My secret to a plentiful garden in Michigan....even with this year's crazy weather...

Several friends have commented that they don't have any produce from their gardens yet and no tomatoes that are ripe. They asked...what am I doing differently. So while I'm not the expert (yet :) here's a few tips I've learned from my Dad...

SECRETS to PLANTING TOMATOES: 

• I use the square foot garden guidelines for spacing and create raised beds to better control the soil. I use a 50:50 compost-topsoil mixture to start by bed. 
• Always plant Early Girl Tomatoes....well because just like the name says they ripen earliest (harvest in 50 days). **SPECIAL NOTE - now they also have Independence Day Tomatoes....yep you guessed it - it is so named because it can produce ripe fruit by July 4th (harvest in 49 days) in the typical climate. Even in regions with the shortest growing seasons, aka Michigan, the plant has been known to yield red tomatoes by early July. I think my Dad would have loved this variety. 
• Plant some pretty heirloom tomatoes as well to provide a colorful harvest. My favorites this year are: purple bumble bee tomatoes, cherokee purple and Brad's atomic grape tomatoes....are you seeing a theme here?? Can anyone guess my favorite color??
• You will get more substantial plants without sacrificing production if you "bury" your tomato bush at least halfway up the stem. The leaves underneath the soil with develop roots. This helps provide a deeper root system and healthier plant when it starts to produce fruit. 
• I crack an egg into the bottom of each hole before I place the tomato transplants into the garden. I don't waste good eggs but a few weeks before I freeze my cracked or damaged eggs for gardening. Call me crazy but there is research to support that this practice provides healthier plants and more tomatoes. Putting the egg or even just crushed egg shells at the base of the tomato plants creates big healthy plants and prevents blossom end rot. 
• Water tomato plants from the ground because watering from above can cause excess moisture on the leaves and fruit which in turn causes more diseases. Top secret - I use my cheese by-products (whey) to water my garden once every other week. Whey contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other minerals that are essential to plant growth. It's important not to over do this so when watering I will dilute the whey 1:1 with water. 
• Provide lots of support. There are many ways to do this but I like to plant them against a cattle panel and then use garden ribbon to tie branches up. (see link below) 
• When harvesting use produce scissors (see link) so that you do not accidentally damage the tomato plant. 

SECRETS to PLANTING SQUASH/ZUCCHINI

• Plant 1 yellow squash plant and 1 zucchini plant (can provide enough harvest for a small family) and then baby them : ) I have learned that if you prune 30-40% of the large broad leaves so that the flowers are exposed to the sun & of course the pollinators. Extra credit: If you can provide honey bees for pollination. It might look scary after pruning but I promise you it works to provide a larger harvest. 
• Remove a few of the first flowers that develop (and sauté them with garlic and butter) - I'm not sure this does anything special but it does provide a tasty snack. 
• Remove any wilted leaves and any tiny squash or zucchini stalks that appear to be rotting - most of the time this is because they were not pollinated
• Always harvest using produce scissors so that you maintain a small portion of the plant stem (this will help with shelve life) 

The scissors I use to harvest produce: https://amzn.to/319ailf
The garden ribbon I use to attach my plants to the trellis: https://amzn.to/2SZhAVY
My new favorite gathering basket (Burpee large garden hod): https://amzn.to/2OA1lQR

Zucchini Bread Recipe: 
Now, we have TONS of zucchini to use up. I found a ZUCCHINI BREAD recipe that uses 5 CUPS of shredded zucchini! I have to admit that I learned how to make the best zucchini bread from my Mom : ) (Makes 2 loaves) 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon fine salt 6 large farm fresh eggs (from Chubb E Acres Farm), at room temperature 1 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (I used 1 cup of honey molasses) 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used 1 cup of honey) 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil 5 cups shredded zucchini Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Spray 2 bread pans with oil; set aside. Mix together flour, both sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside. Mix the eggs and oil in a large bowl and whisk until the eggs are broken up and the mixture is thoroughly combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture until just combined. 

Shred zucchini and after measure your 5 cups - squeeze out as much of the water as possible (I use a nut milk bag to do this but you can also use a kitchen towel). Fold the zucchini into wet ingredients until evenly mixed. Then combine with the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and spread it into an even layer. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Alternatively you can use muffin tins and reduce cook time to 20-30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter of the pan and turn the bread out onto the rack to cool completely.

What tips do you have to share from your gardening experience???

Happy Gardening

-Melissa