By Valerie Sliker
Master Gardener Rev. Jim Bennett held a gardening seminar in the Wagener United Methodist Church fellowship hall on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. Bennett is known for the gardening TV show he hosted before his ministry days and also for his work at Southern Living. He currently tests seeds for the AAS , has a column in the Wagener Monthly newspaper and is in his 23rd year of ministry.
Bennett opened the meeting discussing the new seeds he will be testing this Spring. He has a hybrid watermelon in which the vines will remain small and a hearty tomato that is Cf-9 (I think) resistant which, he enthusiastically claims, "If you fertilize it right, you will have to cut it down to make a sandwich." By the way, his watermelon tip? Plant gourds in with your watermelon - deer won't eat gourds and will leave your melons alone. And your cukes? Plant them around an old discarded Christmas tree. They'll climb the tree and the cucumbers will never lay on the ground, no yellow bellies.
It would take an entire website to share all of Bennett's tips, but I'll share a few here to get you started. It's time to get your seeds started in your greenhouse. Yogurt containers and cardboard egg cartons are great for this. Pop a tiny hole in the bottom of the yogurt cups for drainage. Tear the cardboard egg containers in half. Mold tin foil under the bottom of the egg half and lay it on top of the solid top half to limit your drainage mess. When it's time to plant them in the ground, you can plant egg carton and all since it will disintegrate.
As shown in the photo above, you can plant a seed in soil in a plastic cup with a hole in the bottom. Cut up a washcloth into strips and knot some of it inside the cup, with the strips hanging out the bottom. Fill a Mason Jar halfway with water and set the cup in the jar so the washcloth strips hang down in the water. Ta-da! Your seedling will self-water and you can ignore it for days. If you're that type of person. Some of you are going to fuss over your seedling several times a day, but others? We tend to forget about them for days.
Get out of the greenhouse and let's talk about the outdoor garden now. Here's a great tip for pruning your blackberries. (I know, right?! Who knew you had to prune your blackberries?!) When you prune or weed them and you want to treat just a tiny spot with Round-Up, use a paintbrush! Genius, right? You have your diluted Round-Up in a cup and a small paintbrush for application. The neighbors might wonder.... but that's OK. Crawl around your pricker bushes with a paintbrush, see what they think when you're eating your blackberry pie!
I've always treated the cuts on my rosebushes with Elmer's glue after I pruned them. Well, Rev. Bennett's tip is to use a water-soluble wood glue because it has a fungicide in it. Another smart tip he shared is to place a bar of soap in an old tube sock. Place the soap deep in the toe of the sock and tie the sock on your spigot to wash (and dry) your hands after gardening. Again, don't worry what the neighbors think. It'll be worth it when your spouse notices how you no longer get manure stains on the doorknobs when you come inside after gardening. Well. If you have a spouse. {sigh} I digress. Where were we?
Final Tips! Build your soil properly before planting tomatoes. You want your soil to be a combination of shredded leaves, mortar mix and Epsom salts. Don't use sycamore, walnut or sweet gum leaves because they contain a natural herbicide. Rake up the proper leaves, throw them in a huge trash can and cut them up with your weed eater or trimmer. You might want to use eye protection. And keep your mouth closed when the weed eater is activated. That's my tip; that's from me, not Bennett. Use no more than 1/4 cup of dry mortar mix and 1/2 cup of Epsom salts for about a 12" diameter ground per tomato plant. Mix these in with your soil and shredded leaves. Don't crowd your tomato plants, they need the air to circulate to keep them disease free and pollinated. In fact, now and then after they are growing, bump into them to vibrate them a little and circulate the air. OK, that's another one of my tips, not Bennett's. But I think it would be good.
With the soil loose and mixed accordingly, dig a shallow, long hole to plant them in. Jim Bennett's big secret tip for tomatoes is this planting method (see photo). Bennett described it as a hole laid on its side. Plant that long tomato root sideways in the ground and you'll have amazing results. Fertilize it every week with Miracle Grow Tomato fertilizer at 1/2 the strength called for. Fertilize at half-strength weekly instead of full-strength bi-weekly as directed.
Final tomato tips: Don't get the leaves wet when you water, except for rainwater, that's OK. Let some of your suckers grow, you are fertilizing enough to sustain them. Root some of your larger suckers in wet sand and create more plants. With tomatoes, under watering is better than over watering. And finally, if you have to treat for pests, use organic and be sure to spray underneath the leaves.
Oh, wait, one more thing: Use Equate original flavor mouthwash. Not for you, for the plant. Well, maybe for you, but specifically for the plant because it kills whiteflies.
Thank you, Rev. Bennett for the fun and educational time we had at the seminar and always for your tips and suggestions. Bennett cordially invites you to attend the Wagener United Methodist Church for Sunday Worship at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday School at 10:45 a.m. each week.