| Brush Your Seedlings |
| Here's a web site for folks with physical limitations who would like some ideas to make gardening easier. |
| You are listening to Enya - Only Time |
| As you peruse your seed catalogs and make purchases, please plan a row for the hungry. We Care accepts fresh veggies and fruits for the needy. Thank you for your generosity. |
| This page last updated 03/01/10 |
| Garden Tip of the Month |
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| Seedlings started indoors tend to be weaker than those that sprout outside in the garden. Indoor seedlings tend to be taller and more tender, even if grown in strong light. The difference is the absence of wind—as wind shakes outdoor seedlings, their stems become stronger and their growth remains stocky. Indoors, you can re-create the effect of the blowing wind by "brushing" your seedlings. Brush a folded piece of paper across the tops of small seedlings, quickly but gently bending them to horizontal and letting them pop up again. Do this twice a day for about a minute. As seedlings get larger, you can use your hand instead of the paper. In studies, seedlings that were brushed had smaller, darker leaves that grew closer together than those of seedlings that were not brushed. – Horticulture Magazine |
| How to Grow Potatoes in a Container |
| With the economy situation as it is, growing our own vegetables can save us grocery money and potatoes (tubers) are so versatile, it only makes sense to add them to our gardens...and they're easy to grow. One small potato that has grown "eyes", then planted, can yield about 5 to 10 pounds of potatoes. It's best to go to your garden center and get certified seed potatoes. The grocery store potatoes have been treated so that they will not sprout quickly, but will if allowed to grow old, and certified seed potatoes are disease free. Potatoes that are grown in garden beds can succumb to a fungus called “potato blight” (Phtophthora infestans), as seen in the photo at the right. Growing potatoes in containers can help protect your crop from blight...and...if you don't have enough room in your garden to grow a row or two of potatoes, growing them in containers can extend your produce crop. Some containers you can use are bushel baskets, 5-gallon buckets, cleaned trash and small garbage cans. You can also use a cardboard box or plant directly into a fresh bag of soil. Wash the container with soap and water and rinse well. Drill or use a hammer and nail to make holes in the bottom and along the lower sides of plastic containers to ensure plenty of drainage. About 1 or 2 weeks before planting, put your seed potatoes in a warm place at about 60 to 70 degrees in bright sunlight to stimulate sprouting. The day before planting cut the seed potatoes if they are too large, or plant whole if smaller than a golf ball. Cut into 1- 1/2 to 2 inch cubes, each containing at least 2 eyes. Leave the cut potatoes open to the air overnight. A callous will cover the cut parts and will prevent the seed from rotting in the ground. Once the cut potatoes have cured, fill the container halfway up with a soil/compost mixture. Compost is a disease suppressor that will aid against blight or any other fungal enemy. Potatoes also absorb everything around them, so start out with healthy organic soils, fertilizers, and compost. Avoid pesticides. |
| Plant only one seed in a 5 gallon bucket and 2 or 3 in a bushel basket or garbage can, so the soil isn't quickly sapped of its nutrients Plant about 5 inches apart. Set your seed potatoes on top of the soil mixture and press about six inches into the soil with the eyes facing up. Add just enough soil on top of the seeds to cover them. Water thoroughly but don't leave the soil sopping wet. Place where the container will get at least 6 hours of sun per day. During the growing season, mound more soil on top of the tubers potatoes are buried. Leave several inches of the plant above the soil line. Potato tubers that are directly exposed to the sun will turn green, which can leave them tasting bitter and potentially toxic. Water often during the growing season and fertilize them once after they've grown a couple of inches. If you fertilize them too much, you'll end up with lush, green foliage and not enough tubers. Potato plants mature and begin to die about 70 to 100 days after planting, depending on the variety and, as plants mature, they use less water. During the summer the flowers will begin to fade to yellow and grow what look like berries. Harvest a few potatoes by reaching into the soft soil and picking a few to determine size, then cover the rest back up with soil/compost. These "new potatoes" will spoil quickly, so eat them now. Wait to harvest the rest after the green plants have turned brown and dried up. To promote skin set, leave tubers in the ground for 10 to 21 days following vine death. This decreases bruising during harvest and permits better storage. Harvest when the soil temperature is 50 to 65 degrees by dumping the entire can over (onto a tarp) and pick out your potatoes, wash, dry and store in a cool area. Do not reuse the soil to plant potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant in, because the soil could be harboring some insects or disease from this season's crop. The soil can be collected and added to a flower garden. |
| Keep Squirrels & Rabbits Away |
| Sprinkle red pepper flakes around your plants and the squirrels and rabbits won't come near it. Purchase a large container of red pepper flakes. When you plant your spring bulbs, sprinkle some flakes in the hole, put in the bulb, cover with dirt, sprinkle with more flakes. Grow your own hot peppers and try it for yourself. |