Tomatoes grow best in soil with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5. For early crops in regions with winter frost, start plants indoors or in a hotbed five to seven weeks before night temperatures are expected to stay above 60; set the seeds 1/8 inch deep. When seedlings become about 1 inch tall, transplant them to individual 3- to 4-inch pots. Move the plants to the garden when night temperatures are expected to remain above 60.

To prepare the ground, scatter a 1-foot-wide band of 5-10-5 fertilizer at a rate of 1 1/2 pounds to every 25 feet of row; dig the fertilizer in thoroughly, and set the plants 2 to 3 feet apart in rows 4 feet apart. For later crops, sow seeds directly outdoors when night temperatures can be depended upon to stay above 60.

Good varieties with sweet berries, few thorns and large crops are Pixwell, greenish pink; Poorman, red; and Welcome, pink. Plants will bear berries for 25 years, and a mature plant ordinarily yields 5 to 10 quarts annually.

Orchid gardening has been around for quite a while. It is a very enjoyable hobby – and for some an obsession. The variety of orchid species and hybrids makes the options truly endless. With that – it also makes it difficult to have a quick guide that is comprehensive and accurate for all orchids. Still – you can get a good start with the basics below. They are true regardless of which type of orchid you are trying to grow.

Orchid Gardening Tip #1 – Care Is Required

There is no need to make orchid gardening hard. However – the plants to have specific needs and you need to be willing to take care – special care – of each orchid. Without the right care, it can be difficult to get your orchid to bloom. So – if you are starting out, you may want to choose an easier type of orchid.

Orchid Gardening Tip #2 – Type Does Matter

Selecting the correct orchid for getting started is vital to early and easy success. If you are just getting started in orchid gardening (first off – congratz!), you could do much worst than starting with a Cymbidum. The Cymbidum orchid is a great starter for the first time orchid gardener.

Flowers are valued for their beauty, fragrance and they joy they give to those who receive them. Indeed, nothing conveys the whole spectrum of human emotions as well as flowers – the reason why almost everyone loves them.

However, these symbols of love, friendship and beauty can be deadly too. That’s because many flowers that you find outside – and sometimes inside your home – can be dangerous. It’s not uncommon to find poisonous flowers around you so it’s better if you know what you’re dealing with.

Although plants are not the main reason for poisonings reported throughout the world, they are responsible for many cases of unintentional poisonings, especially among children.

“Surveys of calls to Poison Information Centers in Germany and the United States show that ingestion of plants is responsible for a significant number of calls (10 percent of all inquiries), but that serious poisonings are rare. Plants were responsible for five percent of pediatric poisoning cases seen in Finnish hospitals and 28 percent of calls to a poison information center,” according to Michael Eddleston of the Center for Tropical Medicine, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford in England, and Hans Persson of the Swedish Poisons Information Center in Stockholm, Sweden.

Kaki persimmon, also called Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki); common persimmon (D. virginiana). Persimmons are delectable fall fruit for home gardeners in Zones 6-10. Although unpleasantly astringent when hard and immature, a fully ripe persimmon is soft and sweet, with jellylike flesh.

The results are often large, dramatic flowers with soft colourings, as can be seen in the hybrid genus Maclellanara, which combines Brassia with Odontoglossum and Oncidium. The species are characterized by the extremely long and narrow petals and sepals, which give rise to the common name of spider orchids.

Modern varieties have a built-in resistance to verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt, diseases that can wipe out a crop and for which there are no effective sprays; several varieties are also resistant to nematodes, microscopic pests that eat and weaken tomato plants. The resistance of each variety is indicated by the letter “V” for verticillium wilt, “F” for fusarium wilt or `V” for nematode.

Brassias do well in the company of odontoglossums or in a mixed collection. The plants can be divided when they are large enough, and propagation is from back bulbs. Temperature: Mainly cool-growing.

Vines For gardeners who live in THE CENTRAL STATES

WINTERCREEPER – There are two varieties of this broad leaved vine or ground cover worthy of attention. The first is the purple-leaf wintercreeper, Euonymus Fortunei colorata, whose foliage has a purple cast; the second, the big-leaf wintercreeper, Euonymus Fortunei vegetus, noted for its attractive bright green rounded foliage and bitter sweet like fruit in fall. Both are tolerant of most any soil, prefer a north or east exposure and cling to walls or trees by root-like holdfasts reaching up 25 feet or more. As ground covers they grow a foot or so tall. The nice thing about them is that they will grow in shade and can stand root competition from trees. Regrettably they cannot be recommended for the coldest or the warmest parts of the region.

BALTIC IVY – The hardiest variety of English ivy, Hedem Helix baltica, will climb up walls or tree trunks 25 feet or more and also makes an interesting 3 to 5-inch-deep ground cover. It will grow in practically any soil and prefers a north or east exposure. The foliage is medium sized and prominently veined.