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The GardenZeus Guide to Watering Tomatoes
September 6, 2015
Nothing But Tomatoes
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: C. Darren Butler
Tomato plants benefit from consistent soil moisture with a partial or slight dry-down of soil between waterings to ensure that soil is not consistently wet. The amount of dry-down between waterings should be kept consistent, as irregular moisture swings and dry soil can lead to problems such as blossom end rot and fruit splitting. See […]
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The GardenZeus Guide to Choosing the Best Tomato Varieties For Your Garden
September 5, 2015
Nothing But Tomatoes
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: C. Darren Butler
With the hundreds of wonderful and reliable tomato varieties that are known to do well in your zone, in an astonishing diversity of colors, sizes, shapes and uses, it may take time and research to select varieties that best meet your needs. Do you prefer a simple roadmap to good tomato varieties for your climate […]
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The GardenZeus Guide to Buying Vegetable Seedlings
Oh, the horror! the horror! that GardenZeus expert Darren Butler has seen with vegetable seedlings offered for retail sale. The health, vigor, and future yield of most vegetables are highly dependent on what happens to the plants during their first weeks of life, from germination to transplant and early establishment. Nursery display racks, big-box-store tables, […]
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The GardenZeus Guide to Tomato Varieties for California Zone 12
September 4, 2015
GardenZeus Southern California
/ Nothing But Tomatoes
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: C. Darren Butler
When selecting tomato varieties for your garden, consider your own needs and preferences, and the many aspects of the tomato variety and the tomatoes it produces, from plants’ growth and fruiting habits to cultural needs to fruit size and flavor. GardenZeus generally recommends organic, open-pollinated, and heirloom seed varieties, and we note specifically on our […]
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The GardenZeus Guide to Four Basic Tomato Categories
September 4, 2015
Nothing But Tomatoes
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: C. Darren Butler
GardenZeus prefers the following four basic categories that cover the majority of tomatoes: 1) Cherry: Small tomatoes from plants that are generally more vigorous, productive, and easier to grow than larger varieties. Cherry tomatoes include grape or mini varieties, which are generally smaller plants that produce small-to-tiny fruits that are often sweet and borne in […]
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Garden Oatmeal: an Overabundance of Kale and Chard
GardenZeus expert Darren Butler has nicknamed productive, healthy garden greens, such as chard and kale, as “Garden Oatmeal” because while hearty and nutritious, after months and years of eating such plants regularly, they can come to seem plain and unappealing, or even be avoided entirely for weeks at a time, unless prepared as part of […]
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GardenZeus Tips for Shading Vegetables During Hot Weather
August 21, 2015
GardenZeus Northern California
/ GardenZeus Southern California
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: C. Darren Butler
At no cost to you, GardenZeus receives commissions for purchases made through links in this post. To extend your harvest and avoid bolting, stressed plants, and/or reduced yields from vegetables during hot weather, you may wish to install shadecloth over your plants to protect them during afternoon heat, or be creative in finding mobile and […]
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The GardenZeus Quick and Easy Guide to Blanching and Freezing Vegetables and Herbs
Prior to freezing, GardenZeus recommends blanching vegetables and herbs in boiling water for about 30 seconds to 2 minutes until color brightens, then immersing in ice water to cool quickly and prevent overcooking. Blanching softens leaves and stems, which makes them easier to work with when freezing, and helps to preserve nutrition and flavor. […]
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How Squeamish Are You About Bugbitten Greens?
Our vegetable gardens cultivate us as we cultivate them; it is for this reason that GardenZeus expert Darren Butler believes that so many longtime gardeners have special wisdom – they have been grown long and well by their gardens. Garden greens inevitably bring up questions of self-knowledge in the area of insect and gastropod squeamishness: […]
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