Garden & Shop

Gardening requires a great deal of knowledge and commitment and to be successful reaping a great harvest from what ever a novice Gardner wants to grow requires research. Research is the key to finding out what fruit and vegetables plants love in order to thrive. If you are a novice Gardner and have the notion to believe that growing vegetables and fruit plants just requires some sort of fertilizer, some watering and sunshine  you can be in for a rude awaking. I took on that notion my first-year of gardening and found myself  indulge in trial an error(lack of knowledge). In other words I lost about half what I had planted resulting in losing half of what I invested. My wife was like Uh?$ and I said to myself, if I want to do this then I better get better at it quick, so I began to research plants I wanted to grow and that research led me to reap a great harvest; my wife loves me again. 

Insect Battles

Insect are “notorious” destroyers of thriving gardens and they can smell a thriving garden a great distance away. They come to feast and populate. A few insect may be great for a garden such as pollinating bees or lady bugs, but overall insect can be a nuisance. Not only do they come to feast, lay eggs and larva some insect can spread disease to your plants. It is vital to treat your plants immediately with insect deterrent. There are many products and methods gardeners use to combat insect it can sometimes seem crazy.

Insect Deterrent Prep

The advantage of having a fenced in patio is a big plus. It allows me to create a barrier to reduce insect invasion by spraying down my complete patio with Ortho Home Defense before I began my spring planting. This product works really well; the only draw back is if it rains very heavy you may have to reapply another application. 

Take great caution when using this product in your garden. If plants are present on your patio be sure to cover them well with plastic along with any soil you plan on planting in. Also make sure if it dose rain that this product dose not runoff into your planting soil or on your plants. A good rule is to let the application settle for a day before you plant. 

Leaf Eaters

Most leaf eating insect and worms can be detected with the naked eye when inspecting your plants but if you find yourself wondering what is devouring your plant with no culprit in sight you can bet it is highly possible it is the nasty cut worm. This moth caterpillar grows really fast and dose major damage to your plants while you sleep. It only comes out at night to feed and the clues it leaves behind is that it only eats the edges of the leaves. It usually buriers its self only about 3 inches in the soil and can be discovered by turning your soil with a small garden shovel. I have had a run-in with one of these caterpillars and they will eat. If you don’t feel like turning soil then cover the top of your soil with Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, it will get the job done. 

Pestsonic

Peststonic is a great device to help battle against some insect in your patio garden. This device has worked really well on specific varmints and insect; especially crickets. I have rarely seen crickets  on my patio since using this device. Simply plug the device into a patio outlet and choose the setting you prefer and your good to go. 

Daily Inspection

Daily inspection of your garden is crucial to determine any insect activity that may destroy your plants. Insect will show up over night and Aphids are notorious but can be controlled. Most leaf eating insect hang out feasting and populate on the underside of plant leaves to avoid the heat of the sun. So I inspect my plants on a daily basis. 

Unfortunately there are no products or methods that will completely eradicate insect from invading your garden. The goal in combating insect is to keep activity down as much as possible.

Beefsteak Tomatoes

Beef Steak tomatoes are my favorite plants to grow on my home patio and if conditions are great, store bought tomatoes can not compare to the tender texture and great tasting flavor of home grown organic tomatoes. 

Beefsteak tomato plants grow very fast and can produce abundantly from early spring to mid-late fall depending on the region your growing in. I live in Southern California where there is plenty of warm weather and sunshine which is ideal weather for growing tomatoes.

This particular plant thrives on demanding at least eight hours of sun and a good rich nutrient soil to produce an abundant harvest. 

Indeterminate Tomato Plants

Beefsteak tomatoes plants are indeterminate which means these plants have a vine growing nature and can grow from a minimum of 6 feet or much taller so they need staking and trestles for support; especially if your plant is producing 1 pound tomatoes.

If your planting in pots keep in mind, the bigger the pot the greater the yield. Tomatoes have a vigorous root system so roots need sufficient room to grow. I would recommend at least a 5 gallon pot for good production for this type of plant. 

Growing Beefsteak Tomatoes 

A novice gardener will learn that there are a lot of factors to consider when growing tomatoes and there are many different methods gardeners use for growing a successful harvest. After a great deal of trial and error I have found the method that has brought me success and that success involved research.

Note: I am convinced that Beefsteak tomatoes grow best in temperatures between 60 – 80 degrees

Soil Nutrients

Nutrients play an important role in garden success(growth, presentation & flavor) so research the plants you want to grow in your garden and apply sufficient nutrients that allow them to thrive.

Tomatoes plants “demand” a rich nutrient soil and if your growing tomatoes in pots over time watering will drain nutrients from the soil so it is vital to replaced nutrients throughout the plants growing cycle; so a good consistent maintenance schedule should be implemented. I have had great success using these products listed. Note: I add all nutrients to the soil when planting in pots and replenishing.  

Tomato Plants & Air Flow

If condition are great, beefsteak tomato plants will be vigorous growers producing thick plant foliage which in-turn will reduce air flow through-out the plant creating a welcoming breeding ground for insect and plant disease.

Once your plant has reached mature growth and is producing tomatoes, pruning becomes necessary. A good rule of thumb to manage good air flow through-out your plant is to make sure if your standing in front of your plant you should be able to see through the plant to the other side. Tomato plants are beautiful when the foliage is green and full but not practical, its not about foliage its all about tomatoes. 

Pruning foliage when your plant has matured and tomatoes begin to turn not only creates good air flow but also directs more energy and nutrients to the tomatoes. This method works great for me. Remember its all about Tomatoes!

Cloth Bags Great for Tomato Plants

I have been very successful growing tomatoes in plastic pots, but cloth bags are more ideal for growing tomatoes plants in. Cloth bags provide a wider base creating more room for roots, cloth bags allow for better air flow allowing soil to dry out faster to reduce soil wetness that may cause root rot, cloth bags do not hold heat like plastic pots do and cloth bags are cheaper than plastic pots. The only draw back of planting tomato plants in cloth bags is that you do not have drain treys.    

Pruning Beefsteak Tomato Plants

Pruning tomato plants reaps benefits. Pruning is also an option. Beefsteak tomatoes are vigorous growers and if plants are doing well they will naturally produce suckers. Tomato suckers are an additional stem that will produce tomatoes but will drain nutrients from the original plant. Allowing suckers to grow will produce more tomatoes but tomatoes will be smaller as they compete for nutrients. Also, pruning helps to create air flow throughout your plant to help reduce disease and insect invasion. Pruning also allows you to better manage your plants. Suckers are simply removed with a back and forth pinch.

Growing Your Beefsteak Tomato Plant Vertically

It is vital that you train your main shoots that are producing tomatoes to grow vertically and do not let main shoots fan out. Beefsteaks tomatoes can get heavy as they continue to grow and if you allow your main shoots to fan out the weight can put great stress on your plant. So I use plant ties and twain to train the plant to grow vertically to support weight to reduce plant stress. 

Note: From the base of your plant your goal should be to grow your plant on one stem. Basically you don’t want two main stems growing from the base of your plat. 

Tomato Plant Disease

There are many plant diseases and fungus tomato plants can be susceptible to. Some diseases and fungus can be treated and there are some diseases and fungus that will completely destroy your plants. Listed is just a few common tomato plant fungus and disease that tomato gardeners need to be aware of. My first year of gardening I had personal experience in my patio garden with Blossom End Rot, Powdery Mildew and Early Blight. It took research to learn how to eradicate these issues in my garden and thus turn out a great harvest.  

Identifying the many types of tomato plant diseases with the naked eye may require expertise, but there are a number of resources a novice gardener can result to for help. For example: there are cool mobile apps that can help identify several tomato plant diseases and fungus by simply entering a photo of the plant affected area. Of course we know that the internet is one of the greatest sources of all to gather information on tomato plant disease. 

The ultimate goal to eradicate plant diseases 

1. Make sure that healthy plants are being planted. 
2. Make sure soil is not contaminated 
3. Establish a consistence preventable maintenance schedule(treat plants immediately)
4. Inspect plants daily for any unusual signs of possible disease, mildew or fungus; you can be quite surprised what can happen over night. 

Great Tasting Tomatoes

Now that I discovered my method of growing organic beefsteak tomatoes on my home patio every season becomes routine and leads to a great tomato harvest.