Garden Quote of the Day

"The fair-weather gardener, who will do nothing except when the wind and weather and everything else are favorable, is never master of his craft."-- Henry Ellacombe

The Apple Experiment Part 1

Each year I add something new to our ever growing backyard garden.  Last year the blueberries were added.  Eight north blue bushes were planted with the hopes that within four years they would produce up to ten to twenty pounds per bush. At least that is the estimate I was told.  Even if I were to get half that amount I'd be happy.  They are doing wonderful.  Last year I had a bit of a dilemma though.  Just as the berries were maturing and nearing time to be picked they started to disappear.  I couldn't figure out what was going on until I caught a robin in amongst the blueberries and watched the thief steal one berry at a time and fly off with them.  It was all but too late by the time I had gotten netting to keep the robin or robins out of the bushes.  This year they are covered already with fruit tree netting to keep the birds out and away from the berries.

This year I have ventured into apples.  I know I have my work cut out for me as from what I have read growing apples organically are a challenge to say the least.  I've planted six trees.  After much deliberation on where, how, and which kind I went with a technique I found on the internet called "high density" planting.   I chose three varieties; granny smith, red delicious, and honey-crisp.   The honey-crisp is an early season, the red delicious is a mid-season, and the granny smith is a late-season apple.   All of the trees are on dwarf stock.  I'll add more detail regarding the planting technique and trees with photos in my next post.

Garden Quote of the Day

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden."-- Thomas Jefferson

Raspberry Snapshots

I spent an hour or so working in the garden on Saturday.  Mostly weeding and trying to figure out what to do with the Strawberries which are miserable right now from all the rain.  The good news is the raspberries look fantastic.  Biggest crop yet.  Here are a couple of snapshots I took on Saturday.  Check out the one with the busy bee and lady bug.  Raspberries are easy to grow and take care of and at $4.00-$5.00 a pint well worth the effort.

Garden Humor

The other day it was my turn to prepare dinner so I asked my wife to go over to the local market and buy some organic vegetables. She came back rather upset. When I asked her what was wrong she said, "I don't think I like that produce guy. I went and looked around for your organic vegetables and I couldn't find any. So I asked him where the organic vegetables were. "He didn't know what I was talking about so I said, 'These vegetables are for my husband. Have they been sprayed with any poisonous chemicals?' "And he said, 'No, ma'am. You'll have to do that yourself.'"

Select Natural Organic Fertilizers When Planting

Spring is here and gardeners everywhere are beginning to prepare their soil for new plantings. Thisis the best time to give young plants the nutrients they will need to bloom all season long becausegardeners can place nutrients where they are needed most - at the root zone. Therefore, gardenersshould make sure that they choose a fertilizer that is safe to use at that time.

Garden experts recommend using natural organic fertilizers when planting because they provide thehealthiest combination of benefits.

* Slow, Continuous Release of Nutrients. Unlike water soluble fertilizers that release all of their nutrients immediately upon contact with water, natural organic plant foods rely on a combination ofconditions which ensures that plants are fed the nutrients they need over time.

* Low in Salts. Fertilizers that have high concentrations of salts can dehydrate, injure, or even kill plants. Natural organic fertilizers are much lower in salt content than chemical fertilizers and, therefore, less likely to burn plants and cause damage.

* Balanced Nutrition. For optimum growth and health, plants require a combination of 15 nutrients. In addition to the three primary nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - there are a variety of secondary and trace nutrients, including iron, sulfur and magnesium, that contributeto the overall nourishment of plants. While simple chemical fertilizers often contain the threeprimary nutrients, natural organic plant foods provide a complete feeding of all 15 nutrients necessary for plant health.

* Improve Soil Structure. Only natural organic fertilizers contain organic matter that stimulates microbial activity and allow for better soil aeration and moisture retention. Since plants are most susceptible to damage at planting time, gardeners should be sure to use natural organic fertilizers to optimize soil structure at the time of planting.

Natural organic fertilizers, like Espoma Holly-tone and Plant-tone, offer all of the above benefits, with the lowest risk of plant injury. Applied at the time of planting, the Espoma Tones provide young plants the best chance for vibrant foliage and beautiful blooms.

As always, gardeners should be careful to follow the label directions because even the best plant food can cause damage if used improperly. For more gardening tips, visit www.espoma.com.