Olympic golden girl Tristan Gale offers tips for growing a tomato plant on your patio: - Some varieties of tomato get too big to be grown in pots, but others have been bred to be smaller. An expert at your garden center can advise you on which variety to choose.
- Plant small amounts of herbs such as thyme and mint at the edges of the pot (basil also works well). They won't take up much room but will thrive in the same conditions as the tomatoes.
- Have to be gone for a few days? Don't worry about your plants getting thirsty -- all it takes is a small water bottle to do the trick. Simply fill the bottle with water, replace the cap and make tiny holes in the cap and the sides of the bottle. Then place the bottle, cap up, in the dirt to water the plants while you're away (figure A).
Horticulturist Maureen Gilmer shows show host Tracy Griffith how to plant an herb garden for your patio or window, as French cooks do (figure B). - Starting with a traditional rectangular French herb trough, add a layer of foam packing peanuts before pouring in the potting mix (figure C).
- Remove plants from their individual pots and place them where you wish inside the trough. (Note that some pots have planting depths marked inside, which simplifies the process somewhat.)
Place trailing plants in front, about two to three finger-widths apart, and fill around them with dirt, packing down very firmly. (Air will get in any holes left in the soil, creating air pockets, which in turn will hold water and cause the plants to rot.) - Top the plantings with sphagnum moss, which looks dead and brown but will get greener as you water it. Sphagnum moss holds moisture in to keep the soil from drying out.
When you want to check the dryness of the soil, stick a finger in middle of the pot; if your finger is wet, so is the soil. When it comes time to water, if you wish to use a bottle as Tristan Gale demonstrated, leave an opening at the corner top of the trough where you can place the bottle for easy access. Web extra: More on gardening with Tristan Gale Who takes care of your plants in Salt Lake City when you're gone?
I live with my parents when I'm in Salt Lake City. I'll leave the plants with notes on how to take care of what, but I usually don't let Dad in the garden because he's got this pruning problem and once he starts, he's like, "Oh, look! Here's a leaf that needs to be gone," and next thing you know there's no leaves left on the plant! Do you have a favorite season or type of plant?
Winter's my favorite season but it's not because of the gardening [laughs]. Tulips are my favorite flower, so springtime is good too. Do you have a favorite specific plant?
My favorite tree is a weeping blue Atlas cedar that I have in Salt Lake City. It does not match anything in my garden, but I like have to have it there just because I like it. My parents think it's ugly, my sister hates it, but I just love it. Any plants you don't like?Well, I don't have many foo-foo flowers that are really frilly. I don't really care for marigolds, although yellow is my favorite color. What influences the plants that you pick to put in your garden?
I like funky, odd things. We had this shade plant at my old greenhouse that had Jack-in-the-pulpit-like flowers, but it wasn't Jack in the pulpit. We're not talking a pretty plant here at all, but it smelled like fruit, but not necessarily like an orange or something like that. More like a fake fruit, Fruity Pebbles kind of smell. Do you garden on the road?
We spend a lot of time training in Lake Placid, New York, and I garden a bit up there in some of the gardens nearby. There are some elderly people that like to get out and garden but can't anymore, so I'll go and spend some time in their gardens with them. Do you ever feel the need to work in strangers' gardens while on the road?
There have been a few times when I've gone and taken cuttings out of a few people's yards. Like, if they have like a really awesome plant, and I know if I take a little I can grow my own. So yeah, I've borrowed a few plants here and there. Any hints for beginning gardeners?
Your garden is something that's unique totally to you. You can put something in there that most people hate. If you like it, just put it in there. You don't have to plant in threes or follow all those rules of gardening. Just do what you want -- it's your place. Any hints for young gardeners?
Bulbs work great with kids because they're big and easy to hold on to. They also grow quickly so they get immediate satisfaction. What do you do in your garden when you're stressed from your career?
I'll weed, I'll weed with a vengeance. But I don't have too many weeds because I'm pretty good about that. So I'll just go out there and sit and be happy.
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