Welcome to part three in a series of blog articles about soil additives and amendments! My aim is to offer clarification on the various types, discuss the differences between them and talk about what each type does to the soil. I will be posting them over the next few months so stay tuned to get [...]
Gotomato Blog
Soil Additive Series, Part 3: Soil Amendments
Soil Additive Series, Part 2: Compost
Welcome to part two in a series of blog articles about various soil additives and amendments! I am writing these to offer clarification on the different types, discuss the differences between them and talk about how each one benefits the soil. I will be posting them over the next few months so stay tuned to [...]
Soil Additive Series, part 1: Fertilizer
I’ve decided to write a series of blog articles about various soil additives and amendments, to define each type, discuss the differences between them and talk about how each one benefits the soil. I will be posting them over the next few months so stay tuned to get the latest installment! I will define and [...]
Repair the soil! Amend those empty beds!
Winter is coming and all our wonderful summer vegetables are just about done. Our summer tomatoes, squash and peppers have given us all they have to give. It’s time to pull up those old plants and rebuild the soil. Plants, especially annual vegetables, take a lot of nutrients out of the soil. This is a [...]
Grow Those Greens all Winter long!
The west coast climate is generally quite mild in the winter, allowing us to grow year-round. Certain crops prefer the dry heat of summer but several delicious, common vegetables will only thrive in cool of the spring, late fall and winter. Salad greens love cool weather and some will survive all winter long! Plant lettuce, [...]
How can you tell when a tomato is ripe?
With some of the more classic varieties, like Roma and Beefsteak, it’s quite easy to tell when your tomatoes are ready to eat: they turn red! But what about some of these heirloom varieties that never turn red but, instead, have lovely hues of pink, orange and even green?! How do you tell when a [...]
Tomato Recipes!
Now that our beautiful, bountiful tomato harvests are beginning to come in, what can we do with all that fruit? Many of us just slice, sprinkle a little salt and dive in: simple and delicious. Some tomatoes are better for sandwiches while others make good sauces and soups. If the harvest is particularly bountiful, you [...]
Have you started your cool season tomatoes?
Quick Tips: Plant shallow, leaving stems above ground Don’t prune: extra foliage helps to insulate the plant Plant cold-tolerant varieties (Siberian, etc) Protect plants with cold frames, row fabric or hoop houses Plant early enough to have an established plant before cold weather Boost up the health of your soil Some of you have asked [...]
Tomato Care during the Heat
Here in southern California, temperatures are really heating up. Summer will be coming on strong in other parts of the country very soon! It’s time to make sure those tomatoes stay cool during the hot summer. It’s true that tomatoes do like warm weather but there is a limit. If it’s too hot (high 90’s [...]
Pruning Plants Yields the Largest Tomatoes!
Want those giant, gorgeous tomatoes in your garden this year? How big can a beefsteak get? What can we do to enhance its growth? The answer is in the pruning! For maximum size and flavor, prune off suckers (or side-branches) in June to direct the plant’s energy to just a few main branches. Often, tomato [...]
