Cynthia Mase: I grow mine from seed and prefer Baker Creek Seeds. My favorites include:

• Evil Olive

• Apricot Zebra

• Pink Tiger

• Tomato Vintage Wine

• Alice’s Dream

• Sart Roloise

• Queen of the Night

• Tlacolula Pink

• Gezahnte

• Red Rosso Sicilian

• Pink Jazz

Libby Doheny - My favorites are:

• Black Cherry

• Chocolate Sprinkles

• Sun Sugar 

• All cherry tomatoes

• For salads: Pigle Willie

• For Caprese: Buffalo Sun

• For sandwiches: Carmello

I always plant basil with each tomato. It is a natural companions plants. I love Natsuzumi cucumbers, too.

Store pruning shears in a bucket of sand. It keeps them clean and rust free because sand wicks moisture.

Always disinfect shears with rubbing alcohol or white vinegar between uses to avoid disease transmission among plants followed by wiping them with WD40 to prevent sap build up and to make regular sharpening easier.

To sharpen your shears use fine sandpaper, aluminum foil, or if very dull a ceramic stone sharpener. With sandpaper, fold a piece in half gritty side outward. Make a few cuts in the paper, get a new piece of sandpaper and repeat.

Never prune pine trees in the summer. Always prune when they are dormant between December and April so they will not drip sap on your hardscape or patio furniture and so they will not attract beetles — because beetles are not active during that time. Always prune oak trees during their dormant season, June to September. It is best during the hottest days of summer to avoid attracting fungus. Azalea, viburnum and some hydrangea bloom on old wood so always prune them right after their bloom time in the spring. Before you prune be sure to research if the shrub blooms on old wood or new wood.

Going organic but still want to kill weeds in the driveway cracks, gravel, or along a flagstone pathway? Mix 1 cup of salt, 1 tablespoon of dish soap, and 1 gallon of white vinegar. Spray the weeds with this mixture. You will see the top growth die quickly. If the roots persist, douse them with boiling water.

Give your roses a boost with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). These chemicals are beneficial to plants because they promote chlorophyll production and photosynthesis. Epsom salts enhance the effectiveness of your fertilizer and your plants’ ability to uptake nutrients. Mix 2 tablespoons of Epsom salts per gallon of water and apply around the drip line of the plant. You can add Epsom salts every 2 weeks or as needed.