Archive for November 2011

I have a Dracaena Spike plant that I purchased 3 years ago and wintered indoors and replanted outside in a large pot on my porch. I use it as a centerpiece and put annuals around it. This year it is over 3 ft. tall and 3 ft. in circumference. Since I have two, I don’t think I can bring them indoors. Can I propagate them by removing the top portion and replanting it? Any other suggestions? Bev

Answer: The Dracaenas are a large family of more than 40 varieties, which in their native climate would be rugged, low-maintenance shrubs. As a houseplant the common varieties are sold as “lucky bamboo,” corn plant, and the most common dracaena, ‘marginata’. The ‘marginata’ is prone to becoming long and looking somewhat like a giant bottle brush but it does propagate well. However, spring is usually the best time to do this, although I’ve had some successes in the fall. Since you have two I suggest you try it with one now and leave the other until spring. Don’t throw away the mother plant. If you leave it potted it will sprout new growth around the top of the cane, sometimes two or three sprouts. For the top you cut off, be sure to remove any foliage that would be below the soil. If you have some powdered rooting hormone, dip the cane in some water and then into the rooting hormone to help it get started producing roots from the former leaf nodules. Keep it evenly moist and out of direct sun until it has started to set root. This process could take several weeks, so be patient. You can do this several times and really have a whole potful of nice spiky dracaena!

And if it doesn’t work well, we will have more in the spring!

Good luck~Karen

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Food for Thought

There’s a bit of folk wisdom that says, “Who is rich? He who is thankful for what he’s got.” We’ve all seen people who have every material thing, and yet they’re dissatisfied and discontent. And then there are people who have far less and yet, because of their thankful attitude, they’re rich in smiles and gratitude. Thankfulness is surely one of the keys to happiness, and we don’t mean just thankfulness over material blessings.

Most people count their family as the thing they most value in life, and Thanksgiving offers a great opportunity to spend time with those nearest and dearest. People also value health, freedom, friendship, community, creative expression, and of course, their relationship with God. All these things are incredible blessings, and yet we often take them for granted, focusing instead on disappointments, frustrations, and setbacks.

The Pilgrims were thankful just to know that they were not going to go hungry over the cold New England winter. The previous winter an alarming number of them had starved, but at that first Thanksgiving they rejoiced over having plenty of vegetables, grains, and game to sustain them.

Today our blessings far exceed those of the original settlers, and yet giving thanks is considered “corny” in some circles. Well, not to us: we give thanks for all the blessings mentioned earlier, and also to you, our customers, for sustaining our business this year, and offering us the opportunity to sell you the very best products we can find. On that note, we’ll proceed to tell you about some delicious goodies we offer that will liven up your Thanksgiving celebrations.

Food for Our Celebrations

Popcorn! Who doesn’t love popcorn?  But the kind you get at the supermarket most likely consists of genetically modified corn, because GMO corn now predominates in the marketplace. What we sell is Amish Country Popcorn, a brand that’s guaranteed to be non-GMO. You can get red, white, blue, yellow, purple or even rainbow-colored kernels (although they all pop white) in various sizes, or as gift assortments. We also sell the best oils for popping popcorn: canola, peanut, and coconut. We even sell Ballpark Seasoning Salt that is just like what you had on your popcorn when you were a kid, and Sweet Caramel Glaze, which is all you’ll need to make caramel corn.

Another delicious product we sell that comes to us from the Amish is Mrs. Miller’s Homemade Jams. These jams contain all-natural ingredients, no preservatives, and are rich and pulpy with fresh fruit, be it apple, apricot, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, cherry, gooseberry, grape, peach, rhubarb-strawberry, or strawberry. There’s even hot pepper jelly, and also sugar-free jams and jellies. If you can’t decide, try one of the assortment packs that contains little bottles of strawberry, black raspberry, and rhubarb-strawberry jam, along with elderberry jelly, hot pepper jelly, and peanut butter spread.

Talking about spreads, our Jake and Amos Spreads are all-natural, and come in some intriguing flavors. Besides the classic apple butter with spice (with or without sugar), there are also naturally sweetened pumpkin butter, and sweet potato butter. Try putting those out on your Thanksgiving table, and watch the delighted faces of those who have never before spread pumpkin or sweet potato onto their bread! Finally, don’t send your guests home without a handful of our candy corn, or a few of our primose-filled red raspberry candies.

Food for the Hungry

Finally, we want to say that we feel our Thanksgiving would be missing something essential if we failed to reach out to those who are in need. Despite an abundance of food in this country that is beyond anything the Pilgrims ever dreamed of, the latest statistics are that 49 million Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from!

One charity that is doing great work to help feed America’s hungry is Feeding America (formerly Second Harvest), a non-profit that distributes 3 billion pounds of food a year to more than 400 food banks. If you give before November 25, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a corporate sponsor. Feeding America has consistently been ranked one of the best-run charities, allocating only 1.3% to administrative costs. Join us as we give financially in order to give hope to families, hope to communities, and hope for a happy holiday for all by donating to Feeding America.

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Soil is such a deep subject that it can seem like you’ll never get to the bottom of it. But you eventually do: it’s called bedrock. All levity aside, in this, our third and final newsletter about soil, we’re going to talk about mulching, a very important practice for keeping your soil healthy, and one that is perfect to do right now.

The Magic of Mulching

Mulching is almost as important as adding compost when it comes to fostering healthy soil. As B. Dean McGraw at the Texas Agricultural Extension Service explains in his article about the Value of Mulching Your Soil, “A well-mulched garden can yield 50 percent more than an unmulched garden the same size. Space rows closer as there is little or no need to cultivate the soil. Plant food is more available in cooler soil, and the extra soil moisture increases plant growth and yields.”

Another quote by the Virginia Cooperative Extension from their article, Mulching for a Healthy Lawn says it this way: “Mulches conserve soil moisture, allowing you to water less often; keep down weeds; reduce erosion; keep plant roots cool; provide winter protection; and make your yard more attractive.”

The kind of mulch you’ll want to put down this time of year is winter mulch. Organic is best, because it will decompose and disperse organic matter throughout your soil. This will increase the nutrients and level of bioactivity, and will improve drainage in clay soils.

Many people use wood chips, sawdust, fresh manure, grass cuttings, and even gravel as mulch, but these are not ideal. Gravel adds no organic matter to the soil and doesn’t decompose; wood chips sometimes contain seeds that can sprout and cause problems, and if not aged correctly, they can be too acidic and even toxic. Sawdust also often contains weed seeds that sprout, plus it tends to cake together. Fresh manure and grass cuttings can burn plants as they decompose.

That’s why we recommend the following four mulch materials:

• Straw. Straw is inexpensive, keeps the weeds out, holds in moisture, and will protect your plants from the cold. Be sure to get straw and not hay, as hay usually contains a lot of weed seeds. Dig the straw under after your fall or winter harvest.

• Bark. These mulches contain either shredded bark or bark chunks and are usually made from the by-products of pine, cypress, or hardwood logs. They will neither blow away nor get compacted. Plus they look nice and are readily available.

• Pine needles. Pine needles look nice, resist compactation, are easy to work with, and are readily available—perhaps even right under your own pine trees.

• Newspaper. Many people apply three layers of newspaper, either as sheets or shredded, as an undermulch upon which they lay one of the mulches listed above. Newspaper alone will blow away, not to mention leach nitrogen from the soil, but applied in this way, it will keep down weeds and give plants an extra layer of protection from the cold. Turn it under after your harvest.

You’ll want to spread mulch made from bark, pine needles or shredded leaves or newspaper to a depth of two to four inches, while straw needs to be applied to a depth of six to eight inches. Don’t pile mulch around the base of trees or shrubs, and leave the area around the base of plants bare or mulched at a depth of less than one inch.

In closing, let’s reflect on the fact that caring for “the good earth” has been a keynote of Western civilization for millennia. From the Biblical command to be “stewards of the land,” right up to the words of Kentucky’s farmer-sage Wendell Berry who describes soil as “the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all,” this is a subject that will continue to be of concern to our children, grandchildren, and for many generations to come. Let’s do our best to leave them all a rich, fertile legacy.

Happy Gardening from all of us at Garden Harvest Supply!

Note: This is the last in a 3-part series. For more information, read our Guide to Soil Testing Part 1 and Guide to Soil Testing Part 2.

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All of us today have our own idea of what Veteran’s Day is. We know, for example, that it is a day to honor those who have served in any of the military services, fighting for the freedom of our country and our allies. We will all mark its passing by watching the laying of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the news. We will take notice of the flags decorating our cemeteries and may actually pause to give silent thanks or to visit a veteran’s grave. Many of us will proudly display the flag of the United States of America on this day.

It is also true that many of us look forward to Veteran’s Day, not as a day to reflect upon our proud soldiers, those who have passed and those who are still with us, but as a day off. It is a National Holiday, so the banks are closed and the mail won’t be delivered. Every major retailer will have a Veteran’s Day Sale, so it’s a good time to start your Christmas shopping, right? The kids may be home from school, so maybe it’s a good day to go miniature golfing or to a movie.

However, do you know the history of Veteran’s Day and why it is a National Holiday? Do you know its deeper meaning? Do you know the solemn feeling that engulfed a whole world at the thought of over 15 million military and civilians dying? Can you picture the celebrations in the streets as first, a cease-fire was enacted, and then finally, seven months later, World War I ended? The U.S. and her 20 allies lost almost six million of their military, with another 12 million wounded. Civilian deaths directly due to military action were almost one million. And then you have the two million people that succumbed to famine and disease. Today, we fight a different kind of war with far fewer casualties due to technology’s impact, but our soldiers still fight for the same thing: FREEDOM. They still die, as do civilians. And they still come home wounded. Their families sacrifice, not their lives, but their way of life in support of those loved ones who have volunteered; yes volunteered, to fight for our freedom.

World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919, but the fighting actually ceased seven months earlier on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  In November of 1919, President Wilson first proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…” 

So, Armistice Day, which is now Veteran’s Day, is not only in commemoration of our fallen and living military men and women, but should also be a day for reflection. Each and every one of us should show more tolerance, be more open-minded, show good faith towards our fellow human beings; even as we guard against those who consider us their enemies. Our fight should be with those who vilify everything we stand for, NOT with each other, our friends, our countrymen, our allies.

Every one of us here at Garden Harvest Supply has either served in the military or has known and cared for someone who has. Our military honor plaques are displayed prominently, a gentle, but constant reminder of those who protect what is most valuable to us. It is a matter of pride that encourages us to decorate our gardens and yards with these amazing plaques. Won’t you join us?

Happy Veterans Day 2011

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Though you can certainly eat these sumptuous sweets any time of the year, the holidays is when seeing a bowl…or three, of our Old Fashioned Classic Candies scattered around the house will stir fond memories of holidays long ago.

It is true that any stimulation of one of your senses can give birth to memories, but, by far, the best kind are those that seem to wrap you up in a warm hug and make you smile. Old fashioned candies are one of those things that will always evoke a warmhearted response from our hearts and minds.

Your sight is the first sense to be stirred. When you first see those sugary Jelly Bells or creamy Mellocremes in the  traditional holiday colors of red and green, a smile will be your first response. You won’t be able to help but gently smile with the cherished memories of happy times. Or maybe a broad grin leaps to your face as you remember a lively household. Do you laugh out loud?

Old fashioned candy’s sweet smell, especially that of Primrose Filled Red Raspberry Candy or Reindeer Candy Corn will be the next to assault your senses. As your eyes have drawn you to the source of those wonderful memories, your sense of smell will make it impossible not to reach for one of those goodies.

And as you reach for that delectable treat, your touch will even more intensely remind you of the taste that is soon to come. Will you reach to carefully pick up an Old Fashioned Ribbon Candy or will you look over the whole assortment before settling on just one favorite to pluck from that Old Time Christmas Mix?

Regardless of your personal preference, you will not be disappointed. Old fashion candies are just one of life’s simplest and best pleasures.

Excite the senses of your family and friends with the forever-memorable sight and flavor of Old Fashion Candy!

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I’ve noticed on some of the habanero peppers we have harvested, that when we cut the fruit open, some of the seeds are black. Do you know what is causing this, and are they still edible? Cindy.

Answer: Well this took a little research and deferring to a pepper expert. Apparently habaneros have a tendency for development of a mold. His comment was, “If squeamish, then avoid them.  If you are processing further, like cooking, then they are harmless.”

So, depending on how rampant the infection, you might be able to salvage parts of your harvest.

The previous dry season is the culprit.

Karen

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We are in the process of adding a whole new range of patio furniture and accessory covers to our inventory. As gardeners, we all completely understand the benefits of producing our own harvests, not only to ensure our families eat healthy, but during these tough economic times, as a way to save money. It only makes good financial sense, right?

Well, something else that makes smart financial sense is doing everything in your power to make those things on which you have spent your hard-earned money last longer. You vacuum and shampoo your carpet, even taking your shoes off when you enter the house, to make your carpeting last longer. You remind the kids…regularly…to keep their feet off the furniture, to make it last longer. Your money-saving garden even ensures a longer life through healthy eating. So, why would you ignore the toll the weather takes on your outdoor living accessories and shrubs?

Our furniture covers and plant covers are designed to save you money. Just as you protect your veggie plants from frost, hail, driving rain and wind; your patio furniture and permanent landscaping needs protection from Mother Nature’s temper tantrums.

From one of our customers: “…I personally, have witnessed my brand new patio umbrella flying across the yard to end up a mangled mess against the fence. I had it closed down and firmly situated in a HEAVY, wrought iron stand, from which the umbrella rose another couple of feet through the top of my HEAVY glass-topped table. I thought I did everything right, until it went flying across the yard, thankfully not hitting any windows or toppling the glass table, but snapping the support ribs like toothpicks. The wind caught underneath the furled umbrella, snapped the tie that held it tightly furled, which allowed the umbrella to open fully, creating a canvas sail that flew up and out of that heavy wrought iron stand and up even farther until it cleared the top of my table, and away it went. A simple, inexpensive umbrella cover would have prevented that from happening and I wouldn’t have had to buy another brand new umbrella the following season…”

Additionally, patio furniture covers and patio accessory covers protect the materials and fabrics from normal, everyday weather when not in use. In spring and fall the weather can change from one day to the next. For days it may be too cold or too wet to sit out on the deck or patio, but when that gorgeous, perfect, porch-sitting day (or week) arrives, who wants to have to rinse off the grime that has accumulated on the tabletop or clean the chairs before sitting down? Having to do that diminishes the pleasure, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be much easier to just slip the covers off and have a seat?

Learn from other’s mistakes. Instead of lamenting over the loss of a beautiful umbrella, take a long look at the rest of your outdoor accessories. Is your grill starting to rust around the handles and does it still have that “new grill” shine? Investing in a grill cover will protect it year round. A new grill cover will probably cost less than $50.00, but a new grill can cost hundreds! The same is true of your patio furniture. Is it only a year or two old but already looking shabby and worn? And those stackable plastic chairs! They may not be that expensive, but they add up, especially if you have to replace them every other year. Cover them with our stackable chair covers to ensure they are always ready to sit in when guests arrive.

In fact, just take a walk around the outside of your house. Take stock of your outdoor accessories and permanent landscaping; just think about how much it would cost to replace it. Then, browse through our outdoor covers and plant covers.

Spend a little to save a lot!

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Benjamin Franklin

Happy Autumn everyone!

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