Stolons are stems that grow at the surface of the soil, or just below. They form adventitious roots at their nodes, and new plants from their buds. These new plants are clones of the original. Sometimes stolons are referred to as runners. Potato tubers are actually modified stolons, and form at the end of the […]
Also known as Cordon Tomatoes, Vine Tomatoes, or Tall Tomatoes, Indeterminate Tomato varieties have a single main shoot that grows indefinitely. In a perfect climate, this main shoot would grow up indefinitely. Normally, these are trained up a central support, like a cage or trellis, or stake. Some growers pinch of the side shoots that […]
Determinate Tomatoes, also referred to as Bush Varieties, have no leading shoot, but many side-branches, and act more like a shrub, with lots of spreading or trailing side branches. They form a more compact plant than the indeterminate varieties. This is the most common form of tomato, and is the primary type you will find […]
Brix = % weight dissolved solids (technically, % weight sucrose, but refractometers can’t distinguish between sucrose and other dissolved solids) One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution Abbreviation: °bx Building Soils Naturally by Phil Nauta: pp 45-48: One of the two main instrument tests for plants (the other one is plant sap […]
All dates for Redding, California: 2009: Nov 16
According to PlantMaps.com, the average last frost date for Redding, California, is anywhere between March 1 and March 31, depending on your exact location. Go to http://www.plantmaps.com/index.php to find a ton of helpful gardening information for the US. Below is actual weather data for my area, taken from two different sources. Both sources happen to […]
Days to Maturity The maturity of a vegetable determines when it will begin producing; for a flower, it determines when it will start flowering, so it’s always an important factor in planning a vegetable garden or designing a flower garden.. But when I’ve tried to put them into practice, they have always confused me: do […]
The hypocotyl is the shortened name for the stem area below the seed leaves (cotyledons) and above the ground. Well, actually, the hypocotyl goes all the way to where the root starts. It is what pokes out of a germinated seed after the root (radicle) and pushes up through the soil to raise the seed […]
Various gardening tasks use the appearance of the first “true leaves” as a start time – when a seedling can be up-potted fertilized, or grafted, for instance. So it’s good to know what the first true leaves are. The first green leaves that emerge are called “seed leaves”, or cotyledons. They are generally rounded, not […]
Fallowing is where you leave the soil bare and don’t grow anything, including a cover crop. Keep irrigating the field and control weeds.