Dwarf tomato plants, such as this ‘Window Box Roma’, are a determinate tomato variety, different from the vining, indeterminate types that can grow up to 10 feet (3 m) before frost strikes them down. Dwarf determinate and regular-size determinate varieties won't require staking or pruning, and produce fruit that ripens over a short period of time. Indeterminate varieties … [Read more...] about Pruning tomatoes
Food to grow
Dwarf vegetables in containers
I have a bright, hot spot on my front stone steps with enough space for three containers to greet visitors as they come up the path. The stone holds heat, which in turn is radiated into the containers and heats the soil. Many plants prefer cool soil around their roots and wouldn’t like this location, but for two years I’ve done well with ‘Tropicana’ canna lilies. Their breeding … [Read more...] about Dwarf vegetables in containers
Sweet cherry tomatoes
Why is it that every seed catalogue on my desk falls open to the tomato pages? Perhaps the seed companies have recognized my tomato obsession — bred in the bone, so to speak, from a tomato-growing family. My grandfather grew ‘Rutgers’ (developed in 1934 by Rutgers, New Jersey, Agriculture Experiment Station breeder Lyman Schermerhorn) in his garden for 50 years. My current … [Read more...] about Sweet cherry tomatoes
Herbs are perfect for growing in pots
Herbs make ideal low-maintenance container plants, mainly because most thrive on minimal water and food — within reason, of course. In the case of mints, a pot is the only way to go unless you don’t mind them galloping through your garden beds. Another practical reason to tend a herb garden above ground is convenience for the cook. I cluster several terra-cotta pots around the … [Read more...] about Herbs are perfect for growing in pots
