GARDEN MEDIA GROUP HIRES NYC FASHION PR PROFESSIONAL

For years, one of our goals here at Garden Media Group has been to make gardening en vogue. We've gotten out clients in hip media like In-Style, Elle Decor and Apartment Therapy.

Today we are excited to let you in on our latest development to help take our clients and gardening to the next level.

We have expanded by strategically hiring New York City PR fashionista Katie Dubow, who most recently was marketing manager of Monet jewelry, a division of Liz Claiborne in Manhattan, where she was a member of the Liz Social Media Council.

And secondly, we’re adding a typical Gen X consumer who will guide our seasoned PR staff to better understand, tap into and converse with this growing consumer segment. She is our "new consumer". She and her husband are “apartment gardeners” and enjoy growing herbs, vegetables and flowers in containers on their “front steps”.

Katie has contacts with style influencers at People Magazine, O Magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, Real Simple, and Lucky, to name just a few, and has interfaced with several New York fashion PR firms.

Prior to joining the Liz Claiborne organization, she worked at CBS Television in New York and The Boston Celtics organization in Boston. Katie has her degree in communications from Northeastern University, where she was a member of its Division I Crew Team. She is an avid runner, traveler and reader.

With her New York public relations experience, energy and youthfulness, Katie is ready to help grow our clients, gardening and our famous GMG Garden Trends Report© to new heights in 2012.

Suzi
Garden Media Group

Stamp out ugly, nasty stink bugs!

Stink Bugs. Those ugly, nasty, prehistoric-looking, shield shape insects that look like they should have a starring role in a SciFi movie of Stink Bug Zombies are creating havoc on crops and home landscapes and gardens.

They first appeared in Allentown, PA in 1998 (from Asia) and are reported in 33 states and spreading from coast-to-coast. Those of you in the "Red Zone" states: PA, DE, NJ, MD, VA and W.VA can look for the RESCUE! Stink Bug Traps in independent garden centers and major retail stores. To find a retailer near you, just click on RESCUE'S store finder:

To make matters worse, stink bugs are professional hitchhikers. So, it's only a matter of time before they come to an area near you. Eek!

Now, many of you may be saying to yourself: "Hey, I don't see any of these garden wreckers in my home - so where are they?"

They're in fields, yards and gardens, eating your plants and mating. The adult female lays eggs in masses generally on the underside of leaves, that hatch into nymphs. These baby eating machines don't have wings yet- and have only one focus: Eat plants.

And get this: Depending on the climate, warm spring and summer conditions can allow for up to two-three generations or more. The population can explode exponentially.

What is the food du jour these disgusting insects prefer? Um... everything from edible shrubs and trees to veggies and fruit. Got tomatoes? Stink Bugs love 'em. Peppers, apples, peaches, pears, plums, berries, corn.. you get the picture.

Don't have a veggie garden or fruit trees and berry bushes? 'Stinky' is opportunistic and will go for your foliage -and even your beloved roses.

So, how do we stop these disgusting invaders? Homemade traps are iffy and pesticides can be toxic to the environment, pets and kids!

This may sound corny... but I have to say it... finally, there's a new all-natural trap in town that's been been tested and trialed at the USDA's Beltsville, MD facility - and it works. Yay! It's called the RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap from Sterling International that's the first and only serious solution for this wretched infestation.

Gardeners will love it because it works and controls stink bugs in the most environmentally responsible, effective and low-maintenance way possible.

The trap works outdoors to catch the adult and ravenous young stink bugs, naturally. It uses a patent-pending technology that slowly releases a pheromone that's odorless to humans but powerful enough to lure stink bugs from up to 30 feet.

Tomorrow's blog will be on proper RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap placement for success and much more. Meanwhile, send us photos of your stink bug "invasion" and your gardens. Good luck!

~Lynne GMG

Stink bug photo credit: Wikipedia
photo of RESCUE! Stink Bug Trap: Sterling International

Tips on growing grafted tomatoes

My 'Big Beef ' SuperNaturals Mighty 'Matoes are being tested in my garden and so far, doing well - even in this blistering heat.

If you were one of the lucky ones to get your hands on a Mighty 'Mato, here are some tips from the co-developer, John Bagnasco, of Garden Life, that should help you grow the perfect grafted tomatoes.

Avoid over-fertilizing your Mighty 'Mato. Just feed it as you would a regular tomato.

Mighty 'Mato is happiest planted in the ground, but if you need or prefer containers, use at least a 15 gallon size or a half wine barrel.

Pruning is also crucial to contain and direct the plant's energy to fruit production. For all grafted tomatoes, remove suckers (side shoots) that form below the graft.

Improve air circulation by removing all branches and suckers from the bottom 10 or 12 inches of the stem. If plants are getting too dense and bushy, you can remove a branch of foliage here and there to encourage air circulation.

Bagnasco says that his favorite way to grow a grafted tomato is to prune it to two laterals (the main stem plus the side shoot or sucker just below the first fruit cluster) which are then trained up a trellis into a V shape.

Throughout the summer, continue to pinch off the suckers that appear on both the leaders.

Wanna' talk about trellis making? Ha! That's next time! By the way, the image is what we can expect to see from Mighty 'Mato. Can't wait! Happy gardening!

~Lynne, GMG

Hot Tomatoes!

Yay!! We received our test samples of the new grafted SuperNaturals Mighty 'Mato tomatoes last week.

GardenLife sent us one 'Big Beef' (non-grafted) and one of the new grafted 'Big Beef ' Mighty 'Matoes. And I can't wait to "test" and see how they compare. Yum.

Some are available in two different varieties on one plant!

The above image shows a side-by-side of 'Big Beef ' on the left and Mighty 'Mato 'Big Beef ' on the right. Wow. And the image below is an example of red and yellow pear tomatoes from the same Mighty 'Mato plant.

Best of all, they're pest and disease resistant and have a greater tolerance to environmental stresses like excessive heat - (good news around our neck of the woods, lately!)

This year they were in limited supply and are sold online at GardenLife but check with them to see if they may still have some available through this week, only. No promises, but worth the look-see!

Currently, for all you lucky people living on the West Coast, you can find SuperNaturals Mighty 'Matoes at garden centers. Next year you'll find them at retailers nationwide and have the happy decision of heirloom or hybrid.

BTW, for those with small spaces, one plant is all you need. You'll get bigger, better and double the amount of tomatoes per plant!

I'm going to keep track of mine (and our other test plants) and post images from time-to-time throughout the summer...that is, if I don't eat all of them first! Maybe I should have a "tomato stand" in my front yard...hmm.
~Lynne
GMG