My Garden – Rookie Mistakes in Your Garden?

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Your best friend

Even if your vegetable garden is the envy of neighbors, it’s still easy to make rookie mistakes that waste precious resources, your time, effort and growing time.

1. Unwise watering. Too much, too little, too hard, too soft they’re all watering mistakes that will wreck your garden. Before adding water, poke a finger a couple of inches into the soil. If it’s moist, save the water don’t water your plants. If it’s dry, gently at the base of plants. Better yet, wind a drip hose ($13 for 50 feet) through your garden; that way, you will deliver moisture to the roots without wasting water on leaves and to evaporation.

2. Forgetting to test. Even veteran gardeners forget to test their soil every year to make sure it has the pH and nutrients plants need. For about $10, you can send a sample to your state extension service and receive a complete analysis. Or, buy a DIY test kit at your local garden center. When you know what your soil is made of, either select plants that thrive in that type of earth, or amend soil to match your garden’s needs.

3. Planting garden divas. Of course you love summer tomatoes, but they can be tricky to grow during summers that are too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry. So newbies should try growing a couple of tomato plants just for fun, then load gardens with foolproof veggies and herbs, such as beans, peppers, oregano, and parsley. If you must grow a tomato, plant cherry tomatoes that can survive anything summer can throw at them and even yield fruit into fall.

4. Planting too much. One cherry tomato plant can yield 80 fruit, and a single zucchini plant can keep your neighbors in zucchini bread through winter. So don’t plant more than you can eat, put up, or share with friends. The National Gardening Association says an edible garden of about 200 sq. ft. should keep a family of four in veggies all summer. If you do grow more than you need, can and freeze excess and donate it to a local food bank or plan a swap with fellow gardeners.

5. Growing everything from seed. Some crops, such as salad greens, radishes, carrots, peas, beans, and squash, are easy to grow from seeds that germinate in a couple of weeks. Experience will tell you that eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes are better grown from seedlings, which someone else has nurtured for months. Pick plants that are short and compact. Avoid leggy plants with blooms that are liable to die on the vine as the plant acclimates itself to your garden.

6. Assuming you know. Gardeners often read seed packages and figure they know everything about growing vegetables. Wrong! The more you know about your hardiness zone, soil, weather, insects, and vegetable varieties, the better your garden will grow. So curl up with a good gardening book, and surf the web for garden bloggers that share your passion.

7. Relying on pesticides. Don’t bring out the big guns, which can contaminate the watershed, until you’ve tried less toxic ways to get rid of garden pests. Ladybugs and praying mantis, which you can buy at garden supply stores, will eat garden intruders, such as aphids and beetles. Non toxic insecticidal soaps will take care of soft-bodied insects (don’t use if ladybugs are around).

Heirloom Tomato Salad

1lb. mixed fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2cup thinly sliced red onions
1/4cup ATHENOS Crumbled Feta Cheese with Basil & Tomato
1/4cup KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing
2Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

COMBINE ingredients.
Hint Use a variety of different colored and shaped tomatoes when making this seasonal salad. Just chop, quarter or halve the tomatoes depending on their size.

Salad can be made ahead of time. Prepare as directed, but do not add cheese. Refrigerate up to 8 hours. Toss with cheese just before serving.

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Peppers, Basil, Earthworms And (Yuk) Slugs

Source Earthworms ‘protect against slugs’ This wormy news was taken from a BBC report. I really don’t have any real details on what kind of worm(s) work best nor how many worms are necessary to achieve effective slug control. But if you have a slug problem this is worth looking into. Adding more worms to your garden can only be a good benefit to your garden plot.

Earthworms are the secret saviors of the garden, according to new research showing how they can offer protection against slugs. Hidden from view below ground, the humble worms seem to be able to stop slugs eating leaves. Scientists think they boost plants’ resistance to slugs by increasing their uptake of nitrogen.

In tests, the presence of earthworms in the ground reduced the number of leaves damaged by slugs by 60 per cent. Increasing plant diversity also kept the slugs at bay, but to a lesser extent.

Austrian expert Dr Johann Zaller, from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, said: “Our results suggest that two processes might be going on. Firstly, earthworms improved the plant’s ability to protect itself against slugs perhaps through the build up of nitrogen containing toxic compounds.
Secondly, even though these slugs are generalists they prefer widely available food, and in high diverse ecosystems slugs eat less in total because they have to switch their diets more often since plants of the same species are less available. The research is reported in the online journal BMC Ecology

Spanish slugs, Arion vulgaris, were then introduced and allowed to roam freely. The slug, which grows to a length of 6 incges(15cm), is one of the 100 most destructive invasive species in Europe and considered a major pest. Slugs damaged 60 per cent less leaves when earthworms were present, regardless of the species composition of the plant communities. Per cent leaf area consumed by slugs was 40 per cent lower in communities containing 12 plant species. Scientists said “Grasses were generally avoided by the slugs.”

Source Love thy neighbor Grow bigger and better peppers by planting Basil near your pepper plants.
The presence of basil positively enhanced germination rates of chilli seeds, validating the claims of many gardeners who recognize the beneficial effect of basil on the growth of chilli plants.

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Super Foods For Your Health – Super Charge Your Diet

Source 37 Superfoods To Start Eating Today

Superfoods are a group of natural, nutrient-dense whole foods that truly are nature’s medicine cabinet. You won’t find these foods created in a processing plant. You probably won’t see them advertised on sexy television commercials either. But if you start to include these foods in your diet, it’s likely you’ll experience improved health and wellness, from the inside-out.

1. Apples. Apples are packed with antioxidants and fiber, so they make a filling and sweet snack.

2. Blueberries. Possibly the smallest superfood on our list, blueberries pack a punch. They’re high in potassium, vitamin C, and healthy antioxidants that can lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and inflammation.

3. Apricots. Rich in fiber, iron and copper, apricots pack a whole lot of nutrition into each bite. Apricots have also been shown to improve indigestion, earaches, and certain skin diseases.

4. Artichokes. This low calorie vegetable is naturally rich with fiber, vitamins C and K, folate, magnesium and potassium. Artichoke is also versatile and can be prepared in a variety of ways. No matter how you eat them, be sure to eat the leaves and not just the heart!

5. Olive Oil. Our friends in the Mediterranean do it right; olive oil has been proven to improve heart health due to its high content of monosaturated fats. Olive oil is also an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial

6. Beets. Beets are loaded with fiber, potassium, and folate, and are free of saturated fats and cholesterol. Researchers believe the red pigment in beets – betacyanin – may protect cells against cancer.

7. Cabbage. Just one serving of cabbage contains 15% of your daily fiber, along with vitamins A, C, and K. Eating cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer.

8. Tomatoes. Tomatoes are high in antioxidants and can reduce risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, as well as minimize UV damage.

9. Bananas. At just 110 calories per serving, bananas are a great way to get in some potassium and vitamin B-6.

10. Carrots. Carrots are filled with beta-carotene which can improve eyesight and slow down aging cell growth.

11. Dark Chocolate. Dark chocolate is full of compound flavanols, which are a type of antioxidant that decreases inflammation, lowers blood sugar, and improves both positive and negative cholesterol levels. Just make sure you eat it dark, not the candy-coated chocolate found in most supermarkets or snack-shops.

12. Beans. Beans are a low-cost high-impact food that are high in protein and fiber and low in fat. .

13. Mangos. Nicknamed the “King of Fruit, eating mangos can improve your eyesight, skin, memory, digestion, and sex drive.

14. Sardines. They may not look appealing, but sardines can help prevent cancer, improve your bone health, and act as an anti-inflammatory.

15. Mushrooms. Mushrooms can help us be healthier, fitter, happier, and live longer. So go make friends with your favorite fungi

16. Pomegranates. A symbol of fertility and health, the pomegranate is great tasting fruit that’s an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, and can also help you lose fat.

17. Avocado. Avocados are packed with over 25 essential nutrients: vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, as well as lots of fiber, protein, and healthy fats.

18. Coffee. Benefits of coffee include reduced risk for heart disease, dementia, and skin cancer. It has even been proven to lessen symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

19. Oranges. Eating oranges can help with arthritis, prevent kidney stones, and with ample amounts of calcium, contributes to healthy bones and teeth.

20. Broccoli. Mustard oils found in broccoli have been shown to fight the most malignant cancer stem cells. It’s also high in fiber and phytonutrients.

21. Honey. Honey’s antibacterial properties help guard against bacterial viruses like E. Coli and salmonella.

22. Oats are extremely high in insoluble fiber, and are a good source of low-glycemic complex carbohydrates.

23. Kale. Kale is packed with vitamins A, C, and K, not to mention fiber and calcium.

24. Brussel Sprouts. Brussel sprouts may not have been your favorite food growing up, but there’s a reason your mother made you eat them. These small vegetables can improve your digestion, lower cholesterol, and protect your DNA..

25. Figs. In only one half a cup of dried figs there are 7.3g of both soluble and insoluble fiber. This makes figs the perfect superfood for slowing digestion and keeping you full longer.

26. Bok Choy. This extremely nutritious cruciferous vegetable provides plenty of calcium and potassium, along with carotenoids (such as beta-carotene), which may improve eye health.

27. Pumpkin. More than just a Halloween decoration, pumpkins are a low calorie food with lots of vitamin A and fiber.

28. Oysters. Oysters are a low density, high energy food and a good source of lean protein.

29. Brown Rice. This high-fiber food has a lower glycemic index than white rice, so it will keep you full for longer without causing a dramatic increase in your blood sugar levels.

30. Edamame. These beans include all nine amino acids, as well as lots of vitamins and minerals that improve immune health and battle disease.

31. Salmon. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein, selenium, and vitamin D, making this superfood a must have if you’re interested in protecting your heart’s health and improving your metabolism.

32. Spinach. Spinach is densely packed with nutrients, and although one cup can hold your entire daily dose of vitamins K and A, its only about 40 calories! Spinach can also be paired with most foods on this list in order to really reach maximum nutrient intake.

33. Garlic. From cancer prevention to heart health to immune system boosting, you can thank allicin (the active ingredient in garlic) for these benefits.

34. Tea. Tea has less caffeine than coffee but still performs as an agent against cancers, heart disease and clogged arteries.

35. Ginger. Ginger has long been used for curing ills of all kinds, from minor stomach pains to arthritis, and even migraines.

36. Turkey. Your favorite Thanksgiving meal is a low fat source of protein with vitamins B3 and B6, as well as selenium, which promotes thyroid health.

37. Walnuts. Walnuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, and are loaded with monosaturated fats, which can improve your heart health.

Start eating foods that are good for your health.

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Cantaloupe Or Muskmelon? Both Are Delicious And Easy To Grow.

Cantaloupe and Muskmelon are can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 11. They prefer Full Sun exposure, a somewhat Sandy soil that is slightly Acidic to Neutral.

What we gardeners commonly refer to as ‘cantaloupe’ is actually (most likely) not a true cantaloupe, rather, it’s a type of muskmelon. (True cantaloupe has a rough, warty rind and is not widely grown or commercially available in the US.) Also known as Rockmelon in some parts of Australia and I don’t know why. Muskmelons are a heat loving fruit with a long growing season. Their cultural and growing requirements are very similar to other melons like watermelons. They have a net like, tan rind, and sweet orange flesh. The names muskmelon and cantaloupe are often used interchangeably by home gardeners. I will use the name cantaloupe when writing about Muskmelons and Cantaloupe.

Cantaloupe likes loamy, well-drained soil. Handle them gently when you transplant. Add lots of compost to the area before planting and after planting. Mulching with black plastic will serve multiple purposes. It will warm the soil, hinder weed growth and keep developing fruits clean.

Fertilize when vines start growing. While cantaloupe vines are growing, blooming, and setting fruit, they need 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Water in the morning, and try to avoid wetting the leaves. Reduce watering once fruit are growing. Dry weather produces the sweetest melon.

Once fruit begins to grow, prune end buds off vines. Your plants may produce fewer melons, but they will be larger and of better quality. Vines produce male and female flowers separately on the same plant. They often begin producing male flowers several weeks before the females appear. Don’t give up or become discouraged when the first blooms do not produce fruit. Blossoms require pollination to set fruit, so be Bee friendly. Use no insecticides that will harm bees!

When cantaloupe rinds begin to change from green to tan or yellow, the melon is probably ripe, but be careful not to pick too early. Look for a crack in the stem where it attaches to the fruit. This is a sign of ripeness. The fruit should be easy to separate from the vine, but if they fall off by themselves they are usually overripe. Harvest melons when vines are dry, and be careful not to damage them. They will soften after harvesting, but will not continue to sweeten off the vine.
Cantaloupe can be stored uncut for 5 or 6 days. If cut, they can last in the refrigerator for about 3 days, wrapped tightly in plastic.

Some of the varieties recommended by home gardeners are.
* Hale’s Best Jumbo – 80-90 days to maturity. Produces 3-pound, aromatic melons.
* Minnesota Midget – 70-80 days. Early variety suited for Northern gardens. Produces smallish 1-pound, sweet flavored melons.
* Bush Star – 90 days to maturity. Bush variety suits gardeners with limited space.
* Ambrosia – 85 days to maturity. One of the sweetest varieties.

* Source Heirloom Organics – How to Grow Cantaloupe A Guide to Growing Cantaloupe
* Source Backyard vegetable gardening – Growing Cantaloupe

Saving Seed from the Garden Not every plant’s seeds are worth keeping. Hybrid plants are developed by crossing specific parent plants. Hybrids are wonderful plants but the seed is often sterile or does not reproduce true to the parent plant.
Choose disease free plants with qualities you desire. Look for the most flavorful vegetables or beautiful flowers. Consider size, harvest time and other characteristics.

Always harvest only mature seed. For example, cucumber seeds at the eating stage are not ripe and will not germinate if saved. You must allow the fruit and seed to fully mature. Because seed set reduces the vigor of the plant and discourages further fruit production, wait until near the end of the season to save fruit for seed.

Seed contained in fleshy fruits like cantaloupe should be cleaned using the wet method. Tomatoes, melons, squash, cucumber and roses are prepared this way. Scoop the seed masses out of the fruit or lightly crush fruits. Put the seed mass and a small amount of warm water in a bucket or jar. Let the mix ferment for two to four days. Stir daily. The fermentation process kills viruses and separates the good seed from the bad seed and fruit pulp. After two to four days, the good viable seeds will sink to the bottom of the container while the pulp and bad seed float. Pour off the pulp, water, bad seed and mold. Spread the good seed on a screen or paper towel to dry.

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Beet’s (Beetroot) 101 – Growing, Harvesting And Cooking

Source Growing beetroot BBC Gardening
Stop that, don’t let your children see you making an ugly face while reading about how to plant, grow, harvest and eat your garden fresh beets.

Freshly pulled beets (beetroot) are wonderfully tender with a delicious earthy taste. Best of all, they’re really easy to grow from seed.

Beets prefer to be grown in moist, fertile soil in a sunny spot, but will also thrive in raised beds or pots. Sow seeds directly into the soil from mid-spring and for a fall crop plant in early August to September.

* To make a seed bed, remove weeds and dig or till using a rototiller. Removing any particularly large stones if you have rocks in your garden.
Level working over the area to be planted with a rake to leave a fine finish. Spread a general granular fertilizer across the site and rake into the soil.

* Seed can be sown directly into the soil from March to June in most of the U.S.A. Make a 3/4 to 1 inch deep trench with the corner of a rake, hoe (or a cane will do) and drop in your seeds every 3 to 4 inches apart.
Cover, water well. Note If you want a plentiful supply of beets, sow seeds every 14 to days keeping rows 8 inches apart.

If you have a small garden, beets are easy to grow in pots. To grow in pots (ideal for round varieties, not long cylindrical ones), choose containers that are at least 8 inches in diameter and at least 8 inches deep.
Fill loosely with multi-purpose compost leaving the compost just shy of the top of your pot.
Tap the pot gently to settle, and firm with your finger tips aiming to leave a 1 1/2 inch gap between the surface of the compost and the top of your pot. Sow seeds thinly across the surface and cover with 3/4 inch of compost. Water and thin out seedlings when they’re about 3/4 inch tall, leaving a 3 to 4 inch spacing between your plants.

Harvest your beets while small and very tender. Ping Pong ball to Golf ball size. To harvest, gently hold the tops and lift while levering under the root with a hand fork. Remove the tops by twisting them off with your hands to prevent the plants bleeding their juice. Don’t throw away beet tops (greens), they taste great and can be eaten fresh in salads or cooked and eaten like spinach.

Beets may be boiled, broiled, eaten fresh in salads, or pickled.
* Grate, slice or 1/4 small raw beets to be used in salads.
** Source Beet / Beetroot Cooking Tips
** Source How to pickle beets

*** Beets are a super food Beets are loaded with fiber, potassium, and folate, and are free of saturated fats and cholesterol. Researchers believe the red pigment in beets – betacyanin – may protect cells against cancer.

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Cabbage Worms And Loopers – Who Knew?

The term cabbage worm is primarily used for any of four kinds of larvae that feed on cabbages and other cole crops. Host plants include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, radishes, turnips, rutabagas and kohlrabi.

The imported cabbage worm is the green larva of the cabbage butterfly or cabbage white, any of several largely white butterflies. The Small White butterfly is a small, common, cosmopolitan butterfly whose caterpillar has fine, short fuzz and is bright green. It prefers cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.
A larger Old World butterfly is called Large White.
A common North American butterfly is known as the southern cabbage butterfly.
The Green-veined White butterfly occurs in Europe and North America.

The cabbage looper, is a member of the moth family. The caterpillar is smooth and green with white stripes. It is called a “looper” because it arches its body as it crawls, inchworm style. This species is very destructive to plants due to its voracious consumption of leaves. It is not restricted to cole crops. Other plant hosts include tomato, cucumber, and potato. The adult of the species is a nocturnal brown moth.

The cabbage webworm is a widely distributed webworm native to southern Europe or Asia that also injures cabbages and other vegetables in the Gulf states of the United States.

The diamondback moth or, is a member of the moth family Plutellidae. The caterpillar is smooth and solid green in color. When disturbed, it thrashes and drops off the plant. The newly emerged larva is a leaf miner, entering the tissues of the leaf and consuming the parenchyma between the two outer layers of the leaf. Larger larvae make holes through the leaf, consuming all the tissue. The adult of the species is a small, elongated gray moth with whitish spots on the forewings that form two diamond shapes when the moth is at rest. The diamondback moth is primarily a tropical species, but is migratory, reaching temperate zones in most years.

Source Identifying and Controlling Cabbage Worms Organic Controls for Cabbage Worms. Check your plants frequently for worms, especially if you have seen the butterflies nearby. Check plants thoroughly, and hand-pick and destroy any worms you find. If you have a serious infestation, purchase bacillus thuringiensis (BT) from your garden center and apply it according to the directions.

Source Ohio State University Department of Entomology
Source CSU/Denver County Extension Master Gardener
Source University of Illinois The bug review

Hint: Removal of cabbage worms by hand, many time is all that is needed. However for a organic control you can use bacillus thuringiensis (BT) without the need to call in the big guns using highly toxic commercial insecticides.

Young seedlings are easily killed by insects. Keep a keen eye out for these critters. Adult plants can fend off and recover from an insect infection much better than young seedlings.

Homemade Insect controls
* 1 cup tobacco, steeped in hot water, strained when cool into:
1 gallon water
Or Soak tobacco in warm water for 24 hours to make a weak tea then strain.
This will kill caterpillars, aphids and some worms but do not use on solanceous plants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

* 1/4 to 1 package chewing tobacco
1 ounce listerine
1 teaspoon dish soap
1 gallon water
Not very organic and extremely toxic

* 3 Tablespoons liquid detergent
1 gallon water
Kills slugs. Use weekly

* 2 Tablespoons salt
1 quart warm water
Kills cabbage worms and spider mites – mix and spray as needed

Hint Add Neem oil added to the homemade insecticidal spray
Neem oil is a natural pesticide.

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May And It’s To Cold To Plant My Garden – What’s Up With That?

The Bad News Is: The 3rd morning of May. My temperature was setting at 31.7 (-0.16C) for more than 3 hours. It wasn’t a hard freeze but it surely was not beneficial for my warm weather plants like yellow summer squash and peppers. Checking my soil temperature I found my soil at two inches deep is 48 (9C)degrees, still a full 12 degrees below the 60 degrees (15.5C) needed for planting most summer garden crops. Note: When planting peppers you soil temperature needs to be 70+ degrees. Peppers germinate best with soil temperatures between 75 to 80 degrees.

The Good News Is: My weather guy is forecasting night time temperatures falling into the low 40′s and pushing into the low 80′s by Tuesday next week. What a difference a year makes. May 3rd 2012 we had a low of 60 degrees and a high of 97 degrees, squash and cucumber were in full bloom.

Brrrr, I just went out an inspected my peppers and squash. I think the peppers will recover from this cold spell, but I’m not so sure that the squash will recover. If they don’t look any better in a day or so I will rip them out and replant squash the same time I plant my cucumber seed.

It warmed up a bit and this afternoon I (using a tractor and box blade) moved another 500 or so pounds of old hay and cow dung onto my compost pile. It seems that I can use my homemade compost faster than I can make it!

offkilteracres

Find of the day Texasprepper2 Greenhouse Build Post If your in need of a cheap, easy to build (DIY) green house, check out this site.

He has a very good and easy step by step How To description on building this green house and it’s supported by a lot of good pictures making this an easy cheap functional green house project.

From my For What’s It’s Worth Department: Don’t forget today is World Naked Gardening Day – May 4th 2013

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Secret Things Only Grandpa’s Know

Grandpa knows Secret things like fresh eggs come from chickens in the hen house, not from the supermarket, how to clean and store fresh eggs still warm from the hen house. Knowing that milk comes from cows and goats, how to get the milk from cow to table without getting a cows foot in the milk bucket. That butter and cheese is made from milk! Knowing it does not come from the supermarket!

Grandpa knows How to make and cook an omelet or eggs over easy, make pancakes and French toast using OMG only an old cast iron skillet and his old gas stove. He can do it all without a computer, internet, cell phone, texting, microwave or toaster oven! Wow, imagine that!

Grandpa knows How to find those garden fresh potatoes hidden under ground to make hash brown potato’s for breakfast.
How to make ‘real’ fresh pancakes and waffles that don’t come frozen out of a box.
How to plant and grow a garden.
How to pick and cook summer squash, egg plant and okra fresh from the garden.
Grandpa knows when a watermelon is ripe!
Grandpa knows what real vine ripe tomatoes look and taste like!
Grandpa knows when cabbage, lettuce, radishes, carrots and beets are ready for harvest what they should look and taste like ‘before’ they are warped in plastic and set on supermarket display shelf’s for day’s on end.
Grandpa knows How to grow and pick things from the garden to make fresh relish for hotdogs and burgers or salsa How to make fresh homemade bread and biscuits.
How to make popcorn using only popping corn and his old cast iron pan!
Grandpa knows how to bait a hook and clean a fish for the dining table.

These are only a few of the ‘Secret’ things only grandpa knows.

Our society today’s young adults, having many more city dwellers than country folk. Two working parent homes, 24/7 supermarkets, satellite TV, computers / internet, cell phones, iphones, ipods in most homes. Our children have come to believe anyone that works more than six or seven hours a day, gets hot and sweaty, gets their hands dirty are uneducated and real hard work is to be avoided.

Never knowing how hard life was way back when homes with a telephone or television was rare, when homes only had ‘one’ telephone and it was attached to the wall. When many people shared a party line.

In the days ‘before’ computers, internet, facebook, ipods, xboxes. When stores closed at night and were closed on Sunday’s. When sales clerks and cashier’s knew your name. When television station started broadcasting at 5am and went off the air at midnight. In the days when families only had one TV and 3 TV stations, when people listened to radio for their news and entertainment. When families eat 3 meals a day ‘together’ at the family dining table.
When kids and parents were forced to talk face to face about school and growing up.

In the days when a fun day out meant a family outing to the creek or lake for fishing and swimming. Chasing and sometimes catching grasshoppers or maybe a lizard.
Listening, watching and learning to identify each bird by it’s call or song, how they fly differently, the difference in the coloring and markings of female and a male birds.
How to identify the numerous different types of insects in their different stages of development. How to recognize a good bug from a destructive (bad) bug.

How hard things were when children and adults were forced to drink water and ‘real’ whole milk, forced snack on fresh home grown vegetables. When getting a coke, chips, candy or a ‘store’ bought burger or pizza was a special once a month event. When kids were forced to drink water or kool-aid, play outside, walk or bike to see, talk and play with friends. In the day’s when drugs, gangs and violence was so uncommon it was headline news in your local news paper. {Do You Remember News papers?}

In the days when growing a home garden was a necessity not a hobby.
When you could not get sea food, bananas, oranges and grapes in the winter.
When every town had an ice house, few people had a ‘real’ refrigerator and even fewer had a deep freezer. Long before microwave ovens, computers, cell phones, GPS navigation systems, On Star, big box stores. In the day’s before Doritos, Redbull, bottled water, cable and satellite dish TV, ATM machines were invented.

These are some of the ‘Secret’ things that only grandpa’s knows.

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Tomato’s From Seed to Your Table

Bamboo Tomato Trellis

1. Don’t Crowd Seedlings.
Don’t Let Seedlings Grow Into Each Other. If you are starting tomatoes from seed, be sure to give the seedlings room to branch out. Close conditions inhibit their growth, so transplant them as soon as they get their first true leaves and move them into 4″ pots about 2 weeks after that.

2. Provide lots of light.
Tomato seedlings will need either strong, direct sunlight or 14-18 hours under grow lights. Place the young plants only a couple of inches from florescent grow lights. Plant your tomatoes outside in the sunniest part of your vegetable plot.

3. Put a fan on your seedlings.
It seems tomato plants need to move and sway in the breeze, to develop strong stems. Provide a breeze by turning a fan on them for 5-10 minutes twice a day.

4. Preheat the soil in your garden.
Using Black Plastic to Warm the Soil. Tomatoes love heat. Cover the planting area with black or red plastic a couple of weeks before you intend to plant. Those extra degrees of warmth will translate into earlier tomatoes.

5. Bury them deep.
Bury tomato plants deeper than they come in the pot, all the way up to a few top leaves. Tomatoes are able to develop roots all along their stems. You can either dig a deeper hole or simply dig a shallow tunnel and lay the plant sideways. It will straighten up and grow toward the sun. Be careful not to drive your pole or cage into the stem.

6. Mulch Later.
Straw Makes a Great Vegetable Garden Mulch. Mulch after the ground has had a chance to warm up. Mulching does conserve water and prevents the soil and soil born diseases from splashing up on the plants, but if you put it down too early it will also shade and therefore cool the soil. Try using plastic mulch for heat lovers like tomatoes and peppers. (See Tip #4)

Vertical Tomato Trellis

7. Remove the Bottom Leaves.
Tomato Leaf Spot Diseases. Once the tomato plants are about 3′ tall, remove the leaves from the bottom 1′ of stem. These are usually the first leaves to develop fungus problems. They get the least amount of sun and soil born pathogens can be unintentionally splashed up onto them. Spraying weekly with compost tea also seems to be effective at warding off fungus diseases.

Tomato Cage

8. Pinch & Prune for More Tomatoes
Tomato Suckers in the Joint of Branches. Pinch and remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches. They won’t bear fruit and will take energy away from the rest of the plant. But go easy on pruning the rest of the plant. You can thin leaves to allow the sun to reach the ripening fruit, but it’s the leaves that are photosynthesizing and creating the sugars that give flavor to your tomatoes.

9. Water the Tomato Plants Regularly.
Blossom End Rot. Water deeply and regularly while the plants are developing. Irregular watering, (missing a week and trying to make up for it), leads to blossom end rot and cracking. Once the fruit begins to ripen, lessening the water will coax the plant into concentrating its sugars. Don’t withhold water so much that the plants wilt and become stressed or they will drop their blossoms and possibly their fruit.

10. Getting Them to Set Tomatoes.
Successive Ripening of Cherry Tomatoes. Determinate type tomatoes tend to set and ripen their fruit all at about the same time, making a large quantity available when you’re ready to make sauce. You can get indeterminate type tomatoes to set fruit earlier by pinching off the tips of the main stems in early summer.

Finding More Help
The Bad News is there’s more than 10 or 15 different tomato diseases, bacterial and virus that can effect home gardener tomato crops.

Blossom end rot

Powdery mildew

The Good News is most tomato diseases, bacterial and virus infections can be easily treated if properly identified and treated in a timely manner.

Iowa state university link is for those of you that garden in the northern 1/2 of the U.S. and the University of Texas link provides information that most often effect southern state tomato gardens.

No matter where you live both sites have a huge amount of useful information on Identifying and treating tomato diseases. Don’t be discouraged or intimidated by the sheer numbers of tomato diseases. I’m pretty sure you will not suffer from all of them this year. in fact, insect control very well maybe your biggest problem in a home garden.

Iowa State University Contains Pictures, description, Control and Treatment of tomato disease, bacterial and virus infections.

Texas A and M University Contains Pictures, description, Control and Treatment of tomato disease, bacterial and virus infections.

Insect control just like disease control starts with properly identifying the insect(s) that are causing your problems.

Adult potato beetle

Potato beetle larva

Colorado State University link will help you identify and control some of the most common tomato insect pest.

Texas A and M University link will help you identify and control some of the most common tomato insect pest.

University of Kentucky College of Agriculture contains a lot of useful information on identifying and control of the Colorado Potato Beetle. This insect pest will attack Tomato’s, Egg Plants and Peppers as well as Potato’s.

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Hyper Active Worms – Or – Caffeine Induced Wide Awake Worms!

I have put down so much old coffee grounds in my porch pots the earth worms now have insomnia from all the caffeine! I don’t know where the grounds go. It seems like within two weeks after I put a large coffee can full of coffee grounds in a porch pot they just disappear. Composting into a really good potting soil I hope.

Two nights past it got down to 31 degrees again! I’m hopeful that it was winters last cold blast and I can now start planting frost tender spring garden seeds and seedlings. This morning at 5am it was 58 degrees and forecasting 70 for today’s high but with a 20-25mph northwest wind it feels much colder than the current 60 degrees. Pretty much the same forecast for the next 7 – 10 days.

After SNL(Son-N-Law) tilled in that last ton or so of old grass bedding hay mixed a lot of cow dung about two weeks ago, my garden soil is taking on an appearance of fine garden soil. That red clay based garden soil is taking on a nice dark rich color from all the humus and livestock dung that has been tilled in to compost down during the past 60 days or so. Over the past 2 months I think my SNL has spread and tilled in at least 2 tons if not more old soiled, livestock bedding hay along with a lot of fresh manure.

I have six yellow summer squash seedlings needing planted. I will need to cut the bottom out of 6 large 35 ounce coffee cans to put over the seedlings to give them a little wind protection and I hope, keep the damn rabbits from eating my seedling. I am resorting to harsh rabbit control measures. One box of #5 shot shells and a 12 gauge shot gun. Rabbits that are not processed for my consumption and frozen will be fed to our catfish and crawdads (crayfish). It has been a very reproductive winter for rabbits!

I have a patio container made from a 30 gallon plastic barrel cut in half (length wise) I’m going to try planting some lettuce seed in that container and see how that works out.

My daughter got me 6 pepper seedlings today. Three Hungarian (hot) peppers and three Jalapeno (hot) pepper seedlings. All peppers along with six yellow summer squash seedlings will get planted tomorrow afternoon.

I checked today and at 4 inches deep the soil temperature was 54 degrees. That’s a full 20 degrees to cool for pepper seeds to germinate. So it will still be sometime until I can garden soil plant the remaining pepper seed I have on hand. This year it looks like it will be the first week of May or later before I can plant and reliably germinate warm weather crops like pepper, okra and black eyed peas.

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