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Jul 11

Garden Pest: Tomato Hornworms

As I mentioned on my “Garden Season of 2011” post, I was doubting if I’d even put out a garden this year – especially since I was moving, in between two houses, getting a late start, etc.

Well, I ended up planting a corn field over at the other place I left that was for sale, and a small tomato patch at the new house. Last year, the biggest garden pest I had was Japanese Beetles. Those pesky little beetles were eating the corn silks and part of the ears last year, but I planted my corn later this year and, for whatever reason, I didn’t have a problem with ‘em this particular growing season. Actually, I figured they would be the type of garden pest that would get worse each year until I totally moved my crop to a different area. Anyway……

This year, and for the first time in my gardening career, I have had problems with my tomato plants. I’ve heard of cutworms or whatever, but I’ve never had dealings with Tomato Hornworms before! Those bastards can really do some damage, as they are some serious freakin’ gluts! Look below, for a couple pictures of those fat, green caterpillars with horns:

Yeah, they are fat, green, and have a red horn sticking out – near their bunghole region. Of course, a lot of people may be looking for the “how to remove” advice, but I’m going to keep it short. Personally, other than the enjoyment of working in a garden, I mainly grow the food I plant to have organic produce from fertile soil that, in return, has a full, rich flavor that you can’t find at your common grocery stores. So, I manually remove these garden pests when possible and go ahead and accept the fact that some of my yield goes to the insects and animals, etc. But what is left, will be totally organic.

Now, if you are a big fan of insecticides and poisonous sprays, I recommend that you get one that is especially formulated for caterpillars – if Tomato Hornworms are your problem.

These green, hungry devils eat like crazy; they eat the tomatoes and the plant itself. It often looks like somebody went by and trimmed your plant with scissors. However, they are not cutworms, but similar; cutworms usually cut your plant off close to the base. To rid yourself of them, it is good to not let the weeds build up around your plants, which act as a breeding ground, till the ground as often as needed, and to place tin foil, cardboard, etc., around the base of your tomato plants. Of course, there is insecticide for cutworms, as well; I just try to steer clear from poisons and chemical sprays. Hell, if I wanted my garden to be full of chemicals, I’d just not ever plant anything and would buy all my produce at the local market.

Well, I mainly wanted to do a quick post over the Tomato Hornworm in case people are out there searching online using phrases like “these damn green worms are in my garden and eating my tomato plants,” etc. If I would have kept a check on my tomato patch more often, I could have removed them quicker and less damage would have occurred.

At any rate, good luck with your crops! Cheers!

—End of Post

Garden

May 11

Garden Season of 2011

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This may be the first year in a long while, that I don’t get to enjoy the garden season. I was hoping to put out another huge garden and add some more posts this year into the Garden Category of this blog, but as of now – unless something changes - it looks like the growing season of 2011 has went to crap for me – due to many reasons. This sucks because who knows what all I would have learned this year, while battling new pests, weather conditions and possibly growing different types of crops? Oh well, it looks like I won’t need that Chest Freezer after all…

Excuses, excuses… I’ve had so many delays this year; the damn weather hasn’t helped any, with it being the wettest year that I can remember down here. About the time things start to dry up enough to be workable, here comes more freakin’ rain. I figure that even if I did put out a garden this year, with as much as it has rained all year, that there would be some mega drought for the duration of our growing season, and I’d have to spend a lot of time carrying 5 gallon buckets to and from the nearby creek and the garden area, just to get the plants water. Yeah, I know, a water pump would be way more efficient, but I’m poor, so what can I say?

I’ve also had trouble with my Rear Tine Tiller; it is old but it still worked great, except for the fact that I broke the cable that attaches to the lever which controls the throttle and the tines for plowing. Well, I had it rigged up to where I could still use it this year, but after my step-dad “gave it a look,” he sort of broke what I had installed to make it half-ass work, so now it doesn’t work at all – nor is it worth fixing since it is ancient history anyway.

Also, the place where I live that has this big open field for growing stuff, has now been put up for sale. I just pay rent here, so I’d hate to put too much time & effort into this place or yard, and then be told that the house has sold and I have x-amount of time to get out. I’ve also had relationship issues, and now I’m currently (who knows for how long) back with an Ex-girlfriend and, of course, she wants to move from here as well – but due to other reasons besides the fact that the house is up for sale.

So, with all that being said, I’m about ready to just say “to hell with it” and be done with it this year. I may just give it another try in 2012. Hey, what a better time for a big agricultural comeback, since 2012 is supposedly the year of the “Mayan Prophecy of Doom,” isn’t it? Ha-ha!

Anyway, since I probably won’t be updating the blog this year with garden-related topics, I’ll just drop down a few links to some of the more popular posts in that particular category, from 2010:

* Black Walnut Trees Killing Tomato Plants

* Corn Plants Falling Down in the Garden?

* Radishes didn’t produce?

* Organic Fertilizer – Natural ways to Fertilize your Garden

Well folks, for now, I’ll just pretend that my garden of 2011 ended up somewhere in the Lost City of the Incas, as depicted below:

To see more images of the Machu Picchu, visit: www.perpendicularity.org/machu-picchu.html

For all the ones who did manage to put out a garden this year: Good luck with ya crops and happy harvest! Cheers!

Garden

Aug 10

Fried Green Tomatoes – Southern Tradition

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One of the joys of having your own garden, is that you decide what goes into the soil and you determine when you want to pick it.

It’s not like you can go, at least not around here, to the market and purchase green tomatoes, for example.
Fried green tomatoes is what I like to call a “southern tradition,” although the act of frying these green delights have become more widespread – as more & more folks try them for the first time…and love ‘em! The southern U.S., especially the Southeastern area, is notorious for frying anything that can possibly be fried.
On a side note: Maybe that is why I recently read about Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama being the top fattest states of America.
You can read more about that here: http://today24news.com/health/mississippi-tennessee-and-alabama-are-top-fattest-states-of-america-301372

Yep, that Southern Tradition involving the good ol’ frying pan may be one of the many culprits towards health issues; but lets not ruin this post by talking about obesity; enjoy yourself for now and go grab some green tomatoes out of your garden and get the frying pan ready…

This is how I prepare them:

To serve two people, as one of the side items to the entree, I usually go out and grab 3 medium-sized green tomatoes. They don’t have to be totally unripe, either. In fact, some of the best tasting ones I’ve cooked, was the ones that were just starting to turn yellow-orange in spots – although I usually pick the big green ones.
I slice mine fairly thick, into at least 1/4th to 3/8th inch slices – put them on a plate and set aside.
On a separate plate, I pour out my batter mix using half flour and half corn meal. I then, add a decent amount of seasoned salt, black pepper, Season All, and just a small amount of sugar into the batter. I take a fork and mix it all up until the contents are evenly distributed.
I go ahead and add my oil into a large skillet and preheat it on medium-high; I use Canola oil.
I batter the green tomatoes and drop them into the hot oil.
I fry them fairly quickly over medium-high heat, and on the second turn over, I usually add Louisiana Hot Sauce to one side.
Fry them until desired doneness is achieved.

They are best served within an hour or so, but they can still be ate after refrigerating; they just won’t be crisp and will end up being more mushy and whatnot – upon re-heating from the fridge.

Extra tidbit: If you end up with a lot of green tomatoes towards the end of the growing season and/or would like to know of a couple excellent ways to ripen them in a quicker fashion, look below…

The best way to ripen green tomatoes: some folks have good luck by placing their unripe tomatoes in a cardboard box while covering them with newspaper or other means of cover - while placing them in a dark place. Some experienced gardeners simply use a brown bag, by placing the green tomatoes into it and then crinkling or folding the bag semi-shut…so the ethylene gas can enhance the ripening process. I’ve used both simple methods and they are very effective. You can read more about the natural effects of ethylene gas, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene

Just remember, once you place your tomatoes in the refrigerator, whether ripe or not, the ripening process stops – so make sure they are at the desired ripeness before doing such.

Food, Garden

Aug 10

Japanese Beetles – Garden Pest

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I’ve planted many small gardens over the years and have never had that many problems with pests. But this year, I grew my first large garden in an open field with loads of various plants including a separate area for a corn field. Well, everything was going just fine until late June when these clumsy, awkward, ugly, pesky Japanese Beetles started showing up.

Yeah, I was real impressed with their appetite, as they devoured the leaves off my Okra plants along with several other plant varieties. But what disgruntled me the most, is when they entered into the corn field. They love to eat the silks off the ears of corn and if they get to it early enough, it will devastate your yield. Luckily for me, I had planted so much corn that I still had a decent crop. The beetles didn’t effect the end result of the rest of my harvest, but what will they do next year?

I’m not one to use poisons and sprays, since the whole point of growing your own food, at least to me, is to have fresh, organic produce. Anyway, I’ll provide a picture of this garden pest, along with an excerpt from Wikipedia about “control” when it comes to Japanese Beetles. If you enjoy gardening and you see these buzzing freaks enter into your green kingdom of vegetation, you may be interested in the following:

“Research performed by many US extension service branches has shown that pheromone traps attract more beetles than they catch. Traps are most effective when spread out over an entire community, and downwind and at the borders (ie, as far away as possible, particularly upwind), of managed property containing plants being protected. Natural repellents include catnip, chives, garlic, and tansy, as well as the remains of dead beetles, but these methods have limited effectiveness. Additionally, when present in small numbers, the beetles may be manually controlled using a soap-water spray mixture, shaking a plant in the morning hours and disposing of the fallen beetles, or simply picking them off attractions (that’s what I did this year), since the presence of beetles attracts more beetles to that plant.”

Read more about these annoying bastards, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_beetle

At any rate, I’ll be on the lookout for these beetles next year and prepare to combat this garden pest without poisons; If needed, I may possibly bring a fu*king blow torch to the scene!

Garden

Jun 10

Black Walnut Trees killing Tomatoes

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This is one of those things that many people are not aware of, as you would have to be trying to grow tomatoes near Black Walnut trees to encounter such a gardening debacle.

Black Walnut trees emit a substance known as “juglone” that can damage and/or kill tomatoes along with several other plants, but most commonly the tomato plant. This harmful substance comes from the leaves, branches, walnut hulls, roots, and pretty much the entire tree. English Walnuts, Pecans, Hickories, and Butternut trees also produce juglone, but not near as much as Black Walnut trees.

The purpose or shall I say the advantage gained by secreting juglone, is the effect is has on inhibiting the surrounding plant growth near the tree itself – albeit there are still several varieties of plants & weeds out there that can grow near this tree. This process of releasing juglone into the ground, allows for these pesky trees to compete and combat any potential nutrient-robber around.

Walnut trees are nice to have, provide decent wood, and are worth a good dollar value and so on, but if you plan on having a garden, especially if you’re growing tomatoes, you need to take precautionary measures.
I’ve recently relocated, and last year I had to chop down roughly 8 to 10 of these lovely garden pests since I wanted to have a decent size crop this year.

The person who lived there before, could not understand why they never could grow anything or have good yield in the field that was surrounded by these trees. Upon moving into the area, I quickly realized what the problem was and, since I also built a fire ring, I got to chopping. I also cut down a few other trees as well. I used the Black Walnut wood to repair an old bridge, and I used the other trees for the fire ring. I saved some of the ashes from the wood I burned, but only from the trees that didn’t contain juglone, and used it for a soil amendment this spring, as I explained in my post titled “Organic Fertilizer – Natural ways to fertilize your garden.”

Anyway, back to the subject… If possible, simply grow your tomato plants and/or plant your garden far away from any Walnut, Pecans, Hickories, and Butternut trees. If you do decide to cut down the trees, remove the debris from the area. It often takes many years for these types of trees that emit this toxic substance, to effect your garden plants due to the slowly developing underground root system. Adding organic matter into your growing area, like a rich compost, will help enhance the microbes in the soil which, in turn, helps break down juglone and promote plant survival. One final note, as a gardener, you should always be on the lookout for any type of garden pests, potential problems or possible poisons near your garden and, as always, good luck with your crop……

A tomato plant's foe, the Black Walnut tree.

Garden

Jun 10

Pickled Produce – Pickling for Quick Use…

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This simple process can apply for much of your produce via the garden, such as: sweet & hot peppers, okra, cucumbers, radishes, and so on.

Unlike the tedious canning process, pickling doesn’t require absolute sterility before being sealed nor do you have to worry about the absence of oxygen within the container or jar. The flavor, salinity and/or acidity of the pickling solution you decide to use along with being kept refrigerated, is all you’ll have to be concerned with – that is, if it’s consumed within a reasonable time period.

Pickling Peppers for quick use…

Take and wash the peppers; slice the sides or stab 3 or 4 holes into them with a knife. This needs to be done so the vinegar solution quickly penetrates the pepper inside & out.
If it is large peppers, for example, a full sized banana pepper, you may need to cut the top off, slice into quarters, and de-seed the pepper so it fits into the jar.
You can also slice your peppers into what is often called “nacho sliced peppers.” Often times, you’ll find Jalapenos sliced this way, at local grocery stores and markets.
Stuff the jar full of peppers along with whatever additional produce you choose to season it with; I usually throw in a few slices of onions.

The acidic solution: When pickling peppers, I typically use a 3:1 ratio – 3 parts vinegar (I use white vinegar) for every 1 part water. For flavor, I’ll add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of non-iodized salt per jar.

Heat the vinegar/water solution until it is boiling. Pour the hot solution into the pepper-filled jars while leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace remaining in the jar.
Put the lid on the jar, allow to cool for a couple hours at room temperature and then place it in the refrigerator.
Some folks think they need to be ate within one or two months, while others claim that the peppers will keep for at least 6 months. One of the main reasons I use a 3:1 ratio is to increase the shelf life capacity. I have cooked with peppers that I’ve pickled this way, up to 9 or 10 months later.

I’d use the same 3:1 ratio for okra, as well.

On the other hand, when I pickle cucumbers for quick use, I only use a 1:1 ratio – since I know it will be ate within a few days.

I’ve never tried pickled radishes, but I’m sure they would turn out well. There are so many other things that can be pickled, such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, onions, and whatnot.

But remember, unless you go through the canning process, you must keep them refrigerated and consume within a limited time frame.

Good luck with the yield in your garden and happy pickling……

Food, Garden

Jun 10

Corn Plants Falling Down in the Garden?

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This stuff happens, especially to the newbies. If you’re new to the garden scene and/or just simply would like to remedy this corn plant-related mishap, there’s a few things you can do to prevent this……

A beautiful field of corn plants basking in the sun...

The most common mistake made when planting corn, is by not putting the seed deep enough into the ground. Most packets of corn seed will instruct you to sow the seeds 1 inch deep, as this is not always enough; somewhere around 2 to 3 inches deep would yield stronger plants with a more stable foundation of root support.
Besides planting deeper, there is a couple more things you can do to help hinder the falling down of your corn plants. After your plants reach a height of 2 feet or more, and you have weeded out the weak sprouts, mound a pile of dirt around the base of each corn stalk. I’d suggest a nice, well-rounded pile of dirt, roughly 2 to 3 inches high.
If all else fails and/or you’re enduring a bad season of high wind and hard storms, you could always drive stakes into the ground and tie them off – by securing the lower section of each plant. This is an easy solution, but would only be worth the effort in small, personal gardens. If you have a lot of corn, you’re better off planting them a little deeper to begin with, so you can avoid having to put in all the extra effort to prevent them from falling over. Of course, due to random weather conditions and bouts of strong gust, it is normal for some of your plants to get blown down regardless of preventive measures.

Fertilizing your corn:

The wonderful corn plant is often referred to as a “nitrogen lover.” They utterly thrive in soil & fertilizer that has a high nitrogen content. Typically, for most vegetables, I select a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or use Miracle Grow supplements as 18-18-21. But for corn, it’s better to use pure ammonium nitrate fertilizer or Miracle Grow supplements as 24-8-16, for example. Although, you can never go wrong with using rich, organic fertilizer and compost for any plants within your garden.

Also, corn is very dependent on a regular supply of water. If you have a small to mid-size garden that you’re able to easily water, I recommend that you do so – to combat any sessions of drought that the hot growing season of summer often casts down upon thee. If corn doesn’t get enough water, it will not produce quality ears.
Good luck with your crop and take advantage of the garden season while it’s here in full swing……

If you do have good garden results, yield a lot of produce, and you lack the freezer room, you may be interested in visiting the link below:

——— ‘Click Here’ for a fine selection of Chest Freezers.

Garden, Informative

Jun 10

Radishes didn’t produce?

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For whatever reason, poor economy or other motivational factors, there is a lot of new gardeners out there.

Personally, I’m glad to see it. Of course, due to these newly rising interests in agriculture, the retail stores and other outdoor outlets, have raised the price on seeds. We won’t get into that, since things might get a little sloppy in such verbiage that would pertain to aggressive marketing methods and corporate bastards.

Okay, back to the subject at hand, I’ve recently been addressed with a question: Why didn’t my radishes produce?

This is a simple query, but it’s also a common mistake made by gardening newbies…

I asked in return, “what time of year was it? Was it hot weather?” They said, “uh, yeah…it was like late spring just before summer…when it is hot and everything is growing good.”

I shook my head and said, “Radishes are a cool-weather crop. For example, you live in Tennessee, so they need to be planted in early-mid spring or early-mid fall.”

The simple facts (for the most common varieties of radishes):

A radish seed germinates rather quickly, often times within 4 or 5 days. After they sprout, they usually mature in about 3 weeks. They are not a high-demand plant, so a mild, slow-release fertilize should suffice. If your ground is semi-fertile and broke up well or tilled, they shouldn’t need anything at all besides water & sunshine. They produce the best in a temperature range between 50 – 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Radishes do poorly when the air temperature is constantly above 75 degrees. In many cases, when planted in hot weather, the greens will grow quickly and the blooming/producing of seeds will be hastened while producing very few radishes in the process. Also, during the warm season, the radishes that do develop will often have a hot & spicy taste – this is not always a bad thing, depending on your preference. Radishes also possess numerous health benefits, especially when ate raw. Freshly picked radishes, when stored in the refrigerator, should last 3 weeks or more.

Some people eat the greens from the radish plant and they can be used as a substitute for mustard greens, for example. If peppery greens is what you’re after, then this subject matter doesn’t apply. But, if you’re seeking fresh, plump, tasty radishes, then take heed to the prior advice.

Easy-to-grow radishes, ready to be picked from the garden.

Garden Related Link: Natural Organic Fertilizer – Compost

Garden, Informative

May 10

Organic Fertilizer – Natural ways to Fertilize your Garden

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Buying inorganic/synthetic fertilizers at local retail stores/markets, is a simple solution to fertilize poor soil, but they often lack the trace elements that are naturally found in organic fertilizers. On this page, I’ll go over some of the basic ingredients to use in compost, along with a few other soil amendments.

Composting - Organic Fertilizer in the making...

Organic, natural fertilizer is the way to go, especially for personal gardens and flower beds. A prime example of an organic fertilizer is the end result of a self-made compost.

Compost involves a variety of waste material…

There are many benefits, when it comes to using this method. For one, the environment, since a lot of the waste material used while composting, would normally find its way into the trash cans and/or landfill. Compost typically contains all of the nutrients needed for vigorous plant growth, improves the soil quality and moisture retaining properties, and acts as a slow-release fertilizer.

Make your own Compost…
Generally, you can either use an “open bin” or a “compost container” for the composting process. You can buy these bins and containers or, if you’re the least bit dexterous and motivated, you can always make your own. There are loads of informative reading material on this subject via Amazon.com, for example.

You’ll also need a shovel, garden cart/wheel barrel or some type of transporting device that you’ll use to convey the final product to your garden or flower bed, a pitch fork or some other useful type of tool to turn, mix & stir the active compost pile within the container/bin.

A proper balance of microorganisms is necessary for an effective compost pile – don’t worry, those microscopic beings will be there by way of nature. The main thing you have to watch for, is to not have too much green material versus brown material, or else, you’ll end up with a smelly, heaping pile that reeks like garbage.

When I speak of green material, I mean stuff like kitchen scraps (avoid adding meat scraps), fruits, green trimmings, tea bags, fresh manure (chicken, rabbit, cow or horse dung – but only in small quantities), etc. The brown material should be somewhat at a minimum of 3:1 to green material and the optimal ratio is roughly 4:1. Brown material mostly consists of dried leaves and dried grass trimmings – which you can easily accumulate the dried grass trimmings during the spring & summer months and the dried leaves during the autumn season. You can add, but only recommended in small amounts due to the very high carbon content, wood shavings and sawdust (this is especially useful if you have too much green material in your pile).

During the composting process, you’ll need to turn & mix often – as this will help keep the brown & green material balanced and adds oxygen to the pile. The microorganisms need water, food, and air. To enhance the process by adding additional healthy bacteria into the pile, it has been noted that adding a shovel or two of garden soil into the mix, will help speed up the decomposition of waste material. A quick tip for your compost pile: If possible, try to keep the particles & scraps that you add, as small as possible – this makes it easier for the microbes & bacteria to break ‘em down. When garden season rolls around, you should have a nice, dark, fertile mass of compost that is ready to be applied to your growing area.

Soil Additive – Wood Ashes as Fertilizer:

If you still use a fireplace or have occasional campfires and you have a garden or flower bed, you might want to save some of those ashes. When used in moderation, wood ashes are a decent soil additive. Ashes will lack when it comes to Nitrogen, so it is better to use this method in conjunction with other additives and fertilizing techniques. The composition is often estimated at: 1.5 – 2% Phosphorous, 4 – 8% Potassium (depending on the type of wood), 25-50% calcium compounds and magnesium carbonate/oxide…along with other trace elements and nutrients. Due to the high amount of calcium & magnesium, wood ashes have the ability to raise the soil PH – this, in turn, is not good if your soil is already alkaline albeit it still takes about twice as much wood ashes to increase the PH as it would if you applied lime to the soil. In most cases, using wood ashes in small amounts only helps your soil’s condition. Also, one shouldn’t apply wood ashes to your garden no more than once a year – due to the risk of elevated PH and salt levels. Please be advised, wood ashes is a big no-no if you’re dealing with certain plants that require and/or thrive in acidic soil conditions.

Conclusion: There are many natural ways to fertilize your garden, I just listed a few. You may want to skip the compost method, if it seems like too much trouble. I know someone personally that fertilizes their garden by saving their tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells, and wood ashes during the winter and early spring, and then, simply tills them into the soil (their garden area) each spring. Whatever works, but the main message in this page is: try and be more prone towards organic, natural methods besides synthetic/artificial ways. If you have any particular natural methods of fertilization that has worked for you, feel free to drop them down in the comment field. Good luck and have a great growing season…

Garden, Informative