Friday, August 22, 2025

Fenton Friday: Learning While Growing Tomatoes

 
Guest Blog by Miguel Zarate

At the beginning of the summer, the other interns and I were given a selection of vegetables to grow throughout the course of the summer. I chose the tomatoes as they had always been a subject of interest for me. 

 

I had constantly heard from my mother and grandmother how unruly and difficult to grow they are--needing specific conditions to grow. I decided to take on the challenge, we were growing from seedlings already started in pots. so the difficult task of getting to seed was already taken care of. 

 

On that first day, we took them to the garden to be planted. I also planted a marigold flower right at the edge of the tomato bed. This helps to deter certain pests and keep my tomatoes safe. 

 

With that, the plants were in their spots. I planted five varieties: 'Marriage Mazinera', 'Celebrity', 'Green Zebra', 'Sun Gold', and 'Wild Cherry' (currant). The Marriage Mazinera’s ended up not lasting very long. It wasn’t in the best shape when I planted it, so I wasn’t upset about the death of my plant, but I still had hope. I put it in the center, hoping that being in the middle would promote nutrient cross over from the others. 

 

In the following weeks, we developed a routine. After our weekly indoor meetings, we would head to the garden to weed, water, and fertilize. On weeding, this is definitely my least favorite part of gardening. We also had some aggressive Yarrow, which desperately wanted to be a part of the garden but I had to pull it out each time it grew and got close to the tomatoes. 

 

As a kid my parents would have me help them in the garden, pulling various weeds from the ground. I hated it, sitting in the sun and wrestling with plants wasn’t my idea of a fun morning back then. 

 

As an adult, I still didn’t enjoy it, but this time around it felt like I was growing for myself rather than being told to do it. If I didn’t, my tomatoes would die. 


On that subject, the first week of July brought my summer nemesis: blight.

My poor Wild Cherries were afflicted with the blight. I’m a relatively inexperienced gardener, so I did my best to trim the infected leaves but it didn’t go the best. The infection stayed with the cherries all the way until the end. Luckily, I got a few tomatoes from it before the fungus claimed the life of another tomato. 

Another thing I noticed about my tomatoes was their growth, they started about a foot tall and quickly grew, to just over two to three feet tall. This led to two things: one, they were all over each other which caused the blight to jump to other tomatoes, but removing those infected leaves was simple. The other issue was that my tomatoes were becoming unruly neighbors to my co-intern's Ian Ferris’ peppers. 

It was on me to wrangle these plants, so I used some string and tomato clips that mostly stopped them from stretching over boundaries. 

 

In the end, I harvested handfuls of small 'Sun Gold' tomatoes. For the harvest where we entered the tomatoes into the Montgomery County Fair, I was out of town. Kathy Jentz submitted them for me and they earned third place in the "orange, preserving (aka cherry)" tomato category, which wasn’t something I expected for my first tomato plant. I’m proud of them for growing so well. I will definitely grow more of my own tomatoes in the future. I’m so glad I had this opportunity with the Washington Gardener, definitely not what I expected for my summer when I switched to journalism, but the experience has been incredible. Growing a plant really teaches you about patience, which is something you need a lot of as a writer and reporter.

 

About the Author:

Miguel Zarate is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is majoring in journalism with a minor in sustainability. His favorite thing to grow in his mother’s garden, where he helps out, is mint, because it is so plentiful.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Globe Amaranth Plant Profile


Globe Amaranth Plant Profile

Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) is a drought tolerant annual flower. It blooms in tight balls in an array of colors including pink, purple, white, red, and orange.

It's native to Central and South America and is hardy to USDA zones 9 to 11. It thrives in hot, full-sun locations with well- draining soils.

It's a prolific bloomer and it's a great choice for cutting gardens. It does well in both fresh and dried bouquets.

It's easy to propagate from seed and it can self-seed if you let it.

This is a low-maintenance plant. You can dead head it or pinch it back to encourage a bushier shape if you like. It does not need fertilizer, though a top dressing of compost in the root zone can be beneficial.

Gomphrena attracts pollinators, including hummingbirds, to the garden. It's generally considered to be deer resistant.

Gomphrena: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, Video, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Colin Davan

 

 If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

 FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC


If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Celosia Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/celosia-plant-profile.html

~ Monkey Balls Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/11/plant-profile-monkey-balls-gomphocarpus.html

~ Blazing Star Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/07/blazing-star-plant-profile.html


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Monday, August 18, 2025

Saturday, August 16, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 252: Onion Gardening Tips

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with returning guest Barbara Melera, president of Harvesting-History.com, all about growing onions. The plant profile is on Shrubby Cinquefoil and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Overwintering Peppers by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 153: An American Garden Story 

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-153-american.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 45: Seed Starting Tips

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-45-seed.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 16: Garlic

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-16-garlic.html

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7dn5j6Hc5esF8uXdmqsaaz?si=n1olC3F-T06pkuGPPcsi4Q

Show Notes will be posted after 8-19-2025.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit & Show Notes: Ian Ferris

Friday, August 15, 2025

Fenton Friday: Prize-winning Peppers

 


Guest Blog by Ian Ferris

I began my summer as an intern with a choice: Which vegetable would I grow? Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. It felt like choosing a starter Pokémon. In my haste to select the best option, I chose the one that intrigued me the most: peppers — as tasty to the mouth as they are to the eye. And what a choice it was.

I began with small pepper plants of four different varieties. Planting them brought me back to my days working on a farm, where I would plant dozens of plugs without thought. This time was different. I took time planting these, carefully digging holes with proper spacing and giving these wee plants a good start in their new home.

Next came maintenance as my infants grew up. Peppers don’t need too much work if the growing conditions are right. Every week I would give them a good share of water, always feeling that they must be as thirsty as I was in the hot summer heat. The other tool they needed for success was nutrients. After a couple of weeks of letting them grow, I began giving them a dose of fish fertilizer before they were watered. This ensured they were well fed and ready to put those nutrients into big, healthy fruit.

Along the way, I helped out with the rest of the garden, pulling weeds from around my peppers and the surrounding areas. I really do hate weeding. I would also help harvest blackberries and attend to any tricky misnomers occurring that Kathy had spotted — mostly hacking away at the pestsome mulberry trees that kept sprouting around the garden and trimming back ambitious plants.

My peppers only encountered some trouble: slight wilting on the bottom leaves, likely due to the frequent tropical-like thunderstorms we’ve endured in Maryland. Beyond that, my only worry was whether they’d produce enough fruit in time for the fair. This seemed hopeless at times, but it was the pepper plant with the smallest fruit — instead of the largest — that surprised me. It grew uniform, delicious-looking peppers that looked like they would ripen in time.


While I was out of state on vacation, Kathy took care of my peppers and harvested them in time for the fair. These peppers had one last surprise for me. Upon strolling toward the awards table, I noticed they placed second and third in their category. Deep pride filled me. It is this shared feeling among gardeners that makes the whole ordeal worthwhile. Together, the plant and I worked hand in hand to produce a gorgeous and delicious fruit — although the pepper plants did most of the work. For that, I’m grateful to my peppers and to the Washington Gardener for a great summer growing.

About the Author:

Ian Ferris is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is a rising senior at the University of Maryland studying journalism and sustainable agriculture. He worked on a garden farm near Annapolis, MD, called Maidstone Harvest for two summers, where he learned a lot about growing vegetables in a sustainable and efficient fashion.


Thursday, August 14, 2025

Washington Gardener Magazine's 15th Annual Tomato Tasting at the Silver Spring FreshFarm Market

It’s ‘Green Zebra’ vs. ‘Sun Gold,' heirloom versus hybrid, the tomato wars have just begun. Everyone is sure that their tomato pick is the tastiest. Join Washington Gardener Magazine at the FreshFarm Market in downtown Silver Spring, MD, on Saturday, August 23 from 10am-12noon for a Tomato Tasting. Best of all, this event is FREE!

   Chef Sara Hayden of Vita Cooking School will join us to share tomato recipes and tastings.

   Farmers at the market will contribute their locally grown selections — from super-sweet ‘Sungold’ to not-so-pretty ‘Cherokee Purple’ — and we’ll explore which tomatoes make the short list of favorites. We’ll have tomato gardening tips, tomato recipes, tomato activities for kids, and much more. All to celebrate one of summer’s greatest indulgences — the juicy fresh tomato.

   Tip: Your tomato taste voting ballot is also your entry into our prize drawing for a basket full of gardening goodies. The drawing is at 12noon, so be sure to fully fill out your ballot by 11:45am and then stick around for the prize announcement as you must be present to win!


Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Stokesia Plant Profile

 

Stokesia Plant Profile

Stokes’ Aster (Stokesia laevis) is a perennial plant with white, pink-ish, blue, or purple flowers that bloom from summer into early fall. The flowers resemble thistles, but are much fluffier. The dark green foliage is evergreen.

It is hardy to USDA Zone 5 to 9.

It is native to North Carolina to Louisiana. Its native habitat is in the coastal plains, bogs, pine savanna, and open woodlands. It attracts butterflies and bumblebees.

Stokes Aster does best in full to part sun in moist, acidic soils with good drainage.

It is somewhat deer- and rabbit-resistant.

Remove spent flowers to prolong the bloom season. Other than that, this plant is extremely low-maintenance.  

You can propagate it by dividing Stokesia clumps in spring or fall.

Available cultivars include ‘Blue Danube’, ‘Rosea’, and ‘Silver Moon’.

Stokesia: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, Video, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Miguel Zarate

 

 If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

 FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC


If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Echinacea Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2019/07/video-plant-profile-coneflowers.html

~ Gaura Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/08/gaura-plant-profile.html

~Shasta Daisy Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/08/shasta-daisy-plant-profile.html


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Sunday, August 10, 2025

Win a Kodiak® Red Diervilla shrub in the July-August 2025 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our July-August 2025 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a Kodiak® Red Diervilla shrub from the Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrub Collection. The prize value is $24.

   This deep-red foliage will draw the eye all throughout the growing season. Kodiak Red 2.0 Diervilla bursts onto the scene in spring with vibrant coloring, produces dramatic warm rouge-tipped foliage for the entire summer, and lights up in the fall. It’s the kind of constant beauty any garden could benefit from. While the foliage is beautiful, it’s also useful: It feeds pollinator larva! The equally useful summer-long display of flowers feeds adult pollinators. Knowing that your plant is providing a service to the ecosystem as well as your eyes is a great comfort to any gardener.

   To enter to win the Kodiak® Red Diervilla, send an email by 5:00pm on Sunday, August 31, to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Kodiak Red Diervilla” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the July-August 2025 Washington Gardener issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on/about September 1. Replies might be published. 

Saturday, August 09, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 251: Soil Care Basics

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Debra Knapke, known as the Garden Sage, all about soil care basics. The plant profile is on Globe Amaranth and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Max, Mia, and the Sunflowers by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 187: Mad About Mulches

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-187-mad-about.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 71: Soil Health

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-71-soil-health.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 136: Home Composting

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-136-home.html

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5wQL2pxljESO4tuyiTFb7q?si=TkZCJo52Q2q0RV5BQOH5_g

Show Notes will be posted after 8-12-2025.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit & Show Notes: Colin Davan
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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