Gardening Q&A

One of my tomato plants says it is determinate. What does that mean?

Determinate tomatoes, also called bush tomatoes, grow to a predetermined size, produce flowers and tomatoes, and then die. It's part of their genetic makeup. Once fruits form, the tomato doesn't keep growing and flowering and producing more fruit. Most are early producers. Paste tomatoes, such as Roma, are determinate. Indeterminate tomatoes, also called vine tomatoes, continue to grow throughout the season. They keep producing leaves, flowers, fruit, more stems, more leaves and flowers until the weather forces them to stop. If not caged or staked, they sprawl. Most cherry tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes are indeterminate, as well as varieties such as Big Boy, Beefsteak, Beefmaster and Brandywine. For tomatoes all season, choose indeterminate varieties.

I'm a new gardener. What tomato varieties should I grow?

There are so many fabulous tomatoes, you could practically throw a dart at the list and come up with something amazing. The most popular heirloom tomatoes are Cherokee Purple and Brandywine. I like Black Krim. As far as hybirds go, Celebrity, Early Girl and Beefsteak have been favorites for years. I like to try a few new ones each year, and choose them based on their evocative names: Mortgage Lifter, Bull's Heart, Green Zebra, Speckled Roman, the list goes on. Have fun with it.

My zucchini is misshapen this year—sort of narrow at one end and normal at the other. What happened?

It's the weather and the water. When temperatures fluctuate from the mid-80s to well over 100 degrees, it's hard for people to regulate our intake of water, much less our poor plants living outside 24 hours a day. Once the temperatures settle, the plants will produce properly shaped zucchini.

I accidentally sprayed some of the plants in my garden with an herbicide. Can they be saved?

I've done the same thing myself. If it's an herbicide that acts through the leaves and takes the substance down to the roots, you're in luck because you have a bit of time to reverse what you've done. Immediately and thoroughly wash the foliage of the plants you sprayed. Give them plenty of water during the next week or so, and wait. Either it worked or it didn't, and there's nothing else to do.

I added compost last year to my vegetable garden beds. Do I need to do it again?

Yes. My rule is every time I take a crop out of the garden, I add compost. It only lasts a few months and the benefits far outweigh any inconveniences. My favorite is composted chicken or turkey manure. Sometimes it has a bit of an odor, but if you mix it with your garden soil, you'll get rid of any odors.

I planted basil last year in March, and the plants sort of dried up at the base and fell over and died. What happened?

It's a disease commonly called "damping off." It is most common early in the gardening season. It's a sure sign you're planting too early. Contributing factors are high humidity and poor air circulation. The most commonly affected seedlings in my garden have been tomatoes and basil. I find if I wait until the temperatures begin to warm before planting, and the ground is a little warmer, I don't have any problems with damping off.