Park Seed Garden Journal

I’ve focused alot on tomatoes this spring, and it would be unfair of me to cut you loose without giving you a few final pointers for a successful harvest.

If your leaves are yellowing or wilting, the most likely cause is too much or too little water, considering how dry this spring has been, it could be very easy to over-do it or to miss a crucial watering. Another possible cause could be a magnesium deficient, quickly rememdied with a scoop or two of espsom salts. Considering how dry it has been in most of the country, many of your fruits will be smaller than usual, unless you have been ignoring your water bill.

For your larger plants, especially the beefsteak varieties with their heavy fruit, a good staking or a well-built tomato cage will do wonders. Also, did you know that tomato plants respond to red light– the color makes it seem like there are lots of tomatoes around and they must grow bigger to compete. You could try the park seed tomato automator which reflects the red color back up to the plant, and the tray also provides a way to evenly feed and water your plant.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen her, but Park Seed’s little mascot, Ernestina Borgnina was spotted this past week enjoying the warm May sunshine. Here’s the pretty little lady herself in a brassy pose among the heuchera ginger ale.

And look at that tongue…

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Do you compost? You should– It is good for the environment and great for your garden. All of that organic stuff that you would normally toss in the garbage or leave on the side of the road to be picked up on Thursday could be put to work in your garden. It’s now easier than ever with compost tumblers. If you were afraid of the mess, the work, or the maintainence, you no longer have an excuse.

Compost tumblers have plenty of benefits. Dogs won’t get into your compost, or squirrels or raccoons or rats, but insects will still get in. The composting process happens a little faster because most of us are too lazy top maintain a proper pile.

You don’t need a pitchfork, or a compost turning tool. You just turn the composter or flip it over and your compost gets mixed. In hot weather, the compost stays damp longer and doesn’t dry out. In wet weather, the compost doesn’t get too soggy.

If you love composting and are into organic gardening, you might also want to try another organic plant food, take a look at Earth Worm Castings, one of the best organic plant foods available.

Container gardening reduces the amount of time you spend caring for your plants and makes the work easier. Container plants are aesthetically functional- use them to dress up a drab patio or walkway, and just reposition them when you get tired of the old setup. They also save you truckloads of money because you don’t have to by truckloads of planting medium, equipment, or plants.

Remember, the most important thing about growing in containers is good drainage. Make sure you have enough holes in your pots, and that your plants are the right size. Most annuals, herbs, and vegetables need about a gallon of planting medium per plant. Since your pots are draining from the bottom, obviously the lower part of the container will stay wet longer- make sure you containers are deep enough that your tender roots are not constantly wet, or they will rot. Use especially large containers for trees, shrubs, and more woody perennials which will have much larger root systems.

Don’t be afraid to experiment, many of the plants you love can be grown in containers. Often they will perform better than they would in the ground because you have more control over light and soil conditions.

Shop Park Seed for Container Plants

If you are looking to liven up your garden for the summer, there are great deals at ParkSeed.com for Annuals right now. Many varieties are up to 50% off right now.

If you were waiting for the perfect time to buy your annual plants, this is it. The Park’s Whopper tomatoes and the Beefy Boy hybrid are both on a by 3 for $2.31 get 3 free sale. That’s six plants for only $6.93.

All of the annual flowers are on sale too, even the enormous tropical Ecuador Pink Angel’s Trumpet, with it’s beautiful 17 inch blooms is going for $8.42.

Check out all of Park’s annuals and tropicals right now. These are the best prices of the year. There is still plenty of growing season left, so catch these deals while you still can. Almost all of the Park Seed Fruits and Vegetables are on sale, as well as many of the most popular annual flowers.

They are said to out-bloom any other plant in your garden from spring until frost. Cupheas are native to Central America and Mexico, where they are vigorous perennials and shrubs that bloom all year long, here in the US (unless you happen to live somewhere warmer than Zone they are unbeatable tropical annuals that bloom from frost to frost. They are known to be resistant to drought and most insects.

The tubular six petal blooms vary immense in color and shape from one cultivar to the next, and all of them are stunning. If you plant them in good soil and they get at least half a days worth of sunlight, caring for them will be very easy.

They were recently featured in the June/July issue of Horticulture, and are gaining popularity among US gardeners. If you would like to try one of these take a look at Cuphea Flamenco Samba from Park Seed. It works well in flower beds or in containers if you would like to over-winter it in colder zones.

This past weekend I helped my dad build a couple of raised garden beds for his tomatoes and peppers. We finished pouring in the topsoil and peat just as it was getting dark, and he asks, "How many more should I build?" Of course, I suggested that we just go ahead and plant his tomatoes and peppers and build more on another day– he never stops working. He purchased mature tomato plants that will be producing fruit within a couple weeks, beefsteak and cherry varieties.

Buying the plant is a great idea, but it’s so easy it feels like cheating. The mature plant is inexpensive, and you don’t have to worry about when to start your seeds or when it is safe to move your seedlings outdoors. I prefer starting from seed, myself, you can get many more plants, and you have more options, but I can understand avoiding the hassle. Also, if it is late in the spring, like now, and you decide you want to grow tomatoes, you still can if you buy the plants instead of seed.

Park Seed is having a great sale on a couple of their most popular Tomato varieties. If you would like to try them for your self: Park’s Whopper and Tomato Plant Beefy Boy

Clematis, Care Of

Plant your Clematis where the roots can be in the shaded and kept cool and the foliage can be in the sun, but they will need more shade in hotter climates. Clematis thrive in a good rich garden soil with excellent drainage. They require lots of water but the soil shouldn’t stay wet. Clematis require an alkaline or neutral soil.

When to Feed Clematis

In addition to leaf mold, well-rotted manure and some peat is beneficial as long as lime is also added. Fertilize each spring with 2 tbs. of an organic fertilizer. The slow-release fertilizer is good in furnishing nutrients over a complete growing season with one application in the spring.

Clematis is an excellent climber and a perfect companion to shrub roses. It is also very common to use clematis for the rock garden– it will creep in and out of your other alpine plants and create wonderful seasonal color. If you are looking to buy clematis vines you should check out the varieties available from Park Seed.

Vines and Climbers

Sweet Autumn Clematis

Most varieties of calla lily are winter hardy from zones 8-10, and their rhizomes (bulbs) will have to be lifted out of the soil and stored indoors through the cooler months. There are a couple of ways to enjoy your callas that don’t involve digging them up every year. You may want to border design calla lily around the edge of a water feature– callas will grow well in up to 12 inches of water. As long as your pond doesn’t freeze all the way to the bottom, your callas should survive the winter. Or, you could just grow a Calla Lily indoors. Calla lilies make excellent house plants if you keep the soil moist and place them near a sunny window.

Easy to care for and beautiful, Calla Lilies come in a great variety of colors and are a favorite in the garden, as a houseplant, and for cut flower arrangements. Not actually lilies, Callas are a member of the Arum (Jack-in-the-pulpit) family. If you would like to try one for yourself, check out the Calla Lily Red Sox or the Calla Captain Tendens, two great new varieties from Park Seed. Or if you would like to make beautiful purple calla lily bouquets, you should definitely take a look at Calla Lily Captain Reno.

The daylilies of the genus Hemerocallis are an interesting lot, being a very versatile and valuable plant to everyone from the chef to the botanist. And, despite knowing all of these things about daylilies, I still feel a little nostalgia when I see them, thinking of swinging on my grandmothers front porch which was surrounded by bright flowers. The beautiful edging daylily plants being the glue that tied this wonderful flower bed together.

The plants of the genus Hemerocallis are called daylilies because each bloom lives for only a day and withers and dies to be replaced the next day. They are not really lilies at all, and are prone to much different climates, hotter and dryer ones, than their namesake. The flowers are edible, sold in open markets in Asia, and they can be eaten as a snack or used in soups and other dishes.

Daylilies are a challenge for breeders because there are certain colors, like blue, that are nearly impossible to attain, and therefore many daylily breeders are always trying to make a truly pure blue hybrid. The challenge felt by this breeders could explain the extensive and interesting varieties available. Park Seed actually has a couple of brand new and interesting varieties available like Janice Brown and Rainbow Candy.