Washington Gardener Magazine's Tomato Taste at Market is Back!

Washington Gardener Magazine's
4th Annual
Tomato Tasting
at the Silver Spring FreshFarm Market

It’s ‘Big Boy’ vs. ‘Mortgage Lifter,’ hybrid vs. heirloom, 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 20 from 10am-12noon for a Tomato Tasting. Best of all, this event is FREE!

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. The fabulous Montgomery County Master Gardeners will also be on hand to answer your questions about tomato growing challenges. All to celebrate one of summer’s greatest indulgences — the juicy fresh tomato.

Fenton Friday: Baby Melons!

'Snow Leopard' honeydew melons



'Sugar Baby' watermelon

 I'm sooooooooooo excited about my teeny 'Sugar Baby' watermelon and my growing 'Snow Leopard' honeydew melons. I want to put bows on them and push them around in a little pram all about town. I expect everyone to coo over them and ask me their names. (If you must know -- Tyka, Lena, and Tigra.)

tiny cucumber just starting out

I also finally have baby cucumbers showing up, but they are not as coo-worthy due to their current prickliness. 

My tomatoes are in a bit of a green holding pattern. I attribute that to the oppressive 100+ degree days last week and this week.  

I would have dug up some of my potatoes this week, but no way was I going to risk passing out with over-exertion in this heat wave. (I have been known to do that once or twice.) Maybe next week and I can get over on a cooler morning.



Blossom-end Rot



In other exciting Fenton Community Garden news this week, we had a few Montgomery County Master Gardeners over for a Plant Diagnostic walk at our weekly "Happy Hour" gathering. They mostly answered questions about diseases and pest problems. We got to see a Cucumber beetle close up, the difference in male and female squash blossoms, flea beetle damage, and what blossom-end rot on a tomato looks like. I'll put up a full photo album from the walk this weekend at our Facebook page (facebook.com/washingtongardenermagazine).

NEW Summer 2011 Issue of Washington Gardener Magazine OUT

Our Summer 2011 Washington Gardener magazine issue is now out. The cover story is on Ornamental Edibles. From swiss chard to artichokes, how to mix attractive edible plants into your ornamental garden landscape.

You’ll also find in this issue:

• A DayTrip to Nemours Estate and Gardens in Delaware. (See an excerpt from that story on page 9 of this enewsletter.)

• Amsonia aka Arkansas Bluestar — Three Seasons of Color

• Growing A-Maize-ing Corn — the best techniques and varieties for success in our region

• East Native Summer Bluet

• Fertilization Facts

• Urban Foraging: the Ultimate Revenge Against Weeds!

• Cucumber Beetles

• Summer Love for Your Garden

• A “Magical” Garden Before and After Transformation

• Casey Tree’s Summer Almanac

• Famed Landscape Architect Florence Everts of Washington, DC tells her personal garden story

• An Interview with Linna the Locavore and much, much more...


To subscribe, online go to www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm and use our PayPal (credit card) link OR send a check for $20.00 payable to “Washington Gardener” magazine to: Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Video Wednesday: Four Seasons Garden Path at Frelinghusen

A short video of the Four Seasons garden path at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township, NJ, in summer. I took this video while up there last week for a Garden Writers Association regional meeting. It was hot as hades, but worth it to discover this wonderful arboretum. I'll definitely back for more visits in other seasons.

We Love Local, Independent Retailers!

Just a quick reminder: Any local retailers wanting to carry Washington Gardener Magazine, should contact me directly at Wgardenermag (at) aol.com to discuss details. I have been dealing one-on-one with independent local retailers like this one.

The Essential Crape Myrtles ~ Washington Gardener Enews ~ July 2011

- - Local Gardening - - -

Washington Gardener Enews ~ July 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

~ The Essential Crape Myrtles
~ Magazine Excerpt: Nemours Estate and Gardens
~ Washington Gardener Magazine 2011 Day Trip Details
~ Reader Contest: Tell Us Your Favorite Deer-Resistant Plants and Win a Bottle of Messina Wildlife's Deer Stopper spray
~ Washington Gardener's Recent Blog Post Highlights
~ Spotlights Special: Crocosmia Twilight Fairy™
~ Mid-Atlantic Garden To-Do List for July-August
~ Upcoming Local Garden Events
~ Washington Gardener Magazine Back Issue Sale!
and much more...

Fenton Friday: Gathering Around the Watering Hole

Touring one of the more successful plots



Enjoying Iced Tea NOT Compost Tea!



a good turn-out




This week we all took a break from the DC heat at the Fenton Street Community Garden and met up for an alcohol-free Happy Hour on Monday early evening. About 25 of the 44 plot owners came to meet up, share concerns, and ask questions -- lots and lots of questions. So for our next Happy Hour, we are inviting some local Master Gardeners to take us on a Plant Diagnostic walk-about through the garden plots. I plan to take copious notes.

Parade of Ponds this Weekend!

It is that time of year! It is hot and humid and  that means we are ready to see some great water gardens on the Parade of Ponds weekend. Of course, it is not all water features! You'll also see on the tour some gorgeous private gardens surrounding those fabulous water features. It is totally self-guided. See one garden or many. Go just one morning or fill up both days touring to your heart's content. The gardens are located in Washington, DC, Montgomery County, MD, and Howard County, MD. Bring your camera, a hat, and sunscreen!

This year the tour is FREE, but the organizers are asking you to donate to Shepherd's Table and will have collection points at various points along the tour. You can also donate online at http://www.shepherdstable.org/.

Video Wednesday: Sunflowers!

Sunflowers at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area located in Western Montgomery County. Each summer, the state of Maryland plants fields of sunflowers at McKee-Beshers for feeding and attracting migratory game birds. (This is a hunting preserve.) Photography and art clubs love it, but it is so big and never so crowded that it is a problem.

McKee-Beshers WMA is a 2,000-acre area located on River Road just outside of Seneca, Maryland  (between Potomac and Poolesville in Montgomery County). It is not far from the intersection of River Rd and Rt 112. McKee-Beshers is on the left hand side of the road. Just pull in, walk around the gate, go 20 yards around a clump of brush, and BAM! Sunflowers as far as the eye I can see. Totally hidden from the road.

A few photos I took are posted here at the facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine page. BTW, no need for a step ladder (as one friend had recommended I bring), the flowers are all between waist and chest high. If you like birding, go early in the day. I went in late afternoon and saw lots of butterflies and bees. The blooms should last a few more weeks and you can go anytime during daylight hours. Best of all, it is free!

UPDATE: This year (2015), the sunflowers are a taller variety so definitely bring a stepladder for the best views and photography. Here is a link to the field map for this year: http://dnr2.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/2015_MckeeBeshers_Sunflowers.pdf

Fenton Friday: Help! Potato Plants Suffering



Potato Plant with BIG Problem

 I cannot figure out what is wrong with some of my potato plants. They have some brown speckling on most of the foliage and a few of the plants have just totally collapsed. I looked up several diseases and photos, but just does not match what I see. I was warned that potatoes are a pain to grow, so I'm not surprised. I'm thinking I may dig up the ones where the top foliage is totally gone just to see if there ARE any potatoes in there and if they are edible at this point. For the plants still with foliage on, I've given them more water and a layer of worm compost and plus more fertilizer. We'll see how that goes.

Potato Plant not as Bad Off

This week I picked more okra and ground cherries as well as a few tomatillos. The honeydew, watermelon, and cucumber vines are taking off though no visible fruit has set on any of them yet. My corn and pole beans are growing strong and tall. The tomato plants are all flowering, which I hope means I'll get some actual tomatoes in time for our annual Washington Gardener Magazine Tomato Taste in late August.



 In other Fenton Community Garden plot news, I have organized a weekly happy hour to gather, get to know each other, and discuss garden matters. Our first one will be this Monday night from 7-8pm. I hope it is well attended.



Garden Blogger Bloom Day BLING



Close-Up

 This Garden Blogger Bloom Day brings a bit of *BLING* to my garden in the form of Jewels of Opar (Talinum paniculatum) aka Fameflower of Jewels of Ophir.

The basal foliage is a bright, lime-green and is thick, almost succulent-like. The blooms are tiny pink things heald aloft of spring-y, spindly spikes, rather like a Heuchera. The "gems" of this plant are the ruby beads (seedpods) on the flower sprays.

I have it in a large container and part shade and it is doing very well -- doubling in size and blooming its head off just a few weeks after planting it. It is fairly drought-tolerant, which is good for summer here.


Whole Plant

 I got three baby plants from Doug R., a garden club friend who loves in Rockville, MD. Don't you love pass-a-long plants? It is an annual here and self-sows readily I hear, so we'll see if I have some to share next year.

PS If you are reading this post at the original posting on Washington Gardener Magazine's blog (washingtongardener.blogspot.com), you can click on the photos and view them at full size.