Welcome Back!!
After health issues, Papa has returned to give you the best in horticultural information!
There will be more to come! Stay tuned!
Papa
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Papa is back!!! Spring Has Sprung!
Human Interest
Who Wants to Volunteer?
Larkspur was planted three (3) years ago. The seed pods let go of their seeds and new plants come up every year!!! These self sown plants are an absolute joy!
What beautiful tall plants with flowers of white, pink, lavender and purple. The plants look so fragile yet they are very sturdy! I look forward to seeing them every year.
What volunteers do you have in your growing spaces? What an encouragement that will be!!!
Papa
Tomatoes – Better Late!!!
It has been my experience, tomatoes planted late are far superior to early or standard planted. As the temperatures start to cool down, you get better flower set and consequently better fruit.
I prefer to cage my tomatoes for better foliage cover to reduce the chance of sun-scald. Heirloom tomatoes have superior taste and texture. However, the plants can exceed the size of the cage!! Next year I plan to grow the plants on 5 foot centers to allow for easier harvesting and increased air circulation.
BTW, the plant to the left of Papa is a variety called Granny Cantrell. This beloved heirloom has quite a following. The plant to the right is Daniel’s, which produces very large pink red fruit and appears to be well suited for our Missouri Ozarks climate.
The above variety has the unusual name of “1884”. The plant was discovered after a flood in West Virginia in 1884. This beauty weighs in at 1 pound 10 ounces. BLT sandwiches are written all over it!!!!
Kellog’s Breakfast is the name of this bright yellow/orange sweet confection. Boasting a good balance of sweetness and acidity with few seeds make Kellog’s Breakfast a highly desirable choice.
The expanded list of tomatoes grown are:
- 1884 – large pink/red beefsteak
- Black Prince – small purple/red 2-3 oz
- Black from Tula – medium red/purple, meaty/few seeds
- Coyne – red Roma type, large 4-8 oz
- Daniel’s – large pink/red beefsteak, many over a pound
- German Johnson – medium pink/red beefsteak, one of the parents of Branywine
- Granny Cantrell – medium/large pink/red beefsteak, plants are huge!
- Hannah – medium/large, pink/red oxheart, meaty, few seeds
- Hazelfield Farm – pink/red, medium beefsteak, well adapted to hot/humid
- Kellog’s Breakfast – large yellow/orange beefsteak, sweet and meaty
- Mary Robinson German Bicolor – large, red/yellow, beefsteak
- Omar’s Lebanese – large pink/red, may exceed 3 pounds
- Pineapple – large, yellow/red, very sweet and juicy
- Pink Boar – pink with green streaks, small 3-4 oz
- Rutgers – small, orange/red old fashioned for canning, juicing
- San Marzano Lungo #2 – 3-4 0z Roma type for sauce and paste
It never ceases to amaze me, how traditional tomato eaters are about the color of their tomatoes. As one man said to me “If it ain’t red, I ain’t going to eat it”. However, when they try the different colored tomatoes, they often change their mind.
For the Ozarks, start your tomato seeds the second week of May and plant your seedlings the first of July. Your tomatoes will start coming in by late August through October. BTW, for you market gardeners, late tomatoes command a higher price by late September/October due to limited supply.
Plant late, I promise you, you will not be disappointed!
Papa
Green Beans VS Japanese Beetles, Beetles Win!
Last year green beans were out of the question due to a plague of Japanese beetles. This year started out, pretty much the same. I am determined to get a good crop of green beans. To accomplish this feat, I have to get rid of the dreaded Japanese beetles by mid July.
![beetle - Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica) [MO 06]](https://papasgardens.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/beetle-japanese-beetle-popillia-japonica-mo-06.jpg?w=656)
Just look at the damage they do!!
I decided to try Japanese beetle traps. (If you need traps, I can recommend these over on Amazon.com: Japanese Beetle Trap
The beetles are lured to the pheromone, fall into the bag and drop to the soapy water.
A large tomato cage was used to suspend the trap above the soapy water. I use dish soap vs dish detergent. The soap bio-degrades and is friendly to the environment.
If I used just the bags, I would easily go through three to four bags per day. What a waste! You can use the same bag over and over again. The bucket is emptied once a day. The soapy water kills the beetles within minutes. I toss the dead beetles out in an out of the way place to break down and compost on their own.
The two traps have easily killed thousands of Japanese beetles. YES!!!!!!! I am already seeing a difference. There seems to be fewer beetles.
Papa
The Joy of Fall!
The Fall season is my favorite time of year! Leaves changing color, final summer harvest and cool, delightful weather. The Fall mums are in bloom. Time to enjoy!
I almost forgot, beautiful sunsets!!!!
There’s more to come.
Papa
Tomato Cuttings Made Easy!
You desire to grow some late tomatoes, but you didn’t start more seed. What do you do?
Take an old shallow container, drill holes in the bottom and root tomato cuttings in vermiculite and water. It’s actually pretty simple. Tomato plants are actually very tough.
Find a container that will hold coarse vermiculite and water ( a plastic dishpan works great!!). Drill several 3/8 inch holes in the bottom of the container. By the way, you may use a large shallow nursery pot as well. Now place about 3 to 4 inches of coarse vermiculite in the container. Water the vermiculite to supply moisture to the cuttings. Allow excess water to drain prior to taking cuttings.
Carefully take cuttings from desired tomato plants using garden pruners. I have found, the larger the cutting, the easier to root! Place the cuttings in the moistened vermiculite about 3 inches apart. I place my rooting container in the shade to maintain proper hydration of the new cuttings. Usually it takes 10 to 14 days for proper rooting.
You may notice raised bumps or even small roots starting on the stem. These cuttings are the easiest to root.
Look at the results after just 10 days.
Now it is time to pot up your rooted cuttings in large containers to use for transplant in 10 days.
Water the newly potted cuttings and place in a lightly shaded area. Gradually move the pots into more sun light. Plant the potted plants as you would any transplant.
This an easy, effective way to start large, quick growing tomato plants.
Enjoy!
Papa
Heritage Day Festival with Papa
Sunday was a beautiful day for a festival. It was a wonderful day to meet and greet new people and the Bluegrass music from the Missouri Ozarks was amazing! What more could you ask from the day?
My Miss Sunshine was a wonderful helper.
Gardening questions included “How do you change the color of hydrangeas?”, “Why did my strawberry plants die?”and “You can grow lettuce during the hot summer months?” I plan to address these questions in future posts.
The booth was a stunning success. Heirloom Tomato and Hot/Sweet Pepper transplants in addition to potted June bearing Strawberry plants, Annual Phlox and Hollyhocks were for sale.
The lettuce bowls with Oak Leaf, Amish Deer Tongue and Red Romaine lettuces with edible Pansy’s were well received.
Sweet Peas on the vine, Bachelor’s Buttons and Snowball Hydrangeas complimented the booth receiving surprised and rave reviews. People in this area are not familiar with cultivated Sweet Peas and were pleased with their knockout colors and fragrance.
Thanks again for visiting the world of Papa’s Gardens.
Papa
