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5/20/13 12:59 P

going to make a tiered herb planter

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5/16/13 6:46 A

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

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5/14/13 10:28 A

www.kare11.com/news/newsatfour/article/102
5063/323/Twin-Cities-soil-not-yet-warm
-enough-to-plant
Video with Diana Pierce of KARE 11 with Master Gardener

James B. Calkins, Ph.D., Research Information Director at Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA), recommends the following soil temperature guidelines to help us decide when it is safe to start planting.
- 50°F soil microbial activity begins.
- 50°F-60°F: cold season crops (peas, lettuces, pansies, and cold crops such as broccoli and kale, etc.) can be planted. Seeds of frost tolerant plants can be planted on the lower end of the range, frost tolerant transplants can be planted safely on the higher end of the range.
- 60°F-70°F: many tender annuals can be planted. Ideally these plants prefer the warmer soil temperatures. If we get anxious and plant too early (while the soil temps are hovering in the low 60's), the transplant shock is extreme and recovery time can extended into summer, even after soil temps reach 70°F. These stalled plants simply sit in the ground not really growing.
- 70°F+ :warm season veggies and tropicals are safe to plant. Less than 70°F soil temperatures and some veggies, such as peppers, and tropicals such as elephant ears, may never fully recover.
What this means is that we have to be patient with soil temperatures and our plants will reward us. Our gardens have to wait, but our planters can help ease the pain. Planters are independent of soil temperatures. They can be planted with tender summer annuals as soon as the threat of frost and freezing air temperatures has passed.
Potting soil in containers is light and airy and capable of trapping heat from the sun shining on the pots, unlike the wet, cold dirt in the gardens. This gives plants in a container an edge over those in the ground, so we can use these micro-climates to ease into the season.




Edited by: GOLDDUSTTWIN at: 5/14/2013 (10:32)

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5/13/13 7:45 A

well this last frost probably took out my apricots for this year

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5/9/13 9:14 A

are your gardening tools in good working order, how about the lawn mower? IF you need to redo the deck you might consider staining or painting before the flowers around it get larger then any possible "drip off" won't be as noticeable and easier to recover from...OR lay down plastic around the deck as you paint and or stain.

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5/9/13 9:05 A

My apricot trees are in bloom, the forsythia too. My daffodils are starting and my cherry tree isn't far behind.

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5/8/13 9:57 A

my forsythias are blooming and the magnolias are in my neighbors yard

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5/7/13 12:06 P

watering away at my veggie plants...will repot after dr appointment today

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5/4/13 2:44 P

These are the tomato varieties I am growing this year with information about them. I am going for more varieties that can be grown in containers than in years past.

Tomatoes
Determinate Tomatoes are bush types that grow 2-3 feet (60-90cm) tall, then the buds at the ends of all the branches form flowers instead of leaves. They flower all at once, set and ripen fruit, then die.
Indeterminate Tomatoes are vining types that need caging or staking for support, but will continue to grow and set fruit until frost kills them. They’re generally later than determinate tomatoes, and produce larger crops over a longer period.
Indeterminate tomatoes set flowers on lateral shoots off the main stems. If trained to a single or double leader and given support, many indeterminate tomato varieties can reach 8-10’ (1.5-3m) tall.
Tips :
For the home gardener, mixing types of tomatoes spreads the fresh tomato harvest over the longest possible season. Plant determinate or early indeterminate tomato varieties for early summer tomatoes, and salad or beefsteak tomatoes for mid- and- late-summer harvest. If you like thick, rich tomato sauces, be sure to include some paste tomatoes in the mix
Water thoroughly twice per week and try to water early in the day so that plants will dry off before evening. Tomatoes prefer regular feeding once the fruit sets, but too much early in the season will grow a large plant with fewer tomatoes. Mulching helps ensure an even supply of moisture.

Super Fantastic
Disease VFN Resistant
This means resistant to Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium Wilt, and Nematodes
Uses: Good slicing tomato as well as for cooking
Days to Harvest: 70 a mid season tomato 6’ high
Indeterminate (repeats harvest)
Heavy yields of solid, meaty, smooth fruits weighing an average of 10 ounces each.


Celebrity
Disease VFNT Resistant
Fusarium Wilt (F)
Verticillium Wilt (V)
Root Nematodes (N)
Tobacco Mosaic (T)
Perfect for first-time gardeners.
Uses: Large tomatoes for slicing or sauces and salsas.
Days to Harvest: 67 and I put these in 6’ cages made from rebar
Determinate: this means all the fruit come ..not repeating harvest…great for canning and food processing.


Beefsteak
Disease Resistant: VFN
Uses:
Days to Harvest: 62-115…as with any crop dependent on weather conditions
Indeterminate (repeats harvest)

Mortgage Lifter
Disease Resistant: VFN
A beefsteak tomato developed in the 1930’s…and an heirloom consistently wins taste tests with its sweet, rich flavor.
Produces up to 4 lbs fruit average is 2.5 lbs tomatoes
With ideal weather can grow to 10 feet height. Minimum is 6 feet.
Days to Maturity: 80 days Mid Season Indeterminate

Black Krim
Disease Resistant: FN
Heirloom that originated in Crimea, a peninsula in the Black Sea, very dark maroon beefsteak with rich,full bodied taste described by some as sweet-slightly salty taste and some call it a smokey-sweet (have tasted this one before at a tomato tasting and this is …DELICIOUS!)
One of the best tasting tomatoes. Not as productive as modern hybrids, but delicious.
Days to Maturity: 60-90 days Mid Season Indeterminate
Height 4-6 feet Requires Staking
Suggest large Clay pot if planning to grow in container with gravel over drain hole and water 1-2 times a day if in container.
With its color of green & dusky pink you have to pick before (other tomatoes) look ripe. Watch out Birds & Squirrels have discovered its wonderful taste too!


Sweet 100
Disease Resistance: VFNT
Day to Maturity: 65 days Indeterminate 4-6 ft height
Cherry Tomatoes for salads
Prolific bountiful crop
Superb sweet flavor
Another tomato I can grow on a SW facing deck in a container


Red Cherry
Considered a heirloom cultivar with small cherry size 1” round red fruit
Easy to grow and great tasting, abundant clusters of cherries…great in salads.
Height just under 4 ft. in grown in pot or garden - can also grow in hanging baskets!
Days to Maturity: 75 days Mid Summer Indeterminate


Yellow Pear
Another Heirloom tomato they came from Europe. Grown since 1700’s...old fashioned favorite for canning.
Beautiful in salsa too.
Days to Maturity: 78 Indeterminate
Size of fruit 1-2 “ Sweet, mild tasting, slightly tangy with few seeds and shaped like a tiny yellow pear.
Kids are not the only ones to love this tomato! I do too! Great for snacking, summer party hor d’oeuvres and salads or Yellow Pear Jam. Chefs & restaurants are now using them in salads, pasta and salsa too!

Beautiful sunny yellow color. Vigorous plant with heavy clusters of fruit and the plant vines can reach 8 ft or longer so give them a tall support, stake, trellis or cage or place to ramble. No problem with blossom end rot but watch out for early blight.

Container Choice

Another new one for me developed for container use: dwarf, stocky, bushy and can handle the confinement of a container. It has rich flavor, this red beefsteak developed just for containers is touted as very vigorous, a determinate with enormous yields of large bright red tomatoes that are great as slicers.

Disease Resistance; VFF
Days to Maturity: 65-70 days Mid-Summer Determinate
A new one for me ideal in small gardens, and patio containers
Bushy with height 2-4 ft height

Roma Tomatoes
AKA Italian or Italian plum tomatoes.
Disease Resistance: While many Roma tomatoes are resistant to early blight, most are resistant to fusarium wilt and are verticillium resistant. Look for VF on label if unsure of variety.
Days to Maturity: 76 days Determinate
This will be my 10th tomato this year. While they can be eaten raw they are at their best when cooked. They are a standby of mine for pasta dishes, salads, pizzas, sauces, canning and tomato basil tart. They are a rich and flavorful tomato but are milder in flavor than other tomatoes.
Meaty interiors, egg or pear-shaped and few seeds; they are very low in sodium- 5 mg per medium tomato, high in Vitamin A & C. They come in red or yellow.

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5/4/13 11:45 A

Bachmans has all veggi plants at 20% off which means you can get them for about the price of them at Home Depot and Lowes but here's the neat thing you can get the special ones that everyone doesn't carry... I picked up several that I will share what I picked up in my next post.

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5/3/13 9:24 A

My chives are up!

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5/3/13 9:21 A

Time to get those veggies

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5/2/13 11:55 A

going to have to transplant my veggies

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4/30/13 5:11 P

just purchased a pink lemonade blueberry bush

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4/20/13 10:41 P

tulips are coming up through the snow

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4/13/13 10:41 A

A breath of fresh air...and Spring. I visited Green Valley and enjoyed all the lilies and fresh herbs they have...and the herbs are very healthy and huge IMHO! They said to check back next wednesday as they believe they will have tomato plants for sale then!

This is a great location to get a special or limited variety of tomato that you won't be able to get anywhere else locally! Don't forget to check them out for pepper plants too...but these are usually later when it warms up more. I love my purple peppers! Purple and Gold...does that give any of you Sports fan an idea?
Fill the peppers with dip....or make strips of pepper for dipping.

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4/1/13 6:42 P

I have purple crocuses up!

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2/20/13 9:15 A

I now have two lantern cloche for the garden

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2/1/13 10:40 A

All my bulbs I tried to force as I have done in years past....and not a single one seems to have made it...digging down they all appear to have rotted! This has never happened before...

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1/6/13 1:15 P

It looks as if my basil is trying to make babies!

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1/4/13 7:01 P

I have had fairly good luck on keeping my herbs inside under grow lights...the chives, rosemary and basil...enough to spice up our taters, chicken, and salads...anyone else growing herbs inside?

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1/4/13 9:32 A

THe seed catalogs are beginning to come in now. After I pack up the holiday stuff I will bring in the spring bulbs I potted up that are resting under the snow! Watching them grow and bloom this Winter will be a wonderful sign of Spring.

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9/25/12 12:00 P

have you brought in paint and other items that could freeze yet? Packed up the lawn cusions and umbrellas?

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9/24/12 8:31 A

October 15th is the last day for tender, hybrid tea roses to be safely grown above ground. MN Tip is the recommended way to protect them from cold weather. WHen the temps get down to 20 F the canes will burst on the inside and the rose is killed.

Edited by: GOLDDUSTTWIN at: 9/24/2012 (08:33)

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9/20/12 8:30 A

Vertigo still with me but less intense…not ready for prime time! I gathered the last of my tomatoes from the garden. Took the toad that came in on the houseplants back outside.
Still able to sleep with window open just a wee bit and no extra covers. We have not turned the heat on yet.

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9/16/12 6:48 P

So nice outside. Should be walking outside but rodeo starts in 10 minutes so it is the treadmill for me/. LOL!!!

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9/14/12 8:21 A

I enjoyed sleeping with the window (singular) open last night...it was 44 this morning! Cuddles hurried to do her business and \get back inside! It is so dry keep watering your trees & shrubs right up until the ground freezes to insure they make it through the winter! Have a great day!

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9/13/12 11:42 A

Scotts Fined! Scotts pleaded guilty in February 2012 to illegally applying insecticides to its wild bird food products that are toxic to birds, falsifying pesticide registration documents, distributing pesticides with misleading & unapproved labels, and distributing unregistered pesticides. Scotts Miracle Gro will pay $12.5 Million in Criminal Fine & Civil Penalties for violations of Federal Pesticide Laws! This is the largest criminal penalty under FIFRA to date.

“As the world’s largest marketer of residential use pesticides, Scotts has a special obligation to make certain that it observes the laws governing the sale & use of its products. For having failed to do so, Scotts has been sentenced to pay the largest fine in the history of FIFRA enforcement," said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice.
pinterest.com/pin/92675704803189640/
yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618
525a9efb85257359003fb69d/38045218faa33
abe85257a72006bef1c!opendocument

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9/13/12 8:43 A

See! Cooler weather is here!
Time to start withholding water from the amaryllis that spent the summer outside so they bloom for Christmas as well as my Christmas cactus.

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9/11/12 7:52 P

Just hang in there cooler weather coming in tonight...high tomorrow lin 70's over 20 degree drop in temperature

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9/11/12 7:30 P

I hate this hot windy weather. I want to open my windows.

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9/7/12 8:53 A

my birches have turned yellow and are dropping their leaves

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9/6/12 10:07 A

I hear a 20 degree drop in temperature...will have to start bringing those tender plants back inside for the evenings and outside when it warms up daily!

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9/5/12 8:42 A

Did you know there is a disease...downy mildwe that was in Florida and now showing up on sweet basil plants here in Minnesota? Potting up more plants for winter...hoping they establish before I have to bring them in!

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9/4/12 10:12 A

time to start preparing for winter

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9/1/12 9:25 P

I noticed a few leaves changing color. Looks like autmn is coming even if it is 90 degrees outside. LOL!!!

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9/1/12 2:59 P

plan to work on brambles this afternoon....and remove grape vines!

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8/30/12 9:50 A

remember to water any newly planted trees & shrubs and potted plants...the heat today could do them in!

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8/29/12 9:27 A

before it gets hot I am potting up some herbs & flowers today

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8/26/12 11:16 A

This year we had an increase in the number of butterflies and hummingbirds in the gardens throughout Minnesota....and did you know that once a flower is pollinated it stops producing nectar?

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8/23/12 9:44 P

Nothing going on in my garden now except for the black eyed susan's. They are growing like crazy.

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8/20/12 8:52 A

Forgot to bring the houseplants in last night...my Jasmine's leaves have turned red!

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8/17/12 8:50 A

BRR! 40's are too cold for any houseplants that were Summering outside...bring them in for the evenings and set them outside when 50 or above...this will help them acclimate easily to having less light too so you wont have as much leaf drop

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8/15/12 7:13 P

I had not heard that. I am glad for some cooler weather. A nice long fall with nice weather would be just wonderful.

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8/8/12 9:10 P

Did you hear we just had the hottest July on record!

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8/8/12 7:48 P

Come on lets see some rain.

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8/6/12 9:58 A

I was kinda lazy yesterday too! Visiting with the grandkids and being outside in the fresh air Saturday seems to have done me in!

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8/5/12 1:27 P

Great day to be outside pulling weeds. But I went swimming this morning so too tired to do much.

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8/3/12 8:26 A

I hear the weekend is going to be great! Make plans now to enjoy these last days of summer! Finally can get into my gardens

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8/1/12 9:26 A

Morning get as much done this morning as possible..hot and humid this afternoon & evening!

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7/31/12 9:46 A

Gathered a nice bunch of tomatoes...grape & slicers plus basil this morning!

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7/30/12 6:35 P

All I seem to do this summer is weed flower beds. The heat really spoiled how well our lillies bloomed.

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7/29/12 12:22 P

Savor these last days of July!

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7/27/12 9:56 A

a cool da...now if the dew dries and the temp doesnt rise it will be a beautiful day for gardening and walking the trails!

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7/26/12 8:13 A

tomatoes are ripening daily

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7/21/12 8:50 P

Has tall skinny stalks with lots of small flowers. If I think about it I will try to post a picture.

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7/15/12 5:28 P

does it have spikes of color...as in liatris or blazing star

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7/15/12 5:04 P

Well the Hollyhocks once transplanted are growing well but it is a non bloom year so that is disappointing. But this plant I have by my front door and have no idea what it is is blooming pretty purple flowers. Last year it attracted butterflies so I hope that happens again.

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7/12/12 8:10 A

I gathered a handfull of cherry & grape tomatoes and a handful of blueberries today!

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7/11/12 9:20 A

Today I finally get into the gardens

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7/10/12 11:39 A

hope your gardens are doing better than mine

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7/9/12 8:30 P

I saw one but it was eaten and one cherry tomatoe

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7/9/12 7:50 P

Does anyone have tomatos yet? I sure am tasting a home grown tomato on a blt right about now.