Lettuce in Winter: Part 2 »
We spaded the ground in our unheated greenhouse, removing weeds and debris. To spade, push your shovel in the ground and lift a shovel full of dirt out of the ground. Turn your whole shovel over and let the dirt fall back into the hole you just made. The point of doing this is to [Read More...]
Salt Injury on Trees »
Salt injury is something home owners should be aware of when the snow starts to fall and the plows are out and you need de-ice the driveway and sidewalks. The symptoms of salt injury are similar to injury caused by other stresses. When in doubt, suspected salt injury can be verified with soil and [Read More...]
Heavy Snowfall Benefits »
With the snow starting to accumulate all over the Midwest one wonders how it affects plants and trees. Heavy snow does have benefits that you may not even think of. One big benefit is that a good amount of snow is an excellent insulator of the soil. Without snow, very cold temperatures can freeze the [Read More...]
The pleasures of a hoop house… »
Just a pretty picture… We’ve already had a little snow here… and the temps at night have been below freezing, and yet, I can walk out to the hoop house and bring in fixings for a fresh salad. What a blessing! This can be achieved in a simple cold frame, too, which can even be made [Read More...]
Is Tree Wrapping Necessary? »
The winter climate is very unpredictable in northern states. Winters can be tough on landscape plants. The winter sun, very cold temperatures, and wind will bleach out your evergreens, injure branches and damage bark. When there is a heavy ice or snow storm the branches can break and in severe storms trees will just fall [Read More...]
Plan for Winter Landscaping »
Winter gardens are something one has to plan for. If you want your garden to look good in the winter as well as during the season you have to incorporate structure. Structure is very important to the winter garden. Since the flowers are several inches under snow, the structures of gardens and larger plants will [Read More...]
Don’t take a chance on old seeds… »
Another good day ~ I went out to the hoop house, pulled all the tiny little weeds out of the planting bed, and replanted in areas where things did not sprout. That is what I get for trying to save money by using old seeds. It was not worth it. Now our plant propagation is a month [Read More...]
“Perpetual” Swiss Chard in the Hoop House »
I love Swiss Chard. It tastes a lot like spinach. Spinach is lovely stuff, certainly, but you have to plant it early, very early, and then when the weather heats us, zap! It bolts quickly! We have Swiss Chard to eat all year long by using this method: I plant it in rows, 12 inches [Read More...]
Why Are My Tomatoes Not Ripening Completely? »
The tomatoes above are having problems fully ripening. Actually, they are never going to fully ripen. The problem is often referred to as yellow shoulder or green shoulder. But I must make note that green shoulder is not always a defect but a genetic trait of a particular variety of tomato. I [Read More...]
Is it the End of the Line for your Tomatoes? »
Does this look familiar to you? Battling blossom end rot on your tomatoes (or peppers or eggplant)? Often when your tomatoes are stressed from the extremes of heat or cold and/or lack of water they are also suffering from a physiological disorder commonly called blossom end rot. During an average year on my family’s farm in [Read More...]