In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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« May 2007 | In the Garden front page | July 2007 »

June 29, 2007

Calling all tomato aficionados

Thanks to reader and heirloom tomato aficionado, Bill Bird, I’ve discovered a forum dedicated to all things tomato.

It’s called Tomatoville, and the more than 1,600 members call themselves tomatovillians. Log onto the website and a tomato-head farmer clad in blue overalls and a yellow shirt says, “Welcome to Tomatoville. We speak tomato.”

You can talk tomato with gardeners across the country or in your own backyard. Members talk about growing tomatoes from seed, saving seed, fertilizing tomatoes, tomato cages, cooking with tomatoes and more. You can even talk about flowers and vegetables. Politics and religion are verboten since there are plenty of places to discuss those topics. Membership is free, though they do ask for your birthday. You can hide that information from fellow tomatovillians if you like.

And Fred "Farmer Fred" Hoffman writes: "This is a first for me: heirloom tomatoes ripening before the hybrids! This, the last week of June, we have already enjoyed the Druzba, Costaluto Genovese, Campbells and Marianna's Peace (a late season tomato!)...we are still waiting for the Early Girl and Celebrity to ripen... What gives? Of course, the cherry tomato, Sweet Million, already is ripening in the thousands."

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:30 PM | Comments

June 28, 2007

A cure for blossom end rot?

Don in Folsom has had troubles with the dreaded blossom end rot in the past with little luck in thwarting it until now. Here is what he says:

"There is nothing worse than picking a red tomato that you have been watching grow for weeks only to find half of it is rotten. Four years ago, I thought I would try some common sense to finding a cure for this. I deduced that this appeared to be a physiological problem in that the…skin was somehow being penetrated. Then I thought where is it being penetrated - hello! - at the blossom-end! I decided thereafter to knock the blossom off as soon as I saw the pregnant swelling showing a tomato was being formed. I believe this allows the tomato to 'heal' before any wet rot can be introduced. Since I started this, I have not had a single instance of blossom-end rot! I have not changed any other routine - same garden spot, same daily quick surface flood watering, same beginning soil additive. Maybe your readers would like to try this."

Thanks, Don. Readers?

Posted by Pat Rubin at 04:02 PM | Comments

June 25, 2007

Something is digging in my garden!

Something is digging small circles in the bark that covers the paths in my garden. And last night the rascals dug up five or six young corn plants and also dug down into the exact spot I planted cucumber seeds. I think the culprit is digging for earthworms. I just harvested potatoes from the bed where I planted the young corn plants, and the earthworms in that bed were huge and fat. The soil is light and friable.

All the paths in the garden are mulched with several inches of chipped bark. I try to get a couple truckloads every year or two when the tree trimmers are on my road. I notice when I water thoroughly and regularly and the paths are nice and moist that some animal comes in digging around. I’m going to take one of the extra tomato cages and lay it across the corn plants this evening to try and discourage whatever varmint is raiding my garden.

Raccoons, perhaps? Any ideas or suggestions?

Posted by Pat Rubin at 10:54 AM | Comments

June 22, 2007

A call from Maryland about tomatoes

One of the fun parts about being garden writer for The Sacramento Bee is that many of my stories go out through the wire services and then are picked up by newspapers, radio stations and web sites all over the nation. Al Shuster from Silver Springs, Maryland, read an article I’d written about tomatoes in his local newspaper, and called to talk about his tomato cages.

Shuster has been gardening 40 or 50 years, he said, and uses remesh (concrete reinforcing wire) for tomato cages. He makes them 3 feet in diameter, and 16 to 20 feet tall. He planted his tomatoes about three weeks ago. To prepare the spot, he digs a hole, mixes in eggshells and composted cow manure, then plants the tomatoes clear up to their top leaves. He waters them with MiracleGro, pouring just a few cups of the mixture a day into the shallow trench he digs around the plants. In three weeks his plants have reached two feet tall.

Shuster learned a lot about vegetable gardening from his grandfather. He’s grown just about every vegetable imaginable, he said. This year his garden includes raspberries, blueberries, soybeans, tomatoes and spearmint.
It’s amazing to me to see who reads The Bee’s stories, and in return to hear their stories.

Thanks for the call, Al.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 02:49 PM | Comments

June 21, 2007

Locavores

For the second time in about as many weeks I’ve come across the term “locavore.” It’s the word coined by folks who try to eat locally grown foods as much as possible. We’re lucky in Northern California because we have so many wonderful farmers’ markets, and we can grow vegetables most of the year.

A group of Bay Area locavores call themselves a “group of culinary adventurers,” and have challenged themselves and others to eat only foods grown or harvested within a 100-mile radius of where they live for September 2007. “We recognize that the choices we make about what foods we choose to eat are important politically, environmentally, economically, and healthfully,” it says on their site. They offer tips, recipes and more.

It’s an interesting concept, and one that is gaining popularity. After all, who really wants to eat lettuce that has traveled 1,500 miles?

Posted by Pat Rubin at 04:35 PM | Comments

June 19, 2007

Earwigs

My marigolds are looking chewed.

I suspect earwigs.

The only way to know for sure is to go out at night---earwigs prefer to destroy plants under the cover of darkness---with a flashlight and take a look. I’ve seen it happen before. You have marigolds one day, skeletons the next. The earwigs can chew their way through an entire planting of flowers in one night.

As far as insects go, earwigs are scary-looking little creatures. They got the name earwig because, in centuries past, they’d be found in bedding and people mistakenly believed they’d crawl into your ears at night. They’re also called “pincher bugs” because of the wicked-looking pincers on their back end. And those pincers work.

Control? Diligence and perseverance are the operative words. When you see an earwig, smash it. I’ve also gone out at night, flashlight in hand and Safer’s Insecticidal Soap in the other, and any earwig I see I spritz with the soap spray. It kills them. After several days, you’ve generally knocked the population down enough that the marigolds make it through the night.

Do you have tip for controlling earwigs? Post it on the comments section below and share it with In the Garden readers.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 02:28 PM | Comments

June 18, 2007

A banner year for vegetables

The Bee’s raised bed vegetable garden is beginning to consistently produce vegetables and greens. I pick enough rattlesnake pole beans each day for a meal, or to share. The cherry tomatoes are beginning to ripen. I picked cups and cups of basil leaves, enough for any pesto lover. Ditto for arugula for salads. The parsley was beginning to get tough, so I picked some to dry, and fed the rest to the donkeys (they loved it!). The eggplant is growing well, too, and I’m looking forward to harvesting fresh eggplant.

Many readers have written about their gardens, too. The general consensus is that this is a great year for the vegetable garden. Some readers are already picking tomatoes, squash, beans, chard, cucumbers and more.

Keep those comments and photos coming!

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:34 PM | Comments

June 15, 2007

Colfax reader gardens along with us

Several readers have written about the raised beds they’ve built along with us here at The Bee. Here’s Barbara Wightman’s story:

"When I returned from three months in Italy on May 6, I thought I was
too late to have much of a garden this year. But when I saw your raised bed article in the Bee with instructions and a list of materials for raised beds, I couldn't resist. Well, I wasn't the one who actually did the construction - that was my partner John's job. And what a job he did, as you can see from this photo.

We live in Colfax and we have more than our share of deer. And while we have a large garden area fenced against the deer, it's not right in our back yard. I wanted something close at hand that I could look at from our big dining room and living room windows. So John had to add corner posts and deer fencing to keep our crops from sure annihilation. It took him two weekends (he's meticulous and does everything perfectly) and he finished the job last weekend. Then he filled the two beds with two yards of mushroom compost from our local bulk supplier. I was right behind him with tomato, arugula, radish, basil, and mesclun seeds I brought back from Italy, plus some basil, pepper, tomato, and marigold plants I had waiting. I also planted carrot and leeks seeds I bought in France four years ago. They're not up yet, but I think they take a while.

Today, when I drove up our road, there were five large deer, some with fuzzy antlers, all standing around the beds. If it had been a cartoon, I would have had them scratching their heads and wondering which way was "in".

Our total cost minus the soil and plants (and a staple gun because we couldn't find ours) was $284. We shopped at Lowes in Roseville for the materials and Hansen Bros in Colfax for the soil. The plants come from Hills Flat Lumber company in Colfax and the new and beautiful Bella Fiore Nursery just south of Colfax off of the Heather Glen exit."

Thanks, Barbara.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 10:37 AM | Comments

June 13, 2007

Better Boy tomatoes ripe, too

Reader Ted Allebes is harvesting Better Boy tomatoes.

His secret? He takes a risk and starts early. “As soon as I see tomato plants at the nursery I buy them and stick them in the ground. Some years it works, and I have early tomatoes. Some years it’s cold and the plants just sit there and do nothing. Some years I have to buy more and do it again.”

This year the weather cooperated, Allebes said. He also added Epsom salts to the soil, and lots of horse manure. Last, he used a spray product called Tomato and Blossom Set. It contains a hormone that is supposed to help tomato blossoms set fruit even when the weather unfavorable.

Ted and his wife Emma also grow five kinds of berries, melons, squash and chard. He and a friend have a contest each year to see who gets the first ripe tomatoes. Allebes’ friend’s tomatoes are just an inch across and still green.

When we spoke, Allebes told me he had about a half dozen tomatoes in front of him and he was about to go inside and eat them with lunch. I’m sure those tomatoes are gone by now.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 11:01 AM | Comments

June 12, 2007

Ripe tomatoes already!

Let me start by saying I have never harvested tomatoes from the garden in June, not mid June, not late June, and especially not early June. So when I was watering the tomatoes last night and checking for weeds - I get a vine called bindweed that insists on coming up everywhere - I spotted a flash of red.

Could it be - hold your breath - ripe tomatoes?

Yes. Not only were they red, they were ripe enough to eat. So I cut the whole stem, happily sacrificing a few green ones for show and tell. They’re Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes. I’ve grown them in the past, but never with such success.

Everything in the garden came together this year: the new garden bed gets lots of sun; the soil is fertile and includes plenty of compost. We took a chance and planted early, and the weather cooperated.

Here they are. Actually this photograph is all that’s left. We ate them.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:34 PM | Comments

June 11, 2007

Harvesting beans

The pole beans have reached the top of the 7-foot cages. The long, slim stems snaked their way around and around the wire up to the top, and are getting leafier and leafier as time goes by. There are also scores of pink blossoms and, finally, tiny beans forming. In fact, beans can be ready to harvest two weeks after the plant blooms. It takes some searching to find the beans among all of the leaves, but what a treat to finally find a few. It’s like a treasure hunt. The rattlesnake pole beans I’m growing make long - four or five inches - slim pods that have purple mottling on them. Very pretty.

The harvest thus far has been sparse since the plants are just getting going. I’ve harvested several handfuls, cooked them, and have to report that they are tender and wonderful steamed or cooked in boiling water for about four minutes. I was able to pick enough over the weekend for dinner guests to have three or four beans apiece! Soon I’ll be harvesting copious amounts, enough for a proper meal.

The trick is to keep picking the beans. Never let them get big and tough. The plant is programmed to keep producing beans so it can make seed. My goal is to pick the beans young and tender before the seeds form, so the plant will continue to flower and produce beans. Remember to keep plants watered regularly while they are producing beans. Keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged. Once the plants wilt from lack of water, it’s hard for them to resume production.

Interestingly, the purple markings on the rattlesnake beans disappear when cooked.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 11:59 AM | Comments

June 07, 2007

Tomato troubles: watering and falling blossoms

Two questions seem to be on many folks’ minds: how much water do you give tomatoes, and why are blossoms falling off without setting fruit.

Most gardening books and experts recommend an inch of water a week. One gardening magazine editor says he accomplishes that by giving each tomato plant a gallon of water once a week.

But for us it isn’t that simple: Those gardeners are back east where summers are humid and rain is common. We’re basically in a desert. Our tomatoes are going to need more. The trick is to find the balanced between too much and not enough. I’m watering thoroughly three times a week. I’m soaking the soil beneath the tomatoes. I want to cut it back to twice a week soon. Too much water and you get lots of top growth, and maybe a lot of tomatoes, but they won’t be as flavorful as they would be if they had less water. One reader is trying to find that point where his tomatoes are a bit stressed from lack of water, but not adversely affected.

So much depends on your soil, hours of sun the plants get, and how big they are. Growing tomatoes is one of those things where you read everyone else’s opinion, then find your own way. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in gardening, but they’ve all made me a better gardener.

Tomato blossoms falling off: It’s the weather. Tomato blossoms are self-pollinating, so they have everything they need in one flower to make fruit. But they don’t set fruit when evening temperatures are below 55 degrees. I have plenty of flowering stems that are absolutely bare, and others that are full of fruit. It’s the vagaries of the weather. Once summer really sets in and the cool weather fades into oblivion, the tomatoes should set fruit. But, hey, nothing is for certain in the garden!

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:30 PM | Comments

June 06, 2007

Big night in the barnyard

We have to step out of the garden temporarily for another sort of news. It was a big night in the barnyard last night.

Well, big night in three barnyards.

At home, my half Arab mare gave birth at 1:45 a.m. to a gorgeous chestnut-colored filly. A couple hours later, my miniature horse mare, which was in the care of a good friend, gave birth to a colt. He’s chestnut and white, with a perfectly shaped white horseshoe mark above his tail. We've been calling him Lucky, and I think his registered name ought to include a phrase with the word "lucky" in it. Any suggestions?

Then about 6 a.m., a friend's miniature donkey, which is in the care of my wonderful neighbor Rene, gave birth to a pretty brown jennet (female). Rene has named her Willow. What a night!

The filly was born after a 350-day gestation, the donkey baby took a year, and the miniature horse colt was born after an eleven month gestation period. It’s simply amazing that all three came the same night.

All babies and mothers are well. But this gardener is tired!

Posted by Pat Rubin at 03:00 PM | Comments

June 05, 2007

Not enough room

A reader called today to say I’ve already made the same mistake he made years ago when he first started gardening with raised beds: not enough room. You need more beds, he told me.

He's right: The tomatoes are about to hit the tops of the eight-foot tomato cages. They’re so big and lush I’m going to have to move the eggplant over a bit so it gets some sun. The beans have also reached the top of their cage. The arugula is so lush it’s falling over the side. The parsley and basil are way ahead of me. I don’t have a place to put cucumbers, squash or peppers.

But I have to admit it’s amazing what you can grow in one small four-by-eight foot bed. It looks like we’ll have plenty of tomatoes for salads and for sandwiches. I’m already anticipating green beans every evening, and as much eggplant as I can eat. I’ve been cutting arugula and parsley for over a month, and the chives are ready to harvest, too. I have enough basil for a batch of pesto. The garden is small, but bountiful and beautiful.

The lessons I’ve learned so far: you can’t grow everything, but you can grow a lot in a small space, and grow what you love. And I'm already eyeing a bare spot where I can put another raised bed.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 02:56 PM | Comments

June 04, 2007

Chewed sunflower leaves

The leaves of my sunflowers are chewed and tattered. Some have been reduced to mere skeletons.

Gold finches are eating them. This morning one brazenly sat on top of the tomato cage next to the sunflower bed waiting for me to leave so he could have sunflower leaves for breakfast. He even scolded me when I walked too close to his favorite breakfast sunflower. For years I've heard people cheerily tell me how sunflowers attract birds of all sorts, including finches, that hang on the heads to feast on the seeds. They look at me like I’m an alien when I tell them the finches also feast on the leaves. Seems not many people hang around to watch, preferring to think some exotic insect was making all those holes in the leaves.

But it’s definitely finches. I’ve watched them. They prefer the older leaves, leaving the young ones for later. I don’t mind sharing. The plant produces plenty of leaves and goldfinches have to eat, too. Meanwhile, the sunflower leaves look pretty awful.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 01:42 PM | Comments

June 01, 2007

Eggplant tips

Eggplant is one of those vegetables you either love or you turn up your nose in distaste.

I’m among the ranks of eggplant lovers. I admit I’m not very creative in the kitchen with this purple orb. I like it in moussaka or else peeled, sliced thinly, dipped in egg and matzo meal and sautéed lightly on both sides.

It’s a beautiful plant: dark purple stems, green leaves crisscrossed with purple veins. The lavender colored flowers peek out of dark purple calyxes. The fruit is so pretty I almost hate to pick it.

According to What’s Cooking America, eggplant is also called aubergine, garden egg, egg apple, berenjena, brinjal, patlican, melongene, melanzane and guinea squash. It’s related to tomatoes and potatoes, and they can share some of the same afflictions, so you shouldn’t plant eggplant in the same soil you planted tomatoes or potatoes in the year before. If you must, be sure to add plenty of compost to keep the soil healthy and productive.

Check local nursery shelves, and you’ll be surprised at the varieties of eggplant available. There are the typical oval shaped varieties like Dusky, Black Magic and Black Bell. Then there are the long, slim Japanese types like ichiban, and, lastly, the mostly ornamental Easter Egg.

You can’t plant eggplant early. It hates cold, wet weather. It thrives on heat and sun. Transplants have only been available on nursery shleves for the last month or so.

In the garden, give them some room--plant them 18 to 20 inches apart. Harvest fruit when it is shiny and firm. Let it go too long, and the skin gets dull and the fruit bitter. I use this test to determine if the eggplant is ripe: press on it with your fingers. If it’s hard, it isn’t ripe. If it gives a bit, pick it. It you push on it and the dent doesn't disappear, you've waited too long.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 01:25 PM | Comments

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