The Zone 4 and 5 Gardener’s To Do List for August/September
Learn some easy things you can do to refresh your garden this September.
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My Brand New “White” Gardening Shirt
My Brand New “White” Gardening Shirt I can’t believe I spent $40 on a long sleeved shirt, that actually complimented my figure, only to get it stained with chlorophyll by scratchy tomato leaves and equally scratchy and itchy hops vines. My once pure white beautiful shirt is no longer pure. It’s filthy! But, I am not itchy or scratchy. I bought it for our family hiking trip to Utah this summer, and also thinking hey, I could use a shirt that offers UV protection while I’m out in the garden, as I really dislike using sunscreen. It seems so impractical to buy a new shirt, knowing that I am going to ruin it, but if it means avoiding greasy sunscreen everywhere, and less scratches all over my arms, I guess the shirt is worth sacrificing.
Why Do My Squash Plants Wilt and Die?
Every spring, I have high hopes for an abundant crop of butternut squash, watermelons, zucchini squash, and pumpkins. Every year, I make my hills, plant my seeds, and wait for them to sprout. Every year they sprout, take off beautifully, and form nice plants. Every year, about half way through the season, they start to wilt, and die a slow, painful to watch, death. I have narrowed the problem down to either a disease or plant virus, herbicide drift from neighboring fields, or an annoying creature known as the squash vine borer. I am going to go with the last choice, and try one more season to get the crops I have dreamed about. For those of you experiencing the same problems, here is a link to a site that has useful info on how to identify the squash vine borer, and how to deal with it in a safe, organic way. SQUASH VINE BORER INFO
My Oh My, Purple Potatoes?
Update October 19, 2014: My family and I were able to enjoy some of our fall harvest…together! I knew I missed having my hubs around on the weekends, but having experienced life without him every Saturday and Sunday over the past 7 months, has really made me appreciate the time we had around the table as a family today. And, we got to try our purple potatoes! The Recipe : I had a small amount of little baby potatoes, enough for 2 adults and 2 kids, so I boiled them until tender, added about 1/4 cup milk, about a tablespoon of butter, 1/4 tsp real salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of dried dill weed, and finally about 1 or 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. I mashed them all together, skins and all, and they were deelish! Regrets: Just wish I had more of these yummy potatoes! I planted them in an area that was over crowded, so I was unable to do the cage method and did not hill them up. I think I could have really …
It’s April. What Vegetables Can I Plant Right Now?
It feels like spring. Finally! We can all get out, get some air and get our hands dirty again. But what can we plant that isn’t going to freeze on us and have to be replanted again later? Here’s a list to get you started in your veggie patch. Potatoes: as of Good Friday, you can start planting seed potatoes. Carrot seeds Beet seeds Peas Raddish seeds Broccoli Plants Cauliflower Plants Cabbage Plants Salad Greens Kale Arugula Mizuna Bok Choi Pak Choi Sweet Corn Asparagus crowns Strawberries I’m sure there are many more, but this is just off the top of my head and will at least get you started:) Wilcox tools are great for digging holes for annual flowers and vegetables, especially for those of us who don’t like to get down on our knees! The extra long handle is 18″ long, super sturdy from tip to tip, and made in my native state, Iowa! Click here for a great online seed selection