While editing Episode 406 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast (out now), I was taking copious notes, about all the great garden tips Don Shor and I discussed in an episode that was ostensibly a chat about growing tomatoes this summer (we both like Cupid, despite its propensity to sprawl). In fact, it was the most notes I have ever taken for any episode. Were you taking notes, too, while listening? If so, I hope you weren’t driving.

But I’ll make it easier for you: check out the transcript of today’s episode, especially the more accurate transcripts that you’ll find at our website, gardenbasics.net, or at our podcast uploader, Buzzsprout, and discover your own “Aha!” garden moments.

TIP #1: START WITH EVENLY MOIST SOIL

We have discussed this several times on the podcast. First, with America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, when talking about reusing old potting soil for container planting, in Episode 172 in the Garden Basics podcast. Debbie stressed the importance of getting the soil thoroughly moistened before planting:

Farmer Fred

Debbie, it's that time of year or and people are going to go out to get plants, or they're going to get seed. And they may be buying soil. But before they buy soil, they may take a look around their yard and they see all these pots with no plants in them, but they're full of soil. There might be nurseries that might say, "Oh, you don't want to use that. You need to buy our new soil." But that old soil that you have, I guess it really depends what's in it and what it is, and what it needs. Right? And can it be reused?

Debbie Flower

Yes, I reuse potting soil all the time, I have many instances where I look around and there are pots with dead things in them. As I said to my cousin, I still kill plants, I just know how to do the autopsy. I typically know or have an idea of what killed them as well. I take out the what is left of the plant, there's often a decent root system, I'll bang it around on my potting bench and get off as much of the container media as I can from those roots. And notice I say container media. This is not field soil. I use kitty litter boxes that I bought specifically for the purpose of mixing media. And I dump it in there, mix it up with whatever else I have and reuse it. I very often add a rock component to that reusable media and some new bagged container media. Container media is not soil, it is organic matter. Plus some typically rock components. Peat Moss, coir or compost are usually the organic matter. And then the rock components are perlite, vermiculite, pumice, sand, something like that.

And it's often one part of the organic matter to two parts of the sand component. And the reason for that is that over time the organic component breaks down. And as it breaks down, the particles get smaller. And the space between the particles where the air and water hang out in a container gets smaller and the plant starts to suffer. So a plant has died in the container media. It's been in there some period of time and a container, the organic component of that container media has broken down. So the pore spaces, the open spaces between the components of container media have gotten too small, or they've definitely gotten smaller, they may have gotten too small for roots to actively live in there. So I want to fix that. That's one thing I want to fix, is particle size. So I do that by adding some new media from a bag and usually more rock components. Mix them together, get the texture I do very much by feel and I don't have recipes, and then I'll reuse them. I will never reuse media to start seeds in. To start seeds, you want things sterile. You want the pots to be absolutely clean and you want the media to be unused. So I'm not using it for that. But I will move my houseplants up to a bigger size or my seedlings that I started in six packs all the way up to four inch pots, something like that, using this reused media. The other thing that I need to worry about with the media is the salt component. Salt is fertilizer. Fertilizer has to be in the salt form for the plant to be able to take it up. It has to be able to dissolve in water and move to the plants roots and enter the plants roots. And so that's the salt form. And if there's too much of that in there, the pH of the soil will go up, so the soil will be too alkaline. When that happens, then nutrients that are in the soil become unavailable to the plant. The easiest way to do that is just flush the the media with freshwater for several minutes and allow it to come out through the drain holes of the pot. But yes, I absolutely reuse media frequently.

Farmer Fred

To your last point there. One thing I do is, I get myself a five gallon bucket. And I will take that old container mix and put it in the bucket because usually peat moss is part of that. It is hard to rewet. So I put it in a bucket with no drain holes, I will put that soil mix and then fill the bucket with water and then go do something else. When I come back several hours later, that moisture has basically permeated throughout that entire body of that potting soil. And I then transfer the potting soil to large plastic containers with drain holes and let the whole thing drain. And then I can get in there with my hands and grab the soil and refill whatever pot I was going to do, knowing that it's thoroughly moist.

Debbie Flower

Yes, potting soil can dry out to beyond rewetting easily. And so you're right. You have to soak it or you can use if you're anxious, you can use warmer water and work with your hands and maybe just a drop, literally just a drop, of dish soap. And you want it to be soap it really would be better to use castile soap or ivory soap, not detergent. But that helps breaks down the surface tension of water and allows it to permeate the particles of the container media more easily. But I always have my soil moist before from top to bottom before I put it in a container.

=======================

And that brings us to Episode 227 “Understanding Drip Irrigation” and garden author Robert Kourik expanding upon the importance of starting with thoroughly moist raised bed soil, especially with a drip irrigation system. You can hear what he had to say specifically about prepping a raised bed with a drip irrigation system in the podcast excerpt at the top of this page. Or, read this abbreviated transcript of that topic:

Robert Kourik

Basically, if you turn on the drip on a regular basis, and keep the soil moisture consistent, the roots don't go into any shock. Now we're not talking about wet soil. Some people get carried away and turning the system on too long. We're talking about so moist as you can hardly see the color difference, but the water is there, the moisture is there for the roots, they know it's there. Whereas we may not be able to see it as much in a color difference. But the point being, if you maintain a consistent moisture level, for the whole growing season, things never dampened down or stress out from too much water or stress out from too much drought between cycles. So that's where people say, Oh, I'm going to water every Saturday or twice a month or once a month, well that puts you through these cycles where the soil gets dry enough that the roots aren't happy, then you have some run the system longer to get the soil moist again, and then oftentimes it gets too wet and the roots aren't happy because they're not able to get as much air. So the deal about getting greater yields is to turn the system on on a frequent basis. And this is really hard for people digest because they always heard Oh turn it on and off once a month or once a week or water infrequently but deep. Well, most of the roots are in the top six to 12 inches. So that's that's as deep as I worry about.

Farmer Fred

You do advise though, before you go to this daily watering regimen that you thoroughly soak the garden, especially if it's a raised bed, make sure that the whole area is saturated. And then you can do that daily spurt, if you will.

Robert Kourik

Yes. And so that means once you know how to base the irrigation on the weather, you adjust the system to come on every day but you just for tiny amounts of water. It's like a lot of systems I'm doing one to three minutes a day to keep things happening. At the most sometimes you only need 15 minutes a day depends on the amount of water you need to apply. But the point being that this way of approaching it, you can get at least on the average 20% increase in yields. There's a woman in India that did chili peppers, and she is 38% less water but she got a 48% increase in the yields. So it can be quite dramatic.

============================

And that brings us to the current Garden Basics podcast episode (406) in which Don Shor of Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis, CA advises the same, in the first of several great garden success tips mentioned in the episode:

Don Shor:

So raised planters have special issues that require some consideration, especially as you adopt your irrigation practices for the season. You put in your drip lines and you turn them on, and you just filled it with the fanciest soil you could buy from that rock yard and you're basically growing things in potting soil. So it is going to probably be necessary the first year, the second year that you have raised planters to water daily. That's just, it's frustrating to have to tell people that. When I say daily, I don't mean three minutes, seven minutes. I mean 35 or 40 minutes each day with a drip system that distributes properly. And I believe you discovered, for example, that a four foot wide bed needed more than four lines going down it.

Farmer Fred:

Yeah, woe to those who have only one or two lines in a four-foot-wide bed, but I basically space my lateral lines eight inches apart, so it's usually five lines in a four-foot-wide bed.

Don:

But the conversations I'm having with people about irrigation have been frustrating. Oftentimes, I find myself saying, okay, try this. Go home. You know how to bypass your timer, right? Okay, go out to the knob, turn on the drip system, and let it run all afternoon right now. What? All afternoon? That's overwatering. Well, first of all, that's a term we should just stop using because it doesn't have any specific meaning. Second, you need to get the soil back to field capacity. All right, I've jumped into soil science jargon there, but you need to saturate the soil completely, let it drain out, and then go back to the perhaps lighter irrigation pattern you had been doing. They all forget that the first part of drip irrigation is bringing the soil to field capacity. So sometimes when they bring in a sample of a plant that's showing clear drought stress, I'll say, I just want you to soak the heck out of your whole area. Not just the raised planter, soil around it, the shrubs nearby, the beneficial insects will appreciate it.

Don Shor:

Just give everything, pretend we're having a three inch rainstorm in the middle of June. Then you can go back to relatively light waterings if you have to do that, but you don't, you didn't bank enough moisture at the beginning of the season. It's really what it comes down to. Those of us with open garden beds, we can deep water because soil just goes as deep as we want. So I can go out there and set a drip line and run for two or three hours and give a really good soaking. And I don't have to do that again for three or four days, sometimes even longer, depending on where you're listening, what your soil is like. But raised planters, you do need to give it a very thorough watering and you have to do it more frequently. So that's the first thing right there. That's the negative part. People aren't watering enough.

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Tip #2: MODIFY THE RAISED BED SOIL TO RETAIN MORE MOISTURE

Farmer Fred:

That's why modifying the soil in a raised bed is so important by adding that compost, the worm castings, and the mulch. That mulch does a lot to preserve soil moisture.

Don Shor:

Yeah. And the other thing I do is I cut plants off, this is just a little trick I learned years ago, rather than pulling them at the end of the season, I'll pull one or two to check the roots. I like to look for nematodes and things like that. But the rest of them get cut off, and I take the top and pile it up. I don't have a formal compost pile, but if I did, it would go into that. Then the roots just disintegrate on site. They break down and make macro pores. They make actual channels that water and nutrients can go down and furthering via. So this is a simple method of building your soil the easy way. Rather than turning it, which we don't think is a great plan, mulch heavily, like you're talking about with leaves and let the roots break down naturally in situ and the plants will benefit in the spring as they explore the newly enriched soil that you created by fall and winter mulch.

========================

TIP #3: HARVEST TOMATOES EARLY WHEN WEATHER THREATENS (too hot or too cold)

Don Shor:

That gets into another thing, which is harvesting the fruit, to avoid weather problems and avoid injury from various predators, you know, getting out there and picking them just when they're beginning to ripen rather than letting, trying to let them go fully ripe on the vine. Get into October, November, the nights are getting colder. You're probably better off picking some of those and bringing them in and ripening them on the counter.

Also, harvest tomatoes when extended heat waves are forecast, even if the tomatoes are not fully colored. We went into detail about that in the Aug. 25, 2023 newsletter edition, “Tomatoes Not Ripening? Blame the Heat”.

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TIP #4 IMPORTANCE OF MID-SUMMER FERTILIZATION OF PEPPERS, EGGPLANTS

Don Shor:

You can get really good (autumn) yields here from your vegetable garden if you deep water in August and early September. One thing I would add is a little bit of fertilizer, especially on the peppers, eggplant, cucumbers maybe, but especially peppers and eggplant to keep them going can make a big difference. Whatever you prefer to use, liquid fertilizer, fish emulsion, your favorite granular fertilizer that they sell at the local garden center. Those are all fine. You don't generally need to feed your tomatoes to keep them going. I don't really push nitrogen for tomatoes, but for the peppers and eggplant, and I would say the cucumbers, a light feeding mid-August is actually very beneficial to get that late season crop that we've been talking about.

Farmer Fred:

A very good tip to end on here in mid-summer in 2025.

============================

Finally, a bit of info about that picture at the beginning of the newsletter, the Genuwine tomato, a part of a growing trend of hybridizing two different heirloom varieties, also discussed in Ep. 406:

Don Shor:

Now some of the companies have been hybridizing heirlooms. We want to confuse the public. Hybridizing heirlooms. Now what do we call them? But there are some that I tried this year. These heirloom marriage varieties. And a good example is one called Genuwine. Well, it's producing a lot of fruit for me. It's got 30 or 40 on it right now. It was one of the later ones I planted, end of March. And they're good size. They're beautiful fruit. And it's a cross between Costoluto Genovese and Brandywine.

Don Shor:

So the Costoluto Genovese part is fine. That's always done very well for me. It's an Italian heirloom and loves the heat. But Brandywine, no, that's one that I don't recommend at all because they generally, let's say I've been skunked by tomato varieties occasionally where I planted a plant and gotten zero or one or two fruit on a vigorous plant. Brandywine's done that to me every time I plant it. It just does not take the heat. So I was a little skeptical, but I figured I'll give this one a try. It has done very well, and it looks like it's going to be a very good producer this year, 2025, with a relatively mild summer. It's looking like a very good possibility. And it looks like a good slicer. It's got great flavor. And so I have good hopes for the Genuwine, one of the heirloom marriage types. Ball Seed Company seems to be the introducer on these, although I don't know if it's their product line. they're the ones that i got the information from so that looks like a good one. And then there's another one called Marzinera, Well, what is Marzinera? Marzinera is a cross between San Marzano, one of the best-known sauce tomatoes in the world, and another variety that I've never heard of, Cream Sausage is the other one.

Farmer Fred:

Oh, yeah, I've had that. I've actually planted that, yeah.

Don Shor:

Okay, and it's a firm, I gather, firm, meaty sauce-type tomato. So far, Marzinera is one of my top producers this season. Smaller fruit, Roma style, San Marzano style. The thing about San Marzano is that it's a skinny fruit. It's kind of hollow. It's got a lot of meat, but not a lot of juice. And so it takes a lot of it to make a sauce, but it's got a legendary reputation. I mean, it's been around forever. It's actually a special variety. You can only label your cans “San Marzano” if you're from a particular part of Italy, that kind of thing. This is a more useful fruit to me. It's got more meat to the fruit and it's got really good flavor. So Marzinera looks very promising in this heirloom marriage product line.

Farmer Fred:

Going back to the Genuwine tomato, since one of its parents is a Costoluto Genovese, one of the problems I've always had with the Costoluto Genovese is it gets soft on the vine very quickly. You have to go out there and squeeze it every day to figure out if it's ripe or not, and then don't leave it out there, but bring it in.

Don Shor:

And use it right away. It has to go right in the pot. Yeah. So this one looks firmer than that. It looks like it's got more of that Brandywine parentage in that regard. So I'll definitely give you, in a wrap-up program in the end of the fall or in the beginning of next spring, we'll talk about this one. But it looks real promising. It does not seem to have that quick softening characteristic of Costoluto Genovese, but it has the flavor and it has the rich appearance.

In all, we probably discussed close to two dozen different tomato varieties in Episode 406 of the Garden Basics podcast. Check it out if you want something new and delicious for 2026. Of course, your weather - and success - may vary. Who was it that keeps saying “All Gardening is Local”?…oh, yeah.

Beyond The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Farmer Fred’s Ride for the Kids!

I'm fundraising on behalf of the 2025 Sacramento Century Challenge on Saturday, October 4 to raise money for the Sacramento Children's Home Crisis Nursery, and I could use your support. Here’s the link.

The journey of 100 miles along the Sacramento River is to help out the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery.

I’ve ridden 100 miles in one day plenty of times…when I was younger. But at 74, and with a few health setbacks in 2025, I could use some moral support, and the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery can use your pledge money.

So, how about it? Maybe pledge 10 cents a mile (that’s $10) along with a hearty, “You go, Fred!” Or a more generous one dollar a mile ($100), to give me the mental endurance for the entire ride, to dodge the pothole-filled levee roads and pedal harder in the ferocious headwinds that makes this ride a real challenge!

The Sacramento Children's Home Crisis Nursery is the only program of its kind in Sacramento County and directly prevents child abuse and neglect by supporting families with small children at times of crisis. The nursery allows parents to bring their children ages newborn to five for emergency hourly or overnight care during difficult times, with the goal of keeping families together and reducing the number of children entering foster care. To care for our community's most vulnerable children, we rely on support from community members like you. By donating, you empower us to provide a safe haven for children throughout the Sacramento area, offering respite to parents during times of crisis, and building a strong support system for the future. Your support helps provide a safe place to stay local kids in need.

Again, here’s the link to make a donation to the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery.

Thank you for your support, and say "Hi!" if you see me pedaling like crazy out there on Saturday, October 4th!

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. And he likes to ride his bike(s). Thank you for your paid support!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

In the podcast (above) retired UC Farm Advisor Rachel Long has tips for attracting songbirds to your property.

They're nice to look at, sing wonderfully and eat insects.

No, we're not talking about the Dixie Chicks on a fad diet.

It's the gardener's best friends, a backyard filled with birds.We're talking about the family inhabited by warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates, characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings.

Yes, real birds will nibble on your cherries and grapes (that's why there's bird netting), but birds can help control the bad bug population in your garden, especially tomato hornworms, cabbage loopers and redhumped caterpillars.

Birds also control the spread of weeds by eating the seeds of unwanted plants; bigger birds, such as owls and hawks, will swoop down and devour rodents.

Birds require little in return from you for their labors: trees and shrubs for shelter, perhaps some berry-filled plants (cotoneaster, pyracantha, toyon and more) and fresh water.

Bird Baths Attract Birds (especially with gently moving water)

Birds aren't too particular about their watering sites. All they are looking for is a shallow pan, about two to three feet wide and no more than three inches deep, with sloping sides so they can ease their way in, placed in an area away from fence tops and foliage where they can keep an eye out for their main predator, Mr. Kitty.

A birdbath can be as elegant as a thousand dollar, terracotta fountain with a waterfall; or, as simple as an old metal garbage can lid placed on the ground.

Here are some tips for keeping the thirsty birds happy:

• Keep the birdbath water fresh and filled during hot weather. On freezing mornings, adding hot water can help break up the thin sheet of ice.

• Clean out birdbaths with a powerful jet of water from the hose; or, use a plastic scouring pad.

• Do not add chemicals, such as bleach, to control algae. Do not add antifreeze to keep ice from forming. If you must use bleach to clean an algae-filled birdbath, cover it with screening for a few hours to keep the birds away. Empty and rinse the birdbath after that and refill with fresh water.

• Birds are attracted by the sound of gently moving water. A simple drip irrigation mini-sprinkler installed adjacent to the birdbath will be a popular addition. Hanging a dripping bucket in a tree above a bird bath can attract birds, too.

• An exposed rock placed in the middle of birdbaths with straight edges give birds a place to land and check things out.

• If the only area you can place a birdbath is near dense shrubbery, it is important to put the bath on a pedestal for their protection.

• Situate birdbaths in areas where you can enjoy them, near a faucet for easy cleaning and filling.• Then, sit back and enjoy the show!

Beyond The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Farmer Fred’s Ride for the Kids!

I'm fundraising on behalf of the 2025 Sacramento Century Challenge on Saturday, October 4 to raise money for the Sacramento Children's Home Crisis Nursery, and I could use your support. Here’s the link.

On that date, I’ll probably be riding my new (and probably last) bike, the FRED OTL (a custom Haley titanium bike, NOT an e-bike). “OTL” - in bike race parlance - stands for “Outside Time Limit”…participants who were sent home for being “dead ass last”. I never said I was fast. But I do try to persevere to the end.

The journey of 100 miles along the Sacramento River is to help out the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery.

I’ve ridden 100 miles in one day plenty of times…when I was younger. But at 74, and with a few health setbacks in 2025, I could use some moral support, and the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery can use your pledge money.

So, how about it? Maybe pledge 10 cents a mile (that’s $10) along with a hearty, “You go, Fred!” Or a more generous one dollar a mile ($100), to give me the mental endurance for the entire ride, to dodge the pothole-filled levee roads and pedal harder in the ferocious headwinds that makes this ride a real challenge!

The Sacramento Children's Home Crisis Nursery is the only program of its kind in Sacramento County and directly prevents child abuse and neglect by supporting families with small children at times of crisis. The nursery allows parents to bring their children ages newborn to five for emergency hourly or overnight care during difficult times, with the goal of keeping families together and reducing the number of children entering foster care. To care for our community's most vulnerable children, we rely on support from community members like you. By donating, you empower us to provide a safe haven for children throughout the Sacramento area, offering respite to parents during times of crisis, and building a strong support system for the future. Your support helps provide a safe place to stay local kids in need.

Again, here’s the link to make a donation to the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery.

Thank you for your support, and say "Hi!" if you see me pedaling like crazy out there on Saturday, October 4th!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

One of the best places to get your garden questions answered (or pick up the 2026 Sac Co Master Gardener Gardening Guide and Calendar) is at the annual gathering of Master Gardeners, gardening professionals, and horticultural consultants at Harvest Day, held the first Saturday of August each year at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Sacramento County. And last Saturday was no exception. A question I posed to several dozen of the pros there was this: “What is the one garden tip you would like people to know?” Here’s a sampling of their answers. You can listen to all the tips in the podcast, above, which is a copy of the entire Episode 404 of the Garden Basics podcast.

• Dave Roberts, of the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society: “You got to have excellent drainage for cactus and succulents. They thrive on soils that will drain right through, with low amounts of organic material. And if you have that formula, you're going to be successful. Cactus and succulents are not heavy feeders. I feed my potted cactus and succulents two to three times at most during the growing season. Very lightly, not a heavy dose. It’s different from the way we treat our vegetables and flowering plants. Those rules do not apply to succulents. So, if you have heavy clay soil, you may want to consider growing cactus and succulents in containers.”

• Charlotte Owendyk, Master Rosarian – Sierra Foothills Rose Society: “One of the things I like to suggest to anyone who has potted plants is to use a fish emulsion fertilizer periodically. Perhaps once a week or so. Fertilizing with fish emulsion really makes your potted roses or any potted plant do well.”

• Chris Aycock, El Dorado Nursery and Garden, Shingle Springs: “If you really want to keep the deer out, you do need to build a fence. You can spray all the repellents all you want, and it will deter them, temporarily. You need to switch off repellents so that they don't get used to one thing. But fencing is your best friend for keeping the deer out. Enjoy the view of those deer, from the other side of the fence. Trap crops on the outer perimeter of your yard – which are plants the deer will enjoy, will not keep them from coming in any further. Anytime you put a food source out there for them, you're just inviting them in saying, ‘hey, look this dining room's open for grazing!’ They can sustain themselves. You don't need to feed them.”

• Anita Clevenger, Master Gardener, perennial plant expert: “Cutting plants back in the summer will help them bloom again. We have plants here in the perennial garden like the catmint and the Santa Barbara daisy. And they just love a refresher light pruning earlier in the summer after their first bloom. You cut them back hard generally in the winter, along with many other perennials. But for these plants, after they've done their spring bloom, if you cut them back, they will get a whole new fresh breath and a fresh flush of flowers and leaves.”

• Garry Chin, Sierra Foothills Rose Society: “If you are interested in growing roses, one of my recommendations is to join a local rose society wherever you live. And then join the national organizations, such as the American Rose Society. Do that and you'll find out about the latest things that are going on with roses at the national level.”

• Grace Amico, Miridae Mobile Nursery, which specializes in California Native plants: “With native plants, you must be careful with watering. In their first two or three years, you will need to add more water than you might think. And then after that first few years, you can kind of taper off and let them become more drought tolerant. And with California native plants, you must be patient with them. It could take three years before you see a large spurt of growth.”

Beyond The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Farmer Fred’s Ride for the Kids!

I'm fundraising on behalf of the 2025 Sacramento Century Challenge on Saturday, October 4 to raise money for the Sacramento Children's Home Crisis Nursery, and I could use your support. Here’s the link.

On that date, I’ll probably be riding my new (and probably last) bike, the FRED OTL (a custom Haley titanium bike, NOT an e-bike). “OTL” - in bike race parlance - stands for “Outside Time Limit”…participants who were sent home for being “dead ass last”. I never said I was fast. But I do try to persevere to the end.

The journey of 100 miles along the Sacramento River is to help out the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery.

I’ve ridden 100 miles in one day plenty of times…when I was younger. But at 74, and with a few health setbacks in 2025, I could use some moral support, and the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery can use your pledge money.

So, how about it? Maybe pledge 10 cents a mile (that’s $10) along with a hearty, “You go, Fred!” Or a more generous one dollar a mile ($100), to give me the mental endurance for the entire ride, to dodge the pothole-filled levee roads and pedal harder in the ferocious headwinds that makes this ride a real challenge!

The Sacramento Children's Home Crisis Nursery is the only program of its kind in Sacramento County and directly prevents child abuse and neglect by supporting families with small children at times of crisis. The nursery allows parents to bring their children ages newborn to five for emergency hourly or overnight care during difficult times, with the goal of keeping families together and reducing the number of children entering foster care. To care for our community's most vulnerable children, we rely on support from community members like you. By donating, you empower us to provide a safe haven for children throughout the Sacramento area, offering respite to parents during times of crisis, and building a strong support system for the future. Your support helps provide a safe place to stay local kids in need.

Again, here’s the link to make a donation to the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery.

Thank you for your support, and say "Hi!" if you see me pedaling like crazy out there on Saturday, October 4th!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

90% of all plant problems are water related, either too much or too little.

Compounding the problem: gardeners who are operating a drip irrigation system but using a sprinkler mentality.

The Beyond The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter is a reader-supported publication. Both free and paid subscribers are welcome here!

Talking to gardeners, after describing a plant problem, they will be asked: "How are you watering that plant?" More often than not, if the answer is, "drip irrigation", they will follow that with, "And I run it for five minutes a day, everyday."And therein lies the problem. A drip irrigation system puts out water much slower than a sprinkler system, usually a gallon or two an hour versus a sprinkler system's output of a gallon or two A MINUTE. In five minutes, a 1 gallon per hour (gph) drip emitter will put out about 10 ounces of water...slightly more than a cupful. Not only will that pittance of water not saturate the width of the plant's root zone (which can extend beyond the canopy of the plant), it won't penetrate more than an inch or two. And then not stay there very long.

What happens to a plant with a shallow watering program? The roots stay very near the surface, where they are more subject to drying out quickly. This boom and bust cycle stresses the plant, opening up the possibility of disease and insect invasions. With a drip irrigation system, don't think "minutes". Think: "hours". And water deeply, but infrequently (once or twice a week). However, that instruction can be and should be modified based on the type of soil you have. If you’re doing in-ground planting and have heavy clay soil, you may be able to get away with that formula.

Irrigating a raised bed, where the imported soil amendments may be lighter and fluffier, with a greater sand content, more frequent irrigations with drip will be necessary. More horizontal tubing will be necessary as well, perhaps 8-10 inches separating the lines of half-inch tubing. In sandier soil, the water footprint is much more narrow than in clay soil.

Listen to Robert Kourik, author of the book, Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates. In the podcast at the top of this edition of the Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter, he talks about watering with a drip system, a little bit, every day. HOWEVER…he also mentions that his preseason watering regimen includes saturating the entire soil mass in his raised bed, and then only adding enough water each day to make up for any loss. You can try this at home, but…don’t try this at home unless you are dedicated to the craft of measuring your soil moisture in the root zone on a regular basis in your raised beds.

Your goal is to apply enough water to penetrate the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches, preferably more. The day after you water, either dig down 8 inches by hand or with a soil sampling tube; or, stick a moisture meter down to that depth to determine if the soil is moist (not dry, and not soggy). Battery-operated soil moisture meters tend to have a longer life.

In our raised bed vegetable garden, the summer watering regimen is with an inline drip irrigation system (1 gph emitters along the line, with emitters spaced 12" apart) which is run twice a week, about an hour and a half at a time, per circuit. Your weather, soil type, slope and crops may need a slightly different watering schedule. In our 4'x8' raised beds, five inline emitter lines run the length of each bed. The lines are spaced about 9" apart. The big reason why I can get away with a once or twice a week application of water via drip irrigation: the soil is amended each growing season, covered with a half inch of worm castings, a couple of inches of fine compost, and finally three to four inches of shredded oak leaves as the top mulch.

No digging is necessary (digging and tilling destroys soil structure and the necessary air pockets). The end result of doing this after a few years: soil that retains moisture better, longer. And, more beneficial microbial activity, as well as more worms (worms are good).

Consider using microsprinklers or sprayers to thoroughly wet the root area for trees and shrubs. These put out more water, usually between 8 and 20 gallons per hour. We have these on our shrubs and fruit trees, and during the summer will run them for about an hour, once or twice a week, depending on how hot it is.

The other part of the drip irrigation equation that a lot of gardeners miss: not enough emitters for the plant. Placing one emitter next to a new tree or shrub is not enough. Remember, plant roots tend to grow out horizontally. Emitters should be spaced evenly around the tree or shrub, in a spiraled circle, halfway between the trunk and the outer canopy of the newly installed plant. The spacing between the emitters will depend on your soil type: for sandy soils, use a 12" spacing; for heavy clay, 18-24" spacing. Add emitters towards the outer canopy of the plant as the plant grows.

• Soaker hoses need maintenance, too. Flush them monthly. The Dramm soaker hose, pictured here, is the most reliable, even-flowing soaker hose I have ever used.

One of my favorite aisles at the big box stores is the drip irrigation aisle (also known as “Purgatory on Earth”). It’s almost like a church in that section of the store. People are silent, staring straight ahead at the morass of bins containing strange looking drip irrigation parts…and those people are more than likely praying for guidance that they can unravel the mysteries surrounding drip irrigation installation and repair.

A great online tutorial about drip irrigation: the Dripworks website. This site has helpful tips and videos that can help beginner and pro alike solve their drip irrigation and yard watering woes. The Dripworks catalog is also great resource for anyone tackling the problems associated with drip irritation...uh, irrigation. Just thumbing through the catalog can give you several "Aha!" moments for improving your own yard watering procedures, especially if you are looking to replace your residential sprinkler systems with a drip irrigation system, which can work with your existing automatic sprinkler system control box.

A final warning about drip irrigation systems: they will need maintenance. Lines can separate from their fittings. Emitters can clog. Micro-sprayers can jam. Shovels, trowels, weed whackers, spading forks, squirrels and rats can pierce a half-inch or quarter-inch drip feeder line. Turn the system on manually at least once a month and walk the circuit. Look for unusual wet spots, dry spots and geysers. Have the necessary repair parts handy. Know where the end caps are for each line. Remove those caps and flush the system for several minutes at the least at the beginning and end of each season, especially if you are on well water.

And to answer your question: “Is it worth it?” Yes. Because of its pinpoint accuracy, drip systems use far less water than ordinary sprinklers, and that accuracy insures the roots of the plant will get the water they need. Plus, you’ll be spending more time in “church”.

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. And he likes to ride his bike(s)

Beyond The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Tariff-Free!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

This edition of the newsletter is a deeper dive into this week’s Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, Episode 398, “Aromatic Plants, Plus Roses!”

Here, we’ll see what these “shows for the nose” look like, along with more details about these aromatic plants, as selected by a group of Sacramento County (CA) Master Gardeners. Plus we take a look at some of the most fragrant roses, as selected by Master Rosarian Charlotte Owendyk.

Beyond The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In the portion of the Garden Basics podcast with Charlotte, I mentioned that in an earlier episode, another Master Rosarian, Debbie Arrington, has told us about the tastiest roses, which she said tended to be the most fragrant old red roses. So, as an added bonus, the interview at the top of this newsletter is Debbie Arrington talking about edible rose petals and rose hips, including which ones to choose and how to serve them. Debbie Arrington and Master Gardener Kathy Hellensen (who told us about her favorite fragrant plant in this week’s podcast, Lemon Verbena), also put out a daily newsletter for gardeners entitled “Sacramento Digs Gardening”, which includes tips and recipes that anyone anywhere might enjoy. Check it out.

Master Gardeners and Their Choices for Aromatic Plants

Master Gardener Collete Armao - Scented Geraniums, including the Rose Geranium, the Skeleton Geranium, and the Mosquito Shocker, which may - or may not - repel mosquitoes. Collete says: “The reason I like them is they are delicious smelling and they're pretty plants, they're easy care and you can use so many things with them. The flowers are edible, you can dry the leaves, you can make beautiful sachets and potpourris. In the summertime when it's hot, make a tea of the different leaves and flowers together. And they make a wonderful foot soak!”

According to the UC Marin Master Gardeners:

Scented geraniums are tender perennials loved by hummingbirds and butterflies. Popular scents include rose, lemon, chocolate, orange, apple, apricot, coconut, ginger, and nutmeg. Foliage is textured, sometimes variegated and bursts with fragrance and colorful blooms. Deer avoid them.

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Master Gardener Dan Vierria - the Tuberose . Dan says: “I have it planted right next to my patio sliding door. So every time I go out when it's in bloom, it has an amazing fragrance.”

According to the Missouri Botanical Garden:

Polianthes tuberosa, commonly called tuberose, is probably native to Mexico although it is not known to exist naturally in the wild today. It is considered to be a cultigen and has a long history of cultivation dating back to pre-Columbian times. Growing from a tuberous rooted rhizome, it is perhaps best known for the extremely intense fragrance emitted by its waxy white funnel-shaped flowers that appear in elongated spikes atop scapes rising to 30” tall in late summer. Grass-like basal green leaves to 18” long form a grassy foliage clump. Tuberose is a very popular commercially grown cut flower.

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Master Gardener Kathy Hellesen - Lemon Verbena. Kathy says: “It is just lovely. And you cannot walk up to this thing and stick your nose in it and not be surprised and happy and joyful. It is so lovely. The lemon smell is just wonderful. And it makes wonderful tea or cookies or whatever you want to do with it. It's great.”

More about Lemon Verbena, according to the Marin County (CA) Master Gardeners:

Scientific NameAloysia triphylla (Lippia citriodora)General InformationLemon verbena is a popular shrub that grows 15 feet tall in the tropics, usually shorter in northern California. Evergreen in frost-free areas. Foliage is cherished for sweet, fresh, lemony scent. Leaves and flowers are used for culinary purposes, perfumes, cosmetics, potpourris, and herbal medicines. Native to Chile and Argentina.

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Master Gardener Greta Lacin - Sage (Salvia), especially sages for cooking (such as the Salvia officinalis). Greta says: “I'd have to say the cooking variety (Salvia officianalis) is my favorite because I cook a lot. But, any of the salvias are just beautiful!”

More about Salvia officinalis from North Carolina State Cooperative Extension:

Common sage is an aromatic, edible, short-lived, bushy, spreading, semi-woody perennial shrub. It is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). The plant is native to the Mediterranean region, where it grows in shrublands or grasslands on hillsides and mountains. The species epithet, officinalis, references the plant's medicinal use and was sold in herb stores or pharmacies.

Common sage prefers full sun and well-drained, medium to dry soils that mimic those of its Mediterranean homeland. It is intolerant of wet or poorly drained soils. It will tolerate drought and poor soils. The species can grow up to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Many cultivars may be shorter. Pruning is recommended in the spring and during the growing season to keep the plant from becoming leggy and to control flowering when used as a culinary herb. Do not prune into mature woody stems, as these seldom sprout new growth. Tall plants may require staking.

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Master Gardener Teri Van Airsdale - the banana shrub (Magnolia figo), including the variety ‘Port Wine’. Teri says: “The variety ‘Port wine’ is beautiful. It's cream-colored with kind of burgundy colors on it. And I just got a brand new red one that's spectacular. It also smells really, really good.”

More info about the banana shrub from the Missouri Botanical Garden:

Winter hardy to USDA Zones 8-10 where this magnolia is best grown in evenly moist, fertile, slightly acidic, organically rich, well-drained loams in part shade. Tolerates full sun, but foliage may turn a less attractive yellow green. Also tolerates substantial shade, but plant foliage tends to open up. Site in locations protected from strong winds. In areas near the northern edge of the growing range, avoid locating plants in southern exposures close to houses where the buds may be induced to open too early in spring. Plants appreciate consistent and regular moisture throughout the year, and are generally intolerant of soil extremes (dry or wet). Mulch root zone.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Magnolia figo, commonly called banana shrub, is a dense, rounded, multi-stemmed, broadleaf evergreen shrub that typically matures over time to 6-10' tall and as wide. It is native to China. Cup-shaped, creamy pale yellow flowers (to 1 1/2" diameter) bloom from spring to summer (April-June). Each flower is made up of six tepals (petal-like sepals) with very thin red margins. Glossy, oblong, evergreen, dark green leaves (to 3-5" long) are attractive throughout the year. Synonymous with and formerly known as Michelia figo. The name banana shrub refers to the intense banana-like fragrance of the blooms.

No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for scale. Late frosts may damage flowers.

Excellent understory magnolia for part-shade areas of the landscape. Bushy foundation plant for privacy hedge. Specimen/accent. Shrub borders. Plant in areas where the fragrant flowers can easily be appreciated.

Master Rosarian Charlotte Owendyk’s Top Fragrant Roses

Master Rosarian Charlotte Owendyk of the Sierra Foothills Rose Society offered her Top 10 roses that are a show for noses in this week’s Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. And below, is part of Charlotte’s article for the Sacramento/Sierra Foothills Rose Society’s newsletter about the history of fragrant roses. Clear your nose, let’s go!

Fragrant Roses…A Few That I Grow

by Charlotte Owendyk (excerpted from the June 2021 Rose Reflections Newsletter)

Watch someone walk by roses displayed at a rose show. First, there'll be an exclamation over color or beauty, but, inevitably, the head will lean in towards the rose in order to sniff its scent and rise with either a smile or expression of disappointment.

Yep, we all want fragrance in our roses. This usually is especially important if you only have space for a few roses in your garden.

The aroma of roses is due to more than 300+ volatile chemical compounds. In addition, there are times when roses are more fragrant than other times. The best time to smell your roses is in the morning when the temperature is about 65 - 70 degrees (F). As the day gets warmer, the fragrance oils evaporate. Another factor in fragrance perception is the fact that no two noses are the same!

When the hybrid tea rose became the rage earlier last century, breeders aimed for large, high-centered hybrid tea blooms as well as new and different colors. Cut-flower rose cultivars for florists were selected for long vase life, flower shape, and color. In both cases, fragrance was incidental.

However, the old garden roses (OGRs) continued to sell because they were great garden plants and many of them have outstanding fragrance. In many cases, it was the fragrance that sold the rose. And many of these OGRs, unlike hybrid teas which bloom all season long, only bloom once a season.

In 1985 a paradigm shift occurred; David Austin, a farmer in England, succeeded in breeding fragrant OGRs with repeat blooming roses to produce a whole new generation of fragrant repeat bloomers. Currently, David Austin Roses is a major hybridizer of repeat blooming roses that have fragrance and luscious bloom form. A typical example is Golden Celebration. Many members have a soft spot for these roses.

Hybridizers in the last 10-20 years have been working to incorporate disease resistance into roses. (It takes a minimum of 10 years for a rose to come to market.) Many of recent roses introduced are disease resistant to most fungal diseases.

Fragrance took a backseat to disease resistance. Now, breeders are more focused on including fragrance in roses.

Charlotte’s Top 3 Fragrant Roses

(you’ll have to listen to this week’s Garden Basics Podcast to hear about the other 7)

Pope John Paul II. “Beautiful clear white blooms with approximately 45 petals de-light the nose with a strong citrus fragrance. Dark green glossy foliage is diseaseresistant. The bushy plants tops at 4 feet. DO NOT prune hard. Just de-twig and kind of shape the bush. Next season you will be surprised at the results. This is my #3 favorite rose.”

Memorial Day. “Lovely orchid pink hybrid tea rose with enormous old-fashioned full 5-6" flowers (petals 50+) saturated with super-strong classic old rose fragrance. Long, almost thornless stems are lushly adorned with clean green leaves on a continual blooming plant. Just one flower perfumes an entire room. All-American Award winner. This is my #2 favorite rose.”

Secret – “My favorite rose! Produces lots of lovely creamy blooms with pink on the edges of the blooms when the petals reflex shows a touch of gold which provide aglow to the fragrant strong spicy scented blooms. Secret repeats blooms quickly and has glossy bright green foliage that is very disease resistant. Great cut flower.”

Charlotte Owendyk's List of Fragrant Roses (in no particular order):Julia ChildFirefighterFrancis MeillandMemorial DayPope John Paul IISecretPrincess Alexandra of KentMr. LincolnDouble DelightBeverlyFalling in LoveGolden Celebration

Thank you for also listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends. And your subscription to this newsletter helps keep the Garden Basics podcast alive, as well. Thank you for your support.

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. And he likes to ride his bike(s).

Consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep this newsletter, as well as the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast alive and well! Thank you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

The above audio track is from a long time ago, when things were - at the very least -tense. It was during the initial panic as COVID-19 struck the United States, back in May of 2020. The confusion around COVID-19 was my impetus for starting the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. At that time, there were a lot of people developing a sudden interest in gardening, thinking they might be stuck at home for who knows how long? And, people were stressed. That was my reason for recording the segment (above) for Episode 9 of the Garden Basics podcast. It was all about calming down, and embracing gardening and gratitude.

Maybe we are in another era of high stress now? If you have 5 million people gathering for protests against the government across America in towns and cities large and small - like what happened last week - that answer is fairly obvious.

Participating in last week’s protests did help calm a lot of people across the country. And that’s no outlier. The isolation and stress of the COVID pandemic in 2020 inspired a lot of university research into ways to reduce that stress. One of those studies, recently released, was mentioned in Mike McPhate’s excellent California Sun newsletter recently:

11.

Admiring a flower does a surprising amount of good. (Timothy L Brock)

“A new UC San Francisco study found that so-called micro-acts of joy can have an outsize effect on people’s moods. Researchers had study participants practice seven tasks over seven days, then answer questions about their emotional and physical health. They included: doing a nice thing for a friend, sharing a moment of celebration with someone else, and making a gratitude list. The results were surprisingly robust, said Elissa Epel, a study author. “We were quite taken aback by the size of the improvements to people’s emotional well-being.” S.F. Chronicle”

That study released by the National Institute of Health, has the wonky title: “Scaling a Brief Digital Well-Being Intervention (the Big Joy Project) and Sociodemographic Moderators: Single-Group Pre-Post Study”

We’ll call it the “Big Joy Project” for short. From that study:

Background: Emotional well-being interventions lead to better mental and physical health. However, most of these interventions have been tested on relatively homogeneous samples, with few interventions large enough to examine whether key sociodemographic factors impact outcomes. In addition, barriers to engagement include access and high participant burden. We developed a brief web-based intervention to address these barriers and tested the effects across sociodemographic groups.

Objective: The study aims to examine the effectiveness of a brief, low-burden digital well-being intervention in improving emotional well-being and health-related outcomes across a diverse global sample.

Results: …participants who engaged in more daily practices showed greater improvements. There was a strong pattern of social disadvantage moderating these effects, with groups experiencing greater social disadvantage showing larger benefits across most outcomes. For example, those with lower education, greater financial strain, or lower subjective social status and those identifying as individuals from racial or ethnic minority groups (Black or Hispanic) all showed larger improvements across well-being outcomes. Furthermore, younger people had greater increases in emotional well-being and greater decreases in perceived stress compared to older people.

Conclusions: A brief, low-intensity intervention showed meaningful improvements in well-being and stress, comparable to those seen in longer, more intensive digital well-being interventions.

To quote my long gone Mother: “What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?” Thanks, Mom, for the reminder (I am the king of the scenic bypass, after all). I’ll circle back to gardening…and gratitude.

The Garden Basics podcast began at the same time the ramifications of the Coronavirus epidemic started to hit home. April of 2020. Back then, we were coming to grips with phrases such as “Quarantine in Place” or “Shelter at Home”.

What could you do around the house to keep from going stir crazy? Many of you began gardening for the first time. And that was a good thing for many reasons. You were getting outside. You were moving your body. You were creating beauty. And, you were cultivating gratitude for your new, living creations. You were planting flowers, shrubs, trees, and growing food. You liked it.

Brown Eyes, the feral cat, guards the garden burial location of Argus, the Wonder Dog

Grow Some Gratitude

Since that pandemic five years ago, many of you are continuing to garden. Good for you, you’re cultivating gratitude!

Psychiatrists across the country now are dealing with a lot of disappointment, fear, and burnout. There are steps you can take to help your own mental health.

By working in your garden, you’re cultivating gratitude. And gratitude is good for you. The Harvard Medical School newsletter wrote in 2021: “Gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity and build strong relationships.”

One way mental health experts advise to kickstart your gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal. Write down the positive moments of the day, the people and things you saw or interacted with that brought a smile to your face.

As a gardener, keeping a garden diary is a great idea. Not only because it helps you keep track of what you planted, where you planted it, and its success or failure; a garden diary can also be your gratitude journal where you write down about the beautiful flowers, interesting perennials and tasty food that you’re growing. Take a walk through your garden each day. You’ll see a lot to be grateful for: a flower in bloom; the foliage on a tree; the fruit on a shrub; interesting insects (is it a good guy or a bad guy?); even the interesting looking weeds that pop up this time of year.

Plant yourself a gratitude garden plot. Put in plants that you find particularly pleasing or those that have a long blooming or fruiting season in a spot where you can see it easily from inside the house. Outside my office window, I’ve planted flowering maples, the abutilon, the Tiger Eye variety, which produces interesting, red and yellow chinese lantern-shaped flowers that attract the humming birds, year round, here in California. The dense foliage of the plant also attracts other small birds such as finches, that enjoy hopping through the branches. One time, during a live radio show, a bird that we had never seen in our area, a hooded Oriole, paid a visit to the abutilon jungle. The garden conversation between myself and Debbie Flower stopped and immediately turned to scurrying through my bird ID books to identify the bird. We were grateful for the interruption and tickled that the hooded oriole should pay us a visit at that moment.

Besides what you see, don’t forget to be grateful for all that your garden attracts that appeals to your other senses: the aromas of a fragrant plant, such as winter daphne; the pleasant sounds of all the birds and bees that visit; and, the warmth of the sun.

Reminding yourself, every day, what you’re grateful for can boost your mental spirits and help deal with the stress on the ongoing pandemic. And you can cultivate that gratitude with your garden.

Share the Joy

As I mentioned in the podcast at the top of the page, sharing that joy with the neighborhood is one of those “brief, low-burden digital well-being interventions” that is easy for a gardener. Rip out or reduce the size of your front lawn, and put in flowering plants, or perennials, shrubs and trees with interesting structure for all those that walk or drive by your home.

Recently, a car stopped in front of our driveway. A young woman jumped out with a large bag, apparently making a delivery next door. A few minutes passed, and the car, with its engine idling, was still there, with no one in the car. Out of concern (or curiosity), I went outside to see if there was a problem. And there, sprawled on her belly on the sidewalk, the young woman was aiming her IPhone camera for a closeup of a blooming annual I had planted in the narrow strip between the two driveways: a “Zowie Yellow Flame” zinnia.

“Are you OK?” I asked. She jumped up, startled. But happy. “Oh, I love to take pictures of the plants I see while delivering meals,” she said, with a big smile on her face. “I live in an apartment, I wish I had a garden.” I smiled, and said: “Oh, I think you will someday.”

Thank you for also listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends. And your subscription to this newsletter helps keep the Garden Basics podcast alive, as well. Thank you for your support.

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. And he likes to ride his bike(s).

Consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep this newsletter, as well as the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast alive and well! Thank you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

One question I have been getting a lot of lately: Should I prune off (snip off, pinch out) the first tomato flowers that appear, in order to get more tomatoes later?

Those early tomato flowers, especially if the weather doesn’t cooperate, will fall all by themselves, thank you. Your assistance is not needed.

In today’s newsletter podcast (above), Sacramento County Master Gardener and vegetable expert Gail Pothour explains the myths behind pruning off tomato flowers.

Flower drop and tomato fruit set failure can happen in May and June for a number of reasons, including night temperatures below 55; daytime temperatures above 90; excess nitrogen fertilizer, too much shade, too much smog, plants set out too early in spring, or planting the wrong variety for your area (a Beefsteak tomato attempting to grow in cool, damp San Francisco is not a match made in heaven).

However, by removing those flowers once they are in a situation where they can be pollinated successfully, what is accomplished by removing those flowers? FEWER TOMATOES! And, unless you are trying to stop production, it would be counterproductive to your ultimate goal: shoving that beautiful red orb into the face of your non-gardening neighbor on the Fourth of July, singing, “Nyah, nyah, nyah!”

Wow, where did this tomato flower pruning fallacy begin? One questioner offered a clue when he prefaced that question with, “Last night, the local TV Weatherman said…”

Bad move, taking gardening advice from a person who guesses for a living.

Still, that piece of poor advice must have some historic legs to it. And sure enough, there are many people at social media garden pages who are passing on this wrong-headed notion. And as far as I can tell, it’s the result of one gardener reading a piece of research on tomato pruning, and mangling the retelling of that research.

For example, wholesale tomato plant grower Bonnie Plants offers this online piece of advice at their website page, “How to Prune Tomatoes for a Big Harvest.”

As the growing season draws to a close, tomato plants are often still loaded with fruit. To speed ripening late in the season, remove the growing tip of each main stem about four weeks before the first expected fall frost. Called "topping," this type of pruning causes the plant to stop flowering and setting new fruit, and instead directs all sugars to the remaining fruit. This way, the fruit will ripen faster, plus it becomes more likely that the green tomatoes you pick before frost will actually ripen when you bring them indoors. It may be hard to bring yourself to do this, but it will be worth it if you wish for ripe tomatoes! Of course, if you prefer your tomatoes to remain green for use in frying and jelly, you can certainly skip this step.

Gardener A reads this, and then retells the story to Gardener B, omitting the fact that this advice applies to late season, indeterminate tomatoes only. Gardener B then tells Gardener C: “Pruning tomato flower buds is recommended by Bonnie Plants.” Gardener C then goes online and writes: “Remove flower buds on tomato plants to increase the number of tomatoes.”

Or something like that. And another digital gardening virus is born.

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When and how should you prune tomatoes?

Very little, only when necessary, to keep the plants within bounds. If you grow your tomatoes in cages (recommended), you would only need to remove those branches that escape and are threatening to wrap itself around a nearby pepper plant…or your head.

If you grow your tomatoes using stakes for support, you may need to do some pruning, according to the University of California Sonoma County Master Gardeners:

“The Traditional One Stake Method features a stake 6–8 foot tall, which is used to tie tomato stems to. Requires pruning out all but about three main stems.”

And, it should be pointed out, that if you follow those pruning guidelines for staked tomatoes, you are sacrificing about 25% of your eventual tomato crop. An that’s yet another good argument to cage, not stake your tomatoes. Cages can be made from sheets or rolls of concrete reinforcement wire with a six inch mesh (the six inch opening makes it easier to reach those tomatoes). The sheets are usually 42” by 84”. Bend it into a circle, secure the ends with zip ties, and you have a tomato cage that’s 42” tall and about 27” in diameter. And it will last for decades. Some retail nurseries have gotten wise to this and offer huge tapered cylinders, some of them eight feet tall, constructed of heavy duty livestock panels, that you could afford to buy if you give up your daily Starbucks habit for a month…or longer.

Cornell University says hacking back your tomato plants is not necessary:

You can grow great tomatoes without pruning, but if you want to prune, here are a few guidelines.

For determinate types, don’t bother pruning. It will only reduce your harvest.

For indeterminate types, allow one, two, or three suckers to grow from the base of the plant. Clip or snap off the rest. It’s helpful to find the first flower cluster on the plant. It will be small but obvious. Always leave the first sucker below the flowers. Then it’s up to you whether you want to leave one or two more suckers below the first. Each of these will become main stems with lots of fruit.

Remove suckers below these and any above the flower cluster. The best time to remove the suckers is when they are 2 to 3 inches long. If larger, you can sometimes damage the main stem.

The book, “Ortho’s All About Tomatoes”, puts it more succinctly, quoting the late Dr. Phillip Minges of Cornell: “Tomato yields per plant may be lowered by pruning. Removing the leaves or shoots does not conserve food for the crop, it tends to reduce the total food supply…use training methods that require little pruning.”

A final hint when searching for garden answers on the Internet. Be leery of advice from gardening social media sites, unless that advice is linked to a study or research that you can also access. When using a search engine, include the words to identify a prominent agricultural school where the advice is reviewed by multiple parties before publication: UC (University of California), WSU (Washington State), Cornell, TAMU (Texas and M), etc.

For example Googling the phrase “tomato worm UC” will lead you to the University of California Integrated Pest Management website first. If you were to just enter the words, “tomato worm”, well…good luck.

Thank you for also listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends. And your subscription to this newsletter helps keep the Garden Basics podcast alive, as well. Thank you for your support.

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. And he likes to ride his bike(s).

Consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep this newsletter, as well as the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast alive and well! Thank you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s Beyond the Garden Basics Newsletter expands upon a topic we were briefly discussing in Episode 395 of the Garden Basics Podcast, “Survival Garden Basics”. In this case, the short chat was about the value of microgreens, and how they are easy to grow, and because of their small size, super-packed with nutrients.

In today’s “Beyond the Garden Basics” newsletter podcast (above), Sacramento County (CA) Master Gardener Gail Pothour discusses how to grow and harvest microgreens, and how they can be used in various dishes. This conversation originally aired on a Garden Basics podcast back in 2020.

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The ABCs of Microgreens

One great resource for gardeners about microgreens comes from Penn State Extension, entitled, “The ABCs of Microgreens”. Among the highlights of that article:

Many edible plant species can be used to produce microgreens. Among the standard vegetable species, the most popular ones are those belonging to the broccoli family (Brassicaceae), such as broccoli, radish, cauliflower, arugula, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, mizuna, cress, broccoli raab, etc., which are characterized by a very short growth cycle (7–8 days maximum) and by the typical pungent taste of cole crops which is primarily due to their content of glucosinolates, natural compounds considered anti-cancer per excellence.

Other vegetable species commonly grown as microgreens include beet, Swiss chard, spinach, amaranth, lettuce, chicory, endive, carrot, celery, fennel, leek, onion, and cucumber. Microgreens are produced by also sprouting cereals such as barley, oat, wheat, corn, and pseudo-cereals like quinoa, legumes such as pea, alfalfa, bean, fava bean, lentil, clover, chickpea, and fenugreek, and even oleaginous and fiber species like sunflower and flax, respectively.

Interesting microgreens are also produced using the seeds of aromatic herbs such as basil, cilantro, dill, chives, and cumin, or using the seeds of some wild edible species such as borage (Borago officinalis L.), wild chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber), sea asparagus (Salicornia patulaDuval-Jouve), etc.

In some cases, mixes of different species are used to obtain specific color or taste combinations. When mixes are used it is very important to balance the seed density as well as to make sure that seeds of different species or cultivars will germinate and grow at the same time.

Some common vegetable crops like tomato, pepper, eggplant, and potato are not edible at the seedling stage and are not suitable to produce microgreens because they contain alkaloids, which at high levels, are toxic for humans. If using wild species, it is very important to recognize the plants from which seeds are collected because many spontaneous species contain toxic compounds while they may look like edible plants. Therefore, if you are not a plant expert, refrain from using wild plants to produce microgreens. Also, you should exclude any species for which you may have an allergic reaction.

That Penn State Extension article did point out one very important fact about growing microgreens at home: remember, different seed varieties grow at differing rates, so be cautious if using a mix of microgreens. Probably better to purchase each variety separately and grow each in its own container. And, a good portion of the article dealt with the microgreen mathematics involved: because you should sow the seeds thickly, how many seeds should you sow in a single container? No worries. There’s a link to an Excel file that does the calculation for you.

How Nutritious are Microgreens?

I’ve often heard from dietitians and health food aficionados that consuming microgreens and baby greens provide more nutrition than their full grown counterparts. Is that true? In a 2021 published study of two greens - spinach and roselle - researchers discovered that these plants - when harvested within 20 days of sowing - have some critical nutritional benefits greater than the full grown plant, according to the National Library of Medicine:

“Compared to field grown mature foliage, greenhouse-grown micro/baby-greens were lower in digestible carbohydrates and CA (calcium) but higher in digestible protein, P (phosphorus), K (potassium), Mg (magnesium), Fe (iron), Mn (manganese), and Zn (zinc).”

From the National Library of Medicine (Nov. 2021): Nutrient Content of Micro/Baby-Green and Field-Grown Mature Foliage of Tropical Spinach (Amaranthus sp.) and Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)

Note: “DAS” - Days After Sowing

So, for certain nutritive boosts, nature’s “fast food” (greens harvested at microgreen or baby green stage) is the way to go. Better yet, it’s quick from the garden to the plate, reaching cutting stage in 10 to 20 days after sowing in optimum conditions and temperatures.

Thank you for also listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends. And your subscription to this newsletter helps keep the Garden Basics podcast alive, as well. Thank you for your support.

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. And he likes to ride his bike(s).

Consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep this newsletter, as well as the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast alive and well! Thank you.

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If you’re reading this as May turns into June, and you live in the West, you know you’re going through a heat wave, including triple digit temperatures in parts of California. A more widespread - and longer - heat wave is expected in mid-June. And, long range forecasts are calling for a much hotter summer (July through September) than usual throughout most of North America.

This is not good news for your south and west facing backyard tomatoes, especially.

Give a listen to today’s newsletter podcast clip (a short one) from Episode 383 of last March, the 2025 Tomato Preview Show. Don Shor of Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis offers tips on protecting your young, west-facing tomatoes (as well as bell peppers) from developing sunscald or sunburn during an extended heatwave.

It’s a technique that allows commercial tomatoes to be picked early in their life, stored, possibly treated with ethylene gas, and then shipped to grocery stores after they’ve reddened up and gotten a bit soft…with parts of their stem still attached. These tomatoes receive a premium price, because they are labeled as “vine-ripened”.

Processors and grocery stores insist this fits the definition of “vine-ripened”. Actually, there is no legal definition of “vine-ripened”, according to the USDA. The closest they come is in their “standards” for a mature tomato, which might come as a shock to you who grow backyard tomatoes.

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From the USDA’s “United States Standards for Grades of Tomatoes on the Vine”:

§51.2172 Mature.''Mature'' means that the contents of two or more seed cavities have developed a jellylike consistency and the seeds are well developed. External color shows at least a definite break from green to tannish-yellow, pink or red color on not less than 10 percent of the surface.

You may have assumed that those grocery store “vine-ripened” tomatoes were picked red and shipped immediately. You may have noticed that the tomatoes had a “tomato aroma”. Actually, if they still have a piece of the vine attached to them, that is the part that is emitting the aroma, according to “America’s Test Kitchen”. They also quickly point out, however, that “…in blind side-by-side tastings, my colleagues and I have never been able to consistently find a difference in flavor” between on-the-vine and ethylene-ripened tomatoes.

They quote a study that reaffirms their findings. That study was published in “The Journal of Food Science - a Publication of the Institute of Food Technologists”. It was conducted primarily by the staff of Rutgers University Food Science and Plant Science Departments, with support from the New Jersey-NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training. Do any of these firms have ties to the commercial tomato industry? I’ll let a newspaper or magazine with a team of researchers try to track down that answer.

The title of the study was: “Quality Comparison of Hydroponic Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) Ripened On and Off Vine”.

Before moving on, a clarification for you real tomato heads from NeetPrep.com (which bills itself as “India’s #1 Classroom Test Series”) regarding the question of the correct biological name for the tomato:

“In 1753, Linnaeus placed the tomato in the genus Solanum (alongside the potato) as Solanum lycopersicum. In 1768, Philip Miller moved it to its own genus, naming it Lycopersicon esculentum. Genetic evidence has now shown that Linnaeus was correct to put the tomato in the genus Solanum, making Solanum lycopersicum the correct name. Both names, however, will probably be found in the literature for some time.”

OK, lets ask the first obvious, basic question about this tomato taste test: What is the difference between the taste of a hydroponically-grown indoor tomato and an in-ground outdoor grown tomato? Although I was entertained by the variety of answers I read at crowd-aggregation site Quora, primarily from hydroponic enthusiasts, permaculturists, and way too many people not clear on the concept, I will rely on Google’s AI summary of the difference, which may have problems of its own:

* Hydroponic Tomatoes:

* Controlled Environment: Hydroponic systems allow for precise control over nutrient levels, light, temperature, and humidity, which can lead to larger, juicier fruits but sometimes with a less complex flavor.

* Less Soil Interactions: Soil-grown tomatoes benefit from interactions with beneficial bacteria and fungi, which can contribute to unique flavors and compounds.

* Potential for Bland Taste: Hydroponically grown tomatoes may have a lower concentration of certain flavor compounds, leading to a more muted taste.

* Sweeter Taste: Some studies have shown that hydroponic tomatoes can be sweeter due to increased water and sugar content.

* Soil-Grown Tomatoes:

* Complex Flavors: Soil provides a diverse environment with organic matter, beneficial microbes, and minerals that can contribute to a more complex and nuanced flavor profile.

* Natural Conditions: Soil-grown tomatoes are exposed to natural variations in weather, sunlight, and nutrient availability, which can affect their flavor.

* Tangy or Earthy Notes: Soil-grown tomatoes may exhibit more tangy or earthy notes due to the complex interactions in the soil.

* Lower Sugar Content: Soil-grown tomatoes may have less sugar content than hydroponic tomatoes.

In summary: While hydroponic tomatoes can be convenient and productive, their flavor may not be as complex or intense as those grown in soil, though some varieties are being developed to address this.

===========================

When I die and go to Purgatory to burn off my sins, I am sure I will be placed on a panel that does nothing but taste-test hydroponically grown tomatoes, trying to differentiate between bland and blander.

In other words, that’s not a study that backyard tomato growers could relate to. The look, aroma, taste and juiciness of a freshly picked, homegrown heirloom tomato will have you saying what my wife says every winter: “I WILL NEVER BUY A GROCERY STORE TOMATO THIS TIME OF YEAR!” Yes, after growing backyard tomatoes for every year of our 45 year marriage, I’ve created my own personal tomato Frankenstein. Hell, she won’t even touch grocery store tomatoes in the summer. Well, frankly, in this household, there’s no reason to buy a tomato in the summer. Just step into the back yard with your snippers, and have at it!

For those who have never grown tomatoes in the back yard (or front yard), your best chance for really tasting what a tomato is supposed to taste like is to head to a farmers’ market this mid-summer, and purchase a just-picked-that-day, mid-size heirloom tomato (not a one-ounce cherry tomato; not a 16-ounce supersized beefsteak-style tomato) and eat it as soon as possible. Your next stop after the farmers’ market just might be at a well-appointed nursery, to get an heirloom tomato plant that has been upsized from a four inch pot into a 2-gallon pot and is selling for $20. Or better yet, prepare your yard for planting a few tomatoes next Spring. You’ll find plenty of info on how to do that, including the tastiest tomato varieties, in the archives of the Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter as well as several podcast episodes at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred.

Oh, you want to check out past editions of the Beyond The Garden Basics newsletter? Although the current edition is free to all subscribers, only paid and Founding Members get access to past issues.

Be Your Own Tomato Junior Scientist!

Here is where we nicely dovetail the topics of upcoming heatwaves and tomato tasting: When an extended heatwave, especially the ones where temperatures that will exceed 100 degrees are forecast, do what Don Shor suggests in today’s newsletter podcast:

• Before the onset of heat, help protect your tomato crop from sunburn or sunscald damage by harvesting those exposed tomatoes that are at the breaker stage of development (just beginning to turn from green to yellow/pink) that are located on the west side of the plant (for those areas of the country where the heat builds up throughout the day) or the south side (if your heat tends to peak midday).

• Place the tomatoes in a shady spot on your kitchen counter. Don Shor says they will ripen to red in seven to ten days. Other sources say it may take a couple of weeks.

• Whenever they develop a nice shade of red and have a bit of “give” to them when you gently squeeze them, cut them open, examine and taste them. Note their look, aroma, flavor, and sweetness or acidity. Give each of those categories a score of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest grade).

•Perhaps at the end of that two week waiting period, there may be other tomatoes of the same variety growing in the yard that have reached full redness and feel ready to pick. You may have to wait longer than two weeks to do this portion of the taste test, hence the reason for writing the scores down.

• Pick them, examine them, taste them, and then grade those garden-ripened tomatoes.

• Was there any difference in the scores of look, aroma, flavor, and sweetness or acidity between a counter-ripened tomato and a garden ripened tomato? Let us know in the comments which tomato varieties you used in this experiment, and the scores!

Thank you for also listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends. And your subscription to this newsletter helps keep the Garden Basics podcast alive, as well. Thank you for your support.

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. And he likes to ride his bike(s)

Beyond The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, including the Garden Basics podcast, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Tariff-Free!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

Both free and paid subscribers have full access to the Friday edition of the Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter. Because cutting off free subscribers in the middle of a newsletter isn’t a nice thing to do.

At the top of the page: an excerpt of a conversation with Don Shor of Redwood Barn Nursery about growing tomatoes with drip irrigation in raised beds from Episode 288 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast.

Another podcast episode that really delves into drip irrigation was Episode 227, Understanding Drip Irrigation”. That featured an in-depth chat with author Robert Kourik, who literally wrote the book about good drip irrigation techniques and equipment. Give that a listen.

Drip Irrigation Lessons Learned the Hard Way

After working with drip irritation systems in the garden for more than 40 years, consider this my “Lessons learned the Hard Way.”

Example One: my original raised beds, from the early ‘90’s featured three parallel drip lines with inline emitters running the length of a four foot wide bed. Also lacking: no individual on-off valves for each bed. All the beds were, in effect, running on a single circuit simultaneously. The irrigation was running for two to three hours a day, four or five days a week, to achieve plant growing success.

The problem was the lack of water during a single irrigation flowing from the one-gallon inline emitters spaced 12 inches apart, on lines that were 18 inches apart in the raised beds. Complicating the matter: no attention was given to the cross-spacing of the emitters between lines. If all the emitters were lined up like little soldiers on those three lines, there were large areas of soil that had a hard time getting water.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned about raised bed gardening is something that Don Shor of Redwood Barn Nursery has pounded into our heads for decades: you have to consider a raised bed as just a large plant container, with all the limitations involved of dealing with potted plants:

• It dries out quicker.

• Drainage could be problematic.

• Tall plants, such as corn, tend to fall down and go boom much more readily in a raised bed than in an in-ground planting during a summer windstorm. A couple of reasons for that: the raised bed soil is not very good at anchoring roots. The water pattern in a raised bed does not encourage a wider plant root system. Roots will follow the water, not vice-versa.

Water tends to go straight down in a raised bed instead of spreading out, due to a higher content of loose, friable, potting mix-like sandy soil. In the backyard garden, there is probably a higher content of clay, which allows water to spread out. For example, in a freshly filled new raised bed with a premium potting mix, the water released from a drip emitter may only have a diameter of 8 inches across, as it descends through this mix.

In your backyard soil, that probably has a lot more clay? That water diameter may spread out 18 inches as it trickles downward.

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Cut Your Drip Irrigation Woes with These Tips

The solution? Add more parallel lines. Add mulch.

Solution number two: Stagger the lines so that emitters were not side by side.

But there was one more trick to employ to help preserve soil moisture: grind up fallen leaves from neighborhood oak trees, and use it as a mulch, several inches thick, year round.

Mulch, as I have reminded you for decades:

• Retains moisture.

• Keeps soil temperature constant, reducing plant stress.

• Suppresses weeds.

• Gradually increases soil organic matter, feeding the soil.

• Attracts beneficial organisms that improve soil fertility and porosity.

• Encourages healthier plants, reducing the needs for pesticides and fertilizers.

• Protects roots and plants from mechanical injury.

• On hillsides and around rural homes, certain mulches can suppress the spread of brush fires.

One solution occurred to be early on in my adventures in drip irrigation of raised beds. Using 4’x5’ sheets of concrete reinforcement screening, with six inch mesh spacing, to keep the dogs and cats out of the raised beds.

Note as well that even though you can bury the in-line emitter drip tubing beneath the mulch, I like to keep the end caps visible. That’s a reminder to occasionally undo them and flush any debris or impurities out of the lines.

Paid subscribers to the Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter can read the archives of over 200 editions of this newsletter! And they get a special Monday edition, as well. And besides, I need a new bike. Thank you.

Thank you for also listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends. And your subscription to this newsletter helps keep the Garden Basics podcast alive, as well. Thank you for your support.

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. And he likes to ride his bike(s).

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe