9-16-12 City water or Rain water (Mother knows best)

Rainwater versus City water (Mother knows best)

Pictures are of my wife ... cause I'm holding the camera  :-)

Bed of okra ... notice the thickness of the stalk

Greenbeans ... just starting to put on beans

Jalapeno peppers ... still loaded in Sept

Tomatoes ... still active and about 9' tall after the hottest and dryest season on record.

Corn ... producing at the end of the season

     Have you ever noticed the explosion of new growth and size difference in the fruits from your garden after a nice long soaking rain?  Here you are … watering everyday … trying to keep your plants healthy and growing … but you don’t have a well so you have to use that ol’ supplied water that comes from where-ever in your county they send it from.  The plants are living, but they just don’t perk the way you would like them to.  Then you get a nice rain and they just come to life … instant growth and the fruits double in size over night.

     You’ve got to know that the water that comes in the pipes is just loaded with chemicals including:  Chlorine, Fluorine, Fluoride, Formaldehydes, Methane, added salts ... and the list goes on.  How many of these do you think are actually good for your garden plants?  The chemical make-up in your city/county supplied water is actually toxic to both you and your plants.  If you don’t have any other means of watering your plants, then you really don’t have any other choice but to use supplied water … without water, your garden will die.  But if you have access to ground water that has not been contaminated by industrial run-off, industrial dumping, or mass production of meat or crops and the problems that come with them … then a natural source of water will always be better than water that is supplied.

     Mother Nature is very good at taking care of herself and her children.  A long soaking rain has very many nutrients and things that your plants need that have been locked up in the atmosphere.  They are just waiting for that water in the atmosphere to collect itself and fall as rain to feed it to your yard and garden.  The water in ponds, streams, and wells many times has these same naturally occurring and beneficial elements in them as well.  Many times man-made or man-concentrated substances can leach or run-off into these as well so it’s always a good idea to check them out by sending a sample to your county extension office for assessment before using it on your garden.

     Areas with a lot of atmospheric dumping of smoke and gasses from industry also may have many bad chemicals that can come in the rain as well … maybe the old saying is true … we (human-kind) really are a virus on this planet.  But, since I am a member of a growing viral strain of humanity that would like to see a return to simpler times … there are things that you can do to stack the deck in your favor when it comes to limiting the concentrations of bad chemicals from building up in your body.

     It is a well-known fact that organically grown fruits and veggies are going to be better for your body in the long run than those grown in an environment where pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, and who-knows what-else are added to the mix.  There have been recent studies that show that organically grown fruits and veggies may not be any more nutritious … but they will be much better for your body because they don’t have all those man-made and supplied chemicals, carcinogens, and DNA enhanced strains of “whatever” that the scientific community still has no clues as to the long-range effects on human physiology (or environmental concerns).  Many times they do know the results … they are just willing to overlook them due to the financial incentives offered them from the government and corporations.

     A simple example of environmental impact would be the applications of too much fertilizer being added to hay fields to increase the grass productions.  Yep … more fertilizer makes more grass.  But the soil is depleted because the extra fertilizer kills all the other things in the soil that keep it healthy, the streams and ponds downhill receiving the run-off water are destroyed as eco-systems because the increased fertilizer allows specific vegetation to grow that thrives on the fertilizer and starves the naturally occurring life of both nutrients and oxygen.

     We had a pond do this in the late 70’s due to a neighbor applying chicken house litter to his pastures.  The pond was taken over by a green algae that killed all the other vegetation and killed all the fish.  It took about 15 years for the pond to come back after the neighbor stopped applying the litter to his field.  We also had to bring in carp to eat the algae, ducks and geese to eat the algae, block off the pond from use to the cattle, and restock the pond with fish in order for it to naturalize again.

     Sure would have been easier and cheaper for the neighbor to use better soil management techniques, and pasture rotation techniques.  If he had done this instead of using the “instant gratification” of more grass right now, then his pastures would have grown better every season, would have been healthier each season than the last, and there would have been no down-stream contamination effects to his farming operations.  After he gave it up on the pastures because the litter was costing too much when the pasture kept getting worse, and after we had 15 years of cleaning up the down-stream mess created by his techniques … the pastures he had are still poor.

     These same types of things are done very often in simple home gardens.  Use of pesticides kills bugs … but at what cost?  About 90 percent of the insects in your garden are not there to harm it.  Many times they take care of or keep in check the populations of the bugs that harm your garden.  Use of pesticides causes the propagation percentage of your crops to become less because the bugs and critters that assist in propagation are killed off or run off.  Use of pesticides many times kills the creatures in the soil that keep your plant roots healthy, kills the toads and birds that eat the bad bugs, kills the spiders and wasps that get rid of the bad bugs, gives you generations of health problems due to unnatural chemicals in your body’s cells that are passed on to your children and their children.

     It seems to make much more sense to me to use techniques of gardening that build the soil, make plants more healthy, make the garden eco-system more healthy, and make the future for our children more healthy.  If you don’t have a choice on where your water comes from when keeping your garden alive, at least be aware that there are many times more healthy alternatives.  I believe that we are here on this planet as caretakers.  The right thing is always the right thing … it may not be the easiest thing, or the fastest thing … but if we want our children and their children to be able to reap the benefits of this planet then some thought always should be to where our future will be if we continue to use techniques of instant gratification.

     Thanks for allowing me to vent.  I realize that I don’t know everything where gardening is concerned, I am willing to learn though.  Most of what I’ve learned is through trial and error … re-invent the wheel … that’s what I’m good at.  But I feel that I do have a healthy garden.  By using techniques that are natural and constructive for the soil, my garden seems to do much better than any I see in my part of the country … and it keeps getting better each season.  I hope those of you who read this will give some thought to our future as well.

     You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment to have a nice productive garden.  You don’t need a bunch of hazardous chemicals to have a nice garden.  All you need is to give some thought to the health of your soil.  If you will give your garden some love … it will love you back.

Thanks for reading … Duane.

8-31-12 Getting the most from yellow squash

Raised Bed Gardening In Arkansas

 Subject:  Getting The Most From Yellow Squash

     One of my most favorite vegetables from a late summer garden has got to be yellow squash.  It has such a mild flavor and delicate texture that it can be added to very many dishes.  It can be substituted for the pulp of fruit to be added in breads and cakes, it can be cooked down and mashed and used as a potato substitute, it can be heated in a microwave with a little butter, it can be sliced or chunked and breaded for frying … a pretty versatile addition to a summer garden that will yield some pretty big results.

                                   

     The squash plants can be put out or planted anytime the danger of frost is past in the spring and will produce all the way up to the first frost in the fall.  They will be the most active in the heat of the summer months though.  We had the hottest and driest summer on record here this year, and the temperatures stayed or hovered above 100 degrees for three months in a row.  Even this extreme temperature did not kill off the plants, but it did cut way back on the plants ability to make fruit.  When the temperature dropped back a couple weeks ago to the mid 90’s, our yield went from 2-3 squash per day, to 10-12 squash per day from two 3’ x 8’ beds. 
     The plants will tend to wilt in the extreme heat and sun, but if you can water in the evenings it will give the plants enough recovery time throughout the night to come right back all perky in the mornings.  If the temperature stays over 100 degrees, it may help to water in both the morning and in the evenings.

     Yellow squash is fairly easy to determine when it gets ripe in both the straight-neck and crook-neck varieties because the yellow will turn to orange at the stem end.  This orange color is a good sign that the seeds are developing to maturity and it’s time to pick it.  As the temperature rises above 100 degrees the fruit will tend to ripen sooner and will be smaller, but the small ones are just as tasty as the bigger ones (my wife thinks they are better).  As the fruit turns more orange, the skin becomes tougher and may have to be cut off before cooking.  But if you pick them when they are still yellow, then the skin is just as tasty and tender as the pulp.

 

     There are really only two main pests here in Arkansas that take a toll on the squash plants.  These two pests are the squash bug, and the blossom end fungus.
     The squash bug is a longer version of the stink bug and can be difficult to control.  We don’t use any chemicals here, so a daily check under the leaves is the best way to nip them before they become a problem.  The eggs of the squash bug are a white to golden color and are laid in flat clusters on the underside of the plants leaves.  You can pinch out the egg cluster and drop it in a can of water and the remaining leaf will survive.
     The squash bugs are pretty good at hiding and will go to the back side of a stem or leaf when movement is in their vicinity.  One of the best ways I’ve found to flush them out of hiding is to water the plant with a shower type spray.  The bugs really don’t like water and will crawl up the leaf stems and expose themselves to observation.  I just reach out and squash them between my finger and thumb … they are squash bugs after all.  If you are a little squeamish about squashing bugs between your fingers, then a can of water can be kept nearby to drop them in.
     The damage these little stinkers can do is catastrophic to the plant.  The young will eat the leaves and suck the juices from the leaf stems.  The adults suck moisture from the base of the plant itself and you can have a thriving plant one day and the next it can be a wilted dead thing with no chance of recovery, so it is always best to keep a watchful eye on your leaves.

     Where most of your garden plants will do better if you mulch the top of the soil, squash seems to do better if you have a well-drained and fertile soil that you allow the top of the soil to remain dry.  There is a constant threat of blossom end fungus if there is too much humidity at the base of the plant and having a mulch tends to keep more moisture at the plant base as well as giving squash bugs a place to hide.

     Another thing that can help lower the humidity around the plants is to string up the lower leaves of the plants to allow for a better air flow.  A better flow of air around the plant will dry out the blossoms better and assist in keeping the blossom end fungus from getting a start.  Sometimes it will also help to pinch off the wilted blossom from developing fruit before the fungus gets a start.

     All for now … I’ll try to do a little better job at keeping a constant flow of posts here.  I kind of get wrapped up in life.

     Next time … Duane  

 

 

6-24-2012 Surviving the heat

Raised Bed Gardening in Arkansas

Subject:  Surviving the heat

     Man, is it hot!  Temperatures are supposed to be over a hundred degrees for the next two weeks.  We have only had about a half inch of rain since the beginning of April.  All the pastures are brown … either just dirt left, or a withered and crunchy grass that is long past the point where it was begging for rain.  It lost its’ voice back in May.
     Driving to town today I was looking at all the gardens along the way.  The plants are stunted and withered, most of the gardens are only using a small portion of the available space, and many growers have already given up.  So, what’s the secret?  How can we stay in the game and be productive when the environment is stacking the deck against us?  It’s been too hot for too long, no rain for months, the exposed ground surface gets up to about 120 during the day, and even many of the large trees are dying due to the stress of high temp and lack of water.
     Here are a few things that you can do to assist in keeping your garden alive and healthy even in this harsh climate.

Watering: 
*  The best time to water your garden in any weather is still going to be in the morning before the sun has a chance to start sucking the life from your plants.  By watering in the morning, you will give the plants a resource to pull from when most of the water in the leaves is being taken away by intense evaporation.  The plants go into survival mode in extreme temperatures and you need to give it all the help you can to make it till the temps drop back down again. 
*  You can also greatly assist the plants by watering in the evening as well.  The water that the plants have lost during the extreme heat of the day can be replaced by watering in the afternoon or evening after the sun has passed the critical point of plant suckage.  This gives your garden a break by letting it recover and even grab a little growth before it relaxes for the night.
*  Soaker hoses, water emitters, and drip systems are all good and can be very helpful in these conditions as well.  Sometimes the drip and soaker systems need to have shaded locations or the water may be evaporated before it has a chance to penetrate the ground though.
*  The plants have to be able to get water when they need it or they will not survive.  Even if you can’t water at the “best” times of the day, as least give them some water.  It won’t be hot and dry forever … at least I hope it doesn’t …

Mulching:

*  Mulching the surface of your soil at the plant base is a very good way to help your soil hold on to its’ moisture longer.  It breathes due to the porosity of mulching mediums, but keeps the sun from direct contact with the soil surface.  Just by adding a 1-2 inch layer of mulch on your soil, you can decrease the soil temperature (and the temp of your plant roots) by several degrees.  The less contact the sun has on the surface, the cooler the surface will be, and the less water it will give up to evaporation.
*  Mulching helps the soil take in water easier when you have the hose out.  A heavy soil (a lot of clay in the mix) turns into concrete when it dries out, making it difficult for water to penetrate the surface.  By adding a layer of mulch or compost, the fibers in the mulch penetrate the surface and keep it more open to both air and water so the water can soak in much better.

Shading:

*  Shading the soil with some form of organic material will help in the same manner as mulching by lowering the temperature of the soil and plant roots.  (newspapers work very well for this)
*  Mass plantings of many garden plants tends to help in the same way also by shading the soil with the plants themselves to keep it cooler.  (like bush greenbeans or tomatoes)
*  Organizational planting is helpful to place a taller shady plant in a position where it will tend to give shade to a shorter, more delicate plant in the hotter portions of the afternoon.  (grapevines work very well on trellises and can be grown in almost any garden location for this)
*  T-posts in the corners of garden beds work very well to tie strings to, to hang plastic from, or to hang a shade material from.  (we use them for just about everything)

Keep some water out for the critters:

*  In the hot dry seasons, your garden friendly insects and critters need water too.  It is helpful to keep a small flat open container in shaded positions in your garden to allow them a place to get a drink.  Wasps, bees, spiders, praying mantis, lizards, toads … these are just some of the critters that are very helpful in your garden, and even if you don’t like them there, your garden will be better if you can find a way to make friends with the guys that are helping you keep it healthy.
*  If you do decide to keep water out for the critters, just keep an eye on it … mosquito larvae can hatch out in just a few days and you can dump them out to get rid of them.

     Nobody has ever said that gardening is easy.  It “can” be made much easier by a little planning and knowledge … the more you do for your garden, the more it will do for you.  And the longer you are in the gardening game, the more knowledge you will have to make this little task work better with less effort.  Come on September … I know we should have some rain by then …

Keep your chin up and keep it wet …

Duane

Q & A When do I pick green tomatoes

Questions and Answers from the Gardener …

Question:

Shirley asked … I love green tomatoes..could you give me some suggestions on ''when to pick them before they ripe ''to a red color??

Answer:

The Gardener:  What a predicament … a tomato will turn when the plant tells it that it is ready to turn.  There is no time limit, no temperature, no other variables that can be measured to know when a tomato is going to turn.  Just keep an eye on the plant.  When your tomato starts to change to a more yellow, or reddish color … it’s done!  Take that puppy out of the oven.  Fried green tomatoes here we come  J

… Duane

Q & A Do they spray dye on oranges

Questions and Answers from the Gardener …

     I may have opened the Pandora box when I posted on facebook that I would see if I could answer questions that were bugging the hearts and minds of those viewing this blog.  Being of true “Know it all” nature (even though I might need to make it up on the fly), I will attempt to answer the questions to the best of my ability.

Question:

Shirley asked ... Hell;o Duane: ;o Do the agriculture department spray''oranges that are green an orange color..if some type of discoloration occurs before the oranges''are picked from the trees??

Answer:

The Gardener ... That, my dear Shirley, is a very good question … though it has nothing what-so-ever to do with raised bed gardening in Arkansas, I will still dive headfirst into the Google archives of information to ascertain the validity of your concerns.

     You know, when I first read your question I got a funny little visual image of guys in Mario Brothers outfits runnin’ around with springboards, stilts, paint brushes, ladders, hollaring, “hup, hup, hup”, and being driven by the whip of the evil “Queen of Hearts” from “Alice in Wonderland”.  (you know how my mind works)  I did have to do a little bit of research to find the answer you were lookin’ for.

     I found an answer on the web in another site dedicated to questions of this type.  Here’s a link to the question from some Q & A guys:  http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_they_Spray_paint_oranges_before_they_ship_them

… and if that’s not scary enough, I found this site that talks about all kinds of fruits and veggies being treated with dyes to “enhance” their color:

http://www.ehow.com/list_7631752_dyes-enhance-color-fruits-vegetables.html

     I guess that any time you are buying “store-bought” fruits and veggies, you may want to take into consideration that things are going to be added that you may not want in your body.  About the only way to be sure … is to grow it yourself … but if you can’t grow it yourself, at least wash it before you put your mouth on it …

… Duane

         

  

6-12-2012 Scallions (Winter Onions)

Raised Bed Gardening in Arkansas

Subject:  Scallions (Winter Onions)

     If you want an onion that tastes great, grows green tops all year long, makes little pearls for adding flavor and texture to recipes, divides to generate even more the second season … look no further.  The Scallion does all of this and more.

     These little buds are probably the most versatile and easy to grow bulb in the entire onion family.  From the time they first put on a green top after you plant them, they will continue to make several different types of food source that grows all year.

     The bulb in the ground never does get very big.  It is usually just a little bigger in diameter than the green top.  It may get to about 1 ¼ inch in diameter and about 2 inches long.  It has concentric rings like a regular onion, but the texture is closer to that of garlic.  The ground bulb has a very thick skin and will divide into 2 to 4 sections every season.  Where a normal onion will have most of its’ weight made up of water, the scallion has a much more oily liquid for a juice.  As a result, it has almost no parasites, it is super resistant to freeze, it holds its’ moisture in very dry seasons … it will survive when everything else has already withered and died.

     The green top will rise up in a hollow tube similar to a normal onion, but will get to about 4 feet tall.  It can be used as a green onion or when it gets bigger, it is very sturdy and can be used in the same manner that leeks can be used (but it is a little tougher).  On the top of the green tube, a seed pod will grow (like a second year onion), but the flower will actually grow into a tight little cluster of seed scallions that can each get up to about the size of a nickel.
     These little seed scallions work very well for canning as pearl onions, in recipes needing a little onion, for dehydrating and long term storage, and they can each serve as a new plant if you are starting them somewhere else.  With these seed scallions though, you will end up with pretty close to the same volume after dehydration, where I can put 20 large onions in a quart jar after dehydrating.

     The Scallion likes a well-drained, loose, fertile soil, but is a good starter plant in a newly established bed because it is so hardy.  It can be planted at any time of the year, and as soon as it is able, it will shoot up the green top (even in the middle of the winter).  A very hard freeze will take out the top, but it comes right back as soon as it gets a chance.  In late spring, it will make the seed pod at the top and you can harvest the seed scallions by early summer.  When the top yellows and dies down, the bulb in the ground is already beginning to divide.  The bottom bulb can be harvested then as well, or you can let it divide and a new top will start to grow on each of the new bulbs.

     I usually will dig up a bed at the end of the 2^nd season and replant one of the bottom bulbs back in the place of each cluster of bulbs.  If the seed bulbs fall to the ground, they will start to root and grow where-ever they land, so you have to keep them picked as they grow to the size you want (or when the green top dies down).

     The flavor is mild and sweet with just a little bite on both the seed scallion from the top, and from the bottom bulb.  They can be used in any recipe calling for onion, green onion, or dehydrated onion.  They hold their flavor well after dehydration where a regular onion will have a more roasted onion flavor after dehydration.  When dehydrating though, you may want to keep the dehydrator in another room because the aroma of the onion gets pretty thick and your eyes may start to sting after a bit.

     All in all, I think these guys are probably my favorite perennial garden plant.  They are so easy to grow, they produce well and always, they are pretty much disease and pest free, and they give a good yield … and I really like onions anyway  J.

All for now … Duane

6-06-2012 Machinations of Compost

Raised Bed Gardening in Arkansas

6-06-2012  Subject:  Machinations of Compost

     Several years ago, when I first started broaching the idea of trying raised beds instead of the way my parents always did a garden, my mom asked me, “Honey, where are you going to get the dirt?”  A very good question from a beautiful little woman.  My response to her was a smile and, “We’ll figure something out.”

     At the time, I wasn’t really sure where I was going to get the dirt either.  I started off with cutting 55 gal chemical barrels into sections and made a couple diamond designs in my garden area.  I dug out the ground and embedded the barrel sections in the soil leaving about 4” sticking up.  I mixed my dirt with potting soil (bought at the local department store garden section) and sand (got a truck-load from a sand and gravel company down by the river).

     The sand and potting soil did make the dirt much easier to work with (a lot looser), but it didn’t add very much in the way of nutrients for the plants.  I started raising rabbits for the table, and harvesting the manure for a small compost bin.  Some friends that lived in town were willing to give me all the leaves that they raked up in their yards (I just had to haul them off), and I began layering leaves in the worm beds that I created under the rabbit hutches.  It wasn’t long before I began to see a noticeable difference in my garden plants using the composted rabbit manure, leaves, and the worm castings that were generated in the worm beds under the rabbits.

     That old sayin’, “Build it and they will come” really describes how the compost will call the worms in.  In just a few weeks, the worm beds under the rabbits and the compost bin were already crawling with worms from the surrounding soil.  We were feeding the rabbits to add to our table … so the rabbits were feeding us, the leaves and manure were feeding the worms, the worms were breaking down the organic material into ready compost, the compost was feeding the garden plants, and the garden plants were feeding us … and we got the added bonus of never needing to look very far for fish bait.

     The first compost bins I created were made from some old 2 x 4 wire that someone was throwing away.  It worked fairly well to hold the initial ingredients, but there was quite a lot of material that started falling out as the material broke down a little … it also allowed a little too much air flow around the sides and kept the compost dried out.  Working compost needs to stay a little damp both to assist in the way bacteria and funguses work to break down the organic material, and to keep the worms happy (if the worms ain’t happy they tend to head for greener pastures).

     I next built a couple 4’ x 4’ x 4’ squares out of some old concrete blocks someone gave me from where a house burnt down.  This helped to cut down on the moisture loss, but when one of the sides caved in (I just had them stacked up), I decided that I needed something a little more structurally sound.

     I found some old wooden pallets in a dumpster behind a store and started using them to frame up my beds with.  Old wire is usually not too hard to find, and I used it to tie the pallets together in side by side bins.  I would fill a bin … let it work for month … shovel it into the next bin … let it work for a month … move it into a final bin and in another month (when it was ready) … put it on the garden.

     This system worked the best of anything I had tried so far.  I was able to generate about a cubic yard of useable compost each month and from start to finish it only takes about three months.  (note)  This doesn’t count the time the material set under the rabbit hutches waiting for the first bin.

     I am now using cow manure, goat manure, rabbit manure, old hay, leaves, scraps and weeds from the garden, and anything else I get my grubby little hands on.  Organic material is organic material … and the worms like it all the same.

     What I have discovered from all of this is that I don’t need to find dirt somewhere to fill my garden beds … it grows.  I am now in a position to help all my friends with their own gardens and flower beds and fruit trees.  Others will gladly give me their yard leaves and manure from their pastures in exchange for awesome growing medium for their own green-thumb projects.

… Duane 

6-05-2012 Tricks for Tomatoes

Raised Bed Gardening in Arkansas

6-05-2012  Subject:  Tricks for Tomatoes

     Tomatoes are one of the plants that almost everyone grows (or tries to grow) in the summer here in the south.  If you are a tomato lover, there are a few tricks that may help you along the way.  There are also a few things to consider before you even put a seed in a starter medium.

     One thing that many who decide to start a green-thumb lifestyle don’t take into consideration in the beginning is, “What kind of space do you have to grow in?” 

     If you are limited to a container on the porch, deck, or patio … the type of plant you put in has a large impact on your usable space.  For instance, I was experimenting with a “Sweet 100” variety of cherry tomato and was able to get one to grow to 16 feet high using a cattle panel bent in a tube as a cage.  It did yield about 5 gallons of cherry tomatoes over the season, but if you just have a patio to grow on … not very practical.

     For a smaller space you may want to grow using one of the many “patio” varieties that grow small and compact while still yielding a colorful and succulent fruit.  If you are limited by height but not by width, you can grow one along the ground and guide it in a direction instead of letting it grow “up”. 

     In very wet conditions or soil, growing up and as a single plant would be much better than massing several together because it would allow more air flow to the lower part of the plant.  In very hot/dry conditions, massing several plants together works better because it allows the lower parts of the plant and the soil to retain more moisture through less evaporation.  There are also varieties that work better in different conditions, so a little reading-up first may be a good starting point.

     Next thing to consider would be, “What are you gonna do with the tomatoes?”

If you like ‘em fried and green, then just about any tomato will do, but if you are looking for a large slice for a burger or sandwich, then you are probably going to want a larger smooth skinned variety.  Some are meatier and work better in sauces and salsas, some are juicier and work better as a juice or stewed tomato, some are small for popping in your mouth, and some are even advertised as “low acid” for those who have a reaction to the high acid content in many varieties.    

     Once you determine which variety may serve your needs better, you usually have a choice of buying a plant (or plants) that are ready for transplanting, or you can start one from seed yourself.  The plant should be ready to transplant anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks from the time you put the seed in the ground.  Just something to think about when you start the seeds … if you want to put it in the ground outside in the middle of March, then at the beginning of February will be a good time to plant the seed. 

“When should you plant outside?”

     Normally after the last average frost date is the best time to set tomatoes outside.  If you are prepared to cover them for a frost, then you can put them out a little earlier.  This year was really weird because of the exceptionally mild winter we had here in Arkansas, and the last frost was a full month earlier than the average.  You can check with an almanac (or google it) to find when the last average frost date is for your area.  Just remember, if you are wanting to save your plants, then a frost will take a bite out of them quick … when in doubt … cover them up.

“Watering your tomatoes” …

     Tomatoes generally can handle large amounts of water … we had a lot of extra rain a few years ago and I was trying an experiment with plant ponds (depressions in the ground to plant in for water retention).  The only plants that didn’t make it were those that were completely submerged by the excess rain … I guess they drowned.  The plants that still had a couple leaves over the water were able to pull out of it and did very well once the water receded.  I think the best is still going to be with deeply rooted plants in well drained, fertile soil.

     If your plant has at least three sets of leaves when you are ready to set outside, you can put it all the way up to the top set of leaves in the ground and it will root from everything that is under ground.  This will help it to uptake more moisture from the extended rooting structure underground and assist the plant in maintaining a better moisture content during the hottest weather.

     I’ve tried using soaker hoses, drip systems from jugs, drip hoses … I keep going back to watering by hand with a shower head because of how hot and dry it gets here in the summer.  We get many days of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and go for several months without any measurable rain.  Where I live, in the hottest part of the summer, the ground water drops to about 50 feet down so I don’t have to worry about over-watering … ever!  In many places around here, the ground water is much closer to the surface and gardeners very rarely have to water at all.  I’m afraid that I didn’t get that lucky in the draw.  I water daily here … unless it’s raining already … but just a threat of rain is not good enough.

     Another thing that needs to be taken into consideration is airflow around the base of the plant.  In mass plantings … moisture can be trapped in the lower leaves and could lead to fungal growth, especially if your ground has a tendency to hold moisture.  Mine doesn’t so I water in the mornings and sometimes in the evenings too in the hottest part of the season.  If you live in a place where you get more rain or your soil holds more moisture, then avoid watering the plant itself and water at the ground level to keep moisture from staying on the lower leaves.           

     Tomatoes like a very rich soil.  If you have access to manure compost, then you can probably never get too much organic material for a tomato plant (or for any plant for that matter).  In beds, you should be trying to develop a fertile, active, well-drained soil where you build up the soil mix and content over a longer period of time for sustainability.  You can get a good mix (sometimes) of nutrients using some potting soils, and chemical-mix-with-water solutions, but I will always go for the compost and the organic material.  Many of the chemical fertilizers will work for a single season and actually make your soil worse for the next season.  Thinking in terms of “over time” as opposed to “right now” will always be your best bet in the long run.

     One thing I’ve discovered, is in the hottest weather, the plants that have a longer time in the sun during the later parts of the day will do much more poorly than those that get more shade in the afternoon.  It seems that they do most of their growing in the morning because once it gets really hot out … they are so busy trying to survive, that moisture uptake from the soil is going to the leaves instead of fruit and new growth.  A little shade in the afternoon will give the plant a longer growing and producing cycle during each day.

     There are two pests that seem to do the most damage for us here in Arkansas.  The “Green-horned Tomato worm” and the “Stink bug”.

     I’ve heard lots of different ways to get rid of the Horned Tomato worm, some use a pesticide called “BT” (Bacillus Thuringiensis), but I’ve always been one of those old hold outs that don’t use any kind of sprays or chemical fertilizers.  For me, hand pickin’ the worms is the way to go.  The horn worm will usually let you know it’s there pretty quickly.  The evidence of its’ presence is leaves gone, little dark poop balls on the leaves, and (of course) a giant green worm munchin’ on your plant.  It may look pretty intimidating, but you can just reach out and grab it and pull it off.  I usually just drop it and pop it with my shoe. 

     These guys can be pretty tricky to find sometimes because their natural camouflage is like stealth tech … couldn’t be much more perfect.  They hide on the bottom of stems or leaves close to where they have been chowing down and if you find their poop balls they will also be somewhere close by.

Here’s a link to pics on the net of the Horned Tomato worm:  https://www.google.com/search?q=stink+bug&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=wxbOT8zhGc6-2AWt_Km8DA&ved=0CIIBELAE&biw=1017&bih=484#hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=horned+tomato+worm&oq=horned+tomato+worm&aq=1&aqi=g2g-m1g-mS1&aql=&gs_l=img.1.1.0l2j0i5j0i5i24.156677.162251.0.165706.26.23.0.0.0.1.292.2692.5j16j2.23.0...0.0.RbnxKJwvTNs&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=fa956e7b5382943d&biw=1017&bih=484

The other trouble maker is the “Stink Bug”. 

Here’s the wiki link to a good description of this little stinky pest:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentatomidae

And here’s a link to the pics on the net already of the “Stink Bug”:  https://www.google.com/search?q=stink+bug&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=wxbOT8zhGc6-2AWt_Km8DA&ved=0CIIBELAE&biw=1017&bih=484

     When you water your plants, this bug really shies away from the moisture.  So it will usually try to run and will expose itself on the top of the leaves of your plant.  You can reach out and grab it, but it does have the capability to bite.  If you have a small can nearby you can put some water in it and just drop the bug into the water (this will save you from the stinky defense mechanism that it uses).  Having a drop or two of dishwashing liquid in the water will keep it from being able to get out of the water.  If you look at your plants regularly, the eggs will be in flat clusters on the bottom of the leaves and will be a pale white in color (squash bug eggs look very similar but are gold in color).

     All right … lets get some “maters” goin’ …

… Duane

6-01-2012 Benefits of raised beds

Raised Bed Gardening in Arkansas

6-01-2012  Subject:  Benefits of raised beds

     Gardening is a little different for each person that enters into the game.  There are just about as many different reasons for having a garden as there are types of people who have a garden.  Some prefer to have a long row garden, some use a wide row technique, some have a big one and some have a little one … some just like to grow flowers or herbs.  In this post, I will try to show some of the benefits of a raised bed garden and how they compare to a traditional row garden.

     In a bed garden the compaction of the soil is drastically reduced.  Other than settlement by rain and watering, there is nothing else that packs it down … you never walk on it so the soil will stay looser.

*  This allows for better drainage and better penetration of water to plant roots.
*  It allows for a better mix of water, air, and nutrients to plant roots.
*  It allows for any weeds that crop up to more easily be eliminated by pulling and increases the likelihood that the root will come out with the weed.

     In a bed garden, a permanent path between beds generates a much more easily maintained travel space.

*  If a stone or brick path is desired, having permanent beds allows this to be a possibility.
*  I let the grass grow between beds because green grass tends to keep the soil and air close to the ground cooler in the hot summer.  I just keep it mowed with a mulcher blade and no discharge.  Since I never water the path, the grass grows slowly and keeps the surface compact.
*  Whatever type of path you choose, it will keep most mud and muck from developing in the travel space because there is no need to break up the soil in the path.

     Beds tend to be more orderly and can be fashioned in a vast array of styles and shapes that are pleasing to the eye.

*  I have experimented with several shapes and styles, but I ended up with rectangular and square beds that are arrayed in rows that make it easier to pull a hose around, move soil and compost around, mow around … etc.
*  I have made star shaped beds using plastic buckets with the bottoms cut out, moon shaped beds using rose quartz as the bedding side, diamond shapes out of sections of plastic chemical barrels, rectangular and square beds using landscape timbers, and long beds made with railroad ties for the sides.

     Beds tend to allows for easy accessibility to plants for maintenance, weeding, picking, de-bugging … etc.

     Permanent beds make it easier to drag a hose to where you need it because it gives you something to drag around without pulling it across the plants themselves.

     Beds generally saves on water consumption.

*  You only have to water where the plants are and not the path too.
*  On a bed that is inactive, you don’t have to water it.
*  On a bed that you are allowing the plants to dry out to harvest the root, you can single out that bed and save on water.
*  It makes it easier to apply water where it is needed and not where it is not needed.
*  It makes it easier to apply water to a given depth for fresh planting, plants that need more or less water, at specific times during a plants’ cycle … etc.

     Plant types can be isolated within a bed separate from other plant types.

*  Some plants do not do well together because of nutrient needs from the soil.
*  Some plants do not do well together because of pest problems that bleed over onto other types of plant.
*  Some plants do not do well together because the water needs of some plants are much different than others.
*  Some plants do not do well together because of growth rate and size of a mature plant.

     Beds make it easier to grow more plants in a smaller space (bigger yield per square foot).

*  Plant spacing is generally given in most guides based on the needs of a plant in a row garden.  With more access to water, nutrients, commonality of spirit  J, shade … etc, it allows for a much denser planting.
*  The denser the spacing between plants the less weeds can gain a foothold.
*  Denser plantings tend to assist in the plants reinforcing each other for stability.
*  Denser plantings tend to allow for better and more even distribution of pollen between species.
*  Denser plantings tend to allow for better shading of the soil so that less moisture is given up to evaporation from both the soil and the plant leaves.

     Beds make it easier to maintain soil concentrations of fertilizer/nutrients, ph levels, and soil types for specific types of plants.

     Beds make it easier to use succession planting techniques.

*  When a bed is done with a certain plant, bust it up … re-compost (if needed) … and replant with what you want there.
*  You tend to work with a smaller area at a time, so the task doesn’t seem so insurmountable.
*  Each bed is segregated from others so a certain type of pest, disease, or nutritional requirement is more easily controlled.

     Soil and nutrients do not wash away even with a hard rain.

*  The sides of a bed keep water from washing across (like it does in a row garden) to help maintain each bed separately.
*  The sides of a bed tend to hold the soil better in a controlled area.

     Beds make it easier to cover plants for frost, expected hail, or to add shade when needed.

     Permanent beds make it easier to change from a hot bed, to a protected bed for starting the season earlier and extending it in the fall.

     Now, these are not all the reasons that I think make beds better than a row garden … and there are a few things that make a row garden better in some areas than a bed garden.  But for the most part … The versatility, ease of access, stability of soil, stability of control measures, water constraints, and ability to protect beds from inclement weather all tend to make a bed garden (in my opinion) better for the home gardener than a row garden.

… Duane