ON THE HOME FRONT

This is part 6 and the last in a series reprinted with permission from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Previous installments of this may be found on our Weblog.

Simple ways to enhance garden management:
Protect and increase soil organic matter by using compost (make your own!), mulch, and cover crops and by choosing organic fertilizers, such as fish emulsion, kelp, and manures***.
Use an adequate mulch layer, even in a vegetable garden, to help conserve water, prevent soil erosion, and build a food source for beneficial soil microbes.
Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to reduce water waste due to evaporation, and use these irrigation systems only when the weather calls for it. Learn how your plants use water by digging in the soil to determine how quickly it dries or stays moist because consistent soil moisture reduces plant stress.
Choose plants and vegetable varieties suited for your climate. This reduces water use, susceptibility to pests, and overall plant stress.
Use caution when applying any pesticide as some can also kill beneficial insects, such as honey bees and predatory insects. Think first of other control methods, such as row covers and trap crops that confuse pests, or the pick-and-stomp method (levels 1 and 2 above). Most important, realize that produce does not have to look like a grocery store display—a little aesthetic damage does not mean the vegetable tastes less yummy than the unblemished one.
Learn to recognize beneficial insects (lady beetle larvae, big-eyed bug, braconid wasps, etc.) that help reduce pests in your garden and landscape.
Finally, when you cannot grow it yourself, buy locally grown and locally made products. Knowing your farmer is one way to learn how the food on your table was produced.

Know the N to P (Nitrogen to Phosphorus) Ratio

• Most plants use a 5:1 ratio of nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P). If the organic fertilizer contains a 1:1 ratio of N to P (as do manures), it will be necessary to apply excessive amounts of P so that the plant’s N needs can be met. This leads to excessive amounts of unused P in the soil. Soil test annually, or every second year, to ensure that P levels do not exceed the recommended amounts, and read the product label to learn nutrient percentages of the fertilizer you intend to apply.

MARKET CHITCHAT

A special invitation from our friend, Susan Avello, aka The Lean Bean Chef. Susan and The Kitchen have partnered to offer a HAND MADE TORTELLINI and RAVIOLI Workshop in July. If you LOVE Italian food Susan will walk you through the process from creating the perfect hand-made pasta dough, to the myriads of fillings and the art of shaping pasta by hand and cover the types of sauces that can be used to finish the pasta. There’s more, but if you’re already hungry just thinking about it she may be reached at leanbeanchef@gmail.com. She’ll be glad to fill you in on the details . . . and don’t wait, there are only a few spaces left.

We’re excited to announce a new book by a local author, Robin O’Sullivan Robin teaches in the History Department at Troy University. She has a Ph.D. in American Studies, M.A. in American and New England Studies and specializes in environmental history & cultural history.

Looks fascinating doesn’t it? If you’d like to see more it’s available on both Kindle and Hardback through Amazon where you can read a few pages, and check out both the reviews and the author.

New & Relisted Products – Woo-Hoo!

• Perpetual Spinach from Avalon Farms

THIS WEEK’S GROWER NOTES

We have the best Growers in the Wiregrass! Please learn more about them on our Grower Page.

D’S JELLIES: D’s Hot Pepper Jelly is wonderful served with fresh peas as well as an appetizer with Ritz crackers and cream cheese.  D’s BlackBerry Jelly is the best for your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a hot buttered biscuit. D’s Mayhaw Jelly is the best jelly for buttered toast.  Jellies are unique gifts! Treat yourself or someone special. Dianne Herring
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AVALON FARMS: I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the state of the farm lately. We’re in the crazy time of year, doing both M@D and Poplar Head markets. It’s always difficult to keep up with the farm work schedule, even in the non crazy times: planting, weeding, harvesting, watering, fertilizing, weeding, delivering. (Repeat) The super hot weather and being down with my foot surgery made it even more interesting. Through all this I’ve been learning to prioritize even more. (and  pondering the difference between making excuses and explaining reasons! )

You might have noticed that I pulled all the squash and cucumbers from the market.  I thought they were coming back from the heat wave….extra water and fertilizer. But they were still dropping fruit and showing signs of disease. Had to put on my big farmer pants and mow them.  That’s a very hard lesson for me to learn, but I’m learning. In order to be productive you sometimes have to cut your losses and move forward.

Sigh. I hate it. The 3rd planting of squash and cukes are growing, but it will probably be a month.

Okra will be coming soon. Saw the first blooms a few days ago. Been working on rescuing them from the crab grass.

Sweet potatoes are in the ground.  Another weeding task!

Winter squash are next on the list to get planted.

Have a new product for this week: Perpetual Spinach. This faux spinach is in the chard and beet family but it tastes like spinach! And it grows in our Summer heat! Give it a try!!