Planting Watermelons

Germination in 7-10 days.

When –

To get a head start on the long growing season, start plants indoors 4 to 5 weeks before outdoor planting time. The soil must be warm and the weather settled with warm days and nights, as the plants are sensitive to cooler weather. If nights are cool, use hot caps to protect the plants. Melons can be sown directly outside, but some gardeners report better germination with pre-sprouted seeds.

Note on Seedless Watermelons:

Seedless watermelon seeds are notoriously difficult to germinate, which is the primary reason for their high cost. Direct seeding of seedless watermelon seeds will suffer a very low germination rate, they will almost certainly need to be transplanted. A soil thermometer is critical, and likely a thermostatically controlled heating mat necessary to maintain the soil temperature at the required 85 to 95 degrees F; seeds will germinate quicker at the higher temperature range. The most common reason for failure is too much water in the soil. Water should not be able to be squeezed out of a hand full of soil (too much water), and it should not fall apart in your hands (too little water). Rather, the soil should retain its shape in your hand after squeezing if the proper amount of moisture is present. This is critical for the first 48 hours. Once germinated, temperatures should be returned to temperatures that are representative of their growing environment. Expect seedlings to be less vigorous than standard seeded varieties, and slightly more susceptible to disease. Seedless watermelons will also require cross germination with a seeded watermelon variety in order to produce seedless watermelon fruit. A couple of germination seeds are often included in seedless watermelon packets. Any seeded variety can be used, the ones included are typically just for convenience.

How –

If you start melons indoors, use individual cells or peat pots, not flats, as the roots are too succulent to divide. When you direct sow, plant 2-3 seeds in a hill and then thin the appropriate spacing, depending on whether you train them on a trellis or let them spread on the ground. For direct sowing and transplants, cover seedlings with hot caps to protect from frost, speed growth, and keep out pests. The vines do best if planted in hills. Rows and hills should be set 5 to 6 feet apart each way, with 2 or 3 plants per hill. Thin to the 2 strongest plants in a week.

How Watermelons Grow

Watermelons grow extensively broad, ground-hugging vines with soft, attractive foliage. The flowers appear quite suddenly, and it is interesting to watch the tiny melons start to develop after the flower petals drop. Watermelons have separate male and female flowers and are not wind-pollinated. They typically rely on insects for pollination (most likely bees) and will need your help if insect pollinators are insufficient.

Cultivating Watermelons

To encourage side shoots, when seedlings have 3 leaves, pinch off the growing end. When new side shoots have 3 leaves, pinch off the central growing area again. When fruits begin to form, pinch back the vine to two leaves beyond the fruit. Make sure fruits on a trellis are supported by netting or pantyhose, and fruits on the ground vines are elevated by empty pots to prevent disease and encourage ripening.

The vines are heavy feeders, and also need adequate moisture as they start to develop. Troughs near the plants can be flooded for effective watering. For fertilizer, give each hill about 1/2 cup of 5-10-5 fertilizer, liquid manure, or fish emulsion 3 weeks after planting, and again (if you can find the original hill) after flowers appear. Keep the hills well-watered up to the time fruit starts to fill out. Since weeding and cultivating are such problems with sprawling vine crops, black plastic or thick mulch proves an excellent aid to keeping weeds out, soil moisture in, and melons off the ground as they develop. The plastic mulch should be placed on the ground and anchored before planting, then central holes cut for the hills, with a few extra slits to let rain and hose water filter through.  Plain cardboard and newspaper covered appropriately also work well in a smaller garden setting.

Watermelon Pests

• Striped cucumber beetle (East Coast) – or – Spotted cucumber beetle (West Coast): This is essentially the same pest, which changes its coat depending on which coast it chooses. Adults overwinter on garden debris, so good fall cleanup is the first step in control. Yellow sticky traps can also be used for cucumber beetles, but be aware they will also trap beneficial insects. In large plantings, perimeter trap crops of “Blue Hubbard” winter squash can be an effective control strategy, as this is one of their favorite plants. Nearby plantings of barrage may also suppress cucumber beetle populations.
• Squash bug -Handpick adults and leaves bearing eggs. If boards are placed between rows in the evening, these insects will hide under them and can be destroyed in the early morning by uncovering and killing them.
• Vine borers – These pests are usually not seen until the damage is done. Good fall cleanup to destroy overwintering eggs is important.

Watermelon Diseases

Grow resistant varieties.

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Soil for Growing Tomatoes

Average garden soil will support a rewarding tomato harvest, but better results are assured if the soil is well prepared with rotted manure, compost, and high-potash fertilizers. Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Plan on providing them fertile, organically enriched soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5 to ensure you harvest tomatoes with the best flavor. Fertilizer formulas such as 5-10-10 are good. As an alternative Bone meal or ground rock phosphate are also good soil additions for tomatoes. One basic cause of blossom-end rot is calcium deficiency. Where this disorder has been prevalent, lime the tomato soil at the rate of 5 pounds per 100 square feet. Ground-up eggshells are also good soil supplements to combat this problem.

If possible, dig up your tomato plot in the fall and work it several inches deep, incorporating a 2-inch layer of compost or organic matter into the soil. In the spring rake in a 5-10-10 fertilizer (about 1 pound for 25 feet of row.)

Planting Tomatoes

When –

Tomatoes should not be planted outdoors until day and night temperatures are about 55 degrees. Low temperatures (below 55 degrees) prevent fruit set. Soil temperatures should be at least 55-60F to transplant. Otherwise, plants may turn yellow, become stunted and slow to bear. Seed should be started indoors 6-8 weeks before plants are set out, or use transplants, which are widely available. The ideal plant size is 6-10 inches tall.

How –

To start tomatoes indoors, sow seeds at least 1/2 inch apart, and 1/2 deep in flats or pots about 8 weeks before the last frost date for your area. Seedlings will be spindly with less than 12-14 hours of light per day, try to keep them in a warm sunny location. When seedlings have 4 leaves, transfer to a deeper pot (3-4″) and again when 8-10 inches tall. Each time, place the uppermost leaves just above the soil line and remove all lower leaves. Transplant into the garden when the stem above the soil has reached 8-10 inches tall. Be sure to harden them off before transplanting them outdoors. Allow up to 10 days for the tomato plants to harden off to the outside temperature fluctuations.

Set your seedlings out when the temperatures are fairly certain to be above 55 F throughout the night. Seedlings should be spaced about 2 feet apart for early tomatoes and 3 feet apart for main-season types. Set tomato plants deeply, up to the first set of leaves; roots will form along the stem underground and strengthen the support for the plant. A lanky seedling can be planted on its side, to the first leaves. It will right itself in a day or so. Use a starter solution (half-rate water-soluble fertilizer) when setting out tomatoes to give them a good, quick start. If you do not want to start your own tomato plants, seedlings are available at garden centers or home repair shops. Listen for cold weather warnings; if late frost seems imminent, cover the plants at night with newspaper tents.

How Tomato Plants Grow

The tomato is a vigorously growing plant with attractive foliage resembling the potato, its cousin. The plants have a decided odor caused by gland hairs on the stems and leaves, which give off a strong-scented oil and stain when broken. The fruit is borne on spurs, which develop directly from the stem.

Support structure
Indeterminate tomato plants will need some additional support. Even the determinate varieties can benefit from some of a support structure. The indeterminate types must be tied to their stakes. They have no climbing tendrils so tie them up with soft twine, old nylon stockings, or rags. Make a figure 8 with the tie, looping it around the stake and the plant and tie loosely, or use a slip knot on the stake and use the free ends to tie the plant. There are a variety of support structures available for tomatoes. Probably the most common is the use of a cage in one form or another. It could be made of anything really, use your imagination. Note: If you plan to use a trellis or stakes, set them into the ground before planting.

• Cage – To make wire cages, cut 6-inch mesh concrete reinforcing wire, which is 5 feet wide, into lengths about 5 1/2 feet each. Bend each length into a cylinder and fasten securely with wire. Cut off the bottom rung, set a cage over each individual tomato plant, and push the cage into the ground. The plant will grow up through the cage and the fruits will be easy to pick.

• Pole wire – For a row of several plants, 2 sturdy poles can be placed at the ends of the row and a strong, heavy wire attached to the top of the poles. Heavy twine is then tied to the wire above each plant and pulled down and loosely tied to it. As the stem grows, wind the tomato plant around the twine for support.
• Pole – insert a pole or tall stake that extends about 6′ above the surface of the soil next to each plant. As the tomato plant grows simply tie it loosely to the pole every 6″ or so using a soft twine, cloth, or similar. You could prune any branches that do not conform to the pole.
• Non-staking – Determine plants can be allowed to sprawl on black plastic or thick straw mulch. Set plants 4 feet apart in each direction.

Cultivating Tomatoes

Some sources suggest that indeterminate and larger semi-determinate varieties should be pruned of all suckers (tiny leaves and stems in the crotches of other stems) because they may steal nourishment from the fruits. However, it has been demonstrated that this will limit photosynthetic production, and therefore limit harvest. Leaving these suckers grow should produce more tomatoes as well as an out of control tomato vine.

Feed with a starter solution when the first plants are set out and again after the first flowers form. Continue to supplement with a weak fish emulsion or compost tea every 2-3 weeks. If you do not enrich the soil before planting, feed the tomatoes once a month with about 1/3 cup of 5-10-5 fertilizer scattered in a 2-foot wide band around each plant. Tomato plants need at least an inch of water per week; so water them well, especially during dry spells. If the plants are well mulched, weeds should not be a problem. Try using a plastic mulch in either a red or black color. The mulch will help prevent weeds and keep soil-borne pests from splashing up on the plants, in addition to helping control moisture. A generously moist growing season followed by a severe drought period will often initiate blossom-end rot, which appears first as a water-soaked mark that develops to a flat, dark leathery spot. It can be discouraged with mulching and consistent water levels. Unlike most crops, you may solarize the soil as you grow tomatoes because they’re very heat tolerant. Solarizing helps control disease, particularly verticillium wilt. Wet the soil and cover with clear plastic for the entire season for best results. Hand pollinate in greenhouses.

To keep indeterminate plants from making too much leafy growth, prune them to a single main stem by breaking off side shoots as soon as they appear. You will notice these side “suckers” growing between the crotch formed between the main stem and the leaf stem. Cut them out while they are small. The terminal shoot is pruned off when the plants reach the top of the 5-6 foot stake to stop their growth. These plants are also pruned of suckers, the side shoots that grow between the main stem and the leaf axils to moderate their vegetative growth. Most gardeners prefer to prune their tomato plants to one or two main stems.

A very light frost will usually kill a few leaves, but the plant itself will continue to grow and produce. However, anything more severe than a touch of frost is likely to kill the entire plant. If frost is coming you can protect each plant by draping it in plastic sheeting or old bedsheets, or you can pull the plant up by its roots and hang in the basement until the fruit ripens. Neither method is guaranteed to work, and in cool areas, an early frost almost always means the end of harvesting tomatoes.

To save seeds from open-pollinated varieties, allow perfect fruits to ripen until they become soft. Cut them in half and squeeze the gel and seeds into a jar. Cover with 3 inches of water and shake well. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 24 hours before pouring out the liquid. Discard the floating seeds, and rinse the larger seeds on the bottom in a strainer and then dry them at room temperature for approximately 2 weeks. If handled and stored properly in a cool dark place, tomato seeds can last up to 6 years.

Tomato Pests

• White fly – Try to be alert to buying clean transplant stock. Vacuuming and high pressure hosing early in the morning can help control populations. Floating row covers can offer a preventive measure. They make a yellow sticky trap for white flies, they are attracted to the color yellow. To minimize their migration to your garden, do not wear yellow clothing while tending your garden.
• Tomato hornworm – large, green caterpillars with white stripes are the larvae of a large moth. Handpick. Planting borage among your tomato plants will keep the hornworms away.

Tomato Diseases

• Wilts, blights – Select a disease resistant variety; rotate tomato soil.
• Early blight develops in early summer and causes leaves near the ground to develop dry, brown patches surrounded by concentric black rings. The best intervention is to prune off all affected leaves as soon as the problem is noticed. Pruning leaves to 18 inches from the ground will also reduce outbreaks.
• Late blight may strike following a prolonged period of heavy cool rain. Affected leaves develop light brown, water-soaked patches, and entire plants can wilt within a few days. Provide excellent light penetration and air circulation to keep plants dry, reducing the risk of late blight.
• Blossom-end rot – Add calcium to the soil; keep plants watered and mulched.

Hard black or brown patches on the blossom ends of ripening tomatoes indicate a physiological disorder called blossom end rot, which is most common in large-fruited varieties. Prevent this problem by growing tomatoes in fertile soil generously enriched with compost and mulch heavily to keep soil moisture levels constant.

Question and Answer

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How Sweet Potatoes Grow

The sweet potato is a sprawling morning glory that does not usually flower. The elongated tubers, high in starch content, are formed just below the ground surface.

Cultivating Sweet Potatoes

Once planted, the vines are usually on their own, as too much fertilizer produces all tops. Weeding is important until the vines take hold and spread.

How to harvest sweet potatoes

Carefully dig the soil up around the roots. Tubers can grow a foot away from the plant, so give ample space to prevent nicking and damaging the skin (which will encourage spoilage). Digging is much easier when the soil is dry. In addition, mud-coated sweet potatoes are less likely to sun-dry properly and rapidly as desired. Sweet potatoes should be left in the sun for several hours, and then moved to a curing room. You can cook sweet potatoes fresh from the ground, but their natural sweetness improves after curing. The simplest curing method is to place the sweet potatoes in a newspaper-lined box in a warm well-ventilated room – ideally between 85 -90 F, at about 85% humidity for 7-10 days. After curing, move the sweet potatoes to a storage space, such as a root cellar, kept between 55-60 F with an ideal humidity of around 75%.

Sweet Potato Pests

• Voles are known to eat sweet potatoes. Natural predators like cats are usually a good deterrent for small scale home gardens.

Sweet Potato Diseases

None of major importance.

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Soil for Planting Strawberries

Strawberries prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5. They grow best in fertile, well-drained, sandy loam soil. The ground should be tilled six inches deep and compost mixed in. Adding compost to your soil will help improve aeration and drainage and improve moisture-holding capacity. Strawberries have a shallow root system and do not compete well with weeds. Till the strawberry bed in the fall to eliminate pests and plant matter that can cause disease.

Planting Strawberries

Germination in 7-37 days. Most strawberries are started from plants; they are much easier to start this way.

When to start seeds:

Start seed indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost date for your area. Seeds should be frozen for three to four weeks prior to planting to simulate winter and increase the likelihood of germination. Spread ½ to 1” of seed starter mix in a tray and dampen the soil. Sprinkle seeds over the soil and lightly cover with seed starter mix or peat moss so that light can still get through. Cover seeds and place them in direct sunlight, keeping soil moist, uncovering occasionally to allow airflow to plants. Once seeds have germinated, remove the cover. Seedlings are strong enough to be safely transplanted when they have 3 or 4 sets of leaves. Depending on the size of your original planting container, you may need to transplant the seedlings into a larger container before they can be planted outside. Seedlings can be transplanted into raised beds, hanging baskets, or a strawberry pot, depending on your preferences and space limitations. It takes approximately 3.5 to 4 months from the time you plant the seeds until the plant will begin producing berries, although it is often recommended to remove the flowers from the plant the first year to give the plant energy for a larger production the second year, which would not yield any strawberries in the first year. If planting everbearing or day-neutral varieties, flowers should be removed until the official first day of summer, and then allowed to mature into berries.

When to start plants:

Strawberry plants are typically only available when you should plant them in your area, or will be shipped to your area when they should be planted if ordered from a mail-order seed company. When you receive them it is important to plant them right away. If you are unable to plant them right away, store them in a cool location and keep the roots wet, either in a small amount of water or mud. They can be stored in an unheated garage or refrigerator for a short time until you are able to plant them.

It is best to plant strawberry plants outside on a cool, cloudy day and keep plants in a small amount of water in a shady location to protect the roots from exposure to air and direct sunlight. Prune any damaged roots and remove all flowers, runners, and old leaves. Thin long roots to about 5 inches in length. Space plants according to the spacing system you’ve chosen for your strawberry patch (see below). Plant about six inches deep with the crown, or thick part in the center of the plant, just below ground level, half of it buried and half above the soil. Be sure to keep roots spread out in a fan and they should be unexposed. Pack soil around roots to avoid air pockets and secure the plant. A thin coat of mulch, such as clean straw around the bottom of the plant will help keep moisture in and provide a barrier between the plant and the moist soil.

How:

There are several methods to planting strawberries.

Hill System:

This method requires the most work and yields the biggest berries. Set plants 12 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart. All runners are snipped off. You can also plant double or triple rows with 12 inches between each row and 2 feet between double or triple rows and let the runners root. When planting using the hill system, plants must be turned under every two to three years. It is recommended to remove flowers from the plant during the first growing season. The second season will be the best harvest when flowers are removed from the first season. Decreasing in quantity and quality the following year, some growers choose to replant each year.

Matted Row System:

Mother plants are set out two feet apart and all runner plants are allowed to root, resulting in small berries. Although this is the easiest growing system, the quantity and quality of fruits are not the best. The beds formed have about 2-3 inches between plants and a 1 ½ to 2-foot alley between rows should be maintained for plant access.

Spaced Matted Row System:

This is a combination of the hill system and the matted row system. With this system, 4 to 6 runners are allowed to root from each mother plant, forming a circle around the plant. The next year, let all runners root, except any that extend into alleys. Varieties that produce fewer runners are best for this planting method, as it is a lot of work the first year keeping the runners thinned. However, in the second year this system will yield better berry size and quantity than either the matted row or hill system. This method grows bigger berries than any other method, except the hill system.

Three Row Bed System:

With this planting system, plants are set one foot apart with three feet between rows. Two of the earliest runners are allowed to root, one to the left and one to the right. A hairpin can be used to set the runners, keeping them in a straight line until they root. Once they root, they are severed from the mother plant, which is destroyed the following year. Continue to allow enough runners to root in the following years to keep plants a foot apart. This method eliminates the need for replanting.

Harvesting Strawberries

3-4 months. Strawberries are the best (sweetest) when fully ripened on the plant. It’s best to leave them on the plant for a day or two after they turn red. If unsure of ripeness, give them a taste test. Be gentle when harvesting berries, ripe ones bruise very easily. Snap the stem just above the berry to remove them from the plant. Keep harvested berries out of direct sunlight and get them someplace cool, such as a refrigerator as soon as possible after picking to maximize storage time. Strawberries can be eaten fresh or preserved by canning, freezing, or dehydrating.

Strawberry Pests

There are around 200 species of pests known to attack strawberries.

• Aphids – A well-known pest insect that can quickly settle into soft tissue and damage the plant by sucking sap from just below the leaves. Symptoms include clusters of aphids at plants tips or on the undersides of leaves. In severe cases, the plant may begin to wither. Applying soapy water to plants or releasing ladybugs into the garden can help with aphid infestation.
• Birds – A common crop thief that can be easily discouraged by covering the area with cheesecloth, weighted down on the sides to keep it in place
• Crown Borer – Adults are small, brownish-red snouted beetles that feed on foliage and berries.  Larvae are little, white, legless grubs that tunnel through the crowns. Short of using chemicals, infected beds must be destroyed. When replanting, keep at least 300 feet away from the original site.
• Cut Worms – Fleshy green to black striped worms. Cardboard collars can be used to keep the worms from getting to the plants. Also, mothballs or blood meal can be spread around the bed. Digging up the ground in early spring will help to expose and kill cutworms.
• Cyclamen Mites – Barely visible white, green or brown mites that feed at the base of plants on leaves and flowers. Spraying the plant forcefully with water, ensuring to spray the undersides of leaves may help to rid this pest.
• Slugs and Snails – Slime trails and irregular holes in fruits are evidence of slugs and/or snails.  Use straw as a mulch to serve as a barrier between your plant and the wet soil. Also, you can try putting stale beer in pie plates and setting them in the strawberry patch. Slugs will crawl in and drown.

Strawberry Diseases

Common diseases of strawberry plants include powdery mildew, leaf spot, leaf blight, slime molds, red stele, verticillium wilt, black root rot, nematodes, gray mold, rhizopus rot, and leather rot to name a few.

If your plant is showing symptoms of disease, such as powdery spots or brownish-red spots on leaves, curled leaves, rotten spots on fruits, or decreased yields, remove all infected plant matter as soon as possible, preferably when the plant is dry.

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Cultivating Squash

The squash area should be kept free of weeds while the plants are young. Black-plastic or very heavy mulch is practical for such spreading vine plants, as weeding is difficult. Feed twice, immediately after thinning to the strongest 3 seedlings, and again just before the vines start to “run”. The plants must have adequate moisture all through the growing season. Note: The popular notation that squash and melon cross-pollinate each other is a fallacy, although they can cross-pollinate with other plants such as pumpkin.

Raise fruits off the ground to prevent rot. Use an A-frame trellis to grow vines upright. Fabric row covers can boost and prolong yields. In cooler climates, keep row covers on all season long; when female (fruit) blossoms open, lift the cover for 2 hours in the early morning twice a week to ensure bee pollination, which is essential. To keep vines short for row covers, pinch back the end, choose the best blossoms, and permit only 4 fruits per vine.

Squash Pests

• Squash bug – Pick the red-brown egg clusters when seen or use pyrethrum or rotenone. The insects can be trapped under boards set out at night and the pests destroyed in the morning.
• Squash vine borer – Undetected until a vine suddenly wilts, in tunnels into the stem. The entry hole can usually be noted by the presence of excrement. Cut into the stem with a razor to kill the borer, then cover the split vines with moist dirt so it can reroot and continue growing.

Squash Diseases

None of major importance.

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Cultivating Spinach

Be sure the rows are kept moist if spring or fall is dry, and side-dress with a high-nitrogen fertilizer such as blood meal or fish emulsion when seedlings are 3 inches tall.

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Soil for Raspberry Growing

Since raspberries are a perennial, they can last many years. It is important to prepare the soil properly before planting your raspberry plants to ensure they can produce large amounts of quality fruit. Raspberries grow best in well-drained, alkaline loam soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.2. If you do not have soil that drains well, consider planting raspberries in a raised bed to ensure they don’t have wet feet. This will also help contain their spreading and clearly define a walking path that will make harvesting a little easier. Till at least 18 inches deep and work several inches of compost into the soil. Test the soil to determine its pH. Acidic soils may require applications of ground limestone to increase the pH.

Planting Raspberries

When –

Plant raspberry plants in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. They can be planted anytime in the summer if your plants are healthy, but spring is the preferred planting time. Raspberries planted in the spring will establish better, and provide more berries in their first producing summer.

How –

Raspberries are typically grown from bare-root plants, rather than seed. It is important to plant the bare roots at the same depth they were originally planted at. The soil level around the stems will indicate the original planting depth. Till the soil to 18 inches and mix in several inches of compost. Plant red and yellow raspberries three feet apart in rows about six feet apart. Black and purple raspberries should be planted four feet apart in rows about eight feet apart. Water and apply a thin layer of mulch after planting. Prune the stem to 5 inches and water immediately after transplanting.

How Raspberries Grow

Raspberries are very vigorous and some people consider them invasive.  They propagate using basal shoots or suckers, which are shoots that extend underground and develop roots.  In addition, if the tip of the plant is allowed to touch the soil, it will eventually root and start a new plant as well.  These shoots will need to be removed between your rows and can be planted at the end of the row to increase the number of plants. 

Raspberries are perennials, individual canes are mainly biennials, meaning they do not produce fruit on first-year canes. Only vegetative growth will be found on first-year canes. Second-year canes produce fruit and then will die and should be pruned out. It is easy to tell the age of the canes: the first-year canes will have a green stem, while second-year canes will have a thin brown bark covering them.

Harvesting Raspberries

Raspberries can generally be harvested the second year after the initial planting and every year after that. The berry is ripe when a gentle pull separates it from the core. Unripe berries are hard and over-ripe berries are soft and squish easily. It is important to pick berries every couple of days to maximize production. Use a small container when picking to keep the berries from squishing under their own weight.

Raspberries are highly perishable, which leads to their high cost at the market. They are best if eaten right after picking, but will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Rinse berries in a solution of 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar to prevent mold, which can start growing within a day at room temperature. They can also be canned as jellies or jams or frozen for use over the winter. Raspberries freeze very well. Rinse them off, then dry well, and arrange in a single layer on a flat pan in the freezer. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a heavy plastic bag or another suitable container that can be sealed for long term storage in the freezer.

Raspberry Pests

• Raspberry cane borer
• Raspberry fruitworm
• Red-necked cane borer
• Japanese beetle
• The biggest pest is likely birds and it’s recommended to place netting over your plants during fruiting season, unless you want to share your crop.

Raspberry Diseases

The most common disease affecting the raspberry plant is a fungal disease which can be minimized by keeping the hedgerows thinned.

• Mosaic virus
• Orange rust
• Anthracnose
• Cane blight
• Spur blight
• Crown or Cane gall
• Verticillium wilt

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Planting Radishes

Radishes are particularly sensitive to any interruptions to their growth and consequently are best direct-seeded outdoors. They are sensitive to frost, but if required, they can be sown indoors about 2 weeks prior to the first frost. If sown indoors, use a biodegradable pot so that you can plant the whole pot when it comes time to transplant them outdoors to minimize disruptions to their root system. Whether you plant indoors or out, the most important thing is to keep the soil moist. Sow seeds about 1/2“ deep and about an inch apart, with 8-12” between rows, depending on how large your variety is. Once the radishes begin to grow, you can thin them to about every 2”.

Radishes can be sown wherever there is an empty space, from early spring until early summer, and starting again in the early fall. They make useful “row markers” sown among slow germinating plants like carrots and parsnips. By the time the carrots or parsnips have germinated, it is close to the time to harvest the radishes. Since they germinate in a few days, it makes weeding between the rows much easier.

Cultivating Radishes

Keep your rows of radishes weed-free and give them a heavy watering every three days to ensure proper root development.

Harvesting Radishes

Radishes are at their best for a very short time. If they are left in the ground too long, they will develop a sharp taste and a pithy texture, and their roots will eventually split. Radishes are ready to harvest in as little as 20 days, depending on the variety. Once the root has become plump, they are ready to pick. Harvest the whole crop once it matures, and store them in the refrigerator. If harvesting in hot weather, pull radishes from the soil and drop them into a bucket of cold water. Remove greens and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Storage can be extended up to several months in a properly maintained root cellar.

Radishes as a trap crop

Insects tend to have preferences, much like humans when it comes to what they eat. They may eat one garden plant when it is the only thing available, but if given the choice, they might choose something they like better. These preferred plants are often within the same plant family. The same root maggots that like broccoli roots, also like radish roots. Flea beetles like broccoli and cabbage seedlings, but also like kale, turnips, pak choi, and radishes. That’s the idea behind a trap crop. You could, for instance, plant radishes with the primary intent that they would attract the root maggots and flea beetles and leave your broccoli and cabbage alone. Many gardeners have found radish to be a good trap crop to protect many of the cabbage family plants.

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How –

Start potatoes with seed potatoes, each containing one to three “eyes” or small indentations that sprout foliage. To prepare seed potatoes for planting: Spread the tubers out in boxes or crates one layer deep. Bring the boxes into a warm living space and to a location with medium intensity light. The warmth tends to stimulate the development of strong sprouts from the buds, which in the presence of light remain short and stubby and are not easily broken off. This process is called greening/pre sprouting and is usually done for a week or two just prior to planting outside to encourage growth and hasten the development of good tubers.

Tubers the size of a medium egg may be planted whole, cut larger tubers with a clean sharp knife so that each piece will contain 1 or more eyes. Pieces should be cut with plenty of flesh around the eyes, as the plant will utilize this stored food during the first few weeks of growth. Seed potatoes may be planted immediately after cutting if soil moisture is properly controlled; if there is a chance the soil will be too wet, allow the cut pieces to dry out a couple of days prior to planting, shriveling is to be avoided at all costs.

Place in shallow trenches 6″ wide, spaced 10-12″ apart, and cover with 3-4″ of soil. Space rows out approximately 20-26″ apart. The spacing can be adjusted to suit your conditions, wider spacing can help alleviate stress due to drought or poor soil. Tighter spacing tends to provide a uniform canopy of foliage to cool the soil in summer. One to two weeks after the shoots emerge, mound the soil around the base, leaving a few inches exposed. This “hilling” prevents greening. Side dress and “hill” again 2-3 weeks later. Hilling is crucial to establishing your crop because all tubers will form at the same depth as the seed piece or higher. By gradually building an ever-larger hill of soil around the plant, you are building the site for your potatoes to develop. Give them plenty of room between rows and build your hills wide and ample to maximize your potato harvest.

How Potatoes Grow

The plants, which are about 3′ high, send up long, pinnate leaves similar to tomato foliage. The tubers will develop in late summer, at the ends of underground stems. They are fairly close to the top 4-5 inches of soil.

Cultivating Potatoes

Keep weeds out of the potato patch with a very light cultivation, or use straw or leaf compost mulch. Gradually hoe soil toward the base of the potato plants, to prevent the roots from becoming sunburned. A second application of fertilizer is usually made 1 month after planting by side dressing in the row. Potatoes are almost 3/4 water, soil moisture is very important. Potatoes need about 1-2″ of water every week. Keep the soil evenly moist, and try not to let the soil completely dry out as this will cause sudden re-growth when watered, giving the tubers ears and noses, splits, or hollow heart. Let the water soak down to about 10-12″ each time. Cover plants if a hard frost is expected.

Storage

For long term storage, keep potatoes in a cool (40 degrees F), dark place. Under the proper conditions, potatoes can last as long as 6 months. Light as well as warmth will promote sprouting and turn the potatoes green. Burlap sacks, netted sacks, slotted crates, or baskets are recommended for storing potatoes over winter. If your potatoes are stored at temperatures ranging from 33-40 degrees F, they will likely convert their starch into sugars, and will consequently taste slightly sweeter than normal. These potatoes will turn brown sooner when fried. You can take them out of storage and keep them in the warmth, but out of the light for a day or two and they will get some of their starch back. Storing potatoes at 50 degrees F will keep their starches intact. This is the ideal temperature if you want to fry the potatoes, make potato chips, or prefer the starchy taste. Ideally, humidity should be relatively high (80-90%). Low humidity is the main cause of shriveling during storage. Refrigerator storage works well, especially if you have a crisper that maintains humidity levels. For the most part, a refrigerator works hard at keeping the humidity levels down.

Potato Pests

• Colorado potato beetle – A small yellow beetle with black lines down its back that produces one or two generations of havoc with potato crops. Control by handpicking.
• Leafhopper – Causes foliage to go down early in the season, reducing yields.  Potato leafhoppers are fairly small, and difficult to see. It is important to catch them early. Scouting leaf undersides and axials is the best way to note their arrival and have time to treat before they build up. Organic pesticides are not particularly effective, but growers have had some success with combinations of neem extract and pyrethrins. Good foliage coverage is critical.

Potato Diseases

• Blights and scabs – Grow resistant varieties and maintain proper pH (5-5.5).

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How Peppers Grow

Pepper is a decorative plant, about 2 1/2 feet tall with handsome leaves, and at blooming time, a display of pretty white flowers. An ideal vegetable for patio gardening, pepper can be mixed in flower borders or raised planters. If too many flowers form, the plant will naturally discard those that are not going to bear fruit.

Cultivating Peppers

Similar to eggplant; peppers need constant soil moisture once growth begins. Hill up soil around the base of the stems gradually to give the stems added support when bearing the fruit. Use small stakes if necessary to keep plants heavy with fruit upright. Keep weeds away with shallow cultivation, or use mulches. Feed the plants again when flowers fade and fruits are forming. If the temperature rises above 95F, sprinkle plants with water in the afternoon to help prevent blossom drop.

Pepper Pests

• Margined blister beetles may appear in large quantities in warmer climates. These beetles are large with black and gray stripes and devour pepper foliage. Handpick them, and wear gloves to prevent skin irritation.
• Pepper weevils can also be a serious problem in warm climates. Make sure to clean up fallen fruits daily to interrupt their life cycle. Adult pepper weevils can be trapped with sticky traps.

Pepper Diseases

The following diseases can affect peppers in warmer climates. These viruses are transmitted by thrips and aphids. They cause leaves to become thick and crinkled or narrow and stringy. The best defense is to select resistant varieties.

• Tobacco Etch Virus (TEV)
• Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CVM)
• Potato Virus Y (PVY)

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