I got carried away with seedlings again this year. I think we have about 80 tomatoes and nearly 10 tomatillos. Problem is, our garden didn’t miraculously grow over the winter so we’re faced with the puzzle again of where to put it all. Granted it’s a good problem to have but I know I’ll be giving some of the seedlings away.

We struggle with blight and other issues so each year I had new things to try to help keep the plants healthy. And because we do things organically it’s important we find solutions that fit into that. We’ve used copper powder for the blight. We’ve learned to keep the leaves and plants dry while watering the soil and keeping up with pruning any shoots that start to yellow.

After reading about what minerals the tomatoes needed we added egg shells last year for the calcium. We noticed an improvement so for the past couple of months I’ve been saving the shells.

Our seedlings got a bit leggy as I started them too soon. I always forget and do that but hopefully I will remember next year. The jungle gets a bit much!

This year we are adding Epsom salt. This will give the tomatoes magnesium. Gardener swear by it for tomatoes, peppers, and roses. Various articles state that research doesn’t bear this out but I figured it won’t hurt to try. To plant I dug a deep hole and added crushed eggshells, about a tablespoon of Epsom salt, and some organic tomato food. Mix with the soil then fill the hole with water.

Gently separate the roots and place in the water.

Fill back in with soil, add the cage, and water again. Repeat!

I cannot wait for fried green tomatoes, fresh caprese salad, and homemade sauce!

PS this is my first post on my iPad so feedback on how it shows on your screen will be welcome.