Potatoes require full sun and well-drained, loose soil.  You can begin planting potatoes as soon as the risk of frost is past.  Also, for the best results, you must start with certified seed potatoes so they’re free of disease and will provide the highest yields.  The seed, or eye, is the sprout that appears as soon as the potato is exposed to light.

Once you’ve acquired the varieties of certified seed potatoes you wish to plant, place them in a room-temperature location with bright sun a couple of weeks before the last frost.  Then, using a clean, sharp knife, cut them into cubes of around 1- to 2-inches, large enough that each one contains one or two eyes, or buds.  Small seed potatoes may also be planted whole.

There are three distinct methods of planting potatoes. Trench planting means you dig trenches in rows approximately 2 to 3 feet apart, and 4” wide by 6” deep.  Make sure the soil is well-worked and free of debris.   Organic compost can be added to the tilled trenches, but in small amounts, because potatoes are susceptible to diseases from soil that is “too rich.” 

Place the seed potato pieces cut side down in the trenches and cover with soil.   Plant pieces no closer than a foot apart.  Cover with several inches of soil.  Within a couple of weeks, sprouts will grow out of the trench, at which time you add another few inches of soil on top.  Each two to three weeks, add additional soil to keep the stems covered halfway.  The potatoes will grow in the soil between the seed pieces and the surface, so you want to provide plenty of growing room.  And, make sure the spuds themselves don’t get sunlight.  The plant tops will send nutrients down to the growing tubers.

Hill planting requires the same attention as trench mounding.  The difference is you begin with mounded soil and you can plant your seed potatoes closer together, or in a more circular pattern as opposed to straight rows.  As your plants sprout, keep covering the growing stems with fresh dirt each couple of weeks to make sure the potatoes are growing beneath the surface.  You want approximately one-half of the growing stems to be continually buried in soil.

Potato Grow Bags are a novel way to grow tubers in a very small space. Grow bags are reusable and they fold flat between seasons.  They’re made of flexible polyethylene and include drainage holes.  They hold 3 to 5 potato plants per bag and are wonderful for sunny porch or deck planting.  Simply fill the bag with soil and then add seed potato cuttings.  They require very little maintenance but at the end of the season, they produce a large bounty of potatoes that just fall easily out of the overturned bag.  No need to dig them out!

Neptune’s Harvest Fish and Seaweed Blend is an excellent fertilizer and plant food for all vegetables, including potatoes.  Dilute according to directions on the label and feed every two to three weeks for superior results.  Neptune’s Harvest is concentrated for efficient storage and usage.  It’s comprised of organic ingredients that are beneficial to the health of all growing plants, and is available in economical sizes from one pint to five gallons.

Here’s a trusted option.  Start with five or ten seeds, depending on how many you have. Take a paper towel or napkin and moisten it. Fold it in half. Place the seeds neatly along the center of the towel and fold it over the seeds. Put this inside a plastic zip-close plastic bag and label the bag with the name and variety of the seed. It also helps to put the date on the label, in case you are working over several days.  Put the bag in a warm place. The most convenient is the top of the refrigerator.

Check the seeds on a 24-hour basis until you see germination. There should be signs after 48 hours. The number of seeds that germinate will tell you your percent of viability. If you had ten seeds and five of them sprouted, then you have 50 percent viability. You will then need to overseed to accommodate that growth rate.

If you have a limited quantity of seeds, you can carefully plant your sprouted test seeds, making sure to not damage the delicate, newly developed root.

Remember to save seeds from this year’s plants.  Here are a few basic tips:

• Be patient and make sure you have mature seeds. They should be dry and firm. Harvest after the dew has dried to ensure the least amount of moisture.
• Put them in small envelopes and make sure to properly identify them. If you have any old 35mm film canisters, these work great for small quantities.
• You can store the envelopes or canisters in an old jar or other airtight container and then overwinter them in a cool, dark place, like your refrigerator or in a garage, away from extreme temperature changes. Some folks like to add a desiccant inside the container, like you find inside medicine jars or electronics, to absorb excess moisture. Test your saved seeds for viability before committing planting space.

Fall is a great time to prep your bed for spring planting. Asparagus needs to have a bed unto itself with about a foot of space for each crown, and full sun. For an average home crop you will want enough space for approximately 20 crowns. Prepping the bed in the fall will allow you to add lots of decomposing leaves, compost or manure to the site and you can add this all winter long. The more organic matter in the soil to start, the longer your plants will produce with good quantity and quality.

Also make sure you have completely removed all grass and weeds from the bed, since nothing should be competing with your asparagus plants for nutrients in the soil. Follow the normal three-year harvest plan. Be sure to watch our website for the availability of asparagus crowns in the spring.

Pepper plants require very little special care, but adding some high nitrogen fertilizer, such as fish emulsion, at planting time will be helpful in getting the plants established.  Once the plants set blossoms, be sure to switch to a 4-8-8 fertilizer. Pinch off the first flower sets until the plants reach mature size, ensuring the plants are big enough to support the growing peppers.

Be sure to not plant seeds or set young plants out until the last chance of frost has passed. All types of peppers like the weather hot, so keep them indoors or in a cold frame until the time is right.  Also, make sure to provide a full-sun location for growing all varieties of peppers.

If you have grass clippings from an untreated lawn, these not only make a good mulch around the plants but the slow breakdown of the clippings will provide extra nutrients to the soil.  This is also a wonderful way to maintain control over pesky weeds and to keep moisture in the soil around your tomatoes and other garden plants.

Pepper plants are popular in home gardens because you get a lot of bang for your buck.  The plants have a compact and neat upright growth habit, and they take up very little space for the amount of fruits they bear.  Peppers are available in nearly every color and size, and from super sweet to fiery HOT!  There is even a scale, called the Scoville Scale, to classify the heat intensity of different varieties of hot peppers.

Peppers are versatile in the kitchen—served on raw veggie trays, sliced in fresh salads, stir-fried, or cooked into nearly every imaginable dish.  Sauteed along with onions, bell peppers are requisite ingredients in fajitas, Western omelettes, and sloppy Joes.  Pico de gallo and salsa verde would be nothing without jalapeno peppers.  And the beautiful part of peppers is that they’re one of the easiest plants to grow in a patio container or directly in the ground. 

Stuffed bell peppers are great with ground beef, cheese, or chopped mixed vegetables combined with bread crumbs. Marinated peppers in vinegar, salt, sugar and water are a delicious wintertime appetizer.  And, roasted peppers fresh off the grill are among summer’s best offerings.

Now is the time to test your soil and get it ready for the spring. There are several tests that can be done on soil, but by far the most important is the one for acidity. Rain is slightly acid and gradually makes your soil more acid. This may be good for hydrangeas and rhododendrons, but it’s bad for most other plants.

Scientists measure acid in pH numbers – any number below 7 is acid and any number above 7 is alkaline. Most flowers and vegetables grow best in slightly acid soil with a pH number between 6 and 7. By the way, pH stands for potential hydrogen.

Serious gardeners can be conscientious about compost, mulch and fertilizers, and then completely neglect to check the pH of their soil. Rapitest is one of the best-known names in the soil testing market, and you can easily use one of their products to determine the pH and other properties of your soil.

There are several home testing kits or instruments available to check the soil yourself. The quickest and simplest method of is to use the Rapitest Electronic Soil Tester for readings in less than one minute.

Rapitest makes a range of soil testers in every price range and for many different types of soil analysis. The kits are inexpensive and simple to use. Most kits come with chemicals necessary to perform several tests over more than one growing season and have readily available refills.

Soil checks should be done annually because conditions occur which can change the soil analysis. For example, lime is easily leached from cultivated soils. Excessive use of peat moss, pine needles or oak leaves may make the soil more acid. Too many wood ashes in the garden could make the soil too alkaline for many crops.

After having your soil tested, you may need to reduce the acid level. This is done very easily by adding lime. The amount of lime required is indicated on a chart included in the testing kit. Clay soils need more lime than sandy soils. Lime helps to break down organic matter in the soil, and for this reason lime and manure should never be applied at the same time. Organic gardeners can use lime because it’s a natural product. Lime consists of powdered rock formed from the shells of sea creatures that lived millions of years ago.

Today, when food and crops are so important, when the landscape is an important part of the market value of a home and when maintenance of plant materials becomes a costly investment, it pays to know the acid alkaline balance of your soil and to correct it if necessary.

Turnips are a root crop, meaning the dense, fleshy root is a prize in the kitchen. The green tops are also edible and nutritious—and some varieties are grown for their prolific greens alone—but that’s for the next blog. This page is all about the root, the part that is savored by gourmet and amateur chefs alike.

Turnips can be sown in the early spring to late fall, as long as you allow 2 months to maturity. If you plant late in the season, turnips can be stored for winter use. Turnips, like all root veggies, do best with ample water in the beginning—and they shouldn’t be allowed to dry out for long periods during the growing season. Whether grown from seeds or transplants, they need a good drink to get established in your garden. Successive plantings each 10 days or so will provide good-sized roots to pull throughout the summer and fall.

If turnips are allowed to grow too large, they get tough and woody. So, harvest your roots when the purple or gold tops, protruding out of the soil, are 2 to 3 inches in diameter, or medium-sized. Turnips store well in the refrigerator, in the produce drawer, where they won’t dry out. They can often withstand early fall frosts, making them a great late-harvest vegetable. Cool weather produces the sweetest flesh. A root cellar and some sawdust will keep your turnips always at the ready for winter recipes.

Turnips are nothing if not versatile. Simply rinse, remove the stringy roots, and trim off the skin to reveal the fully edible white interior. Include them in mashed potatoes to add additional cancer-fighting nutrients and rich flavor. Use turnips instead of cabbage to make a crunchy slaw or kraut. Raw turnips, cut in juliennes, add a wholesome and crisp addition to vegetable trays and salads. Steamed turnips topped with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice will satisfy a dieter’s low-calorie goals and craving for sweet flavor.

Turnips have a mild, delicate flavor and a texture that lends itself to boiling, broiling, baking, roasting (to caramelize and sweeten the vegetable for a little bit of heaven), steaming, and cubing for adding to soups and stews. Raw, with dips like ranch dressing or hummus, turnips make a great crunchy snack or addition to appetizer assortments. For the less health conscious, turnip fries can’t be beat on the flavor scales!

Low in saturated fat and cholesterol, raw or cooked turnips are a good source of vitamin C and fiber, as well as many essential minerals. With all this nutrient content and versatility in preparation, how could any garden be complete without turnips?

Growing jalapenos in home gardens is a cinch, and because the plants maintain a small bushy size, they are also well-suited for growing in containers. Their firm, dense texture and smooth skin make them easy to slice and dice—and you can eat the entire pepper, except for the tough stem. They’re equally tasty raw or cooked or pickled. They add bright green or red color to Mexican salsas, relishes and guacamole, as well as Indian curries, omelettes, and nearly any other cuisine that benefits from a kick of heat and pepper flavor.

Pico de gallo is an uncooked Mexican salsa made of jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice. This flavorful garnish is used to top nearly every other Mexican food. Jalapenos add extreme flavor and nice heat when included in cooked salsas, sauces, soups and casseroles. Make sure to only use the amount of jalapeno pepper in your dishes that your entire family or dinner guests can tolerate. Jalapenos do vary in heat (the spice comes from the veins), so it’s best to sample a small amount before adding to your recipes. Also be careful: jalapenos can sting the eyes when cooking.

You can grow jalapenos from starter plants or seeds. There are early-season maturing varieties, as well as those that produce fruit throughout the season. If you start your seeds indoors, plant around 6 to 8 weeks prior to your last frost. Sterile, soiless planting medium will ensure the best results—and always provide adequate air circulation and 14 hours of sunlight each day, to give your young plants the healthiest start and the smoothest transplant outdoors after the last chance of frost has passed. Choosing a high quality organic seed or healthy starter plant is key to a bountiful pepper harvest.

Jalapeno plants thrive in well-drained, rich organic soil and bright sunshine. Make sure to water deeply, about once a week after plants are established. Frequent or shallow watering will cause roots to reach for the surface, rather than growing deeply into the soil to provide nutrients and stability for the plant. Don’t overdo the fertilizer! Too much nitrogen can cause curled, misshapen leaves and unhealthy growth of the plant and fruit. Too much salt in the soil, as contained in many inexpensive, synthetic plant foods, will cause root burn. An organic, water-soluble fertilizer higher in phosphorous and potassium will produce the best fruits, but follow directions on the container to use the correct amount.

Pick jalapenos at nearly any growth stage, but most people prefer mature peppers, when the fruits are an inch across and 2 1/2+ inches long. You can harvest when green, when the skin corks (or starts showing brown veining), or fully ripe and red in color. Harvesting does promote more fruiting, so if you have a variety that produces throughout the season, pick ripe fruit often!

Jalapenos are delicious raw, chopped and cooked, or stuffed with cheese and baked. They can be dried in an oven or commercial food dehydrator, as well as air-dried to make flakes or chili powder.

If you want to kick it up all the way, adding the most spice and heat to your dishes, see what habanero aficionados are raving about. These peppers are also available in plants or organic seeds.

Always be sure to wash your hands and utensils after handling cut peppers. One rub of the eye after slicing the spicy fruit, and you’ll never make that mistake again.

Carrots come in colors including white, yellow, orange, red, purple and even black. They also come in a range of shapes, from long and skinny to short and round. Home gardeners have a long list of varieties to choose from, started from seeds or plants.

The unusual Thumbelina carrot plant produces a globe-shaped, bright orange carrot that is only 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Their flavor is sweet, and they’re one of the carrots that will grow well in containers, as well as in the ground. They mature quickly, making them a good spring plant to harvest with peas.

Longer, more traditional carrots will produce the healthiest crops if started from seed. Transplanting can cause the roots to grow in a forked, or split, shape. Some qualities to consider when choosing the seeds for your garden are the shape (blunt root end or long, thin shape); deep red, purple, or yellow-orange color (for salad and raw appetizer appearance); and dense and heavy vs. light and crisp texture, for your preferred method of preserving. And, of course, always start with high quality, organic seeds!

Work the soil loose in the early spring. Till the ground as deep as possible to give carrot roots plenty of space to grow. Plant your transplants or seeds in well-drained soil that is amended with organic compost, and thin plants to 3 to 4 inches apart as they mature and the greens become visible. Rows should be at least 15 inches apart. Layer 3 to 4 inches of organic mulch such as straw or bark around green tops. For a fall crop of carrots, plant 2 to 3 months before the first frost.

Carrots are a great source of vitamin A and a minor source of several other vitamins. They’re rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals, as well. Good eyesight has never known a better friend, but carrots are also known for improving stomach ailments, balancing blood sugar, and reducing risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Carrots contain a goldmine of nutrients and fiber, known to fuel good health and prevent disease. Most of a carrot’s nutrients are in the skin, so no matter how they’re consumed, they’re best scrubbed clean with a brush and eaten unpeeled. Baby carrots in supermarkets have been coarsely tumbled and peeled, and contain the fewest beneficial components of carrots. The outer layer might not be the most beautiful, but why waste all the good nutritional value?

Harvest carrots when you can see color on the root top, usually around 60 to 80 days after planting. Pull them from the ground by using a garden fork to loosen the soil, if necessary. Cut the leaves off as soon as you remove carrots from the ground, to stop their growth. Store carrots in plastic bags to retain their moisture, and refrigerate up to one week. Or, you can store carrot roots in a cold place, 32 to 40 degrees, buried in sawdust or damp sand over the winter.

Carrots can be sliced and frozen for future use in soups and casseroles. Juicing carrots produces a nutrient-dense drink. Raw carrots are great served in large spears with dips or in small slices for salads. Diced carrots mix well with broccoli stems for a crunchy slaw. A hit with both adults and children is carrots cooked in a reduction of orange juice and brown sugar, and topped with melted marshmallows. Carrots are also a favorite vegetable for canning and pickling, as they retain their vibrant color and unique flavor no matter how you preserve them.

Most of a blueberry plant’s roots are in the top 8 inches of soil, so your planting area should be wide, but not very deep. Dig a hole 3′x3′ wide, and about 12″-16″ deep. If you plant on poor draining soil, mound the shrub so it sits 6″-8″ above grade (these shallow roots deal well with wet soil, but remember that in droughts, anything raised dries out faster and will need watering).

To refill the hole, mix peat moss, shredded pine bark (not nuggets, but mulch, and it does need to be pine), and the native soil (unless it is clay, in which case you also have poor drainage, so plan on mounding and using the peat and pine bark 50/50). Blueberries must have acidic soil.

Refill the hole with the above ingredients in a 1:1:1 ratio (1 part peat, 1 part pine mulch, 1 part native soil if not heavy clay). Pine mulch works well for two reasons: it stretches your peat moss, which is more expensive; and it gives a nice texture to the mix, for better air circulation and water channeling. If you can’t find shredded pine mulch, just double up on the peat moss. Canadian peat is the ideal additive.

Make sure to combine at least two blueberry varieties for cross-pollination, as some plants are not fertile by themselves. For two shrubs, you’ll need one 3.8 cu. ft. bale of sphagnum peat moss; and two 3 cu. ft. bags of pine mulch. Once you get all this mixed into the hole, it’s time for amendments. Add 6 cups (2 pounds) of alfalfa pellets and a half cup of soft rock phosphate (optional), or 3 cups (about 1 pound) of a balanced organic fertilizer. Stir it all into the top 8 inches of soil mix.

Pine fines, which are the little bits of chips and dust left over from the process of producing pine nuggets and pine mulch, make a wonderful soil amendment. Pine fines provide amazing results, especially in garden areas with low levels of organic matter. Add about 1 cubic foot to the planting bed for each blueberry plant. DO NOT use hardwood fines with blueberry plants, as the chemical makeup may adversely affect the pH and nutrient absorption.

Set the blueberry plant in the ground so that the top of its root ball is just covered by the mix in the hole. The planting area, after being amended with the peat moss and mulch, will likely have mounded slightly. This is fine, and will encourage rapid growth. Don’t use compost or manure when planting blueberries, as these amendments will raise soil pH above what the plant requires to thrive.

Caring for your blueberry plant:

Pine needles are an ideal mulch for blueberries. Shredded leaves (no walnut), and shredded pine bark mulch are excellent for blueberry plants. DO NOT use hardwood bark mulch, hay or straw, as they alter pH and encourage weeds. During the year you plant it, and the following year, water the bush regularly (one good soaking weekly during the growing season, equal to about 5 gallons of water). You can top-dress (apply fertilizer under the mulch) with alfalfa pellets (2 cups) or granular organic fertilizer (1 cup) in March, and again in late May. Be careful not to overfertilize. Add 1-2 pounds of sulphur per plant each year. Do not fertilize after June in zone 3-5, or after July in zones 6-8.

Blueberry plants do not like cultivation (due to their shallow roots), so keeping them weed-free with a thick, porous mulch is essential for blueberry plants to thrive. Birds love blueberries, so use bird netting if you intend to have any berries for yourself!

This blog entry is dedicated to one of the most beloved tomatoes, the Better Boy. This hybrid tomato plant bears round, heavy fruit with deep red color, a dense and meaty texture, and enough flavor to make your taste buds dance.

Tomato plants fall into one of two categories: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate plants quit growing in height when they form a flower cluster at their terminal growing point and they produce their fruit all at once. (These are usually preferred by people who preserve tomatoes through canning or cooking and freezing, so they can do the preparation all at once.) Indeterminate plants keep growing throughout the season, and they produce fruit that matures throughout the season, as well. Indeterminate varieties are better for families who wish to enjoy fresh garden produce for as long a growing season as possible.

Better Boy tomato plants are indeterminate, and will bear medium-sized fruit that are generally free of cracking and other deformities and irregularities. Harvesting begins 72 days from planting. Better Boy is resistant to verticillium and fusarium wilt, diseases not uncommon to many varieties. Hybrid tomatoes are often bred to be superior in disease resistance. Hybrid tomatoes are also specialized for different food preparations. For instance, some paste tomatoes are dry and dense, to cook into the best thick tomato paste and sauce, where others are preferred for slicing and eating raw or in salads. Better Boy plants are known for producing large, juicy tomatoes.

Tomato plants do best in full sun locations and they like heat. For the healthiest plants, keep the soil uniformly moist, and use a good organic compost and mulch to amend your garden soil. Better Boy tomato plants aren’t finicky and should produce an abundant harvest with minimal attention. Several tomato cage and stake products are available to help keep your plant upright (and not weighted down by the mature fruit) and to provide good air circulation to keep your foliage healthy. Since Better Boy tomatoes will continue growing taller through the season, make sure you provide some form of support!

In the kitchen, Better Boy tomatoes are multi-purpose and very popular. Fresh off the vine, this variety is ideal for slicing and eating raw on salads and sandwiches, or stuffed with bread crumbs and seafood and broiled. They can be sautéed, grilled, stewed or served on toast points with melted fresh mozzarella and basil. Don’t forget the salt and pepper!

Better Boys weigh up to 12-ounces and make delectable slicing tomatoes. Better Boy tomato plants produce fruit with health benefits common to all tomatoes, including their high lycopene content (an antioxidant and cancer preventive), as well as vitamin C, potassium, fiber and beta carotene—which converts in the body to vitamin A.

Never store fresh tomatoes in the refrigerator. It will destroy the flavor and juicy texture. At the end of the season, green tomatoes can be picked before the first frost and left in a brown kraft bag to ripen in a cool area.