patio?) test for tomatoes. There are several types of tomatoes bred for growth in containers. We picked three to grow on our patios, decks, or anywhere other than in the ground or a raised bed. Most of us had never tried this, so it promised to be a novel experience.
We will poll them later about their experiences and add this data to our own.
We did some research on various tomatoes touted as suitable for growing in containers. One factor is whether the tomato is determinate or indeterminate. The former is a bush type that grows to a certain height, so this would probably work better in a limited space. We learned that there are dwarf varieties that are bred specifically for growing in pots. There are even micro-dwarf types that can be grown on a windowsill. Some of these were available at the sale, but we didn't want to experiment with a novelty. We decided to try three normal-sized plants that are reputed to do well in containers.
At the tomato sale anyone who purchased one or more of the three varieties in the trial was invited to participate. We were delighted to get 42 people to join our trial! We'll post updates over the coming months as the growing season progresses.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Donna Woodward, Reneés Garden (Super Bush) Prairie Fire and Inca Jewel by previous permission.
by Bob Niklewicz PT MG
Question 1: How many muscles are there in the Human Body? If you have read one of my previous articles, you would know you have about 600 muscles.
Question 2: How many muscles pump blood throughout your body? If you said, “one, the heart”? If you did, you would be mostly wrong. Yes, the heart, about the size of your fist, beats (contracts, then relaxes) about 100,000 times a day. If you multiply that over a lifetime, the amount of work done is staggering. Those 600 muscles (one being the heart) contracts then relaxes during use, too. The difference is the heart beats your whole life while the other muscles work as needed. One of those needs is walking.
As in anything active, start out by warming up. A slow, steady walk may be all you need. My rule of thumb is when you are wearing a sweatshirt with a zipper and feel a need to pull down the zipper, you are warmed up. Walking with comfortable shoes is a plus. Walking around your yard several times should do nicely. If you are walking intensely, such as on dirt hills paths or uneven surfaces, consider a walking stick for balance. Walk at a pace that is not stressful, so you can enjoy the view. You should swing your arms even if you are using a stick. Right hand forward when the left foot steps forward. If you are really into progress, learn to take your pulse or use your smart watch to give you a number. The target heart rate for conditioning is 100 beats per minute. If you just want to warm up, go for the Glow.
“If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk, if you are still in a bad mood go for another walk.”
Hippocrates
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: www.verywellfit.com, legs; Jeannette E. Warnert
