Your All Things Plants weekly news: March 8, 2014

There were 10 new gardening ideas posted last week:

By dave March 8, 2014 The March Tomatoes, Peppers and Water Gardens Not-A-Raffle-Raffle! It's raffle time again and we have another round of great prizes lined up! (434 words - Read the full article) (6 comments)

By Joannabanana March 7, 2014 Water Walls for Tomatoes Cool ambient soil temperatures will affect plant growth, flower bud formation, and taste. Water walls will insulate against cold temperatures and help increase your harvest yields. (377 words - Read the full article) (6 comments)

By pardalinum March 7, 2014 Don't Toss Those Old Tomato Seeds Before Their Time! Tomato seeds can stay viable for many years. Just reseal the packet, place in a ziplock sandwich bag and store in the refrigerator crisper. I have had good germination on tomato seeds that were 10+ years old. As you can see, it is also useful to keep track of the number of remaining seeds in the packets from season to season. Without reopening the packet you will have the information at hand to know when to reorder seeds. (one comment)

By Newyorkrita March 6, 2014 Support Your Tomato Plants Using Florida Weave Instead of using cages or posts, try using the Florida Weave method to support your tomato plants. (462 words - Read the full article) (21 comments)

By Newyorkrita March 5, 2014 Grow Roma? Should You Be Growing Viva Italia Instead? Many of us grow paste-type tomatoes especially for cooking. Let's take a closer look at Roma and Viva Italia. (452 words - Read the full article) (6 comments)

By SongofJoy March 4, 2014 Giant Marconi Sweet Peppers My new favorite sweet pepper to grow at home is the hybrid Italian variety, 'Giant Marconi' (Capsicum annuum 'Giant Marconi'). It's one of the largest of the Italian sweet peppers and has an oblong profile with a slightly lobed stem end. The fruits reach 6-8 inches or more in length. (429 words - Read the full article) (4 comments)

By Newyorkrita March 4, 2014 Make Room for Tomatoes in the Lawn No room for a conventional veggie garden? Think outside the box. I put new garden beds in the lawn. (156 words - Read the full article) (21 comments)

By farmerdill March 3, 2014 Tomatoes and Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Tomato spotted wilt first appears as light brown flecks on leaves. This is followed by growing brown spots, drooping, and finally, full browning and dying. The plants will look wilted. It affects many plants other than tomatoes, but on tomatoes the fruit is also severely affected. Discoloration is the most common effect, but cracking and rot also appear in severe cases. It also degrades the flavor and texture. (491 words - Read the full article) (15 comments)

By pardalinum March 2, 2014 Quest for the Tastiest Tomatoes Avid gardeners everywhere love to talk about their favorite tomato varieties. But how do you know which tomatoes you would like the most, especially if you are a beginning gardener? (663 words - Read the full article) (7 comments)

By goldfinch4 March 2, 2014 Fun Facts About Tomatoes Here's a fun compilation of some interesting facts about tomatoes. (402 words - Read the full article) (10 comments)

The most popular images last week from our plant database: Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Broadway Legend') by floota: Photo of Lily (Lilium 'Satin Slippers') by hankz: Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Castle Rock') by carolannz: Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Bridey Greeson') by floota: Photo of Tufted Ice Plant (Delosperma sphalmanthoides) by gg5: Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Exotic Pattern') by mainstreet:

The most popular Multi-Plant Photos from last week: Multi-plant photo by eclayne: Multi-plant photo by Anderwood: Multi-plant photo by pirl: Multi-plant photo by pirl: Multi-plant photo by jmorth: Multi-plant photo by jmorth:

Noteworthy acorn tips given this week:

8 people gave for a post in "Banner for March 4, 2014 by abhege" by abhege 8 people gave for the Multi-Plant Photo #1124 by eclayne 8 people gave for the idea "Support Your Tomato Plants Using Florida Weave" by Newyorkrita 7 people gave for the idea "Water Walls for Tomatoes" by Joannabanana 6 people gave for the idea "Tomatoes and Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus" by farmerdill 6 people gave for a post in "Banner for March 6, 2014 by wildflowers" by wildflowers 6 people gave for the idea "Make Room for Tomatoes in the Lawn" by Newyorkrita 5 people gave for a post in "Banner for March 8, 2014 by mcash70" by mcash70 4 people gave for the idea "Giant Marconi Sweet Peppers" by SongofJoy 4 people gave for the idea "Quest for the Tastiest Tomatoes" by pardalinum

The most active threads this week:

Subject	OP	Area	Replies
OT - The Porch Swing	daylily	Daylilies forum	361
Post about our pets	lovemyhouse	Sandbox forum	53
Our Orchid blooms in March 2014	Ursula	Orchids forum	46
OT-Today I am thankful for ... # 4	lovemyhouse	Sandbox forum	46
March 2014 Backyard Birds	plantladylin	Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum	42
starter suggestions	Lavanda	Dahlias forum	28
March 2014, photos and chat	zuzu	Roses forum	23
March 2014 Butterflies, Moths & Larva	mellielong	Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum	22
Moraea tortilis (spiral grass) seeds	Eviesmummy	Cactus and Tender Succulents forum	22

Some new recommendations from our members:

SongofJoy recommended Almost Eden and wrote: An excellent selection of butterfly plants, both nectar sources and hosts.

Lavanda recommended Almost Eden and wrote: I always enjoy ordering from this company. They carry things I cannot find other places. The owner is a very kind and friendly person. Plants are big and healthy, and they come well packed so they will not suffer any damage. I can't wait to receive my spring order. I am picky, but this is a five-star (the BEST) as far as nurseries go!

greene recommended Amekron Products and wrote: Aluminum tags, good quality at fair prices. Regular size: 1 x 3 3/8 or Jumbo: 3 3/4 x 5/8 aluminum tags, attach with wire fasteners which are included in each box. Order by phone, fax or online through the company website.

vic recommended The Whitinger Seed Company and wrote: Arrived in a timely manner. Very generous amount of seeds. Clear and concise sowing/planting instructions as well.

SongofJoy recommended Sprout People and wrote: This is a great place for purchasing seeds, legumes, and grains for sprouting along with a good supply of sprouting supplies. They are responsive and see the light and humorous side of things. Lots of information on how to sprout as well as lots of other info, recipes, etc. Honest and responsive. I recommend them highly.

Some numbers from last week:

• 39 new members.
• 155 new threads.
• 3,705 new posts.
• 1,132 new images to the plant database.
• 72 new comments in the plant database.
• 24 new Multi-Plant photos.