Prune Tomato Plants in the Right Way

Pruning tomato plants is yet another important task that must be tended to when growing tomatoes in your garden. Pruning tomato plants will also help the plant to thrive and it will minimize the possibility of disease. Left to fend for itself the tomato plant would end up taking up about 4 square feet of space, it will probably have about 10 stems, and it will ultimately be hounded with disease. Using a device such as a tomato stake or even a tomato cage will help you to take proper care of your plants.

Next you will want to tie them in the case you are using stakes with a soft string such as soft yarn or something like that. Then you will want to prune them by removing all of the leaves below the first flower cluster on the plants. You also want to make sure that each leave section has plenty of room to grow, and capture the sunshine. In order to produce the sugars that are necessary for the plant to live it needs the light.

When you see a plant that has yellowing leaves, the leaves have turned yellow because that section is using more sugar than it is producing. This is due to lack of sunshine in the case of outdoor plants, and still not enough light on those growing indoors. If you are taking proper care of your outdoor plants, you will get larger fruit from it, and it will steadily produce until the first frost occurs. That can turn into a LOT of tomatoes!

Some little things you need to consider too are:
1. The plants and leaves can't touch the ground.
2. Avoid having too many stems branch out from the plant. Keeping them tied will take care of this.
3. When the leaves are wet you can not tie the plant off.
4. Give your plants plenty of room to prosper! It's far better to have 50 plants that are thriving than to try to have a hundred plants that are cramped for space!
5. Keep the plants pruned. It is far better for the plant to remove some of the leaves so that others can prosper.

It is widely accepted that the best tomatoes are the ones grown in our home gardens! Of that there is little doubt. That is why home gardeners so often decide to grow their own tomato plants. You need to know that the effort put into growing tomatoes is relatively minimal in compared to other fruits and vegetables. There's absolutely nothing better than walking out to the garden to gather the makings of the freshest salad in the world!

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3 Tips For Keeping Your Gardening Tools Clean and Ready

Admit it. You've tilled the soil, added in compost, and turned the soil some more. Next thing you know, it's 3pm and you need to go shower before you go make dinner. And you either leave out your tools intending to clean them tomorrow, or you put them away intending to clean them before the next use.

This unfortunately will dull and wear away your tools. They're like an investment and should be taken care of. And thankfully, it really will take less then a few minutes to clean them off before putting them away.

I personally do the cleanup outside. When I bring out the tools, I bring out all of my cleaning items and put them by a hose. That way, when I'm walking back to the garage, I can clean my tools before I put them away. And if I need to wash off something, the hose is right there.

First, invest in a stiff bristle brush. You shouldn't need a wire brush for this. When you're done, bring the tools into your shed or garage, and keep the brush within easy reach of where you usually work. Quickly brush down the shovel, till, spade, etc. Wash it off if needed. I really don't like compost or manure being left on in any form.

Second, never put your tools away wet. This will bring about rust, and any remaining dirt will dry on fast and stay stuck there until you take a putty knife to it. Keep a towel around just for drying it off. If there's any additional dirt left, it should come off easily.

Finally, take an oily rag and rub down the metal portion of the tool. This keeps the metal protected and makes it easier to use the next time. This doesn't have to be fancy oil. A simple and inexpensive general purpose oil will do the trick.

How often should you sharpen your cutting tools? The rule of thumb is once a year. If the blades are really dull or they've got nicks on them, bring the cutters to a professional. Make it easy on yourself.

I'm a convert from the resentful gardener to the passionate one. I discovered self-watering containers last year, and have fallen in love with gardening all over again. In Silicon Valley, I have a great growing season and hope to instill passion for plants into others.

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The Easiest Way to Catch a Cheater Off Guard ---Phone Number Reverse

Many people don't know what is available when it comes to doing a phone number reverse search. We just naturally assume that when we need information on the internet that it must be free. It is human nature wanting to get things quick and free. It is true that many websites offer this information for free on the internet. But, this is one of those situations where you get what you pay for. The free reverse phone number searches will most likely not have the information you are looking for.

Phone number reverse free services cannot give information regarding cellular or unlisted phone numbers. Since the majority of calls we receive today come from a cell or private number, this makes the free services of no use.

If you want to have access to nearly 99% of all phone numbers that exist you will need to pay a small fee to use the specialized websites that pay the cellular carriers to access their records. They keep huge databases that are constantly updated for the most up-to-date information.

The companies that offer this service are the reverse telephone number look up directories. Because of these databases countless cheaters have been caught completely off guard and busted for their infidelity. They were caught because their suspicious partner took quick action and used the reverse search to check up on suspect numbers on their partner's cell phone.

Cheaters are often so caught up in their affair and covering their tracks that they don't even think about how they can't cover their tracks with their cell phone. There is a false sense of security using a cell phone. Many people believe there is no way to track who is behind the number. But, for the wise partner who knows to take advantage of phone number reverse services the truth is easily exposed.

To use these services you must just enter the phone number you wish to search. A report will quickly be generated that will tell you if the information you are searching is available in the database. Chances are, it will be available. At this point you have a choice between paying a nominal fee to search just that one number, or for slightly more, have unlimited access to the database for the next 12 months. It is really a small price to pay for the peace of mind it will provide you. Without this service available to you from your own computer you will be allowing a cheating spouse to continue on with their cheating ways.

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9 Smart Tips to Conserve Water in Your Garden

You can reduce garden water use in many ways - from simply watering less often to investing in a new irrigation system or planting scheme.


Step 1--Make sure your sprinkler system is in good condition. Repair any broken or missing spray heads or emitters.

Step 2--Consider installing a drip or low-volume irrigation system.

Step 3--Reduce your lawn maintenance - mow higher and less often, don't rake up the clippings, and avoid overwatering. As a rule, lawns need only about 1 inch of water a week; test how much you're watering by collecting your sprinkler water in a can.

Step 4--Allow unused portions of your lawn to turn brown. Use your water for more desirable landscaping.

Step 5--Replace lawns and plants that have heavy water demands with drought-tolerant varieties.

Step 6--Check plants for moisture before watering. Look for clues such as curling leaves, a grayish color and permanent wilting, which indicate underwatering. (If the leaves turn yellow and drop, you could be overwatering.)

Step 7--Keep your beds and lawns weeded. Weeds steal moisture from desirable plants.

Step 8--Mix soil polymers, which retain moisture, into your soil. Add them when planting beds or containers, or drill the soil around existing plants and drop the polymers into the holes.

Step 9--Mulch to retain moisture in the soil.

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Find the right housemate

You may need to add to your household or it could be you who is in search of a room. So how do you make sure you find the right housemate who won't drive you insane?

----Adding to your household
You may be in a hurry to find a new housemate, but that's no reason to say 'Yes' to the first person that comes in the door. Many of us feel awkward about asking personal questions or making requests (i.e. no smoking indoors), but if you don't set the rules at the beginning, your new housemate could run riot in what was once your home of tranquillity. On the other hand, if you're a bunch of party animals who survive on baked beans and energy drinks and your new housemate likes to be tucked up in bed by 9.30pm with a mug of hot chocolate, this could be a recipe for disaster.

----The interview stage
Bowled over by your eager housemate-to-be? It may be worth digging that little bit deeper so you can really suss them out. Think about what it is you want from your new housemate. Is it someone to add to your circle of friends who has similar interests, or someone who is simply there to help pay the rent and is happy to live separate lives?

It's not always a good idea to sit them down in front of a large panel for an hour of hard questioning. Instead, try casually asking your questions as you show them around your home or chill out with a cuppa.

Some example questions
How do you want to buy food or household items - through a kitty, or separately?
Do you like to cook for yourself, or share the cooking?
Will you be bringing your partner over to stay, and if so how often?
What music do you like?
Do you have any strange habits? (e.g. walking around naked or hoovering at two in the morning)
Do you plan to have any house parties?
What are you studying?
Do you work strange hours, or work from home?
Are you a heavy drinker and do you take drugs?
Will you be able to keep to a cleaning rota, or do you prefer to muck in when needs be?


----When you're the potential new housemate
It's always a good idea to find out about any rules and regulations before you move in. Does the rent include bills, or will there be any extras like the TV licence?

Make sure you've met all your potential new housemates before you agree to move in. Two of them may be normal, but if you haven't met the guy who's so eco friendly that he doesn't have a bath more than once a month, then you could be in for a shock. You should also watch out for the sexy ones - big crushes and housemates don't always mix well, especially if you're already taken!

If they tell you that you're the 50th person they've seen that week, you may start to worry about why they've been so picky. That's exactly what happened to Suzy, who moved into a house in Manchester after she broke up with her boyfriend. "I was flattered they had finally found someone they liked and everything was fine at first. I was living with a girl and a guy who were mates from university. The girl ended up being a complete control freak who would stress out if I used tap water instead of bottled water in her iron," Suzy recalls.

"The bloke, as nice as he was, worked from home and was in-my-face the minute I got home from work, wanting to speak to someone after a day of solitude, when all I wanted to do was collapse. I only lived there for 10 months. It just goes to show how living with strangers can be a real gamble."

----Making the decision
Even if you're getting on like a house on fire, perhaps you could arrange to meet up again to make a final decision. At the end of the day if they're keen to live with you, they'll understand your apprehension.

Never make any promises at the end of your meeting. Say you have a few more people to see and will let you know by the end of the week. If it's you who's being interviewed, say that you have a few more places to visit. For all you know, the perfect housemates could be just around the corner.

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