#nativemossy

1. Plenty of space for roots.  A tomato’s root system is almost as big as the plant is above ground, so they tend to not do well in pots.  I’m astounded mine are doing as well as they are.  Tomato also needs Full sun (6-8 hours direct sunlight in most of the country, 4-6 hours at high altitude or in the Hot & Dry parts of the country) and kind of a lot of water.

2. Prior to planting, fertilize soil with tomato food and a couple eggshells, crunched up fine.  Tomato needs a shitload of calcium for healthy development and firm fruits.

3. If Possible, Plant carrots in the same bed as your Tomatoes.  Carrots and tomatoes mutually put compounds in the soil that the other one needs and help eachother grow. Don’t be impatient for the carrots to come up and plant over them like I was.

Also plant a few larger, colorful pollinator flowers  in the bed/nearby area becuase tomato flowers aren’t large and the bees might require additional signage. I reccomend marigolds becuase they discourage rabbits, deer, mosquitoes and raccoons.

4. When you transplant your tomato, break off the two lowest leaves, then bury the plant in dirt up to an inch below the now-lowest leaves.  Burying the stem like this encourages them to build a healthy root system.

4. After transplanting your tomatoes, be very nice and spoil them.  Water attentively. Stake and support thier growth.  Weed aggressively around them.

Once they start putting out thier first flowers?  Get Mean.  Let them wilt in the heat a bit before watering them.  Don’t weed unless it’s something really aggressive. Don’t cover from hail.   if the tomato thinks it’s going to die soon, it will devote more of it’s energy into making viable offspring than it will into it’s own survival, so you get more and better-tasting tomatoes! 

Bucky could count each lash under Tony's eyes, each freckle dotting his cheeks.

2019 WinterIron Holiday Exchange

My go-to answer is always going to be the C25K app. It’s interval training three days a week that starts off slow and over the weeks helps you train to run longer. I think all told you run five minutes out of thirty the first week? That being said, if you’re concerned about starting to run with your asthma, you can always run the idea past your doctor, who can help you with an action plan. It might help to journal your runs afterward, like adding the weather and any aches or pains (including asthma attacks) you might have had. I can also now suggest the Nike Run Club app. It can track your time, distance, and pace. I used it during my last 5K because I wasn’t sure how they were going to time us and was very pleased with the results, and it’ll keep the stats in your activity page.

And above all: There’s no shame in having to slow down and rest if you need to. Know your limits. If you push yourself too hard, you might injure yourself. I run pretty slowly, so slowly that elderly couples holding hands can (and have) walk past me.

Coulson Coulson Coulson.

Clint, Natasha