Growing

2015 Texas Master Gardener Conference

~ illbtru ~ Leave a comment

It was an absolute pleasure serving and presenting at the 2015 Texas Master Gardener Conference in Belton, Texas. Kudos to Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company for sending me as an ambassador and teacher. I enjoyed attending and making new friends who have a passion for all things gardening.

Saving Heirloom Seed was my presentation this afternoon. The Master Gardeners were very attentive and had many questions. What an appreciative group!

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Leaf Miner, huh? What’s a Leaf Miner?

~ illbtru ~ 1 Comment

Jan  My organic garden plague is leaf miners! Suggestions?

I get this picture in my mind of a small creature with a miner’s hat and a pick. In reality, they are the larvae of a fly that burrow through leaves. Usually the damage is not aesthetically pleasing. However, if left unchecked, leaf miners can cause major damage.

Here are some solutions:

  1. Monitoring – kill leaf miner larvae in the leaf if possible.
  2. Nutrition –  a healthy plant has thicker, healthier leaves. Plus, biochemically, the plant is not as appealing to the leaf miner.
  3. Floating Row Covers – creates a mechanical barrier that keeps the leaf miner fly away from the crop.
  4. Parasitic Wasp – Diglyphus isaea is a parasitic wasp that prey on the larvae of the leaf miner fly.
  5. Neem Oil – Neem Oil may break the life cycle of the leaf miner larvae to keep them from growing to maturity.

Getting rid of this pest takes diligence!

What to do about slugs and snails, naturally!

~ illbtru ~ Leave a comment

Lindsay  – Snails! I really REALLY make every effort to garden organically, but I am having an infestation of snails, and am stumped as to what to do about it.

There are many natural solutions for slugs and snails.

  1. Sanitation is key! Make sure there is no debris for them to hide. Do not plant next to a compost pile.
  2. Plant trap crops for them to eat. Marigolds, brassicas, melons, lettuce,strawberries, etc. are great attractants of slugs and snails.
  3. Plant resistant plant varieties – lavender, rosemary, sage, wormwood, impatiens, poppies, geraniums, etc.
  4. Barriers – copper strips, Diatomaceous Earth, sand, and wood ashes. Be careful with wood ashes! You could make your soil pH go sky high!
  5. Traps – stale beer in containers at ground level, melon halves turned upside down, untreated wood boards laid on top of the ground.
  6. Guinea fowl will eat them. They shouldn’t eat your crops!
  7. Encourage your Lightning Bugs – their larvae eat slugs and snails!!!
  8. Iron phosphate baits such as Sluggo® or Escar-Go®

That’s quite an arsenal!

Papa

Question: Help! What do I do for peach tree borers?

~ illbtru ~ 2 Comments
Hi, my name is Kristina . I have a question concerning my peach tree. Last summer it got infected with borers (I was told these are a type of moth??). Anyway, the tree company I was with at the time couldn’t do anything about the borers since it wasn’t until late July early August that we saw the sap coming out of my tree. So I poured nematodes on the soil around my tree and in to the holes that were sapping. I did this 3 different times 3 weeks apart while I hung moth balls in a sock on the tree too. I am being told now by a new tree company that they don’t do pesticides for borers until June, since the borers aren’t active until then. My question is, what would you do for this peach tree? Should I just wait until June or can I be doing something more to help my tree that I don’t want to lose. Thanks
Here’s what you do! Spray the trunk of the peach tree with a strong solution of Neem Oil and water (3 tablespoons to the gallon of water and a little dish soap) Spray to the point of puddling around the trunk. The Neem Oil will either out right kill the worm or interrupt the worms life cycle, which will also kill the worm. You need to spray at 14 day intervals (twice) to be effective.
You will build up the immunity of the peach tree by spraying  and drenching the tree with seaweed emulsion (i.e. Maxicrop®), at one (1) tablespoon per gallon.
-Art

What a Difference a Day Makes!!!

~ illbtru ~ 2 Comments

I started some heirloom tomatoes seeds on April 4. Yesterday (April 7),  three seeds had germinated in two seed flats. Today (April 8), seeds are popping up like crazy!!! The Coyne variety is far ahead of the Hannah tomato on germination. Providing the best soil temperature (75° (F)), stimulates germination. Plus, the seedlings are kept one inch from the bulbs in the light fixture.

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It never ceases to amaze me, to see seeds pop out of the soil!!

Seed Growouts in Germination Chamber

~ illbtru ~ 1 Comment

I am doing a seed growout for Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. These tomato varieties have never been offered for sale to the public. The seeds have passed from generation to generation. These two German heirloom tomatoes will be grown for seed and sold in the coming years. Hannah, a delicious oxheart shaped pink variety, is meaty, with few seeds.  The other variety is named Coyne, a huge Roma type tomato for salsa and canning.

My homemade germination chamber is being used to start the seed. The chamber consists of four shelves with florescent lights and electric heat mats with thermostatic controls. By supplying the correct rooting temperature, a few of the seeds have started to germinate in just three days!!

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