Growing Tomatoes with Jack's

Looking for advice on how to fertilize your tomatoes? This blog post comes to us from our friends at J.R. Peters. For more great information on Jack's Classic fertilizers, visit www.jrpeters.com or check out their blog at www.jrpeters.com/Blog.html

Things are really moving now in the garden with the onset of the warmer temperatures. Your transplants should be responding to their new environment and producing new growth. The root systems are ready to take up all the nutrients they need to maximize their bud set and flower initiation.

Here is the feeding program I use for my tomato plants and some of the reasons I use it.

• After transplanting the tomatoes I want to get them off to a great start. In order to do that you need to provide plenty of phosphorus to the root system which has not yet spread out in the soil. I use the Jack’s Classic® Blossom Booster 10-30-20 at 1 tablespoon per gallon when I set the plants in place.

• After the first week I come back and make my first application of Jack’s Classic® 20-20-20. This 1-1-1 ratio fertilizer is just what the plant needs to grow in mass with plenty of new leaves and thick stems that will be the factories to produce lots of energy that will give you a high fruit yield. I repeat these feedings every 10 days to make certain there are no nutrient stresses to hold back production.

• Tomatoes respond well to increased levels of magnesium in the feed program. Be sure to add some additional Epsom salts (1 teaspoon per gallon) to your fertilizer applications. Your leaves will develop a deep green in response to the fertilizer applications and the increased magnesium.

• After the first month I switch my feeding program to a combination of 1 tablespoon of 20-20-20 and 1 tablespoon of 10-30-20 in 2 gallons. That combination makes a 15-25-20 fertilizer, which is a great formulation to feed as the plants are setting buds and fruit. Stick with this combination until all your fruit is set and the first of the fruit is starting to turn red.

• From this point on I stick with the Blossom Booster 10-30-20. The high potassium will let the fruit finish nicely. Apply the fertilizers every 10 days or so right through the end of the crop.

Simple Steps for a Lush Garden

We’ve all heard it a thousand times: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Nowhere is this truer than in gardening. From the basics of planting to proper nutrition to dealing with pests and disease—gardening is a hobby that is best enjoyed when done right. As you begin caring for your garden this summer, here are some tips to make the season enjoyable. 

After you’ve made your decisions on what to plant—and admittedly, for gardeners, that can be the hardest part!—be sure to plant it properly. Whether annuals, perennials, shrubs or trees, most plants will grow better if planted in a hole slightly shallower than the depth of the soil in the pot in which they were grown.

Remember my grandma’s saying: “Plant it too high, it will not die; plant it too low, it will not grow.” Very few plants thrive when planted too deep (a major exception being tomatoes), so if anything, err on the side of planting too shallow, and watch how much better your plants grow.

Next, make an effort to give your plants the proper nutrition. With today’s smaller yards, hanging baskets and container gardens have become the norm in gardening. Unlike flowers planted in the ground, however, baskets and pots require more water, and consequently, more fertilizer. As you enjoy the beauty of the hanging baskets you’ve proudly hung outside your front door this month, remember to water and feed regularly.

First, plan to water daily until the hanging basket begins to drip. The amount of water you’ll use will vary widely throughout the season, so don’t expect that the amount of water you give the basket on a cloudy day in June will be adequate on a hot August day. 

Jack's Classic 'Dynamic Duo' will keep your plants
growing strong and blooming heavily all summer!

Secondly, feed your containers and hanging baskets once a week. Annuals are hungry plants, and in order to keep growing and blooming they need to be fed regularly. Now, any fertilizer is better than none, but many gardeners who have tried products other than the famous green and yellow package will tell you there are better fertilizers out there.

For the best results, use Jack’s Classic water-soluble fertilizer, alternating between the All-Purpose blend and Blossom Booster each week. Doing so will not only keep your plants growing strong but also increase the quantity, size and vibrancy of your flowers. If you plant a lot of petunias or million bells, Jack’s Petunia Feed is another beneficial fertilizer to satisfy these iron-hungry plants. 

Now, it’s a little early for a lot of the summer pests you’ll have to deal with this year, but remember, “an ounce of prevention...” and take some simple steps now to deal with pests preemptively. Before slugs get the best of your hostas, petunias and marigolds, spread some organic slug bait like Sluggo. Nothing ruins a good day in gardening like discovering your prized plantings eaten beyond recognition, so apply some bait before disaster strikes. 

Finally, keep your plants growing strong this season by treating to keep bugs away. For many flowering shrubs, a systemic insecticide like Bayer Rose & Flower Care will prevent infestations for six weeks; for the vegetable garden, a treatment of Sevin insect dust at the time of planting will safely keep the “extra protein” off your broccoli and lettuce and let your plants grow without bugs ruining the crop. 

As with any other worthwhile endeavor, gardening will give the most rewards when done right, so take some simple steps this month and enjoy a healthy, productive gardening season ahead.

Time to Plant!

May is here--and that means it's time to plant! Whether you're ready to plant a vegetable garden, pot up some containers of flowers or hang up a beautiful Lynden Basket, we've got what you need! Our brand new garden center is fully stocked with the most beautiful flowers in the county, all grown right here in our own greenhouses.

Mother's Day is right around the corner, so if you haven't yet reserved your hanging baskets for Mom, now is the time to do so. We also have gift certificates available if you can't decide what colors she'd like.

Enjoy the beauty of your garden this month as you get started with planting!