You can enjoy the coolness of the early morning and get an early start on your gardening projects. Wegman’s will be open at 7 am Monday through Saturday beginning Monday, April 20th through Sunday, June 28th.

Our spring hours will be 7 days a week, Monday through Saturday, 7 am to 6 pm and Sundays 8 am to 5 pm.

It’s finally here! This is the weekend! This Sunday Bob Tanem will be at Wegman's!

The Bob Tanem Show is broadcasting from Wegman’s Sunday, April 19th, 7-10 am.

The first 100 attendees get one free 8 quart Master Nursery Potting Soil. Be sure to get here early as seating is limited.

Come be a part of the "studio audience" and join the fun at Wegman's.

Calling all Pumpkinistas! Stuart Shim will be leading a workshop at Wegman’s Sunday, April 26th at 11 am demonstrating how to grow your own giant pumpkin! Each participant will receive a free Pumpkin Success Kit (a $19.99 value) from Kellogg’s and Dr. Earth.

This is a great workshop to do with your children!

In our last two issues, we discussed preparing the soil for our vegetable garden, seeds vs. seedlings, fertilizers, irrigation of our plants and some of the vegetables suitable for the summer garden. Tomatoes are far and away the most popular of all the vegetables grown in the home garden. Following is information to help you choose the right tomato (es) for your garden.

Looking around at the choices available in tomato plants, it's easy to get confused. What do they mean by determinate and indeterminate--not to mention semi-determinate? Should one buy an heirloom or a hybrid? Everyone knows what a cherry tomato is--but what is the difference between a beefsteak and a salad tomato?

Determinate and Indeterminate
Determinate varieties are also known as bush tomatoes. They stop growing when fruit sets on the top bud, ripen most of their fruit in a short period, usually 2 weeks, and then die. They generally require no staking or caging and are usually early-maturing. The fruit is generally about the size of a salad tomato. Pruning is not recommended. Determinate varieties are most suitable for containers.

Indeterminate varieties are also called "vining" tomatoes. They grow, bloom, and produce fruit until the end of the growing season (generally first frost). These almost always require staking or caging for support, and to prevent birds and garden pests from feeding on them if they sprawl on the ground.

Non-Hybrid, Heirloom and Hybrid
Tomatoes are usually self-pollinating. A non-hybrid tomato is one that has been allowed to self-pollinate to produce non-hybrid seed. Gardeners can save seed of non-hybrid tomatoes to plant the next season’s crop. Non-hybrid tomatoes will grow true from seed. Non-hybrid, cultivated varieties propagated and saved for many generations are often known as heirloom varieties.

Hybrid tomatoes have two genetically different parents that are crossed each year to produce the hybrid tomato seed. Although hybrid tomatoes do produce seed, the seeds will not have the characteristics of the hybrid.

General Types

Beefsteak Tomatoes are known for large size and thick, meaty flesh. The pulp cavity of this type is small and may resemble a ‘marbled’ steak, hence the name. This meatiness makes them hold together well when sliced, and the large size makes them great for sandwiches. One slice does the trick! Beefsteaks usually take 80 or more days to ripen.

Salad Tomatoes--also referred to as globe or slicing tomatoes, this variety is medium-sized, meaty enough to hold together well, and juicy. The smaller size makes them popular for salad wedges (bite-sized), or sliced to accompany a meal. Ripens in 60 to 70 days depending on variety.

Cherry Tomatoes--measuring an inch or less in diameter, these tomatoes make excellent bite-sized nibbles or tasty additions to salads. Cherry tomatoes are also great for grilling on skewers. Sub-types include grape and currant tomatoes, which are smaller in size but slightly sweeter than regular cherry tomatoes.

Plum Tomatoes--these are egg-shaped tomatoes that have thick skin and flesh. They are less juicy than most other varieties, which makes them good candidates for baking, canning, and broiling. They also do well for sauces and paste.

Paste Tomatoes--these are dryer than other varieties; many plum tomatoes are also "paste tomatoes." They are good for making tomato paste and dried tomatoes.

See our Tomatoes Information Sheet for more on planting, fertilizing, diseases, insect pests, cracking, cat facing and blossom end rot.

A few personal favorites:
• Early Girl and First Lady: The first ones to ripen in the garden, medium sized and good flavor
• Big Heirloom Tomatoes: Pineapple (multicolored); Great White (white outside, pink inside); Cherokee Purple (‘black’ outside). and June Pink, and Box Car Willie.
• Big Hybrids: Celebrity (determinate), Big Box and Beefsteak.
• Salad Tomatoes: Champion, Ace, and First Prize.
• Small Tomatoes: Green Zebra (green and white striped) and Sun Gold (cherry tomato).
• Container Tomatoes: Patio tomato series, Husky tomato series (get about 3 feet tall and do not need support.

'Virginia Richards' is a dense, evergreen shrub rhododendron with deep green, glossy leaves. In spring it has trumpet flowers that open pink, turning to yellow with a crimson spot.

Start all of the plants you purchase on sale out right! Buy 3 bags of either Master Nursery PayDirt or Bumper Crop and get ONE FREE!

Sale ends April 30th!