Welcome home tomatoes Returning from a winter journey, nothing says ‘home garden’ like a tomato plant. If all available garden bed space is filled with roses, there is still an opportunity to grow at least one or two tomato plants in large containers with at least three hours of sun. Standard-sized tomatoes – anything from lunch-box size to big beefsteaks – will resent having their roots in a pot and possibly develop blossom end rot (a nutritional imbalance). But any of the grape and cherry tomatoes are at home in containers, requiring only a wire cage or a few slimbamboo stakes to anchor their stems. They’ll offer a bounty of fruits all summer and into autumn, providing quick snacks and plenty for sandwiches and salads. As the plants grow, watch for suckers sprouting in the leaf axils of main stems. You might want to allow a couple of them to grow and produce additional fruit, but remove all of that sprout above 12 inches (30 cm) which will eventually pull the plant over with added weight. To grow tomatoes in containers, prepare a soil mix of equal amounts of commercial potting soil and composted animal manure, both purchased in bags from a garden centre. (Soil dug from the gardenmay contain disease organisms and insect larvae.) Provide water frequently andmulch the soil surface with wood chips to prevent moisture evaporation. Feed tomatoes in containers with a half-strength amount of water-soluble commercial fertilizer, provided every two weeks. Tomatoes respond well to Epsom salts, producing a bumper crop of fruit. Give them one-quarter cup dissolved in water when the plants first begin developing flowers, and again in late July. Gardening Topics we will discuss: • Who we are • Lobbying the federal, provincial, territorial and U.S. governments • Benefits of being a CSA member • Trip planning • Border-crossing issues • How to count days in the U.S. • Forms – 8840 and W-8BEN • Travel medical insurance • Canadian Retiree Visa What we need: • Minimum attendance of 25 persons • Suitable presentation room • Projection screen or blank wall To arrange a FREE presentation in your community, please e-mail the CSA at csastaff@snowbirds.org CSA DIRECTORS SPEAK! Canadian Snowbird Association Directors are available for presentations at your community meetings CANADIAN SNOWBIRD ASSOCIATION 180 Lesmill Road, Toronto, Ontario Canada M3B 2T5 1-800.265.3200 www.snowbirds.org The session will be followed by a brief question-and-answer period CSANews | SPRING 2020 | 43
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