Tomato flavor is a balance of acid and sugar recognized by the tongue and the effect of volatile compounds within the fruit that cause aroma recognized by the nose. Simply put, the human perception of tomato flavor involves the integration of taste and smell. Tomato flavor is commonly described as sweet, tart, tangy or balanced….
Guides
Vegetable Garden Seasonal Calendar
The seasons come and go at different times of the year depending upon where you live—Northern Hemisphere or Southern Hemisphere and the latitude within those regions. Early spring might start in February in Southern California and early May in Maine. The closer you live to the equator the less winter temperatures will play a role…
Rust Disease
Rust is a fungal disease that attacks many vegetable and fruit crops and ornamental plants as well. Rust fungal spores are commonly carried on moist winds until they land on plant leaves, stems, flowers, or fruits. The spore pustules multiply creating a rusty-colored coating of spores. The coating of spores can eventually cover leaves and…
Companion Planting and Tomatoes
Want to enhance the flavor or your tomatoes? Grow leaf lettuce, chives, or marigolds nearby. The notion behind companion planting is that some plants naturally grow better together, that they form natural alliances. How such alliances work is not completely clear; companion planting is based widely on reported observation. Tomato companion plants—said to ward off…
10 Natural, Organic Steps to Control Garden Pests and Diseases
There are natural, organic ways to deal with pest and disease problems in the garden. Many of these ways have proved effective over hundreds and even thousands of years. Today these techniques are often called integrated pest management (IPM) or organic pest management (OPM). Fundamental to IPM or OPM is close observation—meaning getting into the…
Best Vegetables to Grow Quick Lists
What vegetables should you grow in your garden? There are three basic guidelines to follow: Plant the vegetables that you and your family like to eat; plant vegetables that are suited to your region, to the time of year, and to the space and time you can devote to gardening; decide if you are going…
Compost for Vegetable Garden Planting Beds
Compost is the decomposed remains of organic materials-including leaves, kitchen scraps, and plant remains. Compost contains essentially all the major and minor nutrients plants need to thrive and improves soil structure—the home where plants live. You cannot add too much compost to your vegetable garden—all of the compost you add will improve crop yield. If…
Vegetable Crop Planting and Phenology
Events in the natural calendar can be used to guide planting times in the vegetable garden. The study and observation of seasonal events and their correlation to plant, insect, and animal life is called phenology. Modern phenology got its start in England with the observations of naturalist Robert Marsham. Marsham began recording the connections between…
Vegetable Crops for Narrow Beds and Wide Rows
There are more than two dozen vegetable crops well-suited for planting in narrow beds, also called wide rows. A wide row—or narrow bed—is about 3 feet across, never wider than you can reach to the center of the bed from one side or the other. The wide row-narrow bed means you will never have to…
No-Dig and Light-Dig Garden Preparation
The no-dig or light-dig garden preparation method calls for spreading soil amendments across planting beds and allowing rain, wind, and soil organisms to till or work the amendments and their nutrients into the soil.You do not have to dig or use a rototiller in your garden every year. Lightly turning planting beds with a garden…