AMMON FARMERS MARKET

Today I was invited to join the Ammon Farmers Market as they sold their goods at the Idaho Falls Harvest Festival.

What a great experience, I will not forget it. The best part was the people I met, while selling my fruits and vegetables. We talked about the short growing season and the weather, but most of all we talked about gardening. My favorite subject !!!!!

The weather was cold but sunny, the wind was low but chilly. But the people I met warmed my heart. I also found out that most people are beginning to garden again, how exciting !!!!!

I am so grateful I attended this Harvest Festival and will certainly be there again next year.

A special thanks to Shelly Yorgesen for all of her hard work with the Ammon Farmers Market. She really looks out for all of the members of that Market !!!

Below are a few pictures I took of my booth. As you can see, a lot of people attended the Festival.

ALL I KNOW ABOUT CORN

Above is a picture of what corn looks like as it comes up. This is quite a neat picture, because it shows three different stages of corn as it is coming up. The far left corn is what the corn looks like as it is just coming up. The leaves are kind of curled up in a cone shape. The middle corn is a few days older, it is beginning to open up. The far right shows corn that has the leaves opened up and starting to green up and really grow.

Believe it or not, corn is easy to grow. Follow a few simple steps and this fall eat the sweetest, freshest corn ever.

My Dad always planted the corn. He planted Golden Bantom 12 row corn for years. I still plant one row of Golden Bantom, but the corn really isn't that good to eat. They have much better corn now. I didn’t pay too much attention to how he planted the corn. Sometimes I would walk beside him as he would dig a hole in the row and I would drop in about four to five seeds. As he would cover up the corn, he would walk on the row to pack it down.

Dad would say something like this: one seed not to sprout, one seed for the mouse, one for the bird and one for the house. Anyway he figured that if we planted five seeds at least two would grow to maturity. But as I began to plant corn myself, several other things I learned from my Dad came back to me. So as I plant my corn, I always use his steps along with a few things I have found to be successful.

1. First of all I soak the corn overnight, I put the corn in a quart bottle and fill it with water. This year I used about three quarts, but you probably won’t need that much. The corn will double in size, so plan for that when choosing a container.
2. Dig a furrow 3" deep.
3. Fill the furrow with water and let it soak in.
4. Plant ‘hills of corn’ five kernels in each hole, with hills about one foot apart.
5. Then fill in the furrow.

The cool thing is, the roots of the corn will be able to go down through the soft damp soil and the corn leaves and stem will go through the dry dirt easily.
NOTE: If you do soak the rows first, DO NOT water the top of the furrow after you plant, the seeds will not need more water. If you do water the top, it will cause a crust to form on top of the row and will make it more difficult for the corn to break through.

Another thing my Dad taught me is to side dress the corn. He would fertilize two or three times during the Summer. I fertilize after the corn is about 18" tall and once a month after that. To side dress, you carefully dig a small furrow beside the row of corn. Put about two tablespoons of granual garden fertilizer next to the hill of corn and water it in.

This year I fertilized the row when I planted the corn. Which I wouldn’t do again, I don’t recommend it for two reasons. First, the corn seed has all the nutrients it needs to begin to grow on its own. Second, because the corn is so tender as it is growing, the fertilizer may be too strong and cause the corn to burn.

Now here is my Dads best kept secret. When the corn is about 12 to 18" tall twist off the suckers. Suckers are the side stems that grow out from the main stem at a 45 degree angle. The suckers rob the corn stocks of their strength, so twist them off as soon as you can. They will not grow back. After you remove the suckers, the corn will grow much faster. At the same time you are twisting the suckers, thin the hills to 2 to 3 of the strongest plants. When you are removing the suckers and thinning the corn, hill up the corn rows. Take a hoe or rake and pull dirt up around the corn. This will make the corn stronger and less likely to blow over, it also keeps the moisture in. This also kills the weeds. If the annual weeds are small, covering them with dirt kills them. So keep your weeds small and cover them to destroy them. This works for all small annual weeds in the garden.

NOTE: Don’t water your corn when the wind is blowing. It will cause the roots to become soft and the corn may blow over. Especially as it grows taller try not to water it on a windy day. Sometimes during the Summer the wind comes up during the evening, so watch the weather and water when the wind is not blowing.

Plant corn in rows about 36" apart, corn that is planted too close won’t pollinate properly. It seems if you plant it too close the wind can’t get down the rows to move the pollen. Sometimes people plant three rows then skip a row. Last year I planted 7 rows and didn’t have a problem. The corn I plant is a yellow and white sweet corn. It isn’t too tall so maybe the corn can pollinate because the corn is kind of short. This year I planted 17 rows. WOW !!! We’ll see if I have a pollination problem.

Try to plant your corn on the North side of your garden. Run the rows east and west. If not keep the corn away from crops that need sun. Sometimes you can plant peas next to the corn and the afternoon and evening shade actually helps the peas. I tried this year to plant peas among the corn. The peas did well, and seemed to enjoy the shade. I will do it again next year, but I will wait until the corn is about 10" tall before I plant the peas.

This is a cool trick I learned a few years ago and believe it or not it works !!!!! To prevent corn worms in your corn, spray a little Pam non-stick cooking spray on the silks of the cobs when they first begin to form. I guess the worms don’t like the grease, or they can’t make their way into the cob. Last year I had less than 10 worms in my corn. No kidding, this really works.

About watering corn, my Mother always said if your corn is turning yellow, it is getting too much water. She also said don’t water your corn until it shows signs of stress. Stress shows in corn by curling the leaves length-wise. Outside of the leaves to the middle, not top to bottom. They begin to become narrow and pointed. When they are pointed, that is the time to water your corn.

I use drip soaker hoses down each row. This does two things, it doesn’t water the weeds inbetween the rows and the corn gets the water directly into the hill. This hose I am talking about isn’t a regular round or flat soaker hose, it is a flat drip hose. It is made out of material, and the water just drips out of it. I can water two rows 150 feet long in about 3-5 hours.

Don’t let your corn get dry during the time it is forming the cobs. Keep watering it during this most important time. If you are going on a vacation during this time have a friend water your corn. It seems to dry out during this time because of hot temperatures, so keep your eye on your corn and the cobs !!!

Harvesting the corn. I always check the top of the corn before I pick it. I carefully peal down the top and check the kernels to see if they are ready. I sometimes push my fingernail into one of the top kernels, if it breaks the kernel easily, it is ready. If it kind of pops the corn is probably over ripe. If the corn is too white looking it isn’t ripe yet either. If it is too yellow or golden colored with a red speck on each kernel, it is over-ripe. Sometimes all of the corn will be ripe at the same time and you can pick all of it. But it has been my experience with Serendipity corn is that it ripens over a span of two to three weeks. (Serendipity corn is yellow and white, the sweetest corn I have ever tasted).

Each stock should have two ears on them. One will be a large ear and one a smaller ear. The thing is, both will ripen at about the same time. So don’t think the smaller ear isn’t ripe yet, or that it will grow as big as the large ear. It usually will be ready about five days later than the big ear.

Try to pick corn when it is cool, either early morning or evening. Eat it or can it right away, corn becomes ‘old’ quickly, so either put it in the refrigerator right away or begin to can it.

NOTE: Don’t give up on your corn if it seems smaller than your ‘neighbor’s. The best thing about thinning out your corn and getting rid of the suckers is that your corn will start to grow faster. If you have weeds, please weed your corn, it will make the corn grow much faster. As we all know, weeds rob our vegetables of much needed nutrients. Another thing about weeds is that they grow much faster than the vegetables thus making the vegetables FIGHT for everything they get !!!

It is quite late to plant corn this year. If you didn't plant any corn, get excited about it next year. There is nothing better than fresh corn on the cob with the rest of your 'home-grown meal'.

Below are pictures of my corn after a big hail storm June 28th. It looks pretty sick right now, and I hoped it would recover from the damage and continue to grow.

This is my cat Shaker walking through the corn, this corn is about 18" tall. Some of my corn was about 3' tall when this picture was taken. It is pictured below.

IT’S PLANTING TIME !!!!!!

Yes it is time to plant your ‘Fall Garden’.

Around this time of year in Idaho and next week in Utah is the time to plant your Fall Garden.

I usually plant peas, cress, lettuce, spinach and radishes. This crop will be the sweetest and most rewarding crop in your garden. Because of the cooler temperatures, the radishes and lettuce don’t ‘go to seed’. Going to seed is when the radishes don’t form but the tops go to seed. This makes the radish very bitter and hard, not good at all.

Even when it freezes, the lettuce and radishes aren’t harmed. They seem to be sweeter because of the cool weather.

So if you have any seeds laying around from this Spring, plant today !!!!!
I planted on August 3rd and my radishes are up now and looking good. You can even plant in the same row that finished growing, like lettuce, radishes or peas.
Just dig up the row, dig the old vegetables in or put them in the compost and then plant the new vegetables.

NOTE: I recently read that in order to have radishes that aren’t hot, water them when they are young and tender. Keep them damp, and they will be much sweeter too. Most of these Fall vegetables like lots of water so watch them closely.

ALL I KNOW ABOUT TOMATOES

I love tomatoes, especially the homemade kind. Here is how I grow tomatoes the easy way.
NOTE: I usually complete one step before moving onto the next.

1. I dig a hole in the ground with a shovel, the hole should be about 8" deep and 8" wide.
2. Then I put about three Tablespoons of garden fertilizer in the hole. NOTE: It is VERY IMPORTANT to water in the fertilizer, DO NOT put the fertilizer in the hole and plant the tomato on top of it, THE TOMATO WILL BURN, TURN YELLOW AND DIE !!!!!!! Just ask me, I killed several this year.
3. Next fill the hole with water.
4. After the water has disappeared, I plant the tomato.
5. Make sure you label the tomato, by inserting the name tag in the ground next to the plant.
6. I put a gallon can over the tomato, make sure both ends are removed.
7. Then place a tomato cage over the top, place the wires in the ground outside the can.
That is all there is to it. I fertilize about once a month, there is a fertilizer just for tomatoes and I usually use it. But you can use a regular garden fertilizer too.

I learned from my friend Joan that tomatoes are self pollinators. They don’t need other plants to pollinate with, they don’t need bees to spread the pollin either. You can help them pollinate by just shaking the tomato cage a little.
After the tomatoes begin to form, you can trim the vines or branches that do not have any tomatoes on them. They are just robbing the tomatoes of energy they need. I usually take scissors to cut them. It is a very easy job, and will make your tomatoes ripen faster and grow larger. Cut almost all of the branches that don’t have tomatoes on them. Don’t trim all of them though, leave some on the top and a few on the sides or the tomatoes will sunburn. Later in the season, you can trim the top of the tomato plant too. Most of the new blossoms will not make it to maturity anyway, so trim those branches too.

You can also save the seeds from tomatoes for planting next year. Here are my recommendations.
1. Make sure the tomato isn’t a hybrid, choose an heirloom, you may need to do some research to find out if your ‘favorite’ tomato is an heirloom..
2. Make your choice before you plant, so you can space the tomato at least five feet from others not of the same kind. This way it won’t mix with other types. I plan to plant them in a different area of my garden.
3. Choose a tomato that will be good for the area. Don’t chose one won’t ripen easily here.
4. As the plants are growing, pick the plant that looks healthy and is a great producer, watch it through the season.
5. Mark that plant and watch it, do not pick too many of the tomatoes, do taste tests.
6. Pick the tomato for saving when it is a little over ripe.
7. Open the tomato and put just the seeds into water, a paper cup is great.
8. Let the tomato ferment in the same water for about 5 days.
9. Wash the seeds in a strainer and dry on a paper towel. It works best if you put a few towels on the bottom and one on the top then pat dry.
10. Continue to dry the seeds on a paper plate, turning once or twice a day.
11. When the seeds are completely dry, (1 to 2 weeks), store in a zip loc bag. Put a few small holes in the bag, a fork works great.
12. Store them in a cool, dry, dark place, I use a tin container.
13. You can test a few of your seeds to see if they will sprout. Placing them on a wet paper towel and place them in a zip lock bag. Check every few days to see if they have sprouted. It is good to test about 10 seeds, if 8 or 9 sprout, that is a great. If you only have one or two, better luck next year.

NEW PLANTS AND NEW TECHNIQUES

Boy, I can't believe it has been over 5 weeks since I have written anything on my blogs !!!!!

No excuses, but I have been quite busy with work the last few weeks, I hope you have continued gardening without me.

I have planted my entire garden, except for my flower pots and replacing my tomatoes and peppers that I burned up and killed. I have planted 17 sixty foot rows of sweet corn, and 15 forty feet rows of sweet and Indian corn.

SO LITTLE TIME
Yesterday I started to panic. There is so much to do and so much to write about, and so little time. But I realized that I needed to do one thing at a time.

This year I am trying lots of new vegetables. I may only do this one year because some of these may not be successful. I feel that I need to find out what crops do well in this area and from now on, try to plant only things that do well here in Eastern Idaho.

A few weeks ago I promised to tell you the 30 new items I was going to try and 20 new techniques. So here they are:
1. Romanesco Broccoli
2. Red Hmong Cucumber
3. 6" Radiand Green Radish (red on the inside)
4. 2"-4" white radish (red on the inside)
5. Bitter Gourd
6. Red Bean Horto Semi Bush
7. Yard Long Bean
8. Asparagus Bean
9. Garden Bean Royal Bugundy (Purple in color)
10. Lincoln Pea (Heirloom, I will save this seed)
11. Italian Tree Tomato (Will grow up to 25' tall)
12. Red Sweet Corn (Red sweet corn to eat)
13. Blue Indian Corn (Hopi Blue Flour Corn also a sweet corn)
14. Black Indian Corn (Black Aztec Sweet Corn)
15. Blue (small Indian Corn)
16. Peaches and Cream (Sweet corn)
17. Carnival Carrot (Red, purple, yellow, orange and white)
18. Lemon Cucumber (round yellow cucumber)
19. Mini Bell Mix Pepper ( mini purple, red, yellow peppers)
20. Regular Bell Mix Pepper (purple, red, yellow peppers)
21. Pepper Habinero ( very hot pepper)
22. Yellow watermelon (Yellow on the outside, red on the inside)
23. 7" rose red radish (salad giant)
24. Small Circular carrots (look like round radishes)
25. Stallions white cucumber
26. Radicchio leaf chicory
27. Russian Red carrots
28. Bright lights swiss chard
29. Cow peas
30. Peanuts

NEW PLANTING TECHNIQUES OR EXPERIMENTS
Here is a list of some of the techniques I am trying this year. I will go into more detail later as these techniques unfold.

1. Saving pea seed, (Green Arrow & Lincoln, I will grow these on a trellis, that way they will dry faster and better.).
2. Saving bean seed, (Blue Lake Pole Bean & Blue Lake I saved from seed last year)
3. Trellis planting (cucumbers, cantalope)
4. Trellis planting (peas and beans)
5. Tree tomatoes on a overhead trellis (this tree tomato should grow 15 to 25 feet tall).
6. Sack planting ( I plan to plant some peppers in a quart ziplock bag, I will dig a hole for the bag and put a can over the pepper as usual. Then in the fall, I can move them into the green house, for a longer season.
7. Saving radish seed
8. Saving carrot seed
9. Saving beet seed
10. Saving onion seed
11. Greenhouse early winter crop
12. Greenhouse early spring crop
13. saving tomato seed
14. Planting beans with corn
15. Planting sweet Indian corn to eat
16. Planting beans and peas with corn
17.Upside down tomatoes and peppers (both comercial method and homemade in a 5 gallon bucket)
18. Planting delicata plants from the nursery, my starts and soaked seeds. To test which will do better.
19. Growing a giant pumpkin, by trimming all extra vines and pumpkins. I have planted about twenty plants and will choose about 5 plants to experiment with.
20. Planting annual flowers to transplant into planter pots.

TEACHING CHILDREN GARDENING

A child is never too young to take out in the garden. They can help you plant and weed and they can even have their own garden space in your garden or in another part of the yard. If they want to try growing something new, let them !!! They may even be able to teach you something you haven't thought about.

It is best to work as a family when planning, planting, weeding and harvesting the garden. Work together, and make sure you make it fun for your family. Learn from each other and enjoy the time you spend together in the garden.
My parents always encouraged us to help in the garden, I’m sure it would have been easier if they just did it themselves. I’m sure greatful that they spent the extra time to teach me what they did.

I can remember my nephew helping me plant potatoes when he was only about 2 1/2 years old. He would crawl down the rows and put the potato sets in the hole I made with a shovel. I doubt he remembers that day, but I sure do. Thanks Chris !!!

ALL I KNOW ABOUT PEAS

I love peas, they are about my favorite vegetable. I plant lots of peas, most for eating right out of the garden, and some to freeze. Little Marvel Peas and Green Arrow Peas are some of my favorites. I plant them in a wide row. About 12" to 18" wide, this year I am trying a new method. I planted two 12" rows on each side of a ‘net wire’ fence. I’ll keep you posted on how this works.

Peas can be hard to come up through a hard crust. So here is a solution, my Mother told me about ten years ago. At that time I told her I couldn’t get my peas to come up, some years they were fine and some years they wouldn’t come up. So this is what she said. Dig a furrow for the peas, (I dig one anywhere from 4" to 18" wide), then flood the row with water. After the water sinks, plant a generous amount of peas. (We used to say ‘plant them thick’). Then cover the peas with 1" to 2" of dirt that is on one side of the row. (Here comes the biggest hint !!) Do not water or sprinkle peas after you have planted them. No matter what !!!! As my Mother told me "Do not water them, you’ll want to. But don’t water them and they will come up on their own." Even if you check them a week or ten days later and they seem to be lying in dry dirt - they have soaked up enough moisture from the water in the furrow for them to sprout. Give them a few more days and they will begin to come up — honest.

You can also soak them first, but I never have soaked my peas. Peas can rot easily if they have too much moisture. If you soak them first, then water the furrow, then it rains you will have a good chance to have rotting peas. I recommend watering the row first and waiting.

Do not water your peas during the heat of the day, or late evening. If you water peas during a hot day, the will scald and die. They are very sensitive to water when they are hot. If you water them during the evening they will have a greater chance of having fungus or mold problems. I water my peas during the morning, that way they are cool and will have all day for the leaves to dry off.

Did you know that peas have nodules full of nitrogen on their roots? The plant produces nodules on the roots and much of their energy is used to build these nodules. So they have their own built in fertilizer. When the pods are filling, the plant reduces the building and filling of nodules and spends its energy filling pods. Because the peas have built in nitrogen doesn’t mean they do not need fertilizer, they can become low in nitrogen. If the colors of your peas are yellow that may mean, they need a fertilizer supplement.

You can plant them thick and replant a second crop in the same place. But watch for nitrogen diffencency. I have replanted a second crop in the same place around July 24th or August 1st for a few years now, and have had good results.

PLANTS ARE PEOPLE TOO !!

A few weeks ago I stopped to visit with Della at the Willard Bay Gardens in Willard Bay, Utah. I always enjoy talking to her. She is so full of information, and so willing to share her expertise. I asked her questions about trellising, compost, soil for planter pots and several other things.

She told me about a great organic product called coconut fiber. It is ground up coconut shells. It is used to mix with your potting soil to soak up the moisture in your garden or flower pots. She recommended I mix it 50/50 with the potting soil I will use in my pots this year. It makes the soil so light and fluffy. I love the idea of having something in my pots that will soak up and keep the moisture more constant.

She told me about Hen and Chickens and how they grow. I wanted to transplant some of the small chicks that were around the outside of the plant into different areas of my garden. She said that was not such a good idea. She told me the center plant is the Hen and she has several chicks around her. As they get older, the Hen will grow a stem and a blossom and then after a few weeks the Hen dies. This allows more room for other Chicks to grow and fill in the large area where the Hen once lived. So they really aren’t meant to be divided, but grow in one area.

As we visited, we realized that each plant has its own story. We just need to learn what that story is. As we learn more about gardening, we will learn more about the plants we grow and how to learn to be more successful with each plant. We will try new techniques that may or may not work. The trick is to find out what works, what doesn’t and learn all we can about the plant’s story.

It is always a good idea to keep a garden journal to write down ideas, techniques and dates. So try to remember what works and what doesn’t to improve your garden’s story book.

Once again, thanks Della for the visit and the advise !!! Barney and Della Barnett are located at Willard Bay Gardens, 7095 S. Hwy. 89, Willard Bay, Utah. www.willardbaygardens.com

Sharing is Contagious

Share your glorious garden with others.

My Parents were always sharing their produce and flowers with others. My Mother used to take a bouquet of flowers to church almost every Sunday. She worked hard on the bouquet to make sure it looked great. I know people appreciated her hard work and talent.

Sharing is contagious, if you give someone something from your garden, they will be more likely to share with someone or do something nice for someone else. Isn't that the way it should be? Besides, doing for others makes you feel good.

So share your garden with someone - anyone.

My Planting System

Okay, so it is getting closer and closer to the time to plant. Are you ready for my secret planting system? After gathering information from my Parents, neighbors, friends and books, I came up with this system. It is pretty simple and I use it for almost everything I plant.

First, make sure the ground isn't too wet to work and plant.
If you are planting in a wide or regular row, rake or hoe away the dirt to prepare the bed for planting. Remove all rocks and clods. Next, if you are using a fertilizer, sprinkle it in the prepared bed. Then water the bed, be generous with the water, allow it to soak in. Next, plant the seeds and cover with soft soil or compost, three times the thickness of the seeds.

IMPORTANT: WHEN YOU WATER THE ROW BEFORE PLANTING, DO NOT WATER THE SEEDS AGAIN UNTIL THEY ARE ABOUT 1" TO 2" TALL. IF YOU WATER THEM BEFORE THEY ARE 'UP', A CRUST WILL FORM AND THE PLANTS WILL HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME COMING UP THROUGH THE HARD CRUST.

If you are planting single plants, such as peppers or tomatoes, dig a hole about 8 to 12" deep. Put in about 2 tablespoons of garden fertilizer and then fill the hole with water. Next, plant the plant and give it a good drink of water.

When I plant, I work on several rows at a time. First I make my rows, a section at a time, then fertilize all of them, next water them and so forth.

Ready to plant?

Pam's Planting Plan
Now you have your seeds and are getting ready to plant. So how do you plant seeds anyway?

When you plan to plant your plants, planting can take some planning. Got that?

For example, how many seeds do I plant? How close to each other? How deep and how soon.
Always read the seed packets, there is lots of information there.

Let's start with how many seeds to plant. Radishes, lettuce, carrots, spinach and cress should be as thick as you would use salt or pepper. They shouldn't be overlapping but should be about 1/4 inch apart. I like to plant all of these plants in a 18" wide row. That will make the most of your space. Leave room to walk around the 'rows' or try two 10" rows with 24" or 36" between the rows.

Beets, beans and peas can be planted in a wide row too, or you can trellis the peas and beans. Plant beets and beans about 1/2 inch apart. I plant my peas much thicker, actually don't tell anyone, but I plant my peas so thick you can't see the ground. This year I am going to try to trellis my beans and peas. I will use a net wire fence and plant on both sides of the fence.

Planting peppers, tomatoes, califlower and cabbage are a little different. I plant peppers about 1 foot apart, tomatoes, califlower and cabbage about 2 feet apart.

A rule of thumb is plant the seed at a depth of three times the size of the seed. So if you are planting carrots or lettuce that is 1/8 of an inch thick, only cover it with 3/8 of an inch of soil. Peas are 1/4 of an inch, so plant them 3/4 of an inch deep. A note about peas, plant them thicker than it recommends on the packet. Peas are self fertilizing so they can be planted much thicker.

Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and watermelon can be planted in rows about 36" apart. They should be planted in groups called hills. I plant 3 to 4 seeds per hill and then when the plants are about 3 inches tall, thin to the best 2 plants. A note about thinning, don't pull the plants up, pinch them off or trim with sissors. Then the roots of the remaining plants won't be disturbed.

Now the million dollar question, when to plant. You can plant by the moon, middle of May, after Memorial Day, or the first of June. Your guess is as good as mine. I usually plant all of my garden around the 20 of May, this year I will plant around the 29th of May.

This Spring has been a cool wet one and if a garden is planted too early it won't grow too quickly. The ground needs to be warm before the seeds and plants can grow with vigor. Plant early if you want, but notice the same plants planted later usually mature just as fast. I can remember planting potatoes in March and they did just fine, but with a wet Spring you take the chance of seeds rotting in the cold wet ground.

Vertical, Vertical, Vertical

If one cucumber plant grows 3' X 3' and you have 4 plants, that adds up to a lot of space. But if you grow them on a trellis you can grow the same number of plants in a much smaller area.
Build a homemade trellis, or use a manufactured trellis, but try the vertical method. They claim cucumbers, cantalopes and even watermelon will grow on a trellis. Cucumbers will be straighter too. The pruning is kind of tricky, but they say the vines will be stronger to handle the weight of the fruit. I plan to try it this year and I will keep you posted. I will plant on both sides of the trellis, to make the most of the space. Try to trellis peas and beans too.

Garden Creating

Okay so this is probably the first time you have heard the word creating when talking about gardening. Sometimes you just need to be creative. Like starting seeds in the bathtub (more about that later).
This may be your first garden, if so, congratulations !!! What a big step. A garden will be a great improvement in your garden and on your table. Start small and do some research. You will have so many decisions to make. Such as where to plant, what to plant and how much to plant.

Lets start with where to plant.
1. Choose a sunny location.
2. Well drained soil
3. Keep your first garden small.
4. Plant it in a close, convenient spot, one that you can see from your kitchen window.

Next, what to plant.
1. Vegetables your family likes to eat.
2. Lots of veggies for salads.
3. Plant a variety.
4. Have fun with your garden, try something new.

Last, how much to plant.
1. Plant in a compact area, make the most of your space.
2. Decide if you plan to eat the vegetables fresh or do some canning too.
3. Estimate how much you will harvest from a certain vegetable and then plant accordingly.
4. Try this, keep track of what vegetables you buy for a few weeks. Then plant what you think you will need. Keep in mind that you will eat differently out of your garden than out of the store. For example, you will probably use radishes and green onions from your garden in a salad, but may not go to the extra expense if you buy them at the store.

My Mother used to say, plant too much so you will have enough.
Plant what you eat and eat what you plant.

Four-O-Clooks, My Favorite for the Week

Four-O-Clocks
Four-O-Clocks are a flower that grows about 3 feet tall. I first tried these last year after finding an old seed packet of my Mothers. It quickly became a favorite of mine. They come in yellow, red, pink and striped colors.
They are also self-seeding, in other words, the flowers go to seed and the seeds drop to the ground. If the conditions are right, they will grow the following season.

SAVING SEED

http://www.croptrust.org/GlobalSupplyFood/index2.html
This is a link for information about saving seeds in a seed bank in the Arctic. Also, a little about the huge variety of beans and rice. It has a very interesting information about screening seeds and seed banking in the Arctic. It made me realize the importance of saving seeds.

Did you know that if you save your own seeds, (peas for example), that they will become acclimated to this area and will become tougher (more resistant to frost) and earlier (have a shorter growing season)? Pretty interesting huh?

So after learning about the Arctic seed bank and how the seeds you save will be acclimated to this area, I decided to learn more about saving seeds. This is what I know so far:
1. You shouldn’t save seeds from Hybrid plants. More about this in a later post.
2. You can save the seed from Heirloom plants only if they are pollinated from the exact type of plant or self pollinating. More about this later too.
3. Decide before you plant which seeds you would like to save. This will determine how much you plant and the location. For example, to save bean seed, so you will plant the seed you want to save far away from any other bean plants. Mark the plants you want to save and choose not to pick any of the produce until it is time to harvest the seed.
4. Some seed saving is a two year process. For example, carrots are harvested the first year and then re-planted the second year. The second year the carrot will go to seed.
5. Lots of useful information about seed saving is available on the Internet. Search for more information about particular plants there.
6. Seed saving is exciting and learning to be self-reliant is a relief to me.
7. Heirloom plants may not be as attractive as Hybrids.
8. Heirlooms may not be as disease resistant as Hybrids.
9. Heirlooms usually taste better than Hybrids.
10. I have saved Cress seed for about 20 years, and it hasn’t failed me yet.

So, consider saving some of your seed this year. It will be interesting, plus save money too.

Eight Ball Zuccini Squash, My Favorite for the Week.

Eight Ball Zuccini Squash and One Ball Zuccini Squash.

They are a type of zuccini squash in a bush plant. I plant them about 3 feet apart. The 8 Ball is dark green and the one ball is yellow with a little green on the top and bottom. They look like billard balls. They are harvested when about the size of a baseball. They are tender and very good producers and I get about 20 squash from each plant.

CAN THE IDEA

I sometimes use gallon cans around or next to some of my plants. I learned this method from my Parents, and I also found this example in an old garden book printed in the 1930's. It is a very simple method and I recommend it to everyone.

Plan ahead to get your cans from your local school cafeteria. Ask them to cut both ends off for you.

This is how it works. After you plant tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower from the plants you raised or purchased from the nursery, place a gallon can over the top. Push it in the soil about two inches. Make sure both ends are removed.

Using a can AROUND a new transplant will do several things:
1. Protect it from wind damage.
2. Keep in the moisture.
3. Keep in the heat, for a more consistent temperature.
4. It allows you to fertilize by putting the fertilizer directly in the can and watering it in.
5. It is easy to water the plant and gives the plant more water.
6. Keeps the weeds outside the can from growing as much, because you are not watering them.

How to use a can next to other plants. When planting cucumbers, cantaloupe, watermelon, squash and pumpkins, place the gallon can NEXT to the plant. I put it on the south side of the plant, to protect the delicate plant from the cold Spring winds.

I create a large bowl with soil, two to three inches high and one to two feet around the plant. I water these plants in the cans also. I just let the can overflow with water and fill the large bowl. This system insures that the plant will get at least one gallon of water each time you water it. It will stay moist longer and its roots will move to the water.

Watering in the can will also keep the weeds around the plant from growing. This is the biggest advantage of this system. You will have to hand water the plants, but the reduction of weeds will be worth it.

BLUE LAKE POLE OR BUSH BEAN

My favorite bean is the Blue Lake Bean. It has been around forever, and is a good producer. It has also has good flavor, whether you can it or eat it fresh. I recommend it because it is an Heirloom too. That means, you can save the seed for planting next year. I saved some seed last year, and I plan to plant it this year to see how it works.

Last year I planted pole beans around the bottom of a four foot tall tomato cage, and had good results with it. Plant about 20 to 30 seeds in and around the cage, keep them watered well. I turned the cage upside down, and staked it with a medal fence post. This year I plan to let them climb a net wire fence about 4 feet tall. I will plant rows six to eight inches wide on both sides of the fence.

THE DIRT ABOUT SOIL

I’m far from an expert on soil, but here are the few things I know.

1. If you mix sand with your clay soil it makes cement.
2. To improve your soil, add lots of manure, or organic matter. It is good to add manure, leaves, lawn clippings (without weeds) in the fall. It will break down during the Winter and you will have very mellow ground the next Spring.
3. Sawdust takes NITROGEN from the soil, so if you must use it, apply manure with it. Sawdust takes a long time to decay too. I don’t recommend it.
4. Adding SOIL PEP to soil is a very good thing. It is reasonably priced and is good in your garden or on your flower beds.
Wait until the ground is dry and ready to work, then spread it on the top and work it in. Two to four inches on top is a good start. I try to spread a couple of inches over my flowers in the fall and during the winter it sinks in and breaks down. It is a good mulch for the flowers and lightens up the soil. But it doesn't add much in the way of nutrients to your soil.
5. Don’t work the soil when it is too wet, you will end up with hard clody ground.
6. Don’t walk on the soil when it is too wet, it will pack down, causing clods when it is worked. Plants need air pockets in with the dirt to grow a good root system. That is why you want light soil. If your ground is compacted, the roots have a hard time working their way through it.
7. To test the soil for moisture, squeeze a handful, if it stays in a ball, it is too wet to work, it if separates it is dry enough to work.

REMINDER !!!
1. Buy your seeds.
2. Apply Caserone in raspberries and in areas where you don’t want weeds to grow.
3. Spray dormant oil or Neem oil soon.

FAST BREAK CANTALOUPE, MY FAVORITE OF THE WEEK

I highly recommend this cantaloupe, I have had the best luck with it. It is a great producer with at least five large cantaloupes per hill. I usually buy the starts from a greenhouse, but this year I am going to plant seeds. It says on the package 85-95 days. It matures early in the season and is great tasting too.

NOTE: The package says 10-20 days to germination. I soak the seeds for about five days before planting, this will speed up the germination process.

A TIME AND A SEASON

I love to see the crocuses come up and hate to see them go. They have such a small season. Then I love to see the tulips come but am sad when they are gone. Vegetables are the same way, the life of a radish or pea is too short-lived, but soon the corn and cucumbers will be ready.

I noticed something a few years ago. Even though a flower or a vegetable is on it’s way out, there is always something else to look forward to. My Mother used to say she was "thankful for the changing of the seasons." I realize there is a time and a place for everything and I am so thankful I always have something to look forward to.

When Winter comes I look forward to Spring. The Winter allows time to plan and think beyond today. After working hard in the yard and garden, my Mother would say, "I am going to enjoy my Winters more!" I loved it when she said it and it is so true.

CONTROLLING PESTS

LADYBUGS
It is also a good idea to get some ladybugs now. They prevent so many pests. I learned from Della Barnett (her and her husband, Barney own Willard Bay Gardens in Willard, Utah) that the ladybugs you buy are winter fed and not too hungry. But their offspring are hungry teenagers and will eat lots of bugs. So buy ladybugs early, so their babies can begin to eat plant predators.

NOTE: Next time you are going to Utah stop and check out this Nursery, they are so helpful, the address is 7095 South HWY 89, Willard, UTAH. Their web site is, www.willardbaygardens.com. I love it and you will too!!!

DORMANT OIL
Dormant oil is an oil that you spray on your trees and bushes (woody plants) early in the Spring before they begin to bud out. It kills adult bugs and eggs, (like aphid, mites and scales.) The oil blocks the air holes in pests so they can’t breathe.
I have used it two years now and I love the results from it. I spray with dormant oil and follow with a Malathion spray for worms when the trees were in blossom. I always had worms in my apples, and used dormant oil and Malathion, (Malathion after the blossoms were out). I had absolutely no worms the first year, and about 5% of wormy apples the second year. It was nice to be able to use the apples for a change. Remember to read the labels carefully!

I use it on lilacs, snowball bushes, plum trees, apple trees, rose bushes, and in some of my flowers where I have pest trouble. It makes a difference when you apply this oil, temperature, time of day, time of year, moisture and other factors will determine the success of this product.

Some Dormant Oil is petroleum-based oil, though it doesn’t have harsh chemicals, it isn’t considered a truly organic Dormant Oil. According to Della Barnett, (Willard Bay Gardens), "My favorite non-petroleum-based dormant oil is Neem oil. It is also good for any control of insects, mites and disease on any type of plants, at any time of year. It has been used for centuries but has only in the last several years become readily available at retail stores instead of just mail ordering."

I found on the Internet a neem oil product called Trilogy, that shows good results as a fungicide and insecticide, anytime of the year. I am going to try it through the year, I like the fact that it is organic.

CRESS, MY FAVORITE OF THE WEEK

GARDEN CRESS

First of all what is Garden Cress? It is a green leafy vegetable, sometimes called Pepper Grass. It is related to mustard and watercress and has a spicy or tangy taste. I plant it in the early Spring. In fact, I have some that went to seed last year and I noticed some small plants growing under the adult plants last Fall. I hope when it warms up, the other seeds will germinate and I will have some very early cress. I plan to plant a ‘Spring Garden' very early this year, with lettuce, radishes, spinach, onions and such, I'll keep you posted.

I plant cress thick and harvest it when it is about three inches tall, I trim it with scissors and it will continue to grow. I like eating it on sandwiches instead of lettuce, my favorite is a cress and radish sandwich. It adds a little kick to your sandwich or salad. Usually, when the weather gets hot, the cress will go to seed. I save the seed and plant it again next year.

I have always saved the seed from my garden cress and it always comes up. I have saved and planted this seed for over 20 years. I have some old seed that I know is over 15 years old. I will test it this year to see if it will germinate. This is one vegetable I know will last generation after generation. You can ‘broadcast' this seed, by planting a two foot by two foot square area. Plant cress every few weeks to have a staggered harvest.

I plant a Fall crop too, usually around the end of July or first of August. The cress loves cool weather and doesn't go to seed, or get bitter in the Fall. It stays sweet longer, my best crop is in the Fall. I also plant spinach, lettuce, radishes and peas in my ‘Fall Garden.' The flavor of these Fall crops is incredible.

CONTROLLING WEEDS

Notice, I didn’t say killing weeds, I said controlling. Controlling is a better, more realistic word. I found out the hard way, killing weeds doesn’t always work. Did you know there are about 20 years of weed seeds in your soil? If you don’t prevent weeds for going to seed, you will add even more to the thousands of weed seeds already in your garden.

So try not to let the weeds get out of hand, weed them when they are small, when they are easy to control. Don’t get me wrong, I have had lots of large weeds and sometimes my garden doesn’t look as good as I would like. So try to prevent weeds from coming up in the first place.

My Mother used to say ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’. This is so true when it comes to weeds. Below is a list of several products I have good luck with.

1. Caserone
Caserone is a granule, it can be found at most Greenhouses or Home Improvement Stores. It is $15 to $20 for an 8 pound bag. It is a pre-emergent, meaning that it prevents germination so nothing can come up through the ground. You can use it around woody plants, such as trees, raspberries, currants and shrubs (read the label carefully). NOTE: Raspberries have new starts coming in the early Spring. Caserone DOES allow the raspberries, currants to come up through the barrier it makes. In fact, it is a raspberry garden's miracle. I use it around my trees and in my raspberries, currants and down some rows of my garden. I also use it on ditch banks, pathways and around plants after they have come up, but it is very strong stuff, so I wouldn’t get it too close to the plants. It works best when applied in the Fall after everything has died back, or in the Spring before anything begins to turn green. I sometimes apply it in a walk-behind fertilizer spreader, on the smallest setting. Or it can be spread by hand, spread it about as thick as you would use pepper. Sometimes I use a hand held fertilizer spreader (this works good for ditch banks). It is best if you water it in, or have a rain storm to soak it in. Don’t put it on too thick, for best results rake all weeds off first, so it goes on bare ground. Still, I have had good results even if some dry grass or dead weeds are present.

2. Preen
Preen is a granule, it is easy to find in any store that sells garden supplies. Use it around flowers or vegetables that are already up. Mix it in the ground around the plants, it will prevent anything from coming up. If you want the plants to spread, don’t put it too close to the plants. I usually put it on in the early Spring to prevent weeds from coming around the flower beds or by the driveway. It only lasts about 6 to 8 weeks, so you will have to reapply it. It is less expensive than Caserone, but in some ways it is less effective.

3. Hi Yield Grass Killer
Hi Yield Grass Killer is a miracle worker, it actually kills quack grass, lawn grass or any other kind of grass in flower beds without killing the flowers. Yes, that’s right, it doesn’t kill the flowers. My cousin Debbie told me about it four or five years ago, and I have used it every year since. My Mother had some flowers along the driveway, about 100 feet long, the quack grass had gotten out of hand there and was about four feet tall. It was so bad that some flowers were choked out completely. More than 15 Lilies hadn’t grown above ground or bloomed in years, but came back and are blooming now. I spray this area at least twice a year and am controlling it very nicely. One or two areas are still quite grassy, but the grass has gone from four feet to about 6" so I feel much better about it. It is best to spray it in the early Spring, when the grass is about 3" to 6" tall and tender, then repeat in about 6 weeks. Always use a spreader sticker with the spray, mix 1-to-1. Read the labels carefully!

4. Round up
Most of you have heard of Round up, and I use it sparingly. I sometimes use a small hand sprayer and spray the weed directly. I usually spray thistle and morning glory, with Round up, I have had good results spot spraying. I spot spray about once a month. Don’t spray too close to your plants and vegetables, Round up will drift to other plants. Make sure you read the label directions carefully. Time of year and temperature can make a big difference in your results.

Always use a mask, rubber gloves, long sleeves and boots when applying sprays or granules, read the labels carefully!!!! If you are spraying, consider early morning, the winds are calmer and the weather is cooler.

Please remember, I am not an expert, read the labels carefully!!!!!

WHY YOU SHOULD EAT FROM YOUR GARDEN

Money, Money, Money
Flavor, Flavor, Flavor

Fresh food is so good for you, imagine going out in your garden and picking, pulling or digging enough food to prepare an entire meal. I can remember growing up when ‘everything’ from our meal we raised; meat, green relish, chili sauce, potatoes, gravy, bread, butter, raspberry jam, peas, milk, tomatoes, cucumbers and canned plums with cream (yum). Doesn’t that sound good !!!

It was a great feeling to be able to say that. My Parents were so proud to remind us of that quite often. I sometimes look at what I am eating and wish I could say that too. Most of my ‘garden meals’ consist of vegetables in a salad, but of course much of what I eat does not come from my garden. Below is a list of what my Mother canned in 1956 for our family.

About 450 quarts of food, I marvel at this list every time I see it. How hard she and Dad worked to put food on our table.

DELICATA SQUASH, MY FAVORITE FOR THE WEEK

DELICATA WINTER SQUASH

I discovered this squash last year. I planted the bush varitey, it was a great producer. This is one squash I will grow every year. I still have one in my basement, I will cook it and let you know how it turned out.

It can be cooked in the microwave, whole or halved. (If you cook it whole, put several vent holes in it first. If you cut it in half, cook it upside down or put butter in the cavity). I like it because the ‘meat’ of the squash can be cleaned out easily. You can also eat the skin too, you can cube it and put it in recipes. Below is the link for recipes and pictures of the squash, using google images search.
http://images.google.com/images?q=delicata+squash&ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

SOURCES

Perhaps you are planting a garden for the first time, or you want to try a new plant, tree or vegetable. Here is some information so you can learn more about a specific thing.

1. You can ask a person who grows that particiular plant. You may have seen it in a friend’s garden, so ask them all you can about the plant. If it is an unusual plant they can tell you a lot about it, such as where they purchased it or how to take care of it.

2. Get to know your local green house workers. So they know you when you enter their store. Ask for them by name, they will become a great source of information. After you get to know them, you can call or stop by with your questions. I recommend you have at least three questions ready to ask them. Then I support their store, sometimes I buy things other places, but most of the time I buy things from them.

3. Third source is family and friends, you can always learn something new from others, brainstorming with them to find a solution. I wish I would have listened and learned more from my Parents. They knew so much about gardening, but I didn't think it was as important as I do now. I wish I would have spent more time watching and learning the many secrets they knew. I can remember every time I came to visit, my Dad would take me out to see his garden. Now I find myself doing the same thing. Most things I have to learn the hard way, they already knew the easy way. The gardening ideas from others are endless.

4. Gardening books are great sources of information, I read them quite often. Even the old books have valuable information. I recommend ‘365 Days of Gardening’ by Christine Allison, it is so well written and has so many neat ideas and tips.

5. The last source is the internet. You can use google search, to ask a question or just type in the name of the plant. When the results come up, you can then type in the same name in the new search box but this time also click the image button. Then images come up with the links, it is a much faster way to search for what you are looking for.

SERENDIPITY CORN, MY FAVORITE OF THE WEEK

SERENDIPITY CORN (Bi-Color)

This corn is a hybrid corn with yellow and white kernals. This corn does have smaller ears, but it is the sweetest corn I have ever tasted. People I have shared it with, enjoy this corn, it freezes well too.

It isn’t the largest producer, so you may have to plant a few extra hills, but it is so worth it. Mine usually has one large ear and one small ear per stock. The small ears rippen almost as fast as the large ones, so watch them closely.

This corn stays sweet (doesn’t get old) longer than any other corn I have tried. It will keep at least one week in the refrigerator.

WHAT TO BUY AND WHEN TO PLANT

This should take about a week to explain, but I will try to do it in a few paragraphs. First, some of you may be overwhelmed with starting a garden. Even those of you who have gardened for years may be a little stressed. So let me tell all of you to relax !!!! Your garden is to enjoy. So just slow down and enjoy it, enjoy every minute you spend in it.

Buy seeds or plants?
I buy seeds for things like peas, radishes, beans, corn, carrots and lettuce, they grow quite easily planted directly into the soil. I buy plants from the greenhouse for things like pumpkins, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, cabbage, tomatoes and peppers. I sometimes buy seeds from this last group and plant them, too. If you need a faster start, you may buy the plants to try to get a successful crop. The seeds are much cheaper, but you do take more of a risk with seeds. However, the plants that come up from the seeds you plant directly into the soil will usually be more healthy looking and will already hardened in when they come up.

Helpful hint: When planting seeds outside it is sometimes useful to soak the seeds. I usually soak seeds like cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkin, squash, (I soak them for at least three days). I dig a hole about 4" square and 2" deep, then put about 1/4 cup of fertilizer in the hole and fill the hole with water. When the water sinks, I put the soaked seeds in the hole (5 seeds in the hole) and cover with about ½ inch of soft soil. Pretty simple huh? This way the seeds are soft and ready to germinate when you plant them, they are in damp soil and will come up about one week earlier.

Please read the back of your seed package, before and after you buy the seeds. It has a lot of information, if the seeds can be planted inside or outside, when to plant, and lots of other valuable information.

When to plant, (these are my suggestions for eastern Idaho).
Guidelines for planting seeds inside for transplanting outside (after the last frost).
Plant peppers from seeds the first of March, or even mid February, (10 to 12 weeks before the last frost) depending on the seed, as most are slow growing.
Plant tomatoes from seeds the first of April (6 to 8 weeks before the last frost). plant seed of squash, cantaloupe, watermelon and pumpkins around April 20th (4 to 6 weeks before the last frost).
I am GUESSING the last frost in this area is May 31. But according to my Mother, we 'always have a first of June frost!!! So expect one more frost around June 5th, if you have planted, just cover the plants for a few nights.

If you are planting indoors you can buy planting trays with soil disks and clear tops. You should have a light source, plants need 8 to 10 hours of light each day. If you are using artificial light, keep the light close to the plants or they will become tall and skinny. Keep the plants in a semi warm place (a constant temperature of 40 to 50 degrees is ideal). Notice I said semi-warm, why get them use to 70 degrees when they will be transplanted into a much cooler environment?
Wow, lots of information, I hope you can understand much of what I said. Any questions so far?

SUN SUGAR TOMATO, MY FAVORITE OF THE WEEK

SUN SUGAR TOMATO

The Sun Sugar Tomato is one of my favorite tomatoes. It is a hybrid tomato, is small and orange in color. It is a very productive tomato and does not split like many other smaller cherry type tomatoes. If I had to choose only one tomato plant, this would be it.

I usually plant eight of these, but one or two plants will be enough for a family of four. My friends rave about this tomato, it is so sweet and good.

ORDER SEEDS NOW !!!

Last week I talked about taking an inventory of your seeds. This week it is time to order seeds. It could take as much as four weeks to get the seeds you order, so don’t delay. If you want to plant seeds inside for transplanting outside later, you may need to plant some of them very soon. Peppers need to be planted right away because it takes several weeks for them to germinate, they are very slow growing. It is too early in Eastern Idaho to plant things like tomatoes and squash, but you should buy the seeds you need now. Many more people are starting to garden this year and the seeds will go fast.

I suggest you go to a local nursery, or seed store to see if their new seeds are in yet. I get very excited when I see the new seed displays and look at almost everything in the display. I like to try new things every year. This year I am trying red sweet corn and planting red onions from seed. I will plant the onions as early as possible even mid-April to see if they will grow large enough for green (purple) onions through the Summer and Fall.

The seeds that aren’t available at your local nursery, (or stores with garden centers) can be ordered from the Internet or seed catalogs. These sources will have different seeds and unique seeds and plants than you can’t get from your local nursery.

A great source on the Internet is www.gardenlist.com. This is a garden catalog list of several hundred catalogs. It is a wonderful way to search out garden catalogs you may not be familiar with. I recommend the catalogs www.totallytomato.com and www.jungseed.com. The Totally Tomato catalog has almost 300 varieties of tomatoes. They have pink, purple, orange, yellow and black tomatoes in all sizes. They also have the Hybrids and Heirlooms separated so it is easy to search for the type of tomato needed.

So this week, do more dreaming and buy what you are dreaming about.

FRENCH BREAKFAST RADISH, MY FAVORITE OF THE WEEK

FRENCH BREAKFAST RADISH

My Parents always planted this radish and it is my favorite too. It is so fast growing, watch it closely - it will be one of the first things to eat out of the garden this year.

The radish has a normal green top, below the green leafy top is a small red top of the radish. Below the red top will be the large radish. So when you first look at the radish, you think it is still small, but it is pretty big if you look closer. Eat this radish when it is young, it tends to go to seed quickly.

This is one vegetable I planted late last year, (first of August), and had a wonderful harvest in late September.

Plant this radish very early in the year, I plan to try a small row the beginning of April. I will plant several different radishes every few weeks through the month of May.

INVENTORY

This week might be a good time to inventory your garden seeds. You do not want to spend money on seeds you already have. A few weeks ago you began to plan you garden, this week you can see if you have enough seeds from last year and what you need to purchase this year.

Also check the dates on the packages and see if they may be too old to plant. But do not be in a hurry to throw away the outdated seeds. I have planted flower packets my Mother had from the 1960s with some success.

You can test them to see if they will sprout (germinate), then you will know if the seed will be good this year. An easy way to do this is to put a few seeds on a paper towel, moisten the towel and place it in a zip lock bag. After a few days, (or weeks depending on the seed), they should sprout.

Some vegetables you can tell apart, but when doing several types of flowers, tomatoes or carrots, you will need to label the test towels. I suggest numbering each towel instead, then you can number the seed container with the same number. This way you can use a gallon zip lock and put several 'test towels' inside.

NOTE: You may not want to take a chance on out-dated seeds. If you plant them and they don’t grow, you are out more than the price of the package of seeds, and it may be too late to replant.

FOR THE RECORD

For the past three or four years I have kept a garden journal. I use a binder to write down ideas that come up through the year. It is best to use a binder so it is easy to add extra pages and remove pages to copy or share.

I keep my ideas, dreams and realities in this binder. When I have a new idea I jot it down, this way I do not have to remember the idea until Spring, I can just review it in the journal. When I see something I like in a magazine I tear out the page and staple it inside.

I take pictures of my garden as it grows to have a visual record of my plants and flowers. I write down the things I plant and sometimes staple the pictures from the packaging. This way I know what I planted and what it looks like. It is especially helpful when planting bulbs, I staple pictures and put notes about them. Where I planted them, even where I purchased them.

This log helps me keep on track for this year, and will be a great help next year. For example, when I picked the first tomato, pulled the first radish or list a new flower to try.

Here is a great example of taking a picture of the bulbs to plant.

This is a picture of where I am going to plant them.

The final picture of the flowers blooming. Actually, I didn't remember planting these and I didn't know what they were called. But lucky for me I had taken pictures, so now I know what they are called and I can buy more or tell others what they are. They are one of the first flowers to bloom in the Spring.

PLAN TO PLANT

Well here it is the second week of January, today I thought I would talk a little bit about planning. Now is the time to think about what to plant in your garden this year. I call this preliminary thinking 'plan to plant'.

Know the size of your garden and draw a map of your yard. Include what is already in your yard. It is a good idea to color code the map using a high lighters. Use one color for existing plants and a different color for the flowers, fruits and vegetables you would like to plant. I have garden plans from every year I have planted a garden.

I like to plant most of my garden in rows, so I draw out the rows and write in the names of what I want to plant in the row. Of course it takes several plans or changes in my plan before I have a complete plan. When it comes time to plant my garden, I take this plan on paper with me and make changes if necessary as I plant. I write the name of the seed or the plant on my perfect plan.

This way I know where everything is, what worked, what didn’t and the changes I should make next year. I sometimes take pictures too, so I have a better idea of what everything looks like.

So this week, begin to ‘plan to plant’.

GARDEN DREAMING

January is the month to dream of Gardening. I think I spent most of November and December wishing it was Summer. I think of flowers, vegetables and fruits to grow next year and remember what I harvested. I think of the failures and successes and begin to dream about the next season (always a next year farmer).

I think about the few things I was able to can and freeze for 2009 and I am grateful for the things others taught me about canning. Thanks Nita!!

I have made a few more gardening friends this year. I get very excited to talk to them about gardening, I find I would rather talk about gardening than almost anything.

So this week is the week to prepare for this year’s garden. This week, start to dream about your garden, what to plant and new things to try. Begin to prepare yourself for a successful garden.

Just a few flowers to wet your whistle for your garden successes in 2009.