What's Cookin' in the Kitchen Garden

Gardening at Year's End

2011-11-27T06:27:00.001-08:00

I hope all of you enjoyed Thanksgiving and resisted the temptation to go shopping instead of watching football. Looking back on your Turkey Day munch fest was there anything on the table from your garden or a guests garden. Where did your feast come from? How far did the rutabagas have to travel to each your table and were they fresh?

"Fresh rutabagas"? you might ask. Well that may be a stretch since the lowly rutabaga is often an after thought it is just something that is always on the table even though few really eat them. Then again it is one of those yellow vegetables we keep hearing we should be eating. But they just taste so................(fill in the blank expletives deleted).

Well the problem therein may not be so much the taste but the source. Grant you I do not think there is much you can do to improve on the flavor of rutabagas and their taste cousins turnips. They just taste the way they taste. I like turnips and rutabagas in small doses. My wife will not even let them be stored in the fridge. She cannot stand the aroma let alone the taste.

But does everything just have to taste the way it tastes? There are certain inherent taste profiles that science cannot change no matter how GMOing they try to do. I think the same can be said about heirlooming our gardens to death as well. A lot has to do with in my opinion fear of change or love of old. Remember when Coke got in trouble for introducing new Coke. That was the first Occupy Movement. Downtown Atlanta was packed with protesters claiming new coke was horrible. In Actuality blind taste tests proved otherwise with new Coke winning hands down.

So could it be the same with our gardens. Do we fear Franken-beans because they were made in a laboratory by men in white coats and pocket protectors? Do we love Grandma's variety of beans because they are so familiar? Could be. There is more truth in clinging to something old than venturing into the great unknown.

But let's get back to Thanksgiving dinner, or what is left of it. I ask again do you know where your food came from. I know the herbs used in the stuffing and in other dishes came from basement. Fresh parsley, basil, thyme and more are thriving under grow lights growing in a rich oxygenated bath of nutrient wealthy water. Some onions came from a sort of root cellar known as the unheated extra bathroom just off the kitchen. My onions are much smaller than what one buys at the market but the flavor is huge due their being fresh from this years garden. In fact onions were one of the few crops that thrived this year in my garden.

Need some proof to my pudding? While it may not be possible to grow rutabagas indoors this winter you can grow a Simon and Garfunkel garden, Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme whether or not you've ever been to Scarborough Fair. To get a bigger crop quicker place them under grow lights where they will get 12 hours of light a day. Check out a system of hydroponics called Deep Water Culture where plants really take off and grow like crazy.

And consider where your food really comes from....................

Will rutabagas make it to your root cellar next year, how about onions and potatoes?

Whatever makes it to your table will taste better if it is local..........and nothing is more local than your backyard.

garden article: Demystifying Herbs for cooking and more

2011-06-24T09:28:00.001-07:00

Herbs are as popular as ever despite the fact there are not many new varieties overtaking the market. Seemingly every day there is a new variety of some outrageous ornamental flower that promises to revolutionize the floriculture industry. It is very strange to see how many new flowers are coming on to the market being the economy and garden trends are for more home food gardens rather than flower gardens. There are a few new varieties of vegetables that have come to market or at least become popular such as Patio Tomato and grape tomatoes. Herbs on the other hand have seen little in the way of new varieties with claims coming anywhere near those of flowers. So what then leads to herbs continued and ever growing popularity in the home garden?

The answer is actually quite simple. Herbs continue to do this day what they have done for centuries, outperform most other crops in their ease of growth and dependability. Yes holistic and medicinal uses have helped support and spur the growth of herbs in the gardens. But the natural home remedies are not enough to keep the herbal engine running. Good old fashioned "word of mouth." I mean word of mouth in the eating sense not just the talking sense.

I have determined in my opinion that the huge increase in "foodies" and wannbe foodies has been the driving force behind the continued and growing popularity of herbs. simply put herbs taste great and add multiple dimensions to any dish no matter how few the ingredients. I love perusing cookbooks to read how recipes are derived at. What I do not like are recipes that call for huge numbers of ingredients. Yes they do add a lot of ingredients add subtle nuances to the flavor palette. But multitudes of ingredients are not necessary to improve the flavor and taste of any dish.

The best way to take the mystery out of herbs is to group them together in a themed garden. That way a simple trip to a themed garden plot in the backyard promises instant success in the kitchen. And by themed gardens I don't just mean a cooking garden vs. tea garden. Break it down all the way to a particular cooking style or ethnic region.

Start with your favorite style of cooking. Italian, French, Mexican, Thai, Fish etc. There is even a plan for salt substitute garden. These gardens do not need to be large. The size is determined solely on how many you are cooking for or how much room you have to grow, and store dried herbs while drying and then stored for use later on. Since you can't pick basil outside in winter and fresh herbs are a hard find as well a jar of dried herbs labeled "Italian Herb Blend" makes for a wonderful and very inexpensive spruce up to a winter meal.

Here are some themed herb garden ideas:

Italian: basil, bay, dill, fennel, garlic chives, marjoram, flat leaf parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme

French: basil, fennel, lavender summer savory thyme

Mexican: bay, cilantro, garlic, oregano, thyme, lemon or lime basil

Thai/Asian: Thai basil, coriander, garlic,lemon grass, ginger, mint

Fish: bay, fennel, lemon basil, lemon grass, lemon thyme, parsley, tarragon, savory, sage

Salt substitute: basil, bay, dill, lovage, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory (winter or summer) thyme, tarragon

Tea: chamomile, lemon balm, lemon grass, lemon verbena, mints, pineapple sage, lemon thyme and stevia for a dash of natural sweetening.

To cheat a little on a tea garden simply mix a bunch of mint varieties together harvest when needed, dry and make a pot of tea.

Of course these herbs can be used fresh right from the garden for immediate rewards. But remember to save some for drying to use over the winter months. Drying is best done by cutting new growth in the late morning tying bunches together with a rubber band. String can be used but as the stems dry they become smaller and tied bunched fall apart very easily. When dry as fallen autumn leaves strip the leaves from the stems and place in clean dark containers. Label them according to their uses of kind. Stored in a dark place at room temps they remain fresh for about a year.

Before There Were Pharmacies

2011-02-18T09:53:00.001-08:00

It seems one cannot watch television or read a magazine without being assaulted or, insulted, by ads for prescription drugs. Anything that ails you been be controlled by some new wonder drug. Some of the ads do not even say what the symptoms are just ask your doctor if snake oil is right for you. Snake oil is right. The traveling salesman of your peddled mysterious liquids in clear bottles laying claim to kill all sort of ills. problem was there were not enough real doctors to ask if Barnacle Bill's Bone Elixir was right for you. And if it was not right for you too bad. The snake oil man never returned to fulfill the satisfaction guaranteed part of the deal. In fact his elixir was right for you for a little while at least. The many potions and elixirs often had a good dose of alcohol within to alleviate most any symptom until the next morning.

Today major drug companies push their product direct to the consumer because they realize it is the best way to reach mass consumption quickly. Magazines and TV are happy to take the ads since cigarettes and liquor are often taboo if not illegal to advertise. These drugs are heavily regulated. What is not regulated are the dietary supplements that also lay claim to magic cures for whatever ails you. the problem with the supplement market is lack of regulation. This lack of regulation does a lot of damage to actual plant and herbal cures that do work or at least help somewhat.

Before there were pharmacies and drug companies there were plants mostly herbs that cured the ills that ailed you. In fact the Bible is chock full of references to herbs and spices for various medical uses

Hyssop was often referred to as the herb used in purification: read PSALMS 51:7 It was also used to prevent blood from coagulating which may explain why the Jews in Egypt were told to use it at the time of the Passover: read EXODUS 12:22The medicinal use of Hyssop can be found in read JOHN 19:29-30 Hyssop called hyssopus officinalis- is native to southern Europe and not the bible lands. This is a perfect example of how plant names change over time. The Hyssop in the bible may have been something like sorghum or perhaps even marjoram.

Mint is considered by some Biblical scholars to be part of the "bitter herbs' mentioned in Exodus 12:8 and Numbers 9:11. Along with mint the bitter herbs concoction included

endive, chicory, lettuce, watercress, sorrel, and dandelions all used as a form of digestive aid. Mint at first cools down hunger pangs but shortly after heightens appetite.

Frankincense, also called Olibanum was used in Old Testament religious rites. It is mentioned often in the first five books of Moses. Frankincense was used for intern al and external ailments and to help with breathing problems. The oils were used to induce a calming affect. Modern herbalists suggest placing the oil in vaporizers to help induce deep slow breathing.

Comfrey often used to today as a compost starter due to it's high concentration of nitrogen in the leaves. In the times of the Bible comfrey was used to help alleviate the pains and bruising of sprains. An ointment was made from the crushed leaves of comfrey.

One could depend on drinking rosemary water to help soothe upset stomachs. In addition ginger root was chewed to achieve the same results. Today ginger ale is often suggested for easing stomach pain even though carbonated!

Headaches were treated with Sweet marjoram oil rubbed on the forehead. rosemary leaves and mint when crushed and rubbed on the forehead treated headaches in Moses time as well. In addition coriander has been used as a mouthwash and aid to digestion. coriander is the seed of today's very popular cilantro the smokey parsley like leaves used in Tex-Mex recipes.

The manna God sent to Moses and his flock as they wandered around the desert for forty years tasted like coriander according to Old testament readings. Coriander is one of the oldest herbs used in medicinal form.

So there you have a short round up of herbs and spices used during Bible times to treat everyday maladies. In fact many of today's pharmaceuticals come from plants. Aspirin being made from the bark of willow is among the most important contributions of the plant world to modern medicine. While there is a lot of controversy over how and if herbs are useful in the medicinal world one cannot argue their importance in the old world. There usefulness today has been thwarted by highly questionable late night infomercials.

I suggest the way to look at herbs is not in their medicinal aspects but as part of your regular diet. If for instance carrots are known to be good for eyesight why can't the same be said for some herb in the garden? My point is that if herbs have beneficial properties such as anti-oxidants, oils, vitamins and minerals then treat them as food and not some holistic ritual from the Dark Ages.

Learn how to grow herbs for whatever use Saturday Feb 26th at Adams Kingston location. At 1PM on the 26th I will be lecturing on the topic of growing herbs. Learn about starting herbs from seeds, cuttings, and divisions. Also learn when to harvest and take cuttings for new plants as well.

Seed Starting: Gettin to the Root of the Issue

2011-02-04T08:19:00.001-08:00

Both famous ground hogs did not see their shadows last week.In facet nobody has seen their shadow since August! Punxatawny Phil and Staten Island Chuck failed to have the sun gods cast shadows of doubt upon the arrival of spring. And with the way the weather has been this winter the arrival of spring can be a glorious thing. There is another event that signifies the halfway point through winter. Seed packs have arrived in garden centers. In fact not just seed packs but peat pots, trays, seed starting soils, lights and more. It is a surprising fact that winter is the shortest season of the year at 93 days with Summer actually being the longest season. trust me I read it on the Internet so it has to be true.

While spring is still six weeks away regardless of what some hibernating animals tell us there are a few seeds that could, notice could, be started now in order to get them into bloom for our Hudson Valley growing season. The backs of seed packs describe the timing for sowing seeds indoors or outdoors. The usual verbiage is a determined number of weeks before the last frost date. For instance a pack may say start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date. Well frost dates are different across the country. The South of course has an earlier last frost date than we do. A seed company however does not know you live when you pick up their seed pack. The last frost date in the Hudson Valley is on average May 15th. There has been however frost as late as Memorial Day with increasing occurrence in this region. A seed pack stating start seeds 8 weeks before last frost date would mean starting the seeds indoors on or around March 15th.

Do you rally have to wait until March 15th to start seeds? Well no you don't. In fact there are some seeds which must be started now if you hope to have any flowers by the start of summer. Geraniums must be started by Feb 15th in order to have the seedlings strong enough to withstand cool spring weather and bloom by summer. While they are called Patient Lucys in Great Britain they are misnamed here in the U.S. What are the misnamed bedding plants? Impatiens............they grow so slowly they need to be started 10 weeks, March 1st, to be ready for planting out around the middle of May.

Flowers are not the only seeds needing an early start. Jalapeno peppers take a while to get under way. Jalapeno could be started as late as March 15th however they are better off hitting the seed flats on the first of March Bell peppers on the other hand can wait until the first of April. I would suggest getting them in the same time as the hot peppers. An interesting fact is there are some hot weather vegetables that need extremely long seasons but cannot be started indoors with their other warm weather friends. Melons for example need very long growing seasons. It would seem to make sense to start them indoors and give them a head start. But since melons and cantaloupe are vines the end result of starting them indoors would be you own version of Little Shop of Horrors. The vines grow very fast but the flowers and fruit lag well behind the growth spurts of the vines.

The vast majority of seeds need darkness in order to germinate. Seeds require a snug warm moist environment to begin the germination process. Air temperature is not critical at this point but will play a pivotal role in how sturdy seedlings are down the road. Soil temperature should be 70*-75* for seeds to germinate properly without rotting. Seed packs will list days to germination. Some seeds germinate very quickly others like olive seeds taking 10-16 months. It is very important to place some kind of label on the flats or containers seeds are growing in. The information on the label should be the variety of plant growing, date seed was planted and how many days to germination. The name of the plant is a no brainer. But putting the date of sowing and days to germination allows more detailed control over the crop and assist in timing should something go wrong. If a label says 10 days to germination and nothing has shown after 21 you know something is wrong. Days to germination and date of planting go hand in hand. Only listing days to germination is no good if you don't know when they were planted.

To keep the soil warm a heat mat is a godsend. Heat mats fit perfectly under seed flats and gently warm the soil and nothing else. A clear plastic dome of two or more inches high helps to keep the humidity high and control temperature as well. A tall dome 5-7 inches tall with adjustable events is even better allowing for total control over seedlings and young plants. Keep the heat mat on until you see young shoots appearing from the soil. Shortly after their emergence remove the ehat mat.

Young seedlings now need bright light, even direct sunlight, to maintain growth. What they don't need however is high heat. High temps cause plants to respirate faster. Fast respiration requires more nutrition. Plants need sunlight to complete the nutritional cycle of photosynthesis. However in February and even April the sun is still very low in the sky and as well the strength of the sunlight is weak. Weak light combined with high temps cause plants to stretch towards the sun or light source in order to make photosynthesis happen. The way to combat spindly stems is cool temperatures say 55*-65*. Cooler temps slow down respiration in plants thus slowing their need for sunlight.

An additional strategy is to place grow lights just above the tops of young plants about 4-6 inches over the top set of leaves. This best done with florescent grow lights especially the newer T5 high output bulbs. T5s are 40% smaller than regular T8 styles and their light output is double. T5 light fixtures with adjustable heights are readily available in two and four foot lengths.

Any well drained soil will grow a great crop for you. I am partial to lightweight soiless blends that are peat moss based. These blends drain extremely well and contain a large percentage of air space for young roots to penetrate. However any soil can grow seeds if you are careful about watering. Adding compost or worm castings to any soil will aid in growth and provide some much needed nutrients.

Once seeds have sprouted they have no storage of food needed to grow. If our soil mix does not have any fertilizer mixed in you will need to begin a feeding program. I prefer to feed every time I water so that I can maintain an even supply of fertilizer in the soil. Erratic uneven feeding leads to plants with grow spurts followed by periods of little growth as the supply of nutrients in the soil dwindles. To use a continuous feed program simply reduce the amount of fertilizer recommended on the package to 1/8 recommended dose.

By mid April days will be warming and your seedlings will love being outdoors on 60* days. Just remember to bring them back indoors at night so they don't get cold or freeze.

Want to learn more about starting seeds in greater detail? Stop by Adams Fairacre Farms Saturday, February 12th, at 1PM where I will be lecturing on the subject of seed starting.

Food for Thought from Your Garden

2011-01-10T04:49:00.001-08:00

We live in an age of information overload goes without saying. If there is still any doubt just look at your smart phone and what it can do. Or at least what it is supposed to do. There are literally thousands of "apps" for most phones. A quick look at them however reveals that most are duplications of gadgets or processes that are already on our phones or in our dashboards. For instance at least twice a week I sync my Blackberry with Outlook so all me appointments and deadlines are together. Yet several rocket scientists decided to create appointment calendars for Blackberries. Yet they are not compatible with Outlook. There are GPS apps for phones that already have GPS capabilities built in.

There are even apps now for gardening. Apps that you can use for information on plants you may see at a botanical garden. Do you see the same disconnect to the outside world here that I do? How strange would it be to walk through a botanical garden or garden center come across a cool flower and then immediately search for information on your smart phone?

This brings me to my point of the day, simplicity. Every management and time expert guru pushes the acronym KISS for Keep It Simple Stupid. Few however end up practicing what they preach. For example an activity as sublime as barbecue it is very easy to get all knotted up determining which recipe to use for ribs. There is one book on BBQ with more than 500 recipes for ribs alone. A closer look reveals that despite there being 500 recipes, rubs, and sauces it comes down to four basic needs each time. They are ribs, rubs, sauces and smoking chips (or chunks). Further study of the 500 rip recipes reveals that the ingredients in almost all the rubs are based on this system of four. Same for BBQ sauce, marinades, etc.

Just for the record the four ingredients I see the most are garlic, oregano, tomato and, salt. There are many others that could be grouped into fours as well but the topic here is four not eight or twelve!

Could it be that ancient cave dwellers knew something we did not? Is there something more to four ingredients and say the four directions of the wind. I would say compass but I do not believe Ogg and Orga had such luxuries. If you adhere to Darwinian Theory it would make since that Ogg and Orga were the first BBQ pit masters since they were the first to cook with live fire for sure.

I fell Simon and Garfunkel put it best in their hit song Scarborough Fair when the melody went: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Move them around, change an ingredient or two and you get the message, simplicity. If you are panning an herb garden this summer consider what you cook the most, what aromas you enjoy the most or what colors you enjoy the most. Pick four and see how far that gets you. See how far that gets you this winter! I would love to have access to my herb garden right now but it is buried under snow. I do have however four pots of herbs in the dining room window.

It just so happens that I only have room for four pots of herbs in that window. I hope my cousins Ogg and Orga are somehow aware of this fact and quite pleased with their influence upon me several millennia since their clubbing food to death. These four inhabitants denying themselves hibernation are rosemary, thyme, chives and oregano.

Simon and Garfunkel cannot get me on copyright charges since I have only half of their suggested mix. But I will give them a footnote just in case. These four are the superstars in my herbal potions. Basil is a glaring missing in action here I know. However basil does not perform well indoors over the winter. Plus basil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and balsamic vinegar are everywhere anyway. Again you can see the power of four!

Four can suffice just about any garden need as well. For example a salad garden need not bee an entire back yard production.

The four salad stars are, greens, tomato, cucumber and………… (add your own fourth part here)

Root crops for the cellar: Onions, potatoes, beets, carrots. Does anyone see these four doing double duty as soup?

Tomatoes: plum, pear, slicing, and salad

Vines: cucumber, melon, winter squash, summer squash

And just in case you haven't noticed there are four groups of four here. Four gardens with four crops. Not a potager per se' for the gourmet but a solid base from which to start.

Now it would be easy to add to the list of four but it may be getting picky.

Looking Back To Move Ahead

2010-12-26T07:20:00.001-08:00

The 2010 garden season ended several months ago and the calendar 2010 is ending as well. It is now a good time to look ahead to the next garden year and look back on the current one. Another example that gardening should not be a mad dash in April and May is the fact that the garden year ends quietly and starts later than the calendar year in these parts. What other clue could anyone want that gardening is a fun PASSIVE activity. In fact gardening is the number one outdoor activity in America followed by bird feeding and bird watching. One can combine these two in one massive........passive activity and get the best of both worlds. Color from flowers and sound and color from attractive songbirds.

First a review of the garden season that was 2010. Tomato blight that devastated the 2009 season was almost extinct this year. A few cases did show up in the Hudson Valley but remained isolated. Another sign that buying local is better than buying from a huge provider located in another state. It was still a strange year for tomatoes however. I had no tomatoes at all for the second year in a row. Neighbors just a few mile away had hundreds. I am beginning to think they stole mine and tied them to their the plants in their garden. I will try many methods of growing them this year to discover the secret. None will be in raised beds. They will all go into containers enriched with my secret blend of compost, weird strains of bacteria, humates, endo and ecto things that I am told will not only grow really good crops but may glow in the dark. I will settle for a tomato that glows in the day time at this rate.

Peppers did incredibly well last year. Helped by the warm weather, unpredictable rain and a new plot to grow them in. Chiles did well especially in my outdoor hydroponics pots. I will use the same esoteric strains of soil" amendments" to grow more chiles in for 2011. And maybe just maybe et to sell something at a farmers market come summer. My favorite pepper this year was the marconi Italian frying pepper. Long and beefy is the best way to describe what is looks like. About as long as a good bell pepper is tall but not fat. Maybe 4-5 inches across. Marconis are great to stuff with cheese, sun dried tomatoes in oil, sausage, and even eggs. Cook the eggs and sausage before hand to make sure they are cooked through. Then stuff the peppers to the gills and slow roast them on hardwood charcoal using the indirect method. My recipe is called "sausage IN Pepeprs" instead sausage and peppers. This way you can skip the carbs on the hard roll and enjoy slicing a pepper and munching on the goodies inside.

Broccoli and cauliflower went bust in my yard this year. After growing broccoli and cauliflower the size of basket basketballs in '09 I was excited to see what would happen this year. Nada, no, nothing. Small florets that blasted way to soon even when it was cool outside. I think the tomatoes and cauliflower were in a scheme to deny me a salad this year.

As always I am planning on a bigger garden for next year. I planned on that for this year too. Did not happen. Don't know if it will in 2011 either. But at least I am admitting that early and not getting my hopes up. I really have no excuses though. Plenty of compost is ready and more is being placed in the bin though frozen solid toil spring.

As for 2011 here is what I see happening as I not only read the tea leaves but drink them as well. Homemade herbal tea of course. I have no idea what the exact ingredients are as to the proportion but suffice to say not enough lemony stuff as the tea is more like a grog or potion than tea. But that is how I like it. I just do not think a nice tasting blend of lemony stuff fights colds and flus like a bitter tea. We'll see. So far no bronchitis like I always get! Thank you horehound!

Urban farming will continue to grow, pardon the pun. the only thing standing in the way of more urban farms in inner city areas are the city officials themselves. Now that folks have found uses for empty lots the powers that be feel the need to impose regulations upon lettuce farmers. Even worse in some cases community gardens are being run by what I call "Garden Owner Associations" akin to home owner associations in condo and vacation communities. GOA's have gone so far as to tell plot renters what to grow and what they cannot grow.

Urban farming involves small farm animals like chickens and rabbits. after all it is farming. As long as the powers that be understand this urban farming will bring healthy food to inner city areas that have little access to fresh veggies. It is less expensive to allow urban farming than to coax supermarkets to downtown with hefty tax breaks.

Organic gardening will continue but has reached a sustainable pace. So to say the band wagon has become mainstream and sensible. In fact we are already moving to the next more mature stage of organic gardening and replaced it with the buzzword sustainable. What that means to gardeners is there are times when organic growing is more detrimental to the overall environ men than some traditional methods. It may not seem so when looking at the crop one is trying to grow but presents itself readily when considering the overall footprint, carbon or otherwise, an organic method leaves behind. If you add up the total "cost", again economically and environmentally, there are times when the natural methods incur more costs than non standard ones do. For instance in the case of a sudden huge infestation of pests. I will use Japanese beetles for example. There just is not a quick effective natural control for them. By the time you add up the cost of materials, packaging, shipping, manufacturing costs and water to mix a natural spray that cost is much higher than a quick effective standard pesticide.

Vertical gardening will be everywhere roof gardens and rain gardens will not. Vertical gardening on walls, in homemade PC pipes, and commercial devices will be everywhere. Vertical gardening works as a space saving logical way to grow more stuff in smaller places. It works because folks are moving in to retirement communities with small yards but plenty of wall space. It works because you do not have spend all day bent over weeding. It works because you can see the garden easier in a vertical planter than an in ground bed. I will also add elevated garden bed contraptions to the list. Picture a 3x5 wood garden bed supported by three or four foot tall legs that a wheel chair can pull up to! No bending, plenty of room to grow real gardens. You cannot grow real gardens in an average size window box.

Rain gardens came about as a secondary trend in 2010. the idea behind a rain garden was to create a garden at your downspout that would filter out contaminants before the water entered storm drains or percolated back into the water table. Nice idea but not reasonable or productive. They are not cheap to build and only work when it rains. In order for them to survive they need a lot of water to maintain the wetlands environment during dry spells. So in the end the amount of water needed to maintain an artificial wetland may outweigh the amount of filtered rainwater. If you have clay soil that can hold plenty of moisture during dry spells a rain garden makes sense. Also if you have a sump pump like I do and clay soil better yet. The cool thing here is my "rain garden" has been in existence since my home was built 25 years ago. Water being pumped out of my basement and deposited outside has created an environment on it's own. Cat tails, iris and other wetland plants started growing there because of the ample supply of moisture. My point. If you have an area that is subject to constant runoff leave it alone. In time if there is enough moisture running through it a natural "rain garden" formerly called bogs will develop on its' own.

Micro farms will continue to replace large farms and diversify the agricultural treasures of the region. While large dairy farms are going away smaller specialty dairy farms are thriving. They supply natural hormone, BVG and steroid free milk to producers of speciality diary producers that make products from ice cream to cheese.

Indoor gardening will explode with the advent of indoor growing systems that no longer look like laboratories but resemble fine pieces on furniture. Smaller more energy efficient LED lights are already hitting stores. Check out the cool new trend called window farming. Homemade systems that "hang" in windows to grow greens and herbs all winter long. Often these hanging gardens are made from two liter soda bottles.

So there you have my look back while looking forward to the next gardening season. I feel a cold coming on so enough reading the tea leaves...it's time to drink them!

garden aticle

2010-12-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

The sun is now setting at the earliest hours of the year for a while. I find the weeks immediately after the New Year the most depressing. After all the holiday season is over the college football season done and the Super Bowl is still a month away. I mean what is there to do when the ground is frozen, it's dark and little to do? The biggest tease to me is that during the first weeks of January the days are getting longer. But still it is dark before 5 PM. The joke gets worse later in the month when the sun is just above the horizon when I pull in the driveway. Then I get out of the car and BLAST! Cold winds being thrown down from the Catskills on us poor souls in the valley between the mountains and the river. I guess the "beings" in the mountains are getting us back or sharing with us the colder weather and shorter seasons they have. Small price to pay I say for the better view of the horizons east and west they have than we do.

There is a small glimmer of hope this time of year in the garden world. Your local greenhouse. The inside of you car is a nice warm place on a sunny day in January even without the blower scalding your knees or knuckles with the same scorched air from your indoor furnace. The difference is that in a greenhouse you do not need your seat belt and an air bag will not go off if you bump your shopping cart into a table of plants at 2 MPH. Insurance on shopping carts is also cheaper since they do not go as fast and you don't really own them but rent them from the shop owner. I say rent because when you buy a tropical plant part of the price goes to pay for the shopping cart you just rammed into the plant display. I am not sure how the damage to the display table gets paid for.

Another advantage, the best of all, is the humid lung repairing air in a greenhouse in the winter. Cold winter air just hurts when you inhale deeply. Scorched air from a car heater or furnace also hurts when taken in deeply. There us just something calming about a tropical greenhouse in the winter. Whether it's the longing for return of summer weather or just a respite, however brief, from Old Man Winter, humid warm greenhouse air has a healing affect on me and others. Add to that a fountain or pond filled with swimming fish and it is irresistible. Madison Avenue could not come up with a better marketing plan than a greenhouse in January.

While not possible without large wads of cash and even bigger oil tanks to recreate the entire experience at home we can create a small piece of a tropical garden in a room in our home. Most plants end up in living rooms. Not a bad place. But is the living room a place we spend a lot of time in in the winter? How long do you stay in bed in cold weather? Have you ever thought of taking the private sanctuary of your bedroom to the next level? A tropical paradise perhaps even with a table top fountain or at least a nature CD of waves, birds and moving water.

You already have part of the equipment for complete relaxation away from the TV. A bed, huge comforters and if like me several pillows. Also nearby is a lamp to read by and a small bookcase complete with 6-10 books I am in the middle of reading. Most master bedrooms have at least some windows. These windows have at least a 50% chance of facing the right direction to support life (plant life).

Should you not have windows facing the right direction there are plenty of light fixtures that fit neatly onto bakers racks that can hold many plants all in one tidy garden space. Plants clean our air by filtering out toxins like formaldehyde. They also provide oxygen. No amount of houseplants will provide enough oxygen for our needs but they will give you fresh air like never before. Plants by their very nature have a calming and nurturing effect on people. Any doubters of this fact just need to visit a greenhouse on a sunny day in winter.

Smiles abound people slow down and enjoy the experience.

A simple primer on light for indoor plants. During the winter the sun is low enough in the sky so most any plant can handle direct sun. The best light for most of the year is called bright indirect light. This simply means as much light as possible without getting any direct sun. This is generally just to the side of south facing glass or 6-8 feet across the room from such facings of glass. The same quality light can be gotten directly in an easterly window or a western window that gets early evening sun.

Medium light comes from sitting directly in a northerly facing window. No room for error here. Moving to any side out of the northern exposure and you end up in the dark in most cases. Very few plants grown in dark areas.

Room color plays a huge role in lighting for plants. Brightly painted rooms scatter light all around offering up larger canvasses of bright light and limiting areas of medium or low light. On the other hand dark colored rooms limit dramatically the bright light areas as the darker colors soak up rather than spread light around.

And last and most important for "planting up" a master garden suite, always by the plant for the lighting you have or will provide. Do not buy a bright multi-colored Croton if you have dark walls and no plans on running plant lights 8 hours a day. Plant care tags should have the lighting and care instructions right in place sight. Often the light needs are color coded. Yellow usually means bright light and purple or dark colors indicate plants that will take lower light conditions.

So there you have it...........a remedy for the winter doldrums and a healthy start to the New Year.

garden article

2010-11-26T07:35:00.001-08:00

Hopefully by now the triptofan has worn off and we have all made it back across the river from Grandma's house. Our gardens and many furry creatures that habitate near our gardens have all but gone to sleep for the winter. The closest we get to enjoying the winter off is the afternoon nap after getting filled up on turkey. Another close call is so called elusive long winters' nap. I never get the long winters' nap probably because I would look kind of foolish putting on a cap before going to bed. Probably would not sleep well either as the brim of said cap would always be in the way or I would fumble around looking for it after it fell off somewhere between the good dream and the nightmare.

Which brings us to the subject of long winters. Any season the precludes gardeners from playing in the dirt is a long one. Winter for gardeners starts with the last bulb planted or garlic harvested and ends with the last mud pit drying up. Mud pits in my back yard clay can last until May in a rainy season. So what to get the gardener on your shopping list this holiday season? I know that gardeners get itchy when the seed catalogs come in which would make buying a garden gadget for a gardener seem more like punishment than a present of good thought. Fact is though we like getting seed catalogs. I spend my lunch hours in January at the local book store looking through all the new garden magazines, catalogs disguised as magazines and garden books looking for what is new. Fact is I already what is new having seen many new items at all the trade and garden shows I attended the previous fall, eleven to be exact. What is refreshing to see is the items I chose made the cut and appear in the magazines in January. One of the pit falls of being responsible for purchasing items for sale is visiting the bone yard, the corner of the warehouse, where items that seemed like a good idea end up when they turn out not to be good idea.

First and foremost every gardener needs a good pair or two of pruners. If the gardener on your list has a lot of cut flowers on the table from their garden they need a pair of bypass pruners. These work like a pair of scissors with two moving blades that are sharp enough to cut through tender foliage without crushing tender stems. Anvil pruners, the ones with a fat blade on the bottom are not the kind to buy the cut flower gardener or someone who like me does a lot of soft stem cuttings to make new plants. The gardener who has a lot of woody trees, shrubs and other such ornamentals can certainly benefit from the anvil style of pruners. A flat blade on the bottom holds the stem in place so the the cutting blade coming down from the top can get through the thicker and often dead branch being removed. Trying to prune pencil thick or fatter dead or woody plant tissue with bypass pruners will damage the pruner and the plant. Just like trying to cut through to many pieces of paper with scissors the blades will separate and become useless. The pages will shred and so will plant tissue causing acute and chronic damage to the plant.

Gardeners love to dig. A round point shovel is the worst digging tool ever used in a garden. The end result is a bowl shaped hole that is narrow on the bottom and wide on the top. Plants come in containers with straight sides and need holes the same shape. Gardeners who like to dig to plant also like to dig things up as well. A round point shovel used to transplant spreading perennials or herbs cuts off a majority of the important feeder roots. No feeder roots on transplanted material stunts and can kill the plant. The proper digging tool for gardeners is spade, basically a shovel with straight sides. Much more root structure is dug up with a spade making the transplant success rate much higher. Spades also dig holes that look like the pots plants come in, straight sides.

Any gardener would love to garden all year. These days we can at least pretend we are in a greenhouse with the slew of new grow lights on the market. Gone, or at least on the way out are older style tube lights. They are being replaced by smaller tube lights called T5s. They put out twice as much light and use 40% less energy. Being smaller they easier to ship and put less strain on landfills when the burn out, in 125,00 hours or so. The fixtures are much more attractive and come in blue spectrum for seedling or foliage growth and red spectrum for flowering/fruiting plants. Next on the horizon are LED grow lights. They use even less energy than T5s and are even more compact. A really cool unit I have seen lets you change the blend of red and blue lights according the stage of growth your plant is in.

And of course for really high tech indoor gardeners hydroponics continues to head towards mainstream acceptance. With the right set up it is possible to grow tomatoes and herbs year round on a window sill or a full fledged grow room. HID, high intensity discharge lighting systems, up to 1,000 watts can light up a 10 x 10 room with sunlight quality light for all one's growing needs. The mixture of nutrients and measuring devices, meters and pumps and stuff will make any smart phone groupie want to grow something not just know something.

Last but not least remembers gardeners are a hearty but sensitive bunch. We will get over the winter blues quicker than golfers and baseball fans who cannot wait for the grapefruit leagues to start.

Water Worries in Pottery Land

2010-11-13T13:03:00.001-08:00

Pretty pots can enhance the look of a plant in the indoor or outdoor environment. It is well understood that the black plastic or green containers plants are purchased in are utilitarian and not really attractive at all. The first decorative, rather functional, pots are basic terra cotta. The value to the plant placed in a clay pot is that the earthen material from which the pot is made breathes. This breathing allows for a somewhat limited exchange of oxygen and transpires excess water to the atmosphere around the plant. This benefits the grower and the plant since 80% of all plants die due to over watering.

Even with breathable clay that lightens when dry we still over water our herbaceous friends. Over watering leads to water draining out the bottom of the pot onto the surface the pot is sitting on. This could be a family heirloom table, an Antique Road Show first prize Louis The XIV original or even the hardwood floor in the living room. Water dripping or flowing onto such surfaces leaves water stains that often cannot be fixed easily. Water can ruin the value of such tables, desks and floors making them unworthy of appraisal on prime time PBS.

To combat water running onto the floor decorative clay was glazed then painted. The result was a planter even more suitable to the environment in which it was placed. The result for the plant in such containers, often with no drainage holes, was death from.....you guessed it, over watering. Except in this case, drowning.

Logic has told indoor gardeners to combat the lack of drainage holes in such pots place a layer of stone at the bottom of the planter. This is supposed to create a pace for the water to collect and save the the roots by leaving them out of harms way. This is one of the oldest Old Wives' Tales in my Directory of Old Wives' Garden Tales. If this OWT were an old coin or piece of paper currency it would be worthy of incredible value just due to the low serial number alone. Drainage stone in pot bottoms to alleviate water damage to roots is cataloged as OWT #00001.1 . No subsection letter or number as my other OWTs warrant.

Drainage stone placed at the bottom of plant containers DOES NOT STAVE OFF DROWNING. In fact it could make it more likely to happen. This fact was discovered and written on way back in the 1930's in college level soil science texts. Here is why drainage stones in plants, no matter how well intentioned, is not doing anything except hurting your back with the extra gravitational pull of heavy rocks.

Water moves down in soil by gravitational pull for the most part. It is more complicated by simplicity in the garden rules in my yard. So if water is pulled down through soil by gravity what then makes soil go up, both into plant systems and evaporation?

Capillary action. The same way that our circulatory system works. Except in the plant world no pump, aka heart, is forcing the issue. Water is very cohesive meaning it stays together and generally where it is put. That is why sucking through a straw idseasier with liquid then a slurry of solids like mud. While soil does not really have vessels to create a physical capillary network what is does have is air space between every particle of soil. Water flows through the air space not through the soil particle. So in essence there exists in soil a vast network of capillaries in the form of air.

The continuity of these air pockets determines how far and how fast water moves any direction up or down in the soil strata. As long as the air pockets are of a similar size moisture flowing through this virtual capillary network is even and predictable. But....break that network open by changing the size of air space abruptly and the flow of moisture is interrupted drastically. This radical change in air space, drainage stones under a layer of fine soil, breaks the cohesion factor of water almost stopping the push me pull you flow action. Basically the moisture becomes confused, scared and stops moving.

Studies have shown, with dramatic photographic evidence (NSFW for faint office environs) that the soil in contact with drainage stones and immediate above it is saturated, has low oxygen content and is often anaerobic in content causing roots to rot. Think of it this way. Spill some water on the floor. Attempt to soak it up with "The Quicker Picker Upper" except that the Quicker Picker Upper" is fused on the upper half with a towel of poorer quality, like larger weave brown industrial paper towels, and you will see the water will not continue its' upward capillary action

into the cheaper "Slower Picker Nothing Upper."

Solution to the no drainage but the pot is pretty anyway? Careful watering using a moisture probe all the way to the bottom of the pot to ensure no swamp is being created. In addition frequently lifting the plant out of that Ming Dynasty Vase to check the health of the roots. If the roots are whitish to whitish yellow and you don't drop the antique you are fine. If the roots are brown, smelly and putrid looking choose the Ming or the Marigold but you can't have both.

Grow Lights Keeping the Grass Green for Green Bay Packers

2010-10-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

I have always wondered how turf professionals repair sod at stadiums after football games. It could be a very expensive process to replace sod every week. In fact sod would root in one week before the next battle. Consider as well team practices during game week preclude the thought of replacing sod anytime during the playing season.

Well now high tech comes to cold tech. Lambugh filed often called the tundra is famous for games played in the snow let alone the cold.

Stadium Grow Lights to the rescue! This European firm has used outdoor grow lights at more then 60 soccer fields to date. They are now experimenting with these lights at Lambeau Field.

Here is more on the story from WBAY

Garden Trends for 2011

2010-10-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

I would like to beat the other forecasters to the punch with predictions for 2011. I realize it is only the middle of October but for gardening the year is just about over. To affirm that fact in less than three weeks radio stations start playing Christmas music! I do not like the sound of that either but fact here is an interesting fact. I am in the radio industry as well as gardening. I am co-host of the number one morning radio show in Ulster County. A little tid bit I found about radio ratings goes completely against what listeners say about hearing holiday music the first week of November. The radio station that starts playing Christmas music first by far wins the ratings for the fourth quarter. So while we say we do not like hearing holiday tunes so early we end up listening any way.

Organic is now passe'. Not going away but evolving into something more meaningful. In addition to more meaningful the evolution of organic into the next phase is also more durable, longer lasting and better for natural resources as well. We are beginning to hear more often the term sustainability. Sustainability is the new relevant term or re branding of organic. It is now not good enough to be organic in the market place. You now must be sustainable. There is quite a difference between the two. In many cases sustainable is not organic but leaves a smaller total footprint from raw ingredient to finished product. For example it is more sustainable for Great Britain to import sheep and sheep products from New Zealand than to raise sheep and produce products from them in England. First thought would cause one to think this can't be true because England and New Zealand are so far away. Well china is far away from most western markets yet look how much we import from them. When the climate is factored in New Zealand is just a far more productive place to raise sheep than England. I am not sure of the exact details but the "total footprint" is smaller even though a toe or two, air freight or shipping from NZ to England, may be larger.

However all is not what it seems with sustainable either. There has yet to be shake out of fact from marketing. A very strong under current amongst the green set is taking aim at certain garden practices relating to "sustainability." For instance lawns are not considered sustainable even though the functions they serve far surpass just a green carpet or status symbol in the neighborhood. In fact the "Great Campus Lawns" on universities are under attack as well. These vast open areas are gathering places for conversation, places of study, places to pass the time between classes, read a book or enjoy the sunny spring and fall days. Yes they must be mowed, sometimes watered, sometimes fertilized. And yes these practices are questionable under sustainability. But what about the social benefits and sense of community and gathering they provide. The pluses could indeed out weight the minuses.

Growing annuals, and therefore vegetables, is not considered by some to be sustainable. This claim comes from the amount of energy it takes to grow, ship, feed and water annuals every year. At first again it sounds plausible. But a look beneath the surface reveals the following. While it does take energy to grow, water and transport annuals the entire package and product is 100% recyclable. The soil, plant, remaining fertilizer can easily be composted and very seldom end up in the waste stream. The pot even if it is plastic is recyclable or at least re useable. Plastic flower pots are may times more sustainable then pots made from fiber, rice or other biodegradable products simply because they last longer. Biodegradable pots usually last two seasons. While they breakdown outdoors they must be manufactured more often than a pot lasting 10 years. This means 5 times more energy to ship and deliver them alone. Then one needs to add the energy to make them as well. Sustainability is not going away. Sustainability is to me the biggest trend in gardening for 2011 and the next several years from annuals, lawn care, vegetable and herb gardening. But since it is likely to become a run away train when it hits main stream a little forethought is in line before coupling up to this train.

In terms of real gardening trends for the future vertical gardening is hot. Container gardening, hydroponics, vertical gardening, and indoor gardening are on a collision course. It will be exciting to see what the category morphs into. I foresee a day when Grandma purchases a garden appliance/machine that can be wheeled indoors and out as the seasons change. This appliance will have a large area for storing tools, fertilizers and, growing medium underneath. A large reservoir resembling an aquarium, perhaps even containing fish, will sit below shallow trays where plants will grow. Water will circulate from the reservoir, via a timed pump, several times a day depending on the growing medium, to the plants and back to the reservoir. Now if fish are in the reservoir they will feed off plant roots. The plants will feed off the fish waste. There is no need to buy fish food or fertilizer in this set up. In fact on larger scale the fish could be harvested for food along with the spinach or herbs growing up top.

Above the plant tray an LED light system, capable of switching from red to blue color spectrum depending on growth phase, Will be automatically lowered up or down depending on plant height. This light will also be on a timer like the pump. All these things are already on the market place. What has to be done is for some product engineer to put them altogether in a neat well marketed package that the consumer will accept. Grandma will buy this "product" and not even know she is into hydroponics!

Still on the growth track: herbs, vegetable gardening, container gardening, composting, indoor gardening and hydroponics, healthier soil, canning

Slowing down: lawns (smaller but still important), Topsy Turvy, xeriscaping, drip irrigation, tick and mosquito control,

Never took off but needs to: soil fertility tests, mulching, moisture meters, ph tests, proper watering practices

Never really understood why in the first place: gazing balls, bio-dynamic gardening, organic grass seed, square foot gardening, hedge shears

Checkout this Art Show When in Kingston

2010-10-14T05:46:00.001-07:00

Hudson Valley Seed Library Art Pack Show Opening

Kingston Museum of Contemporary Art, 103 Abeel Street, Kingston, NY 12401

Saturday November 6

Terrariums! Coming Back Again

2010-10-14T05:23:00.001-07:00

Stonecrop gardes is giving this workshop on a re-emerging garden trend whic has always been a favorite of mine.

81 Stonecrop La, Cold Spring, NY 10516

Saturday October 16 at 9:00AM - 12:00AM

http://www.hvgardencalendar.com/events/155-terrarium-workshop-stonecrop-gardens

Longer Garden Season??????

2010-10-11T12:46:00.001-07:00

In the Adirondacks the garden season has been extended by late frost! At my home we had forst on October 9th......6 days early:

But don't move North just yet......................

From North Country Public Radio (www.ncpr.org) my favorite radio station

"It's late in the season for North Country gardeners. And late frost has given vegetables and flowers a reprieve in many areas. Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy tells Martha Foley what perennials are still colorful, and what the top priorities are for the last days of her flower garden"

Cannot Get More Local Than This

2010-10-10T03:43:00.001-07:00

Interesting story on NPR about restaurants growing their own food in their own gardens at the restaurant

Local Canning Blog on Hudson Valley Food Network.......................................

2010-10-08T10:05:00.001-07:00

Hey it's still canning season. so why not learn from a local canner to put up local produce for the winter?

Great ideas and great groups to join on Hudson Valley Food Network.

Happy Columbus Day

Gardening Goes Vertical

2010-10-04T09:26:00.001-07:00

Vertical gardening, gardening on walls or on poles, is a new area of excitement in horticulture, is much more than hanging a tomato in an upside down planter. Part of this trend is a natural outgrowth of roof top gardening or actual green roofs. If one can grow plants on a roof then it sure makes sense to try and grow them on a wall as well. There are a number of great vertical planters coming to market next year. I have chosen two models to bring into the Hudson Valley. They both offer outstanding opportunities to grow vertically in areas where space is at a premium, for privacy or just something new and different.

First is the Living Wall from Bright Green USA www.brightgreenusa.com this unique planter consists of a single polymer unit available in three sizes: 20x20x2½, 10x20x4, and 8x18x4. The back is lined with a moisture mat that enables the plants in all 8 pockets to get the same amount of water. To provide long lasting water and to end over watering a really cool water box sits atop the planter and slowly drips water onto the moisture mat. The Living Wall planter is ideal for succulents but I like it for herbs. 8 pockets provide room enough to grow an entire herb garden on wall or mounted to a 4x4 post. Imagine living in a second floor town home and wanting fresh herbs. The Living Wall can be mounted easily to the wall right outside the kitchen or on a deck rail. Fresh herbs are right at the door. Even more convenient than going out to the garden. The Living Wall also means less bending over than with containers sitting on the floor or ground. Several Living Walls can be hung next to each other to make an actual living wall, hence the name. They function equally well indoors or out and make a bif statement if not an piece of art.

The biggest success story in container garden systems, Earth Box, introduces it's own vertical planter as well. Their's is so new that there are no photos online yet. The Earth Box vertical garden is a modular stacking unit that can be stacked up to 36 inches tall without needing support. If you want to go higher just mount the plant to a rear support like a fence rail or deck rail. Water is applied through a drip emitter system that waters from the top. Roots are in pockets that jut out in cups to keep water from being placed directly onto the root ball. This unit comes in two colors, white and terra cotta and should sell for around $45. Very easy to plant and use with many different patterns available as to layout and height of the product. Again due to the compact nature of the unit it is ideal for herbs and small vegetables as well as flowers.

What may seem like hocus pocus at first is a whole slew of "nutritional supplements" for gardens. The packaging is beautiful and their claims are much more muted than supplements aimed at people. Thrive is not a fertilizer but best described as an innoculant like product kind of like a compost tea. However Thrive contains not only bacteria similar to that in compost tea but mychorrizae as well. Many garden products contain mychorrizae these days. Best described as a symbiotic relationship it is thought that mychhhorizae work but colonizing on root zones of plants to give a spider web like structure to the root structure. what the claim is that because the roots now resemble a spider web there is a much larger surface area plants have to take up water and nutrients.

Mychorrizae do colonize on root structures. this has been know for decades. problem always was there was no way to harvest mychorrizae and package it for sale. Seems the mychorizae always dies in the process. Several new ways have been found to make the product marketable. I have always thought liquid was the best way to apply organics. Turns out to be the same with mychorrizae. Dry forms have a limited shelf life and often must be placed in contact with the root mass in order to work properly. Thrive, being in liquid form already does not need to be applied directly to the roots.

Another great home grown food trend is window farming. Google window farming and learn how to make a window garden out of used 2 liter soda bottles and grow food all winter long. Again best used for greens and herbs.

The world of gardening continues to evolve with a lot of really cool products that while at first seem like snake oil or hocus pocus do work after all. This is a great benefit of organic gardening and sustainability going mainstream. The plethora of products may be fewer because the ones that work fit into survival of the fittest and make the cut.

Garlic and Vampires in The Garden

2010-09-17T07:54:00.001-07:00

There will be no vampires in Saugerties next weekend! Vampire movies, novels and TV shows are all over the place these days. However one place there will be no vampires, no matter dark the night sky, next weekend is Saugerties. The ever popular Garlic Festival arrives the 25th and 26th of September. Already? You mean September is over and Christmas music hits the airwaves in six weeks? Indeed. Which is one reason I think fall festivals have gained so much popularity lately. Before you know it Summer is gone and fall is already leaving before it gets here. So what to do? Cram in as many nice weekend events as you can. Car shows, farmers markets, harvest fests........hurry up winter is almost here.

The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival is one of the biggest in the nation. And to think it started on a small farm on a small barely drivable dirt road many years ago. The festival is held at Cantine Field on the north side of town. However due to the fact that 50,000 people show up do not plan on parking anywhere near the site. There are several outlying parking areas well serviced by trolleys and buses to get you to and from the festival. Tickets are available in advance for $7, kids under 12 are free. Seniors tix are $3 in advance. There are no discounted tix available at the gate where prices will be $10. This is the only drawback. $10 to me is a little steep to bring a family of teenagers, especially if the promoters expect to have attendees purchase from the myriad of vendors inside the festival.

That aside there will be dozens of food vendors who must use garlic on their preparations! Garlic ice cream anyone. I purchased some garlic horseradish preserves at the Catskill Farmers Market awhile back. Outstanding for any garlic/horseradish lover. Almost ate the whole jar without putting it on anything! Since the festival is all about garlic it makes sense you can buy dozens of varieties of garlic for planting as well. Fall is the perfect time to plant garlic. In fact hard neck varieties must be planted now for best results.

planting in late September gives the roots time to set up for winter. Garlic is outstandingly hardy for this region as well as points north.

Break the bulb into individual cloves. Bigger cloves result in bigger bulbs come harvest time. use the small ones to keep vampires away after the festival is over with. Plant the cloves 1 inch deep in the valley 4-6 inches deep in those outlying frost pockets. Soft pliable soil is a must. My heavy clay, PlayDoh raw material, needs tons of compost added to loosen up the tight grip of compact clay platelets. Compost also does an excellent job at repelling vampires, ghosts, ghouls but not zombies. Zombies? Yes, that is what everyone who tries my home gown chile peppers looks like. The only connection I can conjure up is the compost!

Remove the stalks from hard neck varieties when it reaches 9 inches tall the following spring. This will concentrate energy into the underground bulbs instead of the ones that would normally form on the top of the stem Harvest times comes when the leaves begin to brown but there should still be a half dozen or so green ones left. Examine the bulbs by gently lifting one from the ground. If skins, the onion like slivery covering, have formed around the clove they are ready for harvest. Provide good air circulation for a few weeks as the bulbs cure. Remember for free garlic re-plant half of what you harvest each fall until your garlic bed is as large as you want and your vampire loving friends threaten to un-friend you online.

Another favorite event I attend is Tropic-Al's end of Summer Beach Party. Held the last day of summer, this banana republic in the Catskills throws one last Beach Bum Bash. Pirates show up to play shipwreck games take part in treasure hunts and more. This year's plans include a huge bonfire in the new fire pit to roast coconuts, bananas and shell fish. For more information log on to www.tropicalsbbqreview.blogspot.com . Yes these natives are restless when the leaves start changing colors.

Speaking of changing......I have changed my thoughts on farmers markets this year after attending several. I am appalled the prices many of these places charge. Several in the northern parts of the region I will not go to anymore. Without naming names I have seen the following. Uncertified "organic" mesculin mix 4 oz bag $5. That is $20 lb for salad greens!

A basket of 5 small peaches for $4. I equated that to be $8-$12 per pound. Other price gouging includes $1 for 1 zucchini, $2 for a single tomato, Swiss chard in small six stem bunches at the equivalent of $10+ per pound. I actually looked forward to going each week to get fresh produce even though I grow the same stuff in my yard.

The Catskill Farmers Market, many reasonably priced products, is being sued by several businesses on Main Street in the Village of Catskill. The market moved from the river front where it was held in a beautiful old brick shipping warehouse, to Main Street in the village. Each Saturday morning a two to three block area is cordoned off to allow for the market to be held. A nearby barber shop took issue saying his business has suffered because of the street being closed down. I saw this scenario coming but from a different angle. Many thought farmers market visitors would then shop the local store fronts. Apparently they have not. I wondered why the market moved from its' covered but open location on a beautiful waterfront to the drab uptown look of Catskill. To this day the Hudson river is our greatest but most often ignored resource.

Some of this years' notable garden trends: garden sheds go upscale. I think this came out of the Man Cave phenomenon. The basic guys hangout in the garage went hi-tech uber decorative so why not garden sheds. Berkshire Botanical Gardens has several tricked out sheds on display through September.

Container and urban gardening are sizzling. he by-far best garden magazine on the planet Urban Gardener has staked out this trend as its' own. Filled with not just the pretty pictures but data and information to back it up. If you want to see it and do it this magazine is the only one to read on the subjects of indoor gardening container gardening, hydroponics and urban farming.

Community gardening has cooled off after the O'Bamas did not make a big deal of it this year like last year. I Think the topic is alive and well though.

And in the dept of strange gardening news: the Institute for Advanced Conservative Gardening has merged with the Society of Conservative Herbalists

Start a Home Food Biz...Saturday Columbia Greene CC

2010-09-10T08:28:00.001-07:00

Start and Run a Home-Based Food Business

Do you love to bake or cook? Would you like to create an income doing what you love, making these foods at home? Whether you're interested in a part-time or full-time business, this course will guide you step-by-step through the entire process. Course seating is limited, register now.

Time: September 11, 2010 from 8:30am to 4:30pm
Location: SUNY Columbia-Greene
Website or Map: http://www.sunycgcc.edu/index…
Phone: (518) 828-4181 x3342
Event Type: class

Which Bulb With Which Perennial?

2010-09-08T06:32:00.001-07:00

Another thought to ponder: since a rose is a rose is a rose, to what should I plant next to my tulip? Goodness knows!

Cornell has ventured into taking the guess work out of bulb/perennial combos. Talk about relevance, fall bulb planting time perennial dividing time.

Good idea or just something else to complicate gardening?

Autumn a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing in the Garden This Year

2010-09-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

Drought damage to your garden happens faster now than mid summer. The end of summer and the arrival of fall, my favorite season, gives a false sense of security to gardeners when rain fall has dropped off. This fall will be a perfect example since we are on average about 5 inches below normal rainfall.

One would think that hot dry summers are the main culprit in drought damage. They certainly do contrbute. But summer has a built in drought defense system in the northeast: humidity. The relationship between temperature and humidity is a complex one but has a drastic effect on how much water plants transpire into the atmosphere.

To put it simply, as simply as complicated relational analysis can be, air like most matter expands when it warms. A larger volume of air can hold more water than the cooler air. This is irregardless to humidity level. Therefore an 80* summer day with 80% humidity has much more moisture in it than a 50* day with the same 80% humidity.

So how does fall weather with inherent lower temperatures hasten drought damage?
Humidity is the answer. Fall temaperatures are also accompanied by very low humidity levels. While fall days may be only ten degrees cooler in mid September than mid August humidity levels plummet by a much larger percantage. Fall humidity levels often drop to 40% or lower meaning there is much more room for moisture to enter the atmosphere as a percentage of volume even with lower temperatures.

Think of 80*/80% humidity like a fuel tank. Let's say an 80 gallon fuel tank is 80% full. That means that there a 64 gallons of fuel in the tank with room for 16 gallons more.
That leaves little room for more fuel entering the tank. (Or in the atmosphere little room for moisture from plants to transpire into the atmosphere so plant "breathing" slows down).

Now look at a 70 gallon tank that is 20% full. There are 14 gallons in the tank and room for 56 more. In the atmosphere a lot of room for plants to transpire moisture into the air so there breathing rates increase rapidly.

While there is no correlation between the weather with the following example it speaks volumes about the subject: 80x80=6400 whereas 70X20 only equal 1400. That illustrates in graphic detail the difference between 80*/80% humidity and 70*/20% humidity.

Here we have a small drop of ten degrees in temperature but a corresponding drop in humidity of a much larger percentage. Result: even with a lower temperature plants transpire much more moisture into the atmosphere beacuse of low humidity.

With normal rain fall this difference is not a matter. But with the lack of rainfall we have experienced this year it matters a lot

Organic Food Now Mainstream in Hudson Valley Region

2010-09-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

Today's Times Hear ld Record reports on the growing acceptance of organic food products. There is one caveat in this seemingly positive story. 50% of organic food is now sold by supermarkets, aka, Wal-Mart. This is part of the problem. Huge retailers dictate to vendors what they will buy and what they want to product to be right down to how it is manufactured; in this case grown. Since when does a buyer sitting in Bentonville AR know anything about health food?

Anther issue with things going mainstream cause a reactionary from those who have been "in the know" in the early days. They often become angry at the newbies stepping on their turf. Kind of like when I have tried to volunteer for many organizations who say they have only a small number of people doing the grunt work. Just try to join them and you get an attitude as if you are stepping on their right to martyr themselves for the cause.

Unscrupulous manufacturers jump in on the band wagon as well. I mean organic garlic from China? Gimme a break!

What usually happens after the mainstream hype is over is logic and reason settles back in. The last groupies of the trend lose interest and go away. The devious producers usually follow suit. The original groupies realize the trend is good as the hype levels off and join back in wiser for the move.

There will not be as many involved as during the hyper days of organic euphoria but the remaining crowd is much larger and healthier (pardon the pun) and the industry is better off in the long run.

Still HAve Green Tomatos?

2010-09-05T04:47:00.001-07:00

Green Tomato Marmalade
makes 2 pints

Ingredients
2 quarts small green tomatoes, sliced
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
4 organic lemons, washed, peeled, sliced, seeds removed (reserve the rind)
rind from 4 lemons, fine chop
4 cups sugar

Method
1. Place sliced tomatoes in a stainless steel stockpot. Add salt.
2. Add the chopped lemon rind to the pot. Cover with water and boil 10 minutes. Drain well and return to pot.
3. Add lemon slices, juice and sugar to the tomato mixture.
4. Cook tomato mixture over moderate heat, stirring constantly until sugar melts.
5. Now bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thick, about 45 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
6. Ladle marmalade into sterile jars while mixture is hot.
Marmalade keeps for weeks refrigerated.
For delicious, quick hors d'oeuvres, lightly toast 1-inch squares of thin-sliced whole wheat bread. Let cool. Spread a thin layer of reduced-fat cream cheese onto the toast and top with a dollop of marmalade.

Just as the Heat Wave Ends....Ducth Bulbs Arrive!

2010-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Just walked into Adams Kingston location, where my office is, after four days of beach bum-ing. It is 95* today and Thursday but the weather is supposed to break Friday. While Labor Day weekend may have weather more like Memorial Day this year all is not lost. Dutch bulbs have arrived! Thousands of tulips, daffodils, iris and hyacinths all ready for planting into your gardens during the next six weeks of fall weather.

What a way to break a heat wave, better timing could not be predicted.

Hudson Valley Green Festival Saturday in Staatsburgh

2010-08-31T05:24:00.001-07:00

A one-day music, alternative energy, food and beverage festival at Staatsburgh State Historic Site in Staatsburg, NY.

Musical Acts include:
Blues Traveler
Donna the Buffalo
Amos Lee
BeauSoleil Band
John Brown's Body
The Duke and the King
and more! See the entire line up here!

15 National, Regional and Local Musical Artists on two stages
Alternative Sustainable Energy Pavilion
Food by Terrapin Catering & Local Beer Pavilion
Farmer's Market of Hudson Vally Products
Over twenty on-site vendors
Green Beans Kids Tent

For tickets and more info please visit
www.hudsonvalleygreenfestival.com

Homemade Herbal Medicine Workshop in New Paltz Sept 21!

2010-08-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

The jury is still out as to what herb concoctions actually work. Fact is herbs are a food and should be treated like food. In the same way carrots assist with eye sight herbs should be included in the same realm and no longer thought of as mysterious of weird.

That in mind here is info from Hudson Valley Food Network's events calendar about a basic herbal medicine workshop I think is worthwhile. Take from it what you will. My herbal concoction for bronchitis, horehound, sage,basil and dried habanero tea worked wonders. It did not however get mixed during a full moon or some other so called magical evening!

Time: September 21, 2010 from 6pm to 7:30pm
Location: Phillies Bridge Farm Project
Street: 45 Phillies Bridge Rd.
City/Town: New Paltz
Website or Map: http://www.philliesbridge.org…
Phone: 845-256-9108
Event Type: workshop
Organized By: Phillies Bridge Farm Project

Workshop Description
In Basic Herbal Medicine Making Ashley Sapir Lathrop will teach participants how easy and fun it can be to make herbal preparations from plants from our own gardens or even the "weeds" in our yards. In this class she will demonstrate how to make herbal infusions, decoctions and how to create tinctures made from alcohol or vinegar. Ashley will talk about which of these preparations work best for particular situations and common health concerns. Everyone will create their own 2 oz. tincture to bring home.

Ashley Sapir Lathrop is an herbalist who lives in Gardiner. She grows or gathers the herbs she uses to support her family's health throughout the seasons. She has studied with 7-Song, Matthew Wood and currently with Dina Falconi. Ashley teaches classes locally with the goal of empowering people to take charge of their own health using plants as their allies. The plant world offers abundant gifts and Ashley believes that by just learning a few local plants and their uses a person can improve and maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit.

Workshop Fees:
$20 for members/$25 for non-members
Pre-registration required!

Join Me in Bringing a New Slow Food Chapter to the area

2010-08-24T11:30:00.001-07:00

I know you like to garden because you read my little blog. I know you like to eat for the same reasons as well. Well how about going a step further and bring the ulimate foodie/locavore project a little closer to home?

Do you like, no love: fresh food, healthy food, homegrown food, sharing your love of same?

Read on then:

As I wrote a few days ago, I was very impressed by the the talk of slow Food USA's Joshua Viertel talk at the IGC in Chicago last week. Currently there is a chapter for the lower Hudson Valley, Saratoga and western Catskills but nothing for the always overlooked area of the upper Hudson Valley Greene/Columbia counties. I would add Northern Ulster, Northern Dutchess as well as southern Albany and Rennsalaer counties as well.

I am testing the waters to see if there is any interest in forming a chapter for this region. Several unique traits to the region:

1) A lot of poor rural and inner city (Hudson, Catskill) residents that could benefit from the slow food idea

2) Substantial number of second home owners who seek fine local food at restaurants,

3) Large talent base of professionals who live in the area to provide pool of talent to head up a chapter.

4) Greene/Columbia counties often overlooked as to being "members of the Hudson Valley or Capital Region

5) Large tracts of operating farmland to draw from

6) Potential huge win/win for the local grower and the local eater

I am committed to do doing this over the next fewl months.

If you are interested please contact me a gsdraiss@aol.com

Organic Fertilzer on Track to Be Outlawed in New York

2010-08-24T06:21:00.001-07:00

Yes indeed. The ever thinking thought provoking government in Albany has outlawed fertilizers coning phosphorous in fertilizers exceeding .5% in content. Phosphorous is deemed responsible for algae blooms in major water bodies. Many soils are already sufficient in phosphorous for necessary plant growth so the elimination of the element in chemical fertilizers is no big deal. However it will deal a death blow to organic fertilizers. Even compost has some phosphorous in it. Does this mean your backyard compost pile is at risk? Could be under give an inch take a foot process. It is very easy to rid a box of Miracle Gro of phosphorous. But to rid a glorious bag of organic plant food or bird guano of phosphorous is preposterous. Here is a comment from the state senator who voted in favor of this nonsense:

Especially take note of this line:Violators of the new law would receive a written warning and educational materials

Buffalo, NY – New York State Senator Antoine Thompson (D-parts of Erie & Niagara Counties) changes the Environmental Conservation Law regarding the amount of phosphorus used in household products.

Senate bill S3780, sponsored by Thompson prohibits the sale or distribution of dish washing detergent containing more than 0.5% of phosphorus. The bill, signed into law by Governor David Paterson on July 15th, also prohibits the application of phosphorus fertilizer on lawn or non-agricultural turf.

Studies show that one pound of phosphorus can produce 500 to 700 pounds of algae, which reduces oxygen in water, causing fish and shellfish to die.

Thompson calls excessive phosphorus a growing threat to our environment. "By reducing levels of phosphorus entering the environment, communities could save significant cost, because they would not be required to install as much storm water treatment systems in impaired watersheds."

The amendment to the Environmental Conservation Law goes into effect January 2013. Violators of the new law would receive a written warning and educational materials for the first violation. However, repeat offenders could be fined up to $250.00.

Heirloom Tomato Festival August 22th

2010-08-04T10:03:00.001-07:00

Rogowski's Farm Orange County, NY will be hosting their 6th annual heirloom tomato festival on Sunday, August 22nd from 11-6. Cool thing is the admission is affordable at only $3 per person and kids under 15 FREE!!!!! That leaves a little bread in the wallet to splurge on some of dem cool d'maters. Another thing I like about this festival is the hours. For once someone gets it. I do not attend events that are heavily advertised and crowded that only run four hours. (I was once saw a very popular church supper that advertised hours from 4:30-6PM, 1.5 hours to eat besides 10's of others? NO WAY)

This one runs most of the day giving crowded schedules a chance to break free and enjoy some locally grown produce.

W. Rogowski Farm, 327-329 Glenwood Rd, Pine Island, NY 10969

My Garden How To Videos Now Online

2010-08-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hello gardeners: Just as I picked my first tomatoes of the season I found out my How To Videos are finally up on the web site at Adams.

Though late blight seems to be held at bay this season early blight has hit my tomato patch. I will control it with a sulphur or neem oil spray for now.

Time to start hanging up those bunches of herbs in the garage to dry. Tie them tightly as the stems will shrink when they lose all that water content. It is easy to do and well worth the effort. Just look at the price of dried herbs in the markets. Basil especially can run $16 to $20 per pound alone. I do not believe what I read when it comes to what herbs do not dry well. many say cilantro is best fresh. I like it dry as well since it seems less potent.

I plan on bunching herbs by their intended use. For instance for my annual bought of bronchitis I am combining basil, horehound, lemon balm, and gray sage in one batch. when dry I will crush up the leaves and place them into a jar labeled cold and flu. For winter Italian cooking: parsley, oregano, basil, marjoram, chives etc.

Bunching herbs by use makes it easy in the winter to just grab the jar and shake. What a hassle going through the cabinets looking over thirty or more jars of herbs just to find 5-6 you need. Remember gardening should be fun not just THYME consuming.

Garden Expo 2010 at Adams Kingston Saturday!

2010-07-29T05:44:00.000-07:00

Join us for our second annual garden expo at Adams Fairacre Farms Kingston location this Saturday. Cooking demos, lectures and product demonstrations from 10AM -5PM. I will be speaking on Bugs, Slugs and Other Thugs at 10AM. There will also be a talk on ponds at noon and Mark Adams will speak on fall garden vegetables. Vendors on hand as well to answer your questions!

Late Blight Hits Chenango County in New York

2010-07-29T04:54:00.001-07:00

Here we go again! Watch out for your Damaters and Taters! Story below click the link

http://www.watershedpost.com/2010/late-blight-found-chenango-county

My Extra Garden Harvest going to Queens Galley Soup Kitchen in Kingston, N

2010-07-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

Although my family of five eats a lot of the veggies from our garden I have bushels of extras. I hate throwing it all in the compost pile. Instead, Queens Galley in Kingston is getting all of my extra garden fresh crops. In addition I will be working with them to establish a "soup garden' and attempt to grow greens indoors in my hydroponics grow room, spinach etc, to supply them with fresh greens all winter. If the greens work out, spinach very easy and a fast turn over, I will try other crops like herbs, and root crops as well.

Stay tuned for photos and information on my agricultural expansion!

I am told the only way they get fresh produce on the table is through donations. So Instead of planting an extra row for the hungry. I will be enlarging my garden for the hungry.

Queens Galley accepts no government funds and served more than 7,000 meals last month.
For more info www.queensgalley.org

Now They Want to Get Rid of Lawns at College Campuses

2010-07-22T04:38:00.001-07:00

Eco warriors are attacking homeowners rights to have a nice green lawn. They claim that the noise from mowers, water and nutritional needs are polluting the environment. Originally it was a move to reduce lawns. But as this crowd knows they can get their way through incrementalism- aka give them an inch and they will take a foot.

Now the crusade has gone on to college campuses, those lawns where students, faculty and often the public gather to "sit under the old oak tree". This time though they may have bit off more than they cam MOW.

Check out the post on Garden Rant

Controversy Over "Free Range" Definition hits Austrailia

2010-07-06T03:20:00.000-07:00

It would seem that the United States is inwardly focused on self preservation through organics and environmental practices these days. "Green Washing" a term coined to define products that claim to be green but may only be on a limited level. Now that "Organic" has federal guidelines before being applied to many products the race is on to define "Natural" in the same way. Rest assured that the predicament is not just in the U.S. but down under as well. Free Range Chickens may get a new definition allowing an increase in the number of chickens per ,ot by ten fold and also allow for de-beaking.

Plans by the Australian Egg Corporation Ltd to review the standards of free range egg production have caused a schism in the industry, with free-range producers refusing to agree to changes that could see the maximum number of 'free range' birds per hectare increase from 1500 to as many as 20 000, and allow de-beaking.

Small farmers, free range producers and animal welfare groups are outraged over the proposed changes, saying that they are a concession to the AECL's main members - larger cage and barn producers.

Industry players got away with labelling their eggs 'free range' simply by putting doors in the sides of their 30 000-bird sheds, but kept all food and water inside.

Phil Westwood said that the AECL could avoid the watering down of the 'free range' label by introducing more specific labels, such as 'semi-intensive' (as used by the EU) or 'cage-free'.

The above is from the publication Australia Food News. Click for more information on the story.

The next time yo see a biodegradable flower pot, a bird feeder made from recycled milk bottles think twice. What good is a biodegradable flower pot if you have to buy another one in two years? How much energy goes into manufacturing, shipping, and distribution of that flower pot. A "normal" plastic pot lasts for decades.

In theory just going organic is passe'. Think about the total "footprint" a product or practice makes. Footprints are important not only if you are green conscious footprints also equate to dollars. The larger the footprint the more dollars it costs you in the end. And who said greens and capitalists could no co-exist?

Downy Mildew a Permanent on Basil?

2010-06-26T04:33:00.000-07:00

It looks like something in nature has a thing about pesto and salad. Last year tomatoes were ruined in the east by late blight. Late blight turned up already this year in Louisiana and parts of Maryland. Growers had 1,000s of acres wiped out by the disease. Now the main component in pesto, basil, is under attack by a grayish fungus called downy mildew. Downy mildew often attacks squash and cucumbers along with many ornamentals. Now it has begun an assault on basil the mainstay of summer gardens around the U.S.

First signs of affliction include a band of yellow haze on the upper surface followed by small grayish black spores on the under side of the leaves. While not toxic to humans the mold is quite unsightly. Removing leaves infected in the home garden is the only well suited control. However on commercial farms this labor heavy activity is not practical.

The disease is currently spreading through New Jersey. Unfortunately sweet large leaf basil, the most popular variety, is most susceptible. Lesser known varieties like lime and lemon are not easily affected by the disease.

More information in the Washington Post

Japanese Beetles Ready to Attack

2010-06-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Sooner or later we knew it would happen. Summer is just a week away even though we have had glimpses of hot humid weather now and then since April. Plants got ahead of themselves by several weeks at the onset of April only to be put back in check by a hard dose of normal reality, a hard freeze. By the time May came to town the whole weather scenario seemed to even itself out. The early blooming in April did not extend into May. Finally what was supposed to bloom in May bloomed in May and the final frost date of May 15th came and went without cause. And now it is already the second week of June. I always thought time went faster as one got older for the simple reason that each passing year represents a smaller percentage of your total life. For a five year old one years is a whopping twenty percent of their existence. But at twenty years of age that percentage drops to five. For us midlife crisis sufferers? A year dwindles to a measly two percent of our existence when you hit fifty! But just ask a high school kid and they too are seeing time fly by.

Back to gardening, my intended topic. Mid June also announces the arrival of bug season. We see the crowds drift back to the bug juice section of our stores this month. May is spent in the plant departments. June is remedy month. Time to fix problems hitting the plants placed in the ground in April and May. The problems run the gamut of mildews, weeds, slugs, bugs and other thugs that can ravage a garden if left unchecked. Though the trend is towards organic and natural controls these products are still pesticides and deserve respect from the applicator. We in the garden industry cannot say it enough, "Always read and follow label instructions". I have been in the garden business for thirty years and I always read the application rates on the label for the simple reason that one label looks like every other after.

Of all the pests we will see this month the one with the most voracious appetite is the Japanese beetle. About the size of a dime and the color of a shiny copper penny, these beetles launch their attack on almost everything in the garden in mid June. The calling card of a Japanese beetle is a leaf surface decimated leaving only the skeletal appearance of its' veins behind. Preferring to munch in the sun beetles devour cannas, basil, birch trees, egg plant, potatoes and dozens of other ornamental species. Not to eat and run beetles lay eggs in our lawns by mid July that when hatched become those little milky white grubs that destroy lawn roots as fast as their parents ate your snapdragon leaves!

Controls for Japanese beetles that work well and quickly are few with organic controls being even fewer. Sevin, the maligned but effective, insecticide is still my first choice when beetles strike. Sevin kills beetles on contact and leaves behind a decent amount of residual control beetles that are sure to come around later. I have no problem hitting my tomato and pepper crop with Sevin for beetles. These are long term crops that are nowhere near ready for harvest in June. Basil, other herbs and leaf crops such as spinach and chard are a different matter. Sevin is not a good choice for these crops because they are ready to eat just as the beetles attack. The best mode of attack on these tender leaf crops is a combination of hand picking the bugs off and botanical sprays like pyrethrins and other plant made oils. Botanical controls like pyrethrins can be applied up to one day before harvest.

One way to prevent Japanese beetles from attacking in the first place is to apply Milky Spore to your lawn areas. Milky spore is Bacillus thuringensis, a natural pesticide, and stops grubs from maturing into adult beetles. When the grubs ingest Bt they stop eating and die within a few hours.

Milky Spore is best applied in a powder form. It takes two to three years to spread throughout the lawn but will remain effective for 15-20 years. Although the initial outlay is more than the cost of using Merit the long term cost is much lower.

Farmers Market in Philmont Opens Sunday June 13th

2010-06-09T07:16:00.001-07:00

What a great thing. farmers Market in Hudson on Saturday and another in nearby Phimont on Sunday. Philmont is an old mill town undergoing somewhat of a rebirth. Excellent irish pub in town as well as farm to table Restaurant Locall 111

Philmont Farmers Market info: http://www.hvfoodnetwork.com/profiles/blog/list?user=1z2n8xx6mugt6

Burpee Giving Out Free Veggies

2010-06-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

To promote their new line of quality veggie plants Burpee recently gave out free seedlings to commuters in Chicago. Here is the story from Garden Center News

http://www.lgrmag.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=sni&nid=20781

Conard Pyle Ceasing Most Operations Effective September 30

2010-06-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

Conard Pyle a PA. nursery long known for quality plant material has announced it will cease most operations in early fall. Famous for Star Roses and ornamental shrubs under the Star name, Conard will keep only its' rose division. Most of it's sales force will be terminated as well.

Their web site reads:

"Since our founding in 1897, The Conard-Pyle Co. has evolved from a retail mail order firm specializing in roses, to a wholesale container nursery. Today, we grow an extensive range of perennials, ground covers, grasses, woody ornamental plants and roses".

There is no information on their web site or in the media as of this morning regarding this news.

Organic Gardeners Now Exceed 10 Million According to Survey

2010-06-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

The green movement has hit mainstream with the number of gardeners exclusively using natural products in their gardens new exceeds 10 million. In fact the number has more than doubled since 2005. The article appears on the National Gardening Association web site.

What this means may not all be good news. It seems whenever a trend goes mainstream the knowledge base diminishes. I mean the more regular gardeners get GREEN the less the garden public collectively really knows or understands what they are doing. The lemming effect is what I call it. In theory there is not a major issue when millions are gardening naturally and not knowing why.

The problem comes in when marketers get hold of it,as they already have, and label everything remotely green as being green. The practice is called GREEN WASHING and is alive in many industries not just gardening..............................................

For more information read the article here: http://www.gardenresearch.com/index.php?q=show&id=2896

Albany Farmers Connected With Consumers Online in Albany County

2010-06-04T04:08:00.000-07:00

Farming goes hi tech....kind of. This is kind of a double edge sword. Farmers markets popping up all over are said to be bringing back the feeling of community. And they do that function well. Well now enter the digital age to the farm market scenario. Consumers in Albany County searching for fresh eggs, greens, corn etc can now, instead of searching out famers markets, log on to a new web site that connects farmers and consumers. Good idea......or a blow to the new weekly community gathering place.

This story is in the Albany TImes Union Friday June 4th:

No more standing in lines on sticky summer mornings at the farmers market just to get some local berries.


Mobile Alerts Get school closing alerts on your mobile device.

An Albany woman will bring the finest farm offerings from the Hilltowns to customers' laptops, so they can order honey, eggs, grass-fed beef, pork, poultry, seasonal produce and other products and have it delivered to their homes. Consider it the Amazon.com of local agriculture.

The Heldeberg Market opens its virtual doors today, with the first deliveries going out June 10, says Sarah Avery Gordon, the owner of the market who also runs an environmental consulting business in Albany.

"I've seen so many of the farms up in the Hilltowns shut down because they haven't had enough local sales and enough profits to keep their farms going, and it's really heartbreaking to see because some of these people have had these farms in their family for generations," said Gordon, who helped her father move sales of the grass-fed beef he produces at Gordon Farms in Berne online early this year with much success. "They're producing fresh, local, healthy food, and I want to see them be able to make a livelihood off of that."

Late Blight Moving Into Maryland

2010-06-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

First Louisiana and now Maryland gardens and greenhouses:

From industry trade publication Garden Center Magazine

Tomato plants in a St. Mary's County, Md., greenhouse found to be infected with late blight caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans have been destroyed. Some of the plants which had been planted in Charles County have also been destroyed.

Univ. of Md. extension plant pathologist Kate Everts reported that the grower who had the original outbreak did keep some high tunnel tomato production. Plants were found to have active sporulation on May 13 despite two fungicide applications.

Extension personnel have extensively monitored neighboring growing operations for additional infected sites and found none. The disease pathogen favors cool wet weather so the concern remains that it might spread to surrounding growing operations.

Commercial tomato growers in St. Mary's and Charles counties and in nearby counties are being advised to apply a protectant fungicide such as chlorothalonil, Gavel or mancozeb. Growers should also scout aggressively looking for late blight symptoms. Growers should submit samples of suspect plants to a university or commercial diagnostic lab.

Univ. of Md. pathologists are conducting studies to try to determine where the disease originated and how it was introduced into the grower's operation. The grower did not have any live plants that could have allowed the pathogen to overwinter. Officials are hoping that genotype information will provide some clues.

Heirloom Tomatoes at Adams Kingston New Arrivals

2010-06-02T08:21:00.001-07:00

Just received the following varieties of heirloom tomatoes at Adams Kingston location!

Park's Whopper: 4 inch fruit earlier than regular whopper, 65 days to maturity long harvest up until frost

Consuluto Fiorentino: Italian beefsteak type from Florence 12-16 oz. fruits good for fast sauces 75 days to maturity

Pantano: Italian type 12 oz or more fruit, beefsteak type 80 days to maturity, sweet juicy

Japanese Black trifele: potato like leaves, burgundy fruit 74 days to maturity

Mortgage Lifter: from the 1930's, a classic tasty tomato that paid off M.C. Byles mortgage! 8 oz 85 days to maturity

Garden Expo at Adams Kingston Store

2010-06-01T08:31:00.001-07:00

Join me Saturday July 31st for a Garden Expo day at Adams Fairacre Farms Kingston store. I will be speaking on Slugs Bugs and Other (Garden) Thugs.

This is the second Garden Expo at adams Kingston. Take a break from the summer heat and enjoy demonstrations from Scotts, Mark Adams Greenhouse and other garden industry experts

A "Tweet" From Your Potted Plants

2010-06-01T08:14:00.001-07:00

Have your potted plants Tweet you when they need water...............................

Yes it's true GEEKS have discovered gardening too

check these products out at thinkgeek

New Farmers/Gardeners Market in Gardiner?

2010-05-23T05:35:00.001-07:00

I really like this idea......not just a market for farmers but gardeners as well. Now you have no excuse for not having a home for excess squash, cherry tomatoes etc.

A group of Gardiner residents are starting a new farm market hosted by the Gardiner Library. The market will be every Friday from 4pm -8pm. We are looking for gardeners that may have more produce than they need or small farms that would like to join us. Even is you have more rhubarb than you ever need or too much garlic and only want to sell one thing let us know. It is fun to participate and share in the excitement of growing locally.
We also want to have workshops on growing,composting, cooking, preserving...and many other wonderful things about food..... so if you are passionate about one and would like to have a workshop at the market let us know.

Contact them through Hudson Valley Network www.hvfoodnetwork.com

Late Blight Strikes Again

2010-05-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

Disease is likely being introduced on infected transplants.................................

Here we go again folks! This time late blight is infecting gardens in the south. And again the culprit is INFECTED PLANTS from the source
from Garden Center News and LA. Agriculture dept:

Scientists at the Louisiana State University AgCenter recently confirmed the presence of late blight on tomatoes in home gardens in Terrebonne, Lafayette, Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes. Symptoms include black lesions on stems and petioles, blackening of the fruit, and dark, dead areas on the foliage.

"The disease is probably being introduced on infected transplants, so be sure to check tomato plants for symptoms before you buy them," said LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Don Ferrin.

Experts across the state are working to remedy this situation as quickly as they can, Ferrin said.

"I recommend that home gardeners remove and destroy any infected plants," he said. "Additionally, as a preventative measure, I suggest they spray their plants on a regular basis with fungicides such as chlorothalonil, mancozeb, copper or a combination of mancozeb plus copper."

When using the mixture of mancozeb and copper, allow it to sit for about 30 minutes before spraying and stir it frequently, he said, noting that chlorothalonil may be used up to and including the day of harvest, whereas mancozeb cannot be used within five days of harvest.

"Because these fungicides are protectants only, thorough spray coverage is essential for control," Ferrin said.

"A number of fungicides are available at garden centers," he said. "Be sure to read the label carefully to be sure the product is intended for use on tomatoes, and apply the material carefully according to label directions.

"Late blight also occurs on Irish potatoes, so home gardeners may also want to spray them as a preventative measure," Ferrin said. "Fungicide use rates for tomatoes may not be the same for Irish potatoes, so be sure to check the label.

"With any luck, the warm weather that we're now experiencing will slow disease development," he added.

Last year, late blight wiped out thousands of tomato plants in the Northeastern U.S. Late blight, Phytophthora infestans, is the fungus-like pathogen that causes lesions and eventual die-off in tomatoes, potatoes and other tomato-family plants. This disease can be highly contagious among susceptible plants, and gardeners need to take steps to identify the disease and prevent it from spreading.

Go Ahead Rub It In! BBQ Sauces, Rubs and Marinades Talk in Hudson June 25th

2010-05-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

Join me at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Hudson and learn how to make any thing on the grill taste better. From basic burgers to eggplant to fish any grilled fare s better with a little bit of forethought. Learn how to make killer signature BBQ sauces from all regions of the USA along with zesty marinades and powerful taste infusing rubs.

This outdoor BBQ presentation is scheuled for Friday evening June 26. The church is located at 8 Storm Avenue in Hudson at the corner of Rt 66. Stay tuned here or Golgl St. Mark's Hudson NY.

Relax....It's OK Not to Grow Every Kind of Everything

2010-05-17T07:18:00.001-07:00

There are forty varieties of basil grown for commercial/horticulture use. There are 40,000 registered varieties of daylilies and three thousand kinds of tulips.

I am clueless to the all the totals on thyme, oregano let alone tomatoes. All these differing fruits, vegetables and herbs is enough to drive someone mad and make them give up gardening.

I became a victim of the cooking craze. I read cook books and hardly ever used the information gleaned from them. Why? I looked at all the great recipes and said if I cannot do all of them then I will do none of them. Sound familiar? Have you ever looked at an overwhelming owners manual to a digital camera, computer program etc and just give up?

Don't worry it's OK to be hokey again! Just look at most You Tube videos to find out. I have four tomato plants in my garden.........all of them Early Girl. Ready in 60 days. A tried and true almost heirloom, I think the new term is mid-century modern for almost but not quite antique but not null either.

I grow one kind of basil, one kind of cucumber, one kind of egg plant and one kind of sweet pepper. The reason? I only own a half acre of land. I am the only one who really cares for the gardens, I have other things to do besides garden, and I love to garden! But most of all I realize it is impossible to grow all these new things that come along. This does not mean

I never grow new things or new old things. I just do them one at a time.

Now as for Chile peppers.....................that's a different story!

Round Up Resistant Weeds?

2010-05-10T05:31:00.001-07:00

This story from Hudson Valley Food Network about a story in the New York Times on "Super Weeds" that have become resistant to the world most popular herbicide: Round Up.

The Hudson Valley Food Network is an incredible source of information for local foodies. Super discussion groups and regular contributions from farmers, gardeners and locavores alike.

Mono-cultures on large factory farms have created not only super productive farm lands but super vulnerable land at the same time. I call it the steroid effect. As long as you keep taking them and do not get sick or interrupt the supply performance is incredible. But one mis-step or when time finally catches up to you the crash is fast and hard. The problem is not so much the permanent damage of the crash. Athletes make huge amounts of cash and fame so the risk is worth the crash in many cases on a material basis.

The premise is this: "I can win a gold medal in the Olympics, get the product endorsements and be stinking rich. When the steroid crash finally comes I may be out of a sports career but will still be stinking rich and doing the endorsement thing as long as I did not get caught taking 'roids".

Are we doing the same things on farms? Could mono-culture farm land with it's steroids, strong herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, be setting itself up for a crash? It seems so.

The answer is localism. Local food from local gardens and farms. Local meat products whether free range or not. Mergers and acquisitions in corporate America are said to make the company more competitive. If more competitive means stomping out the competition the long term effect is no different than the steroid effect. That is not competitive at all.

American exceptionalism has died. It can only be gotten back by starting again.... in our back yards again just like the first time.

Freeze Warning for Hudson Valley Tonight

2010-05-10T04:43:00.000-07:00

Yup it's true. Seven days after 85* weekend weather that felt like summer it is time to raise the warning flag again. For gardeners in the Hudson Valley Region of NY there is a freeze warning in place. Temps tonight are expected to go down to 25*. The warning is in effect from late tonight through 9AM Tuesday morning.

I was going to plant tomato, egg plant and peppers this weekend. But the cold rainy weather put and end to that. Good thing!

But let's put this all in perspective. It is May 9th. the average last frost date for this region is May 15th. Should we be surprised? Yes and no.

Yes because we hear constantly in the news about climate change, aka global warming, and just last week I heard on a major news outlet that the growing season in the north east has gotten 10 days longer due to this global climate warming change or whatever they want to call it this week. Really? No not true at all. If anything we have had later last frosts several times in this area the last several years. Freeze warnings have been issued around memorial Day quite often in recent years.Memorial Day is often two weeks later than the average last frost date of May 15th.

So do the numbers lie? I don't think so. It could be an old trick of manipulating the numbers. If you throw in all the extraordinary warm days that pop up in April and early May then you may come up with a few extra growing days. However a warm day in March or April does not a growing season make!

And no we should not be surprised by the freeze warning because after all it is still early May and Jack Frost is in no hurry to leave gardeners alone just yet.

Join Me at Mohonk Mountain House June 30th

2010-05-05T06:46:00.001-07:00

I have only been to Mohonk Mountain House once. It was in 1982 for a college field trip. I know all about their beautiful gardens for sure. It is just one of those places that is just out of my regular travel areas. Now I have a reason to go!

I will be speaking at Mohonk on Wednesday June 30th for Ulster County Cooperative Extension. They have an annual Mohonk Walk where guests tour the gardens and then get a tremendous lunch. I will be be speaking on one of my more popular talks "Slugs, Bugs, and Other Thugs" also known as how to diagnose, control and eliminate insects, diseases, and weeds from your garden and prevent them in the first place.

What makes this talk exciting is the combination of photographs showing affected plants, symptoms to look for, conditions that cause plant problems along with remedies both natural and synthetic. But I go a step further and tell you how to prevent the pest from showing up again or even in the first place.

As always my talks include personal humorous anecdotes at no extra charge!

For more information contact: Ulster County Cooperative Extension

Politics of Gardening

2010-05-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Politics of Food and Farming Discussion Series

These small group discussions will consider opportunities for and challenges to building "a just and sustainable food system," which is central to the mission of the PFP. In three thematic modules, we will critically explore key food and farming issues, as well as alternatives for transforming the food system. We are asking participants who sign up for a given module to commit to completing short weekly readings and attending all four sessions. (We hope to repeat these modules on an ongoing basis, so we encourage you to wait to participate in a given module if you know in advance that you will miss more than one session.)

Please register in advance by sending an email to foodpolitics@farmproject.org. Each module will be limited to 15 persons. For those that are able, we welcome a $10 suggested donation (students and low-income: $5) for each module.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Start Your Gardens

2010-04-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman Start Your Gardens

Welcome to May the craziest month in the garden business. Yes we had some teaser days in April and even a few dream days in March. Every spring has its' early warm spells which get sap flowing not only in maples but in our gardening bones as well. What seems to be happening though is the odd nice days in March and April are not just warm but WARM…..like June warm. Then the weather compensates shortly after by returning not to cold but COLD! At the end of the month the temps were actually normal after all when averaged across the whole month. It seems strange but if 15 days in April are 80* and the remaining 15 send the mercury up only to 30 the average temp for the month is……50*.

I am so glad I am not average.

I give upon April though. It seems every day is April Fool's Day. April has become a difficult time for gardeners. What used to be an early gravy month has become the month of starts and stops. June is now the month I count on for extra gardening days. If I were one who takes a late winter vacation to some place warm I would not go in March anymore but April. However April is gone and it is time to garden.

There are a lot of garden activities going on this month. I have joined an excellent online forum for gardeners and foodies alike. I think they are one and the same these days! Hudson Valley Food Network, hvfoodnetwork.com is home to local food lovers and gardeners alike. The site is a compendium of information and discussions on home farming and sourcing local food from field to table to mouth. For gardeners they have a list of seminars and events going on throughout the whole season.

May 5: Plant Division Workshop at SUNY Ulster from 10am to 12pm. The cost is five dollars person and pre registration is requested. registration form can be downloaded at http://www.cceulster.org/2010%20Division%20Workshops%20Brochure%20with%20Registration.pdf
May 15, June 5: Growing Your Own Organic Vegetable Garden in Woodstock from 1:30pm to 3:30pm at Pike Lane Bed and Breakfast- Woodstock, NY. Other classes at this bed and breakfast include gardening in raised beds, what where and when to plant as well as soil testing
May 16: Gardening for Bugs at Midsummer Farm in Warwick from 12:30pm to 2:30pm. Cost is $36 | registration closes 5/13/10. This class will teach participants how to garden to attract good bugs that eat bad bugs. A population of good bugs is essential to control bad bugs. Many pesticides do not know the difference between good and bad bugs. When good bugs are destroyed along with bad bugs it is the bad bugs who return the quickest. Midsummer farm is located at 156 East Ridge Road in Warwick. 845-986-9699 for further information

The list of local classes on Hudson Valley Food Network is quite extensive. In addition there are garden activities listed for the whole season.

Another extensive garden activities calendar is located at Hudson Valley Garden Calendar, hvgardencalendar.com This site lists strictly garden related activities from classes to tours to fund raisers. I was surprised and pleased to find out the author of the site included most if not all of the seminars held at Adams over the winter. A really cool addition to this site is the ability to add comments. For instance I would want to know about a garden tour in Westchester before leaving my home in Greene County some two hours to the north. Plenty of times in the past I have read about a so called "great festival" of some sort only to drive a long way and find nothing except a card table and two people selling radishes. Well not that bad but I am sure you get idea.

Some of the offerings for May:

Build A Planter Box: Twin Ponds Greenhouses, 2865 Albany Post Rd, Montgomery, NY 12549 on Friday May 7^th at 6Pm "Great workshop for Dads - bring a child to make a planter for Mom, just in time for Mother's Day. Practical advice on how to plant your box for growing success."

Springside plant sale Sat. May 8^th 10AM-3PM at Springside, 181 Academy Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12602

Proceeds benefit Springside Historic Landmark Restoration, a National Historic Landmark designed by Andrew Jackson Downing in 1850

Mother's Day Garden Talk May 9^th 12-4 PM at Olana state historic site on RT 9G just south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. The talk will feature a presentation on woodland plants & ferns with Bob Hyland from Loomis Creek Nursery.

For a change of pace try an herbal tea party. Visitors can enjoy an evening with Twin Ponds. Activities include games, drink some tea, and snack on herbal cookies. Share your experience with herbs. Twin Ponds Greenhouses, 2865 Albany Post Rd, Montgomery, NY 12549

Vassar College Farm and Ecological Preserve, Raymond & Hooker Aves, Poughkeepsie will be sponsoring a benefit for the Poughkeepsie farm Project n May 15^th from 9 AM to 3 PM. Visitors can learn more about the farm's food and education programs. For more information log on to farmproject.org

Vanderbilt Garden Tours at F.W. Vanderbilt National Historic Site, 119 Vanderbilt Park Rd, Hyde Park Tours will be conducted by garden interpreters highlighting the history of the garden, design and landscape elements and care and maintenance of the annuals, perennials, roses and shrubs. The volunteers at the Vanderbilt gardens are some of the most dedicated volunteers I have come across. They are frequent guests at our annual spring show.

Hand Bouquets of the 19^th Century, With Ellen McClelland Lesser, NYBG and Sogetsu School of Ikebana Fri, May 21 at 1:00PM - 4:00PM Olana State Historic Site, 5720 Rt 9G, Hudson.

This lecture and hands-on workshop will show you how to make your own hand bouquet or posy using correct materials in the proper style of the period. Participants must bring their favorite flower scissors/ knife

So there you have a few other garden chores to add to your list. These events are just the ones listed for May!

berkshire Botanical Garden Plant Sale May 7-9

2010-04-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Mom like plants? Better yet does mom like really cool gardens? The Berkshire Botanical Garden in nearby Stockbridge, MA is holding its' annual plant sale Mother's Day weekend.

What I find really cool about this botanical garden is its' lack or pretentiousness. This is a botanical garden whose "products" could be done by anyone at home. On the way over stop by and visit my friends at Ward's Nursery in Great Barrington.

Here is an excerpt from Berkshire Botanical garden's web site about the goings on at the plant sale:

May 7 8 a.m. – 11 a.m., members only 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., general public May 8 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., general public

At the two-day sale, gardeners can choose from thousands of plants, shrubs and bulbs, many of which are grown right at Berkshire Botanical. Members receive early buying privileges on Friday and a 10% discount throughout the weekend. New this year is a Garden Tag Sale offering pre-owned tools, pots and treasures.

Friday May 7; 1 PM will feature a special event talk and sale of rare plants with Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery at PM on Friday; $30, reservations required.

Garden Calendar for the Hudson Valley

2010-04-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

Looking for garden events/lectures to attend in the Hudson Valley? Check out Hudson Valley Garden Calendar chock full of garden realted events for the Hudson Valley region!

Hudson Valley iris and Daylily Society 2010 Events

2010-04-27T05:44:00.001-07:00

I have been lucky enough to meet the fine folks who are fanatic about daylilies, iris and gardening in general. A very friendly bunch always looking to share their knowledge with anyone who will listen. Here is a sampling of their event calendar for this year:

(Contact the club below for times and further information)

Bruce Baird and John Heimke are master iris growers and members of the Capital Hudson Iris Society. They will walk us through the process of preparing our irises for the annual Iris Show including selecting irises from your garden, transporting them to the show site, cleaning and tending them, and insuring they look their best when the judges come around and peer so intently at them. Marlboro Free Library May 2

14^th Annual AIS Affiliated HVIDS Judged Iris Show and Public Exhibition

Center Court, Poughkeepsie Galleria, Poughkeepsie, NY May 23

10^th Annual HVIDS Daylily Show & Public Exhibition

Center Court, Poughkeepsie Galleria. July 25

Iris Rhizome and Daylily Fan Sale, Adams Fairacre Farm

Route 44, Poughkeepsie, NY July 23

Iris Rhizome and Daylily Fan Sale

Center Court, Poughkeepsie Galleria Aug 14/15

Find out more about HVIDS happenings at the following ongoing web sites:

HVIDS web site - http://www.hvids.org

Garden Happenings - http://www.hvgardencalendar.com

Medical Cannabis Good for Garden Biz?

2010-04-26T14:19:00.001-07:00

This from an article in Garden Center magazine, a trade journal for the lawn and garden industry:

Cannabis good for garden centers in Montanna

And who said the garden business was dull?

Wholesome Cracker Spurs Home Farming Movement

2010-04-26T05:14:00.000-07:00

Say what you want about corporate green washing. In many cases green washing is a marketing crime. But can a major household brand name properly introduce and even encourage back yard farms across the nation. Consider that going it alone and attemptingto establish a brand name will cost you six million dollars. That is a lot of money with no promise of any ROI. Six million dollars can but a lot of plants, soil, and tools for a lot of community gardens

Enter Triscuits from Kraft. Triscuits, the much loved little wheat cracker is joining the home farming movement by enclosing plantable "cards" in Triscuit boxes. The cards have seeds already in them. Just place in the garden or a pot and water.

At first thought you may wonder what Kraft is up to. Are they using their name on a famous brand of cracker to say they are actually small town folks? I think not. I think the folks who get hooked on gardening, especially kids, are not going to buy more crackers. I think the promotion benefits both Kraft and future gardeners. Kraft gets some good PR, a lot of web site write ups already, the garden inudusry gets a plethora of new customers, and the new gardeners get wholesome homegrown food.

Here is some more information from Triscuits home farming web site:

In an attempt to help Americans celebrate the values of simple goodness found on farms and encourage the growing of fresh herbs and vegetables at home no matter where you live, Triscuit has launched the Home Farming Movement in collaboration with the non-profit organization Urban Framing. Together, Triscuit and Urban Farming plan to create 50 community-based home farms across the country in 2010 in order to connect communities through growing food together.

To help get this fantastic program off the ground, Triscuit is putting plantable herbs seed cards in four million boxes of Triscuit crackers to be grown on home farms in backyards and balconies. This spring proves ideal for incorporating home growing values into your family's life. Head to the Triscuit Home Farming Movement Web site, www.triscuit.com/homefarming, for more information on how you can start your own home farm or get involved in the Movement.

How I Plan to Spend Earth Day (Satirical)

2010-04-22T07:39:00.001-07:00

To celebrate Earth Day I am....Cranking up the AC with the windows open, turning my heat up to 85* tonight, driving to Stewart's twice..once for milk and again for bread.......
And then congratulate Green Peace, Sierra Club and the Almighty Scenic Hudson for saying nothing about the environmental damage caused by the government of Iceland's refusal to control emissions from volcanic eruptions within their borders

The Compassionate Gardener program at Catskill Animal Sanctuary

2010-04-21T12:16:00.001-07:00

From the Albany Times Union food blog:

The Catskill Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties will kick off its new Compassionate Cuisine cooking and gardening program with an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday (4/24). There will be vegetarian samples from newly hired chef Kevin Archer.

According to the CAS web site there will be Friday night take out available as well. One class is called five easy main courses and includes instructions of making;

Turnover with Mushroom Gravy

Stuffed Peppers

Portabella alla Puttanesca

Grilled and Glazed Tofu

Lasagna

This class runs from 10-4 on , May 1, June 6, July 17 and the cost is $60 each class ends with a meal on the CSA grounds

The next offering is Tempeh, Tofu, and Seitan. Dates:May 2, June 27, July 31 10 AM to 4 PM and the costs again is $60

Other classes in clude comfort foods, brunches, Italian and Indian cooking as well.

Only catch is each class is limited to 10 people, I suggest you register early at info@casanctuary.org or 845-336-8447.

The CAS is an outstanding organization in Saugerties, actually just above the Kingston Adams off 9W

Ralph Snodsmith

2010-04-18T05:25:00.001-07:00

Gardening legend Ralph Snodsmith has passed away. I have no other details other than a post on my facebook page and other information corroborating his passing. I knew Ralph my entire gardening career.

He will be issed.

on the hudson, ny
845-559-7892

Really Cool Volunteer Garden Helper Group

2010-04-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

It's called the Crop Mob. They are based in New York City and the concept is to get a group of gardeners or small farmers together and descend on farms in the metro NYC area to assist small farmers and urban community gardens with projects.

I joined with the hopes of getting this concept spreading throughout the Hudson Valley. I especially like the photos of a group setting up a large garden in Brooklyn with the Manhattan skyline in the background.

How to Make a Cold Frame

2010-04-13T05:05:00.001-07:00

Cold one again last night. And more cold (normal) weather predicted for the next few nights as well. With that in mind I have been fielding a lot of requests for cold frame construction.

Here are two good sites with excellent information on the subject as well as easy to follow plans.

Trust me if I can follow these plans anyone can!

Cold frames from PVC plastic pipe

Simple wood frame cold frame

I really like the simple wood frame one because it takes the hard work out of getting the slanting front done correctly!

Even More Bad Advice From a Box Store

2010-04-09T08:01:00.001-07:00

"Raised-bed gardening is the easiest way to grow flowers and vegetables. Instead of planting in the hard ground, you garden on top of the ground. Build a frame from wood or resin boards, and fill it with easy-to-plant, highly-nutritious soil. Raised-bed gardens allow you to plant intensively, require less weeding and watering"

This from a leading home improvement stores garden newsletter.

You garden on top of the ground: Wrong. Unless your bed is taller than 30 inches you are still gardening IN THE GROUND. Most raised beds are about a foot tall. This means that many plant roots are still finding their way INTO the ground beneath the bed. A raised bed filled with gorgeous fluffy soil that sits on chunky hard clay is a waste of money. Any raised bed needs to incorporate the existing soil to be successful. This simply means mixing to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, the gorgeous fluffy soil , with the poor soil. No doing so will result in your gorgeous fluffy soil floating away in the next round of heavy rain.

Allow you to plant intensively: Plants have no idea if they are being planted too close together in ground or on the ground. Fact is intensive planting, aka square foot gardening, results too often in overcrowding, drought starved plants.

Require less weeding: Ever see weeds grow in compost! They don't grow, they explode, just like tomatoes do in rich composty soil. Raised beds are not a deterrent to weeds. In fact raised beds often require more weeding earlier and later in the season because the sun warms raised beds before flat ground and keeps them warmer in the fall.

Less watering: Let's see now, warmer soil, nutrient rich soil and intensive planting. Since when does that mean less watering? There are steps you can take to reduce watering in any garden: Mulching, compost, soaker hoses, drip irrigation etc, but just because you have a raised bed does not reduce watering needs. In fact it increases the need for water.

I use raised beds because of back problems and soil problems. They do make gardening easier but not fool proof. Harvesting is easier. The growing season is up to 8 weeks longer when raised beds are combined with row covers or clear plastic. Those 8 extra weeks alone can mean more water use.

So there you have it. Urban Legends have invaded the garden world. It should not come as a surprise though. This home improvement center feels the need to hire outside bloggers to fill their garden content needs. What would you say if your local independent garden center hired outsiders to dispense vital information on tomatoes? Most horticulturists are not journalists as I am and may need to hire someone to put their thoughts and advice into words. That is ok. But to outsource the entire information flow on a subject you say you are an expert in?

Stick to lumber..............................

Simply Bad Advice

2010-04-09T06:39:00.001-07:00

"......... buy seedlings already in flower (and some with marble-size fruit). " This is the quote I found in my e-mail this morning from a big box store gardening newsletter. Needless to say the article was written by someone who does not work directly for the company and not a gardening expert. To tell customers to seek out tomato plants already in flower with marble size fruit in early April is absurd. Any tomato plant in flower now, unless in a very large container, is most likely pushed too hard, spindly and so stressed out at producing flowers it will not survive transplanting stress.

We still have potential of frost in the north east for another five weeks with an outside chance of frost for another seven weeks.

Yes tomato plants in four or six packs will be seen in stores wth flowers on them.......in late June when the prime planting season is over with.

Get those Seedlings Outside

2010-04-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

With the recent warm spell about to end I hope you have had your seedlings outside like I have. For almost a week two dozens Marjoram seedlings joined their leggy partners, Summer Savory on the the front walk. The front walk gets a good dose of morning sun until early afternoon. After that the fresh air bathes the seedlings until sundown. The only damage I have incurred was on my year old Lemon Lerbena. Lemon Verbena is a Mediterranean woody herb. Mine did not like a forty degree night last week and got some burnt leaves.

It is hard to know if we will continue to have above average temps. By Friday things are supposed to return to normal. However just in case growing weather stays around your seedlings will benefit from 1) the warm sun 2) fresh air 3) real light and 4) be ready to stay out should the weather remain conducive to growing.

Those seedlings and any potted plants placed outside will need a good feeding right about now. I am using a couple of new fertilizers from General Hydroponics. Both are organic, one formulated fore blooming the other for greening. Too early to tell how well they are working. Both are suited for container gardening and in ground gardens. I do not recommend them for recirculating systems as they are quite viscous and are almost certain to clog tubing.

So what do you have to lose? Nothing.....just remember to place tender plants like basil, bay etc on the porch on colder evenings and bring everything in when the weatherman calls for frost. On average we have a chance of frost for the next five weeks and a 30% chance of frost until Memorial Day.

More Dirt on Late Blight

2010-04-01T09:43:00.001-07:00

There continues to be a lot of confusing contradictory information on tomato blight circulating not just on garden blogs but at university web sites as well. Many are under the assumption that the 2009 strain of Phythoptera infestans, the fungus that causes late blight, is not the kind that over winters. However the University of Maryland in late 2009 felt there was a good chance it was a variety that can over winter. Meanwhile the University of Massachusetts feels that no strain of P. infestans that is capable of over wintering has been found in the Northeast. The University of Maryland counters this with a study showing that new exotic strains capable of over wintering have been found throughout the US as early as the 1990s. The past strains of P. infestans over wintered on potatoes left behind in the garden or fields. P. infestans in the past required live tissue in order to survive. It was always thought that if plant tissue froze the fungus died too. That may not be the case anymore. Sexual reproduction between two differing strains of P. infestans leads to over wintering spores of the fungus.

As to controlling disease in general in gardens solarization is a safe chemical free alternative. The longer you leave the plastic on the garden the "deeper" the sterilizations go into the soil. To get control deeper and quicker and not rely on erratic spring temperatures I suggest the following: solarize the soil undisturbed, no tilling, for several days. Then to hasten the results you can till lightly, say to a depth of 4-6 inches to bring up other potential spores. Replace the plastic and solarize again for several more days. It would seem better to till deeper than 6 inches in theory. But tilling too deep may actually bury spores that are in the top few inches of soil. Garden beds heavily mulched before winter may have pockets of earth that do not freeze. Another thing to consider is this: many gardeners till garden beds before winter sets in and then apply a heavy layer of mulch. At depths not that far down the earth does not freeze. Tilling, adding a layer of deep mulch and snowfall creates a deep layer of insulation bringing the "freeze free" zone that much closer to the surface.

As for fungicides to control late blight there is little that can be done. Some university Co-operative Extensions are recommending copper sulphate as a control. Copper sulphate as no effect on late blight. It does however control early blight and several other tomato diseases. Since early blight and late blight symptoms are easily confused copper sulphate can't hurt. Just don't feel mislead if leaves continue to brown in an accelerated fashion. Daconil, chlorotholanol, is an affective control but must be used at first signs of anything gone awry.

The best recommendation is to remove any plants that have late blight and not risk infecting others by attempting to treat late blight with fungicide sprays. Now back to the controversy!

Compost or not to compost plant debris? First off no diseased plants should ever be composted. I am not in the practice of composting tomatoes period. Everywhere I put compost that has had tomato debris in it I am rewarded with new baby volunteer tomato plants. While the common strain of P. infestans is killed off in freezing weather gardeners practicing hot composting have compost that may not freeze even in winter! A compost bin made from recycled dark colored plastic may warm enough from the winter to sun to keep the contents in the center of the bin from freezing. Again there is conflicting information on web sites about whether of not to compost diseased potato or tomato plants.

P. infeastans does spread IN tomato seed but can spread ON it.

So there is my take on the whole tomato blight issue. My control measures call for erring on the side of safety through deep soil solarization. The jury is still out as to what strain of P. infestans we had in 2009. Some universities say we have never had the exotic varieties capable of over wintering tin the northeast while others say we have had those around since the 1990's. Soil solarization at least will kill off weed seeds, other over wintering tomato disease and provides a good first line of defense.

Keep Off The Grass

2010-03-31T04:22:00.001-07:00

It has rained like the flood of Noah in some areas the last few days. The next few days will have bright sunny days and temps in the 70s to 80s. Cabin fever is certainly peeking right now. There will be a great urge to get outside and play in the dirt and grow some grass.

BUT WAIT A MINUTE (or a few dry days). If you have clay soil or low spots in your yard stay off the lawns and gardens. The worst thing to do in spring is try to garden in wet soil. The end is result is a soil strata starved of oxygen, compacted platelets and a garden that will not drain or grow anything.

However you can start seeds this week. Peppers and egg plant need to get started now. Tomatoes can wait until tax day.

Fwd: A Little Set Back in the Weather

2010-03-26T04:09:00.000-07:00

I really would not call it a set back but it is going to be cold Friday. Some areas will even see some snowfall at daybreak. Don't be alarmed this will not affect the bulbs popping up nor anything else. In fact it may even prolong maple sugaring awhile longer. This weekend is the last weekend for open houses at maple sugar houses across the state. Depending on where you are sugaring operations are opening the door to the public to see how maple syrup is made. Click here for the details Maple Syrup Weekend

The annual Capital District Flower show is this weekend at Hudson Valley Community College just south of Troy. $10 admission for adults but kids under 15 are free. Very large display of attractive gardens along with quite a large trade show with garden and outdoor related vendors. Very easy to get to as well. Just get off the 787 exit on the Thruway head north and get on I-90 East. Get off at Rt 4 exit and head North. From the east side of the river travel up the Taconic all the way to the end and look for Rt 9 then go to rt 4 North.

Lidia Bastianich wil be doing a book signing at Adams Poughkeepsie on Thursday March 31 from 6 to 8 PM. Plan on getting in line early as She sold over 200 books when she appeared at Adams Newburgh recently.

Early Spring Chores to Do his Week in The Hudson Valley (or Anywhere the Weather is Warming)

2010-03-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

First off get outside and turn that compost pile! After tossing debris on our pile all winter it is beginning to look like a landfill instead of a compost pile. Turning and loosening up the unfrozen top sever al inches will bring some of the pile still experiencing winter to the top. Amazing how well insulated the center of the pile is from this weeks warm spell.

Second jump ahead of henbit. Henbit is that awful spreading weed that runs rampant in cooler weather. It has a pretty blue flower but invades lawn areas and loves to creep over and under my raised beds and try to eradicate my strawberry bed. In lawn areas henbit can be eradicated by spraying with Bonide Weed Beater Ultra. Weed Beater Ultra is a tremendous product in that it can be used in temps as low as 45*, the same temp that henbit starts growing at!

Start sowing pepper seeds over the next week. Peppers are slow to get going and benefit from getting started now. Hold off on tomatoes unless you have a great big grow room or humongous south facing windows.

Mid March is an excellent time to take cuttings of herbs that survived indoors over the winter. Sage, Lavender, Tarragon and, Rosemary all are ripe for making new plants. Spreading herbs such as Thyme, Oregano Chamomile are also good items for DIVIDING into new plants.

Government Arresting Gardeners for Illegal Landscapes

2010-03-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

One would think with all the cutbacks in funding and impending budget crises everywhere there would no be enough thyme for such nonsense as this in California:

This couple in Las Angeles is being sued for removing a water eating lawn. Now I love lawns and defend their place in the landscape. But who am I or you for that matter to force someone to spend money to water a lawn they don't want.

Anyway spring is just around the corner and it is seed starting thyme!

Thyme to Think About Tomato Blight and Prepare for it Again

2010-03-05T07:11:00.001-08:00

The planting season is still a little ways away but with 50* temps in the offing there are some chores that can be started in the garden right now. Or at least begin to think about these projects. My garden is still frozen and the compost may not thaw out until May but I am determined to keep late blight out of my garden this year. Late blight, Phythoptera infestans, is the same blight that caused the Irish potato famine. In 2009 a perfect storm gathered on three fronts that brought about economic destruction for tomato growers and home gardeners alike. First front was the infected plants sold to mass retailers across the eastern Seaboard. The infected plants were then planted in home gardens and the fungus spread like wildfire. The fungus that causes late blight can travel forty miles.

The second front was the economy itself which brought record numbers of vegetables gardeners into the foray adding more launch sites for the fungus. The terrible economic conditions had people doing whatever they could come up with to save money. One way to save money is to grow your own food in the backyard. Spending a little money on seeds and plants goes a long way in returning dividends. My bet is that for every $100 one spends on seeds and plants yields several hundred dollars in food.

The third front is really two part. First organic gardening is huge. The trend is gardening is towards using fewer pesticides, natural fertilizers and plants from which seeds can saved and planted the following years .Organic gardening goes hand in hand with heirlooms, old fashioned varieties, that are supposedly better tasting and are not genetically modified (also known as GMO). Victory garden fever has returned, seed saving is a new trend that leads to perfect storm scenario. Heirloom tomatoes are more susceptible to late blight than some hybrid varieties.

There was also a tremendous amount of wrong information in the media about late blight last year. First off ,many newspapers and Internet sights,said that some farmers use copper sulphate on their tomato crops. This is true. copper sulphate, an organic fungicide, is used on tomato and other crops. However it is useless on blight. They may as well have said some farmers water their plants when dry. When this "sound bite" hit the gardening world the though was the answer to blight was copper sulphate because "that's what they said in the paper". And when it was learned that copper sulphate is organic that made the news sound even better. The only fungicide that is even close to being effective is chlorothalanol which goes by the trade name Daconil. However if not caught when the very first leaf shows signs of the disease that control is of little value.

So what do 50* temps and late blight have in common. Think of your car parked in the sun on a 50* day. Inside the temps rises to over 100*. This is a greenhouse effect. A similar technique can be used in your garden rid it of blight fungus from leftover plant debris or tomato seeds that fell to the ground. This technique is called solarization. Solarization "cooks" the top several inches of soil sterilizing it and making it free of troublesome weed seeds and the fungus that causes blight.

To solarize a section of your garden make sure there is ample moisture in the ground. This should not be a problem this year after the recent snowfall. Cover the garden area with clear plastic sheeting. The clear plastic sheeting will act as a greenhouse roof and trap warm air underneath. Seal the edges of the garden by placing timber, logs, stones etc all around the edge of the garden to prevent heat from escaping. After several days of 50* plus weather, actually 60* is ideal, your soil will have heated to temps in excess of 140* killing off many unwanted weed seeds as well as the fungus causing late blight. The benefit of solarization is that is uses no chemicals whatsoever.

I do not think we have seen the last of late blight. Cold weather does not kill off the fungus. A study of potato farmers in Michigan's upper peninsula showed the fungus over wintered well on potato debris that was left in the fields. Many tomato infected plants were sent directly to landfills last year. This leaves a great storehouse of fungus to spread yet again. Other gardeners simply tossed their diseased plants in the woods or left them in brush piles. This too provides a great breeding ground for the blight fungus. In addition the fungus can also pass on to future generations in the seed itself.

So there you have my forecast. I think it will be at least another two years before the blight is on it's way out. But one can take precautions to lessen the impact of late blight on this years' crop. Re-consider the varieties you grow this year. Radiator Charlie's, Mortgage Lifter and other old heirlooms carry on tradition, nostalgia, as well as taste into today's garden environment. However many old standby's are like a 1956 Chevy, nice to look at, but a lot of work. If you grow heirlooms this year be prepared to keep an extra eye out for yellowing leaves and prepare to act quickly.

The best word on tomato gardening I can give is know your source when buying plants. Locally grown plants are better for the local economy as well as the environment. There is much less energy used in transporting tomato seedlings from one part of the Hudson Valley to another as opposed to shipping them from Georgia. Also if there is a problem with local material the problem stays local.

Perhaps there is a silver lining to last tomato blight's devastation of 2009. Globilization now makes it easy to get exotic products quickly and cheaply. Globalization also makes it very easy to spread illness around the globe in a matter of hours. Think how quickly the SARS virus spread from Hong Kong to Toronto. If you have never gotten ill from a virus that traveled the world you may not think twice. But last year hardly a gardener I know had many tomatoes. All this from a fungus shipped from single greenhouse in Georgia. Blight hit home last year. Had those tomatoes never been shipped from Georgia the outbreak would have been much smaller or may not have occurred at all.

Buy local, eat local grow local. It's better for all of us.

Garden Police Now Targeting Hydroponic Shops Down Under

2010-03-03T05:52:00.001-08:00

Police in Australia are requiring background checks on employees at hydroponic shops. They have not said if they are documenting employees at garden center which sell seed starting equipment and "regular" grow lights.......yet. This is something to keep an eye on. I can see in the future if you live at 420 High Street and have an herb garden in the basement Big Brother will have their eyes on you.

All this scrutiny comes under the guise of "you MAY be up to something". It is now becoming more common for one to prove their innocence instead of the plaintiff proving your guilt. This gives unfair advantage to the plaintiff which is the government with unlimited resources to harass the public.

This is especially concerning because this scrutiny is now being placed on gardeners through regulating water usage and what one can plant, must plant and may not grow in their homes.

New laws have taken effect in South Australia aimed at cracking down on hydroponic cannabis crops.

The legislation targets sellers of hydroponic equipment, with staff required to submit to character checks.

Police Minister Michael Wright says people who cultivate cannabis are the target, including bike gang members.

"The new laws are an Australian first. From today, well there'll be a transitional period of three months but you'll need to apply to the Police Commissioner for a licence to operate," he said.

"In part it is certainly aimed at bike gangs because the evidence is there that they are involved in the hydroponic cultivation of large quantities of cannabis.

As Organic Gardening Goes Mainstream, Snake Oil and Myths Return as Urban Legends Invade the Gardening World

2010-02-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

As Organic Gardening Goes Mainstream, Snake Oil and Myths Return as Urban Legends Invade the Gardening World

Looking back over the last twenty five years of my career as a green thumb I now firmly believe history repeats itself. While the new rage is all about organic gardening, sustainability and going local it is really nothing new at all. Organic gardening and farming was the way everyone gardened before synthetic fertilizers and pesticides were developed. Homemade concoctions of bug juice, varying formulas and methods of making compost were in every back yard in America. As for shopping local everyone did that as little as thirty years ago. I grew up in Hyde Park and if you came across someone who lived by the Taconic Parkway they were always greeted with "You live all the way out there?" "Out there" was only eight miles from the village of Hyde Park. So why all the fuss about what was a way of life just a few decades ago? I have also learned that the only thing we as a society have learned from history is that we learn nothing from history.

Organic gardening going mainstream has done a lot of good for the legitimacy of the organic movement. When a movement or trend builds up enough steam and goes center stage there is an immediate benefit. Providers of such products make huge sums of money as new markets emerge. As well, the fly by nights drop like flies unable to compete more savvy marketers.

However the door is opened to new a host of new fly by nights riding the coat tails of a movement gone mainstream. Just watch the infomercials for nutritional supplements if you don't believe this.
Gardening is not immune to snake oil, urban legends, and sheisters either.
Here is just a small list of urban legends invading our gardens:

#1 Although peat moss does acidify alkaline garden soil, this garden amendment is not environmentally friendly: Nothing could further from the truth. Peat bogs are dense deep storehouses of peat moss. Bogs are continuously renewing themselves faster than we can remove the peat. So dense are the bogs in fact that less than two inches of peat are removed from an average each season for the end use in our gardens.

#2 Termites are being transported from Katrina areas in mulch made from the wooden debris: Mulch in bags has been shredded. The resulting shredded product is not an environment favorable to termites to live in.
# 3 Some believe plants, which grow above ground, should always be planted in the morning.
Wrong again. And equally wrong is planting by the cycle of the moon thinking that gravitational pull of a full moon inhibits plants that grow below ground from growing properly. First off a full moon does not last long enough to have any effect on the germination of a seed. By the time the seed germinates the moon has most likely changed phases and any effect of gravity has been nullified. Radishes, beets, potatoes etc will not grow above ground when planted on a full moon. In addition every 28 days when a full moon returns, potatoes, radishes and beets are not suddenly lying upon the ground being pulled out by the moon's gravitational forces. While the moon has an affect on tides it will not harvest your root crops prematurely.

#4 Potatoes should always be planted on Good Friday:
Good Friday can be as early as mid March or as late as mid April. Just as there is no logical correlation between the resurrection and Easter there is no logic to planting potatoes on a date which can vary by as much as four weeks as well as straddle late winter and early spring.

#5 Compost tea is beneficial to plants: New research shows that while compost is safe compost tea is not. Horticultural researcher Jeff Gilman showed in a study that compost tea is full of bacteria that is actually harmful to plant growth. This makes sense in the fact that there are a lot of germs and bacteria in compost that when mixed with water degrade and spoil. Kind of like curdled milk.

#6 Mychorrizae stimulates root growth and nutrient uptake: A new urban legend. Mychorrizae are naturally occurring fungi in forest soils. They are now added to planting mixes and fertilizers as a root stimulating product. The theory is that the Mychorrizae colonize on root hairs and begin linking to other root hairs thus creating a spider web like apparatus. Supposedly this web provides increased surface area for absorption of water and nutrients. Turns out this is not true. In addition, mychorrizae degrade quickly when packaged in commercial formulations.

These are just a few of the new urban legends invading the garden world. Many of these are being incorporated into organic garden products.

The hydroponic world is full of high priced nutrient supplements whose claims would embarrass P.T. Barnum For instance what would you think about spending thirty dollars for a pint of something that claims to improve how plants use light by 60%? The placebo effect is alive and well in the garden world as well

What is not an urban legend but a legitimate local legend are Adams Garden Shows. Adams Poughkeepsie Garden Show is this weekend while Kingston and Newburgh are the following weekend. To complement the garden shows Adams will hold their second annual Food show the first weekend in March!

Compost Marketing Seminar in March

2010-02-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

I just received this information about compost marketing. Very interesting idea since gardeners have a sense of what compost is but always ask what is it when it comes in a bag, or is available by the truck load. Keep in mind that very batch of compost is different especially when done at home! Maybe not intended for the home composter but hey who knows when you or I may be the next "google" of the garden world................

Making Your Compost Product Work for You!

FREE Compost Marketing Workshop/Field Day

Millerton, New York

Sponsored by the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc., New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, SUNY Cobleskill, and Cornell Waste Management Institute

Whether selling compost is your primary business or a side business, this workshop is for you! The workshop will provide marketing insights and sales techniques, including technical information on compost applications and benefits, feedstocks, quality standards, and marketing principles. Learn how to develop a marketing plan for your compost operation, how to position your product, the ins-and-outs of compost market segments, bulk sales vs. bagged, distribution strategies, and making money on tipping fees. Sales strategies will also be covered, including sales points, using social media and new media techniques, branding, and customer education tips.

The workshop is free, but all attendees must register in advance. To register or find out more information, contact Athena Lee Bradley at 802.254.3636 or by email at athena@nerc.org. Lunch provided.

When: Tuesday, March 30 from 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Where: McEnroe Organics
5409 Rte 22

Millerton, New York

Presenters:

Jean Bonhotal, Associate Director

Cornell Waste Management Institute

http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/

Athena Lee Bradley

Northeast Recycling Council

www.nerc.org

Ray McEnroe

McEnroe Organics

http://www.mcenroeorganicfarm.com/

Funding for the workshops is from the Northeast SARE (Sustainable Agriculture, Research, and Education).

Schools Being Told To Make Kids Eat Better? That's a Parents Job!

2010-02-15T06:29:00.001-08:00

What really got me thinking was a recent post on Garden Rant which brought up the subject of veggies in school lunches. One contributor wrote that NYS apples were now part of the daily lunch program but half of them ended up in the trash. Yet the trend continues to get schools to FORCE kids to eat healthy.

I have a problem with schools being FORCED to play parental roles. Proper eating habits begin at home. If you want kids to eat their veggies feed them veggies at home. Reinforce this fact at school with nutritional education and perhaps a garden in the school yard.
What a concept! Indoctrinate our kids at home to eat better by growing their food in the back yard. We always forget that kids want to help and want to learn. Look at the smiling faces of kids when they finish a painting, building something out of clay etc. Imagine the joy of kids planting seeds, nurturing a young plant and then reaping the rewards.
I use the word indoctrinate kind of tongue in cheek. But that is what passes on family tradition, morals, and eating habits. Indoctrination is not a bad word! Kids do what their parents do. Use a certain naughty word around the house your kids will too. Our kids still look at us parents for their guidance and we are their role models. If we act as role models that is.
You want healthier kids: grow veggies with them
You want your kids to eat well: you eat well
You want lower health care costs: eat veggies with your kids

Soon......Very Soon

2010-02-04T17:00:00.001-08:00

Ready, Set, Sow : Almost Time to Plant Seeds
By Greg Draiss

Welcome to the last half of winter. When March arrives it can be a transitional month in the weather department should the snow pack melt and warm winds caress the region. March madness strikes all of us not just basketball fans. Everybody is madly Irish on the 17th. I am mad that I am getting closer to the dreaded 50 and my promised mid life crisis that will accompany it. Even though I have two years yet to go. And gardeners grow mad with from cabin fever by replacing it with spring fever.

The earliest gardening creeps into the calendar is old wive's tale number 386 subsection A: Sow pea seeds on St. Patrick's Day. Did one ever consider from what part of the North American Continent this old wife resided? Perhaps closer to the Mason Dixon Line one could get away with sowing peas on St. Patrick's Day. One look out the window tells me the only seeds we will sowing on St. Patrick's Day are seeds of hope (that the mercury will rise above 50* soon) and seeds of despair (quite often it snows one last blast between March 1 and the April Showers). At any rate the only thing going in my garden hope chest right now is the fact I hope my back holds out long enough to build six more raised beds this spring.

The above dire warnings and pessimism should not keep the gardener from planning. For there are some seeds that need to get started soon indoors. Seeds have five simple requirements in order to reward us at a later date: a container, soil, water, light, and heat. Seeds are fussy about most of these requirements. However, we have better control over all these needs indoors than relying on fickle Mother Nature to dole out these needs even keeled.

For a real local take on seeds visit seedlibrary.org. Here gardeners can "borrow"
seed from the library, grow them, then harvest the vegetables or herbs. The neat part is the library asks that you dry the seeds and return them to the library for someone else to do the same next year. The theory is that over several seasons these seeds develop traits that make hem thrive in the Hudson Valley! Makes sense to me. I believe in creation not evolution but I do know for a fact that plants, and animals adapt to the regions they live in. This adaptation theory is especially easy to understand for plants since annuals sprout, flower and produce seed all in one season making their survival in the future dependant on adapting to the environment very quickly.

Containers for seeds can be anything that hold soil and has adequate drainage. Egg cartons especially the cardboard kind are perfect. The "cups" can usually be planted right into the garden since they will break down. The lids on egg cartons are a great way to control moisture and warmth until germination takes place. For kids egg cartons are great. For smaller seed starting projects yogurt cups and foam coffee cups are perfect vessels. The trick for using these is turn them upside down cut out the bottoms and poke small drainage holes in the lids. Inverted coffee and yogurt containers are great for small hands since and upside down cup is less likely to fall over.

Instead of adding more plastic to the waste stream traditional seed four packs and six packs that fit into standard growers flats are also made from compressed peat moss. When ready to go into the garden the whole cup or cell is planted into the garden. Over time the peat cup bio-degrades and becomes part of the soil. The added benefit is there is no shock to the root system.

Soil is a complex and personal issue with many gardeners. Old time gardeners for years got away with using soil straight from the garden. Garden soil though rich in nutrients is also heavy. Experienced gardens take this into consideration and watered accordingly. For most gardeners heavy soil from outdoors is not suited for seed starting. Professional or light weight soil mixes now account for over 90% of sales for indoor or container use. They are blends of peat moss, perlite and vermiculite. All natural materials in abundant supply they work together to supply the right mix of air, and water holding capacity. There are many brands on the market and most are suitable for all growing needs. There are now certified organic soils free of chemical fertilizers.

Moisture is needed not only for seedlings to uptake nutrients but also to break down their protective seed coat or shell. Moisture works in combination with soil temperature to soften the seed coat in order for the cotyledons and initial roots to burst forth and begin growing. Again controlling moisture levels in soil is critical for seedling success. A very good way to get the right moisture level in the seed bed is to pre-moisten your soil mix. When moisture level is adequate you should be able to squeeze a handful of soil in your hand and form a small ball or clump. Soil that is too dry will not hold together in a clump. Soil that is too wet will ooze like a running faucet. A few drops are ok. Another benefit of pre-moistening the soil is the fact that seeds will not be disturbed by a blast of water from a watering can. Also most of the excess air pockets are removed and thus the soil will not settle to the bottom of the container.

When the pre-moistened soil is in the containers it is now time to sow seeds Place seeds that grow with singles stems 2-3 seeds per cell or container. Plants that grow with multiple stems (chives, alyssum, parsley etc) sow as many as you like into the container. Multiple stem, or spreading plants do not need to be separated.

After sowing seeds label the container or tray with the date, seed type, and approx days or date of germination. This practice will help you keep track of what you planted when and how well the seeds are progressing. Then place the containers on top of a warm spot. Refrigerators, water heaters and good old fashioned radiators serve as excellent sources of bottom heat. If none of these are available purchase a heat mat suited for seed starting. A soil temperature of approximately 70-75*F is needed for germinating seeds.

Light becomes a factor only after germination. In fact most seeds do not require any light germinate.
As soon as seeds germinate it is important to remove them form the warm bottom heat and place them in bright light. At this time it is also important for seedlings to be in a cooler environment. Too warm a temperature and seedlings will stretch and become spindly. Cool temperatures around 60* keep the young plants short and stocky.

Many potting mixes today contain fertilizers so feeding new seedlings need not be done until planting out time. Any general purpose fertilizer will help new seedlings grow well.

May 15th is the average last frost date for the Mid Hudson Valley. This date is important for seed starting because it determines the timing of starting seeds indoors. On the back of seed packs there will be instructions as to when to start seeds indoors. Often the timing will say "start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last frost date in your area". Since the last frost date in our area is May 15th. Four to six weeks before that date would be April 1st to 15th. Start seeds before that date and you run the risk of having plants outgrow their surroundings and become leggy. Start seeds too long after the suggest date and your plants may not have enough time to grow and produce the flowers or vegetables you worked so hard on.

With My Apologies!

2010-01-22T09:32:00.001-08:00

I just realized it has been awhile since I posted anything about gardening! I have been in the process of moving 25 years worth of accumulations from my Poughkeepsie office to my new digs in Kingston. In the process half of my old office is in my car co-mingled with my new office.

That has brought up some interesting scenarios when I checked my desk calendar to see where I am supposed to be to do a garden seminar. Imagine my shock when the calendar was blank. I had checked my new calendar instead of the old one I was still using!

So not so fast with out with the old and in with with the new. Though I have yet to make a mistake writing out checks in 2010 I am still working somewhat in 2009.

Good gardening

Greg

Adams Seminars Kick Into High Gear This Weekend!

2010-01-06T08:01:00.001-08:00

Looking for a reason to get out of the cold? Adams several for you this Saturday and Sunday.

Adams Country School kicks into high gear with cooking and gardening classes. The Culinary Institute of America will be doing a cooking demonstration at 1PM at Adams Poughkeepsie location Saturday January 9th. As part of celebrating The CIA demos Adams and the CIA have teamed up to offer special discounts on the CIA's famous "Boot Camp" cooking events.

The CIA will also be a doing a special cooking demo at Adams Newburgh on Saturday Jan 9th as well at 1PM

I will be doing the ever popular Attracting and Feeding Wild Birds at Adams Kingston store on Saturday Jan 9th at 1PM. Learn through slides how to identify dozens of popular species of birds you can attract to your back yard. Learn what seed attracts what kinds of birds as well as what feeder styles work best for small and large birds alike.

While squirrels need to eat too they can damage if not destroy your feeder investment. You can "baffle" squirrels and keep them out of your feeding stations!

Finally, if you are looking for something to do this evening, Wed Jan 6th, I will be conducting a seminar on composting. With the trend to fewer landfills, much of what we throw out can be recycled into wonderfully rich soil. Learn how to build your own compost bins, and how to make compost tonight.

Good gardening

Semianrs Begin this Weekend!

2009-12-28T15:51:00.001-08:00

As 2009 comes to a close I wish everyone a Happy New Year. Our winter seminar series starts this Saturday Jan 2 with Attracting and Feeding Wild Birds at 1 PM in Poughkeepsie.

In addition I am pleased to announce that all five photos I submitted were accepted to the Catskill Mountain Foundation members show opening Jan 16th in Hunter, NY

the night before xmas

2009-12-24T08:42:00.001-08:00

T' was the night Before Christmas

And all through the House

Not a Palozzi was stirring

Charlie Rangall was home with his spouse

So off to the Senate

For the vote on a bill

While called health care reform

Has many Americans ill

For such legislation the most monumentous in the land

I did not see claiming victory a Schumer or a Gillibrand

What did I see about a 1/4 past four?

Sarah Palin finishing up her book signing tour.

That's not all she's done since leaving Alaska

She seeks a new home

With free Medicaid perhaps in Nebraska

Or maybe Louisiana with it's gumbo bright vermilion

Can I have another bowl lease for my three hundred million?

Now what about Connecticut with the most millionaires?

Though I find it quite odd

Your vote sold for 100 million

What's up with that Senator Dodd?

Northward to Canada, to Europe and another

Examples of health care provided by Mother

If a government plan works

Let it be run not by ours

Let's hire another

On Mc Cain, On Snow

On Leieberman, Reid and all

Come next November

Dash Away, Dash Away Dash Away all!

Lighthouse Navigation
kayak/canoe sales and rentals
athens on the hudson, ny
845-559-7892

New Year Bringing New Opportunities

2009-12-21T08:25:00.001-08:00

It is with great anticipation and some trepidation I write this year end (almost year end) post.

I guess it is best to start from the beginning 25 years ago when I walked into Adams and filled out a job application for a position unloading trucks in the nursery. The plan was to bide my time until gardening season started and then start my own landscaping business.

I did get the job unloading trucks in the nursery but never started my own landscape business. Within weeks of starting in the nursery the long time dept. manager of the garden center announced he was leaving. I was offered the position willingly accepted and the rest is history.

I have enjoyed being your gardening, bird feeding, BBQ-ing, hydroponic guru for the past 25 years. I have seen many generations of gardeners excel in growing beautiful gardens during this time and feel honored for this privilege. It has been a very good thing indeed.

But we all know the saying that "all good things must ( I prefer to say will) come to an end". As 2010 dawns and unfolds before us I will no longer be your garden guru. Opportunities come and go fewer and farther between in the gardening field these days. The days of youth come and go even quicker when you hit the late 40's too! I have had many opportunities cross my path in the last 25 years that while tempting, were not tempting enough. This one however is one not to be missed.

I will not be leaving Adams however. I will be nurturing a newly created position of Lawn and Garden Buyer for all Adams locations.

With today's market place so keen and moving forward difficult at best it became apparent to us that at the store level our garden managers were wearing too many hats. That ispart of our unique corpoarte culture which allows managers in each dept. to take an ownership role when it comes to product selection, display, pricing etc. This accompanied with hiring, training, selling scheduling etc beacame overwhelming limiting how well we wore each hat. With fewer hats hats to wear each of us will now be able to concentrate on wearing one hat well instead of several hats and end up with mussed up hair.

The transistion will take several months and I will still be doing my slate of 15 seminars this winter. So while all good things must come to an end no one ever said that better things will not arise.

I will still be writing my blogs and colums for the newspapers. I will now have more time for my garden(s) providing Sam does not stake his land claim before I do. I will now also be able to spend more time doing photography and participating in exhibits and art shows. I plan on attendning the many framers markets I have missed on the weekends perhaps selling some herbs at a few as well.

I scincerely thank all of you for making me part of your gardening experience for almost three decades. I have learned much from of all you and in return, if you learned a small fraction as much from me, I will consider my job well done.

Make sure you stay in contact on my blogs and in the papers.

Good Gardening and Happy New Year

Greg Draiss

Greg's Gardening Seminars for 2010

2009-12-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

Here is my seminar schedule for Jan/Feb 2010:

Sat Jan. 2 1 PM: Adams Pok: How to Attract and Feed Wild Birds

Sat Jan 9 1 PM: Adams Kingston: How to Attract and Feed Wild Birds

Sat Jan 16th 1PM Adams Pok: Herb Gardening

Sat Jan 23rd 1 PM Adams Newburgh: How to Attract and Feed Wild Birds

Sat Jan 30th 1PM Adams Pok: Home Hydroponics

Sat Feb 6th 1PM Adams Pok: Seed Starting

Wed Feb 10th 6PM Adams Pok: Slugs Bugs and other Thugs

Wed Feb 17th 6PM Adams Kingston: Home Hydroponics

Sat Feb 20th 1PM Adams Pok: Composting

Sat Feb 27th 1 PM Adams Newburgh Home Hydroponics

Don't forget these are just the seminars I am doing! There will be more than 40 other seminars going on throughout Jan/Feb 2010. Chances are I will be doing several more if there is space open on the calendar. As well our annual Spring Garden Show offers up some fabulous gardening classes as well.

Debunking The Poisonous Poinsettia

2009-12-15T09:48:00.001-08:00

Millions of poinsettias are purchased each year as a celebration of the Christmas holiday. Nothing says "holiday" like a bright red poinsettia. They make excellent gifts for the host of the holiday dinner. As well they grace many entrances to commercial establishments as well. The poinsettias history is steeped in mystery and a little trickery. Poinsettias colorful show are not flowers but colored leaves called bracts. In fact the flower itself is not very showy at all. Poinsettias also are not supposed to "bloom" this time of year. They are coaxed into turning colors by controlling the amount of light they receive. To further add to the intrigue it turns out that poinsettias are not poisonous at all. So where did this colorful harbinger of the holidays come from and how did it gets its' shady reputation?

Poinsettias are native to an area in Mexico known as Taxco del Alarcon. Aztecs put this plant to practical use using it for dyes and medicinal purposes. Its milky white sap was used in a formulation to treat fevers. Joel Roberts Poinsett an early ambassador to Mexico discovered this plant growing in Mexico and brought it back to his hot house in South Carolina. Poinsett then began making cuttings and giving them to his friends. He later founded the Smithsonian Institution. Without Poinsetts' interest in the plant Poinsettias would be but a biological oddity to us in the temperate regions of the world.

Until recently poinsettias were considered poisonous. As late as 1995 some 66% of people surveyed still believed the plant to be toxic. This urban legend began some 80 years earlier when a doctor believed the death of an Army officers' 2 year old child to be caused by ingestion of poinsettias leaves. According to POISINDEX, a child would have to eat 500-600 leaves to even get an upset stomach. Further complicating the chance of this happening is that the sticky milky sap gives off a terrible taste making even eating a few leaves unlikely.

Caring for a poinsettia is much easier than dispelling its shady past. Poinsettias like bright warm rooms with no drafts. Watering needs be done only when dry to the touch on the surface of the soil. To prolong the beautiful colors keep temps between 60*F and 72*F. It is possible, with a little care, to get your poinsettia blooming again for next Christmas. After colors fade in February cut stems back to 8 inches. Hold off on fertilizing until July. At this time it may be necessary to repot it into a pot a little larger. Poinsettias do well outside in light shade providing night time temps stay above 50*F. When the dog days of August strike cut stems back leaving only three leaves per shoot. From September 20^th thru December first Poinsettias must be in the dark from 5PM to 8AM the next day. It is very important to follow this schedule in order to get the colors back on the bracts.

Poinsettias official name is Euphorbia pulcherrima. Today there are myriads of styles and colors.

The new rage is "painted" poinsettias where the leaves are hand painted bright colors. Red though still popular often gives way to white; burgundy and even yellow bract varieties. A multicolored bract variety is named after the painter Monet because of the color patterns.

Beating the Winter Blues

2009-12-03T04:10:00.001-08:00

The onset of autumn is a feast to the gardeners' eyes. Although we try hard to have colorful gardens for the entire growing season nature always socks it to us wit the blast of brilliant fall colors. It is almost as if nature gives it to us two ways. First with the palette of colors and the warning that goes with it that winter is just around the corner. Gardeners

generally have had little to look forward to over the long dark nights of winter. I sometimes wish I could hibernate along with the bears and wake up just in time for the snow drops to bloom. Imagine a nice long winter's nap just and not being woken by Santa on the rooftop! But alas we must endure until spring just hoping our green thumbs do not turn brown in the meantime. I will try in the next few paragraphs to ease our lament even if only a little bit.

Get educated this winter! I often find the best way to handle not being able to do something is to learn more about what it is you can't do. I love to BBQ. Nothing sets my juices flowing like getting on the grill and cooking up a storm. Well when there is a storm blowing outside in January it is a little hard to grill, especially at night. So I will cuddle up in bed or on the couch with any one of my ten books on the subject of outdoor cooking.

Winter is a great time to learn more about gardening as well. Local book stores will have on prime display books on gardening shortly after the New Year. They too seem to know about the let down that ensues after the last New Years' eve toast is done. The Super Bowl is still a month away and not everyone like football. A cup of coffee and a comfy book store chair make for a fine learning experience.

A better way to learn about gardening in the depths of winter is to attend seminars at local nurseries and garden centers. After why suffer the winter blues alone when you could share it with fellow gardeners for an hour or two on a Saturday afternoon. Not to mention the free refreshments often served as well.

Adams Fairacre Farms three locations offer gardening and cooking seminars from January through early March. Many of the gardening classes include organic methods or at least the least intrusive way of doing things in the garden. One seminar I teach there is entitled Organic Gardening. This class delves not only into organic methods but the logic and laws behind labeling of organic products.

The Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA offers classes on an ongoing basis throughout much of the year. They are also offering a horticulture certificate program in conjunction with the Mass. College of Liberal Arts. Classes run all winter long and include Ecology for Gardeners, Landscape Design and Botany for Gardeners. For more information visit their web site berkshirebotanical.org

The New York Botanical Garden offers classes this winter in Horticultural Therapy, general gardening, Garden Writing and Photography and Landscape Design. Their web site claims an offering of over 900 classes throughout the year. Their web site is nybg.org.

My favorite winter time gardening activity is actually an offshoot but closely related outdoor activity. Watching and feeding wild birds. In fact bird feeding and watching is second only to gardening as America's number one outdoor passive activity. I am not sure who it was that coined gardening as passive but that is where gardening is placed in reference to outdoor activities.

Bird watching and feeding can actually be separated into two very distinct categories. For instance bird watchers think nothing of going down to the shores of the Hudson River on Christmas Day and counting the different species of birds flying over the sometimes frozen river. Let's face it even if Christmas day arrives and the temps are above normal it is still cold and windy down by the river. Bird watchers will also think little of hopping on a plane to Costa Rica and trudge through the jungles for a chance to add to their "life list". A life list to a bird watcher is a written documentation of how many species they have seen or heard throughout their bird watching adventures.

Bird watchers seldom are bird feeders. They will spend hundreds on a new spotting scope but not a dollar on bird seed.

Bird feeders on the other hand are content to spend Christmas Day inside around the tree and watch birds at their feeding stations. This while staying warm and cozy. In exchange for staying warm during the winter many bird feeders fork over $15 to Cornell University to in "Project Feeder Watch". This program has "bird watchers" taking a tally of birds at feeding stations and sending the collected data to the Ornithology Dept. at Cornell.

Now there is a marketing scheme waiting to be hatched. In a sense of brotherhood and camaraderie why doesn't someone build a small bird watchers' hut and take it down to the Hudson and offer the bird counters a warm place to observe from. And lets' say they charge $15 and send it off to Cornell? Bird feeders are the backbone of the bird feeding industry. Bird feeders will come out to my bird feeding seminar on a cold Saturday in January. As well the hard core bird feeder is on a mission to have the most feeding stations in the neighborhood. Number two on their agenda is having the best squirrel proofing story!

Winter is also a great time to visit your nearest garden shop or nursery and peruse the new selection of seeds coming onto the market for spring. There have been a plethora of new organic varieties added to seed racks in recent years. Burpee has added a whole panel of certified organic seeds to its consumer display racks. Seeds of Change, one of the original all organic seed companies, not only sells only certified organic varieties but their entire collection are made up of almost entirely of heirloom or indigenous varieties.

Winter is a time to head for warmer climates for some. Winter is also a time for gardeners to take stock of the past seasons successes and challenges. Winter may also be a time to make sure that next winter comes with a little more color. What better time to remind yourself to pot up some tulips or daffodil bulbs for winter color next year than right now? Winter is a black and white season (OK gray and white). But that sad fact should not keep us gardeners from planning ahead for our season that is everyday closer than it was yesterday.

Now if there was only some way of making the 28 days of February not seem like the longest 28 days of the year. Putting the Super Bowl on the first Sunday in February just does not go far enough!

Hudson Valley Seeds Have Arrived

2009-12-02T13:50:00.001-08:00

Recently I wrote about The Hudson Valley Seed Library and their unique approach to garden seeds. Their "Art Pack " line has arrived and is now available just in time for holiday gift giving.

Each heirloom variety comes in a neat package designed by a local artist.

Remember the whole idea behind the library is to cultivate a line of heirloom seeds with attributes to grow in the Hudson Valley. In fact the motto of the Hudson Valley Seed Library is "Seeds with local roots"

More Real Dirt for you to play in!

Seeds From seedlibrary.org Arriving for Holidays

2009-11-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

I just finished corresponding with Ken Greene of seedlibrary.org . We will be offering for sale seeds from the library's "Art Pack" series. These seeds are all heirloom varieties with a catchy art themed package. For instance there is a variety of tomato named "New Yorker". The artist designed a label for the pack depicting a road map of the metropolitan NY area.

The seeds will be in Adams Pougheepsiek store in Early December.

In January when Ken finishes the offering of local seeds for 2010 we will have seeds for the Hudson Valley that were grown in the Hudson Valley. The seed library works like a regular library. You borrow seeds from the library. Then you plant the seeds in your garden. After harvesting the "crop" save the seeds from your harvest and return them to the library!

The goal is to establish seed varieties that are accustomed to the growing conditions of the Hudson Valley.

How cool is that?

Pretty cool in my camp since spring is less than 4 months away!

There's some local dirt for you!

Greg Draiss

Happy Thanksgiving to My Favorite Gardeners

2009-11-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day:

I won't because I MISSED CHARLIE BROWN'S THANKSGIVING SPECIAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 40 YEARS!

Good Grief: Is there anything more endearing to Thanksgiving than turkey, football, apple pie and CHARLIE BROWN? Yes, friends, family and thankfulness.

But, as gardeners, you already know these things as the ground in our gardens gives back more than we can possibly put in.

Here's a toast: TO COMPOST!

Greg Draiss for

The Real Dirt

Don't Stop Gardening Just Because the Sun Went Down at 4

2009-11-22T13:08:00.001-08:00

Unusual but fun Pineapple Sage

Lemon Verbena cuttings

Highly aromatic Lavender cuttings

Trays of herbs growing under high a output T5

fluorescent lighting system

As a gardener I just love to play in the dirt. In late November that dirt is pretty cold and ornery to mess with. No worry though. I spent Saturday evening installing a new light system on the other side of my basement grow room. While I have large pots of herbs and chiles growing in a hydroponics system the cuttings you see in the photos above are growing under a T5 fluorescent HO lighting system.

The T5 system I installed is a Sunblaze 44. I will have room for about 250 cuttings/seedlings when I get done with the three level table made out of 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe.

Gardening Practices of Pilgrims at Thanksgiving Time

2009-11-18T05:20:00.000-08:00

Walkway Over The Hudson Items Make Great Holiday Gifts

Just in time for Thanksgiving: a new publication documenting gardening techniques used at the time of the Pilgrims and Native Americans. Of course there were no chemical pesticides or fertilizers at the time so the book is somewhat slanted to the benefits of organic gardening. Either way it is a good read on gardening during pre-colonial America. The story is from Trans World News:

"What a lot of people don't know," says Heid, "is the food the Pilgrims grew probably tasted better than the food we eat today and was also better for them." Fish and all marine life are suited to giving soil the nutrients that make it produce the best food. In addition to providing soil with vital nutrients like calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur, marine life is the best source of trace elements. Trace elements are near microscopic amounts of different elements that are necessary for the human body to survive and that poor soil often lacks. "Food can only be as good as the soil you grow it in," Heid explains.

Many of the soil problems that the Pilgrims had to overcome are problems today because of over farming and soil depletion. Scientific studies show how the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables has diminished dramatically over the past 40 years. Other studies show organic fruits and vegetables are nutritionally superior to those produced using traditional farming methods. The answer, is the same now as it was in Squanto's day: using marine-based fertilization.

The second half of Heid's book explains how to grow an organic garden using Native American planting techniques and marine-based fertilizer to enrich and improve the soil. A variety of companion planting possibilities are suggested along with layouts for three traditional Native American gardens. It culminates with a selection of English and Native American recipes making use of garden produce based on what was eaten at the first Thanksgiving.

Heid hopes to revitalize interest in the forgotten gardening methods that gave birth to the very first Thanksgiving. "I really want to show all Americans why Squanto's Secrets worked for our Pilgrim Fathers and how his life-giving secrets are even more valuable today.

Solutions From Science is a small Illinois company helping backyard gardeners grow healthier and better tasting fruits and vegetables with alternative, marine based fertilizers.

www.firstthanksgivinggarden.com

LED Table Top Garden Makes Debut

2009-11-16T13:43:00.001-08:00

The Aerogarden came on the scene in a hurry and almost left as quickly. Very few new products have come from Aerogro lately and for a relatively new company that can spell trouble. One of the drawbacks of the Aerogarden in my opinion is that once the novelty wears off there is little to do. Especially since unless you eat very lightly or live alone it is hard to grow enough to feed more than one. The product is better used as a cloning device with the seed starting kit.

The Aerogarden has introduced, as a result of excellent marketing,an esoteric method of gardening to the masses: hydroponics. In essence the Aerogarden is a "mainstream" hydroponics unit.

This story from The Farmington Daily Times in New Mexico comes the story below about the new table top growing appliance:

LED grow light for indoor gardening PAGOSA SPRINGS Just more than a year ago, Leo Hayes started germinating an idea that had been floating around his head since his days as an automotive technologist an LED grow-light system.

"When I was a technologist for an international company, I had to read a lot about laser technology and LEDs (light-emitting diodes)," Hayes recalled. "I read a lot about what NASA was doing to be able to provide fresh food to their astronauts."

Thirteen months ago Hayes gave the concept his full focus, working with a partner in Taiwan to finalize product design and basic financials for Sonnylight, LLC, which is aims to release the LED Kitchen Garden, a countertop unit, and the LED Grow Garden, a hanging unit, by the end of November.

As director of product engineering at Mitsubishi Motors, Hayes gained a solid technical background and made close contacts in the international industrial-design world, which proved useful as he was fine-tuning the Sonnylight product.

"Plant action is very specific in how much chlorophyll or keratins they produce and how they react to light," Hayes explained.

By working with a master gardener and reading a lot of research from university agriculture departments on the effect of light, Hayes formulated what he called "pulse-point modulation."

"We manage how much power we put into each one of these (colors)," he said.

Sonnylight advantages

Every Sonnylight product has a CPU in it, with "Grow Logic" software. "This helps drive the germination process, because it's more concentrated light," Hayes said. "In the right conditions, you can get up to three times the growth rate, but a lot of that depends on the person what nutrients you give it, what's the soil base, temperature. We provide the light."

Standard grow-light systems with compact fluorescents can use up to 40 watts, according to Hayes. "We're using 15 watts, and we use specific light wavelengths; LEDs have exact wavelengths based on the chemical composition of the diode. In our case we're using two blues, two reds, and for lettuce, cabbage and kale large-leaf plants we add a bit of green."

Plants do their best growth in four narrow light spectrums and only use about 8 percent of the white light, Hayes said. Sonnylight colors correspond with plants' three growth stages: germination, growth and budding.

"If you don't have sufficient blue light, the plant won't germinate properly, so we modulate the amount of light from each different colored diode," he said. "Then, once it starts to vegetate or grow, it switches over to the grow phase; it's all computer controlled."

The grower sets the lights according to five phases: daytime, sunrise and sunset, and 15-minute powering-up and dimming-down periods. "Plants are interesting because they have to have time to shut down and start up in the photosynthesis process," Hayes said. "People grow all the time without that, but this gives options for a more natural process with the plants."

Consumers stay involved in the process by monitoring the amount of nutrients in the water and the amount of water. "The whole product is self-contained you just turn it on, set it and take care of plants. Fifteen years is the lifetime of the lights the life of the product. This is not intended to be a service item."

Staying true to its tag line "Modern Technology Organic Sensibility," all packaging is biodegradable and the hood will be wrapped in a natural cotton shopping bag. Optional accessories for the product will include a heat pad, an off-grid cable for hooking up a Sonnylight to a car battery, two different soil types, and heirloom seeds that reproduce the same kind, so growers can save seeds.

"Consumers can save seeds, or replant them right away; time is not an issue here, as long as you keep them warm," said Hayes.

"If we can help people have a bit more personal control in their lives and control what they eat there're all these scares in the media about food that is what we want."

The business process

Getting Sonnylight products, which have design, technology and global patents pending, to market was a learning process for Hayes. "I can do the technical side, but the whole business structure is a little out of my comfort zone," he admitted. With help from the Next Level Leading Edge class, Hayes started building the business plan in the fall of 2008.

"The class really helped a lot it kept me disciplined," he said. "I found that (designing) the product was easy compared to everything else."

The discipline paid off as Hayes' business plan won first-place in the class. "The good thing that came out of this was that I started surrounding myself by people with business experience," said Hayes, who gave a presentation to the Southwest Colorado Small Business Development Center's Business Advisory Group and received counseling from Bart Mitchell, former director of the Archuleta County Economic Development Association, Fort Lewis College marketing professor Simon Walls and SBDC director Joe Keck.

"Launching a product is kind of anti-climactic you work so hard on each step," Hayes said. "It is kind of fun to think about (the response), but the focus has to be on the steps. It's going to go where it's going to go; all I can do is facilitate it."

Although reticent about it, Hayes has reason to be optimistic: Sonnylight's first magazine advertisement garnered more than 600 inquiries.

For more information: www.sonnylightled.com

Hudson River Lanscape Photo Sells at Athens Cultural Center Members Show

2009-11-16T05:32:00.001-08:00

This post is not about gardening per se' but it is about landscapes. In fact if it were not for this landscape in the photo American history would most certainly be different. A photo I took of a golden early sprig sunset was on exhibit this weekend at a Members how of the Athens Cultural Center in Athens, just north of Catskill. I am happy to say the photo sold to a lady who is a weekend resident of the village. More important she has a deep love of the area and the river. What I find interesting is that how many folks from the NYC area have more of an interest in the river than we do. Interesting but disappointing at the same time.

We have this great asset on our doorstep but it almost does not exist except when we cross the bridge and curse the toll collectors for the latest fare increase.

To see the photo, and others of the Hudson this summer, click on my face book page below

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=128070&id=717442181

Lighthouse Navigation
kayak/canoe sales and rentals
athens on the Hudson, NY
845-559-7892

2009-06-04T04:07:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I was jolted with a case of bronchitis that hit me out of the blue. In a matter of hours I went from helping customers with last minute plantings to asleep on the couch where I remained for almost four days.

A trip to the doc confirmed acute bronchitis. As a precaution due to something showing up on my X-ray I was given an antibiotic as well.However before the antibiotic had a chance to kick in I went out to my herb garden and pulled some herbs for a tea in hopes of at least alleviating the cough and chest pressure. I then dried some Horehound, lemon catnip, lemon balm, gray sage and basil leaves.

In a hurry I used the microwave. The leaves were dried to crisp perfection in three minutes. I then boiled some water and poured it over the leafy mixture in the bottom of a tea pot. After four minutes of steeping the concoction was in a small coffee cup.

The results? At first, very bitter. However a little sugar and some honey sweetened the grog to drinkability. I must say I felt almost immediate relief from the pressure in my chest and was breathing easier. Long term? I must say it helped. I feel the best part of the mixture was keeping it somewhat bitter to prevent consuming the tea like a soft drink, all at once.
In my opinion slowly drinking the hot herbal blend slowly has a lot to do with the success of my tea.

Project cancelled

2009-04-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to say that this another Monday (6th in a row) that is preventing me from doing anything in my old garden let alone plant a bigger one.

I am not going to waste my time, get my hopes up only to have no time to complete this project. It is bad enough I must give up Sunday's and miss church because of the spring garden season. I cannot and will not tolerate this abysmal weather that plagues my Mondays off.

It is not worth the effort at this point.

The Garden Gods Hate Me

2009-04-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday April 12.............................
45* and of course wind from the west at 25-30 mph.

So much for the kitchen garden. I feel as though my plans are disturbing an ancient indian burial ground.

We'll see what Monday the 13th holds........................

Why I Hate April

2009-04-06T07:22:00.001-07:00

All that has been done in the kitchen garden is the lining out of the new beds. The last three Mondays (my garden days at home) have been awful as far as the weather goes.

Stay tuned.....all is not lost I hear snw is poor mans' fertilizer.

Hey, What's Cookin?

2009-03-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to What's Cookin' in the Kitchen Garden.

Here I will share with you my garden in diary form. Everything that happens in my garden will be posted here. Starting with the layout and plant lists, ending with the harvest and seeded with everything in between.

What's Cookin' in the Kitchen Garden

Gardening at Year's End

garden article: Demystifying Herbs for cooking and more

Before There Were Pharmacies

Seed Starting: Gettin to the Root of the Issue

Food for Thought from Your Garden

Looking Back To Move Ahead

garden aticle

garden article

Water Worries in Pottery Land

Grow Lights Keeping the Grass Green for Green Bay Packers

Garden Trends for 2011

Checkout this Art Show When in Kingston

Terrariums! Coming Back Again

Longer Garden Season??????

Cannot Get More Local Than This

Local Canning Blog on Hudson Valley Food Network.......................................

Gardening Goes Vertical

Garlic and Vampires in The Garden

Start a Home Food Biz...Saturday Columbia Greene CC

Which Bulb With Which Perennial?

Autumn a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing in the Garden This Year

Organic Food Now Mainstream in Hudson Valley Region

Still HAve Green Tomatos?

Just as the Heat Wave Ends....Ducth Bulbs Arrive!

Hudson Valley Green Festival Saturday in Staatsburgh

Homemade Herbal Medicine Workshop in New Paltz Sept 21!

Join Me in Bringing a New Slow Food Chapter to the area

Organic Fertilzer on Track to Be Outlawed in New York

Heirloom Tomato Festival August 22th

My Garden How To Videos Now Online

Garden Expo 2010 at Adams Kingston Saturday!

Late Blight Hits Chenango County in New York

My Extra Garden Harvest going to Queens Galley Soup Kitchen in Kingston, N

Now They Want to Get Rid of Lawns at College Campuses

Controversy Over "Free Range" Definition hits Austrailia

Downy Mildew a Permanent on Basil?

Japanese Beetles Ready to Attack

Farmers Market in Philmont Opens Sunday June 13th

Burpee Giving Out Free Veggies

Conard Pyle Ceasing Most Operations Effective September 30

Organic Gardeners Now Exceed 10 Million According to Survey

Albany Farmers Connected With Consumers Online in Albany County

Mobile Alerts

Late Blight Moving Into Maryland

Heirloom Tomatoes at Adams Kingston New Arrivals

Garden Expo at Adams Kingston Store

A "Tweet" From Your Potted Plants

New Farmers/Gardeners Market in Gardiner?

Late Blight Strikes Again

Go Ahead Rub It In! BBQ Sauces, Rubs and Marinades Talk in Hudson June 25th

Relax....It's OK Not to Grow Every Kind of Everything

Round Up Resistant Weeds?

Freeze Warning for Hudson Valley Tonight

Join Me at Mohonk Mountain House June 30th

Politics of Gardening

Ladies and Gentlemen: Start Your Gardens

berkshire Botanical Garden Plant Sale May 7-9

Garden Calendar for the Hudson Valley

Hudson Valley iris and Daylily Society 2010 Events

Medical Cannabis Good for Garden Biz?

Wholesome Cracker Spurs Home Farming Movement

How I Plan to Spend Earth Day (Satirical)

The Compassionate Gardener program at Catskill Animal Sanctuary

Ralph Snodsmith

Really Cool Volunteer Garden Helper Group

How to Make a Cold Frame

Even More Bad Advice From a Box Store

Simply Bad Advice

Get those Seedlings Outside

More Dirt on Late Blight

Keep Off The Grass

Fwd: A Little Set Back in the Weather

Early Spring Chores to Do his Week in The Hudson Valley (or Anywhere the Weather is Warming)

Government Arresting Gardeners for Illegal Landscapes

Thyme to Think About Tomato Blight and Prepare for it Again

Garden Police Now Targeting Hydroponic Shops Down Under

As Organic Gardening Goes Mainstream, Snake Oil and Myths Return as Urban Legends Invade the Gardening World

Compost Marketing Seminar in March

Schools Being Told To Make Kids Eat Better? That's a Parents Job!