Posted on: 29 April, 2005
Author: Cyndi Roberts
You don't think you have a green thumb?That's OK--you don't really need one!Just a little knowledge and info to get youstarted!! Those of us who live in rural areas have a decided advantage over city... You don't think you have a green thumb?That's OK--you don't really need one!Just a little knowledge and info to get youstarted!! Those of us who live in rural areas have a decided advantage over city and apartmentdwellers. We can nearly always find roomfor a vegetable garden even if it's a smallone! But even if you don't have an acre or two ofland to play with, don't despair! You can stillsupplement your grocery budget with freshveggies grown in a container garden--even ifthe only space you have is on your patio! Tomatoes are about the easiest vegetablesto grow. They come in all sizes: from bite-sizecherry tomatoes to great big beefsteaktomatoes. And tastewise, store-bought tomatoes just can't compare to vine-ripened! The first step to starting a container garden isto locate your container. You can use almostanything. A half-barrel, the kind you see forsale at garden centers, works great. You mayhave plastic buckets already on hand and thesecan work, too. If you use buckets, usually one plant to eachbucket is enough. And keep in mind, one plant canproduce a lot of tomatoes! Just put a layer of rocks in the bottom of your chosen container for drainage. Then fill withquality potting soil about 2/3 thirds of the wayfull. Tomatoes are best grown from seedlings. Mostgarden centers, discount stores, and even somegrocery stores have these in stock in the spring. Remove the plant from the plastic pot it comes inby squeezing the bottom of the pot to loosen thesoil and gently lift it from the pot. Carefully loosen the roots a little as sometimes they tendto be a little root-bound in the small pots. Dig a hole a little bigger than your plant ball andjust set your tomato into the hole right up to theleaves and fill all around with more potting soil. Of course, you must water the plants to make themgrow! Your tomato plants will respond well to regularfeeding. Apply a liquid fertilizer once a week. Once your plants are larger, you may need to stakethem; however, if you are growing the "bush" variety,they won't need to be staked. Once your plants are bearing, you may find yourselfwith a surplus. Whole tomatoes can be frozen for uselater on in soups and casseroles. Just wash and putin sealed plastic bags and place in freezer. When you're ready to use them, let them thaw partway so the skin can come off and they're ready to go in thesoup pot! If you prefer to freeze your tomatoes already chopped,just dip each tomato in boiling water for about 10seconds. Then the peel will pull right off. Chop thetomato, put in bags and freeze. Here's a good vegetable soup recipe for using frozentomatoes. Combine 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped tomatoes 1 can new potatoes, drained and chopped 1 can sliced carrots, drained 1 large can tomato sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1 3/4 cups beef broth Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, to let flavors mingle.Add salt and pepper to taste. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com