Sometimes, in order to get the varieties you want, you just have to buy them earlier than you want, just to get them. I start my selling season on April 15th and no way can you put them out at that time.

Sometimes you want a certain variety such as Beauty King, Blush, Brad’s Atomic Grape, Cherokee Purple Heart, Vintage Wine, or Pruden’s Purple. Unless you grow them from seed you probably aren’t going to find them anywhere.

What about peppers? Try finding plants of Biquinho, Royal Black, Filius, Jalapeno Tajin, or Lemon Drop at a farmer’s market.

My customers who are savvy come early so they can get the more unusual or rare varieties. Naturally, they need to know how to keep them happy. So I school them n the dos and don’ts of what to do.

#1 Available real estate. When you buy a plant check the root ball. It may fill the pot and you will need to transplant them into a bigger pot to keep them growing. One of the reasons that I start some really early and put them into a gallon-size pot. Real Estate is everything for a plant. Below is the same variety of petunia. One was transplanted into a larger pot, and the other stayed in its old container. The difference is amazing.

#2 They need light. You can’t put them in your garage or basement with a lightbulb and consider it good. Even a bright window is not going to be satisfactory for any length of time. They need to go outside and get used to the weather. that being said if it is going to be over 40 at night when you set them out, leave them out. Also, watch out for wind and hail. If you buy a lot, consider putting them in a wagon or a sled or (use your creativity) and bring them out all at once rather than one at a time.

#3 They will need water. The nice thing about a bigger pot is that there is more soil volume and they don’t dry out as fast. In a smaller container, you really need to keep an eye on their water requirements.

#4 They will get hungry. we use a lot of organic amendments in our potting soil so they are set when we transplant but due to leaching (continuous watering dilutes the fertilizer every time you water), they will need more fertilizer be it organic or non-organic. Use the fertilizer you like, organic, non-organic, miracle-gro, or fish emulsion at half-strength every couple of weeks when you water. Light green tomato plants are especially unattractive.

It always amazes me how fast my plants grow. When they are first transplanted they just sort of sit there for a couple of weeks. Then, when their roots are feeling a little more settled, they start to put on growth. I am going to take pictures at regular intervals so that you see what I see in my greenhouse. I will do the same thing with the tomatoes.

There are four pics of the Jalapenos from 3 different dates. the others just represent the beauty of the little plants.

Lettuce is a cool-season vegetable, it grows best in temperatures around 60 – 65°F. Once temperatures rise above 80°F, lettuce will normally start to “bolt” or stop leaf production and send up a stalk to flower and produce seed. The leaves become bitter when this happens.

Romaine types such as Mayan Jaguar and Pomegranate Crunch, Butterheads, such as Tom Thumb and Speckled Amish, and loose-leaf lettuces, such as Buckley and Slo-Bolt tolerate heat better than tighter heading lettuces like Iceberg.

Several things you can do to grow lettuce in summer, at least a little longer.

Mulch Lettuce tolerates a higher air temperature if the soil around its roots is cool and moist. Keeping your soil cool and damp encourages your lettuce to grow longer without bolting. Since lettuce has wide and shallow roots, a thick mulch keeps it happier in warm weather.

Partial shade is one way to keep lettuce growing later into warm weather. Deep shade isn’t good, but a system allowing sun during the morning while sheltering the plants in the afternoon keeps them living longer.

In the long run, when it gets as hot as it is going to get in the upcoming weeks (100’s), there is very little you can do to prevent your lettuce from bolting and turning bitter. To salvage it, harvest it and it will keep n the refrigerator for weeks. Much longer than anything you can buy at a grocery store.

If you are starting seeds during these times, just know that most lettuce seeds won’t germinate as temperatures rise above 80°F, a condition called “thermo-inhibition”. This trait is a carryover from wild lettuce in the Mediterranean Middle East, where summers are hot with little moisture. If the lettuce seeds sprouted under these conditions, they would soon die out and the species would go extinct.

The hot weather looks to be here. This morning I saw that it’s going to over 100 degrees for the next six days. (Unusual for our area) That means I won’t be going outside except to water. (I may stick a picture of myself in my horse’s paddock for her to remember me!) Although most people assume that tomatoes love hot weather. They don’t.

Fruit development slows as the plant focuses on moving water through its system. A heat wave can also keep tomatoes from developing into a deep red, resulting in orange fruit.

Most varieties of tomato plants take a break, even those who are bred for warmer climates. They don’t care for excessive heat any more than we do. When daytime temperatures are up in the 90s and nights are in the 70s or warmer, tomato plants may keep on blooming, but the flowers often fall off and fruit does not set. Pollination doesn’t occur when it it is too hot. Once the flower opens, it has a short 50 hour window in which to pollinate or they abort, dry up and drop off. Don’t worry, they will soon return to normal as it gets cooler.

Here are few things you can do to help them through this time:

Mulch
Adding mulch around the base of your tomato plants can help keep the ground a few degrees cooler and and aids in keeping moisture fro excessive evaporation. Use two to three inches of mulch, things like leaves or grass clippings.

Avoid Overwatering
You might think the plants need more water than normal. They don’t, they need the same amount but more often. In pots, I water throughly every day in hot weather. I soak them until water come out the holes in the bottom of the container. If it’s a smaller pot with very little volume you might need to do this twice a day. (See why I recommend LARGE containers?) Tomato plants need an inch or two of water a week. A deep soaking is better than a little water every day.  The best way to tell if your plants need water is to poke your finger into the soil. If it’s dry more than an inch down, it’s time to get out the hose.

I was interviewed last week for an article in AARP. The author just sent it to me and I am going to share it with you. I have to say, I am so excited about this. I am quoted with two other growers, one of which is Craig LeHoullier, one of the original growers involved with starting the Dwarf Tomato Project. I feel honored to be in the same circle as someone so illustrious. As you know, I’ve been growing and selling the Dwarfs for several years now and love them.

Don’t worry, I won’t forget my friends when and if I ever become famous!

https://www.aarp.org/…/info…/ways-to-grow-tomatoes.html

Chef’s Choice is a series of tomatoes that are known for crack resistance. good flavor, prolific harvests and smooth firm flesh. Each color has it’s own characteristics. In some trials each plant produced 30 or more fruit. Indeterminate vines reach 5 feet and have a good disease resistance package. Are they really a Chef’s Choice? I don’t know the answer to that. However, I am happy to grow them this year.

Producing large 10 -12 ounce flattened beefsteak fruits with beautiful pinkish-red stripes inside. Sweet with great flavor and texture. Each plant can produce about 30 fruits per season. Indeterminate, main season

This is a beefsteak tomato with a dark green/brown/black hue. Vigorous, healthy plants were early to set and have a meaty interior with great flavor. This hybrid boasts prolific yields. Indeterminate, main season

Rich, heirloom flavor, these bright orange 9-12 oz. fruits are perfect fresh or cooked. This hybrid-heirloom, adapted from the tasty but late ‘Amana Orange’ will quickly become a favorite. Very prolific. Disease-resistant plants resist cracking. Indeterminate, main season

Large, 12–14 ounce pink beefsteaks are very prolific. With a fine balance of sweet to acid flavor, they are great for soups, stewing, or sauces. Indeterminate, main season

Fans of Cherokee Purple will fall in love with this exceptionally flavored heirloom hybrid. Attractive, flattened globe shaped, 9 to 10 oz. fruits are firm, smooth and truly purple inside and out. Indeterminate, main season

This globe shaped beefsteak tomato is firm and fleshy with a beautiful red color and dark green leaves A heavy producer. It offers great foliage protection against the summer sun. Superior disease resistance. Indeterminate, main season 

 Gorgeous, 10 oz beefsteak-type, fruits have a sweet, citrus-like flavor with just the right amount of acid and the perfect tomato texture. Plants produce loads of golden yellow fruits. Indeterminate, main season

I have been growing lettuce in containers for several years now. Why you might ask?

• Lettuce is pretty, some lettuce varieties are as colorful as flowers and their leaves come in so many shapes and sizes. While it can star as the thriller in a container, it is also nice as a filler, complimenting the colors of other flowers. I’ve always believed that edible gardens can be functional and beautiful.
• I hate slugs, Yes, I know that they have a purpose in the garden other than destroying your vegetables, but I really don’t want them in my lettuce. So far, I have suffered no slug damage to lettuce in pots.
• You can locate your lettuce closer to the house for ease of harvesting
• When you harvest your lettuce, if you planted petunias or pansies or other flowers in the same pot, they will fill in the blanks

Tips for Successful Container Lettuce

Location: As with all lettuce, place container in lots of sun. It can do afternoon shade and morning SUN.

Containers: As with any container garden use containers that have good drainage and that will accommodate the amount of plants you are using. Consider the size of the lettuce at maturity. Jadeite and Mayan Jaguar are mini-romaines and can be planted alone in a smaller pot. Elf Ears and Better Angel can be huge plants when full grown and will need more space. Add some flowers such as petunias and you can up the size of the pot. Colanders, stock pots, wooden pots, any kind of pot with proper drainage will work fine. You may have to put a hole in the bottom. Also remember that a larger pot will need less watering.

Soil: I can’t say this enough, NEVER use garden soil in a pot. EVER. Choose a quality, well draining potting soil.

Water and Fertilizer: Keep your container from drying out. Fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Since you are watering frequently, this leaches out the nutrients faster than if they are planted in the ground, You will need to fertilize once a week or every two weeks depending on the amount of watering you are doing. Dilute the liquid fertilize to ¼ or 1/2 strength. You can also use a dry fertilizer such as Osmocote. Whichever way you go, ALWAYS read the directions on the package.

Harvesting: Leaf lettuces can be used as :”cut and come again” lettuce, Just remember that you will get about 3 cuts before the plant starts to decline.

I am in love with lettuce. It’s good for you and comes in a multitude of colors and, shapes and sizes. who knew there were so many kinds. Most people , i they think of it all, figre there are 5 types of lettuce. Whqt they see in the stores is red leaf, green leaf, iceberg, romaine and sometimes butter lettuce.

A couple of years ago I started perusing some of my favorite catalogs and was amazed at the variety. I grew starts and sold them along with my tomato plants. It was well received. I held a “Salad Bowl Workshop” for some of my customers and showed them how to plant i various kinds f pots such as stock pots and colanders. I twas so much fun and the ladies learned how to use lettuce AND flowers to make beautiful containers, both functional and edible!

This year I’ve started approximately 35 kinds of lettuce. I am going to showcase a few of what I have to offer. Can you image making a salad with these combinations? Masterful! My faves are Mayan Jaguar and Tom Thumb. I will showcase more in my next blog post.