Who doesn’t love peppers? Ranging in selections from crispy sweet to fiery hot, and in a variety of sizes, stretching from short and round, to long and skinny, to big and blocky, peppers are perfect for stuffing, frying, roasting, and eating raw. Peppers are the perfect Summer vegetable! They are a staple in many warm season dishes and are happiest when grown in the hot weather. Are you growing peppers this year?

Pepper plants are one of the easiest-to-grow Summer vegetables that have the same basic needs and care requirements as tomatoes, making them perfect planting mates. Pepper plants are generally on the petite side, making them easy to grow in sunny garden plots, raised beds, and also in containers.

Start with a collection of healthy pepper plants of your choosing from your local Master Nursery® Garden Center. You will find a tag attached to each of your selections that will describe the size and color of your fruit and exactly how hot or sweet your chosen peppers will be. Plan to plant peppers once your soil has warmed in the early Summer. Peppers like it hot and sunny!

When planting directly in your vegetable garden, be sure to first amend your garden soil with Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Soil Builder [Eastern & Midwestern Regions | Western Region]. The addition of Bumper Crop® Soil Builder will get your plants off to a proper start by enriching your soil as it helps increase drainage while also improving the soil’s water-holding capacity. Though similar in their basic care, peppers, unlike tomatoes, are not a vine and should be planted no deeper than they are already planted in the container that you purchase them in. As with all vegetables, it is important to fertilize pepper plants at planting time and then once a month throughout the growing season. We suggest using Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Tomato and Vegetable Food. This masterly crafted vegetable food is naturally blended to enrich plant growth without producing excessive foliage at the expense of fruit. The additional phosphate helps to ensure the production of high-quality fruits and vegetables. Its calcium aids in preventing disorders like blossom end rot, a disorder that is common to peppers and tomatoes but easily avoided with the use of this fertilizer.

No in-ground garden? No problem! Peppers are just as easily grown in raised beds and containers. Simply fill your raised bed with Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Soil Builder [Eastern & Midwestern Regions], no need to mix in any native soil.

For planting in pots or containers, we recommend using Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Potting Soil [Eastern & Midwestern Regions | Western Region]. Be sure to fertilize all pepper plants, regardless of where they are planted with Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Tomato and Vegetable Food. Fertilize at planting time and then monthly thereafter.

Immediately after planting, water your pepper plants well. Containers and raised beds tend to dry out quicker than in-ground gardens. Be sure to check all your vegetable plants daily to assess their water needs and water them as necessary.

Pepper plants can get top heavy, especially when happy and healthy, producing a bumper crop of fruit. Be sure to add plant supports at planting time.

Oh, yes, and just a couple of final tips and things to keep in mind when selecting and growing this delicious vegetable:

• Peppers prefer to be cut from the plant rather than pulled off.
• Most sweet peppers become even sweeter when they mature as they turn from green to bright red, yellow, orange or even brown or purple.
• As hot peppers mature and turn red, they get hotter.

Summer is here, the soil is heating up, and it’s time to plant those peppers!

Tomatoes…we wait patiently from Fall to Summer to enjoy this delectable Summer indulgence once again. There is nothing quite like a home-grown tomato, and we’d like to help you grow the most delicious crop ever this year.

TOMATO BASICS

When selecting which tomatoes to plant, it’s important to know that there are two different classifications of tomatoes: determinate and indeterminate. These designations should be listed on your plant tags at your Master Nursery® Garden Center. Determinate, or bush varieties, grow 1 to 3 feet tall. When flowers form at the vine tips, the plant stops growing. This means fruit sets all at once – which makes them excellent for canning. Indeterminate types, on the other hand, are sprawling vines that grow 6 to 20 feet long and keep producing and growing until frost. Indeterminate vines should be pruned to ensure that they do not put too much energy into vine production. Pinch out side-shoots (“suckers”) as they develop to prevent excess growth and encourage more fruit. All tomatoes will require support, and this should be installed at planting time.

Select a sunny location for your tomatoes and be sure to give your plants plenty of room to grow; we suggest planting tomatoes 3 feet apart on center. Tomatoes may be grown in the ground, in raised garden beds, and in containers or pots. This makes it easy to grow tomatoes in any location with a full sun exposure!

When growing in a garden bed, be sure to first amend your garden soil with Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Soil Builder [Eastern & Midwestern Regions | Western Region]. The addition of Bumper Crop® Soil Builder will get your tomatoes off to a proper start by enriching your soil as it helps increase drainage while also improving the soil’s water-holding capacity.

When growing in a raised bed, for best results, simply fill the bed entirely with Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Soil Builder [Eastern & Midwestern Regions].

If choosing to grow in pots and containers, it is best to fill them with Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Potting Soil [Eastern & Midwestern Regions | Western Region]. This nutritious soil blend will meet the needs of your tomatoes, yet it is lightweight, making it effortless to move or rearrange containers, and ensures that a porch or deck can reliably support the weight of a collection of containers.

Tomato plants should be set deep in the soil with the first leaf just above ground level. Leggy plants can even be planted horizontally as roots will develop from the planted stem. It is important to fertilize tomato plants at planting time, again at fruit set, and then every 1 to 2 weeks thereafter throughout the growing season. We suggest using Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Tomato and Vegetable Food. This masterly crafted vegetable food is naturally blended to enrich plant growth without producing excessive foliage at the expense of fruit. The additional phosphate helps to ensure the production of high-quality fruits and vegetables. Its calcium aids in preventing disorders like blossom end rot, common to tomatoes but easily avoided with the use of this fertilizer.

Water at planting time, check your tomato plants daily, and water as needed. It’s a good idea to apply mulch around all vegetable plants, whether planted in the ground, in a raised bed, or in containers, to help keep the soil moist and cool. Salt hay or shredded straw works just fine!

If you have any question regarding the products mentioned in this article or cultivating tomatoes, stop by your favorite Master Nursery® Garden Center, and their qualified staff will be happy to assist you. Now, let the tomato season begin!

Juicy, cool, and sweet, watermelon is the perfect summertime treat, and no Summer shindig is complete without this refreshing addition. Did you know that watermelon is also easy to grow? Impress your friends at your next Summer soiree with the freshest fruit straight from the garden.

Let’s Begin

Watermelon may be grown from seed directly sown or from transplants. No need to rush, it’s best to make sure that both your air and your soil is warm before planting. Large fruiting watermelon plants take about 80 to 90 days to reach maturity. Small fruiting varieties take about 70 to 75 days.

Planting

Watermelons require deep, rich, nutritious soil to grow and taste their best. Plant your watermelon seeds, or transplants, in a sunny location about 6 feet apart and provide plenty of room for the vines to sprawl. Dig a large hole in your garden bed, about 1 foot deep and wide, and fill it entirely with Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Soil Builder [Eastern & Midwestern Regions | Western Region]. If you’re in the Eastern & Midwestern Regions and are planting in a raised bed, which is an excellent way to grow watermelon, the bed may be entirely filled with Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Soil Builder.

A  powerhouse blend of manure, earthworm castings, kelp, and more, makes Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Soil Builder the perfect planting medium to grow an abundant crop of deliciously sweet and succulent fruit. It’s important to know that watermelon roots grow deep and wide. Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® Soil Builder’s exceptional blend improves root growth and function.

Feeding

Fertilize your watermelon plants with Master Nursery® Bumper Crop® All Purpose Plant Food when they emerge from the soil or at transplant time, again when vines begin to sprawl, and one last time at fruit set.  Be sure to water-in each fertilizer application.

Watering

Watermelons require ample and consistent water to grow their sweetest and juiciest. Stopping supplemental watering about two weeks before the fruit is ready to harvest will allow for the concentration of sugar to take place, creating a sweeter fruit.

Tips

• Mulch the area where the vines will run with a thick layer of mulch. Salt marsh hay or straw are perfect choices. Mulching will keep the developing fruit off of the ground, helping it remain clean and preventing it from rotting on moist soil.
• Watermelons are ready to harvest when the tendrils near the fruit turn brown, the under area of the fruit turns from white to a pale yellow, the green complexion becomes dull, and there is a hollow sound when you knock on the fruit with your knuckles.

The Summer growing season is just beginning, and there’s still plenty of time to plant lots of watermelon to impress your guests! See our Garden Center Locator to find your local store.