Helping Caged Tomato Plants Survive A Tropical Storm Or Hurricane

With a Hurricane & Tropical Storm bearing upon millions of USA residents, it is sure to bring devastating winds and torrential rains to gardens across the region. Any plant with a high center of gravity and dense vegetation will be vulnerable to severe damage. Tomato plants fit that description. Damage to caged tomato plants can be minimized or completely avoided by taking the following steps today: 1. Cut off excess tomato plant growth above the top of the cage (as pictured above). If not removed, rain will make these branches and leaves top heavy and flop around in the wind - increasing the chances of plant collapse. NOTE: I realize this may mean sacrificing a bunch of young green tomatoes, but it's better to take one step back now in order to take two steps forward later. 1b. (Not pictured) Also trim any dead or dying leaves or other excess growth in the middle of the plant. Any extra weight must be reduced. 2. Using appropriate wood for wedges (I'll let you determine what's appropriate), hammer at least two wedges inside the tomato cage (each opposite side from one another) so as to hold and stabilize the cage firmly in place. NOTES: Try to use 4 foot (or longer) pieces of wood and hammer them into the ground at least 2 feet if possible. Also don't worry too much about killing your tomato roots. You're actually only affecting a small percentage of roots. These are not foolproof methods of protecting your tomato plants from storm damage, but will increase your odds for survival. Much depends on your location, path of the storm, amount of rain and intensity of wind. Good luck.

Vivid Garden Sunset After Tumultuous Weather Day & Week

What a week ... Tuesday was the earthquake and this afternoon we had the worst thunderstorm of the year. Close encounter Being 35 miles from the epicenter of Tuesday's 5.8 magnitude Mineral, Virginia earthquake - we were shook up real good here in Fredericksburg. It was quite the experience. It started rather slowly - feeling like the ground next to a passing train. Then it got really violent for about 10-20 seconds before quickly subsiding. I was working in my backyard-facing garage at the time and after realizing that we were having an earthquake, I quickly walked into the safety of my back yard. My biggest memories are me thinking "I can't believe this is really happening - what if this is the BIG one?" I also remember looking at my 16 foot diameter pool and seeing ocean-like waves and the water splashing over the edges. It was an awesome sight! No major damage to the house but the siding all around is now slightly warped like an old phonograph record. Storm of the year This afternoon we were pounded with a nasty thunderstorm, knocking out power for about 2 hours. 7 of my 11 tomato plants were tilted to the side or completely knocked over (see image, above right). Fortunately damage was minor with several branches snapped. I added more support and the plants are as good as new this evening. My pears, unfortunately, suffered worse. Normally we get pears every other year (biennial) but this year I was surprised to see about 100 or so growing. The wind from today's storm dropped several dozen of my pears to the ground (see image, above left), about one month before being perfectly ripe. All is not lost with these pears though -- I will make juice from them in my juicer. The coast is not yet clear Next up is Hurricane Irene, scheduled to side-swipe our area Saturday night. If anything, this week is a real eye-opener and perhaps a blessing-in-disguise to get me prepared for possible power outages and whatever else the Hurricane may bring. Finally, before I leave you, another picture of this evening's fine sunset... NEW  LushGreenVA's aStore - powered by Amazon Clutter-free shopping for vegetable gardeners. Every product hand-picked and smartly categorized by me, H. Mikael - many are similar to one's I use myself, including: Composters, Raised beds, Greenhouses/Cold Frames, Rain Barrels, Rear-tine Tillers and Cultivators

Rewind: Funny Looking Tomato From 2010

Well, since I didn't have a blog last year, I thought I'd share a picture of a funny looking tomato from last season's crop: Well I know what this looks like to me, but I'll let you draw your own conclusions ;) Anyways here's what my "Tomato row" looks like today. Lots of new flowering but still waiting for fruit to emerge. This year I'm growing Bigger Boy, Beefsteak, Bush Goliath & Red Cherry tomatoes: