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As long as you have 6-8 hours of direct sunlight (preferably 8 or more) tomatoes can be grown in the ground or in a container. The size of the container depends on the type of tomato you're going to grow. The larger the container the larger type plant you can grow. In this case I'm going to use a rectangular fiberglass container (used and cracked on one side) that can either be good for one plant that can grow up to 6' tall or two patio tomatoes that will get upwards of 3.5-4 feet tall. I'm opting for the latter which will give full size fruit (yes, technically it’s a fruit but don’t put it in a fruit salad).  The first thing I notice is that the container has two pre-drilled holes in the bottom which is good for drainage.  Oddly enough we want to cover them up with either a screening material or in this case we are using a rock. The idea is not to stop water flow but instead keep soil from leaving the container.  The next step is to have some soil nearby as we need to fill the container up, but, not so fast there cowboy we don't want those rocks to move so as a kind gesture take a handful of soil and plop it right on top of the rocks first.  That will hold them down whilst filling up the container.   Now get going and fill er' up! The soil I'm using is a Heinz 57 mix. In other words a little bit of everything: potting soil, compost, perlite, agricultural diatomaceous earth, sand and even some walk on bark I mixed up.  If it seemed like it was organic and in the way it became my special Things Green potting soil. I like to pat down the soil as I go along because there will be settling.  You want to stop around 1/2"-2" from the top so water has a basin to soak in. Tomatoes typically come in 6-packs or individual 4" containers. I have seen them in #1 gallon upwards to #5 gallon sized containers, too.  For our purposes we are using pot packs. Push the center of the bottom of the cell to move the plant upwards. Hopefully the root ball will be well established with those beautiful white roots. Tan roots means the plant is old. Tomatoes are one of a few plants that can be planted deeper than the top of the root ball. In this case we'll remove a few of the lower leaves then when it's time to plant we'll bury it a bit deeper. What will happen is that the buried stem will actually grow roots developing a stronger, sturdier plant. Most other plants will rot and die if you did this.  Place the plants where you want them to grow then get them in that soil.  If you notice one of these plants has two stems. This is what we call a two-fer (two for the price of one). Instead of separating the plants I decided to leave them to see if they get along, grow at the same pace or maybe one will choke the other one out like an overbearing relationship.  When all is said and done put the plant in a sunny location then water it because if you water it first you're going to get a hernia then those will become the most expensive tomatoes ever! Remember, keep the soil moist, not wet. Think of a sponge that’s been rung out. That’s what moist soil should be like.  This particular planting I'm donating to an elderly person with some food safe organic fertilizer fromAgroThrive.com.  In a short time this will be best tomato plantin town! Here is the planter, two weeks after.  Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for short form videos at http://www.youtube.com/c/ThingsGreenwithNickFederoff.
And, our Things Green Prime channel has dozens of our 30-minute TV show. Click here to watch https://amazon.com/v/thingsgreen
 EEWW what's that green stuff all over those potatoes? The next time you walk into your supermarket, grocery store - you know, the place you buy food - take look at the potatoes. I mean a real good look. Most likely they'll have a ting of green on them. This green stuff is a bitter tasting chemical called Solanine.  Solanine is produced when potatoes are subjected to light even under flourescent lighting found in your favorite food shopping establishment. Potatoes grow under the ground. As the plant matures we pile up soil around the plant to "hill" them. This protects the tubers and enables them to develop and not poke out of the ground. Heavy irrigation and rains can wash your "hill" to uncover potatoes near the surface so cover them back up if this occurs.We don’t want to expose those spuds to the light. If consumed in large quantities Solanine is toxic. That's why it’s important to cut away any green portions of a potato before you cook and consume. Remember to store your potatoes out of exposed light to cut down on the Solanine.   Question: I have had this aloe plant for about six months, it has grown significantly. But I went to water it, and I noticed it was very wobbly. I then noticed that it had absolutely no roots, and I could pick it up out of the soil. Can it grow new roots? Or is it just going to die? Answer: Luckily for you or maybe luckily for the aloe plant, it's probably going to live. However, we're going to have to do something pretty drastic, and that would be to throw away that old soil and start off fresh or brand new. It seems to me what's happened here is that the soil has been over saturated, and all those roots have rotted out. And because aloe plants are really good for rejuvenating, you just wash off the plant, put it on the counter for a couple of days to callous over a bit, dip the end in some rooting hormone then plop it back right into the new soil. Bury it deep enough so that it doesn't fall over and you should be okay. If needed, take a branch or chopstick to prop it up until it takes root. Finally, be certain your soil is kept moist, not wet. Call Nick with your question 24/7 at 1-800-405-NICK(6425) Watch Nick on Things Green Prime at https://amazon.com/v/thingsgreen   Today's Things Green Garden Minute is going to be a little bit on the gross and disgusting side and it all happened before the Coronavirus of 2020. I have to share something with you because it's important to realize what's going on at your local grocery center and farmers market. I was recently at the market, and I saw somebody doing something pretty disgusting.  He was checking out all of the apples by touching and feeling them which doesn't seem like a problem. However, before touching each one of them, he was licking his thumb and his forefinger and then squeezing each one. I was taken back by this to say the least.  That's why there are companies that are making these fancy washes in the first place. However, if you use just a little water and some mild soap you could probably do it yourself without any extra expenses.Now imagine many people doing that to the fruits and vegetables that you're buying. It is imperative that when you bring that fruit home, before you consume it, make sure you wash it.  Dried flowers have always been popular in bouquets and there's no reason why you can't become part of the dried flower craze, too! Best part is, there are so many different ways to used dried flowers:
1. Use them as dried bouquets the year round 2. Mix with green materials for unusual effects  Teach a child urban farming and they'll never go hungry. We are on a journey teaching urban youth the magic of urban farming and gardening Project Youth Grow. In cooperation with local middle and high schools we engage students on how to properly grow a garden, harvest and process their crops in an urban environment. Our curriculum has already ushered students to continue what they have learned to higher education.
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