Identifying the pest is the first step to management.  The key characteristic to identify the adult beetle is a small black triangle immediately behind the head of the beetle.  The feeding damage was characteristic small, round holes in the leaves of the young plants.  Adult beetles will also chew round holes into the pods of beans later in the season. 

Bean leaf beetles overwinter as adults in grassy fields, wooded and weed y areas.  The adults must have survived well in the hay fields surrounding this new vegetable production area, and then happily moved into the new bean crop.  This insect will complete two generations per year in our area.  The larvae feed on the roots of bean plants, but this feeding is not believed to cause major damage. 

Here is a link to a good fact sheet about this pest: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/444/444-009/444-009.html

Here is a link to a good fact sheet on insect control for vegetable gardeners that lists a lot of the softer pesticides, including some organic options: http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-21.pdf 

We will take a walking tour of the Gracedale Gardens on June 27^th from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m, and scout for insect and disease pests along the way.  Follow this link for more information and registration details.  http://extension.psu.edu/northampton/events/files/pest-walk-for-home-gardeners

So, what should you do if you find a grassy weed invading your lawn?  Management practices vary, depending on what type of grass it is.  So, the first step is to try to identify it.  Then, you can get specific recommendations for the grass you are dealing with. 

To identify a grass we use many different pieces of information.  Overall color, growth habit and appearance are important, but honestly the grasses look a lot alike when they are young or mowed.  If I get a mowed sample I first look for what type of vernation it has.  Are the leaves folded or rolled in the bud? 

Next, I look for structures called auricules and ligules, which are part of the grass leaf found where one older blade wraps around a younger one.  These are hard to see, and magnification really helps.   

I try to find young emerging leaf tips to determine the shape of the end of the young leaf tip.  Then, I try to put all this information together to match it up with pictures of grasses described in textbooks or on extension websites.

Identifying grasses isn't easy.  One additional piece of information that can really help is the seedhead.  When grasses go to seed, the appearance of the seedhead is very distinctive and can be used to nail the identification.  If you can, leave a small patch of your grassy weed mature enough to form a seedhead.  It is important though, to not let the seedhead mature enough to spread new viable seed into your lawn.  

Penn State Turf Instructor Jeff Borger is working on an interesting website to help you identify turf weeds.  He has included short videos showing the key identification characteristics to look for.  Check it out at:  http://cropsoil.psu.edu/turf/weed-id

This link will take you Penn State's booklet "Weed Management in Turf" which includes information to help you identify both grassy and broadleaf weeds, and has current recommendations for management.

http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uc189.pdf  

Bagworms eat foliage of a lot of landscape plants.  I often find them on arborvitae, Douglas fir, pine, birch, and sycamore, but they will attack other plants too.  Large populations can strip trees of foliage and leave them with large bare patches.  I often notice arborvitae hedges with severe bagworm damage.

As it grows, this insect forms a protective bag or case around its body.  It makes the bag by fastening pieces of the host plant together with silk.  The bag will look different, depending on what host plant provided the pieces that were used.  If you didn’t know what a bagworm case looked like, it would be easy to assume it was a natural part of the host plant.  Bagworm bags are often mistaken for cones on coniferous host plants like pine, fir and spruce. 

The first picture shows what the natural cones of Douglas fir look like. 

The second picture shows bagworms found on a Douglas fir tree.  These are the bags of the insects that completed their life cycle last year.  If you see bags on your landscape plants now, the eggs that overwintered inside have probably hatched.  You should look for young bagworms. 

Young bagworms are tiny.  After they hatch, the immediately start forming their protective bag.  The third picture shows a bagworm that I found today, on a Douglas fir tree.  It is very small, but looks like a tiny cone moving around.  They are almost comical the way they move, with their heads down on the foliage, and their cones upright and moving side to side.  If you have bagworms on a plant, you should watch closely for little cones that are moving around. 

If you find a lot of small bagworms, they have potential to do a lot of damage to your plants.  They will need to eat enough foliage to complete their life cycle, and infestations can build as the years pass.  The best way to manage them in spring, while they are small, is to use a registered insecticide.  The biorational pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) will work well while they are small and will help you conserve beneficial insect populations.  Make sure the Bt product you choose is labeled for use against insects in the butterfly and moth family.  If you wait a few weeks until they are bigger, you will need to use other insecticides to be effective. 

Over the winter, you can get rid of a lot of bagworm eggs by hand-picking the cases from your plants.  Each female bag can contain 500-1000 overwintering eggs.

For more information on the biology and management of bagworm check out our Penn State fact sheet at:  http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/bagworm

One system involves growing "banker" plants which can support natural enemies and their prey.  Briefly, the researchers grow barley in containers, and then they intentionally infest the barley plants with a cereal aphid, one that will only colonize only grasses.  After the aphid population reaches a certain level, they introduce an aphid parasitoid.  This parasitoid is a small wasp that lays an egg on the cereal aphid and the developing young wasp kills its aphid host.  The young wasp pupates inside the dead "mummified" body of the aphid, and emerges as an adult wasp in several days, and the females will seek out other aphid hosts.  This gives greenhouse growers a portable "bank" of pupating aphid parasitoids that can colonize and kill the aphids on broadleaf host plants, such as annual bedding plants or vegetable transplants.

Here is a link to a fact sheet from University of Massachusetts, which describes the aphid banker plant system and how you can produce banker plants yourself --   http://extension.umass.edu/floriculture/sites/floriculture/files/pdf/AphidBankerPlantSystem.pdf.

Researchers are also working on 'Black Pearl' peppers which will support populations of a type of beneficial minute pirate bug called Orius insidious.  Orius will eat thrips and aphids, but can also survive on the pollen of the 'Black Pearl' pepper.  Keeping a few flowering 'Black Pearl' peppers around will encourage populations of Orius to live there.  To read more about one of these research projects, go to http://www.southernsare.org/News-and-Media/Press-Releases/Exploring-Biological-Control-of-Greenhouse-Pests.

Another interesting system is using bush beans in a high tunnel where tomatoes are being produced.  Two spotted spider mite is often a problem on tomatoes in high tunnels.  Bush beans are very attractive to spider mites, so bush beans planted in a tomato high tunnel can serve as a sentinel or indicator plant to monitor for the pest.  When spider mites are found on the bush beans, a predatory mite can be introduced.  This predatory mite can provide biological control of the spider mites throughout the high tunnel. To read more about this system go to http://www.bugwood.org/arthropod/ day2/matteoni.pdf.

Growers should not rely on enhancing natural enemies as their only form of pest management.  These systems are intriguing, and definitely worth considering as an addition to your regular pest management strategy, but they cannot replace diligent monitoring and other interventions.  Leaving a heavily infested plant in your production area can quickly lead to a pest population getting out of control.  You should have a plan, and should know your options before common pest problems arise so you can react to them. 

I'm planting some 'Black Pearl' peppers and sweet alyssum this year.  It can't hurt, and I am interested to see what kinds of beneficial insects I will find on them. 

I grow my lettuce from seed.  It costs a lot less than buying individual transplants, and having the seed around allows me to plant succession crops throughout the year. 

First, I prepare the soil.  I use slightly raised beds in my garden.  I mound the soil up with a shovel first, then smooth it out with a small rake.  The raised beds improve the drainage and help keep the lettuce dry, which is important for disease management and to discourage slugs.

I plant my lettuce in rows.  I make a very shallow row with a garden hoe, then carefully sow the tiny seeds, finishing up with a light dusting of soil and patting it down firmly over the seeds.  It is tempting and easy to sow the seeds too thickly.  Try to remember that each seed can grow into a lettuce plant that needs at least a foot of space to grow into full head size.  I try to sow the seeds about 1 inch apart and then over a few weeks time I will thin the plants out. 

When the young plants start to crowd each other, I start to thin the plants every weekend.  When I thin the rows, I pull entire plants out and pinch off the leaves to use as baby greens in salads.  I will first thin the plants to about 2 inches apart, then to about 4 inches apart, and so on, until I have plants about 1 foot apart to grow into full heads.  After I have thinned the rows, I run a small hoe through the whole bed to knock down small weeds that have sprouted.  The last step is to look for weeds in the row and pull those out by hand. 

I have two beds of greens coming along in my garden this spring.  They were planted about one month apart.  I will have many weeks of harvest from these two beds, and I am planning to plant a later crop of bush beans into the beds after the lettuce is finished.

Here is link to a great fact sheet from the University of Maine that shows what some of the most common beneficial insects look like -- http://umaine.edu/publications/7150e. 

I recently heard Carol Glenister of (Integrated Pest Management) IPM Laboratories talk about "Guardian" plants and how they can be used to enhance beneficial insect populations.  This article summarizes some of the things I learned from her.

Many people are interested in having populations of beneficial insects inhabit their landscapes.  One strategy is to purchase beneficial insects from a commercial supplier and release them.  This is known as augmentation, and can be an effective way to manage pests.  Keys to successful augmentation include properly identifying the pest, choosing a beneficial that is proven to be effective, having an adequate ratio of prey to beneficial, and following all the directions carefully.  Even if you do all these things exactly right, there are no guarantees that augmentation will always work.  There are so many variables that it is impossible to always get it exactly right.

If you can enhance the populations of naturally occurring beneficial insects, you may be able to get a lot of pest control with less effort.  So, what can you do?  Of course you want to use pesticides judiciously.  Choose the least toxic pesticide possible with short residual activity.  Spot spray or time your sprays to minimize contact with beneficials.   What else can you do?  Many beneficial insects eat nectar or pollen.  Provide habitat by planting flowering plants, especially sweet alyssum, sunflowers, lantana, marigolds or fennel.  Plant a row or two in your vegetable garden.  It is easy to do, you will probably be able to see beneficials like syrphid flies hovering over the flowers…and it is pretty too!

What's happening in the garden this week?  Today, during a short walk-about around the Gracedale gardens in Nazareth, I noticed European pine sawfly larvae on mugo pine, pine needle scale, wild pollinators working the redbud tree blossoms, and a lot of damage by Diplodia tip blight on older pines.  The 'Willam Penn' barberry and Fothergilla gardenii are just finished blooming. 

If you like to learn about nature, and want real solutions to problems you have in your landscape, Penn State Extension is your best local source of research-based information.  The Master Gardeners are here to help, and are just a phone call away.  They can direct you to unbiased answers to your gardening questions. 

Here are links to Penn State fact sheets on some of the observations I listed above: 

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/european-pine-sawfly

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/pine-needle-scale

http://extension.psu.edu/plant-disease-factsheets/all-fact-sheets/sphaeropsis-or-diplodia-on-pine

http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uf023.pdf

“Almost universally, gardeners think of shade as a problem.”  (George Schenk, The Complete Shade Gardener, 1^st Edition)  In reality, shade in the ornamental garden is more an opportunity than a problem.  Pick the right plants and you can make the most of your shady areas.      

Starting early, wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) finishes the cold season with red foliage, greening during the year and then ending it with red teaberries.  Include hellebores (Helleborus spp.), which are evergreens with radial spokes of strong, dark leaves that range from green to bronze/burgundy.  Different varieties show blossoms of pink or white or light green or burgundy, with their timing inspiring one of their common names:  Christmas Rose.  

Snowdrops and crocuses announce spring, followed in April by ajugas, in radiating rosettes of bronze or green leaves, and diverse violets.  When ajuga and violets bloom together, the blaze of blue is spectacular.  At that same time, ferns unroll, hostas unfold, and Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum) rises, bends, and dangles its white blossoms.  Your gaze is held by the filigree of the ferns, the expanses and ambiguous colors of the hostas, and the repeating arches of the Solomon’s seal.  In late spring to mid-summer, Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa) raises tall, erect to leaning spikes of fuzzy white flowers that earn it a second common name: Fairy Candles.

Usually in June the perennial hardy begonia (B. grandis – don’t let the afternoon summer sun burn it) starts to reveal its dark green, red backed leaves.  Late in summer it puts up pink, pendant flowers.  Yellow wax bells (Kirengeshoma palmata), with plamate leaves, accompany the begonia in bloom.  Turtlehead (Chelone spp.) and toad lily (Tricyrtis  spp.) finish the shady flowering season, the latter lasting near Thanksgiving with its rows of orchid-like blossoms on arching stems. 

One oddity acts like it’s in the Southern Hemisphere.  In the Fall, Italian arum (A. italicum) sprouts erect,
 dark green, white-veined spear points of leaves that go limp in the deep cold and then resurrect when the temperature eases.  In May/June, the leaves die away soon after appearance of a short-lived, pale “pulpit” (spathe) cupping a yellow “Jack” (spadix).  This spadix grows into a cob of green berries in summer, progressing to bright orange until wildlife eats them. 

Many shade loving garden plants can convince you to start noticing foliage as foreground, not just background.  An old gardener’s principle is “Pick your garden plants first for foliage,” because it’s on display longer than the blossoms.  Solomon’s seal not only arches, it turns a handsome yellow that lasts until winter weather beats it down.  The heucheras (say HUGH kruh) are perhaps the poster models for foliage.  Growing in shade to sun, these native plants have been hybridized into a rainbow of different leaf colors.  Many of their varieties have non-descript blossoms, but the foliage is compelling.

We’ve looked only at bedding plants here, not shrubs or vigorous ground covers; the latter can overrun your bedding plants.  Some of the selections mentioned above do spread, but with casual vigilance you can keep them in check.  The bottom line is that there are many striking shade lovers and they’ll keep your personal gardening sap flowing much longer in the year than the fair weather friends do.

https://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/documents/pb1585.pdf  including more choices of shade tolerant plants for you to grow 

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6911  more a discussion of shady gardening conditions

Darke, R. (2002).  The American Woodland Garden.  Portland OR, Timber Press

Schenk, G.  (2002)  The Complete Shade Gardener.  Portland OR, Timber Press.

Looks like it. Things are getting pretty dry in the Lehigh Valley.

Many people have already planted or are planting woody ornamental plants now, and we all hope the new plants will survive.  They usually need regular watering many times during the process of becoming established. They will probably need some attention paid to their water needs for at least two or three years. Sometimes you get lucky, and a few weeks of extra watering is taken over by rainy-enough weather for long enough for the plant to put out enough roots to survive, but more often that isn’t the case, and the gardener had better be aware of his or her plants’ water requirements.

A big part of watering is the part where you figure out how much water your plant needs, and work out an efficient way to get that water to it when Mother Nature isn’t quite doing the job. But that’s not really all that’s involved. It’s a question also of mulching, and choosing plants wisely, and grouping plants with similar watering needs together, and understanding your soil and site, and monitoring the weather, especially the amount of rainfall.

I like the two web sites I’ve mentioned below because they try to do a lot of that in a reasonable amount of print. Instructions specific to watering are, of course, included.

Creating Healthy Landscapes:  http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uj240.pdf

From Missouri: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/MG7

Would you believe it? Asian Tiger Mosquitoes? Established in central Pennsylvania?!?!

Yep, it’s true. And this awful mosquito can, like some others, breed in small containers i.e. pieces of trash strewn about that can retain small amounts of water. Or other things that hold standing water. This mosquito is attracted to pet waste.

It’s a nasty daytime biter. It’s capable of spreading heartworm in pets.

It’s capable of spreading truly awful diseases which are not common here now, but which occasionally are brought into this country by sick travelers.

And the mosquito itself is spreading.

So far the Asian Tiger mosquito hasn’t been much of an issue in Lehigh County, but we already have plenty of other mosquitoes here, and we should be being vigilant about making sure that there is no water setting around in containers, gutters, flower-pot saucers, swimming pool covers, old equipment that’s setting around or whatever is capable of retaining water in our yards and gardens and patios. These efforts to eliminate standing water could become much more urgent all too soon.

Littering has to stop. Pet waste can't be left around.

So let’s start getting serious about cleaning up! Let’s be ready.

Read all about it here: http://yorkcity.org/help-eliminate-mosquitoes

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/06/drenched_central_pennsylvania.html

And here’s a great web site from Maryland: http://www.mda.state.md.us/plants-pests/mosquito_control/_asian_tiger_mosquito_md.php

The workshop was LOADED with practical information and I would urge anyone who is interested in the woods in their backyard to take a look at the book that was used in the workshop, The Woods in Your Backyard: Learning to Create and Enhance Natural Areas Around Your Home, which available for purchase through the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service at www.nraes.org.

The stinkbug has been reported in 37 counties in Pennsylvania, but the Lehigh Valley (ground zero) may be under-represented. Let's try to change that! You can report stink bug "sightings" at Stinkbug-Info.org (http://stinkbug-info.org). You can also explore sightings to see where the bugs are in your area. 
As an FYI, stinkbugs are not known to harm to humans, although homeowners sometimes become alarmed when they find them inside the house. They don't reproduce or cause damage inside structures, but they can be quite smelly if many of them are squashed or pulled into a vacuum cleaner...hence the name.

The white banding on the legs and antennae is a signature feature of Halyomorpha halys as are the “marbled” appearance to the brown coloring and the two rows of tiny white spots, one going across behind the head and one further back. If you'd like to learn more about the brown marmorated stink bug, a Penn State Entomology Fact Sheet is available at http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/brown-marmorated-stink-bug.

Nearly every community in the Lehigh Valley has at least one community garden that is open to the public. Some are organized simply as growing plots, others are designed to encourage a larger sense of community, a few are part of neighborhood rebuilding projects. Some gardens charge an annual fee, some are available at no charge. Whatever your motivation, there's probably a community garden that fits the bill. 

For more information and a map of community gardens in the Lehigh Vally, visit http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=116759116547857574833.000463d17e9782125bdf5&ll=40.75714,-75.273514&spn=0.244458,0.432587&z=11.

Other resouces in the Lehigh Valley include:

SunLV (Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley): http://www.sunlv.org/

SouthSide Community Gardens, part of the Lehigh University South Side Initiative: http://southsidecommunitygardens.wordpress.com/

Buy Fresh, Buy Local. Find fresh, locally grown food in the Lehigh Valley: http://www.buylocalpa.org/lehighvalley

The placement of certain plants in your garden like potatoes, tomatoes, and beans can have a huge positive impact on controlling pests and maximizing the nutrients in the soil. 

Garden plants can by grouped into four main families: 1) legumes, 2) greens, 3) squash and corn, and 4) tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers.  A simple rotation strategy would be to divide your garden into four quadrants planting each family together in one of the four quadrants.  Then, each year shift the families between quadrants in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction.

For more information of this important gardening strategy, see: http://resources.cas.psu.edu/ipm/POP/croprotat.pdf

Any vegetable garden will need at least three to four hours of sun per day.  If that’s all your space allows, the best veggies for this partly shady condition are leafy greens and root vegetables.  Specifically, lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula, chard, mesclun, beets, carrots, radishes, potatoes and turnips will grow with less sun.  The root vegetables will take longer to mature and the more light you have the faster you’ll be able to harvest.  Other garden favorites like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants need at least six hours of full sun and do not do well in partly shaded conditions. 

Keep in mind that more sunlight is better and will produce more vegetables.  So do things to get more sunlight on your plants such as removing low-hanging branches or using reflective mulches.

• Make speciality food?
• Have extra produce from your garden?
• Envision selling your family recipes?
• Dream of owning a food business?

If so Penn State Extension is offering a course that could be for you.

On March 15, "Food for Profit" will take place from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Rauch Business Center at Lehigh University to provide practical information that will help you make your vision happen.

To find out more and register, please go to:

http://www.cevent.com/d/kcqmg9 or call 1-877-489-1398

Plan Before you Plant- Great results start with a great plan.  Starting from the ground up, we begin with soil types, soil testing, garden location and what to plant.

Seeds and Transplants- Seeds or plants?  How to decide, when to begin, sun and space requirements in the garden.

Garden Maintenance: the Endurance Stretch- Keep your garden healthy and your motivation high.  How mulching, weeding and feeding can help the garden grow while deterring the bugs and pests. 

Maximize Your Efforts- Sucession planting keeps on giving.  When to harvest, using cold frames and why crop rotation is important. 

To find a flyer with dates, times, locations, and registration information, follow this link:

http://extension.psu.edu/lehigh/events/files/spring-garden-series

Some tips include:

• Consider carefully what you buy. If there is an effective, reasonably efficient mechanical solution to the problem, use that instead of a toxic product. Read labels before you buy a product. If a less toxic product will work just as well, buy that one. But watch out for “home remedies.” They aren’t always effective, and they sometimes are as hazardous, or even more hazardous, than commercial products.
• Buy only as much as you need. Don’t stock up. Don’t buy more because it’s cheaper that way.
• Read and follow label instructions closely.     
• Mix only as much as you need. If you have a little left over, use it according to label instructions.
• Don’t mix products unless the label says you can, and has specific instructions for doing so.
• Make sure your application equipment is in good shape before you start.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION:

Household Hazardous Waste information is available from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/household/14079

I found a North Carolina Cooperative Extension publication that I thought was quite helpful. It explained not only the “hows”, but also the “why’s” : http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm/he368_3.html

Lehigh County’s hazardous waste website is found at: http://www.lehighcounty.org/Departments/SolidWasteManagement/HouseholdHazardousWaste/SafeDisposal/tabid/483/Default.aspx

For information about hazardous waste disposal in other places, check with your state, county and municipality. Available programs differ widely.

CHEMSWEEP is a program intended for businesses/farms that create larger amounts of hazardous waste, but their services may be helpful for some readers. For information about Pennsylvania’s CHEMSWEEP pesticide collection program, start here: http://extension.psu.edu/pesticide-education/pda-programs/chemsweep

Trees are the anchors of residential landscape design.  Studies have shown that trees can reduce home heating and cooling costs, and lower crime.  People in new subdivisions plant trees to help soften the landscape and gentrify the neighborhood.  Landscapers and nursery professionals need to be able to identify existing trees in Pennsylvania landscapes, choose new trees to use in their installation jobs, and predict future markets for trees so they can target what they plan to grow. 

This class focused on key identification characteristics, improved cultivars, and pest issues to consider when selecting trees.  Deciduous and coniferous trees were covered.  Dr. David Sanford, Associate Professor of Horticulture at Penn State Berks Campus taught the class.  Dr. Sanford is well known as a great instructor by his undergraduate students, but this class gave other people a chance to learn from him.  No official Penn State enrollment required; but that is one of the best things about all Penn State Extension classes.  We offer informal education for busy adults, and link Penn State expertise to real people in our local communities. 

Dr. Sanford taught in the mornings, using a power point presentation and lots of cuttings he gathered the day before.  Identifying trees from cuttings is especially challenging in the winter, when there are no leaves to look at.  You have to rely on 'key identification characteristics' including features of buds, twigs and bark that might be a little  hard to spot at first.   To reinforce the message, we also spent the afternoons looking at the trees on campus.  Sometimes the mature form of a tree will help you identify it in the winter, and we also look for remnants of leaves, seeds, or fruit under the tree. 

 Thirty six people attended the two-day course.  Some were landscapers, some nurserymen; some were Master Gardeners who just love plants.  All who attended left with a better appreciation of the plant material covered.  If you would like to receive notification about upcoming Penn State Extension courses for landscape professionals, send an email requesting a subscription to Norma Young, njy1@psu.edu.

Pesticides are expensive. Pesticides can be hazardous.

It's best not to "stock up" or to have leftovers from season to season, but sometimes it happens.

How and where do you store your landscape and lawn care chemicals? Are they in a place that protects them from freezing and thawing? And from baking in the summertime? Are they someplace where children and  unauthorized people can't get to them? Are they someplace that will never flood?

Are they stored so that they’ll still work when you want to use them?

I hope so.

The University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension has put together a really great video called “Ten Tips for Safe Pesticide Storage”. This video can be found on YouTube at this address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11cXaOxfWo

It’s a really good place to start.

The Pesticide Education folks at Penn State (http://extension.psu.edu/pesticide-education)  have a fact sheet called “Pesticide Storage and Security”. It’s directed toward growers a bit more than to households, so it mentions many of the concerns and practices necessary when storing larger quantities. But there's lots of information which would be helpful for anyone. It’s here: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/EE0002.pdf

There are many varieties of winter squash, but I decided to focus today’s blog on acorn squash because it is one of the most widely available winter squash. First off you may be wondering what the difference between summer and winter squash is. The major difference between the two squash is that winter squash is harvested at a more mature age, so the skin is tougher and thus not palatable. Since the skin is tough, it protects the squash and helps increase shelf life.

Acorn squash like I said previously is one of the most widely available winter squash. This squash usually measures to about six inches around and weighs about one to two pounds. The acorn squash is high in vitamin C and rich in fiber. There are about 60 calories in ½ cup, baked serving.

When selecting an acorn squash it is best to choose one that has a smooth, dry rind and is free of cracks or soft spots. If you choose a squash that can be nicked or scraped with your finger nail then this indicates that the squash did not fully reach maturity before harvest. Make sure to choose a squash that has a dull rind, shiny rinds usually mean that the squash was picked too early or it is covered in wax which may affect the cooking of the vegetable. Another tip is to choose a squash that has deep color and is heavy for its size. If a squash is stem-less then this opening may lead to rot organisms entering the squash, so it is always best to choose a squash that has a firm, rounded stem.

The great thing about any sort of winter squash, especially the acorn squash, is that they can last up to three months or longer if they are in a cool, dry place between 55^oF and 60^oF. Try to avoid storing squash in a refrigerated environment lower than 50^oF because this will lead to a more rapid spoilage rate of the vegetable. If the squash must be refrigerated then it should last up to one to two weeks in the refrigerator.

There are many ways to cook acorn squash and any other kind of winter squash. The most common methods for cooking squash are: baking, boiling, microwaving, sautéing, and steaming. My personal favorite method to cook acorn squash is by baking, I feel as though it gives the squash a more rich flavor. I have tried microwaving acorn squash and even though it may be a quicker method of cooking the consistency of the squash was a lot softer than if it were baked.

Every year my father and I always plant different kinds of squash in our garden with acorn squash being one of them. They are a relatively easy vegetable to grow in your own garden. If you want to try to plant a different vegetable in your garden for the 2012 season, I would recommend the acorn squash; with only a few plants we typically get a turnout of about ten squash each year!

For tips on growing acorn squash or any winter squash in your garden, visit: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/agrs115.pdf , pages 32-38. If you would rather not grow winter squash, you can find them in your local famer’s market or grocery store. They are available fall through winter.

For more information on acorn squash or winter squash, visit: http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=14&tax_level=4&tax_subject=258&topic_id=2615&level3_id=7147&level4_id=11476

Leeks look like a giant scallion; they are related to both garlic and the onion. Although their flavor and fragrance is similar to their relatives, they are slightly sweeter in taste and are often served as a side dish. Not only are leeks sweeter in taste, they are also low in calories. Raw leeks have about 25 calories in ½ cup serving, and also are rich in vitamin A and iron. Leeks are found in markets year round while generally peaking during the fall to early spring. When selecting leeks make sure their bottoms are nice and white and not exceed 1 ½ inches in diameter. When leeks exceed 1 ½ inches in diameter they may have a tough texture to them. The tops of leeks should be green, crisp and fresh looking. Leeks that are smaller to medium in diameter (under 1 ½ inches) are the most tender.

Store leeks loosely in a plastic bag for up to one week. Storing leeks in a plastic bag will prevent the odor from spreading into other foods while keeping them nice and moist. Preparation is relatively easy for leeks. When washing leeks make sure to remove any discolored leaves and trim off tough green tops and root tips. Cut the leeks lengthwise by inserting a knife from the base and then spread the leaves and rinse thoroughly. Once leeks are fanned out, wash them in a medium sized bowl with water to remove excess dirt. 

Even though leeks are easy to cook they are also very easy to overcook. They cook relatively quickly, so if you do overcook leeks you will know instantly because they tend to result in a slimy, tender product.

Leeks are pretty easy to work with; I made my first dish with leeks this fall season and I couldn’t believe how easy they were to cook. They are great as side dishes and appetizers but they are also great additions to soups, sauces, stews, quiches, and salads. If you have not tried cooking with leeks I highly recommend it.

For more information, visit: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/leeks.html

Leeks are also one of the first garden plants to start on your windowsill.  If you want a great crop of leeks this year, you should start the seed now!  They grow slowly, but are worth the wait. 

For information on how to grow leeks in your garden, visit: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/agrs115.pdf

Oh, those pictures in the seed catalogs look so good! So many yummy looking vegetables! So much magic! The same will be true later at the garden centers. It’s really easy to buy and plant too much, and to not-quite end up with the right mix.

During this time of planning and hope, remember to check in with other members of the family. What sorts of vegetables and fruits do family members really like? What sorts of vegetables and fruits are they anxiously waiting for when harvest time gets close?

Those are the crops you’ll want to investigate. Are they possible – and practical- for you to grow in your garden? Yes? Then those are the ones to grow. You might want to experiment with a few new ones if you wish. Sometimes those fussier family members will discover that home-grown vegetables really DO taste better. But you’ll want to avoid having the major part of your garden full of things nobody is going to want to eat.

And by the way . . . Who is going to be processing these crops when they come in, and how much time and effort does that person want to invest in this project? Whether that person is you or whether it is another family member, or the both of you, think about how much you can handle. It’s heartbreaking having to discard good produce because you can’t keep up with the production. It can be frustrating trying to keep up with loads and loads of tomatoes needing processing – RIGHT NOW! Perhaps you could choose your crops to spread the season out, maybe by including a little patch of strawberries or raspberries instead of eight more tomato plants. Or some pumpkins for Halloween or for pies instead of oodles of extra peppers.

Use your imagination.

Seed catalogs are coming in the mail, and it’s that time of year for planning your garden. This is where that garden log comes in handy. Part of your vegetable garden log should include a record of exactly where you planted crops within your garden over the years. If possible, shift things around in this year’s garden plan so you’re not planting the same, or a closely related crop, in a spot where it was growing last year or the year before – or maybe even the year before that. By doing this, you’re helping prevent plant disease organisms from building up in the soil. Crop rotation may also help to keep the soil in good shape and to manage insects pests that overwinter in plant debris and in the soil.

Penn State Extension in Franklin County has a good, basic fact sheet on rotation and planning your garden layout. It’s here: http://resources.cas.psu.edu/ipm/POP/croprotat.pdf