Archive for the “fruits and vegetables” Category
I know this might come a little early for many of you out there, but I will start a new “series” here, giving information about saving seeds of different plants.
I guess you all know that it is not much use to save seed from hybrid plants as you never know what you are getting, but even if you planted hybrids, you can still the seeds anyway and see what comes of them next year. Anyway, it is better to buy heirloom seed if you plan on saving seeds.
You will find a list of the plants I mention in this series on the Index page.
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If you are new to the wonderfully healthy and economical past time of gardening, this list might be interesting to you. For all those who have been gardening for ages already, maybe you enjoy checking what this lady thinks is essential, and add what’s missing, from your own experience 
Via: baltimoresun.com
 By Susan Reimer
Use the right tool for the job” was the motto of my father, the woodworking hobbyist.
My mother, however, used the same cast-iron skillet to cook just about every meal.
I am their daughter, the gardener, and I don’t think you can have too many garden tools, even if you find yourself using your garden knife for just about every job.
Since this is the time of year to take stock of garden hardware and draw up a spring shopping list, let me offer my list of essential garden tools.
Every gardener has a trowel and a pair of pruners. What follows are items that make the garden’s toughest jobs easier.
•A garden cart.
•A mulch fork.
•A perennial shovel.
•Gardening knife
•A gardening-gear organizer.
•Garden kneeler.
•Pruner holster.
•Rain barrel.
•Gloves.
•EasyBloom plant sensor.
Explanations and estimated price of all listed items you can find here
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 We finally got our seeds, accompanied by a nice letter from FEDCOs, and what they are telling their customers there did not come as a big surprise to us: Fedco has had record sales this year, an over 40% growth in seed sales, which adds to the 20% growth they saw last year… At a time where good news from any company out there are extremely rare, isn’t is significant which business is prospering in times such as these ?
So we will see a lot more gardens and finally less useless lawn in the neighborhood, it seems.
Good luck with your garden, everyone !
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Via: Seattle Garden & Kitchen Examiner
A prolific garden can save your family a lot of money
 Food prices are continuing to rise while more and more products get recalled. It only makes sense that all of us considering ways to raise some of the food we eat. The more we food we raise, the less we will have to buy.
By growing our own food, we are able to know exactly what was added to the soil unlike store bought fresh produce. By having our own gardens, we also have the satisfaction of providing for ourselves and being part of the solution and, not the problem. Winter is a great time to start planning your vegetable and herb gardens.
We personally, have saved a great deal of money by growing (and preserving) our own fruits, vegetables and herbs. Each year we go over what worked and what didn’t and adjust our garden accordingly. This is an important part of gardening, adjusting and readjusting to make sure you continually get the most out of your garden.
Not all gardens will, or should, be the same. Each gardener needs to take into consideration which fresh (and preserved) fruits and vegetables your family eats most often. This can be done by simply asking questions – does everyone in the house like green beans, do we consume enough salads to make growing our own lettuce worthwhile? Will your kids snack on cherry tomatoes, carrots or fresh berries? How often do we eat peas or potatoes?
Also consider which fresh fruit and vegetables you seem to purchase every trip to the market and if there any items you avoid buying because they are too high priced, even though they can be grown locally? And lastly, do you wish you could treat your family to organically grown vegetables but the price is just too high?
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You might think it’s weird to think about the gardening season now, but it isn’t. Even though your garden patch might be buried in snow right now, depending on where you are, you still need to get off your hindquarters and start planning now.
2009 might very well be the year when, for the first time in a long time, many people will have to rely on their own crops or go hungry, so plan well, and order early, and order heirloom seed that you can save so you won’t have to spend money again next year. When I went through our seed catalogs earlier this week, I noticed just how many crop failures are mentioned, and how much more expensive seed has become compared to last year.
I suggest looking at Fedco’s, or Seed Savers Exchange, to get an idea. Both places let you order online or via snail mail. Fedco’s is a little less pricey, but they have hybrids too, so make sure you don’t get a hybrid accidentally.
In addition, buying a little seed dispenser might help you not to waste seed, and a germination mat, for example Hydrofarm MT10008 Seedling Heat Mat, 20 By 20 Inches , will make sure that the seeds you start indoors will grow nicely even if you start early. Hydrofarm even sells a Hydrofarm CK64050 Germination Station with Heat Mat which gives you the seedling pots and the heat mat all in one go. If you are new to the whole idea of growing your own food and don’t have a basement full of little seedling pots already, this might be the way to go.
If you have difficulties deciding what you want to grow, consider this:
- What do you like to eat ? (Don’t grow what you won’t wish to eat.)
- What will fill your family’s belly well ? (You might like radishes a lot, but they are hardly satisfying if that’s all you have to eat.)
- What stores well ? (What can nourish your family well through the next winter.)
- What can you process ? (Will you can, freeze, dehydrate, or store in a root cellar.)
Tomatoes and peppers are tasty and wonderful additions, but you will want to have beans, potatoes and corn too.
Be wise, and don’t go hungry !
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Via: washingtonpost.com
As gardeners, we are at the forefront of the new Green Revolution.
 Thirty years ago, most home landscaping consisted of lawn, foundation plantings, a few trees, and perhaps a bed for flowers or vegetables. Plants were chosen for their color when flowering and their availability at garden centers. Maintenance included mowing, fertilizing, spraying, pruning and watering.
But we now know that native plants can endure without synthetic chemicals or fertilizer, or much watering or labor, once established. And that insects that depend on native plants are important food for birds.
Knowing this, gardeners can take steps to promote sustainability in their landscapes. It involves how you use your property — everything you own. Here are some key steps that will help you to create a sustainable gardening culture and promote renewable energy:
· Use plants, trees and shrubs that are native to your area. They are already adapted to local growing conditions.
· Keep the soil in good condition with homemade compost and mulch, saving energy by using on-site materials.
· Collect rainwater to irrigate plants and to clean your tools, deck, patio and car.
· Control your use of pesticides and herbicides. Employ natural remedies such as soap sprays and hand-removal of weeds. Use the least toxic methods of control. Encourage beneficial insects such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps. Research the techniques of integrated pest management, use them in your landscape.
· Recycle materials on your property, including compost and masonry. Pots, pans and teapots make great containers for planting. Scrap lumber can have another life as fencing material. Carryout containers are perfect scoops for potting soil and fertilizer and save you a trip to the garden center. Plastic jugs with holes punched in the bottom will water your plants during dry spells.
· Increase food production. Plant more fruits, berries and vegetables so you can eat locally and seasonally, decreasing the need for food to be transported from all over the world. Make your edible plantings as beautiful as flowerbeds by training them on trellises, arbors or other structures. Mix in beneficial flowers, such as marigolds, which are natural insect repellents. Don’t forget herbs.
· Encourage diversity. Install a wide variety of flora that allows plants, birds and insects to cohabitate.
· Use all spaces to install greenery, including patios, porches, balconies and window boxes, to reduce your carbon footprint even further.
· Use less energy. Disturb the land as little as possible. For example, heavy machinery uses fuel. Create berms for sound protection and privacy. Plant swales to reduce rainwater runoff, which can cause water pollution. Use plants to provide shade to reduce cooling costs and windbreaks to reduce heating costs. Make use of muscle power and not horsepower as much as possible. Even small devices, such as hedge trimmers, waste nonrenewable energy.
· Make garden chores more efficient. Take time to compost, mulch, plant and harvest.
· Take responsibility. Educate yourself and others. Investigate community resources, such as community gardens. Evaluate practices used in your garden, and decide whether they are environmentally responsible.
· Evaluate any feature or plant before installing it on your property by asking if it will require a lot of water, fertilizer, pesticide, electricity, gasoline or other fossil fuel. If it does, alter the plan to make it more sustainable and energy-efficient.
Sustainable landscapes are practical. They save energy, money and labor. Creating them may take a little more thought and effort at the beginning, but the end results will better sustain all of us.
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Even if you are not located in Idaho, this might be interesting and informative for you.
Via: U of I Master Gardenerat the Idaho Statesman
Now that the initial shock of “what I didn’t get done this summer” has worn off, it’s time to think about what can be accomplished before the snow flies.
According to the National Climate Data Center, Boise’s average first frost date is Sept. 22.
If you already have an herb garden, watch for the basil to die back. It’s the most frost tender of all herbs and is a signal that nights are getting cold and all other annuals will soon be gone.
If you have perennial herbs in pots that need to be brought inside for the winter, do so soon after the basil dies back.
If you don’t have an herb garden but have been thinking about starting one, first find a suitable space. Most herbs need full sun but will tolerate afternoon shade. That makes the east, northeast or southeast parts of the yard the best areas for an herb garden.
Some herbs are annual, some biannual and some are perennial. Some are grown for their leaves, some for their seeds. A Purdue University Advanced Master Gardener put together a list of herbs and the culture of each one. You can download the list and keep it for future use. Purdue University is in Zone 5, so any herbs that can be grown there can be grown in our Zone 6.
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The canning season has begun, quite obviously… We started this year with hot peppers in oil, about 6 pints of them. We used green chili peppers, Hungarian Wax peppers, and a few Romance and Bell Peppers too. Here is the recipe:
 HOT PEPPERS IN OIL
Mix and boil together:
- 1/2 water and
- 1/2 vinegar
- 1/4 cup salt
As for the amount of water and vinegar, you need enough to cover the amount of peppers you have.
Cut peppers into rings, and it helps a lot to wear gloves when cutting up the hot varieties. Put the pepper rings in a large sauce pan or a Turkey roaster. When the mixture boils, it over the peppers, and let the peppers stand in the liquid for 24 hours.
The next day, drain well, but do not rinse. Put the peppers in canning jars, squeeze surplus liquid out, tamp peppers down and layer with garlic, oregano and basil. Then add oil to rim, and insert a wooden spoon handle between peppers and jar to release trapped air, moving the spoon around the jar. Add more oil if needed. We used olive oil fro one half of our jars and vegetable oil for the other.
The peppers will keep without processing. Enjoy
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We just wanted to share a picture from our garden
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Via: iStockAnalyst .com
Water thoroughly and deeply
Watering can be the biggest task in August particularly if the weather gets hot. Vegetable gardens, most flowering plants and the lawn all need about 1 inch of water every week to keep them green and looking nice. Be sure to water thoroughly and deeply each time. When possible, do your watering in the morning or early afternoon so the soil has a chance to warm up before the cooler evening hours set in. Deep watering will induce the plant’s roots to grow deeper, where they are less likely to dry out. The added benefit is deep roots anchor the plant into the ground better. Light, surface watering actually wastes water, because the water never actually reaches the root zone of the plant, and the moisture rapidly evaporates from the top inch of soil. The best way to tell if your plants are receiving enough water is to take a trowel or shovel and dig down a few inches. The soil should be moist at least 3 or 4 inches deep to ensure that the water is reaching the root zone of the plants. Of course, if you planted drought-resistant plants in your garden, you won’t have to water as often, but the principal of deep watering still applies.
Gathering herbs
As your herbs mature, gather them for drying regularly. Harvesting once per week is ideal. Keep your basil deadheaded. For most herbs, a well-drained soil will give the most flavor and scent. Do you know the difference between a herb and a spice? A herb is from the foliage of a plant, while spices are from the seeds, bark or other parts of a plant; some plants supply both herbs and spices.
Fruit care
Strawberries should be thinned out before fall. Remove all but two or three runners from your main plants for abundant, large fruits. If you have diseases on your fruit trees, get rid of the affected fruit. Don’t let them sit under your tree as sources of infection for next year.
Finding late bloomers
Mid- to late-summer blooming trees can be hard to find if you move beyond crape myrtles. Some shrubby plants work well when pruned into small trees at providing height and later season interest. The old stand-by, PeeGee hydrangea with its large white snowballs makes a showy and distinctive small tree if trained upright when young. Butterfly bush can also be trained to a single trunk and grown as a tree. Look for vigorous-growing larger varieties such as Opera rather than the more compact Nanho forms.
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Via: JS Online
Mix them in with flowers to save space, add texture
When you think of a dramatically colorful garden, vegetables might not enter your mind.
Waves of flowering perennials and annuals create visual excitement in the landscape, but the thought of a tomato plant mixed in with the flowers just doesn’t work. While, indeed, a tomato plant may be a bit too rough around the edges for a flowerbed, many of today’s other vegetable and herb introductions look lovely enough to eat — literally. Their stems, flowers and fruit are equally as showy as any flower you could grow.
Vegetables have, in fact, been grown alongside flowers for centuries.
In sustenance gardens of immigrants and farmers in both the United States and Europe, flowers and vegetables mix and mingle together. Think of farmhouse gardens along country roads. There is often a row of gladiolus, zinnias or marigolds next to beans and corn. Even further back in history, cloistered monks grew flowers with medicinal properties in the same gardens as herbs and vegetables.
The concept is not new, but what is new is a crop of vegetables and herbs that transcend their lowly origins to become works of art.
Along with new vegetable introductions, there seems to be a change in the way Americans garden.
Read On
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Via: Countryside & Small Stock Journal
By Jerri Cook
Countryside Staff
I discovered that drying is a fast, economical and safe way to preserve food. It wasn’t long before dried fruits and vegetables found a place in the pantry. Tucked beside the jars of French-cut green beans and corn were one-gallon plastic bags full of corn, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, strawberries, raspberries, leeks, summer squash, dried beef and fruit leathers galore.
Dried food takes up considerably less space than canned food. It wasn’t long before the number of Mason jars in my pantry waned, and the shelves begin to fill up with bags of dried food. I began seeing less of my pressure canner and leaving the screen door unlatched more often.
Read the whole article here
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Via: Countryside & Small Stock Journal
(…) If you’ve got a garden plot rolling already you’re in good stead. While we normally have a long growing season here in southwest Missouri, we are about a month behind schedule because of the massive flooding and late frosts—but we’ll still give it the old college try.
If you don’t have a garden, help out the folks who do this for a living (CSAs, produce farms, etc.) and buy some of their stuff on bulk sale. You’ll be happy with your bargain and they’ll be happy to sell their perishable stuff while it’s still fresh.
Over the past decade, Jimmie and I at Timberlakes Farm grew veggies to supply upscale restaurants plus our own household’s yearly needs. But, as many of you already know, when that flush of zucchini, other squash, peppers and tomatoes ripens, you’ll feel there’s enough fresh produce to serve the entire armed forces! Most growers, like us, prefer to sell it at a “fresh” bulk-discount price to someone who can take advantage of it and feed a family, than to let it spoil and get dumped onto a compost pile or go to waste.
In either instance, the biggest question that always raises its ugly head is: how much do I have to grow (or purchase) to supply my family’s food needs throughout the year? Since I’ve done this for so long (first to feed me and the two kids [as little tykes] and eventually just the two of us seniors—Jimmie and me), I’ll give you the best average to yield a year’s supply of stocked food for a household of four. (I am saying “average” because of the varying ages, appetites, and menu preferences that come into play.)
Full Article
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Via: Alameda Sun
You don’t need to use toxic products to keep the bugs away from you or your garden. Try these natural remedies for bug problems.
- Beer is delicious for snails and slugs. They drink, they drown, no problem. Place a pie pan or shallow dish of beer out in the garden, under shade (flat, leftover beer is fine for them). At night your slimy friends will come out and drown, but they’ll die happy.
- Eggshells will cure tomato blossom end rot — simply save your eggshells and then crush them gently. Don’t completely pulverize them into powder, but leave them in small shards. That will also dissuade snails and slugs, as well as give needed calcium to your tomatoes.
- Ladybugs are a perfect solution to an aphid problem. Your local nursery (such as Encinal, Thomsen’s or Evergreen) will carry ladybugs. Praying mantises are also great bug-eaters.
- Simple dish soap and water (we prefer basic blue Dawn brand) will also kill off aphids when sprayed on your roses and other plants. Keep a spray bottle handy for aphid emergencies in the garden.
- Consider interplanting marigolds with your tomatoes and squash. The scent of the marigolds will help keep pests away from your veggies.
- The scent of lavender is pleasant to people but mosquitoes don’t like it — they can’t smell us over the scent. So rub your hands over some lavender blossoms or leaves and smooth over your arms, neck and legs. Lavender is also an aromatherapy scent which will help calm you when nervous or sleepless.
- Got yellowjackets? Don’t spray them with poison. They are only doing what nature intended when looking for food. You can distract them with baited traps. No trap? Put a piece of bologna or lunch meat on a string and hang it inside an empty milk jug. Fill the bottom of the jug a few inches with soapy water. The yellowjackets will go for the meat, fall in and drown.
- Don’t have to kill flies, either. You can shoo them toward a door or window and then let them out. Keep doors and windows shut or screened to keep your food and home safe from flies.
- Always let bees outside rather than kill them inside. Leave spiders alone, too, especially in the garden. They kill and eat mosquitoes, flies and other pests.
- Sprinkle salt or diatomaceous earth into your carpets, let it sit overnight, then vacuum in the morning. Say bye-bye to your fleas.
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Via: 9NEWS.com
KUSA – The bugs are back. We worry about most of them far more than we should. In many cases, simple natural remedies are far more effective in controlling them than using chemicals.
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Too many of us freak out at a simple outbreak of aphids or white flies. Don’t resort to pesticides unless it’s a life-or-death situation.
Let’s start with those. Some insects can kill trees; the best example of the worst damage is the pine beetle ravaging Colorado forests. On the plains, tussock moths may attack spruce trees, while borers often target ash trees and lilacs. The plants that are most vulnerable are those already stressed by drought or over-watering. They’re equally bad.
These insects can kill valuable specimens. Your best defense is to care for your trees properly. Use a systemic pesticide as needed. These pesticides are applied at the base of the plant and watered in. The plant absorbs the pesticide through its roots and spreads it throughout the plant. Insects that chew on treated leaves or bark will die. For specifics on your particular plants, check with a nursery professional. Get pro-active if you have plants that are vulnerable.
For everything else you can relax a bit. Nature has a way of correcting itself if left alone. Birds, bats and the “good” bugs such as ladybugs, spiders and predator wasps are on your side. If you reach for chemicals every time you see an aphid on a rose, you’ll upset the balance, killing beneficial insects as well as the harmful ones.
If you want to take a more active approach, use soap. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers regularly tossed their soapy dishwater onto their gardens. I never really wondered about this as a child, helping my grandma dry the dishes, but now it makes perfect sense. Soap kills bugs as effectively as any poison. It softens their hard exoskeletons and they literally melt away.
It’s easy to combat insect problems with soap. Mix about a tablespoon of liquid soap with water in a quart spray bottle. Use an all-natural soap such as Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap. Detergent soaps should be avoided since they may have a photo-toxic reaction on the leaves and burn them.
Spray the undersides of leaves where insects tend to congregate. Lurking there will be aphids, white flies and spider mites. You must hit the insects directly. Several treatments may be required as eggs hatch.
Sometimes you can’t find the culprits that are chewing on your leaves. Leaf cutter bees actually saw off pieces, leaving a scalloped look to rose and redbud leaves in particular. Since they don’t actually chew–just cut–insecticides don’t work to prevent this. Learn to live with it. Leaf cutter bees use the leaves create little beds underground. They are harmless.
Sometimes you’ll see caterpillar damage on some plants. If they’re in the carrot family, such as dill, fennel, Queen Anne’s lace or carrots, leave the caterpillars alone. They’ll soon turn into beautiful yellow swallowtail butterflies. Caterpillars on tomatoes or geraniums aren’t so welcome. You can hand pick and squish them, or employ some children to do it. This was one of my chores as a boy. I became an expert at spotting them.
Before you get out the bug spray, think twice about the implications. I haven’t used sprays for twenty years and my garden is a picture of health. It’s alive with birds, bees, butterflies and bats. Given the chance, your garden will work out its own balanced ecosystem. And if you need to intervene, do it in an environmentally-friendly way.
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