Authors in Bloom Blog Hop!

Welcome to the 5th Annual Authors in Bloom Blog Hop! This is the place where authors and bloggers share their favorite gardening tips and fresh recipes AND offer a host of fantastic giveaways! For my stop on the hop, I’m going to share with you the secret to growing AWESOME tomatoes!

Dianne Venetta_AIB Logo_2015Everyone knows plants like worm poop. (At least my readers do!) But did you know they also like stuff that kids need, like calcium and potassium? It’s true, and the reason we drink milk and eat bananas. Because they’re good for us.

Does that mean we should feed our plants milk and bananas? Kinda…but not exactly. It’s best to compost your bananas and peels before adding them to the garden as a nutritional source, because they’ll break down along with your other kitchen scraps and make for a great addition to your garden soil. And rather than putting milk in your garden, how about crushing those eggshells you cracked for breakfast? Did you know that crumbled eggshells are a great source of calcium? Planted in the dirt around your tomato plants, they will help prevent blossom-end rot disease. You know, those ugly black spots that can form on your tomatoes as they ripen?

school tomatoes

It’s due to a lack of calcium in your tomato plant’s diet. So don’t let this happen to you–bury those eggshells around your tomato plants! Better yet, combine them with a sprinkle of Epsom salts for the best effect. Wunderbar!! You can even start your seeds in your eggshells. How cool is that?

IMG_6916

Way cool. And a really fun way to grow tomato sprouts. AND, you simply plant the entire shell and sprout in the ground when you’re ready! It’s one of my favorite ways to plant tomato sprouts. How about you? Any tips to share?

Now for my giveaway… As part of the hop I’m giving away a Burt’s Bees Baby basket and $10 Amazon gift card. Basket includes shampoo & wash, buttermilk lotion, dusting powder, diaper ointment and apricot oil, plus a cute baby comb. I love Burt’s Bees products and know you’ll enjoy this basket, even if you’re not a baby! Except for the ointment–that’s totally for babies.

AIB giveaway

And it’s easy to enter. Simply leave a comment, visit my facebook page, tweet a message or all of the above.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now get gardening and get hopping… You have a ton more sites to visit!

25 responses to “Authors in Bloom Blog Hop!

  1. I think my favorite veggie has to be the cucumber. i’ve had great success growing them and they always say “summer” to me. cchant86 @ yahoo.com

  2. Throuthehaze

    My favorite veggie is broccoli.

  3. Amber Ag

    my favorite veggie is broccoli.
    I have no tips sadly, but i love the egg shell idea. I knew plants needed food, but not any of the natural ways to feed them.
    I love Burt’s Bees! thank you 🙂

    kissedbymidnight AT gmail.com

  4. zANA712

    favorite Veggie: spinach

  5. Anne

    I love tomatoes.

    acm05atjuno.com

  6. Joy I

    I love vegetables. I guess my favorite IS CORN FIXED ALL DIFFERENT WAYS

  7. Savannah Miller

    This may be silly, but pickles and I am sitting here trying to figure out if they are really a veggie lol!!
    i COULD EAT THEM WITH ALMOST ANY MEAL, WHEN i WAS PREGNANT WITH MY LITTLE GUYS THEY WERE MY TOP CRAVING

  8. Darla

    I guess spinach.

  9. Jen B

    I love mushrooms.

  10. Alisha Sienkiel

    My favorite VEGETABLE is Zucchini!

  11. Linda Trinklein

    I would have to say I love a lot, but zuchine is my favorite one! thanks for the great post and chance to win!

  12. bn100

    squash

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

  13. Tia

    I love veggies. One of my favorites is cauliflower

  14. Michele Hayes

    I’d have to say my favorite vegetable is a ripe, fresh tomato.
    (mybeach52 at yahoo dot com)

  15. Jeanna Massman

    I love carrots and radishes fresh from the garden. jeanna_massman at hotmail dot .com

  16. My favorite has to be our tomatoes – we turn them into sauce and salsa, and last year I dehydrated the over abundance of cherry tomatoes I had and have been enjoying them all winter long on our homemade pizza!

  17. My favorite veggie has always been carrots.

  18. Trix

    I like eggplant…

  19. Deborah

    It’s hard for me to pick just one favorite veggie, but my current favorite is probably bok choy.

    Wow, what a great idea for starting seeds! Lots of egg shells here!

    Thank you so much for this Blooming hop! I am finding some great new blogs! (new to me)

  20. ELF

    Corn and mushrooms! Thanks for the tips, and sorry, can’t seem to turn off caps! Elewkf1 at yahoo.com

  21. I am addicted to okra. I LOVE IT ABOVE JEWELS AND GOLD–WELL, MAYBE NOT JEWELS. OR GOLD. BUT i LOVE IT PRETTY MUCH.
    @SorchiaDubois
    Sorchia’s Universe
    SORCHIADUBOIS@HUGHES.NET

  22. amy bowens

    MY favorite veggie is probably green Beans. Thanks for the tips with the tomatoes. I will give them a try. amybowens34(at)yahoo(dot)com

  23. BookAttict

    My favorite veggie is spinach.
    Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth(at)bookattict(dot)com

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