So when I started reading this article "Drought Resistant Wheat Beats Australian Heat" I was a tad mystified especially as I had just finished reading this one, 8 Ways to Green Your Garden. The latter post marked its territory with the very first point, "Plant Within Your Environment". It went on to state;

In a perfect world, you could grow cactus in a tundra climate and a lawn of Bermuda grass in the desert. Guess what? Plants don't work that way. Before you start growing something, do some research to see what it needs to survive in your area. Otherwise, you may end up using lots of water and other resources to have "something different" in your backyard.

So, with every area of the world's focus going green and trying to be creative with our resources, why are scientists obstinately forging ahead trying to develop food sources able to grow in areas where they naturally wouldn't? Surely they see the stupidity of their endeavours?

See, the problem with wheat production is that it utilises broad-acre farming. This method removes all trees and plant life and turns the soil into a level tundra for hundreds, if not thousands, of hectares. Its great for farmers because they can get their shiny big John Deere harvesters around without any problems but its the epitome of worst farming practises ever. It's responsible for salinity problems, soil erosion and not to mention topsoil degradation.

So, here's some bright scientist who has just produced a strain of wheat that will aid farmers to continue their archaic practise. I always thought that regular droughts would be a clue that maybe these areas aren't sustainable for growing these cereal crops. Instead, it appears that it's the new frontier to be exploited. And what better way to do it than with a technology that's already suffering from some bad PR.

Does GM technology scare me? Yes. But only because some scientists are far more interested in displaying their stupidity rather than their common sense. The last time that happened, our country was subjected to a humble toad that was meant to aid our sugar industry. Today that toad is wiping out our crocodile population.

Isn't it time we started using our brains fellas?

For most home gardeners the concept isn't a new one. We've been staking tomato plants, espaliering fruit trees and training creepers to grow over undesirable fences for aeons. Yet the thinking behind vertical gardens still seems radically new.

The reason: Whereas all our other vertical gardening exploits centred around plants being grounded in the soil, the vertical garden has absolutely no dependency on the ground. In fact, vertical gardens exist quite separately from soil and do so with inanimate ease.

But for most home gardeners, Patrick Blanc and his artworks are far beyond the comprehension and resources available to them. It's quite facile to understand that many would file it in the "too-hard-box" and continue growing plants using traditional methods.

However, as we have already experienced with increasing gas prices our conservative views of the world may need to change. Traditional methods of horticulture may become as extinct as dinosaurs and our interaction with plants and growing mediums will have to change.

So, here's a challenge for us all - myself included. Maybe we need to diversify a little and learn some new ways of doing things. Which is the reason for producing this post - a DIY guide to creating a vertical garden.

A few helpful links to get your started

• Some Inspiration - a collage of succulents
• More Inspiration - a Sydney, Australian urban garden that incorporates vertical gardening practices
• A beginner's DIY - here's an easy how-to to get you started
• A little more inspiration - just in case the first project got you off on a bad footing here's some commercial greenwalls.
• A sample video - this video is a little budget but it does show the concepts and ease for starting a DIY vertical garden. It's the second in a series of about vertical gardening so if you want to watch the first one - and have the patience for it - the link is here.

The basics of a DIY Vertical Garden

• The Frame - for longevity a metal frame is possibly the best option but treated wood can also outlast the vigour of running water.
• The Backboard - PVC sheets are the preferred option but can be substituted with fine, rigid wire mesh (preferably stainless steel).
• The Holding Sheet - a thick sheet of felt will give the best results but a tough hessian can also work well.

The frame is basically the support for the vertical garden. On it, the backboard is adhered, fastened or riveted and then the holding sheet is stapled on top of that. For indoor applications, you can make a well at the bottom with a continuous feed pump moving the water back up and then filtering down through the plants via gravity. The water is usually filled, and refilled with nutrient, that sustains the plants.

If you decide to hang this outdoors then you can do away with the bottom well and just hand water the plants with a watering can.

Basically, the principles of hydroponics are used in this technology so no soil is used for plant growth. Plants are neatly embedded and suspended into the felt which becomes its growing medium.

Conclusion

Vertical gardens can be as simple or as complex as you choose. They can offer you another dimension to growing your plants or they could become living works of art that transform your backyard, balcony or patio. Regardless of how you start one, a vertical garden is a real possibility for any home gardener.

After a few more house moves over the next year and a half (5 homes in total) we finally settled into a house previously owned by an orchid grower. He had passed on several years ago so the gardens were anything but immaculate but it did hoard some interesting things from its past.

Two bores, a plethora of garden pots, bundles of fertilisers and a veggie patch that screamed for some hard labour and attention. Part of the reason we chose that place was for the potential the gardens held. I'd love to tell you that we left that place in schmiko condition yet while it never became the masterpiece it was a great start and helped us cut our gardening teeth.

We've now been gardening here in our current location for the past 5 years and my hobby took on another level because of it. A friend lent me a book on Australian natives prior to us starting here and if he hadn't I would have continued thinking they were boring, bland substitutes for the exotics that my parents generation cultivated.

I've tried, and am still trying, new methods and concepts that may seem a little out of the box for most gardeners but that's what our hobby is all about, isn't it? Learning and failing forward. For me, the journey's only just begun and the 14 years I've enjoyed thus far is really just my adolescence period. I'm certainly looking forward to the next 14 and beyond.

So, how long have you been plying your craft? Was there a defining moment that you could trace back and unequivocally state "This was the day I started gardening!"?

The sago palm isn't actually a palm but instead a cycad - more closely related to evergreen conifers than palm trees. Yet it somehow picked up the common tag of being a palm and is rarely referred to as a cycad other than by those who know. The difference: - palms are monocotyledons (seeds sprout only one leaf) while cycads are dicotyledons (you guessed it...they sprout two leaves from the seed). Hardly a big difference when you're trying to explain this plant's genetic background.

While this plant may not be a true palm, its shape and size make it one of the most utilised specimens in landscape tropical gardens. And why not? The foliage, as an architectural texture, is exquisite and as it grows the trunk adds the dimension of height.

Where can sago palms grow?

Almost anywhere the summers are warm and mild and where they will be sheltered out of frosts and snow. If kept in pots they can be grown in cold climates providing they are overwintered and your summers aren't too cold.

If your climate isn't characterised by frost-ridden winters then growing a sago palm in the ground is certainly an option. Obviously palms that grow in the ground have less maintenance requirements and can grow much taller than their pot-bound counterparts.

Problems with the sago palm

• Slow growing - while they look fantastic when they're a decent size waiting around for them to grow can be an exercise in patience. In most cases they will only add 1-2" (2-5cm) per year - and that's a good year.
• Great leaf catchers - because of their shape and growing habit, sago palms are great leaf catchers. This is a bonus if that's why you wanted to grow this plant but for most gardeners it can become they reason they rip them out. Therefore, plant them in a location that isn't beneath a deciduous or leaf-shedding tree.
• They need warm summers - while sago palms can put up with cold winters they really struggle if they can't enjoy some summer warmth. If your summers don't average at least 20°C (70°F) then the sago cycad may not be an option for your garden.
• They need sun - just like warm summers, cycas revoluta basks in full sun. While they will grow in shade and perform quite well in part-shade they can often become leggy and more disease-prone without at least half a day of full-sun.
• Deadly to dogs - for those gardening pet-lovers keeping a sago palm and a dog in the same confines is asking for trouble. The seeds from the sago palm are extremely poisonous and will kill a dog within a few hours of digestion. And, don't think your children are immune - this can seriously harm them as well.

Caring for a sago palm

Apart from the growing conditions mentioned above sago palms are quite easy to care for. A feed of a balanced fertiliser every six months and caution taken when watering (they don't need much) is really all these plants require.

If your sago palm has become a leaf catcher then removing the built up compost from with the plants centre is paramount. Leaving it to rot down within the plant can cause a myriad of disease and fungus problems which are better prevented rather than trying to cure.

Does Sago come the sago palm?

Most of us have enjoyed endured sago at one point or another in our lives so it's not a dumb question to think that this plant may be the source of our child-based memories. However, the true source is from another palm (a real palm) also commonly known as the Sago Palm Metroxylon sagu.

Fortunately it hadn't been touched since I was last there. I was able to fill my trailer again (usually 6 weeks worth of firewood) and there is probably still a load or two to go.

One of the great things about collecting firewood is the enjoyment I, and the kids, get out of being in the forest. While I'm sawing away they will go exploring and become infatuated with some awesome discovery keen to show me once the saw's been cut off. And, in between fuel refills I'll take the opportunity to get the camera and snap some of our gorgeous flora. Here's a selection of some of our bounty;

This is the tree that I've been cutting. The one standing upright is a Red Gum.

Firewood of choice comes from these beautiful Jarrah's (Swan River Mahogany). A hard wood tree that can reach 30-50m when mature and are straight as a pin. When they burn they leave a tiny amount of white ash and very little mess.

This is almost the perfect toadstool that you often see in kid's story books. Obviously poisonous from its dark red cap but nice to photograph.

Eremophila sp. (Emu Bush). These grow in abundance throughout our forests and while breeders have now managed multiple colours this is the original.

I'm not sure what this one is but was intrigued by it's gorgeous florets. I'm guessing it's a relative of the grevillea family.

Another plant that we found growing in abundance and flowering their heads off. Notice the spiky foliage that the plant requires to withstand the fauna. Incredible.

Yet tool belts that builders use aren't practical for a gardener. Firstly, they sit in front of your stomach and bore into your flesh every time you squat down. Plus, they hardly have enough room to hold any of the tools that gardeners require.

Gardeners require a different styled tool belt which is why I love these ones. They are designed to hang at your side rather than around your middle enabling freedom of movement and bigger pockets for all your tools.

But, what's the point of having a mobile storage unit such as this if it too becomes just another source of clutter? Plant labels, leaf litter, bits of old plastic tie and possibly a few pre-loved tissues always find their way into our once neat and orderly tool bag. Maybe it's time to reassess and restock?

Here's a list of garden tools that I find most useful and would love to have on hand;

1. Hand pruners

   Which hand pruners? Your choice, but it should go without saying that these are incredibly important in your gardening arsenal. Most garden tool belts have a separate pouch that keeps your pruners close at hand and easy to slip into.

2. Wire-cutters

   A very important tool if you grow veggies. Often we trellis our beans, peas and perhaps some of our fruit trees so it's handy to have a pair of wire-cutters on hand for any makeshift repairs or installations.

3. String

   A ball of twine or lengths of nylon pantyhose come in very helpful when you're wanting to stake plants.

4. Gloves

   For those who choose to use them, having a pair of gloves is a great option. Even for those who are reticent to use them, having a pair available can make life a little easier if you ever come across a situation where your bare skin just shouldn't go.

5. Planting Labels

   Plant labels are almost one of the most essential items when out in the garden. They certainly help out when you're trying to keep a record of what's going in your flower beds.

6. Felt-tip pen

   ...and if you're going to have plant labels on hand, then you might as well have something to write on them, right? Your felt-tip pen is also handy for marking pots and recording info on seed packets, if needed.

7. Trowel

   What gardener could exist without a garden trowel? One of the most versatile tools you'll keep in your belt, the trowel is essential.

8. Patio Knife

   Great for scraping the weeds from between bricks and pavers this versatile tool can also aid in opening bags of potting mix, fertiliser and manures. Plus, it's a handy tool for forming drills for your vegetable seeds.

9. Hand Fork

   Reliably a great tool when you're trying to dig up bulbs or other small plants. It helps lift them without removing all the soil.

10. Hand Rake

    The rake, as useful as the fork, is also fantastic for scarifying the soil around your plants and removing any surface weeds. Due to its compact size it makes cleaning around plants less intrusive and therefore much safer for your plants.

11. Weeding Prong

    These are great for getting weeds out of lawns or lifting those weeds that have deep roots.

12. Dibber

    The final tool you'll need in your garden belt is the dibber. A must-have for planting seedlings and bulbs this tool will make your gardening experience much easier and it will fit in compactly.

Pack your garden tool belt with all these goodies and you should be set to head off into your little piece of horticultural frontier.

Fortunately I have a wife who's a little more realistic than I am. She seems to know when a plant isn't going to make it - the brown receding leaves appear to offer her some valuable clues - while I just ignore it hoping that time will heal all wounds. The only clue I seem to get is when she's carting it by the root ball over to the compost heap - and even then I'm looking for ways to try and save it.

It's tragic, isn't it? A grown man frozen by indecision and emasculated by plants that don't want to grow.

So, I thought I would come up with a quick Ready Reckoner that might empower me to be more decisive in the garden.

If it's dead - rip it out

If it's dead - it's dead. Unless you have faith in your own resurrective powers this plant will never grow another leaf nor sport another bud. It's kaput! Fini! Dead! The only reason you might want to keep it is because it hides another vista far uglier. Apart from that, remove it and plant something that will grow.

If it's dying - fertilise and give it another chance

Okay, I will do this for only one season though. If it doesn't improve after I've applied some TLC then it's coming out - possibly! But it makes sense doesn't it? If a plant isn't growing well in a particular location then why persevere with it? There are possibly hundreds of other plants that would love to 'get a guernsey' in our gardens

If it takes too much time - rip it out

This is a hard one, isn't it? You know the type of plant that seems to snooker you every time you walk around your garden. It obviously suffers from A.D.D. whining that it needs something else done to it or it won't perform to your expectations. Oh, I hate these type of plants. My decision from now on will be to rip it out rather than avoid that section of the garden. There are much nicer plants out there...

If it hasn't flowered for 2 seasons or more - rip it out

Oh, yes. The non-flowering plant. Fine if it's a foliage plant and you bought it just for the texture and colour of its leaves. But if it refuses to bloom regardless of the love and attention I lavish upon it, then it's coming out.

If it didn't grow the first time - don't buy another one

My weakness, when visiting nurseries, is purchasing plants that fail time and time again in my garden. It's as if I think that these new ones will finally achieve what none of it predecessors could. No matter what the hurdles were that sealed the fate of the last ones, these new ones will finally succeed. Realistically, they probably won't!

If pests devour it - then find ways to protect it while it grows OR don't grow it

And finally, the one decision that makes profit for chemical companies is finding ways to make your plants grow no matter what. It seldom occurs to me that possibly these plants weren't supposed to grow in my climate or location. So rather than give up, I'd prefer to coax them to success with a little "whatever-it-takes".

I feel empowered already. Suddenly my garden looks richer and healthier - apart from those brown conifers which I might decorate with tinsel (they're a little off-colour at the moment, but they'll come good - you'll see!).

The question really isn't about whether it will grow, it's more about whether it will produce - and if that produce has any resemblance to a 'normal' avocado. Just like the question I answered on planting apple seeds you want to know that your effort is going to be rewarded.

Well, can I start off by saying that if you want to grow an avocado tree from its seed you will need the 'patience of Job' to see it through to completion. This is no overnight process and Voila! you're eating your own avocados next season. No, this process takes years and years so don't plant it in the ground if you're planning on moving within the next 5-10.

Germinating an Avocado Seed

The first step in the process is to get the seed to germinate. The best way to do this is to suspend the seed, using a few toothpicks dug into the sides, above a glass of water. The base of the seed needs to be resting in the water so this will require refilling during the process. Then, leave the suspended seed on a window sill or in a cold frame where it will be kept warm by the sunlight.

Eventually the seed will crack open and new sprouts will emerge and roots will begin to feed into the water. This can take anywhere between 3-6 months depending upon the amount of sunlight the seed receives and whether you've been disciplined in keeping the water level up to the base of the pip.

Once the sprouts and roots emerge, it's time to begin planting.

Planting an Avocado Seed

The next step is to get the seed into some growing medium. A mix of one-third compost, one-third vermiculite and one-third river sand would be ideal to start your propagated avocado. In the centre of the pot, make a small hole where you can plant just the roots and bottom base of the seed. Then back-fill and shake any air bubbles out the mix before lightly watering.

This new plant will then need to go into a location where it can receive at least 6-8 hours of sunlight every day. A small greenhouse (aff.) is ideal but if this isn't a possibility then the edge of a sheltered porch or patio may be a great option.

Once it has grown about a metre tall it will then be ready to start transplanting.

Transplanting Your Avocado Plant

As I mentioned earlier, if you're planning to move from your current residence in the next 5-10 years then planting this in the ground will be a waste of time. You're probably far better off to transplant it into a large mobile pot that you can take with you.

Prepare the pot with a good draining potting mix and place the avocado plant into the middle keeping the top of the avocado soil level with the height of the new pot. At this point, add a stake before backfilling and tie the plant securely to it. You may even want to tie some hessian cloth around the pot to protect the plant from the elements.

If you do decide to plant your avocado in the ground then dig a hole twice as wide as the current root-ball and twice as deep. Add some well-rotted compost into the hole and plant the avocado on top. Stake it as mentioned before and then backfill the hole. Water deeply to remove any air-pockets and to help the plant deal with the transplant shock.

Finally, in both cases - pot or ground - I would add some bonemeal fertiliser and then mulch with lucerne hay.

Enjoying the fruits of your labour

Now, while your avocado tree may grow quite quickly once you've transplanted it out it won't produce any fruit for possibly the first 7 years of its life - hence the 'patience of Job' required. Most growers usually become disenchanted with their trees long before this and either remove them or just ignore them. But, if you're willing to wait the time they will eventually produce the most amazing avocado fruits and will continue to do so for years to come.

If you've decided that this process is too long and you want to buy an already established tree then make sure you ask the nursery owner how long the trees have been growing for. If not, you may end up only missing the first two steps in the process and still have years before you get to enjoy any fruit.

All the best.

I guess the question really becomes, How attached to your garden are you? If in the case of the oil discovery would you be willing to keep it hush-hush so that you could continue growing your garden instead of taking the money? Or, would the money give you a few more options?

If you distilled it right down to the core, is it the GARDEN or the GARDENING?

In my case it's certainly the GARDENING. While I love my garden and have enjoyed creating it from scratch it's still a postage stamp compared to the dreams I have. A couple million dollars could definitely keep me entertained on a larger block with better views and no set budget for plant and landscaping purposes. I might even be able to employ a few gardeners to work alongside me, wouldn't that be neat?

But, I'm still fairly young (just turned 21 *ahem* last week - you can ask my 4 kids) and I've had this garden for less than 5 years. What about those who have gardened in the same spot all their lives? You would assume that their gardens are quite possibly a large part of who they are, almost another appendage perhaps. Would these gardeners be willing to sell out?

Perhaps another way to look at the hypothetical scenario is to consider whether your garden has a price tag. Let's ignore the messy oil discovery for a moment and concentrate purely on the dollars and cents issue. Could you walk away from your garden tomorrow for money and how much would it take?

It's an interesting dilemma, isn't it! If you consider the amount of back-breaking pain, blood, sweat and tears that you've poured into your flourishing habitat could there be a price-tag that matched all that effort? And, can dollars provide enough comfort for the memories you may be selling off?

Fortunately, being a gardener, one of the recurring themes in presents that I received were relevant to my wonderful hobby. My wife went and purchased a stainless steel spade from the local bigbox even though the lady at the counter anecdotally shared that she also bought one for her husband for his birthday. His response was "Why would I want that?" to which my wife replied, "No, I'm almost certain that Stuart is going to love this." She was right.

My parents, who were holidaying in these parts, stopped off last weekend with four pots of tulips they had purchased in Nannup. I was stoked beyond belief as I've never even tried growing tulips before - our climate isn't the greatest for their finicky growing conditions.

Then a friend dropped over with a token bag of Dynamic Lifter and assures me its not symbolic of our relationship even though it smells like ^&(*@#.

And finally, Deb's parents sent me a gift voucher to our local bigbox - which will undoubtedly go on something towards the garden.

It's just so easy to buy for gardeners, isn't it? We're quite easily impressed with anything that furthers our gardening endeavours.

Anyway, enough of the chit-chat, I'm off to spend some time on the garden putting my wonderful gifts into practice.

It seems that garden therapy is fast becoming one of the growth triggers for gardening as a hobby. And not surprisingly either. Maybe people are getting tired of 'feeling the dragon' as they push their limbs through the air justifying their actions like the Emperor with his new clothes. These senseless ancient rituals disguised as holistic therapy for the mind, body and soul are, honestly, quite boring.

But there is nothing boring about gardening and as a form of therapy it's almost perfect. It engages your mind as you assimilate dimensions, plant types, soil conditions etcetera, etcetera. Plus, your body gets a workout heaving soil, mulch, compost and the exercise you get from pruning and lopping. And finally the soul is invigorated as your hopes are exceeded by the beauty and productivity of your plants.

Try achieving all that with a session of yoga!

The Canadians seem to have already grasped hold of these truths as illustrated in this article. And while I'm excited about what they're doing for the mentally and physically handicapped I'm concerned that we often discount these practices for those who are more disadvantaged than us.

Even if we are unaware of the therapeutic benefits we enjoy through gardening, one can't dismiss the fact that they still exist. I find it amusing when visitors to my garden laugh at my compost bins noting that they obviously require some manual labour to turn. Often their comments resemble "Why don't you buy one of those ones that do it for you?" as they hypocritically try to shed some kilos at the local gym.

Our bodies weren't designed to continually pace on plastic treadmills. That's why rats were invented. Instead, our bodies, minds and souls were knit together to do more than focus on any one of these components of "US". Which makes gardening the perfect form of therapy - and not just for those who are disabled and handicapped.

If you can picture a rural setting with tall Peppermint trees and supporting undergrowth merging into suburbia, then you can imagine our little part of the world. It was one of the reasons we bought our house where we did. There are very few estates developed these days that leave tall trees as a feature and strips of open vegetation that have never been tampered with by mankind. And here in bustling Busselton this little oasis survived.

However, some over zealous gardeners have taken it upon themselves to clear up this scraggly habitat and make it - apparently - more visually pleasing. They removed some of the trees on council land and have begun planting "Grandma Plants" in some of the roundabouts. Not that I'm against Grandma plants - just probably not in this setting.

And while these gardeners are obviously quite chuffed with their efforts I have to refrain myself from poking my fingers down my throat. It's such an abomination. The landscape, while admittedly scraggly and untamed, was as it had been for the past millenia. Completely natural.

Now thanks to these two we are seemingly obligated to be thankful for the effort they are making in beautifying our area. I mean...what can one do? For whatever reason they didn't like what I enjoyed and I certainly don't like what they enjoy. It's like art. The difference being that art can be kept indoors where doors can be shut. Here, it's all on display whether you like it or not.

And it's not like I can avoid these areas or close my eyes as I drive from home to work and back. It confronts me everyday and stirs my ire against these so-called guerillas.

How will I resolve this in my own mind? RoundUp™.

This is one of my beloved Jacobinias, one of my original propagating successes that I have kept for nearly 10 years now. Each year it flowers on cue warming the garden with its yellow and orange blooms and offers some nice soft foliage during the summer months. I did try to grow this in a sunnier spot last year and almost lost them so they're back in the shade garden in revival mode.

This phallic bloom bursts onto the scene from within a bromeliad my mother gave me a few years ago. I had planned to put it in our tropical garden - yet to be started - so it's ended up near the Jacobinia and provides a safe haven for colonies of brown snails. It always amuses me when I envisage the snails trying to escape the protruding flower with pictures of Indiana Jones fleeing from the rolling stone - in slow motion, of course.

Oh when will this flower open up???? It has been like this for months now and seeing as it has never flowered while in my garden - 2 years now - I'm anxious to see it produce some blooms. It's a Rhododendron that I picked up at a local nursery while most nurseries no longer offer them. Hopefully it will open soon.

While not a bloom, per se, the leaves surrounding the trunks of our birches paint the state of our garden at the moment. Very drab, colourless and seemingly lifeless. Yet, beneath these leaves spring flowering daffodils are starting to push their way through the surface already.

I've been busy pruning and chipping many of our dormant plants ready for the season that really counts. It's a great time of the year in my garden as I can stand back and plan what I want this garden to do next season. The more I garden here and endure enjoy the different seasons, the more I come respect what each time period has to offer and how I can make each one count without just hoping that spring would hurry up.

Creating interest within the garden year round is still my goal and I love tinkering to find how that works - or in most cases, doesn't work. It's the joy of gardening.

Quite the opposite really, growing tomatoes is possibly the easiest and most successful producing plants a gardener could have in their veggie patch. And providing you haven't opted for the F1 hybrids you should see them self-seed after their first year in the ground.

So, what are the 3 easy steps to successful tomato growing? Are you sitting down? Right, here we go...

1. Plant a tomato seedling
2. Stake it, and
3. Water it

Did you miss them? Shall I go over them again?

I can hear you asking, "Surely it's not that easy?" Darned tootin' it is, but I will give you some helpful gardening tips for making them even more successful.

Plant a tomato seedling

Once you've established which variety(ies) you are going to grow then comes the next most important decision - where to grow them? The most likely option is in some well-draining, rich, loamy soil in your veggie patch but don't let tradition cloud your planting choices. These days many gardeners are opting for upside-down tomato planters (aff.), growing them in plastic shopping bags or as container plants on their patios or balconies.

It really doesn't matter where you plant them provided they have access to 6-8 hours of sunlight per day and can be kept moist. Keeping them out of heavy winds is also a must.

Stake it

As the plant grows continue tying the tomato bush to the stake so that gravity won't end up breaking the branches. In the wild, tomato bushes will naturally flop over because their stems are inadequate to hold the weight of the fruit. However, while this may be the natural way it doesn't normally produce copious amounts of tomato fruit and their chances of disease are far greater.

While your tomato bush is growing remove the bottom leaves to reduce fungus problems caused by the high amount of moisture these plants need and the diminishing rate of sunlight the bottom of the plants will enjoy. Also, pick out the side shoots that will try to grow between the stem and the main laterals. These are non-producing branches and will only suck the tomato plants energy from it.

The best way to tie a tomato plant to a stake is by using strips of nylon pantyhose looped in a figure-eight setting. This protects the bush from rubbing against the stake and still gives the plant a small amount of movement so that it doesn't snap in gusty winds.

Water it

Mulch can be applied around your tomato plants - keeping away from the stems - once they have been established and have grown at least a foot. Applying this too early can diminish the soil heating up directly from the sun and can cause a raft of fungus problems. So while mulch will aid in keeping the moisture in, timing is an important aspect when applying it.

When is the best time to water tomato plants? My view is that is doesn't matter whether you water in the morning or the evening but there are some gardeners who will fiercely contest that mornings are better. However, watering tomato plants in the middle of the day is definitely a NO-NO. Your plants will most likely struggle under the extra weight of the water and they don't need any more disadvantages during the heat of the day.

Conclusion

Your only issue will be what to do with all those tomatoes?

Mosquitoes love any body of water that remains still long enough for them to release their larvae. Therefore it can only be expected that rain barrels will become a soft target for these pests to multiply. The water collects from your roof via downpipes and is then stored in these water drums to be used at a time that is most probably not regular. This source of water then becomes the best possible breeding ground a mosquito could wish for.

While I've discussed some mosquito control methods before here on GTNI, when it comes to rain barrels there needs to be different solutions - tipping the water out regularly kind of defeats the purpose. So, how can rain barrels and water storage exist without creating a habitat for man's most deadly insect? Easy...here's some gardening tips that should keep them out of your water storage drums forever.

1. Add a goldfish - small goldfish love mosquito larvae almost as much as we love chocolate. So why not add one, perhaps two, to each rain barrel. Provided they still have enough air - in other words don't lock off the top of the barrel - keeping a goldfish in your drums should be quite a simple task.

   The benefit is twofold; 1). the fish will devour the larvae as soon as they are laid reducing your fish feeding bill, and 2). the ammonia excreted from the fish will produce beneficial nitrogen for your soil.

2. Produce an oil slick - we all saw how effective the Exxon Valdez spill was at killing wildlife, well the same principle applies here. Providing the water level in your rain barrels can be kept above the output spouts you can pour a layer of oil (preferably food-grade) on top of the water. This acts as a shield for insects getting into your barrels and laying their eggs plus if any eggs do survive they will soon die once they begin to develop into the larvae stage.

   One important note, don't combine this method of mosquito control with the one above. The oil slick will stop the water being aerated and the fish will eventually die.

3. Cover the intake with a filter - if the other two methods seem a little too bizarre for your liking then covering the intake is possibly the next best thing. A pair of nylon pantyhose should do the trick as they are fine enough to stop mosquito infestations but will still allow the water to seep through and collect in the barrels.

   The downside of this method is that the filter will need to be checked often to ensure that they aren't breaking down or that holes aren't being produced. Even the smallest hole in these can become an access point for mosquitoes and their larvae.

4. Chemical larvicides - microbial larvicides are a chemical solution to the problem. If the three options listed above don't seem to deal with your problem, or if you're looking for an easy fix, then larvicides may be your next best option. Granular forms are most likely to be available at your local hardware or garden store and should be added as per the directions at times when mosquito activity is at its peak.

   As with most chemical solutions it is only a matter of time until mosquitoes build up an immunity to these and they become ineffective or stronger. My advice would be to only use these if you can't find any resolution with the other ideas.

5. Mosquito Dunks - these are just a glorified form of larvicide making insertion easier for the user. They perform the same result as the method listed above but are more convenient in their packaging.

Hopefully one of these methods will work for your situation and help control mosquitoes breeding in your yard.