BillyKnowsBest

The Best Mulch for Tomato Plants: Red Plastic

I've been growing tomatoes for years. This year, for the first time, I tried a red plastic mulch.  For the past few years, I've mulched with seaweed -- it's easily collectible on the little island where I spend most of my summer, and contributes valuable organic nutrients to the soil as well.  But I've been increasingly plagued with Verticillium Wilt, and I'm not able to rotate crops in my tiny 10x10 garden (it's all tomatoes!). So,  I figured a plastic mulch might help prevent the soil-borne fungus from splashing up onto this year's plants.  And I'd read about red plastic mulch increasing tomato yields and decided to give it a try.  Well, my plants are growing faster, bigger and healthier than ever -- at a time when everyone else is complaining that their tomatoes are not growing as well as they usually do with the rainy weather we've had.  I bought Dalen Better Reds Mulch Film from Amazon.com.  While it's easiest to put the mulch down when you're planing the plants, these 3'x3' film squares are easy enough to place around plants already in the ground.
See my other garden tips and gadgets here.

The Best Hose Nozzle: Ray Padula 8-Pattern Series R Advanced

The folks at Real Simple magazine tested 70 hose attachments, and named the Ray Padula 8-Pattern Series R Advanced Functionality Hose Nozzle the best.  It has a comfortable rubberized grip, an easy-to-flip water flow switch and 8 different spray patterns.  Buy it for $14.37 at amazon.com. Their basic/budget choice: the Dramm Pistol Spray Gun, $9.97 at amazon.com.

The Best Container Garden: Earthbox

If you're looking for a container to grow vegetables or flowers on your patio or deck, you can't do better than the Earthbox.  It's a maintenance-free growing system that controls soil conditions, eliminates guesswork and weeding, and more than doubles the yield of a conventional garden- with less fertilizer, less water and virtually no effort. It's a 2009 Editor's Choice Award winner from Organic Gardening, and comes in an organic complete system version that has everything you need for a robust, high-yield container garden - just add planting mix, seedlings and water!  Save 15% when you order from their organic product line and use key code OGS9, or find it at a local garden center, or buy online for $54.95 from Amazon.com. (Skip their staking system -- it's pricey, and not sturdy enough for tomatoes.  Make your own or use a sturdier one from your local garden center.)

The Best Pruners and Loppers: Fiskars PowerGear

When I was a kid, my mom bought the first Fiskars Scissors I'd ever seen.  Their orange ergonomic handles were a huge improvement in comfort from the standard-handled scissors I had been used to.  More ergonomic innovation is now available in garden pruners and loppers featuring Fiskar's PowerGear -- a  gear system that dramatically increases your leverage, allowing you to snip, prune and trim with greater comfort, speed and precision.  They come in various sizes -- both for the size of your pruning and the size of your hand (sizes are pretty much based on men's hand sizes, so women should order smaller).  See and buy them all at Amazon.com.

Fall Planting Bulbs on Sale at Burpee

Those of us in the Northeast have just a few more weeks to plant spring-flowering bulbs.  A few hours of bulb planting now will pay off in beautiful blooms heralding the end of winter.  Burpee has all of their fall bulbs on sale for 40% off.  Order $40 worth of bulbs by Sunday, November 9th, and use coupon code "SAVE40".  Come march, you'll be glad you did.

The Best Firefly Lights: Firefly Magic

As a kid, I was crazy for fireflies.  And I still am.  So I was intrigued when I discovered that there are firefly lights that simulate the random flashing of these bioluminescent insects.  I researched a few different kinds -- and decided that the ones with the attached fans to create movement was an unnecessary complication.  I settled on the solar-powered set from FireflyMagic.  These are microchip-controlled to flash randomly, and fade slowly, just like a real fire fly.  I have a set of 12 on the far side of my deck, and without fail, when we eat outside at night, anyone who hasn't seen them before is amazed to see a small swarm of fireflies.  I know they're not real, but they still make me smile.  The solar-powered set is $87.95 from FireflyMagic.com.

The Best Garden Hose Watering Timer: Orbit

Last week I wrote about the Simple Soaker irrigation system, which I hooked up to an Orbit timer.  I chose the Orbit after a fair amount on online research.  I can't vouch for its durability (it's only been in a week), or how it compares to the other brands that didn't fare so well in user reviews online.  But I can say it works just as described, and was easy enough to program.  And the joy of hearing those Simple Soaker sprinklers turn themselves on is worth every penny of the $42.59 it cost.  Buy it online with free shipping from Amazon.com.

The Best Do It Yourself Irrigation System: Simple Soaker

I've been planting pine trees and my usual tomato garden at the beach, and decided it was time to investigate an easy hose-faucet-timer irrigation system.  My beach neighbor Tom suggested the Simple Soaker by LR Nelson.  Indeed, it doesn't get any simpler.  The kit comes with 50 ft of hose and 5 sprinkler heads that sit on stakes that you push into the ground.  Screw the sprinkler head down, and it neatly punctures the hose. No muss, no fuss.  If you screw up the placement of your sprinkler heads, unscrew them, put a plug in the puncture (plugs included) and reposition the sprinkler head. It's $29.13 with free shipping at Amazon.com. 

The Best Tomato Plants By Mail: Burpee and Chileplants.com

Most years I start tomato plants from seeds (easy when I had a greenhouse in LA, hard now that I have a windowsill in Manhattan), but I often augment my self-started seedlings with purchased ones.  I've had the best luck with plants from good ol' Burpee.  This year, I ordered their Best of Show collection.  Six plants, five different varieties, $19.99.  The plants come sturdily packed for shipment, and ready to put in your garden.  Last year, I ordered from Cross Country Nurseries, which was recommended by Organic Gardening magazine, and actually specializes in chile and pepper plants. Overall, I was less pleased with the plants, except for one variety that has earned a permanent place in my small plot: The Black Cherry tomato.  These dark-fruited gems are really meaty, sweet and tasty.  I can't wait to pick the first ones off the vine this year.

Gardens Alive: Organic Fertilizer and Pest Control

  I've been an organic gardener since grade school.  My parents even suffered a big compost pile in our backyard to accommodate my early interest in protecting the planet. And today, though my garden is limited to tomatoes and basil in a 10x10 ft. plot on fire island, I'm still big on using organic growing supplies.  I buy them from Gardens Alive, where you'll save $20 off your first order by clicking from this link.  With seed starting time fast approaching, now is the time to order.