Share Our Garden!: How To Have The Most Beautiful Tomatoes

" On The First Warm Day"
Alma Cogan

On the first warm day
On the first warm day in May
I'm going to come a calling
And bring you a big bouquet

On the first warm night
That the moon is shining bright
We won't feel much like talking
So kiss me and hold me tight

Then we'll climb the hill
And there beneath the cherry tree
Where all is still
You'll say marry me
Oh marry, marry me

The very very first warm day
On the first warm day in May
We'll teach the birds and the bees
a thing or two
Oh see how I love you

Now on the first warm night
That the moon is shining bright
We won't feel much like talkin'
So kiss me and hold me tight

Then we'll climb the hill
And there beneath the cherry tree
Where all is still
You'll say marry me
Oh, marry me, oh marry, marry me

The first warm day
On the first warm day in May
We'll teach the birds and the bees
a thing or two
Oh see how I love you.

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

JUST BLOOMED TODAY
GARDEN UPDATE
HOW TO HAVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TOMATOES
FAUNA
GARDEN GIGGLE
FEEDBACK

JUST BLOOMED TODAY

GARDEN UPDATE
According to the Farmer's Almanac, tomorrow is the last day of the frost period for this area, so today, FINALLY we did the topsy-turvey tomatoes. Whew! They hung in there (as did we) since late January, when I spotted those pony packs and snapped them right up, as they are almost impossible to find any more. They want you to buy the tomatoes individually, which is so hideously expensive!

I also have to highly recommend the topsy-turvey watering wand they sell at stores (if you can find one). Hubby found ours at a clearance at Big Lots for $2. It has a cane like structure that hooks over the pot above you so you can water without a ladder. It has a foot so that it rests inside the pot and the water comes out right directly onto the plant. It also has a receptacle for miracle-gro or any other powder additive to be placed, so then it will mix straight with your water. A really neat toy, for those of us who are height-challenged.
HOW TO HAVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TOMATOES
We have had a lot of requests from people wanting to know how we had such beautiful tomatoes, and how to do the topsy-turvey thing.

You will need:

Plastic buckets or clean paint buckets/pails with handles
several large bags of potting soil ( Miracle Gro for vegetables is the best!)
some rotted manure
water or manure tea, if you have it
sponges
small amount of bark or twigs
tomato plants

Weiner dog helper optional

First thing you need to do is to cut a round hole in the bottom of your bucket. It should be about the size of a golf ball. We use a old knife heated up to melt the plastic (watch out for fumes) Or alternately, we have also used a drill/driver with a forstner bit- it's super fast, just be careful not to use too much pressure or the bottom will blow out.

Once you have your bucket ready, take your sponge and cut a keyhole shape into it. It should look like the photo below. You can use a sharp knife or scissors for this.

Position the cut sponge over the bottom of the hole and line it up so that both holes are aligned.

Gently take your tomato plant out from the package and remove excess dirt until just a wee bit remains around the roots. NOTE: If your tomato plants are established and big, use just one per bucket; if not, you can use two or even three plants per bucket.

Turning the plant upside down, gently insert the roots up into the bucket hole and through the sponge hole. You will want the sponge to 'grab' the plant- therefore, the need for the keyhole design. Use the entry part of the keyhole to slide over the stem and rest it in the round part of the keyhole . This will hold your plant in place until the dirt goes in. You can put quite a bit of the stem in here, as the more you put in the greater support the stem will have.

View of inside of bucket

It helps at this point to hang your bucket for the rest of the process, as you cannot rest it on the bottom as the plant is sticking out. Holding the plant roots upright inside the bucket, add your potting soil gently and loosely around the plants roots until the plant is covered. Then add a layer of your rotted manure, above where the roots will touch it. NOTE: Be sure you use cured manure as fresh manure will 'burn' plants. If you are getting some for free from someone with animals, pick manure that has been raked and sitting in the sun for at least three months.

Add a final layer of twigs or bark for mulch, which will help keep the water in during the heat. Tomatoes LOVE the sun and need all they can get.

Hang your completed topsy turvey planter and thoroughly water with manure tea, or water if you have it. The water should be dripping out of the bottom when you are done.