GardenSpotlight

  Unfortunately for many of us, winter is coming.   However, that doesn’t mean you have to harvest every single item out of your garden and worry about it spoiling before you can eat it all.   For those of you that have grown root vegetables, you can easily store your bounty in a root cellar.   What’s that, you don’t have a root cellar you say?   Fear not.   You can build your own outdoors, right in your garden if you like! I have researched several different types of root storage spaces and actually, there are many of them.   I tend to like one in particular as it seems a sure fire way to keep out rodents as well as water.   You will need to first know the amount of vegetables you will be storing as this will determine the amount of storage space you will need.   Find a location that is slightly uphill if you have one.   This will help water to drain away from your storage area.   You will need a clean garbage can with a lid, fr...

When I was a little girl, my mother kept a terrarium in our home.   It always intrigued me; seeing plants growing inside a glass tea kettle was really cool.   It was like a miniature rainforest!   Terrariums are a great way for those of us who are busy to have lush plants in our homes without having to remember to care for them so often.   As the plants in the terrarium transpire, the moisture collects on the sides of the terrarium (condensation) and flows back down to the soil. A terrarium is basically any enclosed or partially enclosed clear container which houses its own micro-ecosystem of plants, and sometimes animals too, such as small lizards or turtles.   For our purposes here, I will focus on plant terrariums.   You can use any clear container of plastic or glass, such as an aquarium or fish bowl, a hurricane jar, bottles or glassware.   Be creative and look around your home before you spend money.   Chances are you’ll find something. ...

There are many different methods for preserving fruits and vegetables.   As your gardens overflow and you wonder if you can eat all the bountiful harvest, home food preservation is a great way to capture it all for use later in the season.   It is also a fun activity for the entire family and everyone will be proud of their accomplishments!   There have been many methods used for preserving food over the years.    Many older methods have since been deemed to be unsafe and now, only several methods are recognized as safe.   They are the boiling water method, the pressure method, freezing and dehydrating.   The boiling water method is used to process high-acid foods at a temperature of 212 ° F for the period of time specified by the recipe used.   This method is used to destroy molds, yeasts, and certain bacteria as well as to de-activate enzymes which could spoil the food.   The boiling water method should not be used to process low acid fo...

Okra is a wonderful vegetable...now that I know how to cook it properly! :-)  My first experience with okra was as a college student...my roommate and I went grocery shopping.  Being one who likes to try new things, I purchased some frozen okra and followed the label directions, which stated it should be boiled.  I was astonished to find the okra inedible due to the severe ....sliminess...of the vegetable.  Yuck!  I vowed never again to eat it.  However, things change over the years and now that we grow it on the farm....lots of it....I have tried it in new recipes and now I absolutely love it! Okra has many nutritional benefits, including cleansing the body of toxins!  It is the mucilage in the okra that can be slimy, but this is the substance that cleanses the body, as well as acting as a thickening agent in soups and stews like gumbo and succotash.  The mucilage also binds cholesterol and the fiber in okra helps to regulate blood sugar levels....

Organic food.   When you hear those words, what do you think?   Do you think it must be good for you? Do you think it is good because it's free of chemicals and toxins?   I am not opposed to organic food.   What does trouble me is the fact that most people, not all, who seek out "organic" food think that all conventionally grown food is bad for you.   I believe this is because media and marketing have created many misconceptions.   Everyone loves to hear that “all natural” is good and that chemicals and synthetic compounds are bad. My goal with this article is to educate consumers, not to knock organic farming.   To evoke thought and make your own informed choices. Years ago, we were happy to have food, whether it had lumps and bumps or somehow was otherwise misshapen, it didn’t matter.   We still ate it and it was good.   These days, agriculture has had to conform to consumer desires.   Produce has to look perfect when displayed for s...

Because of the wet season we have had earlier this season, your vegetable gardens have been susceptible to many diseases for which you should be aware of.   Be on the lookout for the following: Septoria, early blight and late blight, which affect solanaceous plants such as tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes; Powdery and Downy Mildew, which affects vine crops such as cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash, winter squashes, pumpkins, etc., Alternaria and Downy Mildew (different species of mildew than the first) which affects cole crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and kale.   Septoria is a fungus which causes leaf spot on tomatoes (most commonly) but can also affect eggplant and potatoes.   It is found all over the world where tomatoes are grown and can occur at any stage of plant development.   The disease can occur on the stems and undersides of older leaves on plants ready to set fruit or can also occur on young seedlings.   The sy...

I thought it would be a good idea to go over some basic plant maintenance for this issue, being that many of you have your plants already planted and are in the process of maintaining them.   Fear not, if you haven’t planted yet, you still can.   It’s not too late and many growers still have great plants to choose from.   It’s sale time too….we don’t want to maintain spring plants in the greenhouses any longer than we have to and many growers are looking to get rid of them as quickly as possible. I cannot stress enough….and my husband tells me to mention it in every article….plants need to be fed on a regular basis for best performance in your gardens and pots.   There are many people that still do not realize that very important but simple concept.   Plants need their nutrients just like people do, especially if they are expending all that energy flowering or producing a quality crop to harvest.   I have mentioned before, during the heat of the summer,...

Good drainage is essential to planting a successful garden or landscape.   Plants’ roots (and this goes for ALL plants) need oxygen.   If plants are kept in an area that is continuously wet, the roots will be starved for oxygen and the plant(s) will eventually die.   There are many different ways to improve the drainage around your yard and gardens. If you have potted plants or container gardens, make sure you have several drainage holes in the bottom of your pots.   If you have ceramic pots, adding gravel or styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of the pot prior to adding planting mix will also help.   Prior to planting your garden, you should till the soil well.   This will loosen the soil and break up any large clods.   The soil will be better able to drain this way than if it were left hard and compacted.     Rototilling in between the rows of an already established garden not only removes weeds, but also increases drainage and encourage...

There seems to be confusion at times among some gardeners as to the definition of perennials and annuals.   For those of you that this applies to, this posting is for you! J The definition of “perennial,” simply put, is a plant that continues to grow in your garden year after year.   The simple definition of an “annual,” is a plant that needs to be planted each year.    Perennial plants can be perennial in some areas and also annual in other areas.   To know if a plant will be perennial in your area, you need to know what hardiness zone you live in. The USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map helps us determine which zone we are in.   This hardiness map is based on winter temperatures and each zone has a span of ten degrees.   The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map was first introduced in 1960 with the last revision in 1990.    This map divides the U.S. and Canada into eleven separate zones.    The temperatures for each zone are based on ...

Adding organic matter can be the best thing you can do for your garden soil.   It is the only amendment that affects both fertility and texture of the soil.   Organic matter is simply dead or decaying animal or plant material;   i.e.   animal manure, green manure such as a cover crop planted specifically for tilling into the soil, or garden compost such as grass clippings, leaves and kitchen scraps.   Organic matter provides nutrients for your soil and also provides beneficial microbes, which help make the nutrients readily available for your plants as well as helping to keep disease from your soil.   It is usually best to allow organic matter to decay for a period of time.   If using manure, allow it to decay until it turns dark brown in color and has no odor.   Nutrients found in manure are generally readily available, but if overused, can provide excessive amounts of some nutrients.   A good example of this would be ammonia.   Exce...

Last time we talked about starting your spring plants indoors. If it’s too much for you to consider, or you just don’t have the room, you can always visit your favorite local garden center to purchase plants for your garden in the spring. You should keep in mind a few points while making your choices. Look for local growers as their plants will adapt more readily to your garden since they are grown here. There are many retailers who bring plants in for sale from out of the area, usually from areas where they have longer, earlier grower seasons. Because diseases and insects have specific life cycles, and because the growing season begins earlier in these other locations than here in the North, there is the strong possibility that plants from these regions can transport diseases and/or insects into the Northern zones, before their natural cycle would normally begin in our area. Such was the case with Late Blight just a short time ago in 2009. Late blight is a fungus of which mainly tom...

Soil fertility is a key component in growing healthy plants.   There are many different factors which affect soil fertility and as a result, the soil makeup is constantly changing.    There are at least 16 nutrients which are necessary for plants to grow and complete their life cycles.   Of those 16, non-mineral elements are used in the largest amounts and are found in air and water.   Those non-minerals are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.     Plants rely on the sun’s energy to convert carbon dioxide (carbon and oxygen) and water (hydrogen and oxygen) into food.   This process is known as photosynthesis.    The rest of the elements (minerals) are known as macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients and can be either found in the soil or added as fertilizer or lime.   The 3 primary macro-nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K).    These are most commonly supplied as fertilizers and come in different ratios to ac...

Did you know that purchasing your food locally has many benefits, not only to you, but to your community as well?   Here is a short list of the benefits of buying food directly from the farmer: 1.        Produce and other products are much more fresh and nutritious because they have been recently harvested, usually within 24 hours. 2.        It strengthens your local economy. 3.        It benefits the farming family. 4.        It helps provide food to underserved communities. 5.        You learn about how and where your food is raised by getting to know the farmers. That being said, there are many ways you can purchase local food fresh.   One is by going directly to the farm.   The majority of farms in this county are family owned and operated and the growing trend for smaller farms is marketing directly to the consumer, ...

Many diseases of plants can be kept at bay with good cultural practices.   Keeping plants healthy actually begins with choosing the right plants for your location.   It also includes proper watering and nutrition and cleaning of plant material and the surrounding areas. When choosing plants for your garden, what type of lighting conditions prevail where you are planting?   Is it shady all day or is it sunny?   Perhaps the area only gets sun in the morning or afternoon for part of the day.   This affects not only the types of plants that will perform well in those conditions, but also how much watering you’ll need to do during the season.   If the area remains wet all the time, it will predispose the plants and soil to disease.   So for a shady garden, you will not need to water as frequently as you would for a sunny location.   It is also important to water in the morning, or at least well enough in advance so that the plants are not wet at nigh...

Last time we talked about starting your spring plants indoors.   If it’s too much for you to consider, or you just don’t have the room, you can always visit your favorite local garden center to purchase plants for your garden in the spring.     You should keep in mind a few points while making your choices. Look for local growers as their plants will adapt more readily to your garden since they are grown here.      There are many retailers who bring plants in for sale from out of the area, usually from areas where they have longer, earlier grower seasons.   Because diseases and insects have specific life cycles, and because the growing season begins earlier in these other locations than here in the North, there is the strong possibility that plants from these regions can transport diseases and/or insects into the Northern zones, before their natural cycle would normally begin in our area.   Such was the case with Late Blight just a short time ag...

OK…we’re getting a break in the weather finally and starting to see some warmer temperatures than we’ve had all winter. This makes most of us itch for spring so we can get out in the garden. There are many seeds that you can start indoors and then transplant outside when the air and soil temperatures are warmer and there is no longer the threat of frost. Start by gathering some seed catalogs or look online to get some ideas for your area. Germination rates, seedling growth, transplant dates and time to maturity or flower vary by the plant. Check the descriptions in the catalogs or on the seed packets to see how soon you’ll need to start the seeds indoors before they are of sufficient size to plant outdoors in warmer weather. You’ll need the proper growing materials as well. Seedlings are very delicate; you should purchase sterile planting medium, such as a seed starter mix or compressed pellets that expand when watered. If using last year’s containers, they should be sterilized. You...

Many times I am asked how to rid gardens of pests of the four-legged variety. This can prove to be a very challenging task and I like to recommend that gardeners contact their local Cooperative Extension office once other methods have failed. I have done some research and offer you the following tips for keeping pests out of your garden. It is important to remember here that it is best to combine different strategies with stubborn pests and to rotate them so that the animals in question do not get used to any one particular defense. The first is repellent that can be sprayed. You will likely find several types at your local garden center or hardware store. Be sure to read labels carefully so you are purchasing the correct product for your needs and applying it properly. Many repellents will need to be reapplied after a soaking rain or if, during the growing season, the plants have outgrown the efficacy of the product. You can also use sound deterrents, such as ultrasonic or sonic de...

Late blight is a fungus of which mainly tomatoes and potatoes are susceptible. It can also affect other vegetation within the same family (Solanaceae). Late blight was a factor in the Irish Potato famine of the 1850’s. Late blight is produced from a pathogen that is known to survive from one season to the next in infected potato tubers. This pathogen produces such a great number of spores that they can then be carried via the wind to both neighboring gardens and farms and also many miles away. Late blight can only survive on live tissue, therefore it is important to be careful that you plant only healthy transplants or certified potato seed to lessen the chance of infection. If you have a small amount of plants and they become infected, it is necessary to destroy the plants by cutting them off and immediately bagging and disposing of them. If you have a large amount of infected plants, then either thoroughly till them under or cut them off and bury them to avoid having them produce l...