Gardener's Remorse

Snow can  cover  a lot more than just kale for gardener's
experiencing remorse

Maybe it's the overcast skies of New England in winter, but I'm feeling some gardener's remorse and feel compelled to confess one of my gardening peccadilloes:  I don't always cover crop! 

I suppose there could worse failures such as not rotating crops or secretly using commercial fertilizers or insecticides, but those aren't my sins of commission.  What's worse, perhaps, is not that I don't cover crop, but how effectively I rationalize why I generally don't.  My favorite rationalizations include: 

1) it's extra work - more tilling for an aging back;

2) added expense - buying the seed;

3) Oh, I missed the planting dates;

4) I don't have enough time; and

5) cover crops will take up too much space in my small garden.

Photo: WSU

These excuses have generally worked well for me year after year allowing me to live somewhat comfortably with guilt.  The fundamental question  simply boils down to, "Are you satisfied with your garden's yield?"  Do the the plant's look healthy.  If the answer is, YES, then keep doing what you're doing; or, as in my case, what you're not doing. If the answer is, NO; then you need to start  investigating what might be the cause.  You have time now because it will be months before planting time again!

Now, speaking in further defense of myself, I will say that I regularly add compost to my planting beds at the start and end of growing seasons as well as applying mulches such as straw and grass clippings throughout season.  Combined with rotation, this seems to provide the nitrogen and other nutrients that my plants need as well as keeping many plant ailments under control.  However, I do still feel some slight pangs of guilt when I see photos, like the one to the right, of someone's planting beds brimming with cover crops. But, I guess I'll  go on living comfortably with a little guilt...

FWIW:  If you are interested in finding out a more about the advantages of cover cropping, check out our blog entry about   No-Till Gardening & Cover Cropping.


And remember...

"Guilt: The gift that keeps on giving." - Erma Bombeck

Vegetable Gardening Book Suggestions for the 2019 Holidays 

Below is the 2019 edtion of my recommended books about growing vegetables in your backyard. There are a couple of changes, but still the core collection remains unchanged covering an array of titles providing different approaches that gardeners of varying experience or atttention spans might find useful.

You will quickly notice that the titles in the below list are not spankingly brand new 2018 or 2019 books. Like any good book, these books remain in print or readily available from used book dealers because they continue to  serve gardeners well. I compiled my list  from examining a number of  "best" book lists from various gardening sites that I trust, personal familiarity with some titles and the personal recommendations from gardener friends.  Most of the entries appeared on at least two lists, and a few titles appeared three or more times.

I did not use either Amazon or Barnes & Noble lists as sources although I did use these sites to view  sample pages of some titles.  The books are available from these sources, but if you do become motivated to give one or more to a friend, I  suggest that you also check used book sources such as abebooks.com, alibis.com or  bookfinder.com etc. for lower prices. Happy shopping...

• Brie Arthur - Foodscape Revolution: Finding a Better Way to Make Space for Food and Beauty in Your Garden. St Lynn's Press, 2017. 

• Susan Ashworth - Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners. 2nd ed. Seed Savers Exchange, 2002. [If you are unfamaliar with Seed Savers, find out about it now at seedsavers.org.]

• Mel Bartholomew - All New Square Foot Gardening: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space. 2nd ed. Quarto Publishing Group, 2013. [Many a backyard gardener consider this to be their 'best' vegetable growing  bible. Actually, any edition will do.]

• Andrea Bellamy - Small Space Vegetable Gardens. Timber Press, 2014. [Don't have a yard or can't get to a community plot, then how about using a roof top, patio or windowsill - great ideas here.]

• Eliot Coleman -  Winter Harvest Handbook:  Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep-Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009. [n.b. Coleman  authored the classic, New Organic Grower (now in its 3rd edition). This one assumes you have a lot space for gardening.]

• Derek Fell - Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space. Rodale Inc., 2011.

• Brad Halm & Craig McCrate - High Yield Vegetable Gardening: Grow More of What You Want in the Space You Have.  Storey Publishing, 2015.

• Toby Hemenway - Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home Scale Permaculture. 2nd ed. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009. [In case you are not familiar with the term, 'permaculture' is about establishing and using techniques that promote sustainable and self-sufficient agriculture.]

• Craig Le Houllier - Epic Tomatoes: How to Selet and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time. Storey Publishing, 2015.  

• Wendy Kiang-Spray - Chinese Kitchen Garden: Growing Techniques and Family Recipes from a Classic Cuisine. Timber Press, 2017. [This is specialized and (warning) includes recipes; but I like Chinese food and Timber Press is very selective in its offerings.  To learn a little more about the author and the cuisine, checkout her blog: greenishthumb.]

• Ron Kujawski and Jennifer Kujawski - Week-by-week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook. Storey Publishing, 2010. [This book has now appeared on other lists. I reviewed it in February 2018, and now find myself referencing it regularly.]

• Bret Markham - Mini Farming: Self-sufficiency on 1/4 Acre. Skyhorse Publishing, 2010. [This might tempt you to buy that vacant lot next door...]

• Tara Nolan - Raised Bed Revolution: Build it, Fill it, Plant it - Gardening Anywhere. Cold Springs Press, 2016. [The author, a Canadian, founded Savvy Gardening that promotes innovative approaches to both ornamental and vegetable gardens.]

• Deborah L Martin -  Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening: A Beginner's Guide to Starting a Healthy Garden.   Rodale Press, 2014.   If I had to give one book to a city person who somehow found herself either with a backyard or stuck in the country and thought it would be nice to grow vegetables, this is the book I would give her. It's straight forward and the reader will not feel overwhelmed by information.

• The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth Friendly Way. Rodale Inc., 2009.

• Barbara Pleasant - Home Grown Pantry: A Gardener's Guide to Selecting the Best Varieties & Planting the Perfect Amounts For What You Want to Eat Year Round. Storey Publishing, 2017. [The author is a regular contributor to Mother Earth News and winner of three Golden Globe awards from the Garden Writers' Association.]

• Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. Rodale Inc., 2009 ["Rodale's own  gardening bible has been a mainstay for organic vegetable growers since J. L. Rodale published the original in 1959.]

• Edward C. Smith - Vegetable Gardener's Bible. 2nd edition. Storey Publishing, 2009. [A Vermonter, Smith has been writing for 30+ years and gardening for more. He also has a "bible" on container growing published in 2011.]

• Jessica Walliser - Container Gardening Complete. Cool Springs Press, 2017. [The author is a regular contributor to Savvy Gardening, a women's owned company out of Canada covering  all aspects of gardening.]

And remember: 

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. 
The more things that you learn, the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss

Garden Preparation: October to December

Most of my garden work is done. The tomato cages and stakes are stacked and put away and  a layer of compost has been put down on the beds. I am now waiting for the  leaves to descend from my backyard trees so that I can chop  them up and  add an top layer of mulch to the the planting beds.  Happily, I am still harvesting curly kale, Brussel sprouts, parsley and even a few purple tiger tomatoes from one perservering vine.

Every time I look at the now mostly cleared beds I  think a little about crop rotations for next year and what I really, really want to plant. What tends actually to solidify next year's plan, however,  is where I decide now to plant  next year's garlic crop. Once that deed is done, everything else seems to fall into place.  

Usually, after staring at the now mostly cleared beds,  I look up my planting scheme from last spring, then  sketch the outlines of the beds and start  penciling in the possible location of crops.  Looking at my old plan also reminds me  about this season's "experiments."  This year those experiments focused on trying over half a dozen heirloom tomato varieties, and I would characterize the effort as producing rather mixed results. I tried Amish paste, striped German, Aussie, Brandywine and Cherokee purple. Of the lot, my favorite was the Amish paste. Its fruit was large and tasty, and the plants seemed to be more resistant to the usual garden pathogens.  The other varieties  simply did not like this year's growing season. Their  yields were low. and they succombed early to diseases.

My standard tomatoes, Celebrity and the plumb, Juliet, fared much better throughout this very wet season than any of the heirlooms with respect both to yields and disease resistance.  Given the constraints of my garden and rotation needs, I have decided to reduce the amount of space to be devoted to tomatoes next year and just stick with a few plants of my two old favorites.  This also means that I will be expanding some other favorite crops... As a friend consoled me when I commented that I will  be making less sauce, "Remember, tomatoes are cheap to buy by the can."

Book Recommendations: Two to get you thinking about what you really want to do

Are you tempted by the idea of getting closer to the earth by expanding your vegetable garden into a farm or perhaps getting 4 - 6 chickens to fill your backyard instead of investing in a small, yelpy dog?  Here are two books that you might want to consult before jumping at either idea.

First, there is Eliot Coleman's classic, The New Organic Grower. Orginally published in 1989, NOG probably  has probably motivated  a wave of people during the 1990's to return to the land and start growing healthy food.  The book is about small scale agriculture, small farms of  5 acres or so,  and for prospective growers on very slim budgets. His austere  approach, however,  also applies   to those of us who also might just want to dig up a little more turf to grow an extra tomato or two.

The content covers site selection, tools and equipment, buildings as well basic growing techniques, hiring help, marketing and sales.  Coleman emphasizes that  those contemplating either farming or  expanding a garden should first be  able to state clearly "why they want to do it."  Personal commitment and deligence, of course, are required; but  keeping that goal foremost in  mind is  an important sustaining factor given the full time effort  and persevering spirit that farming at any level requires.

Philosphically, Coleman espouses an underlying faith in nature (or what I  call, horticultural grace) in that  seeds put in the ground  generally tend to grow. His techniques  reinforce the best of nature's ways.  He recommends many traditional long and short handle tools as well as classics like that old, single wheel cultivator  stored behind the snow tires in the back of the garage.  The only missing component is how to get the "seed money" to get started... and that hurdle, if one figures that out, might be a good indicator that the new "homesteader" has a decent chance at making a go of it but someone should keep a day job...

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The second book, The Backyard Homestead: Guide to Raising Farm Animals (Story Publishing, 2012),  edited by Gail Damerow, serves up a full platter of the practical realities about selecting and caring for the common breeds of poultry, diary and meat animals and even honey bees. This edition is an update to the original work independently published by Damerow in 2002.

Anyone thinking about getting any of these critters and lacking first hand experience should  get  this book. In fact, even if you are not inclined to harbor any kind of farm animal, you will benefit from reading this book because it will instill an appreciation for what farmers with animals, dairymen, ranchers, beekeepers and 4Hers do day-in and day-out.

For each type of farm animal, the book covers space and housing requirements, nutrition, breeding and health issues.  Basic instruction is also provided in how to intervene in calving when a cow is showing signs of a stressed labor,  how to butcher a hog or rabbit as well as how to milk a goat. You will also see what records to keep for each animal and how to administer various drugs.  Reading this book might just keep you from jumping into the deep end of the pool too soon.

And remember...

"Farming is the profession of hope." - Brian Brett

Crabgrass: in case you get hungry...

A few days ago I noticed a lot of fluttering in my garden's paths and realized that I was witnessing a crop of sparrow fledglings in a feeding frenzy.  My paths are generally not well maintained walkways. They tend to be havens for escaped marjoram, oregano, dill and, of course, unwanted crabgrasses. In this case, I could see that the sparrows were focussing their attentions on the crabgrass areas and appeared to be devouring the surfeit of  seeds now available from the exhausted and dying grasses.

Digitaria sanguinalis (large crabgrass)

Considering that a single crabgrass plant can easily produce well over 125,000+ seeds during its growing season, it's unlikely that my fluttering friends  will get all those seeds, but watching them feast did make me feel a little better about letting the crabgrasses get ahead of me. It also spurred me to find our a little more about crabgrass.

There are two common crabgrass species that gardeners probably step on everyday: Digitaria sanguinalis (large crabgrass) and Digitaria ischaemim (small crabgrass). The botanical Genus name, Digitaria, alludes to the finger-like inflorescences that branch off from the long stems and that become multiple flowering segments. Crabgrass belongs to the small-grained grass family, Poaceae, that also includes other important small-grained grasses like the millets that grouped into of another  related family, Panicoldeae. Like all grasses, crabgrass features a hollow stem with narrow leaves in ranks along the stems except where the bottom-most leaves attach at the node, the stem's base, surrounding it. 

Digitaria and Panicodeae have been been eaten by hungry human for thousands of years. Although you would need patience to gather the seeds, just remember that crabgrass's small seeds are editable if you  ever happen to be staving - you might even develop a taste for it.

Like many of our familiar weeds, crabgrasses were introduced, probably in these cases, intentionally to North American by early European settlers because the plants sprout relatively early in the spring and grow fast providing a good nuitrional fodder for animals.  Crabgrasses also can thrive in poorer soils, and endure heat, cold and drought, important considerations if you have animals to pasture at the end of winter.  Today, these common crabgrasses literally cover the world and contrnue to serve as a grain  for hungry people as well as animal fodder in some places.

FWIW:  If you still feel compelled to eliminate crabgrass in your lawn because it's suffocating the Kentucky blue grass but want to go about it in a "green" manor,  try overseeding. To find out more about the method, read this short article about the technique.

Small and Sweet: Mini Tomatoes at the Fair

Text and pictures by David Chinery, the Senior Horticulture Educator 
                 for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County. Reach him at dhc3@cornell.edu

Tomatoes for tasting at the  Schaghticoke Fair

They are one of the easiest things you can grow in your vegetable garden. They’re small and cute, come in a variety of colors and shapes, and one plant produces them by the boatload. They’re both good for you and pack a punch of flavor. Cherry tomatoes are simply awesome, the best, the bomb! 

That’s what I think after growing three types of cherry tomatoes this summer at home and hosting a tomato taste-off at the Schaghticoke Fair. Here is a  quick look at some of the contenders displayed on the tasting table.  In my backyard, I grew ‘Sweet 100,’ a good-looking, standard sort of red cherry tomato, along with ‘Sunsugar,’ notable for its golden orbs. Both were about the size of true cherries, and the plants came from a local garden center. 'Sunsugar’ is touted as being similar to the famous ‘Sungold’ cherry, but less prone to fruit cracking. From seed, I grew plants of ‘Chocolate Cherry,’ which produces slightly larger tomatoes of a dark mahogany red/green/brown color. 

'Sunsugar,' a new variety from Cornell's Gallaxy collection.

'Starlight,' another mini from Cornell's Galaxy collection.

Along with almost everyone else, the Galaxy tomatoes were new to me, so I was eager to learn more. According to Dr. Phillips, who was interviewed by Sarah Thompson of the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, “These varieties are ideal for organic and conventional growers, or hobby gardeners, and will make a great contribution to the diversity and quality available for small-fruited tomato medleys. They provide high flavor options with good shelf life and aesthetics in high yielding plants for growers.” Galaxies are also described as “organic grape tomato varieties that are pretty, profitable and pack a culinary punch.” They’ve been found to perform well outdoors or in high tunnels, the greenhouses many New York growers use to extend the short upstate growing season. While we didn’t conduct an official taste test, I can give you a little of the feedback we received from the Fairgoers. 

Overall, everyone liked all the varieties, but each type especially charmed a few people, with ‘Sunsugar’ getting the most raves for its high degree of sweetness. A few people (myself and some kids) were disappointed that ‘Chocolate Cherry’ didn’t taste like something from Ghirardelli. ‘Starlight’ was the most polarizing, with some lovers and some dismissers. They might even be nice on an ice cream sundae.

A Squash  For Smaller Spaces

Test and photos by Richard Demick, Rensselaer County Master Gardener

Planting butternut squash in a small raised bed garden layout is a problem. Butternut squash vines grow long and large easily taking over space needed by other vegetables. 

Butterscotch PMR

I tried a new variety this season from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It is Butterscotch PMR F1. I planted it in a separate 4’ x 4’ raised bed in an open space far from the vegetable garden.

The plants have not strayed far from the borders of the bed. The squash produced look like the usual butternut only smaller. At this time, it appears this variety would be suitable for planting in the permanent raised bed garden along with other vegetables in their separate beds.

The following description is from Johnny's seed catalog:

“Our proudest butternut breeding achievement to date. Bred for sweetness, richness, and complex flavor, surpassing all others in its class. The perfect size for dinner (no leftovers), it is ideal for growers selling at farmers' markets and filling CSA boxes. Matures early at 1–2 lb., with no curing needed before it can be enjoyed. Stores up to 3 months after harvest. Short vines. Intermediate resistance to powdery mildew. NOTE: If growing for the 1-lb size, we recommend giving each plant only 6 sq.ft. of space. Avg. yield: 3–4 fruits/plant. AAS Winner.”

The photo to the right shows a Waltham type butternut squash plants that self-seeded in the compost bin with the extensive vines that run six to 10 feet out into the lawn. The bush and short vine varieties work best in small garden plots. The traditional butternuts from the compost bin are producing well along with the new bush variety creating the opportunity to compare taste and storage qualities. 

And remember...

"Crabgrass can grow on bowling balls in airless rooms, and there is no known way to kill it 

that does not involve nuclear weapons." - Dave Barry

Garden Preparation: September

A tired, end of summer garden scene.

It has been a glorious year for my blueberries - just 4 bushes and 26+ quarts! But alas, August ends, September begins and the end of the season pathogens are clearly taking over. Tomatoes and other veggies now  rapidly are losing their resistances and showing their age. 

Although experienced backyard gardeners know the drills for this time of year, here are just a few reminders for those of us who cannot quite remember everything to do:

• Prune the vines on your indeterminant tomatoes. If you don't, they will continue to grow and set new fruit at the expense of ripening the green fruits now on the vine.

• And while we are on the tomato kick, refrain from removing foliage to let more sunlight onto the green tomatoes or the ones showing "yellow shoulders" around the stem. It will not promote ripening, but will increase the risk of sun scorch and possibly even larger yellow shoulders if the temperatures stay hot.  Although tomato vines like to grow in warm conditions, the fruit needs  moderate temperatures to stimulate the production carotene to turn the fruit red. Yellow shoulders indicate that although green chlorophyll production is reduced, carotene generation has been limited.

• Start removing tired looking plants now. If the old veggies look ill -- e.g. dead shoots, spots on the leaves, etc. -- bag them, don't add them to your compost pile. You will not eleminate recontainmination of your garden soil, but you will reduce the concentation of pathogens in your soil a little.

• If you have cleared your garden, now is the time to start to plant cover crops. Check this link for previous posts about cover crops or you can start spreading your compost onto your garden.

• On a closing note, take a break and   watch the heightened activity levels of the pollinators in your late summer garden. And maybe take even a little more time to notice how many different pollinators there are, large and small.  All are very focused on finding the nectar offered by  your late blooming plants. In my vegetable garden most of the activity seems to center around the kitchen herbs. The blooms of thyme, winter savory and basil also bring the pollinators to the my nearby beans, cucumbers and peppers. 

Source: U. of Wisconsin @ Milwaukee

Among the   most noticeable of insects that you probably will see  is Sphex pensylvanicus,   usually just called the Great Black Wasp (GBW) in the vernacular. Although you might first perceive it to be a huge beast, it actually ranges in size only between 1" and 1 1/2".   

GBWs are beneficial in two ways. First, the wasps nourish themselves  on nectar and so pollinate plants; but secondly, the females also hunt various grasshoppers, katydids and other larger insects for their young to eat when they hatch.  GBWs are solitary wasps burying into loose soils to establish  nests for their broods. They are not aggressive, but will sting if provoked.  

Be glad too see them and thankful that you have them in your garden.

Voles & Holes

Recently a friend contacted me about how her second planting of bush beans just disappearing over night.  Her plants were small and had just opened their first pair of permanent leaves. At first we suspected that deer were to be blamed because they might have been able to reach over the fencing as they had earlier to nibbble on several tomatoes.  

A closer inspection revealed several small holes where her beans had been, and then it was discovered a few holes at the base of her raised garden beds that matched the size of the holes at the bean site.  

Conclusion: the culprit(s) is probably Microtus pennsylvanicus, more commonly referred to as a meadow mouse or meadow vole.  There is also a slightly smaller vole,   Microtus pinetorum, called the woodland or pine vole present in the Northeast that prefers to live in and around pine forests. Both voles include tender green plants in their diets, but the size of the holes implied that the villain in this instance was the slightly larger meadow vole. Both types also  spend much of their lives in burrows to avoid being eaten by all your favorite predators, but will emerge at night to dine on  salads from your garden. 

Usually, when I think about voles, I think about their girdling fruit trees and shrubs during the winter, and not  their feasting on veggies during the summer. Although both are guilty of girdling, the pine vole  may be the  worse offender in this regard.  

Meadow vole. Source: Cornell U.

An interesting and probably naive aspect to me  of my friend's misfortune is that her raised beds are filled with soil rising 36"  above her yard, and this, I suspect,  has created an ideal vole condo.  The critters gained access at the ground (lawn) level and tunneled upward to the top of the soil in her raised bed. 

For a thorough dicussion about control options take a look at this U. of Maryland's Extension Service Fact Sheet.  By the way, household mousetraps are effective against voles when baited with peanut butter. 



And remember...

"Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites to lay our eye level

with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain." - Henry David Thoreau

Garden Preparation: August

Source: CCE Nassau County

Tomato season is a-coming to add to your bounty while you are still  busy harvesting bush beans, beets, corn, cucumbers,  blueberries, raspberries, carrots, melons and all those sweet herbs that you thought you needed.  

BUT, resist picking those first tomatoes; let them ripen on the vine for a couple of extra days. It will only improve their taste, and it will allow you time to tend to some of the following chores:

• Clearing the now brown  peas vines and preparing the site for a follow on fall crop or perhaps planting a cover crop like winter rye;

• Trying to give away your  zucchini to strangers;

• Blanching the cauliflower for a couple of weeks;

• Checking for pests such as Mexican bean beetles, red spider mites, leaf miners, slugs and more slugs - to name just a few of the common  culprits;

• Digging your garlic and shallots and remember to  dry them for several days in a sunny place;

• Turning over that compost pile. - This is a great year for compost. Keep those pulled weeds and lawn clippings decomposing.

Capital District Regional Market

Wishing you could buy a sack of corn (50 ears) or a 1/2 bushel of tomatoes or apples? Well, you can.  Just get up early and go to  the Capital District Regional Market located in Menands at 381 Broadway just south of the Troy - Menands Bridge.

The action starts at 5:30 AM,  on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and is usually over well before closing time at 7:30 AM. Sales are expected to be on a cash and carry basis. As a wholesale market, prices  fluctuate daily in response to supply and demand. 

For late sleepers  there is a  retail edition on Saturday mornings starting at 9:00 AM,  but not all farmers participate, and you may not get wholesale prices.

If you have questions about the market, you can call  518-465-1023. 

Veggie History: Parsley

Curly leaf parsley

Does not every gardener grow parsley (Petroselinum crispum)? - Answer: Probably, either the curly leaf or the flat leaf kinds.  Both types are used extensively as garnishes, but there is also a third type, a root parsley, that remains common to eastern, central and southern European cuisines but remained  less popular in Western Europe.  All three parsleys derive from a wild variety commonly found around the Mediterranean region.

Parsley has been cultivated for centuries and the wild versions probably eaten for millenia.   An approximate translation of the botanical name is "rock celery." The wild variety resembles our familiar flat leaf types.  Although the  Puritans most likely brought parsley seeds with them,  according to Judith Sumner in American Household Botany, the first written mention of parsley only dates to 1804, but  has remained in seed catalogs ever since.

Arat or Root parsley

Root parsley  resembles parsnips, and goes by many names: Arat parsley, Hamburg or Dutch parsley, Rooted parsley.  Its carrot shape clearly reminds us that parsley is a member of that plant family.  Its tops are stronger tasting than the leaf varieties but  can also be used for garnishes. The roots, I understand, are milder  and taste more like celery. They are usually added to soups and stews.

Arat parsley requires a long growing season, but the seeds can be started indoors and transplanted outside when they are three inches tall.  Root parsley  is a winter crop.   Dig it up at the end of the growing season and store it in sand like carrots. 

Backyard Tomato Update

Photo by I. Stephens

So far it's been a better season for my tomato plants than for me, a mammal - lot's of rain and quite warm temperatures.  But I thought I would report on my lazy experiment of using the Japanese ring method  for growing tomatoes.  

Leftover  in my center planting bed from last year's climbing beans was a tepee with some pieces of 4" x 6" wire mesh still attached.  Before I finished  dispersing all my compost onto  other planting beds this spring, I realized that I could put the remaining compost in the center of the tepee and plant some heirloom tomatoes around the outside as if the tepee were a "ring" that is usually configured as a square filled with compost. I didn't have enough compost to fill the center area very high, but I did have enough to mound it up about 12".  The compost in the center provides nutrients and helps to maintain even moisture levels throughout the growing season.

From my perspective this approach to date has been successful. The Brandywine (pictured center), German striped (barely seen to the left with its fruit starting to ripen), Cherokee purple and Amish Paste (both out of view) are thriving. Fortunately, I left the pea trellis adjacent to the tepee; and now that the peas are gone, I've started directing the vines of the Amish paste and Cherokee purple onto it.

Of course, I would like to think of my other tomatoes, not pictured, as controls; but considering that their soil was treated to the same compost, they are staked and have received the same sun and rain, it would be naive to think that any differences between them and the "ring" tomatoes could be attributed to the latter's being near a lot more compost.   Anyway, so far I'm starting to think about utilizing  more Japanese rings next year and what that means for crop rotation.  I know it means replacing my tepees with open  square designs so that it is easier to add compost to and reach into those center spaces...

Coming To You Soon: Cross-striped Cabbage Worms

Photo by Judy Isacoff

A fellow master gardener recently alerted us to a new pest that may now be showing up on your cabbages and related veggies, the Cross-striped Cabbage Worm,  Piers rapaem, that has been discovered in the Berkshires and reported in a very informative posting in another local blog, The Berkshire Edge by Judy Isacoff. This insect has moved up from Virginia obviously seeking the new fake heat of the Northeast. Because  the adults only seem to  fly at night, you may need a flashlight to find the mothly version...

Programs at Demonstration Garden Programs

Two lecture and demonstration programs are scheduled during August by the Rensselaer County Cooperative Extension's Horticultural Program.  Both programs happen rain or shine at the garden located at the Robert C. Parker School located at 4254 Route 43 in Wynantskill (approx. 2.1 miles from the intersection of NY Rtes. 4 and 43).

"Late Summer Is For Lawns," slated for Tuesday, August 13 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM will be hosted by David Chinery, Rensselaer CCE's Educator and turf specialist.  David will discuss why mid-August to mid-September is the best time for lawn weed management, oveseeding, fertilizing and renovation.  Free free to bring samples of your problems in bags, pails or whatever to the  meeting.

The second program, "Great Tomato Tasting," set for Tuesday, August 20 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM will be presented by a group of Master Gardeners who will discuss growing tomatoes followed by a tasting table of the many varieties grown in this year's vegetable plot at the Demo Garden.