If all of a sudden you are noticing brown to black spots at the blossom end of your tomatoes or peppers, the problem could be a pest. Usually when the blossom end is involved, it’s a physiological disorder caused by lack of calcium in the soil (not likely in our area) or inconsistent watering. Tomatoes do not like to be drenched and then allowed to get super dry. You need to keep the soil a consistent moisture. Let’s face it summer is busy and it’s when a lot of folks work in a vacation. Unfortunately, we can get so busy we forget to be consistent with watering our plants.

Peppers, especially Bell Peppers, and tomatoes don’t perform well with inconsistent watering. You can give yourself some breathing room, or better said watering room, by simply adding some mulch.

Before applying mulch make sure you have watered your garden so the soil is nice and moist. If you already have an older layer of mulch, give that old mulch a good stir so water can penetrate it more easily. Now you can add a fresh layer of mulch. Never add more than 3 inches of mulch, and try to keep it nice and airy.

We at Texas Pure Products have many different mulch options to help alleviate this problem. You’ll be proud to know when you buy Texas Pure mulch you are extending the life of the local landfill. It’s the biggest reason the North Texas Municipal Water District partners with us. It’s also why Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano and Richardson bring their yard waste collections to us so we can convert them into mulch, compost and soil amendments. So when you put your yard waste out in the brown compostable bags or put your tree limbs out for collection, please keep it clean to pay it forward.

Mulch keeps the soil beneath it from drying out as quickly by providing shade to the soil and protects plants from extreme temperatures (both heat and cold). By preventing moisture fluctuations, mulch not only helps your plants but it also helps the tender roots from being damaged. Weeds have a much harder time germinating when mulch is in place. The other great benefit is when it finally begins to breakdown, it’s actually feeding your roots with good nutrition. You may just find that mulch is your new best garden friend.

If you’ve got a garden question on your mind, send us an email and we’ll put our Texas Pure Products Master Gardeners on the case. Happy Planting!

If you love cucumbers and tomatoes, Chills and Fever Salad should be right up your alley. Our Texas Pure’s Sherrian Jones wows us again with a great summer salad perfect for the family barbecue.  

Is something nibbling at your squash crop or picking at your future pickles? You are not alone. It’s prime time for uninvited garden guests better known as “pests.” According to Texas Pure Products Master Gardener and budding entomologist Sherrian Jones, you should be on high alert for squash bugs and squash vine borers.