Seed Guide 2007 pgs 01/41 - McKenzie Seeds

When your tomato plants are
safely in the ground and cages
placed over them and one of
those blustery chinook winds hit
everything head on, do not panic.
Raid your husband's closet,
bringing out all his shirts. Button
them around the cages one by
one. The collar drops neatly into
the cages, tie the sleeves in front
and they can ride out a warm
blizzard cozily. When the storm is
over, toss the shirts into the
washing machine. He will never
know!
Eleanor Long, Red Deer AB.
When tying tomatoes to stakes,
use old nylons and they will not
cut the stems of the plants. The
nylon gives in the wind and does
not break the plant plus you are
recycling for the environment.
Lois DeBlois, Willow Bunch SK.
Wood shavings, around plants
keeps moisture in and keeps the
tomatoes clean and free of slugs.
Anna Bauman, Waterloo ON.
After your tomatoes have blooms,
go out early in the morning when
the dew is still on them and brush
your hand over the blooms. This
pollinates them quicker and they
set tomatoes sooner.
Joy Cockrum, Meadow Lake AB.
Put a package of matches in the
hole when you transplant
tomatoes. The sulphur makes the
tomatoes larger and sweeter.
Excellent!
Margaret Varga, Kelowna BC.
To prevent tomato skins from
splitting, you need to give them a
G A R D E N I N G T I P S
steady supply of water, rather
than waiting until they are dry
and giving them a lot of water at
once.
Michelle Dunn, High Prairie AB.
When planting new seedlings into
the garden, use half a milk carton
around the seedling, fill with soft
soil and vegetable or potato
peelings. As it grows fill in
around the plant. It supports and
feeds it producing a superior
strong tomato plant. We lost
"zero" plants last year with this
method!
Glenna Seppala, Chitek Lake SK.
Plant tomatoes in a shallow trench
laying the stems lengthwise in the
trench. Cover with soil, leaving
only the top leaves exposed. No
need to protect plants from wind
and sun exposure.
Pauline Cameron, Carlyle SK.
Last year I had one tomato
seedling left with no place to put
it, so I planted it right in the
compost pile. It had three times
more tomatoes than the ones I
pampered.
Donna Fleet, Woodstock ON.
Water your tomatoes with
lukewarm water. Cold water will
stop them from growing for up to
eight hours. Use green manure to
water them with (one-third parts
green plants, and two-thirds parts
water). Let stand for seven days,
then pour onto plants.
Brenda Volke, Kelowna BC.
Sprinkle baking soda on the soil
around plants to keep pests away.
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