GardenSpotlight

Last but not least is the type of soil mix to use and the fertilizer. Many commercially manufactured soil mixes are balanced in texture and nutrients and are satisfactory for most household plants. We manufacture our our soil mix here on the farm for spring planting in the greenhouse with a combination of peat moss, perlite, various essential nutrients and some other ingredients (a secret family recipe my father-in-law made and has tweaked over time). It's also great for use in the flower beds and we make it available for sale here at the farm. There are some specific mixtures for African Violets and the like and also for cacti. A good potting soil is a mixture of textures, or particle sizes and provides good drainage, holding the necessary amount of water in the soil well and also providing anchorage for the plants' roots. Soil pH for most indoor plants should be close to neutral, about 6.7 - 7.5, although there are some plant species that prefer more acidic soil types. You ...

Our family hopes you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I know we certainly ate tons of food! A friend of ours who has a neighboring farm raises turkeys and chicken, along with beef and hogs. He has the best tasting turkeys anywhere! We had dinner at Chuck's parents house, and there were 3 different types of cranberry relish, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts; Chuck & I contributed the brussel sprouts along with a lemon pie and Mom's eggplant salad from the previous recipe. There was also mashed potatoes, stuffing (my favorite), a beautiful dish of butternut squash mixed with cranberries and spinach...so colorful and would make a great side dish for Christmas too. I'll have to get the recipe for you all. Then there were all the desserts! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, the lemon pie, apple pie...I'm stuffed just thinking about it all. Wow! Has it been busy around here. We have a very busy Christmas season here, as our family makes and sells wreaths, g...

Also, the type of water you use to water yor plants may affect their growth. If you have city water, which is typically treated with chemicals, it is best to allow the water to stand for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to diffuse out. Hard water (high mineral content) is not good to use as the minerals from the water are left behind in the soil and over time, upset the root-soil osmotic balance and may become toxoic to the plants. If you see a white crusty buildup on the surface of the soil or on the insides of the pot this is a good indication of mineral salts buildup. Converesely, softened water removes calcuim salts but adds sodium to the soil and can also create problems. Plants may develop symptoms such as leaf browning on the tips or edges of the leaves due to salt/mineral buildup. One good way to avoid these problems is to place a filter on your faucet.

My husband's favorite saying is "Don't kill 'em with kindness!" Sometimes, we are so used to having to water our plants so much during the summer months, that we tend to over-water them indoors, thinking the plants need the same amount of water. The simplest way to tell if your indoor plants need water is to touch the soil in the pot. If the soil is moist, leave it alone. It is usually OK to allow a plant to wilt slightly as most plants recover quickly and suffer no long term effects. Just don't drown them the next time you water them. Over-watering takes oxygen away from the roots of the plant. Oxygen is required for a healthy root system. Constantly wet soil also provides prime opportunity for fungi and bacteria to set up housekeeping and attack plant roots and stems. Many times there is no cure for these problems other than to try to take a cutting of a healthy portion of the plant, try to root it, and start over. Plants in very large containers ...

Gail from Manorville has requested a recipe for Eggplant Salad. There are many different recipes, but coming from an Italian family, I will post our family recipe. It has a complex flavor, but is very simple to prepare. This is perfect timing too because my mom always makes this recipe for our holiday meals...she puts it out with the appetizers and antipasto..mmmm. I actually had to call Mom to make sure I had all the ingredients listed! Left out the onions...thanks Mom! :-) Mom's Eggplant Salad 1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped or diced (note: I never salt and drain my eggplant; in our family, if the eggplant didn't have "bite" to it, then it wasn't eggplant. Feel free to do as you wish) Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 stalks celery - chopped 1 small - medium onion - sliced thin 2 cloves garlic -chopped (the original recipe does not call for garlic....but I put it in just about everything except desserts) 1 TBSP capers 2 TBSP sugar (or to taste) 1 -6 oz ...

OK. Today we will cover indoor temperatures, air circulation and humidity. It is important to keep in mind that indoor temperatures vary from season to season and that the temperature just inside a window may be quite different from that of the rest of the room. For example, during the winter, when the outside air is freezing, the temperature of the inside air near the window may also drop considerably, causing the plants that are kept there to suffer cold damage. Therefore, leave only hardy plants near the windows and move the others. Conversely, high window temperatures may also be a problem. South facing windows in summer and late afternoon sun in a westerly facing window, even in the winter, may cause excessively high temperatures. As for air circulation, drafts that occur due to the mixing of cold and warm air temperatures increase what is called transpiration , or the evaporation of water from the surface of the plant. Combined with chilling, this can be very detrimenta...

Winter container gardening can be a fun and rewarding experience, extending your enjoyment of plants beyond the summer growing season. There are many types of houseplants to choose from that are very well suited to indoor landscaping and you may also choose to grow some herbs in your home so that you are in supply of fresh seasonings for your culinary needs. When choosing plants for your home, you must keep in mind several factors which will influence your decision on which types of plants to choose, and ultimately, your plants' growth. These factors are lighting, temperature, air circulation, water and humidity. Let's begin with lighting. Natural light intensity will vary quite a bit indoors, depending on whether your home's windows face North, South, East or West. Light intensity will also vary based on the number of cloudy days; coastal climates such as the Northeast have a higher number of cloudy days in the winter than, say, the Midwest. Other factors that caus...

As I was cooking supper this evening, I got to thinking about winter vegetable storage. I had prepared an oven roasted winter vegetable mix...Yumm! I'll give you the recipe later. For now, if you are storing root vegetables or tubers (ie, potatoes, carrots) use the following recommendations: wash and gently scrub the vegetables and store them either in perforated plastic bags or a plastic container or pail. They should be kept at 31-33 degrees F with high humidity. Check the moisture content weekly and adjust the lid accordingly. You don't want them to dry out, nor do you want to see water droplets on them. If stacking layers of vegetables in the pail or container, stack each layer in the opposite direction to maximize air circulation. Cabbages: Store similar fashion as root vegetables. Just keep them cold. If they freeze slightly, they should still be OK. Just let them thaw out for a couple of days before using. They should be fine. Storing Onions: Onions and shallots can b...

Now on to Autumn....Did you know that some annual plantings, if planted in a warmer area, such as close to the foundation of your house, may come back the following spring? This may be the case with some plants such as licorice and vinca vine in the Northeast. Others, such as Cleomes, may re-seed in your garden, and in other areas around your house depending on where the wind has carried the seed. Perennial plantings may need to be mulched over the winter season to protect them from extreme cold. Use a good mulch as you would in the spring, or even use the boughs from your Christmas tree after Christmas is over. What a great way to re-cycle nature's bounty! Here is a link to the USDA Hardiness Planting Map: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html

Hi there! Welcome to our blog. As you may know, we started this blog in an effort to help others with their gardening questions. Yes, it's Autumn here in New York, but as a grower and seller of bedding plants and vegetable transplants, we wanted to start off with one of the most frequently asked questions; "When is the best time to plant?" Here in the Northeast, we tend to get frost as late as the 2nd or 3rd week of May. If you must plant before then, we suggest cold tolerant plants, such as pansies and cobbity daisies. We start selling those types of plants as early as mid-April. Want to know a great farmer's tip?  Keep an eye on when you have fog in your area in the month of February. Why, that sounds strange, you may say! This really has worked for us...mark those foggy days down on your calendar. Typically the last day you have fog in February, say it's the 18th, will usually be the last chance of frost in May, (May 18th). Of course, you'll still want to p...