Gardening is a hand-me-down kind of pursuit, isn't it? People share plants, and also knowledge, and in this issue of the newsletter I'm passing along the wisdom of a couple of expert friends: on beating tomato diseases, and on a charming little "common" spring perennial that isn't common enough in our gardens.

rediscover primula veris, the common cowslip

A chat with an old friend sent me searching deep in one overgrown border last month here for my forgotten plants of Primula veris -- the common cowslip -- which isn't so common in nurseries after all, my friend was saying. I promptly moved the big clumps, still vigorous despite having found themselves swamped lately, from back-of-bed obscurity to front-and-center, and have enjoyed weeks of cheery bloom. A closer look at the common cowslip.

I have always caged my tomatoes, but many experts agree that staking -- and regularly pruning and tying the staked plants -- is the most space-efficient and hygienic tactic of all, helping manage the potential for disease while yielding plenty of fruit. With tomato-transplant time just ahead here, I've been studying up with experts like Tom Stearns (that's his High Mowing Organic Seeds tomato trial field, above) on how to stake and prune tomatoes, and other tips for producing a healthy, bountiful crop.