Tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, have long been one of America’s favorite garden vegetables. Those bold red, sun-ripened tomatoes deliver the taste of summer with every bite. And, they’re filled with excellent antioxidants and vitamins.
Just a handful of healthy plants can produce a bounty of delicious fruits within six to eight weeks. The best time to plant tomatoes is when daytime temperatures are consistently above 65-degrees Fahrenheit. Over the last few days, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been busy prepping the beds and planting this season’s tomato crop - about 100-plants are now growing in our outdoor vegetable garden.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
Chhiring covers the beds designated for this year’s tomatoes with black weed cloth to make the beds neat, tidy, and free from weeds. The foot paths between the beds are just wide enough to walk alongside for maintaining the plants and harvesting the fruits. Tomatoes should be planted in an area with full sun and well-drained soil.
Chhiring uses sod staples to secure the weed cloth to the ground. He puts down a generous amount to prevent the cloth from blowing off on windy summer days.
Here is a bed all prepared for planting.
Chhiring does this for eight long beds in our vegetable garden. This location is different from last year’s. This time, our crop of tomatoes is in the back of the garden. Always rotate crops. Doing this gives various nutrients to the soil, and improves soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants.
Here is just one tray of young tomato plants. These plants were all started from seed in my greenhouse. We don’t use any pesticides or chemicals of any kind, so we know we’re nurturing the highest quality plants. We always grow an abundance of tomatoes – I love to share them with family and friends and use them to make all the delicious tomato sauce we enjoy through the year.
Ryan separates the determinate from the indeterminate tomato plants. Determinate tomatoes, or “bush” tomatoes, are varieties that grow to a compact height of about three to four feet. Determinates stop growing when fruit sets on the top bud. Indeterminate tomatoes will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost. They can reach heights of up to 12-feet tall. And then he sets all the plants in the rows where they will be planted, making sure all the plants are equally spaced along the bed.
At each designated spot, Brian cuts an “x” with a utility knife through the weed cloth that’s just big enough for the plant.
Phurba follows and folds the flaps under the cloth one by one.
Once all four of the flaps are turned under, the rectangular area that is left is just perfect for planting.
Transplanted tomatoes that are kept free of weeds for the first four to eight weeks can usually outcompete emerging weeds later. Using a small shovel, Phurba creates a hole for each of the tomato plants. Most tomato plant varieties need about 100-days to mature, but there are some that only need 50-60 days. You can also stagger your plantings, so you have early, mid and late season tomato harvests.
All my plants do so well in part because of the nutrient rich soil that is used. I amend this soil every year, adding good compost and organic fertilizers.
Most tomato plants stem below ground. Plant them deep – everything to just under the bottom set of leaves from the top. These holes are at least a foot deep. The best fertilizer for tomato plants contains a relatively low concentration of nitrogen. High nitrogen content promotes the growth of stem and leaves, but not the fruit and flowers. Instead, tomato plants use phosphorous and potassium to produce fruit. Apply the fertilizer before the tomato plant is placed in the hole. A fertilizer with a 5-10-5 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium is good for the young plants.
Phurba and Brian work in a production line process – as one marks the cloth, the other digs. This day was very hot and humid, so the crew wanted to get the plants in the ground quickly.
The holes are about two to three feet apart from each other. We try to fit at least 10 to 12 plants in each row to maximize the use of garden bed space.
Brian begins planting. Two-thirds of the plant should be underground, meaning all but the two top most leaf sets should be buried. Planting deeply helps the plant to develop more roots, and more roots mean more ability to take up water and nutrients. If the seedling is already too tall and wobbly, dig a trench instead of a hole and lay the plant on its side. The stronger root system also helps the plant better survive the hot weather. This applies to tomatoes planted in the ground, in a raised bed or in a container.
Brian backfills each hole and unfolds the weed cloth flaps – this method of using weed cloth and “x”‘s will really cut down on the amount of weeding this season.
Phurba plants another bed. As the tomato plants grow, they need to be staked for support. Staking helps to keep the fruit off the ground, while helping to keep the plant somewhat upright. Don’t use any chemically treated wood or other material for staking climbers, as the chemicals would likely run off and go into the soil. We use, and reuse, our stakes every year.
Brian then secures the plant to a metal stake. At this stage, they are staked with two to three foot tall supports. They can be tied gently with a twist-tie or twine – the loop around the plant stem should be just tight enough to keep the vine secure, but not break it. These plants look so much better when kept upright and neat. The plants will be supported with longer bamboo canes in a couple weeks.
It’s a good idea to grow a range of varieties, including at least one or two disease-resistant types, since, of all veggies, tomatoes tend to be the most susceptible to disease. Early in the growing season, water plants daily. As temperatures increase, garden tomatoes typically require one to two inches of water a week.
93-percent of American gardeners grow tomatoes in their yards, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most Americans eat between 22 and 24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year – this includes tomatoes in sauces. These beds look great. I am so happy to see the garden nearly completely full of delicious organic crops. I’m already looking forward to our first big harvest. Happy gardening.
I love beautiful ornamental urns filled with lush, green plants.
As many of you may know, I have a rather sizable collection of tropical specimens at my Bedford, New York farm. During the winter, they’re all stored in a special greenhouse. And once warm weather arrives, they are brought out for display - many are placed in various locations here at Cantitoe Corners. This week, my crew filled several large planters with philodendrons and sago palms on the terrace behind my Summer House. All very easy to plant and maintain, these specimens will look wonderful all season long.
Enjoy these photos.
At the edge of this terrace are these six stone planters. This year, they’ll be planted with young sago palms. Ryan places one next to each urn. The sago palm, Cycas revoluta, is a popular plant known for its feathery foliage and ease of care. Native to the southern islands of Japan, the sago palm goes by several common names, including Japanese palm, funeral palm, king sago or just plain sago palm.
The plant is not a true palm, despite its common name, but a cycad, part of a prehistoric class of plants. It produces a whorl of dark green, feather-like fronds on its trunk. The pinnate leaves are typically about four to five feet long at maturity, and nine-inches wide, reaching their greatest length when grown in partial shade.
To start, Ryan places a shard at the bottom of each planter. We always save shards to cover drain holes. It keeps dirt from falling through the hole while making sure there is still room for proper drainage. Saving the shards from broken pots is a great way to repurpose those pieces.
Next, Ryan cuts some black garden cloth to line the pot.
The cloth is placed into the vessel to protect its interior. This also makes it a lot easier come fall when the plants are removed from these pots and returned to their designated greenhouse where they live during the colder months.
After the black cloth is tucked into the pot, the plant is inserted and Domi fills the rest of the container with medium. Cycads like a good draining soil. Be sure the soil medium includes elements such as peat moss, perlite, and a little sand.
Next, don’t forget the food. Each plant gets a sprinkling of Osmocote – small particles known as prills which coat a core of nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The resin-coating is made from linseed oil and as the plant’s root system takes-up nutrition from the soil, it also takes up the needed nutrients from the Osmocote.
As each sago palm is planted, Dawa gives it a good drink. It’s always important to water after planting and transplanting. This is a good way to avoid transplant shock, and will help the plant settle in to its new location.
Notice the sago palm’s trunk. It is a rough, symmetrical trunk which becomes leafless as it ages and gives way to its evergreen crown of upward pointing fronds. After watering, make sure the soil level is just below the rim of the container – this means there is just the right amount of soil.
I acquired eight of these gorgeous faux bois containers a few years ago. They will be potted up with big leaf philodendrons. Ryan assesses the pot sizes and decides where each specimen will be placed.
This split-leaf philodendron, Philodendron Selloum, is native to South America. It belongs to the group of philodendron plants that are among the most common of houseplants for their ability to thrive without much maintenance.
These plants have glossy, heart-shaped or rounded leathery leaves that develop deep clefts and oblong perforations as they grow older. The leaves may be as much as 18-inches wide on foot-long leafstalks.
Many varieties of Philodendron produce aerial roots which aid in providing supplemental nourishment. These aerial roots can be trained to climb or directed into the soil. The tough roots grow downward from the thick stem and will root if they touch the ground.
A few of the faux bois pots are tall, so a two-foot section of a tree trunk is placed inside to keep the plant at an appropriate height. Ryan also places pieces of wood between the stump and the bottom of the pot as well as between the pot and the stump for good drainage.
Then he carefully places the philodendron into the faux bois pot. To preserve these more porous and fragile faux bois planters and to simplify the removal in autumn, the philodendrons are also kept in their plastic pots.
Ryan sprinkles Osmocote around the base of each plant and carefully drapes the aerial roots outside the urn.
We always save small pieces of wood from year to year. These are used as shims under the pots, so the water drains fully.
Three to four wooden shims are placed under each urn. Ryan is also using my Non-Slip All Purpose Gloves in slate – available from my collection at Amazon.
Finally, Domi gives the philodendrons a drink.
Here they are the next morning after a soaking rain overnight. Container plants are an easy way to dress up any terrace or patio.
On the opposite side, the sago palms also look great in their summer location. These plants thrive in sunny to shady sites and can withstand some drought once established. And looking out into the sunken garden, everything is so beautiful, lush and green. This garden is tucked inside a tall hedge of American boxwood. And the main focal point is the great old ginkgo tree at the back of the space. Soon, this garden will burst with colorful lilies to accent the bold green foliage – I can’t wait.
I always try to make the most of every business trip I take - visiting gardens and other interesting places that inform and inspire me.
Earlier this spring, during a brief visit to Northern Virginia for a garden club appearance, I stopped in Upperville, to tour the former estate of prominent philanthropists, Paul and Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. The 700 acre property includes the Main Residence, gardens, and the Oak Spring Garden Library - all maintained by the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. OSGF is a nonprofit organization created by Bunny and dedicated to sharing her gifts and ideas. Its main mission is to support and inspire fresh thinking and bold action on the history and future of plants, including the art and culture of plants, gardens and landscapes.
Enjoy these photos.
Paul and Bunny Mellon maintained residences in Europe, North America and the Caribbean, but their primary home was this estate in Upperville, Virginia called Oak Spring Farm. This is the front facade of the home. An Asian pear tree is espaliered against the front wall. (Photo by Max Smith, Oak Spring Garden Foundation)
This is a view into the brick hallway in the Mellon’s residence and the front door.
Outside the Dining Room is this display of ceramics belonging to the Mellons. Most of Mrs. Mellon’s ceramics were sold at Sotheby’s after her death in 2014, but a selection of pieces were kept and used here.
Paul Mellon was the son of Andrew Mellon, one of the longest-serving U.S. Treasury Secretaries. Here are Andrew’s monogrammed place settings in the Dining Room. Embroidered linens were designed by Hubert de Givenchy.
This is a facsimile of “The Melon” by Edouard Manet, c. 1880, oil on canvas in the Dining Room at Oak Spring. The original was donated to the National Gallery of Art by Paul and Bunny.
This is the Blue Kitchen, or Sunday Kitchen, at Oak Spring. Portuguese tiles, featuring Bunny’s signature blue diamond patterned floor, are beautifully maintained. The windows offer great views of the garden.
Here is a statue of Mill Reef in the Broodmare Barn courtyard. Mill Reef was probably Paul Mellon’s most successful racehorse. He raced in Europe between 1970 and 1972, where he won the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse Stakes, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Here is a topiary American Holly tree standing over planting beds shaped like butterflies and a small reflecting pool. Bunny Mellon developed a love of plants and gardens at a young age. She began collecting botanical books when she was just 10 years old. She also loved garden design. In fact, you may know that Bunny designed gardens for some of her dearest friends, including the Rose Garden and the East Garden at the White House for Jacqueline Kennedy.
Many of Bunny’s garden designs at Oak Spring remain intact. Tulips and Narcissus line the beds surrounding the square garden. This view looks south toward the Mellon’s residence.
This tree is Malus ‘Katherine’. Malus is a genus of about 35 species of deciduous trees and shrubs from Europe, Asia and North America. The name comes from the Latin for apple. ‘Katherine’ is an upright, spreading crabapple that matures to 20 feet tall. It was discovered as a chance seedling in Rochester, New York in 1928. Pink buds open to pinkish-white, double flowers in spring, then fade to white. The flowers are followed by greenish-yellow crabapples blushed with red that mature in fall and persist into early winter.
Here’s a view toward the schoolhouse along the wall beds. Tulips fill out the wall beds on the northern side of the garden. Apple trees are trained against the wall in the candelabra style of espalier.
A burbling fountain extends from the wall of the Honey House and feeds a linear stream that cuts across a portion of the garden adjacent to the croquet lawn.
Inside the Honey House is a carved stone bird bath by William Edmondson (c.1874-1951), the first African-American folk art sculptor to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Here’s an arrangement of baskets on the ceiling of the Mellon’s Basket House. When Mrs. Mellon was alive, this room was a place for rest and relaxation. It is now used as a meeting and education space for visitors to the Oak Spring Garden Foundation who come to participate in workshops, short courses, and other programs.
This is a reflecting pool in front of the Formal Greenhouse. Sitting at the end of the pool is the Cake House – a gazebo so named because it was used to shade the wedding cake when Bunny Mellon’s daughter, Eliza Lloyd, married Derry Moore, the 12th Earl of Drogheda in 1968.
Looking directly up at the vaulted ceiling in the central room of the Formal Greenhouse is this decorative chandelier.
The central room of the Formal Greenhouse is surrounded with a mural in the trompe l’oeil style by the french artist Fernand Renard. The work was commissioned by Bunny and serves as a sort of visual biography of her, depicting many real world objects she owned and things about which she was so passionate.
Sometimes the real physical objects in the greenhouse can be hard to distinguish from the objects painted on the walls. Look closely…
A few feet further is the inside of the Formal Greenhouse – still filled with plants.
Back outside – a replica finial on top of the Formal Greenhouse. The original was designed by the Tiffany artist-jeweler Jean Schlumberger. Exposure to the elements and deterioration led to the original being taken down for conservation in 2018. It is now on display in the nearby Oak Spring Gallery.
This is the main gallery of the Oak Spring Garden Library. The library contains around 19,000 rare books and objects relating to plants, gardens, and landscapes – some dating back as early as the 14th century. The library was built close to the home in 1981 as a gift from Paul to Bunny. It was expanded in 1997 to contain her growing collection of books, manuscripts, and art. Mrs. Mellon’s wish was that this collection continue to be a resource for scholars after her death. In 1993 she established the Oak Spring Garden Foundation with the purpose of maintaining and sharing those collections. (Photo by Max Smith, Oak Spring Garden Foundation)
And here’s the original Greenhouse Finial on display. It is being featured as part of an exhibit about its designer, Jean Schlumberger, and his creative partnerships with Bunny Mellon.
Here, OSGF Head Librarian, Tony Willis, shows me a selection of works from the Oak Spring collections by exceptional women artists. (Photo by Max Smith, Oak Spring Garden Foundation)
This view from the Road of Rokeby shows the Blue Ridge in the background. This was the Mellon’s first foothold in Virginia, purchased in 1931 by Andrew Mellon for his son, Paul. Here you can also see the mile-long airstrip that the Mellons used for their private jet.
And this is one of Oak Spring’s most recognizable features – the arbor of pleached Mary Potter crabapple trees. In mid-April, the trees bloom, filling the arbor with soft white blossoms. When they begin to fall, it is like a snow flurry – I am sure it is breathtaking. The Oak Spring Garden Foundation is not open to the public for general admission, but its facilities are used to host researchers, artists, and writers who come through a Fellowship or Residency program. The OSGF also hosts short courses and workshops relating to plants, gardens, and landscapes. Please go the web site at OSGF.org to learn more.
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