Sunflowers are erupting in fields across Georgia. Many of the pics posted to our photo galleries pay homage to these gorgeous specimens. I had the pleasure of watching my sunflowers sprout from tiny seeds, to spindly stalks, to beastly beauties taller than me.


Tip 1: The garden beasties, from squirrels to birds, love snacking on the seeds, so it's nigh impossible to plant them straight in the ground, or even in pots outside (poor Suzanne had a seriously rough time with that this year). So start your beauties indoors and allow them a little time to establish before you put them outdoors to do battle with the fuzzy and feathered.

Tip 2: Young sunflowers are water hogs. And those of us who live in Central Georgia know, the full grown flowers can show a tremendous thirst as well. I watered my seedlings daily, because I didn't heed the advice above and started my babies outdoors in peat pots. During this heat wave, I've been watering even the biggest of my beauties daily, as they start to droop and sway when they succumb to drought.

Tip 3: Stake 'em. I actually haven't had to stake any of mine. I probably planted them extra deep when I transplanted them out of the peat pots, and apparently my soil keeps 'em steady. If you do need to stake yours, I found some obvious, but helpful, tips on the Old Fashioned Living site:

• Got a fence? Plant the sunflowers in front of it, then when they reach a decent height, tie them to the fence slats, using soft cloth or plastic that won't dig into the stem.
• Tie firmly, but at the same time, give the plant some room to grow. You know how gigantic these beauties get and you don't want to stunt their growth.
• Staking an established plant that is starting to lean? Try a bamboo stake, making sure to enter the soil far enough away from the plant's roots to avoid damage. Then tie in the same way you would to a fence.

Did you know? Sunflowers in full bloom will always end up facing east. Even if they started out their early bloom cycle facing the sun in a different direction, they will rotate. It's fascinating!

If you're a fan of a gardening blog, it stands to reason that you're probably also a fan of other online gardening resources. So, it seemed only right and fair to share some of my favorites with you.

My favorite gardening forum is the Helpful Gardener forum. It has a wide variety of topics, members from all over the United States and beyond, and the people who post are truly HELPFUL! Check it out if you have time, I think you'll enjoy it.

Interested in green gardening and composting? I like Composting 101. There are plenty of composting sites on the Net. But I like the simple, straightforward way this one presents the various parts of the composting process. The site is simple, it's easy to navigate, and it's informative.

OK...most of you probably frequent local nurseries or box stores for most of your plant needs. But if you do buy any plants online, I recommend American Meadows. I ordered some bare root astilbe from American Meadows this spring, and they are going like gangbusters. They are gorgeous plants. They get a lot of orders, so shipments aren't immediate. But the plants are packed with extreme care and within one day of planting the bare root, I saw growth and leaf formation. Color me impressed.

By now you're probably enjoying one of the best summertime pleasures we have in the Southeast - the home grown tomato!

We planted our crop a bit late so every morning I run out and nibble on the few husky cherrys we have dribbling in, it makes for a great breakfast.



But anyway, onto today's topic. I noticed that with the smaller tomatoes, you really have to keep up with them to pluck them off the greenery before the birds get to them or the hot temperatures in the area burst the skin of the fruit.

Don't be afraid to pick your maters a bit early. When they start to get a nice pink you can take them off the vine. I wanted to make sure I'm not steering you wrong so I did a quick Google search. I found at www.garden.org that scientists say the red color won't form as quickly when the thermometer goes above 86 degrees. Well it gets that hot around 10 A.M. in these parts. I'm not a scientist, but I do figure your tomatoes will turn red. I think the point here is that its perfectly fine to let them finish off their process in the comfort and care of say your kitchen. And in my world that completely protects them from bird beaks! On the other hand I do have to keep them away from Salty our dog, but that's a whole other blog, my friends.

Happy Gardening.