Larry, i’m so sorry you’re having health problems; but like everyone else, i am grateful for this silent lecture. I learned so much (the purpose of a lecture), so i’d say it’s a success.
I do Have a Question for all you gardeners out there in reference to the tomatoes and suckers. Thanks so much for that, Larry! I do raised bed gardening and have been planting tomatoes one per foot as per square foot gardening instruction. I’m told i’ll get more tomatoes per plant if i prune off the suckers. Obviously, Larry’s debunked this. So, will i get more or fewer tomatoes if i plant the tomatoes closer (one foot) and prune or further from each other (two to three feet) with little or no pruning?
Thanks much for any and all advice!
They’ll be staked on cattle fencing (very efficient), which goes up to eight feet high. How close do you think i can plant them? When i used cages, i planted them three feet apart, but the cattle fencing allows me to tie the plants to the fencing spreading them out considerably compared to a cage. Thanks so much!
elaine
You just amaze me Larry…like a Timex watch you take a licking and keep on ticking…thanks so much for this. I like the format. A lot of info shared efficiently.
Really enjoyed – I’m not one that needs the non-photographic images, though helpful diagrams are excellent. But if this was easier for you because these were slides you have already created, then I say go for it! I love all your information and level-headed approaches and appreciate any and all efforts for you to keep the info flowing.
I do not know what they did in the coffee study, But I worked in a coffee processing plant for 38 years.
I used coffee chaff mixed the fresh grounded coffee as a mulch around my tomatoes, peppers & cucumbers with great harvest & no problems with plants. The problem with the four inches of coffee mulch was that it was slippery when wet & cracked when completely dry, much like clay.
First I had great organic soil & water in the garden.
Second, I never use it as a mulch again, slippery when wet & stuck to my shoe, again like clay.
But t never hurt my plants, which was in the ground, not in small pot like your photo.
I composted it after that & worms loved it.
A manger at the plant had it tested & it had a whole list of goodies in it, even small amounts of N-P-K.
But I do not have the list or I would post it for you.
All the other myths, I never heard of or knew from other sources were not true.
Thanks for a good article.
Nice to see all that tackled in one concise article. I too will post it to a local site where these and other myths are seen regularly. Thank you. Keep ’em coming.
Larry, I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy a couple of your lectures over the years. This ‘silent’ lecture is a fine way to share practical, science based information. Thanks for continuing to provide us gardeners with sound advice.
Excellent article, I’d read some of those before in your columns (the one about not pulling off tomato suckers I think I read in Fleurs, Plantes et Jardins magazine, my Bible when I was just learning to garden) and have followed your advice, successfully. Common sense gardening, not myths! Thanks.
Great information, best take away for me was the section on tomatoes. I’ve always been a ‘sucker snapper’ but no more. Interested to see how this years crop turns out.
What a great collection. This should be required reading for every gardening “celebrity” so they stop promoting nonsense. I even saw Monty Don ripping leaves off of tomato plants so the sun could ripen them. *sigh* We need more scientists and fewer entertainers. Now if the scientists would just take a few courses on public speaking…
Yes, always the problem with info served in bite-sized pieces. You could see this as a summary: all the subjects are covered in detail in other articles in the blog.
Hello, just to let you know, when I click on the link to the blog from my email, I get a “can’t be found” notice. Seems to be from WordPress. Advise please?
Larry, I didn’t realize this was YOU. I thought it was a guest blogger. Still, I love it, looks great, easy to read, at least for my eyesight, love the format, & learned a lot! Thanks!!
I like it a lot! Thank you.
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Larry, i’m so sorry you’re having health problems; but like everyone else, i am grateful for this silent lecture. I learned so much (the purpose of a lecture), so i’d say it’s a success.
I do Have a Question for all you gardeners out there in reference to the tomatoes and suckers. Thanks so much for that, Larry! I do raised bed gardening and have been planting tomatoes one per foot as per square foot gardening instruction. I’m told i’ll get more tomatoes per plant if i prune off the suckers. Obviously, Larry’s debunked this. So, will i get more or fewer tomatoes if i plant the tomatoes closer (one foot) and prune or further from each other (two to three feet) with little or no pruning?
Thanks much for any and all advice!
Try the latter. Healthy, well-spaced, caged plants will give the best results.
They’ll be staked on cattle fencing (very efficient), which goes up to eight feet high. How close do you think i can plant them? When i used cages, i planted them three feet apart, but the cattle fencing allows me to tie the plants to the fencing spreading them out considerably compared to a cage. Thanks so much!
elaine
Try 4 feet, as I suspect you’ll be able to direct branches that far.
You just amaze me Larry…like a Timex watch you take a licking and keep on ticking…thanks so much for this. I like the format. A lot of info shared efficiently.
Thanks! ?
There was lots of good information here. There was enough text to understand the point; no need to add more.
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I really enjoyed this presentation, learned a great deal.
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Really enjoyed – I’m not one that needs the non-photographic images, though helpful diagrams are excellent. But if this was easier for you because these were slides you have already created, then I say go for it! I love all your information and level-headed approaches and appreciate any and all efforts for you to keep the info flowing.
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Love it! So happy I found you!
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this is great! thank you. more would be wonderful
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Wow. I had a lot of myths busted. Only criticism is that it was a lot for one sitting. I’ll read again.
Yes, another time, I’ll probably break things up a bit. This was my “test run”! ?
Thank you Larry! I love this format! So much useful information, easily seen and digested.
I’d love to see more of your presentations! 😀
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Thank you. This was great and in digital format, one has an opportunity to linger and re-read areas for better retention.
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I do not know what they did in the coffee study, But I worked in a coffee processing plant for 38 years.
I used coffee chaff mixed the fresh grounded coffee as a mulch around my tomatoes, peppers & cucumbers with great harvest & no problems with plants. The problem with the four inches of coffee mulch was that it was slippery when wet & cracked when completely dry, much like clay.
First I had great organic soil & water in the garden.
Second, I never use it as a mulch again, slippery when wet & stuck to my shoe, again like clay.
But t never hurt my plants, which was in the ground, not in small pot like your photo.
I composted it after that & worms loved it.
A manger at the plant had it tested & it had a whole list of goodies in it, even small amounts of N-P-K.
But I do not have the list or I would post it for you.
All the other myths, I never heard of or knew from other sources were not true.
Thanks for a good article.
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I like this column. Perhaps providing links to some of your previous writings would be of added value. I try to pass along your advice wherever I go.
True. I think I’ve covered all of them over the years!
Nice to see all that tackled in one concise article. I too will post it to a local site where these and other myths are seen regularly. Thank you. Keep ’em coming.
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Finally some gardening myths exposed in a very easy and informative format. Thank you for this presentation!
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this was great,, but enough content for a week of Myths and Truths, hard to take it all in, in one read.
Yes, I did wonder whether I should break it up into smaller sections. Thanks for the input!
Yes, I agree. Smaller chunks of info would be retained more easily.
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I really enjoyed this!
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Larry, I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy a couple of your lectures over the years. This ‘silent’ lecture is a fine way to share practical, science based information. Thanks for continuing to provide us gardeners with sound advice.
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Excellent article, I’d read some of those before in your columns (the one about not pulling off tomato suckers I think I read in Fleurs, Plantes et Jardins magazine, my Bible when I was just learning to garden) and have followed your advice, successfully. Common sense gardening, not myths! Thanks.
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Excellent and informative! Thank you!
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Thank you for this! Would love to see more!
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Lots of great information! Thank you! I’d love to see more!
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Great way to present information Larry!
Thanks! I’ll certainly share more. ?
Love it, Larry! You budted a myth or two in this old gardener. More, please!
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Concise and informative ?
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Great information, best take away for me was the section on tomatoes. I’ve always been a ‘sucker snapper’ but no more. Interested to see how this years crop turns out.
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What a great collection. This should be required reading for every gardening “celebrity” so they stop promoting nonsense. I even saw Monty Don ripping leaves off of tomato plants so the sun could ripen them. *sigh* We need more scientists and fewer entertainers. Now if the scientists would just take a few courses on public speaking…
I sooo agree with you! ?
Excellent, Larry. Posted it to my local FB group
Super! ?
Interesting read. I agree with you but I think it would be helpful to present some evidence with the assertions. Thanks.
Yes, always the problem with info served in bite-sized pieces. You could see this as a summary: all the subjects are covered in detail in other articles in the blog.
Bite-sized, yes, but you chose a good set of myths to support or explode. I enjoyed your silent lecture.
Thanks Debra!
Hi I enjoyed this but the white print on yellow background is hard to read and hurts my eyes
Thank you!
Hello, just to let you know, when I click on the link to the blog from my email, I get a “can’t be found” notice. Seems to be from WordPress. Advise please?
Awesome information! I LIKE this guy & his style of presentation! You found a great communicator! Would LOVE to see more!
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Larry, I didn’t realize this was YOU. I thought it was a guest blogger. Still, I love it, looks great, easy to read, at least for my eyesight, love the format, & learned a lot! Thanks!!
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