Transplanting Root Bound Vegetables

For some it’s the time to transplant many vegetables into our gardens for a late summer/fall harvest. Sometimes though we get behind and don’t get those seedlings planted a soon as would be optimal and they become root bound.

What does root bound mean? It is when the plant outgrows its pot and the roots have no place to go but to wind round and round the inside of the pot. This restricts the nutrients the plant gets from the soil and water can’t be used properly. Sometimes the roots take over the soil and there are more roots than soil in the pot.

What can be done with root bound plants? There are a few solutions, although they damage the plant. Thankfully, they generally recover quickly. If nothing is done and the plant is transplanted it will continue to send its roots in a circle, and doesn’t grow optimally, so we have to help it out a bit.

Depending on the size and type of pot the plant is in, you either just gently squeeze the bottom of the planter letting the plant kind of pop out or if it is a bigger planter, turn the planter over with the stem of the plant in the crook of two fingers and gently tap the bottom of the pot. This will, hopefully, leave the plant upside down in your hand. If not you will have to get a bit more aggressive. But eventually it should come out.

While the plant is upside down in the palm of your hand, squeeze around the root ball and use your fingers kind of like a comb and try to loosen the roots. Once that is done, plant it in its designated spot, fanning out the loose roots as much as possible.

If the root ball is very dense, you may have to take a knife and slice the roots lengthwise around the root ball in a few places to loosen the ball; then comb as above. Sometimes, it becomes necessary to actually cut off a small portion of the bottom of the root ball; much like you would cut the crust off a piece of bread. Then loosen the root ball and plant as above.

Root bound plant - photo credit Vegetarian Times

Root ball loosened - photo credit Vegetarian Times

Slicing lengthwise to loosen roots ~ photo credit Canadian Gardening

 That's it! Happy gardening!

Linda Foley

About the Guest Author:

Linda Foley lives with her husband in Northern California. She blogs about gardening, small livestock, homesteading, and life. You can contact her via her blog @ LinderCroft

When All You Need is Family…

by Heidi Kreider

We stood together, just the six of us. On a day when we buried one, we huddled... holding and upholding. When others said...we'll be there. I said... no. All I wanted, all I needed was my family. I gathered them around me... my parents, my man, and my kids together. It was enough.

Family... that group of people who are defined by blood lines, and maybe more. Sometimes those closest to our hearts do not share the same family tree. We cannot chose our relations but we can choose to redefine the term family to include those who are closest to us. Those we live life with... the ones to whom we cling when the storms of life roar and the winds threaten to overflow us.

I am blessed with an amazing family. As I grow older and slightly wiser, I have learned to count that amazing family as a gift. I now recognize it's rarity. I also know that I have friends who are as close to me as my sisters. I've learned to count them as family and as gifts. They are equal but different treasures to my heart.

Recently, I wrote a novel about family and friendship, life and loss... The Secret of Counting Gifts and an accompanying journal, The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal. Both volumes have been released and are now available through Amazon.com

The Secret of Counting Gifts is the story of Kris McClintock and Liz Bower and their friendship that spans twenty-eight years. Through marriage, babies, and infidelity they stand by each other and hold one another up... until breast cancer delivers the final blow. As she sits by Liz, Kris recounts the trials and blessings that made them who they are. She tells their story and recalls the many "gifts" they have been blessed with throughout the years. She shares of how Liz taught her to notice the gifts in each day and to live with a grateful heart. It is through the telling of their story that the secret of counting gifts is discovered....

Throughout this month, I'm on a virtual book tour, meeting up with bloggers and talking about friends and family, life and loss. You can see the stops along the way at www.heidikreider.com. Come on over and say "Hey!" and register for my giveaway... autographed copies of The Secret of Counting Gifts and The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal in a hand-made basket, made my lovely friend, Anne.

All those years ago, my family stood with me as we buried our stillborn son. Who do you have stand with you when you face loss? Do you have friends who are as close to you as family?

Heidi Kreider

About the Author:
Heidi Kreider is a wife, mother, author, and friend. She blogs about life, grace, and gratitude at www.heidikreider.com

Come Visit Me…

…over at LinderCroft’s today!

I’m a guest today at LinderCroft. Come over and see how I make tortillas like you’d buy at the store.

If you were looking for my Making a Home post this week, you’ll find it at LinderCroft’s. Come on over!

Tomatoes: Indeterminate and Determinate

It’s often asked what the difference is between indeterminate and determinate tomato plants. I know I was confused for a while myself. Because I garden in a small space, I felt I needed to find a bush type tomato which led to a search to find the difference between the classification of indeterminate and determinate. 

One way to tell the difference is by how they fruit. The determinate tomato plant will produce all their fruit at one time, whereas the indeterminate plant will produce fruit until it dies back at the first frost. 

Another way you can tell the difference between the two varieties is in the way they grow. 

Indeterminate varieties grow longer sprawling vines and will require more support over the course of the season. This variety can become a large (6’-10') heavy plant and be left to sprawl all over the ground. However, this method of growing takes up a large amount of space. If staked, they will need strong stakes to help hold the weight of the plant as it grows. It can be helpful to keep them at a certain height by snipping the top, leaving any number of trusses with four being optimal. In this method, the side shoots should be picked out to help control the size of the plant. 

Determinate varieties are generally more compact and are a more manageable size. To harvest a heavy crop of tomatoes at certain intervals in the season, a gardener could grow both early and main season varieties of the determinate type. The early season tomato generally matures within 45 to 60 days. The main season plants mature in the mid to late season, requiring 70 to 80 days to maturity. 

In the end, I chose to use an open pollinated determinate variety because of limited space. Next time I will use the indeterminate variety. The main reason for choosing the indeterminate variety is that most indeterminate types are heirloom. The second reason is because the size of the plant can be controlled by staking and keeping the plant to four trusses. And lastly, one plant will produce all season.

  Mid-season, Rutgers determinate tomato about 10 weeks old.
A sample of the tomato size is in the top right corner.
They get to 8 ounces, are globular, smooth, bright red fruits
with thick walls, small seed cells, and are free from cracks
Bountiful Gardens

Linda Foley

About the Guest Author:

Linda Foley lives with her husband in Northern California. She blogs about gardening, small livestock, homesteading, and life. You can contact her via her blog @ LinderCroft

Best of Both Worlds

Thanks to Wm Rowe

Living further away from the hustle and bustle of city living isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are times when I drive into the city and imagine what life would be like living in a swanky high-rise condo overlooking the city’s skyline. There would be access to amazing night life and wonderful restaurants without having to even get into the car. Big cities offer amazing cultural events like the ballet, the symphony, and a multitude of museums and exhibits. But then I am brought back to the fact that I have a family- and two dogs! Can you imagine navigating an elevator or a flight of stairs ten times a day to take your dog out to use the restroom? Where would my girls ride their bikes or even play in a fresh patch of grass? Country living does not have to mean exclusion from the “real world.” When I logged on to http://www.wildbluedeals.com/, I was happy to realize that I could still be connected to the bigger world. I could check out all the weekly offerings at local attractions and smaller venues, and if I wanted to brave the “Big City,” I could look online to see what new events or happenings were going on without sacrificing the clean air and spacious living. It’s truly the best of both worlds.