Price Check!

Sheesh.

I just bought some groceries and K-roger and I was suprised by their cost, especially since these were all things I have grown (or attempted to grow) in my garden this summer. I will be doing another price check during the spring and summer next year to see how the prices compare.

acorn squash 1.60

beets (3) 2.79

bell pepper 1.69

cucumber 1.00

spinach 3.99

arugula 3.99

sweet potatoes (2) 2.58

Potato Tower Yield LOW!

How many potatoes do you count in this photo? If you counted 12, you are correct.

12 potatoes is the yield I got from my potato tower!!!!

Sadly, this is not a joke, nor a humble underestimate of my success. I pulled up my tower today giddy with anticipation. As the dirt escaped from the bottom, I envisioned pounds and pounds of potatoes covering my feet. I kept thinking, any moment now...any moment now..

...but that moment never came! IT NEVER CAME!

I was actually so sure of my future success that over the past few weeks I have been researching potato storage methods, new recipes, etc. Why did I do this? Because I knew that no ordinary human could actually consume the number of potatoes I created.

All of this mental anguish...not necessary. The potato tower gave me 12 potatoes. SO why did the tower not live up to its promise? 100 pounds of potatoes in 4 square feet? Ha! My plants were vigorous all summer. I didn't water then very often because it didn't need it. The soil I added was compost, peat moss, and potting mix. I had to constantly keep adding more dirt and boards to the potato tower. The plants died at the end of the season as normal. I did wait a while to harvest, but I don't think that caused any problems. So I have no solutions. I don't know what went wrong. The only thing I can think of is that there were not enough flowers or flowering action going on.

I just don't know!

Cooler days perfect for planting garlic

Sunday, October 26, 2008 * By Nancy O’Donnell * Albany Times Union

Not quite ready to throw in the gardening towel for the season?

Try your hand at growing garlic. The optimum time to plant garlic is just around the corner, so there's still time to get prepared.

To grow your own, plant anytime from mid-October up until about five weeks before the ground freezes. Planting within the next few weeks takes advantage of the cooler soil and air temperatures, which are a catalyst for root development.

Once the ground freezes, the bulb will go dormant until spring, securely anchored in the soil throughout the winter. Come spring, the roots will be in place, ready and waiting to absorb nutrients and begin the growing season.

Begin preparing your soil by incorporating lots of organic matter -- compost, grass clippings and shredded leaves -- into the garden.

Garlic loves organically rich soil with excellent drainage. Provide full sun and a pH around 6.5 to 7.

When you buy garlic, it comes as a complete bulb. Separate it into individual cloves. Make a furrow about 2 inches deep, then plant cloves pointed end up and at least 6 to 8 inches apart.

Once covered, tamp and keep watered well until the ground freezes. Apply a 2-inch layer of mulch and leave until you harvest it next summer.

Crazy Veggies

I had posted an interesting image about a square watermelon when I was first getting going with this blog. I always thought it would be an interesting project, and then I found some other weird/crazy ideas from looking at my RSS feeds.

This from the website and blog, Mental Floss.

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/19030

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/11618

Who I accessed through Neatorama. http://www.neatorama.com/

Thanks for putting out the neat ideas!

Heirloom Tomatoes

Aren’t these tomatoes beautiful? They are from the garden in NY. I often hear gardeners speak about heirlooms, I wanted to know more about what this term means. Here is a summary of what I found on Wikipedia:

This definition is highly debated, but it can be broken down into two main schools of thought:
1. To be an heirloom, the seeds must be a certain age (over 100 years old, 50 years, or around 1945 which marks the beginning of industrial agriculture and hybrid seeds.)
2. A true heirloom is a cultivar that has been nurtured, selected, and handed down from one family member to another for many generations. This also includes cultivars that were picked up by companies.

However, regardless of definition specifics, most agree that heirlooms must be open pollinated (pollinated by bees, animals, wind) using natural breeding practices, which means no GMOs can ever be considered an heirloom.

(Note: In this photo, you can find Green Zebras which seem to have a little controversy around them as well. According to some sources, they are not considered heirlooms.)

Got Mildew? Get Milk!

My wonderful neighbor, Stephanie, just sent me this article and link because I am having horrible powdery mildew problems with my zuchinni & yellow & acorn squash. It seems to reek havoc on the plants: it turns the leaves yellow, creates disgusting spots, zaps the plant's productivity, and withers any growing veggies. Not good times.

Gardeners are supposed to mound the soil for their squash plants to avoid this, but I wonder about how sun factors into all of this. I have also noticed that my squash plant that is in an area with less sun, but plenty of room, no irrigation, and a bit of insulation from the fence does not have this issue at all.

As a first resort, I have been cutting off the worst of the leaves, and surprisingly, new leaves and veggies have started to grow! I suspect that the mildew will continue to spread regardless of this small triumph, and I am only getting my hopes up for nothing. We will see.

So here is another method you can try: MILK!

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/tv-mildew.html

Got Mildew? Get Milk!
By: Arzeena Hamir

Less than 3 years ago, researchers in South America discovered a new alternative to controlling powdery mildew. Wagner Bettiol, a scientist from Brazil, found that weekly sprays of milk controlled powdery mildew in zucchini just as effectively as synthetic fungicides such as fenarimol or benomyl. Not only was milk found to be effective at controlling the disease, it also acted as a foliar fertilizer, boosting the plant's immune system.

Powdery mildew in the cucurbit family is caused by the organism Sphaerotheca fuliginea. It is a serious disease that occurs worldwide. For decades, organic gardeners had to rely on making a spray from baking soda to control the disease. Now, instead of measuring out the baking soda and combining it with a surfactant (a "sticking" substance) of either oil or soap, gardeners need only head for their refrigerators.In his experiments with zucchini plants, Bettiol found that a weekly spray of milk at a concentration of at least 10% (1 part milk to 9 parts water) significantly reduced the severity of powdery mildew infection on the plants by 90%. While some gardeners may be tempted to increase the concentration of milk for more control, Bettiol found that once concentrations rose above 30%, an innoccuous fungus began to grow on the plants.

How does milk control powdery mildew?

Scientist aren't 100% sure how milk works to control this disease. It seems that milk is a natural germicide. In addition, it contains several naturally occurring salts and amino acids that are taken up by the plant. From previous experiments using sodium bicarbonate, potassium phosphate, and other salts, researchers have found that the disease is sensitive to these salts. It is possible then, that milk boosts the plant's immune system to prevent the disease.

Milk used around the world

The benefits of using milk to control powdery mildew haven't been isolated to Brazil. Melon growers in New Zealand are saving thousands of dollars every year by spraying their crops with milk instead of synthetic fungicides. The melon growers in New Zealand have been so successful that the wine industry is taking notice and beginning experiments using milk to control powdery mildew in grapes.

What kind of milk should be used?

In Bettiol's original experiment, fresh milk was used, straight from the cow. However, this is obviously not feasible to most home gardeners. The research work in New Zealand actually found that using skim milk was just as effective. Not only was it cheaper, but the fact that the milk had no fat content meant that there was less chance of any odours.

Wagner Bettiol's original article was published in the journal Crop Science (Vol. 18, 1999, pp. 489-92). It can be found on-line at: http://147.46.94.112/journal/sej/full/c12_199908_180801.pdf

The Author© Copyright Arzeena HamirArzeena is an agronomist and garden writer with Organic Living Newsletter. Subscribe to this free e-newsletter at http://www.tvorganics.com/

Potato Tower Update

Here is the updated tower. As I said in the other post, I have not been able to add the higher levels fast enough, so the plants are drooping down and will be difficult to avoid breaking when I add the additional boards. This is my lessoned learned: stay one step ahead of the tower! The plants seem to grow (no joke) about six inches a day.

By the way, this is the product of only two small seed potatoes!

Nutritious Notes about Zucchini

I am getting a ton of zucchini right now in my garden. Here is some information for you:

Zucchini is low in calories, easily digested and high in vitamin A, potassium and iron. It is an excellent addition to a regular diet and beneficial for those taking medication for high blood pressure as it helps replace lost minerals. Even the blossoms may be eaten during the growing season, excellent in salads.

How to Harvest, Use and Store
Zucchini is best used fresh, as refrigeration reduces flavor. Although zucchini can grow to spectacular sizes the larger the fruit the less flavor. Zucchini skins become thick and tough and the meat spongy and tasteless with large seeds. Unless your end goal is buffet boats or edible veggie bowls it is best to pick them when they are 6 to 10 inches long, softball size for the eight ball variety. The very young fruits are picked with the blossoms still attached as fingerlings and are prized by gourmet gardeners.


Zucchini is one of the most versatile vegetables in the culinary arts. It can be used raw, steamed, grilled, fried, baked, stuffed, sautéed, pickled or preserved. It is easy to prepare , no peeling required, and can be frozen after minimal preparation for winter use.

(From The Fruit and Vegetable Stand by Barry Ballister, the Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., 2002--via the weblink: http://gocfa.org/gardens/2007-08-Newsletter.pdf)

potato power tower

The potato power tower is in full swing. (see previous posting for details)

I finally used some of my grass, leaves, starbucks coffee grounds, and kitchen scrap compost for the base layer, and the plants have gone insane. I can barely keep up with them by adding more wood sides and soil.

I was actually extremely surprised on how well the location worked for the potatos-west side of my house that only gets about 2-3 hours of sunlight. Gardening is just one big experiment.

I have yet to collect any potatoes, but I will let you know!

Millersport Corn Festival August 27-30th

When I was a little girl our family went to this festival every year. There is nothing better than sweet Ohio corn, salted and covered in butter. There's more than corn! Parades, beautiful Corn Queens, tractor pulls and I am intrigued by this one..."Outhouse Pulls", yikes! Check out their site and put it on your calendar. This would be a great festival to support our local farmers and have a fine time while you do it. I seem to forget about it every year---so this summer I am determined to not miss it!

www.sweetcornfest.com

Reduce, Reuse, and Grow

Used cardboard coffee (and other) containers are a free source of seedling cups. You're saving a few cups from landfills (they can be composted after they eventually become nice and soggy) and make fun gifts. Who wouldn't smile getting a seedling gift in a Ben & Jerry's ice ceram container?

I work with a small group of people and already have dozens of cups saved. Imagine if you work in a large office building...

Which 2 vegetables are Perennials?

Rhubarb!
Asparagus!

grow potatoes!

My friend Elaine and I were talking about growing potatoes and I did a little research:

The potatoes are planted inside the box, the first row of boards is installed and the dirt or mulch can now be added to cover the seed potatoes. As the plant grows, more boards and dirt will be added.

You can grow 100 pounds of potatoes in 4 square feet. All it takes is some lumber, seed potatoes and careful attention to watering.

"A lot of people think you plant a potato and that the new ones grow below it, but that's not so," Lutovsky said. "Potatoes grow between the seed piece and the above-ground plant."

Potato pointers/here are some growing tips from Greg Lutovsky:

• Cut apart larger seed potatoes, making sure there are at least two eyes in each piece you plant.
• Dust the cut pieces with fir dust, which seals the open ends from bacteria.
• Fertilize with 10-20-20 fertilizer at planting and a couple of times during the season.
• Water so that the plants are kept at an even level of moisture.
• Don't plant in the same area in consecutive years or use the same soil to fill your potato box, as potatoes can attract various diseases.
• When the plant blossoms, it starts setting potatoes in this added soil. Soon after that, you can start removing the bottom boards from your box and "robbing" the plant, reaching in carefully and pulling out new potatoes.
• Unless you steal all of them during the growing season, in the fall you should end up with a box of spuds — as much as 100 pounds
• Watering at an even rate is especially important when growing potatoes in a box since they will dry out faster in the container than in the ground.
• Don't drown and then let the potatoes dry out. Repeating that cycle throughout the year is a guarantee that you'll grow knobby, scabby potatoes
• Your full potato crop is ready to be harvested when frost kills the tops. Or, in the absence of frost, you can cut off the tops yourself, wait 10 days to two weeks for the skins to firm up and then take your box apart completely, sorting the potatoes from the soil.

Hmmm?

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/05/make_a_square_watermelon.html

Plan A Veggie Garden

I will definitely use this next year!

http://www.chestnut-sw.com/growform.htm

Here is what a query for today's to-do list resulted in (it was in a handy table format, but I can't copy and paste into this!?):

Spring GrowGuide
Your Last Spring Frost Date: May 15
Your First Fall Frost Date: November 16? (I just guessed-does anyone know this for sure?)
Tasks calculated for week of April 24, 2008 (3 weeks before last spring frost)

sow indoors:
cucumbers, leaf lettuce, melons, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash

sow outdoors:
beets, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, swiss chard, turnips