Growing bigger tomatoes

A scanned red tomato, along with leaves and flowers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you would like huge tomato plants you may be missing out on this handy little tip. Those living in the South know that having a large root base and plenty of warm sun and water produce big healthy tomato plants. Here's a great tip if you buy your tomatoes already started.

• If you purchase tomato plants that are already about 8 to 12 inches tall, strip all the leaves except for a few off of the top. Every leaf you remove will form a root which will create a huge root system on a young plant. The bigger the root system, the bigger the plant, the more tomatoes you'll yield.
• On a raised bed dig a hole big enough to accommodate your tomato plant. Remove your plant from its container and if the plant is root bound loosen by hand the roots at the base. 
• If you want to ensure better root production, you can apply rooting hormone to your plant prior to placing into the ground. 
•  Lay your tomato plant down sideways, yes, side ways and cover with a few inches of soil and compost leaving an inch or two below the cluster of top foliage. Do not bury too deep the warmth from the sun and quick absorption of water will help promote root production faster.
• At the neck of the plant just below the cluster of leaves at the top, wrap a 3-4 inch piece of newspaper around the plant. This will protect the plant from pests since it is the only part exposed.This will help prevent tomato cut worms from feasting on your newly planted tomato bush. 

How to attract more butterflies to your garden

© Dawn Gagnon Photography 2013

Butterflies are lovely little garden visitors that help pollinate your flowers and vegetables. Attracting them to your garden is easy if you plant plenty of flowers they love and follow a few simple tips. South Carolina is home to many varieties of wild flowers and butterflies. See this list below to attract them to your garden.

1. Avoid using too much pesticides. Even though we love butterflies they are an insect and as such are vulnerable to the same pesticides all insects are. Use natural and organic means of pest control when possible and be mindful of those that kill caterpillars.
   
   
2. Plant flowering shrubs, trees and vegetables in groups to help bees and butterflies pollinate easily. This also creates a grand impact visually as well.
   
   
3. Allow for some naturally blooming wild areas in your garden. While you may not think it an attractive area of the garden, you can always add to a wild section of a yard by adding additional wild flowers to it. Butterflies in particular need an undisturbed area to make nests for a butterfly friendly environment to flourish. If needed, add butterfly houses to your garden area.
   
   
4. Flowers that produce great quantities of nectar are more likely to have your garden teaming with butterflies. Flowers such as Peacock Butterfly Bush, Coreopsis, Asters, Phlox and many others are especially attractive to butterflies.
   
   
5. Have a decorative dish with damp, water logged soil in the garden. Be sure to keep it damp with water as butterflies will drink from this. They do not drink from standing water.
   
   
6. Lovely rocks and garden sculptures in the garden make ideal places for butterflies to rest. An added bonus to attracting butterflies is that in most cases the same things attract hummingbirds as well.

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How to build a bird feeder/plant hanger

Getting the most out of your focal point requires a little imagination and ingenuity. Adding function to an otherwise decorative item makes it even more valuable. Birds will love this beautiful feeding station, and you'll love how lovely this plant hanger is for a focal point in the yard.


Items you'll need:

* 1 rounded shovel
* 1 level
* 1 metal bird feeder, we used a lantern style
* 1 4X4 pressure treated post
* 1 bag of ready mix cement
* Phillips head screw driver
* 4-6 plant hangers with their hardware for attaching to post
* 1 pint of paint (optional and your color choice, stain can also be an option)
* 4-6 hanging flower baskets
* birdseed

Pick a spot in your yard or garden that you want to be a focal point. Make sure you have easy access to it though, because you will need to fill the bird feeder on occasion.

Dig a hole 2 feet deep into the ground. Place two feet of your post or more if you like it lower, into the ground. Pack some dirt around the sides to stabilize and have someone hold it for you. Make sure to use your level on all sides so that it is perfectly straight.

Add one bag of Ready mix cement into the hole.

Fill the hole with water. Let the post set for 5-6 hours. Once cement hardens, cover the hole completely with any remaining dirt.

Now attach your Lantern style bird feeder to the top by drilling holes and securing with the screws that come with your bird feeder.

Paint or stain your post in any color you desire and allow to dry. This time will vary depending on weather conditions/humidity..etc.

Once your post is dry, you are now ready to attach your plant hangers. I put mine at varying levels to showcase the hanging baskets that I wanted.
This is a long term beautiful focal point for any area of your yard that needs a little something extra.

Please note:

* Bird seed will fall into your hanging baskets so keep an eye on the grass that sprouts in your baskets.
* You can also hang wind chimes and birdhouses from this post just primarily for decorative looks.
* Try planting a climbing rose at the base, or a Mandevilla vine to train up the post for an even more dramatic effect.

Weed remedies that use no poison

Dandelion (Photo credit: Dawn Gagnon)

If you're like me, you really hate to use any chemical in your yard. You never know what kind of an impact it can have on your lawn, other plants, pets or even ground water. If there are gentler ways to rid ourselves of weeds, I am all for it. Here's a few suggestions:

1. Pour hot - near boiling water on the weed- This is an effective way to kill single isolated instances of weeds in your yard.

2. Pour a mixture of 1 part lemon juice to one part hot water on the weed.

3. Use salt mixed with hot water. Once cooled and salt has become diluted add to a spray bottle and spray entire weed with the solution. The ratio is 1/2 cup salt to 3 cups water.

4. Fill spray bottle with ordinary white household vinegar and spray weeds thoroughly.

5. As a weed preventative, some have had success using corn gluten meal. It is supposed to stop the weed seeds from germinating.

6. For really difficult weeds try a stronger vinegar solution currently called Weed Pharm. See Amazon link below. It actually has 20% more acetic acid than your regular household vinegar and is still safe for use.

Spring time in the South

How to correctly prune your rose bushes

Photography by Dawn Gagnon

Roses are a beautiful addition to any garden but they do require some maintenance to keep them looking beautiful. Proper pruning and dead heading your roses is one part of the maintenance that must be done every season.

1. Prune your rose in early spring and once all danger of frost has past.

2. Make sure you have clean, sharp by-pass pruners and thick gloves. Some roses like the Joseph Coat are extremely thorny and can really cause a lot of damage to your hands and arms.

3. During the growing season, prune roses by looking for the first set of five leaves where you'll see a leaf bud. Prune just above this bud at a 45 degree angle that will assure the new growth will grow outward from the plant and not inward. This can be done as you dead head your roses.

4. Remove all dead and dying wood and any spindly canes that are less than the diameter of a pencil. Also look for sucker growth. These are canes that shoot out from the base of your plant under the main bud union. The main bud union is where all the main canes of the rose bush emerge from. Anything growing and shooting out from under this is a sucker and should be removed completely.

5. If you have a problem with cane borers, it is suggested that you can cover fresh pruning cuts with basic white school glue to prevent infestation.

6. Once roses go dormant for the year and have been exposed to several hard frosts, cut the rose down to one third of its original size and only leave three to four healthy canes for best results. Add a thick layer of fresh mulch.

DIY network's newest “Dirtiest Landscaping” sweepstakes is here

If you love watching any of the great shows on the DIY network, be sure to enter their latest sweepstakes. The details of this latest sweepstakes are the winner receives $50,000.00 cash to create the backyard of your fantasies. With a grand prize of $50,000.00 and other giveaways, it is hard to resist entering this sweepstakes.

If you have a landscape that is in dire need of help, this sweepstakes can be the chance of a lifetime to finally get everything you ever dreamed of for a back yard oasis. Your own little slice of paradise. Just think of what you can do with the sum of $50,000.00 to create your perfect yard. Maybe all your yard is missing is a swimming pool, or perhaps you have one that would be beautiful flanked with palm trees and gorgeous tropical flowers and landscaping. The possibilities are endless.

Those who enter will also be eligible for six additional prizes of Sears gift cards in the amount of $1000.00. The Sears gift cards will be given away weekly so if you want to enter you may enter once a day through May 4^th, at 5 pm eastern standard time.

To enter simply click on this link: DIY Network Dirtiest Landscape Sweepstakes Entry Form
For more on home improvements see: Dawns Decorating Solutions.
For more on gardening see: The Southern Garden

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