Garden Guide
The cross-cutting know-how: principles, timing, what to divide or save seed from, pests, infrastructure, and the hazards worth remembering.
Reference
Deep, consistent watering
1–2" per week in deep soaks beats frequent shallow watering. Irregular water = blossom-end rot and cracking. Drip irrigation is ideal.
Calcium for tomatoes
Crushed eggshells in the planting hole or gypsum at bloom prevents blossom-end rot (can destroy 30%+ of yield).
Feeding schedule
10-10-10 at planting → 5-10-10 (or tomato-specific) at flowering, every 2–3 wks. Excess nitrogen = leaves, not fruit. Back off N for tomatoes/peppers at flowering. Stop feeding garlic/onions 3–4 wks before harvest. Beans fix their own N once established.
Heavy vs. lean feeders
Feed regularly: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, basil, alliums. Do NOT over-fertilize: Mediterranean woody herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, lavender) and wildflowers.
Mulching & nitrogen tie-up
2–3" straw mulch (EZ Straw) retains moisture and suppresses weeds — but fresh straw ties up nitrogen. Pull mulch back 2–3" from stems and apply diluted organic fertilizer (Bonnie 3-1-1 or fish emulsion) as a fast fix.
Pruning & pinching
Prune suckers on indeterminate tomatoes; do NOT prune determinate Roma. Pinch peppers (and tomatoes) early until a strong branched 'Y' forms. Never remove flowers from beans or okra. Cut garlic/onion scapes immediately.
Hand-pollination
Tomatoes self-pollinate but need vibration. On calm mornings, shake clusters, tap stakes, or buzz flower stems with an electric toothbrush.
Hydroponic → soil transitions
Trim tops by ⅓, rinse roots, expect a setback week, harden off 5–7 days. Beans are taproot-sensitive — direct-sow, don't transplant from hydro.
Tomato drying for infusions
Oven/sun-dried tomatoes concentrate flavor far better than fresh for infusions — water removal is the mechanism. Roma is the ideal drying tomato; high-sugar Sweet 150 and yellow cherries suit bright fresh infusions.
Blueberry acidity
Both a soil acidifier (Espoma) AND an acid-loving fertilizer (Holly-tone) are needed against alkaline Atlanta tap water.
Roma freezing strategy
The determinate July dump (150–300 lbs) freezes whole or chopped (no blanching) to pace jam production across fall/winter — and freezing breaks cell walls, which speeds reduction cooking.