P age A 7
T he P ortland O bserver
Growing the perfect tomato
Growing terrific tomatoes during
summer, there is nothing like pick­
ing a fresh tomato off the vine, slic­
ing it up for a sandwich, or just
munching it whole.
Choose a tomato that is resistant
to diseases that have been present in
your garden such as Verticillium
wilt, Fusarium wilt, Nematodes or
Tobacco mosaic virus. Look on the
tag for initials V. F. N. or T. to
indicate resistance to these diseases.
There are two kinds o f tomatoes,
determinate and indeterminate. De­
terminate tomatoes stop growing and
flowering when they reach a certain
height. People in short season areas
like to plant these kinds o f tomatoes
because they produce lots o f fruit in
a short period o f time. They tend to
take up less space than the indeter­
minate varieties. Indeterminate to­
matoes continue to grow and fruit all
season until frost kills them. These
generally require staking or a cage.
The best tomatoes are the ones
you start from seed. To do this, you
have to sow your seeds 6-7 weeks
before the frost-safe date in your
area. Some areas, however, have very
short growing seasons and would do
better by buying seedlings at the
nursery or by mail-order.
Tomatoes like very rich soil with
either compost or composted ma­
nure mixed in. Use ample fertilizer
that is low in nitrogen. The nitrogen
makes them produce more leaves
than fruit.
With a deep root system, toma­
toes enjoy a deep watering, down to
at least 18 inches. It’s better to water
heavily than just sprinkling each day.
At the same time, they don’t like to
be left “swampy”, or standing in
water. The top inch needs to dry out
between watering. Consistent wa­
tering prevents cracking and end rot.
Plant the tomatoes in a very sunny
area o f the garden. This area should
get at least six hours of sun. Don’t
plant anything tall in front o f them.
Give the tomatoes a place o f their
own.
Dig a hole with your trowel or
your hand if your soil allows. If you
have nice sturdy plants, set them
straight into a hole burying them a
few inches deeper than they stood in
the pot. If the plants are long and
leggy, however, then lay the plant
on its side and bury the stem to the
topmost leaves. This makes sturdier
plants because new roots will grow
along the stem that has been buried.
Water immediately after planting.
Mulch to retain soil moisture only
when the soil has thoroughly warmed
up.
A cage made out o f a 5 foot long
WEIMER’S
"i&VKÜvevie ZfrecceiZiA&i,
sheet o f concrete reinforcing mesh,
which was rolled into a cylinder and
staked into the ground. Make sure
the size o f the holes in the mesh is
wide enough for your hand and the
tomato to go through at harvesting
time. Support your tomato plants
with support branches or bamboo
poles, weaving vine or raffia around
the branches. Wrap raffia around the
top of the plant, with the pole at­
tached, to secure.Do not plant toma­
toes near com and plants of the same
family.
“T all oaks
From
Little Acorns
F inal C losing Day. Sale
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The Portland Development Commission knows that healthy
and growing small businesses are beneficial to the local
economy. Community-based businesses keep jobs and the
wealth generated right in the communities that support them.
We also know that small and emerging businesses can have
trouble finding financing. PDC has been assisting new and
expanding businesses for many years and we may be able to
help yours too.
We offer loan programs that can help with building or equip­
ment purchases, renovations, tenant improvements, working
capital and more. We may have ju st what you need to help
your business sprout and grow.
Call our B usiness Finance s ta ff at
823-3321 or 823-3 347 to see if your
business qualifies for one
o f our loan programs.
8:30am to 5:00pm
3946 N.E. MLK Jr. Blvd.
David Everett -1797
Phone 281-1217-
Chaucer Robinson o f P o rtlan d is c ite d fo r h is su cce ssfu l ca re er as the founder o f
the Good S tre e t C redit Union, the firs t black cre d it in s titu tio n in Dallas, Texas.
Robinson a lso recently ce le b ra te d h is 8 5 th birthday. (Photo by M ark Washington)
Stand For
Children
African-Americans Mobilize Lo­
cal Action For Stand For Healthy
Children Day 1997
Mrs Rosa Parks and Ms. Rosie
O ’Donnell Named Honorary Co-
Chairs
African-Americans across the
country are mobilizing thousands of
people to Stand for Healthy Chil­
dren in local communities on June 1,
1997, national Stand For Children
Day fo u n d er, M arian W right
Edelman announced recently. Mrs.
Rosa Parks, mother o f the modem
civil rights movement, and national
talk show producer and host, Ms.
Rosie O ’Donnell, will serve as hon­
orary co-chairs for Stand For Healthy
Children.
On the heels of the historic Stand
For Children rally at the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington, D.C. on
June 1 last year, the 1997 mobiliza­
tion will include hundreds o f local
efforts to ensure that every child
gets a healthy start in life - with the
health coverage children need to
grow and thrive, and healthy com­
m unities that allow children to
breathe clean air, walk safely to
school, and learn unimpaired by vio­
lence or untreated health problems.
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184
Happy Birthday!!!!
I love you Shera Green
From you husband
Kirk Green
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