Brie Goldman. Food Stylist: Annie Probst
21.07.2023 - 22:24 / awaytogarden.com
NO, DON’T START TOMATO SEEDS YET, unless you are in some place far warmer than the snow cave I am lately residing in. But it’s prime time to shop for them—if you’re prepared to be overwhelmed at the choices. Some top tomatoes I have my eye on for 2014’s garden—and I hope you’ll tell me yours.black is the new redThe “black” tomatoes (more brownish-purple than anything near black) often have a flavor that’s described as smoky, or earthy. You may have grown ‘Black Krim’ and ‘Cherokee Purple’—two very good ones—and now I’m eyeing ‘Carbon,’ which people are talking about. Same with ‘Paul Robeson,’ a tomato with a great taste (and a great story).
Want a black cherry tomato to mix things up in the salad bowl (that link will take you to one, as will this one)? Thinking larger, and darker: At the extreme of dark tomato color there’s open-pollinated ‘Indigo Rose,’ an Oregon State University development (photo above from High Mowing Seeds). It’s the first tomato with a truly black outside, and looks just like a plum.for reliable sauceIs there sauce in your future? I was for decades a diehard ‘Roma’ person, but the last several years I instead make sure that lovely ‘Juliet,’ a sturdy hybrid with big clusters of a dozen or more 2-inch fruit, is here to guarantee a crop. The open-pollinated ‘Amish Paste’ (like ‘Juliet,’ whose photo is below, it’s juicy and tasty for use in salads, too) and ‘Gilbertie’ paste are my other top contenders.
toughest tomatoesDid you have tomato troubles last year—spotted leaves, defoliating plants and such? What about trying the first “triple-resistant” tomato, resistant to early blight, septoria and late blight, from the Cornell-North Carolina State breeding program? Well-named ‘Iron Lady’ is a determinate,
Brie Goldman. Food Stylist: Annie Probst
D espite our best efforts, we humans can’t do it all. Life in the 21st century often moves at a busy pace and is jam-packed with responsibilities and wonderfully abundant ways for us to spend our “free time.” While many of us love to spend a large chunk of that time enjoying our gardens, we don’t necessarily love (or have the necessary resources) to care for them. As a landscape designer, I’ve found that one of the best ways to create sustainable gardens for my clients is to develop designs that work with the sites, not against them, while also hitting on the clients’ wish lists.
Autumn slowly settles in and the pretty flower gardens lose most of their charm. However, every cloud has a silver lining, which means it’s time to admire the pretty autumn foliage that trees offer. Did you know that the ancient Celtic druids used to worship trees?
How you manage garden pests and diseases is a personal choice, and there are many management philosophies. Two of the most common methodologies are integrated pest management (IPM) and organic pest management. IPM was developed in the 1970s as a response to conventional gardening practices that relied heavily on pesticides. In contrast to those practices, IPM promoted sanitation, the use of disease- and pest-resistant plant varieties, and monitoring pest populations.
For the answers hover over the photograph. The variety shouldn’t affect how the seed looks but there may be differences in the seedhead itself.
What is a Patio Rose if it isn’t a rose grown on a patio? Patio roses grow bigger and bushier than miniatures and are about 14 -24 inch high, yet they are perfectly formed. H.T. Bush and Floribunda roses grow bigger but Patio roses are easy and decorative.
Sometimes as gardeners, we place all the emphasis on plants. However, a few well positioned ornaments and focal points can heighten the interest and drama within a garden.
With all that in mind, I made my annual frantic call with some urgent tomato questions to today’s guest, Craig LeHoullier in North Carolina, the NC Tomato Man as he’s known on social media, author of the classic book, “Epic Tomatoes” (affiliate link). Craig knows more about these cherished fruits than almost anyone I’ve ever met. He even shares that in live sessions each week on his Instagram account where you can ask your questions and get solid answers. I asked Craig how he’s doing and what we should all be doing to bolster a bountiful harvest and also about which fruits to save next year’s seed from anyhow and other tomato questions. Read along a
Everyone loves falafel—it’s a year-round staple, and the frozen options at Trader Joe’s make it incredibly easy to prepare. But today, you should probably rid your freezer shelves of any Trader Joe’s falafel: In the company’s third food recall this week, on July 28 Trader Joe’s recalled its fan-favorite Fully Cooked Falafel after being informed by the supplier that rocks were found in the food.
Peacock
The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) is the latest non-native species to take hold in the U.S. This planthopper is large (about a half-inch long) and originally from several countries in the Far East. It was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014, and active infestations are now established in Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and as of just last week, North Carolina. SLF has not been detected in South Carolina, but it is an insect for which we need to be on the lookout.
Are you looking at plants in your garden and wondering why they aren’t flowering?