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?