Class Series....

So we are thinking about this summer's classes... I am still working on details but here is the preliminary plans:

• Gardening Class Schedule: First Thursday of each month (evening)
  April Gardening Series: Seed Starting
  May Gardening Series: Laying out your garden
  June Gardening Series: Feeding your plants
  July Gardening Series: Organic pest & diseases control
  August Gardening Series: Succession planting
  September Gardening Series: Mid-summer questions
  October Gardening Series: First frosts & fall harvests
  November Gardening Series: First steps for next year

• Preserving Workshop Schedule: Third Saturday of each month
  June Preserving Workshop: Berry Jam
  July Preserving Workshop: Pickles
  August Preserving Workshop: Tomato Sauce
  September Preserving Workshop: Salsa & Summer Heat
  October Preserving Workshop: Apples
  November Preserving Workshop: Holiday Gifts

When I add them all up it looks like a lot! Especially on top of our season, but I am looking forward to them all... Please let us know if you have preliminary intrest.

Take note gardeners...

Blown in on storms this plant diesese can wipe out cucumbers, squash, and melons quite quickly.

If you look at this map we are surrounded... That basically means it is here.

So if you see this on any of your plants it is time to take action.

Here are a couple things you can try,

Some people swear by milk, dilute skim milk 1 to 1 with water and spray it on your plants once a week.

If you want to do a little more work you can use 1/4 ounce of baking soda to a gallon of water mixed with an insecticidal oil. You want to be sure you have less then 2% baking soda by weight. If you do not have insecticidal oil (like NEEM oil) you can try this recipie... Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda, 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil with one gallon of water. Shake this up very thoroughly. To this mix add 1/2 teaspoon of pure Castile soap and spray. Be sure to agitate your sprayer while you work to keep the ingredients from separating. Cover upper and lower leaf surfaces and spray some on the soil. Repeat every 5-7 days as needed

Some natural food stores sell food grade hydrogen peroxide but people will also use just regular. Spray with a 1.5% solution. Since most of the stuff at the drug store is 3% that is a 1:1 mix. If you use a stronger solution add more water accordingly.

So, you may ask yourself what do we do? Well, we have used both hydrogen peroxide and baking soda in the past BUT as a preventive, before we see any signs of problems. Once we see a problem (especially downy mildew which is fast and horrible!) we switch to a commercial product (organic of course.)

For a home gardener I would suggest a product called Serenade Garden, we use it's big brother Serenade Max Powder.

Good luck, and here is hoping this years downy mildew is not as bad as last!

Some things no one ever thought to tell you about farming...

I think this may be a series, if you can think of more please feel free to add your own.

• Buy a coffee mug with a handle you can hook on stuff, like trailers, tractors, fences, or pockets. That coffee is your friend in the field!
• All thermoses are not created equal. Buy a REALLY good one, and it will keep your warm beverage of choice hot all day.
• You do need a wheel hoe... Believe me, you do.
• Almost nothing they have at a garden center is for you after you top about an acre. Maybe gloves, but I buy my gloves at Costco.
• Everything takes more time then you thought it would.
• Everything costs more then you think it should.
• When you are transplanting seedlings do not put in the weak ones. Hopefully you started enough extra that you are OK, but the weak ones even if they don't die may be a vector for future problems.
• Handel everything as quickly as possible. Whether weeds, bugs, or disease, ALL problems are easiest handled early.
• Problems rarely go away.

My farming thoughts of the day...