June 30, 2008

June Draws to a Close...

· When the peas have all been picked, pull the vines and plant another vegetable. Ideas would include green beans, sweet corn, or squash.

· Broccoli will have a central head with 5 to 6 inches of stem. Cut this head after it is well developed but before it begins to loosen and separate. Removing the central head stimulates the side shoots to develop for later harvesting. Continue to cut the smaller broccoli side shoots for several weeks.

· Cauliflower will only have one central head. The mature head should be compact, firm and white. Cut the head before it become over mature and has a coarse, "ricey" appearance.

· It is easy to miss some produce when picking, which will become to large for table use. It is important to pick this large produce and discard, because over mature produce left on the vine will discourage new growth. Good examples of this problem is cucumbers and green beans.

· Try picking cucumbers at different sizes. You may prefer one variety at a smaller size while another variety may be best at a larger size.

· Garden centers may have a few plants still available. Look for something new to try.

· Onions will do best with high temperature and low humidity during bulbing and curing. Obviously, the conditions are less than ideal this year. Harvest onion when most of the tops have fallen over naturally. Breaking over the tops early will interrupt growth, and the bulbs will be smaller and will not keep in storage. Pull the plants in the morning and allow the bulbs to air-day in the garden until late afternoon. Then place them under dry shelter on elevated slats or screens or hang them in small bunches. Full air circulation for two to three weeks is necessary for complete drying and curing.

· After potatoes have been blooming about two weeks there will be small potatoes. They can be dug but if left in the soil will continue to grow until the vines are dried.

· Plant some radish seed with squash seed or near the plants. This may help deter the squash bugs.

Information provided by Sharon Crum, Pike County Master Gardener.

Posted by Jennifer Mowen at 4:24 PM | Permalink |

June 13, 2008

Sharon's Tips of the Week

• This is a good time to plant late potatoes. It may be a little difficult to find seed potatoes now, but check at the gardens centers.
• I have been doing some research on brussel sprouts. Apparently they grow best in the late fall. I planted a few seeds this week hoping they will be a nice size plant by the time cool fall weather returns.
• I also planted a few cabbage seeds of the Late Flat Dutch variety. From my experience, they do very well in the fall. They will sometimes actually keep in the garden until a freeze.
• I am also considering planting a few broccoli seeds for fall harvest.
• Think about planting a couple more zucchini seeds again now. They will be ready to start producing by the time the first plants are dying.
• Peas will be ready to harvest in the next week or two. Peas may seem slow to start filling the pods, BUT in just two or three days it can happen. You will need to check them everyday. The pods need to be full but not to hard. Open a couple each day to get an idea of how they feel and then check the size of peas in the pod. They will need to be harvested at least every other day for about 7 to 10 days. Be thinking about what you could plant after pulling the vines.
• Plant a few cucumber seeds every other week. This will keep the supply continuous unless the temperature is extreme for several days in a row.
• Tomatoes will produce and resist disease better if they are up off the ground. Several methods are helpful. You can stake them up or put cages around them. At the very minimum put several layers of newspaper on the ground around the tomato plant to keep it off of the ground. You will need to put a little compost on the papers to hold them in place.

Information provided by Sharon Crum, Pike County Master Gardener

Posted by Jennifer Mowen at 4:21 PM | Permalink |

June 10, 2008

Warm Weather is Finally Here!

• With the return of warmer weather in the next few days, spinach will soon be to the end of season. If you have extra spinach now, maybe you are interested in freezing some for later use. Preserving spinach is easy. Once the spinach has been washed well and drained, heat 2 or 3 qt water to boiling in a 4 to 6 qt pan (smaller pan for smaller quantity). Put the spinach in water. Using a longed handled spoon to be sure the spinach is completed submerged and until leaves are wilted (maybe only 30 seconds). Drain and cool spinach. Put in freezer bags. This will keep in the freezer for several months.
• Removing the cool weather crops such as lettuce, spinach, and mustard greens will provide space for additional planting. This is a good time to plant cantaloupe, lima beans, summer squash, orka, sweet potatoes, green beans, or sweet corn.
• Peas will soon be ready to harvest. This can be a little difficult at first. The pods develop first then the pea forms inside the pod. As the peas grow the pod will begin to fill plump. This time to pick the pod is just before it is squeezed full of peas. Waiting to long will damage the quality of peas tremendously.
• Beets will also soon be large enough to harvest. Look under the leaves toward the ground. The beet will probably have grown to a size that a portion of root is above the ground. The beet is begin enough to begin harvest when it is about 1.5" in diameter. Remember to look at each plant because they grow at different speed.

Information provided by Sharon Crum, Pike County Master Gardener.

Posted by Jennifer Mowen at 4:01 PM | Permalink |