Vegetables : New England Gardener

Vegetables

Jul 15

Invasive Japanese Knotweed -Pumpkin & Daylili Too

Invasive Japanese Knotweed

Today is July 15th, halfway through the meteorological summer of 2009. Where do we begin the list of things to do in the yard? The thought can be overwhelming, that is just regarding things we can control, like weeding and pruning. What about the things we can not control? Like the spread of invasive species. Can we control that? I was not sure what to write about until I read the article in The July 9th Stowe Reporter regarding Japanese Knotweed. Many of us have called this fast grower, native to Asia, Bamboo. Do we have Bamboo in New England? A quick Google Search says yes we do! But this photo is Japanese Knotweed, growing all around my yard. Some of it about nine feet tall.

So far I have not pulled the trigger on spraying RoundUp on all the unwanted growth. My preference is to get the roots out. Talk about a never ending project.. this Knotweed Root goes on seemingly for ever. So I just control how far I allow it into our yard. I will also talk about Pumpkins, Dayliiies if you click to read more.
Read more »

Jul 12

Planting/Planning for Fall Harvest

Written by Amy Sinclair — Leave a Comment

Planting New Pumpkin Seedlings for Fall Harvest

Planting Pumpkin Seedlings for Fall Harvest

As much as I love Autumn, I’m always reluctant to flip the calendar forward for fear of jinxing summer. Don’t you just hate seeing those “Back to School” commercials when you’re heading out to catch lightning bugs?

And yet, mid-July is the perfect time to plant many vegetables for a September/October harvest.
Deals on seedlings are abundant right now. Many garden centers planted extra seedlings this spring hoping to tap into the vegetable gardening craze, and they’re anxious to get rid of leggy leftovers.

Jul 06

Ankle High By The 4th of July

Written by Amy Sinclair — Leave a Comment

As You Can See. Not Knee High.

You’ve heard the old farmer’s saying about corn; “Knee High by the Fourth of July.” Ha. Not this year. In my community garden, the corn is about as high as a Dunkin’ Donuts medium size cup. I apologize for the product plug. I didn’t have a measuring stick handy and figured most New Englanders are familiar with the dimensions of a DD cup. Translation: The corn is a little past my ankles.

While the corn, tomatoes and cukes are sun-starved and showing it, the peas did come through. They went in a week after Patriot’s Day and were ready for picking by the 4th of July. We didn’t do the traditional salmon and peas supper, instead opting for a tomato-cucumber-fresh pea vinegrette salad. The peas don’t seem quite as crunchy and sweet as year’s past. I wonder if the lack of sunlight has affected the sugar content on the snap peas?

Jun 30

Blight Alert

Written by Amy Sinclair — Leave a Comment

rlb_080808_8185

If you’re growing tomatoes or potatoes in New England this summer, you’ll want to watch for blight on your crops. Blight is a fungal disease. Normally, it appears in the northeast in August. June is very early for the fungus to show up, giving it plenty of time to spread.

I’m attaching this MOFGA Pest Alert which provides helpful photos and suggestions about how to minimize the spread of this disease. Growers believe the fungus hitched a ride on plant material trucked into the big box stores. So, if you bought plant material from one of the big chains, check your plants and be prepared to pull them if necessary.

Jun 28

June Harvest

Written by Amy Sinclair — Leave a Comment

A few slugs. Still Delicious

The wooden frame around the Just Add Water garden kept the slugs and snails at bay for a while, but this weekend one of those slimy suckers scaled the wall and word got out.
I noticed small holes in some of my gourmet lettuce and a quick scan down the lettuce row led me to the culprits in the midst of a feeding frenzy. I don’t know what’s worse, picking slugs off your crop, or the slime they leave on your fingers. (Left the gardening gloves on the work bench at home)

Jun 23

In The Muck In Maine

Written by Amy Sinclair — Leave a Comment

Just in case you’re blaming yourself for your garden’s stunted growth this summer, know that the pros are in the muck right along with the rest of us.

I interviewed longtime farmer Bill Jordan for a story about the rain’s impact on seasonal businesses in Maine and he says he may lose a good portion of his early strawberry crop. Jordan’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth, Maine normally opens their strawberry fields to the pick-your-own crowd in late June. This year, Bill’s just hoping his berries don’t rot in the wet straw they’re sitting on. Workers are picking the fields between the rain drops, but the fields are mucky making harvesting a real challenge.
Read more »