I bet you knew all plants need food to survive...but what are we feeding are plants? If you just till up your soil and plant you might be feeding them a bunch of clay. If you add organic matter you will be feeding them great nutrients for your plants roots to absorb and grow. The most important minerals are nitrogen, potash, potassium and phosphorus. What happens when your plants get these and how can you help your plant get them?
Nitrogen: This encourages leafy growth. Your plants can get this from rain and snow. You can help by giving you plants animal manures (remember not cat or dog droppings)
Potash: This helps build your plants tissues, and root development and helps with disease resistance. You can help by adding animal manures and compost.
Potassium: Helps your plant grow and make fruit. You can help by adding wood ashes.
Phosphorus: Promotes development of a good strong root system. It also helps to get your plant to grow more quickly. You can help by adding bone meal, and rock phosphate.
I am a big believer in organic matter... so start a compost pile today!
Happy Gardening....
Lynn
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
What is Wrong with My Tomatoes??
We have planted all of our tomatoes and we are now waiting for them to grow and give us some great tomatoes to eat, and salsa to make. I now can see that our tomatoes are having a few problems not just aphids. I thought I would write about a few problems you can have with your tomatoes and ways you can take care of those problems.
1. Reddish Purple Leaves: This is a phosphorus deficiency....this happens when your soil is under 6.0 test your soil. I use fish emulsion for a short time to correct this problem.
2. Yellow Leaves: This is a nitrogen deficiency. I spray my plants with fish emulsion and if they have not been planted I try to plant them as soon as possible.
3. Slow Growth: This is potassium deficiency. I have found that if I add a good amount of compost to the soil in the fall this helps this problem a lot. Right now you can always add a little compost tea.
4. Black End Rot: This happens when you water infrequently when fruit is developing. Once you see the black spot you can not fix it....you can cut that spot off and eat the remaining fruit that is what I do why waste? You can fix this problem with regular watering and mulching well.
5. Holes in Leaves: This is probably the tomato horn worm. You can fix this by picking and removing pest.....but if you see that they have white eggs on it's back leave it there this is a good thing these eggs will produce parastic wasps and they will help kill any remaining horn worms that you find on your tomatoes leaves.
6. Little holes in your fruit: Birds...keep a bird bath near your garden. Birds peck at fruit in the hot days of summer to get a little moisture.
Happy Gardening...
Lynn
1. Reddish Purple Leaves: This is a phosphorus deficiency....this happens when your soil is under 6.0 test your soil. I use fish emulsion for a short time to correct this problem.
2. Yellow Leaves: This is a nitrogen deficiency. I spray my plants with fish emulsion and if they have not been planted I try to plant them as soon as possible.
3. Slow Growth: This is potassium deficiency. I have found that if I add a good amount of compost to the soil in the fall this helps this problem a lot. Right now you can always add a little compost tea.
4. Black End Rot: This happens when you water infrequently when fruit is developing. Once you see the black spot you can not fix it....you can cut that spot off and eat the remaining fruit that is what I do why waste? You can fix this problem with regular watering and mulching well.
5. Holes in Leaves: This is probably the tomato horn worm. You can fix this by picking and removing pest.....but if you see that they have white eggs on it's back leave it there this is a good thing these eggs will produce parastic wasps and they will help kill any remaining horn worms that you find on your tomatoes leaves.
6. Little holes in your fruit: Birds...keep a bird bath near your garden. Birds peck at fruit in the hot days of summer to get a little moisture.
Happy Gardening...
Lynn
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Strawberries
In just a few days we will get to begin picking our two rows of strawberries. We will need to plant a another row this year because our first row will be three years old and then they will not produce as many strawberries. It is good to rotate the beds every 2-3 year's or at least add new berries to your patch. We grow our strawberries in "hills" We cut all runners when they form not allowing them to jump over to make a new plant. This keeps our strawberries tidy and we get larger strawberries this way.
Where to plant Strawberries: We have our strawberries in two long raised beds but you can plant strawberries about anywhere.
1. They like a sunny location
2. Southern exposure is best
3. A place were there is good air circulation
4. They need good drainage (watch out for tree roots)
5 Good soil pH 5-6 We top dress with compost every year.
We will make our new raised beds this fall so when spring comes we will add our new plants... we can either "catch" some runners or dig up small plants to add to our new bed. We always plant so the crown is at surface level...planting to deep can cause the crown to rot. We have never used straw because I have always thought that it would attract slugs..because of it retaining moisture...but as I have written before we are having trouble with slugs never the less. I am now thinking straw might be a good idea. We are still using egg shells but that is not keeping them a way from my delicious strawberries.
Happy Gardening...
Lynn
Where to plant Strawberries: We have our strawberries in two long raised beds but you can plant strawberries about anywhere.
1. They like a sunny location
2. Southern exposure is best
3. A place were there is good air circulation
4. They need good drainage (watch out for tree roots)
5 Good soil pH 5-6 We top dress with compost every year.
We will make our new raised beds this fall so when spring comes we will add our new plants... we can either "catch" some runners or dig up small plants to add to our new bed. We always plant so the crown is at surface level...planting to deep can cause the crown to rot. We have never used straw because I have always thought that it would attract slugs..because of it retaining moisture...but as I have written before we are having trouble with slugs never the less. I am now thinking straw might be a good idea. We are still using egg shells but that is not keeping them a way from my delicious strawberries.
Happy Gardening...
Lynn
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Corn tips and tricks..
We have been putting our corn in a few rows at a time so we can have corn all season. I know that many people think corn is one of the easiest vegetables to grow but I disagree. We have the hardest time growing corn but I do have a few tips that I have tried and they have worked about every season.
We have many hungry raccoons in our area and I have learned that if we plant beans with corn it does help keep them away a bit. I have seen many people plant squash or pumpkins letting them ramble along the cornstalks and cover the soil. I know this might work but it is too messy for me.
Corn does not like compost.... well atleast seeds and seedlings. Do not add compost to the top of the soil after planting I have found that compost will rot your corn seeds and little seedlings. I always wait until my corn plant is about a foot high then I will give them a top dressing of compost or a good dose of compost tea.
The most common pest that I have is the European corn borer larvae and corn ear worms. To prevent this problem you really need to start in the fall...you need to make sure you clean up all corn debris and turn over the soil each season. To keep the ear worms from eating your corn now you can add a drop of mineral oil to each silk just before the corn begins to form.
Another problem I have had is having many ears of corn without having many kernels in each cob. I plant my corn 10 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart. When I walk through my corn now I shake the stalks insuring good pollination...I really believe this has helped some.
Crows: They like to eat the early seedlings..if I see crows pulling up new seedlings I just add a row of gutter guard. This is 5 inches wide mine is wire but you can buy it in plastic. I just place this over my seedlings cover the sides with a good amount of soil and when the plants are just about bending I then remove it...I then know that roots of the corn are settled and will be harder to pull up.
Happy Gardening..
Lynn
We have many hungry raccoons in our area and I have learned that if we plant beans with corn it does help keep them away a bit. I have seen many people plant squash or pumpkins letting them ramble along the cornstalks and cover the soil. I know this might work but it is too messy for me.
Corn does not like compost.... well atleast seeds and seedlings. Do not add compost to the top of the soil after planting I have found that compost will rot your corn seeds and little seedlings. I always wait until my corn plant is about a foot high then I will give them a top dressing of compost or a good dose of compost tea.
The most common pest that I have is the European corn borer larvae and corn ear worms. To prevent this problem you really need to start in the fall...you need to make sure you clean up all corn debris and turn over the soil each season. To keep the ear worms from eating your corn now you can add a drop of mineral oil to each silk just before the corn begins to form.
Another problem I have had is having many ears of corn without having many kernels in each cob. I plant my corn 10 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart. When I walk through my corn now I shake the stalks insuring good pollination...I really believe this has helped some.
Crows: They like to eat the early seedlings..if I see crows pulling up new seedlings I just add a row of gutter guard. This is 5 inches wide mine is wire but you can buy it in plastic. I just place this over my seedlings cover the sides with a good amount of soil and when the plants are just about bending I then remove it...I then know that roots of the corn are settled and will be harder to pull up.
Happy Gardening..
Lynn
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
What to do about Aphids
Yesterday I spent most of my morning picking Colorado Potato Beetles from my two beds of potatoes and.... yes it was a yucky mess! I just hate to pick those pests off but it was needed. I picked two bowls full. While I was out in the garden I checked everything and I found many aphids on my tomato plants. I thought I would tell you how I get rid of aphids the organic way.
Aphids: These are very tiny insects they get on your plant and suck the juices out of the leaves and stems..this just weakens the plant.
There are many predators for aphids...my favorite the lady beetle larvae, lacewings, small wasps and syrphid fly larvae.
I never spray chemicals for aphids it is not good for the plant or for you. I use my hose and spray a strong spray of water on all my plants. I have also mixed some soapy (dish soap) water together and sprayed if I felt they were getting out of hand.
If you are having a Really Bad problem I suggest getting some floating row covers to protect your plants. You can usually get these at a garden supply store. I think you can get them over the Internet.
I have heard of people ordering lady beetles and placing them in their garden... I think this is a great idea. I have never had aphids that bad to do this.
Happy Gardening..
Lynn
Aphids: These are very tiny insects they get on your plant and suck the juices out of the leaves and stems..this just weakens the plant.
There are many predators for aphids...my favorite the lady beetle larvae, lacewings, small wasps and syrphid fly larvae.
I never spray chemicals for aphids it is not good for the plant or for you. I use my hose and spray a strong spray of water on all my plants. I have also mixed some soapy (dish soap) water together and sprayed if I felt they were getting out of hand.
If you are having a Really Bad problem I suggest getting some floating row covers to protect your plants. You can usually get these at a garden supply store. I think you can get them over the Internet.
I have heard of people ordering lady beetles and placing them in their garden... I think this is a great idea. I have never had aphids that bad to do this.
Happy Gardening..
Lynn
Monday, June 1, 2009
Tomato Pests
Many people have asked what pests like tomato plants... here is a small list of what pest may be bothering you tomato plant.
1. Colorado potato beetle I find these eary spring.
2. Missing leaves might suggest a hornworm.
3. Blister Beetles these use come out about mid-summer.
4. Fruit Flies This is after fruit begins to ripen.
5. Slugs I have these when my fruit is on the ground and there are a few overly-ripen close together.
I have found the easiest method to get rid of the Colorado Potato Beetle and the Tomato Horn Worm is to get out early and pick them off...starting the beginning of the season....before they take over your garden.
I pick them and place them in a bucket with 1 quart of water and 1 teaspoon liquid soap. This way they won't crawl back up the bucket and get out and it is safe to throw the remains in my compost pile.
I have many recipes that you can use to spray them but if you want immediate results you can always hand pick.
Happy Gardening..
Lynn
1. Colorado potato beetle I find these eary spring.
2. Missing leaves might suggest a hornworm.
3. Blister Beetles these use come out about mid-summer.
4. Fruit Flies This is after fruit begins to ripen.
5. Slugs I have these when my fruit is on the ground and there are a few overly-ripen close together.
I have found the easiest method to get rid of the Colorado Potato Beetle and the Tomato Horn Worm is to get out early and pick them off...starting the beginning of the season....before they take over your garden.
I pick them and place them in a bucket with 1 quart of water and 1 teaspoon liquid soap. This way they won't crawl back up the bucket and get out and it is safe to throw the remains in my compost pile.
I have many recipes that you can use to spray them but if you want immediate results you can always hand pick.
Happy Gardening..
Lynn
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Using All-purpose Flour In Your Garden?
I have been finding that many products that we have at home work great in your garden too! One of my favorite and cheap ways to get rid of Grasshoppers and Blister Beetles is by using All-Purpose Flour.
I put 3 cups of all purpose flour in a brown bag that has a few holes in the bottom (making a shaker) I tie up the top and shake this up and down on my bean plants and tomatoes. ( I do this in the morning while there is still dew on the plants it really helps the flour stick) I dust the insects and the leaves with the flour.
Note: You do have to make sure you rinse your plants off after few days. You can not keep the flour on your plants all the time. (I only do this when I see the insects are out of control) This will not harm your plants as long as you rinse them off real good.
***Don't use self-rising flour this contains salt and will injury plant leaves.
Happy Gardening...
Lynn
I put 3 cups of all purpose flour in a brown bag that has a few holes in the bottom (making a shaker) I tie up the top and shake this up and down on my bean plants and tomatoes. ( I do this in the morning while there is still dew on the plants it really helps the flour stick) I dust the insects and the leaves with the flour.
Note: You do have to make sure you rinse your plants off after few days. You can not keep the flour on your plants all the time. (I only do this when I see the insects are out of control) This will not harm your plants as long as you rinse them off real good.
***Don't use self-rising flour this contains salt and will injury plant leaves.
Happy Gardening...
Lynn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)