Learning To Use Your My Garden Post

Dear Jane in Florida,

Thanks for your recent call and comments. I’m glad I was able to help you out with your questions and the problem you experienced with the post coupler. After giving it some thought, it seemed a good idea to share some of what we talked about with my followers. Your experiences and questions are not entirely unique and I’m sure some will benefit from the advice I gave you.

I have experienced the same difficulty you did in getting the coupler to side into the lower post section. It happened only once in the many I’ve assembled and one other customer reported the same. The coupler is designed to be a nice tight fit, but it should slide in without fuss. As I told you, I don’t have an explanation why it happens and fortunately it does seem to be a rare event. I’m glad my suggestion to apply dish soap or a lubricant to the coupler worked for you. Most important, the coupler does have to be perfectly lined up with post for it to slide in.

You are obviously having great luck with the tomatoes you’ve germinated. For a first-timer, you’ve done very well. At 12” they are ready to be transplanted. Unfortunately you discarded the seed pack and don’t remember the named variety. You likely have a variety that will be too large for the planters on My Garden Post and they’ll be happier planted in your small garden patch. The good news is you still have plenty of time to germinate a couple varieties that I recommend for MGP, the “Tiny Tim” and “Bushsteak”. This second crop will be ready to harvest when the plants you now have stop producing.

It’s always a good idea to support your local garden center for seeds and gardening supplies, but seed and transplants for the “Tiny Tim” and “Bush Steak” tomatoes are not always available. They are readily available at a couple sources I use. Online you’ll find the “Tiny Tim” at the HudsonValley Seed Library, and the “Bush Steak” at Burpee Seeds. Both are excellent seed companies and deliver within a few days after your order is placed. Their websites also offer a wealth of gardening information.

The “Tiny Tim” was developed to grow in containers and fits perfectly in one of the 8” planters on My Garden Post. It produces a great number of cherry sized fruit on a plant that grows about 12-16” tall and the same width. The seeds will germinate in 5-7 days and produce fruit 45 days after you transplant them into the planter. The “BushSteak” is one of the best staked tomatoes. It’s a stalky plant that produces an exceptional number of good sized fruit with wonderful taste. I’ve grown it in the two large planters for the past three summers and found it to be the perfect tomato for MGP.

Thank you for this lovely picture. While most owners of My Garden Post grow vegetables and herbs, you are obviously getting great enjoyment with these beautiful annual flowers. Gardening is all about experimentation and enjoyment of the results. Please keep me informed of progress with your peppers and tomatoes.

I love your pool,

Oliver