Miranda Adkins | So Salem

Bruce Feldberg in his tomato greenhouse at Riverside Nursery in Salem.

Tomatoes are one of those plants that can spark warm memories one moment and then a flash of anxiety or frustration over failed tomato crops the next. So Salem talked to Bruce Feldberg at Riverside Nursery in Salem about some of the dos and the do-not-dos of growing tomato plants that ought to keep the red (and green and orange) treats on the dinner table for this summer (and maybe even fall) season.

Like in last week's container gardening piece, it's important to find a sunny spot in your yard for your garden, at least six hours of good, hard sun, he said. Container gardening is a great way to establish a plant before you stick it in the ground.

"You can do well with container plants, but they will always do much better if you can put them in good, decent soil," said Feldberg. "Prepare the soil. Dig it up, till it if possible, or loosen it up as best you can."

After that, "a lot of people neglect to do one very important thing for tomatoes -- that's add lime to the soil ... tomatoes need that calcium. If they don't have it, they don't have a tendency to make good fruit," he said.

As far as fertilizing goes, if it doesn't make it in the soil until after the plants are settled, it's alright to add it afterwards. He recommends a water soluble type like Miracle-Gro but cautions not to overfertilize.

"Some people have the tendency to think more is better. Follow directions; if you over-fertilize you will get a lot of leaves and plant, not a lot of fruit," Feldberg said.

Worried about the creepy crawlies getting on your garden?

"Make sure you've got a problem before you start poisoning things," he said. Remember that "insects on flowers are different than insects on vegetables." Checking with a local nursery or with a master gardener at the Virginia Cooperative Extension is a great way to figure out a safe (and legal) way to get rid of pests and bugs. "Things like caterpillars you can just pick off by hand," Feldberg said.

As well as keeping your tomatoes from rotting on the ground, "your plants will pay off a lot more fruit if you stake them," he said. Using pantyhose or strips of cloth is a good way to tie your vines up straight, just don't use a thin string or anything that will cut into the plant.

There's another important thing that Feldberg as well as Beth Carson, Salem city's horticulturist, stressed -- proper watering. Both said that one of the worst things you can do is water just a little bit every day. Any plant needs a deep soil soak one to two times a week. Carson recommends using a watering wand for a gentler watering (because spray-nozzles are really meant for cleaning your car), and tomatoes seem to do better if the water is put right on the soil, not on their leaves, Feldberg said.

"I find a lot of people in the last couple of years have increased their gardening," Feldberg said. Whether it's because of lost confidence in the food supply or the economy, he said "people are nostalgic, but they also want to get away from some of the hybrids." Feldberg grows more than 100 varieties of the beloved fruit, some types that are over 100 years old, like the Abraham Lincoln or the Amish Paste. He's also got all of the regional favorites like Mr. Stripey, Boxcar Willie, Bloody Butcher, and Brandywine.

For a list of tomato varieties, visit The Notebook on sosalem.com.

***

Big Licks Green Drinks, a local group that meets at Allsports in Salem to talk about "green" issues, invited Roanoke resident Mark Powell to speak about his experiences with community gardens. He helped start one in his neighborhood and his efforts have blossomed into two more of the same in different neighborhoods.

Powell's adventure into community gardening started when he and his wife, Sylvia, were living in an apartment in the southwest part of the city. They wanted to start a garden but didn't have the land. After a generous landlord agreed to let them use their backyard, Powell posted a flier at a downtown coffee shop.

"Five people came to the first meeting, and now we have over 150 people on our mailing list," Powell said. They now have three community gardens, all governed by an allotment system where it's a first come, first pick your 300-square-foot lot! Some rules include common courtesy (don't grow tall corn that will shade your neighbors' plants), no chemicals, and folks have to keep their lot clean -- they try to pick a "work day" during the week where everyone can come out at the same time. Other things that help: they try to find a more experienced gardener that can answer questions for the newcomers, and they try to leave a "free" box at the front of the plot to discourage vandalism.

"We've done fairly well in a short amount of time," he said. From their research they've found that neighborhoods in other areas have improved crime rates when community gardens are placed there -- perhaps from the increased foot traffic and folks taking a more vested interest in the community, he said.

"With a $20 investment in dues plus seeds, there's such a huge production of vegetables," he said. And as all good gardeners say at one time or another: "usually people have more food than we know what to do with."

As well as donating to the Rescue Mission downtown (which accepts fresh produce, too, gardening folks!), they're also experimenting with canning, although they've been mostly freezing their goods.

Interested in the community gardening concept? To get on the e-mail list for Powell's community gardening, contact him at markdouglaspowell@hotmail.com.