Portable Gardening

Proper Tomato Nutrients

gardener — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:57:18 +0000

The secret to growing large vegetables is providing the proper nutrients to the soil. Potting mixes are not always composed of the correct ratio of nutrients. For fruit-bearing vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers, you need a high concentration of phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium.

To correct the soil imbalance, I would recommend supplementing the potting mix with some aged manure and peat moss. These two organic materials will provide a steady flow of nutrients throughout the year.

To keep the soil from drying out, I suggest using either straw or dried grass clippings. Once again, these are organic materials that will enhance soil composition as they break down. They do a great job of holding in the moisture and keeping down weeds.

Finally, a good trick to controlling blossom end rot is to add 2 tablespoons of epsom salts to the planting hole prior to transplanting. Just be sure to scratch it in rather than placing the seedling directly on top of the epsom salts. Some gardeners take this one step further by placing crushed eggshells around the transplant as a mulch. Eggshells are loaded with calcium, while epsom salts are high in magnesium.

Tips For Growing Great Tomatoes

gardener — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:49:48 +0000

TEN TIPS ON HOW TO GROW YOUR BEST TOMATOES EVER:
1. Start your seeds early with the freshest highest quality seed,
preferably organic, in a peat-based, sterilized potting medium.
2. Do not allow your seedlings to get stressed by getting root bound.
Pot them onto 4″pots when the first set of true leaves appear.
3. Fertilize your potted seedlings weekly with a liquid feed of fish
fertilizer or liquid seaweed.
4. Move your seedlings on into one gallon pots when the roots have
filled the 4″ pot. Encourage more roots to develop along the stem by
stripping it of the lower leaves, and burying it just under the
remaining upper truss of leaves. Keep fertilizing as above. Tomatoes
will crop earlier if you keep the young plants in pots until the first
flowers open. Otherwise, when you plant them out, they put all their
energy into growing new roots, delaying the formation of the first
flower truss.
5. Wait until the soil has thoroughly warmed up before moving your
plants out into the garden. Plant in fertile soil in full sun, with a
handful of granular organic fertilizer to feed the plant throughout the
season. Granulated seaweed is perfect for tomatoes. Dig a deep hole, and
encourage the growth of yet more roots along the stem, by stripping off
the lower leaves again, and burying the stem just below the remaining
upper leaf truss. Use cloches, bell jars or landscape fabric as methods
of warming up the soil, and trapping the warmth in at night to avoid
stressing the young transplants.
6. Provide good support for tomato plants at planting time. Staking
exposes the leaves to sunlight and results in an increase of fruit
production. Besides there is nothing worse than finding your loaded
tomato plant collapsed on the ground due to lack of sufficient support.
TIP: Pantyhose makes the best ties for tomato plants, as it does not
cut into the soft stems. Cut pantyhose into stretchy strips and use
these for tying plants to stakes in the garden.
7. As the tomatoes grow, pinch off the tomato suckers from vining or
semi-determinate plants. These are the sprouts which grow between the
main stem and the leaf axils. Removing suckers directs the plants energy
to fruit production rather than vine production. Training your plants to
one or two main stems increases the amount of fruit produced.
8. Remove the tip from the main stem of tomato plants towards the end of
August to stop further growth. This will encourage the fruit already set
to ripen. Defoliate the plant completely to assist the fruit ripening;
despite what you may think, this does not harm the plant, but really
speeds up ripening.
9. Do not overwater. A deep soaking once a week is better than several
light waterings. Fruit splitting and blossom end rot is caused by
erratic watering. If you are worried about tomato blight then water at
ground level only, keeping the foliage dry at all times.
10. In fall mulch the garden with seaweed. This will make a huge
difference to your yields. If you are growing tomatoes in containers,
liquid feed weekly, alternating with liquid fish fertilizer one week and
liquid seaweed the next.

Portable Gardens

gardener — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:26:24 +0000

(1888PressRelease) October 25, 2006 - Rochester, NY October 25, 2006 - A popular portable indoor garden now ships in kit form for installation in nursing homes andextended care facilities throughout US and Canada.

Portable Gardens of Rochester, New York announced the expanded availability of their indoor garden product to facilities throughout the United States and Canada. The portable garden is an integrated, complete solution for growing and showing plants indoors. A wheeled plant enclosure with integral lighting, it is easily moved to wherever people will tend it or enjoy its growing contents.

Historically, Portable Gardens personnel have delivered and set up gardens at buyer’s sites throughout New York state and surrounding areas. In response to increased requests for the gardens throughout the US, a shippable kit version of the garden was produced. Delivered on a single pallet, the kit can be built into the same quality product by the end user following included installation instructions. “As much as we have enjoyed visiting a range of facilities to setup their gardens, we’re pleased that our kit product will allow more organizations and a wider area to acquire and enjoy this product”, says Wes Kleppe, Portable Gardens president, noting gardens in use in Maryland and Florida.

As a mobile activity center, the garden has large casters and a slim overall profile allowing easy movement to therapy areas or patient rooms through doorways and elevators. The growing contents are contained in a plastic plant container within an attractive wooden frame suitable for public display. An integrated lighting fixture with timer provides lighting to support flowering plants indoors year-round.

To date, the portable gardens have been placed in nursing homes and assisted livingfacilities. They are prized by recreational therapists, who use them as a planting and tending activity for residents year-round.
In addition, facilities observe benefits from people taking responsibility and pride in the care of the plantings. “The garden converts the resident from being cared for to being a caretaker again,” Kleppe notes. “Our gardens give people who may be prevented from outdoor activities the means to once more relax and stay active with gardening indoors.”

Portable Gardens will work with interested parties to evaluate their needs and provide personal delivery and setup within the northeast delivery area, or kit shipping for customer assembly in other regions. Completed gardens are equipped with everything the end user needs to start gardening, and are available in a choice of wood finishes. For additional information on the portable gardens, configuration and delivery options, contact Wes Kleppe or visit www.MyPortableGarden.com.

Plan Your Gardens Space

gardener — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:16:48 +0000

You need the best laid plans when it comes to a “portable” garden. Although we will be using containers and custom plats and the such for our garden that should be movable, we still want to limit movement so as not to disturb the plants to much. Pick an are where your garden should most likely stay at. Choose your sunlight and temperature correctly for the type of plants you are growing and take into account the soil depth you will be needing. It may be necessary to use a couple different spaces depending on the plants requirements.

Innovative Ways of Gardening

gardener — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:26:17 +0000

Watch for innovative ways of gardening on this website. we will help you make the most of your gardening space. We also encourage those that sell portable gardening set-ups and equipment to let us know about it!