How to Prune Indeterminate Tomato Vines

Finally, it’s summer. The season of barbecues, fireworks, and garden fresh tomatoes right off the vine.  And by the end of summer, those tomato vines have usually become sprawling monsters that hog the entire garden. But the flavor of those home-grown tomatoes is well worth it, right? Of course it is, but if you’re growing indeterminate tomato varieties - that is, types that continue producing new leaves and flowers throughout the entire growing season, unlike determinate or bush varieties that reach a finite mature size, and yield one harvest - then you could actually increase that fresh tomato euphoria by pruning the vines.  Plus you’ll have a neater looking garden with more sunlight and space for your other garden plants to hit their stride, too.

Improved Air Circulation

Removing unneeded foliage from tomato plants  - especially the 18” or so of space right above the soil surface - increases air flow around the plants, and encourages vigorous growth. Pruning leaves and branches from the bottom third of the plant also helps prevent mildew and moisture related diseases which thrive in the wet environment that a dense tangle of lower branches creates just above the soil surface. Diseases like septoria and early blight often live in garden soil, and removing the lower branches helps reduce the chance of these soil-borne diseases from  splashing up onto the foliage. Plus, your garden is instantly more inviting, and with all those unruly branches out of the way, it’s much easier to spot weeds and insect pests while there’s still time to take action.

Larger Fruit

Timely pruning diverts a tomato plant’s energy toward growing and ripening fruit instead of simply producing new stems and leaves. Pruning may reduce the total number of tomatoes you’ll yield in a season, but the average size of each tomato will be larger. Just be sure to save the leaves right around a cluster of tomato fruits - these leaves send sugar to the developing tomatoes and also help shade and protect them from sun scald. 

Earlier Ripening

When a plant has fewer fruit, the remaining fruits ripen faster, which saves time. This can be a game-changer for feet-dragging gardeners who finally get around to planting their tomatoes when the ice cream man starts making his rounds, and the neighborhood pool opens for the summer.

At Planting Time

Pruning works best on strong, healthy plants, so when planting a new tomato seedling - especially a tall one that may have already been growing for a while - remove the lower leaves from the stem and bury the plant deeply. Tomato plants have the unique ability to turn an above ground stem into a below ground root. So, what was a spindly above ground stem, will soon become a hungry, below ground root. Goodbye gangly tomato seedling, hello stocky, sturdy tomato plant. You’ll also want to remove any flowers that are on a tomato seedling when you plant it. This ensures that energy is channeled into new vegetative growth instead of towards fruiting, which should happen much later in the plant’s life cycle.

Early to Mid-Season

As your indeterminate tomato plants begin to grow, remove any flowers until plants are at least 18” tall. This lets plants focus that energy developing a strong root system that will help the plant thrive through the heat of summer. Prune off all of the leafy lower branches - often called ‘suckers’ - below the first group of tomato fruit. Suckers form in the axil, or the part of the tomato plant where a leaf stem attaches to a main growing stem. It’s best to remove suckers while they’re small enough to simply pinch off with your fingers, which helps prevent damage to the main stem. Larger suckers should be pruned away with a clean cut at the main stem. Many tomato growers in southern areas of the US use the Missouri pruning technique, where only the small leaflets at the end of each sucker are removed, leaving two base leaflets on the plant. These will eventually grow large enough to shade ripening tomatoes, protecting them from sun scald. And to reduce the chance of spreading disease, it’s best to prune when your tomato plants when they’re dry.

Late Season

By late summer,  every tomato grower will confront the same yearly dilemma ; how much longer to wait on those sprawling tomato vines loaded down with bushels of nearly rip, full-sized, but still very green tomatoes. The smallish window to establish a fall garden closes a little bit each day that the tomato plants stay in the ground. But here comes pruning to the rescue, again. Simply ‘top’ those stragglers about a month before your area’s average first frost date, and the green tomatoes that are still on the vine will ripen faster.  ‘Topping’ simply means cutting a main growing stem above the highest cluster of fruit, which triggers the plant to cease flowering and new fruit setting, and diverts all of its sugars to ripening the remaining tomatoes. Topping helps ripen those tantalizingly large clusters of tomatoes sooner, plus any green ones still left on the vine that are plucked before the first frost are more likely to ripen indoors.

Spacious Garden Loft Coop Right at Home on Spacious Rock Hill Farm

Mike and Beth Whitehead’s new Rock Hill farm has all the joy that country life can offer. A meandering gravel drive leads from the main gate past a sturdy barn made with rough sawn oak, to a gracious residence thoughtfully nestled in a cluster of shade trees. Sweeping meadows unfold in every direction for hitting golf balls, riding horses, or watching the sunset. The cedar-framed greenhouse and sunny garden area are an especially welcome legacy from the property’s previous owners, and they’re just a short stroll from the house. The couple always found space for organic gardening and composting at their prior homes in Charlotte, but, until now, a backyard chicken coop just didn’t fit into the picture. 

But holdups that stood in the way of fresh eggs aren’t issues on their bucolic new property, and the first step was to choose the right chicken coop design for their backyard flock. 

Mike and Beth work in Charlotte, and they split their time between their Rock Hill farm, and a smaller Charlotte residence that’s close to the office. And even though they only wanted five laying hens, their coop had to be large enough to keep the flock safe and dry, secured inside for several days at a time. 

Strong, sturdy coop designs like the Playhouse Coop and Garden Coop are large enough for five hens, but a more spacious design was needed to keep their flock safe and comfortable during the portions of the week that the couple is away from their farm. 

The Garden Loft Coop was the answer. Like the Garden Coop and Playhouse Coop, it has outstanding ventilation and a fully covered run built into the design, and like these two outstanding coops, a robust cedar frame and galvanized wire mesh frustrate even heavyweight predators like coyotes.

But the Garden Loft is much more spacious than these two smaller designs. It makes a comfortable home for up to sixteen hens, and it’ll make an especially spacious coop for a smaller backyard flock that may not come out to forage very often. Or even at all. 

The perfect site for the Whitehead’s coop was easy to find - just at the edge of a tall tree line, only a few paces behind the greenhouse. This location will give their hens the right combination of afternoon shade in the warmer months, and maximum sunlight during the winter.

We framed the Whitehead’s Garden Loft Coop with rough-sawed red cedar which is naturally long lasting, and stout enough to hold up in rough weather conditions and the perpetual challenges of crafty wildlife. And like the Garden Coop, the Garden Loft is wrapped with 1/2” galvanized hardware cloth which is buried around the entire perimeter to stop determined predators like raccoons from digging under. 

 

The roost area at the back of the coop is sided with durable T1-11 siding, which gives needed shade in the summer and breaks icy winds during the winter, but the overhead portion of the roost area is simply secured with hardware cloth.This dramatically increases air exchange inside the roost area, and improves the health of the hens, without sacrificing comfort or security. 

Tinted polycarbonate roof panels extend over the entire area of the Garden Loft Coop, which helps keep the birds dry. And a dry chicken is more likely to be a comfortable and healthy chicken during the harsh, colder months of the year. 

It certainly was a special treat for us to build this coop in such a picturesque setting, and after three days of chicken coop crafting, we presented the keys to the coop’s new owners. If big smiles are an indication of approval, then they seemed pretty happy. And with their new Garden Loft Coop completed, and baby chicks on the way, Mike and Beth Whitehead do seem to have something new to smile about on their stunning Rock Hill property. And they’re definitely a big step closer to the fresh eggs they’ve always wanted. 

Two Ways to Brew Your Own Herbal Tea

Herbal teas has the power to soothe a sore throat, lower your blood pressure, and relax your mind. They can improve digestion and even boost your immune system. The prepackaged tea bags with directions make it fast and easy to enjoy, but when herbal tea is made with fresh herbs and brewed by a practiced hand, the aroma and flavor alone can revitalize the spirit. Ready to try brewing your own herbal tea? Learn to brew tea using these two methods - infusion and decoction - and with a little practice, you’ll be turning all those herb seeds, petals, flowers, and roots into the perfect cup of tea in no time. The method you use will depend on the type of tea you brew, but always use a covered container for either method ; that will help preserve the beneficial oils in the tea.

Infusion

The infusion method works by steeping herb petals, flowers and leaves in boiling water, gently releasing the natural oils without damaging them.

Wrap freshly harvested herb leaves in a clean cloth and gently crush them to release the aromatic oils. Then warm up your teapot by rinsing it with boiling water, and add three teaspoons of freshly picked herbs. Pour one cup of boiling water over the herbs, and let the tea steep for at least five minutes. Some herbal tea brewers let their tea steep for a day or more, which can make for one really strong cup of herbal tea. But if it’s too strong, you can always add more boiling water to dilute the potency.

Decoction

 This method is ideal for making tea from herbs whose oils are more difficult to release. Roots, seeds and bark are simmered for several seconds and the result is a powerful herbal tea that often keeps longer than tea brewed with the infusion method. 

 When decocting herb seeds, use a mortar and pestle, rolling pin, or wood mallet to pulverize the seeds and release their natural oils. Over high heat, bring two cups of water to a boil. Then add one tablespoon of crushed seeds, reduce heat, and let the tea simmer for up to ten minutes. Strain and enjoy!

Ready to grow your own herbal tea garden? Try these ten famously tasty herb varieties! 

Lavender

Sage

Basil

Mint

Rosemary

Lemon Verbena

Chamomile

Calendula

Lemon Balm

Anise Hyssop

The Best Bedding for your Backyard Chicken Coop

The right coop bedding makes all the difference in the comfort and health of your backyard flock. High quality coop bedding or ‘litter’, insulates your birds - keeping them warm in winter and cool in summer. Coop bedding also provides a soft layer to walk on, and absorbs moisture from droppings. 

According to Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, coop bedding should have these qualities:

inexpensive

durable

lightweight

absorbent

fast-drying

easy to handle

resists packing

has medium sized particles

low thermal conductor

must and mold-free

non-toxic

organic

Pine shavings are the first choice for many backyard chicken owners, but they can get pricey compared to other coop bedding options. You’ll save money with straw bedding, just be sure it’s well chopped ; un-chopped straw will quickly compact into a thick matting that doesn’t absorb droppings and makes for a messy clean up. Chopped, fluffy wheat straw is best, and it’s even better with stalks and cobs mixed in.

 If you’re lawn isn’t treated with toxic chemicals, try using dried grass clippings as a high quality, free coop bedding. 

But avoid the temptation to try other free or dirt cheap materials like dried leaves, rice hulls, peanut shells, and shredded paper. These mat too easily to make good coop bedding, and require more frequent replacement than pine shavings or straw. 

In order for bedding to insulate your birds from extreme weather, the idea is to give your backyard chickens enough litter so they can burrow down into it and get warm and cozy on icy winter days, or protect themselves from the scorching sun during the summer. Four-inch-deep bedding is ideal for chicks, but mature birds will enjoy up to 8” of coop bedding. Use a bow rake to break up compacted litter in areas around feeders, roosts, and doorways, and replace saturated coop litter with clean, dry bedding.

A simple and fun way to keep your coop bedding from becoming compacted is to scatter a handful of grain, and watch the melee as your backyard chickens scratch and stir up their litter, hunting down every tiny morsel of food. 

Hated by Wildlife, Loved by the Hanks Family

Like any organic garden, the Hanks family started theirs with high hopes. But storm clouds soon rolled in over their sunny daydreams of harvesting fresh produce, when their garden became a feeding station for neighborhood deer and rabbits. But is was the betrayal of one of their own - the cucumber and tomato scarfing family dog - that stung the most. 

 

But that’s all in the rearview mirror, now, and there’s a new sheriff in town. Their new organic garden will no doubt be just as appealing to hungry deer and rabbits, but they’ll have to appreciate it from outside a sturdy, 8’ tall enclosure. This robust fortress, framed with rough sawn red cedar 2”x3” lumber and wrapped with 1/2” galvanized wire mesh, will easily repel the most spry buck in his prime, let alone armies of rabbits or that rascally family dog. 

Hanks Family's Greenhouse and Enclosed Garden from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

 

A single, sturdy door allows access for gardeners with thumbs, and centered within the enclosure, a U-shaped raised bed stands ready for the next growing season. The 18” tall raised garden bed is made with eastern red cedar, and measures 8’ long on the outer sides. It’s filled with a ‘soilless’ blend of pine bark fines, mushroom compost, and Stalite PermaTill, that has excellent drainage and aeration, and will never become compacted over time.  

A generous application of Espoma’s iconic Plant Tone organic fertilizer will ensure vigorous plants, and an automated 1/2” drip irrigation system will free up more time for the Hanks family.

 

Dwarf citrus trees are also on the family's wish list, and those will grow in style by the swimming pool, all summer long. And when the nights get cold again, the citrus trees won’t mind moving into their cozy, new 8’x8’ cedar-framed greenhouse for the winter. It’s framed with 2” thick eastern red cedar lumber, and glazed with 8mm twin-wall polycarbonate. We chose Polymatte material made by Polygal ; a high performance greenhouse glazing with an opaque finish that diffuses sunlight and helps prevent scalding to plants on bright, clear days.

The structure is anchored to a base built with interlocked red cedar timbers and filled with a three inch layer of small glacier pebbles to create a comfortable floor with excellent traction and drainage. Two vent windows open automatically to help maintain an optimal temperature inside the greenhouse. 

 

Understandably, The Hanks family loves their new enclosed garden and greenhouse. The sun is shining on their new garden projects, and this time, there isn’t a rain cloud in sight. And what do the deer and rabbit communities, and the family dog think about the new enclosed garden and greenhouse? They don’t have the same enthusiasm, but they can still admire the garden... from a distance.