A couple of interesting video clips

First up is a beneficial insect in action.  Most people don't like the red wasp, but they sure do help keep the caterpillar population down.  In this clip, a red wasp is on a kale plant devouring an imported cabbageworm.

This is a very short clip of a squash vine borer (SVB) trying to get back into a zucchini plant.  There were 8 of the little nasties in there.  This year it was the only plant we've lost to the SVB.

Weekly Gardening Outlook

This will be a continuing series. Each Monday we will look ahead at the coming week in gardening for the Northwest Arkansas area.

Hurray for rain!  We got rain last night after a hot, dry spell.  It filled the rain barrel, watered the garden, and knocked the dust down.  Despite manually watering the garden during this hot dry spell we've had, there is nothing like a good rain shower for a garden.  The collective "ahhhhh" from our garden plants was almost audible.  We hope your gardens were equally blessed.

Quick Tip:

If you are growing tomatoes, look at the fruits near the stem.  Are the skins cracking?  If so, this probably due to irregular watering.  To reduce this, monitor soil moisture closely using a soil moisture meter or your fingers pushed down 3-4".  The soil should be kept as near to a well wrung out sponge as possible.  Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to deeply water your plants as needed.

Things to be on the lookout for:

It seems that we've been posting on pest problems a lot of late.  This is the peak time of year for insect activity and our posting reflects that.  Before we get down to business, here is a picture of this morning's harvest.

Moving clockwise in the picture above, we have three purple kohlrabi, two cucumbers, six eggs, and four Ronde de Nice zucchini.  Those zucchini will be stuffed with a meat sauce, covered in cheese, and baked this evening for dinner.

     Squash Bug Nymphs

Related to the leaffooted bug, squash bugs are an extremely common pest of squash plants.  They are particularly attracted to the yellow crook necked squash found in many gardens.  The adults and nymphs suck fluids from and inject toxins into the squash plants causing the leaves to wilt, and ultimately, plant death.  Beginning in early June, female squash bugs will begin laying egg masses in clusters of 12 or more eggs on the surface (pictured to the right) or more commonly the underside of the squash plant's leaves.  We have also observed eggs on the leaf stalks. Those eggs hatch small gray nymphs in about 10 days and these nymphs turn into adults by the end of the summer.  The best organic method of control we have found is destroying the eggs by mashing them between the thumb and forefinger.  This takes some effort though as the females will keep depositing these eggs until August.  A thorough check for eggs once per week will keep them in check.  Invariably, some eggs will be missed and hatch out.  Use a vacuum suck them up, or if that fails, use diatomaceous earth as we talked about in this post.

    Adult squash bug

Weather outlook:
-Cooling somewhat into the mid to upper 80's
-Chance of rain early and late in the week
-Ten day forecast

What's being harvested:
-Onions
-Hearing reports of red tomato harvests (ours are still green)
-Green tomatoes
-Cucumbers
-Kohlrabi
-Squash and zucchini
-Squash blossoms
-Celeriac leaves, basil, mint, and other herbs
-Radishes

What's coming soon:
-Red tomatoes
-Peppers
-Baby watermelons

Garlic

Garlic is perhaps the lowest maintenance crop we raise.  It is very resistant to most pests and it replants itself every year.  Like most bulbs, garlic should be planted in the fall.  So why are we posting about it now?  There are many different varieties of garlic, but for a standard, hardnecked garlic you will have the most success with locally adapted varieties.  Examples of locally adapted garlic should begin to become available at your local farmer's market anytime now.  So now's the time.  Go out and get some, then store it in a cool, dry place until early October.

Planting and Harvesting:

Prepare a sunny to partially shaded location with your loosest, richest soil.  Use plenty of rich, black compost if you have it.  In early October, plant one clove each about 6" deep and 6-12" apart.  Orient the cloves so that the pointed end is up and the blunt end is down.  They will sprout small shoots in the fall.  Some green leaves will remain throughout the winter.  DO NOT mow these down.  The plant will gather energy slowly throughout the winter with them, which will give it a great start in the spring.  After they have come up in the fall, mulch them with a 2" layer of well shredded leaves if you have them.  A bagging mower works well for making this mulch.  When spring comes around you will observe rapid growth.  In mid-May the plants will send up a central stalk about 3 feet tall with a bulbous end called a scape.  As soon as they emerge, cut the scape off of the very end of the stalk.  This will force the plant to put its energy into the bulb rather than sexual reproduction.  Save the scapes and stir fry them in olive oil.  They are really good with a mild garlic taste.  You can see plants with the scapes removed in the picture above.

When one third of the plant has turned brown (mid June), pull one and look at it.  To pull a garlic plant, grasp it firmly as close to the ground as possible and steadily pull up.  Do not jerk them or you risk breaking the neck off and leaving the bulb in the ground.  If it has a well developed head with a "paper" wrapper around it, then pull them all.  If not, then check again the next week.  It's not a sin to just wait until the whole plant has died back in late June before pulling your garlic (see photo above).

Tips and Tricks:

• Buy locally grown garlic for starter bulbs.  Your farmer's market is a good place to look.  You want to purchase the largest, healthiest heads of garlic available and buy 3 times as much as you think you need for planting.  Once you get home, plant only the large cloves from each head.  Store and eat the rest.
• The best time to pull bulbs is after a rain.  The damp soil allows the bulb to come right up; with dry soil you may snap the neck of the garlic off and leave the head in the ground.
• When you pull your garlic, you will likely see small (3/8") orange bulblets around the outside of your bulb (see photo at the beginning of this post).  Those are new plants.  While pulling them out you will likely leave several in the ground, which will give you a brand new crop next year.  We have never replanted our garlic and have had a good crop every year.

Putting Up the Harvest:

• Whole bulbs.  
• Leave plenty of neck on each bulb (5-6").  Cutting it too close will open the bulb up to rot.  Let the bulbs air dry for a week in a warm airy place.  A covered porch with a fan is ideal, but the fan is not wholly necessary.  Just make sure there is plenty of air flow.  Store cured whole bulbs in a cool, dry, dark place.  
• Garlic Powder
• You can make your own garlic powder by dehydrating thin slices and then pulverizing them with a food processor.

Leaffooted Bugs

While visiting the garden of one of our customers yesterday, we observed these little nasties on a young watermelon.  These are adults and nymphs of the leaffooted bug.  They are distinguished by the leaf-like projections on the hindlegs of the adult, which can be clearly seen on the adult in the lower left part of the picture to the right (click on the picture to zoom in).  They suck juices from the vines with their piercing mouth parts.  This particular species seems to be watermelon specific, but other members of the family attack a wide variety of food crops (especially squash and tomatoes).  The best method of control is to physically remove them early in the season when the nymphs cluster together as seen below.  They are quick and hard to hand pick and they emit a noxious odor when startled.  Because of this we recommend removing them with a vacuum.  The best tool is an insect vacuum, but a small handheld dustbuster or shop vac will work as well.  Once you are done, stuff a rag in the end of the intake and put the vacuum in the freezer over night to kill the insects.  Diatomaceous earth should also be effective and will be used if this problem persists.  We try not to use nonspecific treatments like diatomaceous earth when possible to avoid killing bees and other beneficial insects.

Blog additions

We have added a contact form and a Twitter feed for blog posts on the righthand side of the blog.  We appreciate our readership and if we can help you in any way, feel free to contact us.

Weekly Gardening Outlook

This will be a continuing series. Each Monday we will look ahead at the coming week in gardening for the Northwest Arkansas area.

The lettuce is done for the summer, all of it having bolted due to the heat.  It's impressive that it lasted this long considering the heat we've had.  We will definitely be growing this lettuce mix again this fall.  Until then, our salads will consist of chard and kale.  The heat that we are experiencing has also temporarily halted strawberry production.

                                    

Things to be on the lookout for:

      Wilted vine in the foreground

Summer's little nasties are really starting to pop their ugly heads up now.  The newest arrival is the squash vine borer (SVB).  The first sign was one vine was noticeably wilting during the midday heat yesterday.  Upon closer inspection,  a small pile of sawdust-like frass (poop) was found near the base of a vine along with a 2" section turning brown.  The adult SVB lays its eggs on the leafstalk.  When they hatch out the small caterpillar burrows into the stem and grows rather large (1" to 1" 1/2" long) inside the stem.  The damage will kill everything on the vine past the caterpillar.

These guys will also attack other squashes and cucumbers, but they really seem to prefer the spaghetti squash.  This a shame because we LOVE spaghetti squash.  Here's how to treat the problem if this happens to you:  Go out at night with a strong flashlight.  Hold the light behind the stem where it is discolored and the caterpillar will appear as a dark spot in the stem.  Using a very sharp knife (be careful!) slice halfway into the stem lengthwise to open it up.  Cutting as little as possible and being very gentle, open the stem up and remove the caterpillar.  I've seen two caterpillars in the same stem, so use your flashlight to check thoroughly.  Now heap damp well finished compost or peat moss over the base of the stem and wound.  Keep it damp for a couple of weeks and more times than not, the vine will put down new roots and will start to produce fruit again.

How can this be prevented?  Placing mint cuttings near the base of the vines everyday is said to deter the adult SVB.  DO NOT plant mint here as it is very invasive and will take over.  Coating the base of the vines in diatomaceous earth is another option.  Sticky traps can work, but will also catch beneficial insects.

Perhaps the best option is a second crop of squash planted July 15th after the SVB adult has quit flying.  There is still time in the growing season for the vines to mature barring an early frost.

Weather outlook:
-Hot and dry, in the mid 90's
-No chance of rain
-Ten day forecast

What's being harvested:
-Green tomatoes

-Cucumbers
-Kohlrabi
-Broccoli
-Squash and zucchini
-Squash blossoms
-Celeriac leaves
-Basil, mint, and other herbs
-Radishes

What's coming soon:
-Red tomatoes
-Peppers

Broccoli

With the spring broccoli crop on its last leg, now is the time to think about a fall crop of broccoli.  If you have a good source for seedlings, you can wait until early August to plant them in your garden.  However, these seedlings can be hard to find in the late summer, so verify availability with your local nursery before going this route.  The better option in our opinion is to grow your own from seed.  It is a much cheaper and more reliable way to go.  Unlike the spring crop, which must be started indoors, the fall crop can be seeded directly into your garden.  This is a HUGE savings in time and effort.

     Side floret emerging

Tips and Tricks:

• If your garden soil contains heavy clay, plant the seeds in a pocket of a 50/50 peat and sand mixture.  This will help hold moisture around the seed and give the young seedling a light medium to push through.
• Starting these in the middle of summer requires special attention be paid to soil moisture.  Do not let germinating seeds or young seedlings dry out.
• Broccoli is quite disease and pest resistant, but it does have a few things to keep an eye out for.  We discussed downy mildew in this post.  Neem oil has worked really well for us in controlling this disease.  The imported cabbageworm can defoliate a small plant in a day, so keep an eye out for them.  We've previously discussed them here. Hand picking will keep them at bay and Bacillus thuringiensis will finish them off.
• Cut the heads off with a sharp knife at 45 degrees when the largest bud in the head is the size of a match head.  Wait much longer and you will lose some to flowering.
• After the main head has been cut, small florets will continue to grow along the main stalk as seen in the picture above.

Putting Up the Harvest:

• Freeze - wash and soak in salt water for 10 minutes to get rid of any bugs hiding in the recesses, rinse, steam blanch for 5 minutes, then freeze in an airtight container.  It will keep until your plants are producing again next year.
• Dehydrate - cut into 1/2" pieces, prepare as above including steam blanching, then dehydrate at 125 degrees for 8 hours.  Store in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.  It will store for years.

Weekly Gardening Outlook

This will be a continuing series. Each Monday we will look ahead at the coming week in gardening for the Northwest Arkansas area.

Sorry for the intermittent posting. We just returned last night from vacation and wifi was, shall we say... spotty.

What a difference a week makes! We returned to full grown cucumbers, 10 foot long and flowering pole bean vines, baby watermelons, spaghetti squash running wild, tomato plants twice as tall, and Bermuda grass... ahh the Bermuda grass. It is a truly obnoxious weed. The only problem that we really had with the garden while we were gone is that most of the broccoli (pictured above) flowered. We got a little bit, but it was a shame most of it went for naught.

young spaghetti squash  

young watermelon

Things to be on the lookout for:

Japanese beetles have arrived. They are on our apple trees, but have not eaten any plants in our beds. It seems the onions are doing their job.

The Japanese beetle's defense mechanism when disturbed is to let go of the plant and fall into the grass. We use that to our advantage by keeping a jar of soapy water in the garden and when we see the beetles, we hold the jar under them. Then we brush a hand over them and they fall right in and die. They tend to cluster up, so it doesn't take much time and if done every day will keep them from causing serious damage.

We advise not putting those pheromone traps (the kind with the bag) in your garden because they will actually attract beetles to your garden. If you have a large piece of property, place these traps in remote areas away from your garden.

Weather outlook:
-Warm, lower 90's
-Chance of rain Wednesday; dry later in the week
-Ten day forecast

What's being harvested:

-Cucumbers

-Kohlrabi
-Broccoli
-Squash and zucchini
-Squash blossoms
-Celeriac leaves
-Basil, mint, and other herbs
-Radishes
-Strawberries

What's coming soon:
-Green tomatoes
-Peppers

Organic Pest Control (Remediation)

So you did everything right (or didn't) and you have an infestation?  Here are some organic methods to try:

• Spray the insects off with a strong stream of water 
• Works especially well on small, less mobile pests like aphids 
• Neem Oil 
• We have had a lot of success as a treatment for powdery mildew, downy mildew, and other fungal problems
• Also, works well as an insecticide because it only harms insects that eat plant material
• Spray in the evening and avoid flowers to reduce the likelihood of harming bees
• Bacillus thuringiensis
• Kills caterpillars and gnats by invading their gut with a harmful bacteria
• Does not harm beneficial insects, humans, pets, etc.
• Beneficial Insects
• Beneficial nematoads are microscopic insects that naturally parasitize many pest insects that live in the soil
• Lady beetles and green lacewings eat large numbers of aphids and other pests
• Diatomaceous Earth
• Kills all insects (especially hard bodied insects) by physically cutting them with its sharp edges allowing natural organisms to invade and kill the insect
• WARNING:  This treatment will also kill beneficial insects, so be thoughtful with when and how it is applied.  Also avoid breathing it in during application.
• Insecticidal Soap or Horticultural Oil
• Kills all types of insects by coating them and depriving them of oxygen
• WARNING:  These treatments will also kill beneficial insects, so be thoughtful with when and how they are applied.
• Additives such as garlic juice and cayenne pepper can be added to insecticidal soap for residual pest repelling properties

Weekly Gardening Outlook

This will be a continuing series. Each Monday we will look ahead at the coming week in gardening for the Northwest Arkansas area.

The garden is growing extremely rapidly right now.  We check our plants daily to ensure that they are staying within their cages (tomatoes) or growing up their trellises like we want them to.  It takes just a day for a cucumber or squash vine to lean over and grab onto a neighboring plant or trellis.  If this happens we unwrap the tendril and guide the vine back to where it needs to be.


Watermelons climbing cattle panels

Spaghetti squash climbing cattle panels

Things to be on the lookout for:

The imported cabbageworm is doing its damage in Northwest Arkansas.  You can see the damage done to some of our broccoli below.  A round of Bacillus thuringiensis has the infestation under control.  See our other post about this pest.


Damage done by the imported cabbageworm

Adult stage of the imported cabbageworm known as the Small White

Weather outlook:
-Warm, upper 80's
-Chance of sporadic rain throughout the week
-Ten day forecast


What's being harvested:

-Broccoli
-Squash and zucchini

-Squash blossoms
-Celeriac leaves
-Basil, mint, and other herbs
-Turnips
-Radishes
-Strawberries
-Green onions


What's coming soon:

-Green tomatoes
-Peppers
-Kohlrabi is almost ready

Organic Pest Control (Prevention)

Like most problems, the best time to address pest problems in a garden is before they occur.  Let's look at some things to think about when planning your garden.

• Mix up your plantings instead of planting large blocks of the same plant.  It makes the pest work harder to get to all of your plants and the different smells and appearances can confuse the pest.

• Attract beneficial insects

• Plant native flowers and bushes.
• Plant fennel, mint, or dill and allow them to flower.  Many parasitic insects (the good guys!) will feed on and hang out in these plants while looking for other insects to parasitize
• Quit using non-organic insecticides on your property and be thoughtful of when and how you apply organic pesticides.
• The easiest thing you can do is to allow some area near your garden to go "wild" by not mowing.  This gives beneficial insects a place to shelter.

See the "wild" area behind our garden.  This is also a wet marshy area that attracts frogs and toads.

• Attract toads and frogs
• They love water, so if a pond or wet area isn't near your garden you will need to provide it.  A concrete bird bath top buried level with the ground works perfectly.  Just keep it flushed out to avoid mosquitoes breeding in it.
• Provide shelter.  Terracotta toad houses can be purchased, but a 6" terracotta pot upside down with a 3-4" hole broken into the side works just as well.  Place these around your garden in the most shaded areas.

• Plant things that repel pests
• Japanese beetles can devour a garden, but are repelled by onions and garlic.  Guess what we plant around the edge of our beds?
• Marigolds and nasturtiums repel many beetles, worms, and nematoads.  As a bonus, their flower petals and leaves are great additions to a salad.
• In addition to being great in the kitchen, basil repels flies and mosquitoes.
• Cover the bottom of your raised bed with 1/2" hardware cloth
• This will impede any burrowing pest (voles, gophers, rats, etc.) from dining on your plant's roots

In the next installment we will look at what to do if you did everything right (or didn't), but still are having problems.

Suggested Reading:

The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way

Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden

Swiss Chard: A Spinach Replacement

If you like spinach (fresh or cooked), we suggest never growing it again.  


Huh?  


Instead, try Swiss chard.  They are very similar to each other when eaten fresh or cooked.  There are some key differences.  Spinach bolts and becomes inedible when summer temperatures arrive, where chard continues to thrive.  The leaf shape of spinach traps dirt and is difficult to clean, while chard rinses easily and grows in a more upright fashion that keeps its leaves cleaner to begin with.  Spinach is dull green, where chard adds beautiful colors to your table.  Spinach only gives a leafy product, where as chard stalks are colorful celery-like treats in addition to the leafy goodness.

Yeah, we really like Swiss chard.


Swiss chard comes in several varieties, distinguished by the stalk color (white, red, yellow, and orange).  We prefer a rainbow seed mixture just for pure aesthetics.  Some claim texture and taste difference between varieties, but we haven't experienced this.








Tips and Tricks:

• Plant seed directly into the ground 2-3 weeks before the last frost.  This would mean seeding about April 1st in northwestern Arkansas.  It's not too late to seed some now though.  Go ahead and get it going!
• Pick smaller, glossy leaves for fresh eating in salads.  Use the larger leaves for cooked greens.
• The crunchy central stalk can easily be removed by folding the leaf lengthwise and running a sharp knife between the leaf and stalk.
• Remove and discard old leaves to encourage growth.  Chard grows from the inside out, so leave the smallest inner leaves for future harvest.

Putting Up the Harvest:

• Swiss chard is so hardy that it grows almost year-round reducing the need for storage.
• Freezing
• Blanch for 2 minutes. 
• Plunge into ice water for 2 minutes to stop the blanching process. 
• Pat dry and freeze in an airtight container.
• Dehydrating (good for adding greens to soup!)
• Blanch and chill as above.
• Place in a dehydrator on its coolest setting until the leaves are brittle.
• Store in an airtight container.

Sweet Basil

Sweet basil should be found in every garden.  Just brush up against it and the surrounding area is filled with its sweet scent.  It adds flavor to a fresh salad, Italian dish, freshly made pesto, or oil and vinegar salad dressings.


Commonly Used Cultivars:


Sweet basil (aka bush basil) - Seen in the picture above, this is the traditional basil that you will likely find seedlings for at your local big box store.  It is the most common type and one of two that we are growing this year.  It has a wonderful flavor and grows about 18" tall.


Genovese basil - The second type that we are growing this year.  Used in pesto and is fast growing.  Grows about 18" tall.


Lemon basil - Has a very lemony flavor.  Good in chicken dishes or tea.   Grows about 2' tall.


Thai basil (aka holy basil) - Used in Thai and Vietnamese dishes.  Grows about 18" tall.


Tips and Tricks:

• Pinch off any flower stalks as soon as they appear
• Harvest small bits often to encourage the plant to bush out instead of growing tall and lanky
• They love full sun as long as the soil is kept moist (not wet)
• They do very well in pots or the 4" x 5" x 8" openings in the upturned cinder blocks that make up our beds
• In many big box store offerings, the plants can be subdivided with a sharp knife to give more plants per dollar spent
• They do not tolerate frost or even cool weather well, so wait until the nights are in the 50's before planting

Putting Up the Harvest:

• Drying 
• Basil can be dried by cutting off the stem and hanging in a warm room for a week.  To maintain flavor, pick off the leaves and keep them in an airtight container after drying.
• Freezing
• For a pesto base, process the leaves with a small amount of olive oil in your food procesor; then freeze in whatever airtight container you wish.  
• For whole leaves, place in an ice tray with enough water to cover the leaves and freeze.