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Tomato &
Basil Salsa

Here is a great way to use some of the bounty from your vegetable and herb garden;

Best if made a few hours ahead for the flavors to blend

3 pounds ripe tomatoes, halved, seeded & chopped

¾ cup chopped, packed fresh basil

3 tbs. fresh lime juice

2 garlic cloves, pressed

¾ tsp. ground cumin

Pinch of sugar

¾ tsp. Hot pepper sauce (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Yield: 4 Cups

Tomato in the Spotlight :Carmello!

70 days. Indeterminate. A winner on all counts, taste, productivity and disease resistance. It's popular in European markets because of its exceptional fine flavor. The pure essence of tomato, a perfect balance of sweet and acid. Carmelo bears large crops of heavy, juicy, full-flavored tomatoes and the widely adapted, disease-resistant plants yield huge harvests of crack-resistant fruits with a high weight -to-size ratio.

For Maximum Impact with Minimum Cost…
Establish Garden Focal Points. Take a drive through your neighborhood and the homes that catch your eye right away are usually those with lots of color borders from one end to the other. Now it’s not necessary to run out and buy 200 flats of color to achieve this eye-catching effect. Carefully positioned and planted focal points can have the same, if not better, effect with less plants.
Stand in your front or back yard facing your landscape from the street (for the front yard) and from your back door (for the back yard). Let your eye pick at least 3 spots where you can build a focal point. For instance, if your dinner table is near a window that looks out to the yard, establish a focal point that can be seen while you’re dining. Areas under major trees and palms make great focal points. Use a mix of perennials such as daisies, salvias, lavenders and lilies along with annuals such as cosmos, marigolds, lobelia and petunias for sunny spots. Shadier areas could use foxgloves, delphiniums, astilbe, hostas, calla lilies, helichrysums, coleus, coral-bells,
begonias and impatiens. To avoid a “chop suey look”, repeat the same combinations in your focal points. Accent these areas with boulders, bird baths, gazing balls, antique iron chairs, trellises, planted wheelbarrows, shepherd’s hooks, obelisks and lighting. The possibilities are endless! Bare spots against walls and fences can become excellent focal points by planting flowering vines like roses, trumpet vines, morning glory and jasmines against a redwood trellis. If space allows, plant lilies, shrublet roses and mid-sized perennials below the vines. Wherever you live, no matter how small or large your garden, there are focal points that will bring beauty to you and others all year long

Tomato Event News: Steve Goto This Saturday April 10th
Steve Goto the Tomato expert will be here from 10am-12pm Saturday to answer all your Tomato questions. The first 20 people will receive a free 1.5 cu bag of Dr. Earth Planting or Potting Mix. Click to Visit Steve Goto's Tomato Tasting
*We will be closed on Easter, so please get your shopping done Saturday.

Groundwork: Getting Ready For Spring
Laying the Groundwork for a spectacular spring! You can feel it coming. Spring Fever is in the air! But before you rush out to buy all those new flowers and shrubs to celebrate the season, do your groundwork!
Winter rains, your sprinkler system and cold nighttime temperatures have left your soil depleted of nutrients and minerals necessary to give new plants a good start. Start with a good weeding. Spray or hand pull all weeds and unwanted grasses. Next, work in a good planting mix or soil conditioner. We recommend Gardner&Bloome Organic Planter Mix for most landscape plants. For vegetable and flower beds or for areas with very sandy soil, use Gardner&Bloome Harvest Supreme. If clay is the issue, a good choice would be Gardner&Bloome Soil Building
Compost. The basic rule of thumb is 1 cubic foot for 12-20 square feet worked in 2 inches deep. Don't forget your preparation work for roses, vegetables or acid-loving plants. Then help loosen clay soil with Organa Ground Liquid Treatment which can be applied on the soil surface or use Organic Advantage Soil Builder or Plant Food in liquid form. Both products help change the composition of the soil from alkaline to acid which most plants love! You've done your groundwork, now you're ready to hit the nursery to scoop up all the spring plants you love. Make sure you ask us about planting locations and care for all your selections and you're set for the most spectacular spring garden ever!

Buy 3 get l free Promotion
Harvest Supreme Organic Planting Mix for Flowers & Vegetables. Buy 3 get 1 Free - 2cu bag, $7.99 ( Please mention this Newsletter Special )
Harvest Supreme Organic Planting Mix for Trees & Shrubs. Buy 3 get 1 Free - 2cu bag, $7.99 ( Please mention this Newsletter Special )