Thank God for Garlic! 
About 3 years ago, I started growing Garlic. I started out going to BJ's Garlic Farm in Oberlin, Ohio to buy my seed garlic. (Which is nothing more
than cloves). I started out with a variety called Bogatyr,  and Italian Red. Not knowing anything about Garlic, I planted 100 cloves. Man, did I get
a lot of Garlic, as you cen see below, my first harvest. I am amazed at how many varieties of every plant we eat that God provides. I'm thankful. 
 
                                
                                        My First Garlic Harvest                                                                               This year's garlic planting (40 cloves) 4 inches deep

Each year, I plant my Garlic in October. This year (2025 Fall) I planted on Oct. 1st. After the previous year's garlic has cured (about 10 weeks in
my dry basement) I separate all of the cloves leaving the skin on and pick the biggest cloves to plant in my garden. I read this is the best way
to get large heads the next year. The rest, I put in my dehydrator to make powder, and of course a lot for my pasta sauce. My wife swears it
is way better than store bought, and I have to agree. 

                                                                                                    
                   This is what they look like early spring.                                                                                                     Well on their way 
                              
                  When Scapes start to appear, cut them off                                                                             Peeled and ready to dehydrate                                            

 The scapes will start appearing around early-mid June. Everything I have read says to remove them because they take energy away from
the bulb. Many people eat the scapes, so I decided to try them. I dehydrated them and they did not do anything for me. They might be 
better fresh, but I will just wait for the garlic. 

                             
                       Sliced and ready for the dehydrator                                                                          12 hours usually does it, then ito the silver bullet

                                    That's my 2 cents on Garlic. Dont know if it is right or not, but it works for me. Thanks for looking.

Every year I face the challenge of deciding which tomatoes to plant—some for sauce, some for fresh eating, and some for freeze-drying.
Once I’ve made my choices, I usually order seeds in December, when my excitement for gardening season returns. This year I plan to
start seeds around March 20th. Last year I planted on March 3rd, which proved too early; the seedlings grew too large before it was time
to harden them off and transplant.

I begin by making ¾-inch soil blocks in a lunch tray and typically use a heat mat to encourage germination. The seeds grow under 4-foot
LED grow lights positioned about a foot above them. With the heat mat, germination takes 5–10 days. Once seedlings develop two sets
of true leaves, I transfer them into 2-inch soil blocks until they’re ready for outdoor planting. This year, however, I’ll experiment with
2.5-inch pots to see how they perform.

I always bottom-water and fertilize at every watering with Bonide Houseplant Liquid Plant Food (10-10-10). Around May 1st, I move the tables
holding the plants into the garage. Each morning the tables go outside, then return in the early evening. During the first few days, I expose
them only for a few hours on cloudy days, gradually increasing their time outdoors until they can handle full sun after the first week.
After that, I am ready to plant. Start by stripping the leaves and branches almost to the top. I give it a few days after that for the wounds to heal.
Then lay the pland down and bury the stalk with just the top of the plant sticking up. This will develop a better root system as roots will grow
from the buried stalk. I then sprinkle Osmocote before covering. 

                       
                               Seedlings have sprouted                                                                                           Starting to look like tomato plants

                       
                                  Almost ready to plant                                                                                     Strip branches almost to top and bury stalk 


                      
                 I use netting for the tomatoes to grow up                                                                             Bottom branches trimmed.

As the plants begin to grow, I secure them to the netting with rubber wire ties purchased by the roll. I avoid using cages for indeterminate
(vine-type) tomatoes, since the plants grow too tall and often topple them. Cages, however, work well for determinate (bush-type) varieties.
To reduce the risk of soil-borne diseases, I trim off any branches that touch the ground up to the first blossoms. As growth continues,
I also remove the suckers—small shoots that appear between the plant’s main stem and a branch. (See below left)

                    
                                Image of a sucker                                                                                                                Blossom end Rot

Soil chemistry is just as important. Getting your soil tested makes a big difference. I sent mine to a lab and found that the results
were close to what my four-prong soil tester had shown. I had been struggling with Tomato blossom end rot. See image above)
Everything online says it’s caused by a lack of calcium, so I tried all kinds of calcium products—but nothing helped. What most
sources don’t mention is that if your soil pH isn’t correct, plants can’t absorb the calcium they need.

Tomatoes grow best in soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. For most vegetables, aiming for 6.0 to 7.0 is sufficient. If your soil pH is
too low, you can add lime. I’ve found that tilling in Sweet Peat every year tends to push mine a little high. To lower the pH, I use
elemental sulfur.

               
                                      Amish Paste                                                                                                                          Big Boys

Growing tomatoes for me is always a challenge as there are so many things to watch out for. But it is worth all of the effort to 
be able to feast on these beautiful fruits that the Lord has given us. I just love eating them fresh, cooking with them, drying
them. What an amazing fruit. 

Orange Wellington Hybrid -Burpee Seeds

Indeterminate and Determinate Types
I didn't learn about the difference between Indeterminate (Vining type) and Determinate tomatoes (Bush type)
until my 3rd year of growing them in my garden. I have had good success with both. Bush will typically grow
2 to 3 feet tall, and Vining can grow to 8 feet. The last few years I have been growing mostly Indeterminates.
As you can kind of see by the image above, I support them by netting, with rubber coated ties. First I took 3/4
Electrical conduit pipe (8 foot) and pounded them into the ground for verticals, and a 10 foot pipe between
them (with elbows connecting vertical to horizontal), and hung the nets on them. 

 




Hybrid and Heirloom Tomatoes
An heirloom tomato is a variety that has been passed down through generations, typically with a focus
on taste and flavor, while a hybrid tomato is a crossbreed created by plant breeders to combine specific
desirable traits like disease resistance and high yield, often resulting in a more uniform appearance but
potentially less complex flavor compared to heirlooms; the key difference is that you can save seeds from
heirloom tomatoes to grow the same variety again, but hybrid seeds will not produce plants identical
to the parent plant. On some Heirloom plants you might see what is called a Potato Leaf variety.
The only difference is the shape of the leaf. A great resource for Heirloom varieties is a seed company
called Baker Creek. They carry only heirloom varieties. https://www.rareseeds.com/ I like buying some 
seeds from them because they are the only see company that I know of that does not charge shipping.
There are literally hundreds and hundreds of hybrid varieties. 

Resources for Tomato Seeds
I buy my tomato seeds from a variety of seed suppliers.
Burpee Seeds. (Too expensive, but I have still bought some varieties to try) 
Johnny's Selected Seeds (a nice variety of Tomato seeds)
Harris Seeds (Larger quantity, too many seeds for the average home gardener)
Territorial Seed (Good Selection, and pricing)
Park Seed (Good Selection, but too expensive)
Seeds 'N Such (Excellent selection and pricing, I have not purchsed from them yet)
Totally Tomatoes (Excellent selection and pricing, I have not purchsed from them yet)