Grow Guy

I let my suckers get all out of control and had to really cut back my tomato plants. They were really smothering each other and I just could not get the spider mites under control using organic pesticide. Thinning the plants to allow more airflow seemed worth a try. I asked at the local nursary and they said the lower winter temperatures and rain should also help as spider mites don't like winter months.

So what is a sucker and why should they be removed? There are two types of growths off the plants main stem. One produces the leaves and the fruit and the other grows another stem that produces fruit and more suckers. Allowing suckers to grow means that the plant has to use more nutrients for growth when means less for fruit production. I have seen a few growers online that grow single stem plants that produce an amazing amount of fruit. Check out this video over on Bobby's MHPGardner channel

Urban Agriculture is the growing of food in or around a village, town or city. Food security, food safety and income generation are all key motivations for the practice. Direct access to fresh fruit, and vegetables through urban agriculture can improve food security and food safety. Urban Agriculture has a long history from the Egyptians through both WWI, WW2 and the depressions that followed. So what is the difference between food security and food safety? 

Food security has to do with the on going availability of food. This has existed throughout history and often food has been stored for times of famine. The term 'food security' was only established as a formal concept at the World Food Conference in 1974,

Food safety is specifically around the handling, preparation and storage of food. I am particularly interested in trying to avoid pesticide and herbicide residues that might be found on the fruit and vegetables that we buy in stores.