February 2009 

Wow, I can't believe it is almost February already!  The season is gearing up so fast and all the plant seedlings are growing so fast, we will begin shipping before you know it.  (March 2nd by the way)  I am just amazed at the ability of mother nature to succeed every year against all odds.   The peppers are doing very well so far and tomatoes are popping up everywhere!  Here at the farm we have missed most of the bad weather that has made the Midwest and even parts of the South miserable fighting snow, ice and power outages.  Please stay safe and we hope your ice melts soon. We also hope your daffodils will be up before you know it. As you can see, ours are just about to open!

www.tastefulgarden.com has been remodeled, revamped, and tweaked to make ordering easier, please let us know if there is anything that does not work right or is confusing to you.  Our goal is to allow you to fluidly and quickly find the information and products you need and to make the process of ordering easy and have the least amount of stress possible.

One of our main concerns this time of year is planning for the season to make sure we have enough plants for everyone to get exactly what they order even though most people have not ordered yet. You can imagine how difficult it is for us to estimate but because we have been doing this for over 12 years, we come pretty close and are able to fill all of our orders.  The earlier you order, the more likely you are to get all your varieties.  With some tomatoes, they surprise us and become so popular that they are constantly selling faster than we are seeding them and we may occasionally be out of stock on them when it is time to ship your order.  Because of this, we have set up a new system.  When you place your order, at checkout you will be asked for your preferred option if one of your plants is out of stock.  You can choose to either have us send you a very similar variety, hold your order for a week until we can get you the plant you wanted, back ordering, or adding another one of your varieties to make up for it.  We hope this will allow us to be even more efficient with your orders. 

There are so many new products in our catalog including this beautiful Wire basket of herbs which makes a wonderful gift or grow one yourself to get you ready for springtime.  There are also several new garden products highlighted below. 

We have also made extensive changes to our Growing Tips page.  There are over 35 pages referenced so you can find helpful growing information and tips on fertilizers, soil, insects, disease, supports and just about anything else you can think of related to vegetable gardening and growing herbs.  More videos are being added all the time so you don't have to get sore eyes from all that reading.  Visit our website today and just enjoy browsing and hopefully the heat from your computer will warm you up!

Some of our favorite tomato varieties:

Opalka is an old variety that is extremely popular among gardeners.  They have great flavor and texture and are ideal for canning and cooking. It was originally given to Carolyn Male (who is a well known heirloom tomato grower and historian) by a Polish co-worker, and it was brought to Amsterdam, New York around 1900.  It has very few seeds and a meaty texture but the real standout flavor is it's sweetness.  When cooked, paste tomatoes develop a sweeter flavor than when they are eaten fresh and this is what makes your sauces and salsas have amazing depth.  Along with San Marzano Redorta, Roma Classica, and even Purple Russian these will make the best canned tomatoes ever.

Flamme' or Jaune Flamme' are very sweet, about the size of a golf ball and have this fantastic orange color. These are back this year because of popular demand and we can understand why.  Although they are larger than Sun Gold they still have the same great sweetness and full flavor.  They are perfect for a small salad or our favorite way to eat them which quartered in a quick sauté of tomatoes, Sweet Basil, and garlic. 

Our new Granny Smith tomatoes are actually meant to be eaten green.  The tomatoes are flavorful and stay green when fully mature with a hint of gold coloring. They have an excellent tangy flavor, but are still sweet, which makes them perfect for fried green tomatoes, or pickling, and they can be diced without becoming mushy which makes for the best Salsa Verde.  If you have ever eaten Fried Green Tomatoes, which are coated in a cornmeal batter and cooked similarly to fried zucchini or eggplant, you know just how the tangy flavor of green tomatoes is the best!  We had a salad made with a stack of fried green tomatoes, pine nuts, black eyed peas, fresh corn, sliced red onions, goat cheese and a buttermilk vinaigrette at our local restaurant in Anniston called "Classic on Noble" that was just to die for.  Here is a good recipe that I am sure you will enjoy.

New Products for 2009:  (click on the photos to see these items in our catalog)

We have added many new products this year for helping you to be a better gardener and making your life easier when it comes to growing your plants.  Whether you grow in the ground, in raised beds or in hanging pots we have the products you need. 

The famous Earthbox growing system is a large container that can grow 2 tomato plants or other vegetables and has a self watering system in the bottom.  It comes with everything you need except the soil mix and includes casters so you can easily move it around when it is full. 

These Frame it All connector hinges make great supports for building the strongest raised beds ever that will last for years.  Just buy 2 X 6's and put together a bed of any size.  You can even make it into different shapes and they stack on top of each other.

It's a trowel, it's a rake, it's a Trake, enough said...

These red Tomato trays have several different benefits.  They work as a mulch around your tomato plants to protect young seedlings from drying out.  Watering is directed to the ground and the roots so you can get water down deeply.  Cutworms are never a problem with these trays and they are red which has been proven to increase yields of tomatoes by reflecting the correct light back onto the leaves of the tomatoes.  Plus they keep weeds down and allow you to fertilize easily at the root zone.  Why wouldn't you use them?

Pro Mix is one of the best known names in potting soil.  They have been selling soil mixes to growers forever but they have recently been bagging their products for retail sales.  This is a 100% OMRI certified organic mix that has not only good compost and peat moss but also has Mycorise growth enhancer.  Mycorise, which is a beneficial fungus, will help the roots of your plants become more productive and grow healthier, stronger plants. 

Bradfield Organics "Tasty Tomato" fertilizer is also new and comes in a 5 lb. zip top bag.  It provides everything your plants need to produce the best flavored and healthy tomatoes.  Enough to feed about 6 plants for the whole season, feeding about every 6 weeks.  See more organic fertilizers here:

Spring will be here before we know it so get ready for a great growing season because we are!

Contact Us toll free 866-855-6344 or visit us at www.tastefulgarden.com