Boardash: ArcaMax Gardening Daily Tips for Wednesday October 7, 2009

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

ArcaMax Gardening Daily Tips for Wednesday October 7, 2009

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Gardening Daily Tips
For You
Wednesday October 7, 2009

Crabapple (Malus x)
Q&A: Tomato Turn Black on the Bottom
Q&A: Soil for Raised Beds
Tip: Save Annual Vine Seeds
Decorate for Halloween
Reader Photos

Crabapple (Malus x)

Today's Featured Plant
Crabapple (Malus x)

Read the full profile of this plant at ArcaMax.com.

Interested in reading about other plants? Search through hundreds of plant profiles and helpful articles by keyword.

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Q&A: Tomato Turn Black on the Bottom

Question: Why are some of my tomatoes getting dark rotten spots on the bottom of the fruit?

Answer: Your tomatoes have "blossom end rot" (BER), a physiological condition caused by a lack of calcium at the growing tip of the fruit. It is also a common problem on peppers. While your soil may have adequate calcium, fluctuations in soil moisture content from dry to wet really increase the incidence of BER. It is especially bad on the early fruit each summer and in sandy soils. The damage occurs as cells die at the tip of the fruit. In time (and as the fruit grows) the spots enlarge and turn black. So, by the time you see it, the damage actually has already occurred some time back. Remedies for BER include having a soil test to make sure calcium levels are adequate, adding organic matter to a sandy soil to increase its moisture holding capacity, and keeping plants evenly moist, especially during the development of the first fruits. A thick mulch will help maintain soil moisture.

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Q&A: Soil for Raised Beds

Question: I just finished building raised beds for flowers and veggies. What type of soil mix should I use to fill them?

Answer: A mix of about half topsoil and half compost will be good. Another option is to mix compost and sand with your existing soil in a 50% compost, 25% sand and 25% soil mix. Whatever mix you use, blend it in with your existing soil in the bottom of the beds before adding more mix to prevent a sudden interface or different soil types.

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Tip: Save Annual Vine Seeds

Save seed of favorite annual vines such as hyacinth bean and cardinal climber now before frost. Select the healthiest seed pods from the healthiest vines, collect the seed when pods are dry, place in plastic bags and store in refrigerator.

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Decorate for Halloween

For Halloween this year, why not turn your front yard into a spooky graveyard to impress the trick-or-treaters? ArcaMax will show you how with our new Halloween Feature.

You can also get simple, inexpensive ways to throw a great Halloween party. Or if you just want something more traditional, read up on how to carve the perfect Jack-O-Lantern.

Visit the Halloween feature today for these tips and more, as well as information on safe trick-or-treating and quick and easy costume ideas.

-- From the ArcaMax editors

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Sincerely,
ArcaMax Editors