An urban gardener reveals his tips for growing perfectly ripe, tasty tomatoes.
He also recommended a list of beginner-friendly, easy-to-care-for plants.
Urban gardener Pablo Quintero Restrepo reveals the “dubious” tricks he uses to grow “great” tomato plants. Photo by Pablo Quintero
Gardening YouTuber Pablo Quintero Restrepo (@UrbanBackyardGardening) shared his advice in an interview with The US Sun.
Restrepo advised beginners to research the plants they want to grow and then start gardening slowly.
“Start simple. Sometimes you think too much and never get started,” he said.
“Use a small space in your backyard that you can easily prepare. Make it as fertile as possible, plant a seed and watch it grow.
“Once you've grown a few crops (which may or may not be successful), I recommend considering growing other crops.”
Experts turned to YouTube gardening experts for helpful information and gardening ideas.
Addressing gardeners, especially those in urban areas like himself, Restrepo urged beginners to consider growing herbs in pots.
“Personally, I often use rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme and chilli in my cooking and I know a lot of people do the same,” he said.
“Why not keep some herbs on hand and have them ready to go? They're easy to care for and don't take up much space.”
As for saving money on materials and supplies, Restrepo explained that it's easier than you might think.
My deadheading tips are the best way to ensure your garden blooms prolifically this summer, plus some pest control tips.
“The beauty of growing vegetables is that it's all from nature, so if you plan it and have all the systems in place, you'll get most of it for free,” he said.
He revealed that instead of relying on expensive fertilisers, he uses fish bones to nourish his crops.
This trick worked really well for vegetables like tomatoes.
“Once I buried a fish bone in a particular spot in my garden and planted a tomato plant in that spot,” he says.
Gardening mistakes to avoid
Restrepo explained that making mistakes is “part of every gardener's journey,” but some mistakes are easily avoidable.
“One of the most common mistakes beginners make is planting in the wrong season,” he says.
“If you live in an area with seasons, you need to find out what vegetables you can plant in the particular month where you live. If you don't have seasons, you need to find out what you can grow locally.”
“Another common mistake is not providing enough nutrients to the soil,” he added.
“People plant seeds in any soil, hoping that everything will grow well, but unfortunately, after a few months the results are so poor that they become discouraged and don't want to continue growing vegetables.”
“Soil is a living system, and that system needs nutrients. [them] For the plants. If you feed the soil, the soil will feed the plants.”
“The price of fish bones is very low in the market, so the results were exceptionally cheap.”
Skilled gardeners also turned to natural remedies instead of chemical-laden pesticides to keep pests at bay.
One of the homemade recipes was using ingredients that were already in the house.
“One of the most popular recipes is just water, soap, vegetable oil and baking soda,” he said.
Another trick is to create pesticides that are naturally tailored to the crops you are growing.
“You can even create some repellents by extracting certain repellent properties from foods by making a tea and diluting it with water,” he explained.
He buries the fish bones in the soil to use as natural fertilizer. Photo by Pablo Quintero
