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PAS Gardens: Real Solutions

Broadcasting the Week of 06-13-11
This episode of P. Allen Smith Gardens is all about solutions.  Featured topics include great cuisine from a ball park and roses that are virtually care free.

Features:
Grilled Nectarines with Bleu Cheese and Honey

Plants:
Supertunia Vista Bubblegum Petunia
Supertunia Silverberry Petunia
Colorblaze™ Kingswood Torch Coleus
Heuchera

Color Corner: Proven Winners® Luscious™ Citrus Blend™ Lantana
The hotter it gets outside, the more flowers Luscious™ Citrus Blend™ Lantana produces. The blooms in Citrus Blend™ are umbels of tiny, brilliant red-orange flowers with yellow ones in the center. This is a plant that does not need a lot of moisture during the summer, an important consideration for water conservation.

Allen's Mailbox:  Growing Tomatoes in Containers
"Allen, I'm desperate to grow some of my own tomatoes.  How can I do it in limited space?" - Cecilia in Manhattan

 Well, Cecilia, probably the best thing to do is to grow tomatoes in containers. They're great for that, but you have to make sure that you choose the right tomato. For instance, you want a tomato that is determinate, meaning that it will stay a certain size. And you'll see on the tags the words "determinate" or "indeterminate." Indeterminate means it's going to grow like a tomato vine. Okay, so think about the variety.

You're also going to need full sun. Tomatoes love full sun. They need at least 6 to 7 hours a day for them to perform.

The other thing you'll want to keep in mind is you want to plant in a large container; the larger, the better. That just gives more opportunity for those roots to grow. And I always think you need to place the container in a saucer because you want to make sure that the soil stays consistently moist, okay?

Now, I recommend using a blend of soil that is designed for container gardening, such as Pro-Mix.

Now, the other thing that you want to keep in mind when you plant your tomato and I know this is not going to make a lot of sense I want you to pinch off most of the leaves.  Start at the bottom and go up almost to the top. You do this because when you plant it, you're going to plant three-quarters of that tomato stalk in the ground. So you'll only have 25% of it showing. That will help it establish a very strong root system.

Cecilia, if you have full sun and a large container, you can grow tomatoes.

People and Places
Susanne Woodell, Landscape Manager at the Biltmore, gives us a tour of the walled garden during their kid friendly topiary exhibit.  The topiaries were designed based on George w. Vanderbilt's travels in the early 1900s.

Steve Hutton, the President of Conard Pyle, visits the Garden Home Retreat and discusses the company's roses The Knock Out® Family of Roses.

Jim Sparks with The Course Doctors explains how the constructed the dry stack walls at the Garden Home Retreat.

Chef Ben Brainard at Umps Pump and Grill at Dickey-Stephens Ball Park in North Little Rock Arkansas shares a recipe for grilled nectarines with bleu cheese and honey.