Farm Fresh! From Your Yard to Your Table.......

Box Store Spreads Tomato Blight

2009-07-02T04:15:00.001-07:00

A story in the Albany Times Union had a story about late blight on tomatoes being spread throughout the northeast from plants sold by Home Depot.
The source: Bonnie Greenhouses with dozens of growing ranges in several states. The blight got into a 10 acre field and destroyed the entire crop.
One more reason to buy local....

2009-06-04T04:08:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I was jolted with a case of bronchitis that hit me out of the blue. In a matter of hours I went from helping customers with last minute plantings to asleep on the couch where I remained for almost four days.
A trip to the doc confirmed acute bronchitis. As a precaution due to something showing up on my X-ray I was given an antibiotic as well.

However before the antibiotic had a chance to kick in I went out to my herb garden and pulled some herbs for a tea in hopes of at least alleviating the cough and chest pressure. I then dried some Horehound, lemon catnip, lemon balm, gray sage and basil leaves.
In a hurry I used the microwave. The leaves were dried to crisp perfection in three minutes. I then boiled some water and poured it over the leafy mixture in the bottom of a tea pot. After four minutes of steeping the concoction was in a small coffee cup.

The results? At first, very bitter. However a little sugar and some honey sweetened the grog to I must say I felt almost immediate relief from the pressure in my chest and was breathing easier. Long term? I must say it helped. I feel the best part of the mixture was keeping it somewhat bitter to prevent consuming the tea like a soft drink, all at once.
In my opinion slowly drinking the hot herbal blend slowly has a lot to do with the success of my tea.

Where is Spring..........

2009-04-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

Farmers markets are springing up all over the place already. And you know what?
The weather in New York once again stinks.

A word of advice about something else that stinks. Poor service from CSA's.
With the popularity of community supported agriculture growing think twice before joining one.
Ask for membership lists to garner comments from former members.

Just like health clubs have they over sold memberships diluting your potential take home? IS the price so low as to make your weekly trip worthless. Low prices often mean low quantity.

While many excellent CSA's abound watch out for the scammers.

Tasty Herbs Start Now From Cuttings

2009-02-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

25 * wind from the north west. Once again the temp is ten degrees below normal. Seems par for the course for winter 08-09.

But March 1st is this coming Sunday and spring is somewhere. At least I can see it on my calendar. The next page of the calendar anyway.
March 1st means it is time to take cuttings on woody herbs you may have growing on your window sill. I managed to bring in and have survive a pot of rosemary. I almost forgot it was on my back deck! I did not bring it inside until the middle of November. I figured it was a goner since it had been below freezing for a few nights.
But that pot of rosemary has done very well. Just a few weeks ago new shoots began sprouting from the end of last years growth cycle. They have grown about three inches long and are ready to make new plants.
Any woody stemmed herb with newer growth can be cut now from the tips to make new plants. Early March is the perfect time since it is early enough in the season to allow the cuttings to set roots and be ready to go outside late April.
And with good luck you may get to take a second cutting in April just in case something happens to the March cuttings.
To take cuttings off of woody stemmed herbs choose soft new growth from the ends of the branches. Cutting should be about two to three inches and length although there is no set rule. The only rule is that the cuttings come from soft tissue. These root much easier.
After taking cuttings remove the leaves from the bottom inch or so of the stem. There should be no foliage below the soil surface. To expose more rooting tissue cut the bottom of the cut piece once more at a 45* angle. This exposes more surface area across the bottom of the cutting giving rooting success a much greater chance.
Insert the cuttings into well drained soil. Cover with a humidity dome used for seed flats or place into a small clear plastic bag. The idea here is to create a mini greenhouse environment. Light should be bright with little direct sun until rooting has taken place.
Your new cuttings are ready to transplant when you begin to feel a good deal of resistance when tugging on the cutting. Rosemary should take 3-5 weeks to set firm roots.

Welcome To My Garden

2009-01-29T15:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks for signing up for Farm Fresh! Greg Draiss' blog about community gardening and backyard food gardening for the homeowner or anyone who wants healthy fresh food grown from home.

Like my other blogs check out the video feeds on gardening.

News articles can be had by clicking on a topic in the list on the side of the blog. You will then be taken directly to relevant articles on the topic of choice.

Feel free to leave comments as well!

Greg Draiss

Volunteers Need Not Apply

2009-01-25T16:37:00.000-08:00

Hey the new prez says we should all volunteer right? Tell that to the gang at Capital District Community Gardens who despite five years of me asking to volunteer have gone out of their way to screw up the membership e-mail list, not return phone calls and go so far as to not give me directions to their site to sort seed packs.

I feel we need to make these so called volunteer do gooders remove themselves from office and let people who really want to create community gardens actually be able to.

Go to www.cdcg.org and look at all the claims of goody two shoe projects.

Then try and volunteer; Be prepared to be pushed aside, ignored along with the broken promises and fake apologies.

Then think hard about the new regime we elected in Washington and around your state, county and hometown. The pseudo Clintonites will ask for your time when all they want is your money.

Too many non profit organizations are there to self serve their board members. They are not community activists. People like the ilk at Capital District Community Gardens are elitists who want nothing of time just your sympathy.

Now get your community organized and start your own community garden.

Greg Draiss

Green Industry Ripe With Career Growth

2008-12-31T06:21:00.001-08:00

The consumer confidence level dropped to an all time low this week according to a story on NPR news. This follows suit with dismal retail sales for the holiday season, falling home prices and large increases in unemployment. Some are calling the current combination of falling home prices, higher unemployment and low consumer sentiment the worst in decades. There are always stories of some industries which seem to be resilient even during these tough economic conditions. Healthcare of course is in dire need of nurses even with large cut backs in government funding pending. Education is another area where jobs are plentiful especially for professionals like principals and superintendents. Experts say that as many as 3 out of 5 superintendents plan on retiring in he next five years.

Despite the dismal retail and business environment one industry continues to have trouble attracting qualified long term employees. The green industry, horticulture not alternative energy, is suffering fro a lack of qualified employees. So misunderstood is the professional horticulture industry that many high school guidance e counselors discourage students from seeking employment or education in the field. To many the horticulture industry is low income manual labor seasonal at best positions in landscape companies and lawn mowing services.

However all the creative aspects of business from marketing to advertising to even licensing also exist in the original “green” industry. Recruiting has been so problematic that two dozen green industry trade organizations have launched a web site to try and change the general opinion of the industry. TheLandLovers.org is a site aimed at raising awareness of the green industry.

The site is targeted at junior and senior high school students who have yet to determine a career path. The site provides readers with a background on the industry and employment opportunities from retail management, plant growing, landscape design and irrigation. Landscape architecture is a growing field within the green industry. With the myriad of environmental and zoning regulations plaguing retail and residential development across the country landscape architects are essential in mitigating runoff, watershed protection as well as pedestrian traffic patterns issues. No longer are landscape architects thought of those who could not choose between dirt or skyscrapers.

Much of the recruitment effort in the horticulture industry and construction trades alike has been getting entry level employees through work visas for foreign workers. Landscape firms compete with the hospitality industry for seasonal workers and the government has reduced the number of workers allowed to come in under more restrictive immigration policies.

The main thrust of the web site is to attract students interested in management supervisory and even business ownership as opposed to entry level. According to Cassie Larson the groups leader of information and education the industry is in dire straits when it comes to finding future leaders. There is a large shortage of workers at all levels of the green industry. With marketing firms promoting gardening as a lifestyle rather than a hobby this will only exasperate the need for qualified workers at all levels. If consumers continue embrace gardening as both a lifestyle and a way to put cheap food on the table they will demand a qualified talent pool to assist them in their gardening activities. As a case in point there is a growing trend in which consumers hire gardeners to design, plant, maintain and harvest fruits and vegetables from their back yard gardens. This is immensely popular in areas of second homes where weekenders like to have fresh produce waiting for them on their door step when they arrive.

The end goal according to Gregg Robertson of the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery association is a complete re-branding of the entire horticulture industry. He claims the best way is to market the industry based on the benefits that the industry provides to the public not just the features of a nicer looking rose garden.

December Equals Despair for Gardeners

2008-11-30T08:48:00.001-08:00

A Gardeners DecemberBy Greg Draiss

The turkey is gone or at least down to the last little bits of dark meat hiding somewhere in the refrigerator. Hopefully there is some stuffing left. Stuffing is to me the best part of the Thanksgiving feast. My second favorite part of the holiday is the obligatory nap on the couch regardless of who is sitting there. I rarely take a nap except for Thanksgiving day afternoon. Things like this just do not happen in my household. Dad take a nap? Perish the thought! There are newspapers articles to write, footballs to be tossed, photographs to be taken and dishes to wash.

I do not do dishes on Thanksgiving. Never have and unless my wife reads this article never will.I do dishes almost every night the rest of the year. Well at least every day that ends in “q”. But dishes aside a nap on the couch awakens me to that wonderful stuffing. Yes the bird was wonderful as well the yams, pies, storytelling and the lousy football game on TV. Those poor people sitting in a stadium watching their home team get trounced when they could have been at home with turkey and stuffing. I hope the vendors perusing the stands offered up at least a turkey hot dog to the kids.

But why you might ask do I refer back to the stuffing? I hope after all the inference to the great stuffing it did not end up coming out of a box. Simply put stuffing is the quintessential Thanks- giving food. There are more flavors and subtle nuances in stuffing than the rest of the meal put together. The secret is in the spices and herbs mixed with the bread crumbs and whatever else goes into stuffing. Don’t ask me how to make stuffing I have not a clue. I do know that the wonderful aroma of stuffing, the tongue teasing tastes all combine for a completely satisfying taste.

To me stuffing represents the essence of the holiday. All of us gathered together in mixed families representing the generations passing of the torch to the next. A perfect blend of seasoning, textures and tastes all mixed (or stuffed) together to celebrate the bountiful harvest of the past year. Many of the flavorful herbs in stuffing can be easily grown and harvested in our own gardens. Dried thyme, rosemary, oregano and savory from the back yard taste better than those from a box.

Which brings me to December. December is the month for giving. December is not really a month for gardening in these parts. December is in fact about the only month devoid of real outdoor gardening activities. Let’s face it the lawn is too frozen to mow even if it needs it like mine. The compost piles freeze up like a gas tank full of water and the ground too hard to plant a small crocus bulb. Even orchards must wait until January or February before they get their winter pruning.

So what is there for the gardener to do in December? Give. Give a thought as to what the new garden year will bring you. Seed catalogs in the January mail? Seminars, lectures and garden shows throughout the entire winter perhaps.

Give your favorite gardener a hug! There is no place else a gardener would rather be than to be outside in the garden. And since there is nothing to do in the garden in December gardeners get kind of down. While we do cover it up well by singing Christmas carols, decorating with lights and wrapping boxes in colorful paper, we would really rather be outside playing in the dirt. Or defending our lawns from bugs and thugs whether two legged, four legged or six legged, from invading our personal space.

It is a depressing time of year for gardeners. Some of the seasonal afflictions I suffer from in December are as follows: LOFT: Lack of Fresh Tomatoes.WARF: Where Are the Real Flowers?CHILLY: Cold Hands (and other extremities) In Lieu of Luminous Yummy chile peppers.And finally CROP: Cardboard like Really Obnoxious Pretenders. (Offerings of veggies in winter compared to fresh in season selections).

So what to do? Gather up some tropical plants for your home, huddle next to them in your favorite chair under a grow light, take a nap and dream of stuffing!

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December Equals Despair for Gardeners

2008-11-30T08:48:00.000-08:00

From Homeless to Horticulturist

2008-11-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

This link is to a story from the mercury news about a Santa Cruz Ca. operation called The Homeless Garden. These folks not only help transition people from homeless to the workforce they teach them how to garden as well.

Excellent service for all of us to ponder.

Keep Vampires Out of the Garden With Garlic

2008-11-10T09:04:00.001-08:00

Keeping Vampires Out of the Garden.
By Greg Draiss

A sure sign of impending cool weather and the real end of summer is the annual Garlic Festival held in Saugerties, NY This festival has been rated as one of the top food festivals in the nation by some culinary experts. Everything sold at the festival must have garlic in the recipe. Originally a one day event it now spans the entire weekend attracting as many 50,000 people in search bad breath, vampire repellents and strangely flavored ice cream.

As a maturing society America discovered itself as a vast land of foodies in the mid 1980’s. There were many food fads that have come and gone. Gourmet abandoned it’s place on mid day PBS cooking shows and became synonymous with any food cooked by some one who liked to tell others how they cooked it. Nouveau cuisine became the new gourmet as high flying restaurants began serving small portions of artfully placed food stacked high and a high price to match. Food presentation was more important than taste.

Now with the health consciousness ones there is all of a sudden too much food on the plate.

But one trend in food that has endured is America’s love of herbs and spices an especially garlic. No food ingredient adds as much to a dish as herbs and garlic is the king of herbs.
No longer are gardeners and cooks stuck with one variety to choose from. There are dozens of garlic varities available for the home gardener as well as the home gourmet.

Garlic planting in our climate begins six weeks before the last frost date. That makes mid September a good starting point. The newly planted cloves need enough time to set roots and even begin some leaf growth before the ground freezes solid.

Garlic is a very long crop taking almost a full year to complete its cycle. Soil preparation is vital. A rich deep soil with lots of organic matter is what the bulb like best. If like me you have clay soil consider building raised beds and adding lots of compost, rotted manure or anything to achieve loose non compacted soil.

To plant break apart the bulb into individual clove and plant one inch deep. In raided beds or colder areas plant as deep as 4 inches to protect from freezing. Even then add an inch of mulch to the top of the bed for further protection. Garlic will easily push its way through the mulch when temperatures rise in spring.

For the largest bulb possible spacing is critical. I planted my Racombole too close last year and ended up with small bulbs. Space the cloves 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for best results.

Always be watchful when cultivating weeds in the garlic bed. Remember these little cloves are often just below the surface.

Garlic’s’ nutrient needs are minimal for such a long crop. A moderate dressing of rich compost, dried manure or fish emulsion will suffice as the leaves begin to grow in the spring. Garlic also has an interesting need for nitrogen like other flowering bulbs. Garden logic tells us that flowering plants do not like nitrogen as it tends to encourage more leafy growth than flowers or roots. Well like tulips and daffodils an application of nitrogen sprayed on the leaves helps the leaves grow large enough to make enough food for the roots and flowers to grow larger. However this need for feeding comes to and ends in mid summer when bulbs start forming.

There are to classes of garlic to be concerned with, hard neck and soft neck. Hard neck varieties can be planted in fall and should be as spring planting will often result in poor yields. Soft necks varieties can be planted in fall or spring. As a matter of fact in areas of severe cold with no reliable snow cover or mulch soft necks should only be planted in spring.

Hard neck and soft neck varieties have the same growing and care needs with one exception. Hard necks if left to their own will form bulblets near the top of the flower stalk. This may look like a novelty in the garden the main bulb underground will be much smaller. Remove the flower stalk when it reaches 6-8 inches in height.

Harvesting begins when the leaves start to die off in late summer. Bulbs are then lifted dirt shaken off and then the bulb removed from direct sunlight. Place the bulbs anywhere there is good air circulation and warm temperatures. Curing takes roughly two weeks to three months depending on the location.

When the garlic has dried a choice needs to be made. Store or replant? Garlic is alike to rabbits in how fast it multiplies. Store what you need for the next year at 45-55 degrees in well circulated air.

Too plant some of this years’ harvest for picking next year simply follow the planting instructions at the beginning of this article. Garlic is a wonderful crop to enjoy in all seasons of its growth.

Garlic reminds us like other flowering bulbs that there is a lot going on the garden in the fall. Gardening is indeed a year round activity simply by its design. Next time Labor Day rolls around and you think the garden is done for the year remember garlic. This small clove planted just before the weather turns harsh withstands the cold to give us a harvest of pungent delight.

But Here Are Rodales 2008 Financials

2008-11-04T14:48:00.001-08:00

Revenues for all operations grew by 7.6% compared to the second quarter of 2007
Rodale print advertising revenues were up 8.3% compared to an industry-wide decline of 4.9%
Revenues from all online activities increased by 27.1% over the second quarter of 2007, and uniques and page views for Rodale?s sites were up by 74% and 94%, respectively, compared to the same period last year
Revenues from international operations through June are up 14% compared to the first half of 2007
Rodale has shipped more than 1 million copies of Eat This Not That! by Men's Health Editor-in-Chief David Zinczenko and Associate Editor Matt Goulding to retail outlets since the book was released in December 2007 EMMAUS, PA, and NEW YORK, NY, August 6, 2008 -- Rodale Inc. reported its second quarter 2008 results today. Revenues for the company increased by 7.6% over the second quarter of 2007, led primarily by increased e-commerce activity, the success of its integrated advertising programs, growth in international operations, and robust sales of Eat This Not That! and Flat Belly Diet!

Rodale Shows It's Phony Liberal Colors

2008-11-04T14:41:00.001-08:00

Rodale Press the venerable Organic Gardening magazine publisher just announced layoffs totalling 70 workers at it's Emmaus PA HQ. Rodale the long established leader in the organic movement is to organic gardening what Mother Earth News is to off the grid living. One would think with the new emphasis on "green living" would make for great conditions for green businesses like Rodale. However Rodale is a mature business that has rested on it's laurels for a long time. Not resting on laurels in an elite way but let's face it they have not been at the forefront of the organic movement for a long time. How many new gardeners actually have read OG magazine. I have not read it in years because of a ceratin attitude the mag carries about regular synthetic gardeners. I have found their readers to be carrying the cross and wearing it on their shirt sleeves. OG readers act like militant environmentalists and the "gay activists" on every street corner in Greenwich Village. Everyone is entitled to their opinion indeed but I draw the line when I am told I must join the movement in order to save myself and the planet. So good luck to the out of work at Rodale. You must be feeling mighty bitter that the leader in alternative gardening and living has not seen fit to find ways of preserving your jobs like they have telling us to preserve the Earth! The phonies in the management of OG who like other left leaning liberals shows clearly here. They espouse upon us to share the bounty and spread the wealth. But when the rubber hits the road the leadership does not spread the wealth by cutting everyone's salary and benefits so all can remain employed. No, they circle the wagons, protect their own fiefdoms and cut the servants, who have been loyal to the cause for all these years, loose to fend for themselves. Shame on you Rodale for not believing in your commune.

Enough Politics Let's Force This Issue

2008-11-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Spring is but a distant memory. What sticks out in our minds is what kind of spring it was. The bulk of spring, April, was a wet cold miserable time to be in the garden. Crops in out gardens and in the fields of farmers were ruined. But oh what a month May was. Beautiful warm temperatures and the most co-operative nature has been to gardeners in along time. As the leaves fall in colored splendor they remind us that spring is just around the corner. Around a cold dark sometimes snowy winter though. However if we just look back at May and see how nature cooperated and made up for the rains of April we can have spring up a little early indoors. The trick is to plan now and plant now.

A visit to any garden center now will give you great ideas for spring bulb gardening. Tulips in rainbows of colors, daffodils and narcissus that deer refuse to eat. Crocus and snowdrops defy their dainty stature by poking their heads up through the snow. And watch out for hyacinths! They give many gardeners an itching reaction almost as strong as their fragrance. In fact in Holland employees are paid extra to work sorting hyacinths!

With all that beauty displayed on the package who can wait until spring for all that color?
Well it turns out that nature is beat Madison Avenue to the marketing game when it comes to the “I want it now” consumer. While you cannot have spring now you can have it in a few weeks if you simply force the issue. Spring bulbs can be coaxed to bloom indoors well before St. Patrick Day arrives.

The easiest to force are paper whites. I fact these pungent flowers will not survive outside at all. Paper whites do not need soil to bloom just a vase with a narrow neck to hold the bulb. Below the bulb water should be place just to be low the bottom of the bulb. Warm rooms will encourage the roots to descend into the water and green shoots to emerge from the top. Paper whites can also be grown in shallow bowls that do not have drainage holes. Line the bottom of the bowl with stones, place paper whites in odd numbers close together on the rocks. Fill in between the bulbs with more rocks. Add some water to the bottom of the bowl and the bulbs will be gin to grow. These indoor blooming narcissus also come in yellow.

Many other bulbs can be forced indoors as well. Tulips planted in shallow containers filled with lightweight soil can be planted now. After planting water well and place in a cold area for the roots to set. Any area with temperatures in the low to mid 40’s is fine. Any warmer and the roots won't set any colder and the bulbs may freeze or stop setting roots. The tulips need to be in this environment for at least eight weeks with 12 being the optimum. Bring them inside to warmer rooms four to six weeks before you want them to color. This can be a little tricky if you want red tulips for Valentines Day. There is simply no way without climate controlled rooms to have results that precise. I suggest planting several pots of red tulips and bring them inside at staggered intervals. This way you will have tulips in bloom for most of the month of February in addition to having red tulips for Valentines Day. The sad thing with tulips is that they seem to know they have been hood winked into blooming. They will not return the favor and bloom outside if planted.

Daffodils and other narcissus follow the same planting procedure as tulips. The difference here is that daffs and narcissus will bloom in following years. There is a misconception as to how to store bulbs to properly cool them. It is logical to think they can be placed directly in the refrigerator unplanted. The problem here is that due to the very dry environment inside most refrigerators the bulbs often dry out. Many refrigerators as well are simply too cold and the bulbs will not do anything and may even freeze. Without being placed into soil and watered bulbs have little chance of setting roots.

That brings us to another little problem with forcing bulbs. They do take up a lot of room!
Here is a little trick to get around the lack of space problem. Choose an azalea pot instead of bulb pan in which to plant your bulbs. Azalea pots are deeper than shallow bulb pans. The extra depth allows for planting of more than just daffs or hyacinths. In an azalea pot you can plant an entire spring bulb garden in miniature and enjoy six to eight weeks of ever changing color.

Here is how this mini garden works. Place narcissus and or hyacinths near the bottom of the pot on a shallow layer of lightweight soil. Cover the bulbs on the bottom completely with soil. On top of the soil plant smaller bulbs such as crocus, grape hyacinths, snow drops, dwarf alliums etc. Cover these with soil as well and place in a cool spot for the eight week minimum treatment. As before bring this mini garden into a warm room four to six weeks before you would like it to bloom. The first bulbs in your mini garden to bloom will be the crocus and small bulbs you planted on the top layer of soil. Shortly before the crocus are done blooming tulips will emerge and bloom followed by the narcissus and hyacinths planted at the bottom of the pot. This whole process will evolve over six weeks and fill the room with an ever changing array of color and fragrance

Tomatoes and Snapdraons Combine to Fight Cancer

2008-10-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

British researchers have used genes from the snapdragon flower to increase tomatoes' cancer-fighting powers.
When the genes were added, the tomatoes ripened to an almost eggplant purple. They contain very high levels of antioxidant pigments called anthocyanins. Cancer-prone mice fed the altered tomatoes lived significantly longer than those that didn't get them.

This is according to an article in USAToday. It seems that lycopenes found in tomatoes are enhanced and actaully strenghtened in their cancer fighting properties when crossed with genes from snapdragons.

According to Science Daily: Anthocyanins offer protection against certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and age-related degenerative diseases. There is evidence that anthocyanins also have anti-inflammatory activity, promote visual acuity and hinder obesity and diabetes.

Jail Time for Brown Lawn?

2008-10-26T05:49:00.001-07:00

I am all for a green lawn and nice plantings but the horticulture police have struck in an upscale moronic decision in Florida. The community is the Beacon Woods Civic Association. There they have taken to court and imprisoned a sixty six year old resident who let his front and back yard become brown because he could not afford to fix his sprinklers.Here is what the moronic board president wrote in a letter to the local newspaperThe St Petersburg Times:Dear Editor:"In these hard economic times, our deed restrictions staff works hard with numerous owners to assist them with their need to comply. Our entire board has addressed these issues on a case-to-case basis to enable compassionate resolve acceptable to both parties.................."I have written the board president and the public affairs director about their ridiculous move.Get ready folks.........fiefdoms like these are all over the country and usually start with school boards...........Remember the people on these boards are our neighbors and they are now telling us how to grow our gardens. Imagine what they are doing to our kids in schools!

Warm Up by The Compost Pile

2008-10-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well here we are late October and you what? It actually feels like October! have actually October has been teasing us with a week of above normal temps followed a week of temps ten degrees below normal. It was 21* this morning and a killing frost did in my plants. I was hoping to get to bring in my Lemon Verbena but getting up at 4AM to catch a flight home from Atlanta put me to bed at 9:30 forgetting about my Verbena amongst other things. The last 150 or so of my bountiful crop of chilies succumbed to the frost on Friday night. I could not have done anything to save them since I was 900 miles away in Atlanta

Take notice that the colder than normal temperatures are not news worthy unless you are a gardener or winter sports enthusiast. Be prepared to hear for the next few months how October was abnormally warm. Meanwhile wet snow is predicted for my part of the region Wednesday this week.

I use obscure econometrics principles in my garden. One that always works is the chile pepper plant and composting corollary. This connection simply states that when your chile plants succumb to frost your plumbing goes haywire. No that’s the “away on business trip chile plant corollary”. The chile plant composting pairing simply states that when your chile plants are done in by frost your compost pile stops working as well. Meanwhile there is all that plant debris and leaves to get rid of.

Enter indoor composting. The garden debris leaves and such will have to remain outside and wait until spring to compost but you can still get rich soil indoors. Home made indoor composters are easy to build out of plastic storage bins. Ready made bins are available specifically for indoor composting but are quite expensive for what you get.

They major difference in composting indoors is the composting “agent” itself. Outside one can simply pile up any organic matter and worms, bugs, beetles and other creepy crawlers will find it and digest it. I don’t know many gardeners who wish to have creepy crawlers all over their house looking for something to eat. “Hey beetle, I am not done with that salad yet do you mind?” Indoor composting agents of action are red wiggly worms. They resemble small night crawlers or large earthworms. These hungry tilling machines have been bred especially for eating garbage.

A perfect sized container for housing your worms is a plastic storage bin measuring 1’ high, 2’ wide and 2-3’ long. Any plastic container with similar dimensions will do fine.
Plastic storage containers with lids are perfect because they balance strength of the plastic with light weight thus being easy to move around. Next punch a series of holes along the lower sides of the container. Measuring about one third of the way down from the top punch holes through the container with sharp scissors and continue all the way around.
Two rows of holes should be enough. These holes will supply oxygen to the worms and are small enough to prevent them from escaping.
Next take shredded newspapers and wet them to the consistency of a damp sponge. Line the bottom half of your container with the shredded paper. You can also add shredded card board like toilet paper tubes to change the texture of the bedding. Now spread the little red wigglers over the newspaper bedding. After they get accustomed to their new home which should take about two milliseconds cover them with another two inches of all the news that is fit to print.

About one week later begin feeding your friends food scraps. The rules for indoor composting are exactly the same as for outdoors. No meat, fish or dairy. Egg shells are permissible as long as they are rinsed off before adding. They should be crushed as well.

Red wiggly compost worms are voracious eaters and you can easily add one to pounds of scraps per week for each pound of worms you buy. Plan on using one-half-pound of red wigglers for each cubic foot of worm bin; (one-half-pound of red worms is about 500 worms, depending on their size). A 1’ x 2’x 3’ bin is six cubic feet. So you will need three pounds of worms for optimum resource recovery. One thing to keep in mind is these worms cost on average twenty five dollars a pound. They also reproduce fairly quickly. If you think that spending seventy five dollars on worms is a bit steep purchase half as many and let them fill in the gaps for you.

After several weeks the newspaper and food you have added will turn to rich dark soil.
Harvesting the soil is simply a matter of moving all the newly created humus over to one side of the bin. Add newly shredded bedding and food scraps to the other side. Bury it deeply within the new bedding. A while later all your wiggly friends will have migrated out of the finished soil and over to the new food supply. The New York City Compost project web site says this migration can take four weeks. This little waiting step is a real time saver. This way you will not have to pick the worms out of the fresh compost you made. Do not wait too long to harvest the fresh soil however. As strange it may seem fresh compost becomes toxic to compost worms over time.

Woody Wood Pecker Comes A Knockin

2008-10-06T06:12:00.000-07:00

Who Is That Pecking at My Door? The Strange Behavior of Woodpeckers These Days

Of the 21 or so woodpecker species in the United States four are common to our Hudson Valley backyards. The red bellied woodpecker whose head is redder than his belly, hairy and downy which look alike except hairy woodpeckers have longer beaks and are slightly larger. The last common member of the woodpecker clan is the northern flicker. Woodpeckers are often welcome at backyard feeding stations where their antics delight young and old alike. Woodpeckers are opportunists in their eating habits. They survive on tree nuts, seeds and suet. Placing a suet feeder at your feeding station almost insures a welcome chant from the woodpeckers in the neighborhood.

However as their name suggests they do peck on wood. They probe dead trees, fence posts and even your house. A growing problem locally is complaints from home owners about large gaping holes in cedar siding or any wood covering the sides of houses. The reasons behind this new phenomenon vary but include the following. Habitat destruction, woodpeckers need dead trees in which to nest and search for food. New home construction, urban sprawl and logging contribute to habitat destruction. Woodpeckers are then forced into populated areas to continue doing what they do naturally.

Wood peckers rhythmic rapping repetitions are called drumming. Preferring cedar siding they drum to establish territories during mating season. It is the male that destroys your siding. A northern flicker has for the past three springs chosen the metal flashing on my chimney to announce to the ladies his intentions. Amusing yes but not at five in the morning! Wood peckers are also searching for food when they drum.

Therefore the first line of defense is to have your siding inspected for insect damage. Wood peckers are adept at listening for insects munching on your wood. An obscure but reasonable cause may be a clock hanging on a wall. The ticking of the clock sounds like an insect to the wood pecker.

As to stopping these red bellied Bob the Builders there a few options. First is to caulk and repair damage right away. Bird netting is very effective as it presents a barrier the bird won’t cross. If the bird moves to an unprotected spot simply move the netting. ¼ inch hardware cloth provides a more durable barrier as well as aluminum flashing. Aluminum flashing can be painted to match the stain of your siding. Sooner or later the wood pecker gives up.

Reflective holographic tape is another effective repellent. The thin strips of tape shimmer when agitated by a slight breeze. This sudden “action” scares away the wood pecker. These tapes are available in a roll or precut with brackets from which to hang them.

Finally borrowing from the nursery rhymes is the “Little Miss Muffet” method. Available on line is an activated by the wood peckers’ motions. A spider like object is then lowered down on a line to scare away the wood pecker. High tech comes to wood pecker deterrence!

Wood pecker are amazing acrobats with whimsical calls and fluttering flight patterns. They bring beauty and animation to backyards feeding stations. But they can cause significant damage to wood siding. Stopping damage and repairing damage as soon as discovered are the best bets to limiting or stopping their destructive behavior.

Why We Need Professioanls in Gardening

2008-09-23T17:42:00.001-07:00

Are Gardener’s Tired of Advice?By Greg Draiss

Autumn has arrived and soon annuals will fade into the past being replaced by the beautiful colors of fall leaves in our yards and forests. It is the season of pumpkins, mums asters and scarecrows. Autumn is the time to celebrate the harvest while planning for next years’ garden. Autumn is also the time for looking back over our gardens’ successes and failures of the current season. Did I plant those tomatoes too close together again? Why did the basil turn to seed so fast. And where are my cucumbers I know I planted in the bed next to the garage?

While fall appears to be the time of year to kick back, jump in the leaves and enjoy the cool weather in fact it is a time to get back into the swing and rhythms of life. Look too longingly at the pallette of colors in the trees and the frost on the pumpkin takes the remaining harvest you left behind. If not the frost the animals in the neighborhood will take part of your harvest for their winter storehouse without even a thank you note. The thank you note left behind by the critters in the garden will be their offspring next year they bring to forage on your grains and grape tomatoes.

Autumn in fact is a very complicated time in the world of the gardener. What is okay to plant now?What should be cut back now or wait until spring. Is it too late to plant grass seed and what do you mean I can put crabgrass preventer down in autumn?

There is a growing backlash in the garden blogosphere about garden columnists giving advice in the fall. I do not know why one particular blogger has picked fall to pick on but that is the subject of fodder on some garden blogs now that we end summer and move into the fall season. A blogger on a popular garden blog, Garden Rant, claims that garden columns aimed at the gardening public are useless as they give boring advice and are not inspiring.

While not a big deal in and of itself the comments after the post in support of the author were astounding. Almost 70% of the comments took garden columnists to task for the subject matter they provide to the gardening public.

So I ask.....are gardeners tired of advice? I admit I get tired of hearing the news on television on what to do during the inevitable summer heat wave and the contrasting cold spells in the winter. I mean do the talking heads on TV really think we do not know enough to drink more fluids in the grips of a heat wave and you can get hypothermia with a wind chill 20 below?

But I think gardening is different. There are more new gardeners every year who really do not know that fall is the best time for planting lawns, trees and perennials. While a heat wave is the same heat wave on one end of town as another your garden is not the same garden as the neighbor’s across the street. Your garden is a microclimate that is totally different than the microclimate across town in another garden. My geranium is different than yours and the sun shines differently in my yard than yours even though we may grow the same variety of basil or heirloom tomato

The microclimate in our gardens are reflections of us as gardeners as being different kinds of gardeners than the neighbor across the street. Your garden reflects your personality as an individual of the gardening community. Gardeners in a sense are microclimates themselves.

Garden center industry professionals and columnists like myself make our livelihood by answering questions and giving advice no matter how many times the same one is asked. The fact that the same questions get asked by different gardeners shows that gardening is alive and well.

Which brings me the to the underlying subject of gardening. While reading garden blogs and seeing pretty pictures of a great garden on line is a good way to get ideas it remains just that a source of information. All the desk top wall paper and screen savers of flowers will never replace the smell of dirt and the beauty of the real thing.

Why on earth then would a gardener want to spend all their gardening time on line? And why would a garden writer on a garden blog take issue with questions asked by gardeners and the information given out by garden writers?

Perhaps I surmise the answer lies in too much time watching HGTV and not enough time in the garden.

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Ready Set HARVEST

2008-07-22T04:45:00.000-07:00

It looks like I will be drinking a lot of herbal tea this winter. With a little mint added to it as well. Not that I mind tea but I am a coffee drinker. I consume at voracious speed about 12 cups of java a day. The tea inspiration comes not from my needing to slow down the caffeine addiction, nor to ease the obvious withdrawal systems of caffeine addiction. The inspiration to drink more tea this winter has come from my garden.

This spring I greatly expanded my herb gardens. I planted three tiny little lemon balm plants in one garden and a lemon verbena in a 12 inch pot on the patio next to my grilling deck. Like most herb gardens the initial result is disappointing since they take so long to get growing and actually produce something. In June however the herb garden(s) exploded and actually looked overcrowded.

I began taking the much needed cuttings and gave the plants their first haircut of the season around the 21st of June. Low and behold the garden returned to its orderly fashion not seen since Mother’s Day. Since then I have taken three additional cuttings. My garage now looks like a Middle Ages apothecary shop with dried herbs hanging in bunches all over the place. I will soon need to hang wire grids below the path of the garage door to hang more bunches from. I have everything from Chamomile to Coltsfoot hanging in various stages of drying. I just don’t know what I am going to do with all this stuff!

So I will be making lemon tea from the lemon scented catmint, the verbena, lemon balm, regular catmint and the pineapple scented mint. Just for old thyme Middle Ages sake I will probably add the Roman Chamomile flowers and perhaps a little dried basil to the tea. Basil you might ask? Why not, it has to go somewhere. When I drink tea I like old world musty, strong murky teas almost like the grogs concocted by the Middle Ages pharmacists. A little touch of basil in the tea bag will add the deep flavor and aroma kind of like roasted dandelion root gives to dandelion tea.

So what about the thirty cucumbers we picked last night on what was supposed to be a BUSH cucumber plant not a sprawling vine? Some will go into salads, many went to the neighbor across the street and the rest will go to flavor some vinegar and future crops (meaning tomorrows pickings) will be pickled.

Herbal vinegars are very easy to make and add extra dimension and depth to what is ordinary. Vegetable vinegars may seem an oddity but are interesting and flavorful additions to the winter kitchen. To make a vegetable vinegar first choose you favorite style of vinegar. Wine vinegars, cider vinegars and plain old white vinegar are prime candidates. Proportion of vinegar to vegetables is very important to get the most flavor. In fact most people making homemade vinegars for the first time to not use enough flavoring ingredients. The best ratio to use for vegetable vinegar is a 1 to three ratio one cup of veggies to three cups of vinegar. Peel and seed the vegetables of desired and place in a non reactive container. Then simply cover the veggies with vinegar seal the lid on the container and wait. After a week taste the vinegar. If the flavor is to your liking strain the vinegar into a bottle of your choosing, seal the lid and store. If not put the vinegar away again and try next week. For really flavorful concoctions strain out the original veggies, add fresh veggies put the vinegar back in and store for another week or two. Make sure you label the bottle with what kind of vinegar you just made.

This same process can be used for making herbal and fruit vinegars. Contrary to popular belief it is not necessary to heat the vinegar before pouring over the flavor mixture. The only time you may consider heating the vinegar slightly is when using spices that tend to be a little woody. Heating the vinegar then helps release the oils stored in the harder storage area of spices.

Canning vegetables and fruits is a great way to have the taste of the garden all winter long. However if not done correctly the results can be hazardous. A method to preserving the harvest of the season without the long canning process is to pickle them. Always start with sterilized clean jars. If you are using metal lids make sure they are not rusty. I had an overabundance of chile peppers last year and had to pickle them if I were to enjoy them. I found that not only did they taste great but the heat mellowed considerably compared to the flame thrower intensity from when they were fresh picked.

Choose you veggies from the garden and wash completely. Remove any blemishes or bruised sections. Combine in a pot 1 part vinegar, 1 part water and 1 tsp pickling salt per pint of liquid. Bring to a boil for one minute. Then pour carefully over the veggie mixture leaving no air space at the top of the jar. Add some pickling spices if you wish. Store the concoction in a dark cool place for three weeks before serving.

One note if using chiles or other small peppers whole. Poke wholes in them so the vinegar and spices can get inside the fruit. As well this will help the chile settle to the bottom of the jar and remove air pockets.

As for those fresh cut herbs. Cut them in late morning after the dew has dried. Always cut herbs for drying when they are free of dew drops or rain. Best flavor is late morning as well as just before flowers open. Tie into small bunches and hang them in a dark warm well ventilated area. They are ready for use when they are as brittle as fall leaves. Tie them tightly though. Herbs dry they shrink. Loosely tied bunches will end upon the floor. I use binding wire for good tight bunches that stay together.

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Lemon Chicken is Easy With Lemon Verbena

2008-07-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

With it's light green fine textured foliage and great citrus aroma lemon verbena is a winner. I just wish it were hardy in my back yard. Growing to six feet this verbena gives multiple chances at cuttings throughout the season. I have just taken my thirds cutting in ten days. The plant just response well to haircuts.
Very surprised by the rough service on the under side of the leaf. I thought it would be as soft as basil but not so. Rough on the tongue for sure.
I have my verbena growing in a 10 inch pot out by my tropical island just off the back porch.
I hope I have a sunny enough window to place it in for the winter. The cuttings I have taken are now hanging upside down drying out. Some will make it in my rubs for fish the rest maybe in your kitchen.