Monthly Archives: February 2011

During the winter, the trees are stripped bare, the wind seems harsher, and the grass is withered brown. The lively days of summer seem hard to recollect. Why is it that our memory always fails to fully paint the landscape so green, the birds so boisterous, or the ponds so blue when the world lies dormant before us? I guess we tend to get used to the way things are and wind up forgetting what things were like before. That's why the changing of seasons is such a miraculous thing, for we change along with it – a new perspective practically knocking at the door. Creating a keepsake of all these changes around us is something every person, especially gardeners, should try. The best part about it is, it's so easy. Simply photograph it!

There are so many things a gardener has to carry with him to the garden throughout the season – a spade, a watering can, a rake, seeds, trellises, buckets, and don't forget a hat! However, there's one more tool for harvesting you must not forget. It's your camera!

In a garden, your options are limitless. Just think what you can capture. With just a bit of preparation, you could document your plant's entire life cycle, photographing it from seedling to final maturity. Any problems such as a disease or pest could be recorded in a flash and used in researching a remedy. The best zucchini crop you've ever grown could always be remembered. Those helpful insects that make frequent visits to your flowers could create a stunning photo to submit in a contest. And don't forget to photograph the best scenes of all – of your family in the garden. There's nothing sweeter to remember than your child playing beneath the sunflowers or your husband's grin over a juicy slice of watermelon. Don't miss out on such memories by forgetting your camera.

Create a garden that's not only wonderful to spend time in, but also one worth looking back on. Sow seeds which will grow the most beautiful blend of colors. Vibrant plants such as Basil, Rat's Tail Radishes, Potatoes, Marigolds, and Okra speak for themselves.    Study the countless shades of green around you. Bet you would lose count of the different types. Establish a warm haven you'll love to hate to leave. A stone pathway alongside your herbs will add a quaint atmosphere. If you have the room, a bench is another beautiful addition. Put it right in the middle of your garden's glory and you won't regret it. Together, your garden and your photos will certainly shine. We each have different perspectives and different sources of interest. Find your own and reap a tremendous keepsake for years to come.

Andrew, Carissa, and I absolutely love to take pictures. We have images of almost everything under the sun. Whenever we're fighting “spring fever”, we turn to them. That's another reason we're so delighted to share our photos through our website, Facebook, and Flickr. We hope our customers enjoy seeing ours as much as we enjoy seeing theirs. Our site would certainly be missing a lot without the great contributions of other such enthusiastic gardening photographers. Why not become one yourself?

As your next garden sprouts this year, don't just focus on what you'll be eating. Remember there's another kind of harvest ripe for the taking. Before you step out into this green world, just don't forget to take extra batteries!

Everyone who has ever planted a garden has had to deal with pest problems at one time or another.  (If you haven't, what is your secret?)

The first and most important thing to consider is your soil.  Soil that has been built up with rich compost and manure is the best method to assist with pest problems.  By improving the quality of your soil, you can produce healthy, vigorous plants with real resistance to pests.  Plants that are strong, healthy and resistant will do much better, even if your soil is not built up like you would like it to be yet.  Gardening is all about a “work in progress”.  So if you are still building up that soil, at the very least, plant those vegetables that will give you a head start towards pest resistance.

Following are a some suggestions to help you to organically control pests.  Hope they help!

1.Annually rotate your crops, keep the weeds down, and plant crops that are suitable for your area.

2.Daily check your plants.  Be sure to inspect the underside of leaves and around the base of the plants for problems.  Do your plants look stunted or wilted?  Are branches dying?  Are the leaves curled or blackened?  Do the leaves have spots and have they been chewed on?  These are all signs of pests or disease and early detection will be extremely beneficial.

3.Use cardboard collars around seedlings to prevent cutworms from destroying your transplants. Toilet paper/paper towel cardboard rolls work great.  Press it down into the soil about an inch with two inches protruding above the soil.

4.Pick off and dispose of damaged plant parts during your daily checkups.

5.Blasting aphids and other small insects with a stream of water has proven effective.

6.Simply hand pick insects off the leaves and drop them into a bucket or jar of soapy water.  This is still the most proven and effective method.

7.Encourage the “beneficial” insects by planting flowers such as marigolds, daisies, nasturtiums, and asters.  Mint, dill, fennel, and parsley are also good choices.

8.Consider companion planting.  Inter-cropping with tomatoes, rosemary, sage or peppermint will help repel the cabbage butterfly.  Bush and potatoes planted together protect each other from the Colorado potato beetle and the Mexican bean beetle. Another plant that fights pest problems is the Castor Bean. Grow this plant in your garden to repel both moles and mosquitoes.

9.Heavy mulch is effective in reducing injury to your plants caused by nematodes.

10.Consider mixing about a cup each of wood ashes and lime in two gallons of water and spray on both the upper and underside of leaves to repel cucumber beetles.

11.Try this homemade spray to fight insects:  Make a concentrate solution by mixing 1 cup of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap.  When you are ready to spray on your garden, dilute 2 teaspoons of concentrate with 1 cup of water.  Put it in a hand sprayer and apply to your infested plants.  Be sure to spray both the top and undersides of the leaves.

12.Use floating row covers and prevent pests from ever reaching your crops.

13.If you are having trouble with slugs or snails, try trapping these pests in a container filled with stale beer.  Snuggle it down in the soil, so the slugs will crawl into the container and drown.  I tried this last year for my strawberries and it worked well.  Scattering a band of wood ashes around plants also discourages them as well.  Start saving those ashes from your wood stove now, so you will have them when you need them this summer.

14.Paper discs around the base of tomato plants will help protect them from insects.

15. Circles or squares cut out from tar paper or foam rubber will protect your cabbage-family plants from the dreaded cabbage maggots.  Simply make a slit to the center of the circle and slide it around your seedling stems.

As you can see, the list could go on and on.  These are just a few things to try.  Before you reach for that bottle of commercial insecticide, seriously consider the natural benefits of dealing with your insect problem organically.

For more ideas, check out our online planting guides under Resources for more specific problems and solutions.  Next time, we will see what we can do for those disease problems.

If you have any “tried and true” methods of insect control that you would like to share, please let us know.  Let's help each other keep this “work in progress” going!

How many of you have discovered the pleasure of growing beautiful beets in your garden?  For many years, this was a veggie that I thought I could live without.  Then just a couple years ago, we tried growing some in our garden.  Wow!  They were much better than I had ever remembered.  Now this is a vegetable I plan to always have in my garden.

The beet (Beta vulgaris) is a biennial native to Europe and North Africa.  People have  been growing beets as a vegetable since the third century A.D., and even before that for medicinal purposes.  The Romans used beetroot as a treatment for fever and constipation.  From the Middle Ages, beetroot was especially used for any ailments relating to the blood or digestion.  Beets also have the added benefits in the fact that they are simple to grow and the whole plant can be eaten.

Edible parts are the storage roots and leaves.  The roots can be cooked, stored for later use, canned, or pickled.  The leaves can be cooked like spinach or just eaten raw in salads.  Beet juice has also become a popular health food.  And it is one of the sweetest of vegetables.  Either way, both roots and leaves contain Vitamins A, B, and C, calcium, iron and protein.

So are you ready to plant? First prepare the soil by working in rotted manure or compost.  Rake to remove any rocks.  Beets do not grow well in acidic soil, so make sure the pH level is anywhere from 6.O to 7.  Beets do best in cooler weather.  Hot weather will cause the roots to become tough and stringy.  Sow in your garden 3 to 4 weeks before your last frost date.  Plant seeds 1/2” deep and then seedlings should later be thinned to about 4” when they reach about 6” tall.

Side-dress with a fertilizer such as cottonseed meal and mulch heavily with straw, lawn clippings, or sawdust to retain moisture and keep the weeds under control.  Moisture is very important, so water regularly, making sure water penetrates deep into your soil.

Another benefit of beets is that they suffer from very few pests.  And that's always good news!  However, if you live in a warm area, you may have trouble with tiny, yellow leaf miners.  So prevent this by covering plants with cheesecloth, floating row covers, or some other fine netting.  This will protect them from the adult flies.

Now comes the best part.  You can harvest your beets when they reach 1 1/2” - 2” in diameter.  When root tops begin to push up through the ground, carefully remove soil from around the top to check for size.  Remember, beets will become more stringy and woody if left in the ground to grow larger.  Pull beets up – do not dig and leave about an inch of stem on the beet to prevent “bleeding” when cooked. A few that are known to do well all over the country are the Detroit Dark Red and the Early Wonder.

Once yielded, beets store well in a cool, dark cellar.  You might even consider burying them in moist sand or peat moss to retain their crispness.

If you're looking for a good easy recipe, try this one:

ORANGED GLAZED BEETS
2 cups fresh sliced beets
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ Cup orange marmalade

Peel beets; slice or cube. Cook, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water until tender (about 20 minutes). In a small skillet, melt butter or margarine over medium-low heat; stir in orange marmalade until combined. Add drained cooked beets; cook and stir until beets are glazed and heated through. Makes 4 servings.

This season, plant these easy-growing beets in your garden and enjoy!

Times have changed. I grew up on a dairy farm where hard work was just a way of life for us. Go back even a generation before that and look how children during the 40s and 50s grew up. It is not the same today.

How can we instill the importance of gardening in our children? After all, they are the ones we are saving that seed for, are they not? Despite the hard work, we must teach them how growing your own food can also bring you great joy. They must learn that it is a privilege, not a chore.

In reviewing this month's book, I discovered some excellent ideas! Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots, written by Sharon Lovejoy, is filled with ways for you and your children or grandchildren to use and learn to garden together. It includes several “theme garden” options to teach and inspire your children not just about gardening, but also about the world around them. There are complete instructions and advice on how to plant and care for each garden. Lots of extra tips and tidbits are included.

My favorite was the “Living Hideaways”, such as the Sunflower House. What a great place for children to have a tea party, read, have a picnic, or just daydream. Imagine this “living classroom” with growing vines and flowers for walls. Not to mention all the little creatures they will attract. Don't be surprised if you find yourself drawn out there from time to time.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots will certainly teach your children to look at plants in a different way. You too will look at your garden through fresh eyes, I guarantee it. Open up the garden to your kiddies and they'll find a bright and beautiful world at their feet.

How I wish my three children were young again!