P. ALLEN SMITH: MOONFLOWERS AND MORNING GLORIES
Moonflowers and Morning Glories
If you are looking for a quick way to cover an unattractive fence or perhaps to adorn a trellis or tool shed, an annual vine is the answer. There is outstanding potential packed into the seeds of summer vines such as hyacinth bean vine, cardinal vine, gourds and cypress vine.
Two of my all time favorite annual vines are morning glory and its nocturnal cousin moonflower vine. Their size, growth rate and flower power make them spectacular additions to the summer garden. They can grow twenty to thirty feet in a single season, which makes them ideal for quickly spreading blooms across fences, over arbors, or up simple teepees made of three or four tall poles. They are the perfect solution for covering an area while you wait for a perennial vine or climbing rose to mature.
The morning glory has 6 to 8 inch heart shaped leaves and showy trumpet blooms that open as the sun rises. The varieties Heavenly Blue, Grandpa Ott and Milky Way are all worthy of a spot in your garden.
While the morning glory, as its name implies, is perky in the morning the moonflower vine picks up its pace in the evening. By sunset the vine covers itself with large, white, fragrant blossoms. The flowers begin to fade at dawn, but by dusk, they are opening again.
Both morning glories and moonflowers are easy to grow from seed. The outer coating is hard, so soak the seeds overnight in water before planting to help with germination. The seeds can be direct sown in the garden after the last frost date in your area. Choose a site where the soil is not too rich. If it is too fertile, the seeds will produce lots of vines, but few blooms. Give them plenty of sunshine and these vines will reward you with abundant blooms until the first hard freeze in autumn.
For more of my gardening ideas and advice visit my website www.pallensmith.com. More..

P. ALLEN SMITH: HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
Heirloom Tomatoes
Tomatoes and summer just go together and with the big tomato season just around the corner, it is time to get the plants in the ground. You know you do not have to be an expert to taste the difference between a fresh, homegrown tomato and one that is grown in an artificial environment where it is fed chemicals and picked green. Most of the tomatoes we find in the grocery store are modern hybrids bred mainly for their shelf life and ability to ship. But these days, it is easier than ever to find seeds and plants of old heritage varieties of tomatoes. The kinds of tomatoes our grandparents and great grandparents enjoyed.
For instance, I am planting a variety called San Marzano. This tomato and others, like the ever-popular Roma, are low in juice and higher in flesh making them ideal for cooking. They are perfect for pastes, sauces and for drying. Just cutting into one of these, you can see that there"s more flesh than there is juice. These also have tough skins so they will hold up much longer.

Growing heritage tomatoes can be a lot of fun and you can not believe the subtle range of flavor that each variety can offer. If you do not have time or a place to grow tomatoes this year, check out your local farmers market for that delicious taste of summer. Teepee Tomato Support
It is important to support your tomatoes as they grow, especially the indeterminate varieties, which tend to be large. This twig and twine teepee is a simple project and provide excellent support.

Materials:
(3) tall sticks, about 5 feet
Scissors
Wire
Wire Cutters
Ball of Sisal Twine
Tomato Plant

Directions:
1. Insert (3) tall sticks into the ground about 1.5 feet apart.
2.
Pull the tops of the sticks together and secure with wire.
3. Starting at the bottom, wrap twine around the legs to create rungs between each stick.
4. Once you reach the top of the teepee, tie the end of your twine to the sticks.

For more of my gardening ideas and advice visit my website www.pallensmith.com. More..

If you ever have a problem with any Ferry-Morse product, please let us know within one year of purchase. In the case  of packet seeds, please return the empty packets and your sales receipt; in all other  cases, the merchandise in question will need to be returned to us postage-paid. Upon your request, we will replace product or refund your purchase price.