New Year

As we approach a new year, let us be thankful for the bounty that our gardens have given us this past 12 months. Looking forward to a new growing season, let's prepare our soil, our hearts and minds for another great harvest.

Just for any of you that might be concerned. I have decided to sell my Greenhouse business, called 'Lil Red Greenhouse ' in Tishomingo, Ok. You can contact me at 1010 N. Kemp Ave., Tishomingo, Ok 73460 or at terryl2k@yahoo.com or call 580-371-8525 for more information.

I have decided to retire from the Greenhouse business, but will continue with this blog, so that all my readers will have all the information they desire to grow the garden of their dreams.

Happy Gardening, Terry

Succession Planting

Succession planting is an excellent way to make the most of an intensive garden. To obtain a succession of crops, plant something new in spots vacated by spent plants. Corn after peas is a type of succession.

Planting a spring, summer, and fall garden is another form of succession planting. Cool season crops (broccoli, lettuce, peas) are followed by warm season crops (beans, tomatoes, peppers), and where possible, these may be followed by more cool-season plants, or even a winter cover crop.

Relaying is another common practice, consisting of overlapping plantings of one type of crop. The new planting is made before the old one is removed. For instance, sweet corn may be planted at 2-week intervals for a continuous harvest. This requires some care, though; crops planted very early are likely to get a slower start because of low temperatures. In the case of corn, it can be disastrous to have two varieties pollinating at the same time, as the quality of the kernels may be affected. Give early planted corn extra time to get started, for best results.

Another way to achieve the same result is to plant, at once, various varieties of the same vegetable; for example, you can plant an early-season, a mid-season, and a late-season corn at the same time and have a lengthy harvest.

Starting seeds indoors for transplanting is an important aspect of intensive gardening. To get the most from the garden plot, a new crop should be ready to take the place of the crop being removed. Several weeks may be gained by having 6-inch transplants ready to go into vacated areas. Don't forget to recondition the soil for the new plants.

Some suggested succession planting guidelines are listed below;

Green Beans: plant every 10 days
Beets: plant every 14 days
Cucumbers: plant every 3 weeks
Collards: plant every 3 weeks
Lettuce: plant every 10-14 days
Melons: plant every 3 weeks
Radish: plant every 7 days
Spinach: plant every 7 days
Squash: plant every 6 weeks
Sweet Corn: plant every 14 days
Carrots: plant in spring & fall
Cabbage: transplant in spring & fall
Cauliflower: transplant in spring & fall
Broccoli: transplant in spring & fall
Tomatoes: transplant in spring & fall
Peppers: transplant in spring & fall
Peas: plant in spring & fall

As you can see, a productive season long garden is very possible, with you as
the benefactor and harvestor of the bounty.

Happy gardening, Terry

Some Like it Hot!!!!

How hot are those peppers?

The Scoville scale is a measurement of the spicy heat of a chili pepper.

The number of Scoville heat units indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Capsaicin is a chemical compound that stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucous membranes.

The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. His method, devised in 1912, is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test. The modern commonplace method for quantitative analysis uses high-performanceliquidchromatography, making it possible to directly measure capsaicinoid content.

How is the heat scale generally broken down?

Mild----------0-5000

Medium------5000-20,000

Hot----------20,000-70,000

Extreme-----70,000-300,000+

So how hot are the peppers you are eating?

Sweet Bell, Sweet Banana, Pimento ---------------------------------- 0

Cherry---------------------------------------------------------------0-500

Tam Jalapeno,Poblano, Ancho,Anaheim------------------------------1000-2000

Jalapeno, Mucho Nacho----------------------------------------------2500-8000

Cayenne-------------------------------------------------------------6000-8500

Hot Hungarian Wax--------------------------------------------------5000-9000

Serrano--------------------------------------------------------------8000-22000

Tabasco-------------------------------------------------------------30000-50000

Habanero-----------------------------------------------------------150000-325000

How do you stop the burning after eating jalapeno peppers?

Because of the innate hotness of all chile peppers, they can burn not only the inside of your mouth, but your skin as well. If you find that you simply can't bear the heat after eating a chile pepper, try to consume a dairy product, like milk, yogurt, or ice cream. Dairy products contain a chemical called caisen that combats the effects of chile peppers' capsicum by stripping it from its receptor site on the skin. I've also tried sugar and that seems to work in a pinch.

Jalapeno Skin Burn

Try rubbing alcohol first to remove the burning oil. Then, soak the skin in milk or another dairy product. Only use water or saline for your eyes, however, and please remember that the best way to combat the chile pepper heat is to use rubber gloves when handling peppers.

Also, this was suggested by a poison control center for those times you do not have a dairy product on hand: Wash the skin with warm, soapy water. Rub the skin with vegetable or olive oil and let set a minute. Rinse.

After all that information about how hot peppers are to the taste. Here is a

recipe for fresh salsa.

Fresh Salsa

1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/3 large onion, finely chopped

½ large green bell pepper, finely chopped

½ to 1 whole jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

4 large Roma (paste) tomatoes, chopped

1 small bunch of cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Juice from ¼ lemon

Mix ingredients together and serve, altering the recipe to suit your own taste preferences. Store covered in the refrigerator. To keep calorie and fat content low, serve with baked tortilla chips.

Makes four servings.

Best of all, the ingredients can all be grown in your home garden! The lemon

juice might be a problem to grow in some northern states.

Gardening is always about digging in the dirt, it is also about enjoying the produce you grow.

Happy Gardening, Terry

Growing Pepper plants

As peppers are of tropical origin, plants thrive best when temperatures are warm. Being sensitive to the cold, planting should be delayed until the danger of frost is past in the spring. Ideal temperatures are 70 to 80 degrees F during the day, and 60 to 70 degrees F at night.

Extremely high temperatures (90 degrees F or above) during flowering often results in blossom drop. Fruit that set when temperatures average above 80 degrees F may be small and poorly shaped due to heat injury to the blossoms. Temperatures below 60 degrees F at night will also result in blossom drop.

A shortage of water at bloom time can also result in blossom drop or failure to set fruit. Usually, the plants set satisfactory crops when temperatures are between 65 and 80 degrees F and the soil is well-supplied with moisture. Avoid a soggy, water-logged soil condition when growing peppers.

Pepper plants grow best in warm, well-drained soils of moderate fertility and good tilth. The plants are not particularly sensitive to soil acidity, but best results are obtained in the 6.0 to 6.8 pH range. Adjust soil fertility as indicated by soil test results. Arrangements for soil testing can be made through your local Cooperative Extension office. Fertilizers of a 1-2-2 ratio, such as 5-10-10 or 8-16-16 are often used for growing peppers

Peppers are usually grown in home gardens by using transplants rather than by direct seeding. If you are buying transplants at a local garden center, select stocky, sturdy plants that have 3-5 sets of true leaves. Avoid plants that already have flowers and fruit.

Space plants 18 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart or more, depending on the type of cultivation used. Water plants thoroughly after transplanting. Avoid planting under conditions that will stunt the plants and lead to poor production, such as cold weather, lack of sufficient soil moisture, or lack of sufficient fertilizer.

After the plants are well established, apply a mulch to conserve soil moisture, prevent soil compaction and help suppress weed growth.

Once fruits have begun to set, an additional sidedressing of fertilizer will help promote greater plant productivity. Use a 12-12-12 analysis fertilizer or other high nitrogen fertilizer at the rate recommended on the package.

Control weeds by hand-pulling or shallow cultivation to avoid injury to the plant roots. The incidence of disease can be reduced by proper spacing and by watering early in the day so leaves dry quickly or by using soaker hoses.

Aphids should be controlled as they may carry viral diseases that can affect peppers. European Corn Borers may make small holes near the stem of the pepper and cause internal rot of the fruit. Contact your Cooperative Extension office for the latest control recommendations.

Bell peppers are usually picked green and immature but when they are full-sized and firm. However, if they are allowed to ripen on the plant they will be sweeter and higher in vitamin content. Other peppers are usually harvested at full maturity.

Care should be taken when breaking the peppers from the plants, as the branches are often brittle. Hand clippers or pruners can be used to cut peppers from the plant to avoid excessive stem breakage. The number of peppers per plant varies with the variety. Bell pepper plants may produce 6 to 8 or more fruit per plant.

In general, peppers have short storage life of only one to two weeks. Cool, moist conditions (45 to 50 degrees F) and 85 to 90 percent relative humidity are the ideal storage conditions for peppers.

Did you know?: A sweet green pepper is a pepper that is not yet ripe. Let it grow, and it will turn red. The texture will change markedly, and the flavor will change as well.

Happy Gardening, Terry

Fertilizing Tomatoes

Tomatoes have specific nutritional needs such as nitrogen, phosphate, potash,
calcium, magnesium, potassium and other micro-nutrients to build cell wall
structure and increase plant vigor.

Tomatoes are vigorous, fast growing, and heavy feeding plants which require
fertilization a few times during the season.

Too much nitrogen will create tall, very green, leafy tomato plants with little or
no tomatoes during the season.

Add a complete garden fertilizer at the time the soil is prepared. For tomatoes,
use a fertilizer low in nitrogen (N), high in phosphorous (P) and medium to
high in potassium (K). Among the best analyses for tomatoes are 8-32-16 and
6-24-24. Avoid using ammonia fertilizers such as urea or ammonium nitrate
for tomato fertilization

All fertilizer should be worked well into the top 6 inches of soil.

Proper spacing and staking are essential for healthy plants and good fruit
production. Planting distance depends on the type of tomato grown. Ideal
spacing for home garden tomatoes is generally 24 to 36 inches between plants. Planting closer than 24 inches reduces air circulation around the plants and can trigger disease outbreaks. Large-vine tomatoes should be spaced 36 inches apart. Rows should be 4 to 5 feet apart

Tomatoes grow best when they receive full sunshine. Plant them away from trees and buildings to get highest yield. A tomato plant needs a lot of water, so arrange for easy watering. Select a well-drained area because poor soil aeration leads to root loss and physiological problems such as blossom end rot

A tomato fruit is 95 percent water, so tomatoes need lots of water to grow and develop fruit. They should receive 1 to 2 inches of water a week. If this amount is not received as rainfall, then supplemental irrigation is necessary.
Soak the soil thoroughly when watering. Frequent light waterings will encourage a weak root system. Mulching with straw, clean hay, compost, paper or plastic will reduce soil water evaporation. Plants growing in small containers may need daily waterings

Fertilizer applied at the time of planting will not supply enough nutrients for the entire season. Too much nitrogen in the beginning results in lush vegetative growth and poor fruit set.

Apply the first side-dressing when the first fruits are about one-third grown. Apply 0.5 pound of actual nitrogen per 100 feet of row. This is equivalent to 5 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer. Calcium nitrate is an excellent fertilizer to apply as a side-dress. About 3.5 pounds of calcium nitrate can be side-dressed per 100 feet of row. Mix the fertilizer carefully into the top inch of soil. Don’t get fertilizer on the foliage

Blossom end rot
Very common problem on homegrown tomatoes. It appears as a depressed brownish, rather dry rot the size of a dime to a half dollar on the blossom end of the fruit. It is caused by a calcium deficiency coupled with wide fluctuations in available moisture. Training and pruning may increase blossom end rot. Remove the affected fruit so other fruits on the plant will develop normally, and keep the plants well watered. Provide adequate amounts of water along with good soil drainage. Mulch to maintain a more uniform moisture supply. Avoid cultivating, or hoeing, near the roots of tomato plants. Do not use ammonia fertilizers

Cracking
Fruit cracking varies by the variety. Cracking is usually a problem when soil moisture fluctuates. Tomatoes exposed directly to sunlight are highly susceptible to cracking. Select varieties that are crack-resistant, and keep them adequately watered at all times. Soil drying followed by watering encourages cracking

Flower drop
Especially noticeable on early flowers when the grower is anxious for fruit to set for an early harvest. The problem occurs when night temperatures are lower than 55 degrees F, when day temperatures are higher than 95 degrees F, or when night temperatures remain above 75 degrees F. Hot drying winds may intensify the problem.

Varieties also will differ in their temperature response. Fruit-setting hormones may be used to help set fruit early in the season when the weather is cool. The problem usually disappears and fruits set normally after the weather improves.

Happy Gardening, Terry

Growing Tomatoes

Not all tomatoes are the same

First, determine what kind of space you want to put your tomatoes in.

Tomatoes come in two different types; determinate and indeterminate.

As the name suggests, determinates have vines that grow to a determined

point and stop, making them more compact and bushy (They are

sometimes listed as bush tomatoes).

Indeterminates are more viney than determinates; their vines continue to grow

and need support. Determinates tend to be early; indeterminates are a good bet

for later fruit. Obviously the determinates are better suited for small gardens;

they are also a better bet for containers (although you could always provide a

cage or trellis for indeterminates in containers).

Tomatoes are easy to grow from seed (65° F or 18° C to germinate). Unless you

wish to grow heirloom tomatoes, you may wish to simply purchase your tomato

plants if you want to spare yourself the time and trouble.

Tomatoes require plenty of sun. As for soil, they will grow in just about

anything you throw at them.

They do very well when planted in containers, as soil can easily be changed or

improved from year to year (raised beds are good for much the same reason).

Uniform watering is the key to nice fruit. Even watering can prevent leaf-end

roll, blossom end-rot and "cat-facing", those misshapen crags and cracks on

the stem end of the fruit. Can't say this enough; tomatoes are about the

watering! Skimp on amendments, fertilizers and the rest, but if you want

good tomatoes it's all about the water.

It is OK to plant tomatoes in the garden when the temperature is a consistent

50° F, but plants won't begin to set fruit until the overnight low is regularly

above 55°. Plant tomatoes approximately 2 to 3 feet apart from each other or in

rows three feet apart with the plants spaced at a foot. This is a good method for

indeterminate types in smaller gardens; you must simply keep the plant to a

single main stalk.

Next week, I give you some information on fertilizers, and tips onhow to cure

blossom end rot.

Happy Gardening, Terry

Is It Organic Or Is It Natural ?

Are natural and organic foods the same?

No. The term “natural” is not regulated except for meat and poultry. It applies broadly to

foods that are minimally processed and free of synthetic preservatives; artificial

sweeteners, colors, flavors and other artificial additives; hydrogenated oils; stabilizers;

and emulsifiers. Most foods labeled natural are not subject to government controls

beyond the regulations and heath codes that apply to all foods. The USDA Food

Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) requires natural meat and poultry to be free

of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives and ingredients. These products

must be minimally processed in a method that does not fundamentally change them.

The label must also explain the use of the term natural such as no artificial ingredients.

Labeling meat and poultry products natural does not refer to how the sources of those

foods were raised. “Organic” refers not only to the food itself, but also to how it was

produced. Foods labeled organic must meet or exceed the regulations of the National

Organic Program (NOP), which took effect October 21, 2002. They must be grown

and processed using organic farming methods that recycle resources and promote

biodiversity. Crops must be grown without using synthetic pesticides, bioengineered

genes, petroleum-based fertilizers and sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Organic

livestock must have access to the outdoors and be given no antibiotics or growth

hormones.

Organic foods may not be irradiated.

Farmers are devoting more acreage to organic products. Organic

cropland and pasture increased from 2.35 million in 2001 to 2.80 million

in 2003, according to the most current data from the USDA's Economic Research

Service (ERS) and Nutrition Business Journal

.

Studies show that organic farming systems can be more profitable than chemical-

intensive ones. The reasons include increased yields in drier areas or times, lower

production costs and higher prices. About 0.5 percent of U.S. crop and pasture land is

used to grow organic foods, according to the ERS. The countries with the highest

percentage: Switzerland (9.0 percent), Austria (8.6 percent), Italy (6.8 percent),

Sweden (5.2 percent), Czech Republic (3.9 percent) and UK (3.3 percent)

Are natural and organic foods healthier or safer than conventional

foods?

Overall, organic food is neither safer nor more nutritious than conventionally

produced food. Many basic organic foods such as milk, butter, ice cream and

meat contain as much fat and calories as their conventional counterparts.

Certain health benefits motivate shoppers to buy natural or organic foods. For instance,

people allergic to foods, chemicals or preservatives can gain relief by switching to

organic foods, personal care products and clothing. To reduce fat and cholesterol in

their diets, consumers can replace meat with products made from organic soy, wheat or

vegetables. Buyers of organic baby foods can avoid the pesticide residues in

conventional baby foods. Some organic foods also have significantly higher levels of

cancerfighting antioxidants, according to a study of corn, strawberries and

marionberries.

The Organic Center found that antioxidant levels averaged about 30 percent higher in

organic food compared with conventional products grown under the same conditions.

Some officials say, however, organic foods can at times be less safe than conventional

foods. In October 2002, USDA’s undersecretary for food safety warned that organic

foods’ lack of preservatives makes them vulnerable to bacteria and parasites.

Proponents of organic foods disagree, stating: Organic farming systems provide

a buffering capacity for the soil and plant surfaces, and therefore may lower the

likelihood of establishment of foodborne pathogens.There is evidence that organically

grown plants have stronger natural protection against plant pathogens than conventional

ones, but needs to be verified.

Certified organic growers follow strict guidelines for safe and hygienic food

production. And they are inspected by independent particles to qualify for certification.

As with all food producers, they must comply with local, state and federal health

standards. Pasteurization, selected use of chlorine and other food safety practices

are allowed and followed in organic production

How does the certification process work?

All organic production and handling operations must be certified by third parties

accredited by the USDA. Producers that sell less than $5,000 worth of organic

products a year do not have to be certified, although they must follow NOP

requirements and document that they do so. The regulations require that products

labeled:

􀂃

“100 percent organic” contain only organic ingredients.

􀂃

“Organic” contain at least 95 percent organic materials. Products in

this or the first category can (but are not required to) display the

USDA Organic seal shown on page 2.

􀂃

“Made with organic ingredients” contain 70-95 percent organic ingredients

and may list up to three of them.

Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients may not use the

term organic other than to list specific organic ingredients.

Complete information about the NOP, including the regulations and

penalties, is available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/.

Remember to plant it, grow it and enjoy it!

Happy gardening, Terry