• Growth Type: Indeterminate
• Time to Maturity: 75-90 days
• Taste and Texture: Sweet, with few seeds. Perfect for sauce.
• Light: Full sun
• Plant Size: 4-9’
• Spacing: 24-36”
• Staking: Yes – Cage or stake

Why Should I Grow Heirlooms?

We believe the flavor of heirlooms is so superior that no garden would be complete without them. Try a variety this year, and we’re sure you will agree. You will be tasting a little bit of history all summer long.

When you’re organic gardening, be sure to feed tomatoes lots of Tomato-tone during the growing season.

For a printable guide to tomatoes click HERE

Eat your veggies! They are so good for you. It is nice to get them from your local grocery store but even better to pick them out of your own garden. Nothing like the smell and taste of fresh veggies! Nothing like the satisfaction of knowing you grew them on your own! Nothing like the joy of sharing with family and friends! Nothing like a good ole’ disease to rain on your bountiful vegetable parade! It’s just like me to be a “Debbie Downer”, isn’t it?! It would be great if we could just yell at the disease and it would go away. It is not quite that simple but I do have some solutions for you.

PEPPERS:

Cercospora Leaf Spot:

• The disease lays dormant in old affected leaves left in the soil of the garden bed.
• It spreads quickly by wind, splashing water, and leaf to leaf contact.
• Water is necessary to activate the disease.
• Lesions on leaves are somewhat circular, yellowish at first, and have a white to tan center with a dark halo around the spot. Spots will dry up and turn into holes.
• Bottom leaves will be affected first, turn yellow and drop off the plant.

Cercospora Leaf Spot Control:

• Remove infected leaves & throw them into the garbage.
• Do not overcrowd plants.
• Avoid overhead irrigation. Water spreads the disease.
• Spray immediately with Copper Fungicide by Bonide. Make treatments weekly.
• Fertilize monthly with Espoma’s Garden-Tone + Van Wilgen’s Fish & Seaweed weekly(especially in this heat) to keep plants healthy.
• Clean garden beds thoroughly in the Fall. Do not leave any dead leaf debris in the garden.
• Throw infected plant debris away in the garbage, not into your compost pile.

TOMATOES:

Septoria Leaf Spot:

• It begins on the lower leaves of the tomato plant.
• The disease remains living in old tomato plant leaves.
• Spots appear as water-soaked circles with grayish centers, a dark brown margin, and little black spots in the middle.
• Spots will eventually dry up and leaves will drop.
• It is spread by wind, rain, insects, cultivating, etc.

Septoria Leaf Spot Control:

• Remove infected leaves and throw them away in the garbage.
• Avoid overhead irrigation.
• Fertilize tomatoes with Espoma’s Tomato-Tone monthly + Van Wilgen’s Fish & Seaweed weekly to keep them strong.
• Spray weekly with a fungicide, such as Daconil, Copper, or Serenade.
• Do a complete garden clean-up in the Fall and remove all infected vegetation.
• Rotate your crop yearly to a different location in the garden.

SQUASH & CUCUMBERS:

Powdery Mildew:

• This disease shows up on leaves of squash and cucumbers in a blotchy form or a full covering.
• The fungus is white to gray in color.
• It weakens the plant significantly to the point that you may not get any maturing fruit.
• If the fungus completely covers the leaf, photosynthesis will stop, the leaf will turn yellow and drop off the plant.
• It remains to overwinter in affected cucumbers and squash.
• In the Spring, it is spread by wind, insects, rain, birds, etc.

Powdery Mildew Control:

• Be sure plants have good air circulation and are not too crowded.
• Water plants at the base, not from the top.
• Pick off and throw away infected leaves.
• Treat weekly with a fungicide. Daconil, Safer’s Garden Fungicide, and Copper will all do the trick.
• Fertilize monthly with Espoma’s Garden Tone monthly + Van Wilgen’s Fish & Seaweed weekly to keep plants healthy and strong.
• Clean up the dead plants in the garden at the end of the year. Fungal spores will remain in the dead leaves and reinfect plants next season.

Hopefully, I was not too much of a “Debbie Downer” in this tip. Let’s look at the bright side of things. Rarely do these diseases kill the plant and you will still enjoy some delicious vegetables as long as you follow some of the control measures above. Now I am more of a “Penelope Positive”, don’t you think?!

Come see us at VanWilgen’s. We would love to help!

Things seem to be looking up for Hydrangeas

2016 proved to be such a disappointing year for Hydrangeas but I think things are looking up. Fingers crossed! I suppose I should not lump all hydrangeas together and give some credit where credit is due. Some Hydrangea varieties actually performed quite well last year. Most of the smooth-leaf(Annabelle) and paniculata(Limelight) Hydrangeas actually put on a nice show in spite of Mother Nature’s lack of cooperation. The Hydrangeas that struggled the most last year were the big leaf varieties/macrophylla. But we love this kind of Hydrangea! No need to stop loving them. The Endless Summer, big leaf varieties of Hydrangea are so beautiful with their pom-pom-like pinkish to bluish blooms. Macrophylla Hydrangeas got hit hard with last year’s late April frost. Shame on Mother Nature. Hydrangeas were duped by the unusually warm March weather in 2016 and thought it was their signal to grow. Then April came along and fooled everyone with her unexpected, harsh frost. Poor Big Leaf Hydrangeas, they didn’t know what hit them! Here is the good news…2017 seems to be going better for our favorite Big Leaf Hydrangeas. What can we do to make it an even better year?

Let’s begin with flower color. Macrophylla varieties of Hydrangeas are interesting because in some people’s yards, they have these showy, pink cotton candy-like flower balls. In other yards, the flowers are of the deepest blue. How is this possible, that the same type of hydrangea can be pink on one property and blue in another person’s garden? It is not because Hydrangeas have a choice, it all has to do with the pH of your soil. The sweeter the soil, the pinker the Hydrangea flower. The more sour the soil, the bluer your Hydrangea flower. It is as simple as science. If you prefer pink cotton candy over blue, add lime to your soil. Lime makes the pH more alkaline/basic, thus, in turn, making the flowers pinker. If you have a preference for blue, add sulfur to your soil. Sulfur makes the soil more acidic. It is important that you start your applications of Lime or Color Me Pink a.s.a.p. Soil Acidifier and Color Me Blue also should be applied first thing in the spring. It takes a little while to change the pH of your soil, so get going now to see the color you prefer when they bloom.

pH is not the only important part when it comes to Macrophylla Hydrangea care. They also need to eat guys! Don’t deny them the fertilizer they need to give you those showy blooms. If pink is your color, use Plant-Tone on those hydrangeas. It contains no sulfur, so the soil will not become more acidic. If you are true blue, use Holly-Tone. It has a touch of sulfur, so your soil pH will drop even lower, making flowers even bluer. Fickle flowers aren’t they?! Actually, they are pretty low maintenance. Did you know that you do not even need to prune a Hydrangea except for some simple dead-heading of the spent flower? Yes, it is true, they would rather be left alone. Be patient folks. Macrophylla Hydrangeas can be slow to show green growth on the old stems. Don’t be hasty and cut them right off in the spring. Give them some fertilizer and give them a chance to do their thing.

I love all of our Endless Summer varieties of Macrophylla Hydrangeas, from Twist n’ Shout to Bloomstruck, they are all so pretty and just make me think of New England. You might even want to have some fun this year and see if you can change some Macrophylla varieties pink and the others blue in your yard. Why not?! Go for it. While you are at it…throw some Lime around some other sweet soil-loving plants. Lilacs, Peonies, Clematis, and Tomatoes all love a little Lime. If you are in the process of changing your Hydrangeas blue, share some of the soil acidifiers with your Blueberry bushes and Potatoes. They like a little sour treat.

The bottom line is, do not stop loving and caring for the Big Leaf/Macrophylla Hydrangeas. As long as Mother Nature cooperates, they will shower you in pinks or blues. It is all up to you!

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

SHOPPING LIST:

*Color Me Pink

*Lime

*Color Me Blue

*Soil Acidifier

*Plant-Tone

*Holly-Tone

When people think of Lilacs the first thing to come to mind is the wonderfully fragrant flowers. There are four basic requirements that lilacs need to ensure they are the spring rock star of your garden.

• 1. Drainage. In their native homes, you will find them in fertile hills and on the edges of mountain woodlands. They are never seen in swampy wet areas. Lilacs prefer sandy, gravel-like soil.
• 2. Soil- Lilacs prefer a fertile well-drained soil with a neutral (ph7) to alkaline soil. When in doubt add garden lime! Flowers are produced from new shoots each year. Poor soil will lead to poor growth affecting flower production. If lilac is established in good soil new growth will be at least 6” and pencil-thick. This type of shoot will give you plump flower buds for next spring. If the growth is longer than 18” and thin this is a sign the soil may be too acidic, have too much shade or need to be thinned out by pruning. For lilacs, it is best to enrich the soil with good organic material over traditional fertilizers.

• 3. Sun, Sun, Sun! Lilacs require full sun, at least 6 hours or more each day. They are also “selfish” and don’t like the root competition that nearby trees may give. If you’re not sure how much sun your location gets, please ask a Van Wilgen’s expert and we can help you with that.

• 4. Pruning- Out of all the care lilacs need this can be the most intimidating for most beginners. However, it is much easier than you think. Prune out any diseased or declining canes, suckers, and small branches each year. Small growth and suckers are signs of poor growth. Next, prune out ¼ to 1/3 of the oldest branches each year. Make sure you leave a strong main stem giving you a god form for the plant. This practice ensures strong canes and growth. Also make sure you deadhead your flowers immediately after flowering, before July 4^th. By doing a little pruning to your lilac each year you will enjoy great form, flowering for years to come.

JASON SCIRE, Nursery Manager