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Growing Potatoes

2011-05-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Growing Potatoes

Potatoes are wonderful. They are inexpensive and very much worth the space they will occupy in your garden. They are a solanums, like tomatoes, but they demand far less in the way of nutrients than other solanums and they prefer cool weather. A Solanum is any large genus (Solanum) of trees, vines, shrubs, and plants of the nightshade family: most are poisonous, but a few are cultivated for food like the potato and eggplant.

Potatoes are grown as annual plants. So if you live in the inland northwest like I do, they are great for our area and are easy to grow. Home garden potato varieties are, in fact, a health food that doesn’t need to be deep-fried or slathered in butter, sour cream, vinegar, salt, pepper or ketchup because unlike potatoes that are commercial they won’t leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

When to plant:

Even though potatoes like cooler weather they are not frost hardy. So avoid planting early when frost is still a danger. I would plant them between May 15th to June 1st or whenever your area is frost free. If you want to plant sooner try putting clear plastic over them about five or six weeks before the last usual frost date.

Seeds:

Before you plant your potatoes you will need to prepare them by chitting them. Chitting means encouraging the seed potatoes to begin to sprout before they are planted. To accomplish this, get the seeds at least three to four weeks before you’re going to plant them and spread them out one layer thick in bright light but not sunlight. Your temperature should be around 55 to 60 degrees. They’ll begin to turn green and the shoots will begin growing. At this stage, gently carry the seeds to the garden and plant them. Set the rows about 2 ½ feet apart. Cut big potatoes just before planting but do not break off the sprouts. To maximize yield, you want to encourage every possible bit of vine growth to occur before flowering commences. Depending on variety and season, a 100-foot long row may yield about 200 to 300 pounds. 100 row-feet with little to no irrigation on deep soil still yields about 100 pounds.

Harvest and storage:

Begin digging earliest potatoes after blossoming is over. When the vines first begin to deteriorate, withhold all water to dry the soil and toughen the skins which will enhance storage potential. Keep stored potatoes dark, damp and cold but protected from freezing. I store my potatoes in a cardboard box in my basement.

Varieties:

Here are a just a few varieties of potatoes that are the most popular.

Russets – Russets potatoes are characterized by their even oval shape and russet brown in color. Russets are good for baking, mashing and frying because of their low sugars and high solids.

Reds – Reds are often referred to as “new potatoes” and have a moist texture that is suited well for salads, soups and strews because their slices and chunks maintain their shape during cooking and mixing. They are also excellent for baking as well.

Yellows – Yukon Gold is an American favorite with golden flesh and creamy texture means you can use less or no butter for lighter dishes.

Growing potatoes at home gives you a dependable crop that you can store over winter. Growing potatoes is highly rewarding, productive and has become an exemplar of healthy eating and self sufficiency.

If you need more information on growing potatoes, here is a good potato book that will come in very handy.
The Potato Book

Tips for Garden Weed Control

2011-05-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Tips for Garden Weed Control

There are many types of weeds. It is not necessary to get rid of every single weed in your garden – only most of them. You should have a priority system to weed control. The ones you won’t allow to exist at all to the ones that are okay to have in small amounts.

Grasses is one that should not be allowed to exist at all. Grasses have highly invasive and dense root systems. Although low-growing grasses may not compete for light, their aggressive roots rob the soil of most of the available nutrients and water and thereby stunting nearby vegetables.

Pernicious weeds are very hard to eradicate because they grow quickly and spread through underground runners and they make huge quantities of seeds that spread widely. Some examples of pernicious weeds are thistles, morning glory, and nightshade.

Other weeds that need to be pulled are the ones that come up even after your fast-growing vegetables form a leaf canopy that hinders hoeing. The shade of this canopy will strongly suppress any new weeds that sprout. But a few will sprout and grow anyway. Any weed in the garden that begins to peek through the crop leaf canopy should be pulled.

Here are a few tips for garden weed control that are non-chemical:

- Using vinegar to kill the weeds. Make sure you apply only to the weeds.
- Newspaper method – laying large amounts of newspaper under a thin layer of dirt to prevent weeds.
- Using landscape fabrics.
- Aerating your soil regularly. Some weeds, such as crabgrass, chickweed, and plantain flourish in areas of compacted soil, so aerating your lawn or garden regularly will prevent weed growth.
- Fertilizing – Fertilizing during the peak growth will encourage them to grow thereby leaving less room for invading weeds.
- Pull weeds by hand

If you are going to pull the weeds by hand here is a product that I recommend that will save your back from aching. The Hound Dog Products HDP1-6 Weed Hound is a stand-up weeder that pulls weeds by their roots quickly and easily! It requires no bending and no chemicals, making weeding easier both on you and on your garden. The weeder can also be used to aerate soil for a healthier lawn. Like all Hound Dog Products tools, the Weed Hound features durable steel construction and rust-proof finishes for long-lasting wear; its comfortable grips and upright design make gardening easier on your hands, knees, and back. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

The 5 Reasons for Garden Planting

2011-04-12T12:20:00.001-07:00

The 5 Reasons for Garden Planting
There are 5 important reasons for garden planting. Garden planting is especially important given the current state of the economy. You can save a lot of money growing your own vegetables. If you invest $70 dollars in a home garden you can yield about $600 dollars worth of produce in a year. That is a huge savings.

The 5 reasons for garden planting are:

1. You Know Exactly What You Are Eating.
By growing your own fresh vegetables, you know exactly what took place while producing them. You were the one to fertilize, water, and nurture the plants from a small seed into a beautiful, productive plant. When buying vegetables from a supermarket or produce stand, there is really no way of knowing how, or where, they were grown. There could have been harmful pesticides and fungicides used during the raising of those vegetables.

2. Growing Your Own Vegetables Is Cost Effective.
A trip to the grocery store today to buy produce can cause shock to your pocket book. Produce prices are steadily increasing, and that is even when crop supplies are at normal levels. Let a certain vegetable have a bad farming year, and prices can quickly double, or even triple. By growing your own vegetables, then preserving (by canning, freezing, or drying) them, you could potentially save a truckload on your food bill. Who doesn’t like the idea of saving money?

3. Gardening Improves Your Health
Growing a garden offers many emotional, physical, and mental benefits. Spending time after work in the garden can help to relieve stress, and increase your overall activity level. Recent research has revealed that sunlight can improve sleep, deter depression, and promote a better immune system.

4. Reconnect With Family Through Gardening
Growing a vegetable garden does not have to be a solo act. Get your whole family involved by growing vegetables that your kids will like. Give them a few plants to grow for themselves, and mentor them during the process. You will have a great time watching their excitement when their plant produces its first bloom, and then the first fruit.

5. Growing Your Own Vegetables Is Very Rewarding
Nothing can give you a better sense of accomplishment than growing your own vegetables. To know that you have placed a seed in the soil, and cared for it throughout its growth, can be a very gratifying experience. Also, you are using your hard work to produce better meals for your family. Enjoying a fresh salad with the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and radishes that came from your garden will make it all worthwhile.

If you are still unsure about planting a garden, then I hope that you seriously think about these five reasons. Vegetable gardening is a win-win situation that can change your life for the better.

Pre-germinating Seeds

2011-04-12T12:18:00.001-07:00

Pre-germinating Seeds

The most important characteristic of any seed is whether it will sprout and begin to grow vigorously. Everything else about what a seed might do is irrelevant if germination fails.

I live in a short growing season as do a lot of people so I think it is important to get as much as you can out of it. Pre-germination is soaking seeds in water first to get the seeds to germinate faster. In experimenting with it I have found that soaked seeds came up several days earlier that an un-soaked seed. The importance of pre-germinate seeds before sowing them is that guarantees that hopefully every seed we plant is likely to come up. It is also important if we’re sowing an old seed which may be slow to germinate or a rare heirloom seed that we can’t afford to waste. The faster we germinate our seeds the faster we get crops we can eat.

Here are two simply ways to pre-germinate seeds:

- You can place them in a bowl using a warm water temperature then place a small plate on the top to act as a lid. Changing the water daily is important because it keeps the seeds clean and replenishes the oxygen.

- Place them on a dinner plate and lay a paper towel across them all. Add enough water so that the paper towel is saturated and there’s water standing in the plate, but not much. You want the seeds to have access to air as well as being kept moist on both sides. As soon as you see the tiny radical tip begin to emerge from the seeds, then plant them as normal. You do not want the seeds to grow into the paper towel.

Of course there are many more ways to pre-germinate, so please explore if you would like more options.

Temperature
Most vegetable seeds sprout at between 60 and 105 degrees, with the best germination at 75 degrees to 85 degrees. For most species, sprouting stops at temperatures under 60 degrees or over 100 degrees F. Some tropical species like peppers, eggplant, and melons won’t sprout at all if soil temperatures fall below 70 degrees for very long. There are a few types of seeds that sprout better at slightly cooler temperatures. Spinach, for example, will sprout at from 45 degrees to 85 degrees. See the chart below for more temperatures.

Starting Your Seeds Inside: Get a Jump on Your Garden

2011-04-12T12:16:00.001-07:00

Starting Your Seeds Inside: Get a Jump on your Garden!

Starting your seedlings inside is always a good idea when your growing season is short as it is for some of us. Cool weather temperatures can prevent seeds from germinating or even damaging young seedlings if planted outside, so starting them inside when the winter still lingers is a good option. Other options are to buy your vegetables and flowers once the weather warms but, in these tough economic times, that can get expensive. Starting from seed is easy and cheaper per plant and allows a greater variety of choice among flowers and crops than buying nursery plants. You could also invest in cold frames, row covers or a greenhouse if you wish to extend the growing season in your area.

What crops should not be planted indoors?
When starting your seeds inside it is always a good idea to read the back of the seed packets first. Many will list instructions for both inside and outside seed sowing.

Some crops should not be started indoors because they don't transplant well or they need an impractical amount of room to grow like corn, peas and beans. Root, tuber or bulb crops like beets, radishes, turnips, onions, potatoes, carrots, etc. just do not transplant well and don't like their roots to be bothered. Also any leafy greens like lettuces, spinach, cabbage or chards should only be started outdoors.

Seed Germination:
When starting your seeds inside seed germination is very important. Two important factors of seed germination are temperature and humidity. Seeds already contain the nutrients it needs to germinate, so it doesn't need fertilizer until later. Some experts recommend an all-purpose houseplant type potting soil to start your seedlings while others recommend a seed starting mix or make your own from peat moss, sand and compost. Do not use soil from the garden unless it has been sterilized first. The key is to create an environment that holds moisture well yet drains freely and remains light and airy around the sprouting seeds. I recommend and use a growing system called Hydrofarm JSV2 2-Foot Jump Start T5 Grow Light System. Its a 2 foot wide grow light system that is ideal for seedlings, cuttings, flowers and house plants. The super efficient T5 lights help you grow faster by providing 15-20% more lumens than traditional grow lights. It is not that expensive to buy and can be used year after year.

A very simplified version to starting your seedlings is this:

• Fill your containers full of your soil and then moisten the soil;

• Place a few seeds in each space and cover with a small amount of soil;

• While the sprouts are growing, they will need light, moisture, heat and air circulation;

• Keep the soil moist while they are growing by spraying with a mist bottle or situate your container inside another bigger tray with water to allow water to come up from the bottom. Be sure to drain excess water to keep roots healthy; and

• Place a dome around your containers to hold in heat and moisture.

Once they have started growing their true leaves you may need to thin them to make sure they have enough room to grow. You may also need to move them to bigger containers. After the plant has reached 2 to 3 inches tall you will need to start feeding your plants once a week. Use a good liquid fertilizer or fish emulsion diluted to half, and give your growing plants as much light as possible.

After starting your seeds inside, and they have grown several sets of true leaves, they will need to go through a hardening- off process. This process means moving the plants to cooler temperatures to acclimate so they don't go into transplant shock once they are in your garden. The plants will need to be moved to the outside, first into shade and then gradually into sunlight. Move them back inside if the weather gets to nasty outside for the still-tender plants. The hardening- off process should be done for about two weeks before finally transplanting them into your outside garden.

Starting your seeds inside will produce successful gardening and a great bounty of crops. It is definitely worth the time and the effort! Happy Gardening.

When to Start Planting Your Garden

2011-04-12T12:10:00.001-07:00

When to start planting your garden.

Yes! The snow is melting and it’s time to start thinking about planting your garden. Of course it depends on your climate, but the third week of February is typically when to start planting your garden. As a general rule your early to mid-season vegetables need to be planted as early as February or March. When to start planting your garden also depends entirely on where you live and what it is you want to grow. Hardy plants can survive cold temperature and some frost, which is why they are always the first plants to go in the ground as soon as the ground thaws. Crops like beans, cucumbers, melons, and squash can be planted after the average last day of frost, because of their sensitivity to freezing temperatures. Carrots, lettuce, peas, and radishes are heartier and can be planted 8-10 weeks before the average last frost for a spring harvest.

When to start planting your garden is always a quandary with me, but usually my lack-of-wanting-to-be-inside marks the point of when my hands crave being the in soil and I will start planting my seedlings. Whenever “spring fever” hits in your area, planting is sure to follow for garden lovers. I will start planting my more tender plants that cannot withstand frost in the windowsill indoors and plant carrots and lettuce in my greenhouse. This work out great because I can have a home-grown salad by late May or early June.

Tomatoes and peppers, broccoli, eggplants, cauliflower, melons and squashes can all be started successfully indoors and well as herbs and flowers. All can benefit from the controlled environment of indoor seed starting. On my windowsill sits a long plastic dish that I can’t stop peeking into to see if the seedlings have awoken and their tiny green arms stretching out to greet me.

Some crops should not be however be started indoors because they don’t transplant well. Experts would not recommend starting the following inside:
• Root, tuber or bulb crops (beets, radishes, turnips, onions, potatoes, carrots, etc.)
• Leafy greens (lettuces, spinach, cabbage, chards).

These cool season plants can withstand planting directly outside even before the weather fully warms. Also things you are going to plant in large numbers should wait until they can be planted into the garden soil. The following are usually grown in sizable quantities:
• Corn
• Peas
• Beans

If your area has a short growing season for crops like corn or tomatoes, look for varieties that have a short days-to-maturity period.