About as pretty as they get

[Earl]

This Earl's Faux has been planted for two days.

[Gimme3]

Gonna be a Beauty, Earl...you been carefully raisin that youngster...an the home you gave it....its gon Smile in...)))Enjoyed the pic.

[shelleybean]

It sure looks happy.

[dcarch]

WOW! Two days, already blossoming!
Got to get some seeds for next year

dcarch

[mdvpc]

Here is my Faux today.

[Earl]

Michael, I've got a great idea. I'll swap you the fruit off my plant for yours. So, can I expect yours in the mail in a couple of weeks? :-)

[mdvpc]

Earl-I think I need to make sure its the "real" Earl's Faux first. I would feel terrible if somehow this seed wasnt true and I sent ripe fruit to you. So get back with me later this summer-or better yet, after I taste the fruit, I will post here. Got the seed from someone in Southwest Ohio-he has something to do with Choptag.

[duajones]

It sure is a pretty plant. Is that grass clippings you are using for mulch?

[Rena]

Earl doesn't give up his secrets. Cute little feller!

[Earl]

Rena, now you know I tell everything.

Yes, Duane, grass clippings, just bought a new lawn sweeper to collect the grass after mowing since the old one broke down. Today I finished out that 4' by 50' row, 21 plants in it. I'm about half-way with my tomato plants. One worry with grass clippings is that if it is to thick it will shed rain. That's bad so be careful putting it down. Straw or hay would be better but it ain't free. :-)

[Tomstrees]

Earl,

Again, good looking plant you've got there ... I'm sure one of many...

Quick question: it looks like you mulch your garden all the way up to the plants stems. I recently read to not mulch up to the stems. I mulch up to my stems as well. You mulch all your plants like this with no problem right?

Hope all is well ~

Tom

[Warren]

do you have to worry about grass growing using grass clippings? seeds?

[Earl]

Tom, I can't think of any reason not to mulch all the way to the stem. I don't have any problems that I know of.

Too, don't let any leaves touch the soil or mulch. Early on, I clip off the lower leaves making sure not to cut the just starting to grow lateral growing between leaf branch and stem since these will come on strong later and produce fruit.

Warren, if I don't mulch with something, and the clippings are free, some kind of weed's going to grow on the open soil. So no, I don't have a problem with grass seed, cut it before it goes to seed but get some weed seeds. My biggest problem is my neighbor's Bermuda grass invasion and thistle.

[Tomstrees]

Thanks Earl,

I'm gonna have to get out and make sure no leaves are touching the mulch. Speaking of which: when do spores come out of the soil to infect leaves ?

~ Tom

[CLa]

Heh, hmm, well I'm a little late for that, I have leaves on my mulch all over the place. However I also had a Cherokee green just covered in aphids. And a few maters with diseases.. )