• Compost & Amendments, Eggplants, Peppers - Hot, Peppers - Sweet, Pests & Diseases, Solanaceous/Nightshade Family, Tomatoes

How to Prevent Fusarium Wilt on Tomatoes

Last season nearly every local gardener I know had tomatoes die from Fusarium wilt. We lost a large percentage of our crop to it (although with 80 tomato plants, we still had plenty to harvest). Then I saw GOFO’s office garden at Crescent Studios and could not believe my eyes.  Unlike the other gardens I’d seen, their tomatoes didn’t have…

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• Eggplants, Heirlooms, Kitchen Gardens/Potagers, Pests & Diseases, Potatoes - Irish, Solanaceous/Nightshade Family, Tomatoes

How to Identify Fusarium Wilt and Septoria Leaf Spot in Tomatoes

I felt silly displaying a potted ‘Tumbling Tom’ tomato for the Urban Farm Tour since we already had 80 tomato plants in the ground but last week it paid us back with extra early ripe cherries. Now the garden is producing handfuls of medium-sized varieties, leading up to the bumper crop we’ll be able to sell to the public. I’m…

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• Catalogs/Nurseries/Sources, Community Events, Heirlooms, Kitchen Gardens/Potagers, Nature & Garden Journals, Propagation, Seed Saving/Starting, Things to Do, Tomatoes, Unusual Vegetables

How to Trade Seeds with Me

So I just posted about trading for seeds over at GardenWeb. Here’s the link if you’d like to trade! If you aren’t familiar with GardenWeb there is a tutorial on exchanging seeds and one on using the forums. I’ll also be happy to answer questions about it. Since I don’t have a lot of seeds to exchange this year, I’ve…

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• Catalogs/Nurseries/Sources, Heirlooms, Ornamental Edibles, Plant in Spring, Plant in Summer, Propagation, Ripe in Fall, Ripe in Summer, Seed Saving/Starting, Solanaceous/Nightshade Family, South/Central American Edibles, Things to Do, Tomatoes

How to Save Tomato Seeds (and Oddball Varieties)

I have a request! I’d be so delighted if you’d help me locate any seed strain of the OSU P20 blue tomato. (Scroll to the bottom for photos & more details). Next, the deadline to submit a post about a food or ornamental plant that you’d recommend for How to Find Great Plants is this Friday, January 28th. I’ve noticed…

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• Catalogs/Nurseries/Sources, Heirlooms, Kitchen Gardens/Potagers, Ornamental Edibles, Plant in Spring, Ripe in Fall, Ripe in Summer, Solanaceous/Nightshade Family, South/Central American Edibles, Tomatoes

How to Get Your Kid to Eat Tomatoes (aka “Vampire Traveling Tomatoes” that Look Like Brains)

My daughter didn’t like tomatoes and it was killing me in the kitchen. When I read this Slate article* and learned that food dislikes were psychological,** and therefore fixable, I decided to eliminate the family food aversions one by one. I managed to turn my intense hatred of anything that had even touched mint, cucumbers, or cinnamon into absolute cravings….

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• Catalogs/Nurseries/Sources, Farmers Markets, Heirlooms, Italian Edibles, Kitchen Gardens/Potagers, Local Feed & Seeds, Plant in Spring, Plant in Summer, Ripe in Fall, Ripe in Summer, Seed Saving/Starting, Solanaceous/Nightshade Family, South/Central American Edibles, Tomatoes, Vining Edibles

How to Plant Tomatoes (and Get the Best Root System)

Homegrown tomatoes (and basil) are the reason most of us began growing food in the first place. Though some people direct sow their tomato seeds, most begin the season with transplants. Tomato transplants are a little different than other vegetables — there are some simple tricks that can improve their root system and vigor in your garden. This photo tutorial…

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• Catalogs/Nurseries/Sources, Farm Stands, Farmers Markets, Heirlooms, Italian Edibles, Kitchen Gardens/Potagers, Plant in Spring, Ripe in Fall, Ripe in Summer, Seed Saving/Starting, Solanaceous/Nightshade Family, South/Central American Edibles, Tomatoes, Unusual Vegetables, Vining Edibles

How to Increase a “Tomato Problem” (with Gratuitous Photos)

Does anyone who loves tomatoes really need advice on more tomatoes to buy? Yes. Because how else are we going to make it through the winter? Note: for photo captions “OP” stands for Open-Pollinated, which means you can save the seeds. Heirlooms are OP. For hybrids you can’t save the seeds, but they aren’t the same as GMOs. Everyone has…

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• Allium Family, Arugula, Drying, Edible Flowers, Edible Greens, Local Dairy, Onions - Bulbing, Onions - Scallions/Bunching/Spring, Recipes - Baking, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Lunch, Solanaceous/Nightshade Family, Things to Do, Tomatoes, Winter Growing

How to Make Homegrown Sun-dried Tomato, Feta, & Caramelized Onion Tart w/Arugula

My friends and I pull out all the stops for our annual pie party competition and this year I liked my tomato tart entry enough that I’ve made it several times since November. It is becoming a quick potluck favorite.  I make it either as a large tart or as mini tartlets. It’s delicious! The recipe calls for soaking the…

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• Arugula, Asian Edibles, Crucifer/Cole/Brassica Family, Edible Greens, Farm Stands, Farmers Markets, Farms, Herbs/Spices, Livestock, Local Dairy, Local Eggs, Peppers - Sweet, Product Reviews, Restaurants, Root Crops, Seasonal Food, Solanaceous/Nightshade Family, Tomatoes, Winter Growing

How to Get Local Food in the Winter

This is similar to a post I published in August, but I think winter food buying bears special mention. Just a handful of years ago if I didn’t plant enough food for my family over the winter my only option was to buy hard, bland produce shipped from around the globe to my conventional supermarket. Not this year. I didn’t…

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