This Week – Titan, Blooms, and Pit Tomatoes

 This Week at the Farm

You asked us to bring you more Titanâ„¢ blueberries and we’ve delivered! Our stock has been replenished and they are available now. These plump berries will be sure to please blueberry lovers. This rabbit-eye variety grows beautiful, super sweet blueberries that are 2-4 times the size of an average blueberry!

https://justfruitsandexotics.com/product/titan-blueberry-plant/

Who’s ready for more color? Just look at the beautiful blooms around the nursery. The stunning Athen’s Rose Lantana glows against its true green foliage. This sun lover’s mounded form will “pop” in your garden! Gold Yarrow is a great perennial to grow with it’s medicinal properties and it attracts beneficial insects to your garden. It’s often said that yarrow is a nice companion plant to grow with aromatic herbs as it enhances the essential oil production of the herbs nearby. Have shade or only partial sun in your yard? That’s okay! Try Mona Lavender which has brilliant showy purple flowers that bloom from spring until fall. The attractive foliage is a glossy dark green with purple undersides. Mona Lavender is tender, so plant it in a container if you wish to overwinter this beauty. The Red Shrimp Plant is another excellent choice for those who have areas with partial sun. The shrimp plant works well when mixed into perennial beds as their blooms will provide you with color for many seasons and hummers love it! While to most people white doesn’t seem to be very colorful, the Handeii Camellia just sings with delight. This unusual, but sensational camellia has weeping branches with a tight row of perfect porcelain white blooms. This camellia dances in the breeze.

The cherry blossoms are divine on our Taiwan Cherry trees. The blushing flowers against the stark nude branches have a rich unity between them. The Taiwan cherry is a deciduous tree which provides year-round interest. The handsome burnt umber bark is showcased during winter followed by inch long pink flowers in the early spring. Cool down in the summer with the shade given off by the dark green foliage and become mesmerized as the leaves turn to bronze come autumn. The taiwan cherry is a sure winner for zones 7B to 9A.

 

Pit Tomatoes You Say? What’s that? Well, have you ever been so eager to plant your tomatoes you just can’t wait any longer? One answer: Pit Tomatoes. Or, planting your tomato plant in a pit. This could be the best answer to getting a leg up on the growing season. Here’s what to do:

Instructions

Step One – Dig a hole approximately 24″ deep by 20″ wide.

Step Two – Partially fill the hole with a compost mixture just deep enough to plant your tomato plant.  We used a mushroom compost and yard scrap compost blend.

Step Three – Plant your tomato plant in the hole.

Step Four – Remove any lower leaves from your tomato plant and add additional compost mixture.

Step Five – Continue to remove lower leaves as your tomato plant grows and add compost. You will keep repeating this step until the plant has reached the top of the hole it was planted in. This is going to help establish a healthy and large root system.

Step Six – Should you have an expected freeze you will simply cover the hole with a board, or in our case we used our compost bucket. You would then uncover the hole once the freeze had past. The ground here in North Florida stays around 67ºF which will incubate the plant during colder weather.