Our passion is farming and we love to grow great vegetables for our customers. You cannot be a leader in your field without a passion for that activity, its technologies, and the result. Passion causes us to move towards our goals and it creates leverage or a force multiplier to our efforts. It keep us going when the days are long.
We care deeply about what we grow, how we grow it and who we grow it for. For example:
Showing posts with label Variety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Variety. Show all posts
Monday, July 21, 2014
Saturday, May 3, 2014
How to Pick the Best Garden Vegetable Seeds
One of the rituals of spring is picking out seeds for the garden. Until you have some experiencing it is always a challenge to pick the best varieties and seed.
Here are a few tips...
Here are a few tips...
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
How to Pick Smooth or Savoyed Spinach
I prefer Savoyed-Leaf spinach over Smooth-Leaf for the Farmers Market as I think the presentation is better. Savoyed-Leaf has better loft and fills the bag better. Smooth-Leaf packs down in the bag more. From a flavor stand point I can't tell the difference.
The savoyed varieties like Tyee have good powdery mildue resistance and resistance to other diseases.
I had some problems with damping off of seedlings last year. Turns out good old food grade hydrogen peroxide can help with this. Don't use the medicinal kind as that has preservatives. You can get a quart of food grade H2O2 at the Peoples Food Coop. Be careful handling it, as 35% can burn your skin.
The savoyed varieties like Tyee have good powdery mildue resistance and resistance to other diseases.
I had some problems with damping off of seedlings last year. Turns out good old food grade hydrogen peroxide can help with this. Don't use the medicinal kind as that has preservatives. You can get a quart of food grade H2O2 at the Peoples Food Coop. Be careful handling it, as 35% can burn your skin.
Friday, May 24, 2013
We Work For Our Customers So You Don't Have To
We have trialed 100's of varieities over the years to find some of the top varieties for our location, climate and our customers needs.
We sell some of these varieties as plant starts at the farmers market. Things like heirloom tomatoes and top hybrid cucumbers.
Customers have brought many interests and needs to our attention in the past. We have broadened our offerings from time to time based on customers requests.
Some of these requests were Purslane, Arugula, Sweet Corn, Dandelion Greens, and Heirloom Okra.
We have a broad knowledge of the things we grow. How to grow them. How to process them for the best nutrition and flavor. How to prepare them for your table.
We will continue to add this knowledge to our posts.
If you have any additional things you'd like us to consider growing. Please let us know either by leaving a comment or seeing us at the market.
We sell some of these varieties as plant starts at the farmers market. Things like heirloom tomatoes and top hybrid cucumbers.
Customers have brought many interests and needs to our attention in the past. We have broadened our offerings from time to time based on customers requests.
Some of these requests were Purslane, Arugula, Sweet Corn, Dandelion Greens, and Heirloom Okra.
We have a broad knowledge of the things we grow. How to grow them. How to process them for the best nutrition and flavor. How to prepare them for your table.
We will continue to add this knowledge to our posts.
If you have any additional things you'd like us to consider growing. Please let us know either by leaving a comment or seeing us at the market.
Monday, May 20, 2013
How to Plant Tomatoes
Tomatoes are easy to plant. Prepare the soil 8-10 inches deep. Dig a hole that is as deep as the distanced from the first true leaves to the root ball. Put the fertilizer in the hole (see below). Put the plant in the hole. Put the soil in the hole and lightly press around the plant. Water thoroughly to settle the soil. Put a layer of compost 2-3 inches deep 18 inches from the stem of the plant (see below for explanation). Water one inch per week. Stop watering when the fruit starts to turn pink so you don't crack the fruit.
Our plants have been outside since the plants had their first true leaves. They are typically very sturdy and stocky from being in the sun, wind and rain. We get nearly 100% survival of transplants that way. They are not set back by transplanting outside and are way ahead of their green house peers.
If you have tomatoes with long stems, that have been in the green house too long. You can bury the stems in the ground, just leaving 3-4 inches of the plant exposed. The stem will root and the plant will do just fine. Just remember where the root ball is as you water for the first couple of weeks.
Use a good balanced organic fertilizer like fish emulsion (fish). You can reapply a dilute version of fish to the foliage of the plants and soak the roots every 3-4 weeks until the fruit starts to mature. You don't want to have fish on any ripe fruit. Fish will also counter act blossom end rot (a calcium deficiency that is typically triggered by water stress).
I do not recommend Miracle Grow as it over stimulates the plants. Yes, they look beautiful but MG creates a lot of foliage and not as much fruit. The fruit is often not as flavorful and MG is made of synthetic chemicals. When someone asks about tomato plant problems about 90% of the time they are using miracle grow.
Compost is the true miracle worker in the garden. The layer of compost suggested above is to keep the young plant from contacting the soil. Most of the viral diseases come from the soil. When you use compost, every time it rains you get compost tea. Compost also feeds the biology in the soil. You will find earth worms like crazy around your plants. Compost is like popcorn (my favorite snack) for earth worms.
If you don't have compost of your own, you can get a 5 gallon bucket for $0.50 at the waste to energy facility or buy it for $25 per ton in bulk.
Our plants have been outside since the plants had their first true leaves. They are typically very sturdy and stocky from being in the sun, wind and rain. We get nearly 100% survival of transplants that way. They are not set back by transplanting outside and are way ahead of their green house peers.
If you have tomatoes with long stems, that have been in the green house too long. You can bury the stems in the ground, just leaving 3-4 inches of the plant exposed. The stem will root and the plant will do just fine. Just remember where the root ball is as you water for the first couple of weeks.
Use a good balanced organic fertilizer like fish emulsion (fish). You can reapply a dilute version of fish to the foliage of the plants and soak the roots every 3-4 weeks until the fruit starts to mature. You don't want to have fish on any ripe fruit. Fish will also counter act blossom end rot (a calcium deficiency that is typically triggered by water stress).
I do not recommend Miracle Grow as it over stimulates the plants. Yes, they look beautiful but MG creates a lot of foliage and not as much fruit. The fruit is often not as flavorful and MG is made of synthetic chemicals. When someone asks about tomato plant problems about 90% of the time they are using miracle grow.
Compost is the true miracle worker in the garden. The layer of compost suggested above is to keep the young plant from contacting the soil. Most of the viral diseases come from the soil. When you use compost, every time it rains you get compost tea. Compost also feeds the biology in the soil. You will find earth worms like crazy around your plants. Compost is like popcorn (my favorite snack) for earth worms.
If you don't have compost of your own, you can get a 5 gallon bucket for $0.50 at the waste to energy facility or buy it for $25 per ton in bulk.
Friday, May 17, 2013
How to Plant Peppers
Peppers are easy to plant. Prepare the soil 8-10 inches deep. Dig a hole that is as deep as the distanced from the first true leaves to the root ball. Put the fertilizer in the hole (see below). Put the plant in the hole. Put the soil in the hole and lightly press around the plant. Water thoroughly to settle the soil. Put a layer of compost 2-3 inches deep 18 inches from the stem of the plant (see below for explanation). Water one inch per week.
Our plants have been outside since the plants had their first true leaves. They are typically very sturdy and stocky from being in the sun, wind and rain. We get nearly 100% survival of transplants that way. They are not set back by transplanting outside and are way ahead of their green house peers.
Use a good balanced organic fertilizer like fish emulsion (fish). You can reapply a dilute version of fish to the foliage of the plants and soak the roots every 3-4 weeks until the fruit starts to mature. You don't want to have fish on any ripe fruit.
I do not recommend Miracle Grow as it over stimulates the plants. Yes, they look beautiful but MG creates a lot of foliage and not as much fruit. The fruit is often not as flavorful and MG is made of synthetic chemicals. When someone asks about pepper problems about 90% of the time they are using miracle grow.
Here is a trick to improve your fruit set. When the plants are about a foot tall and starting to bloom, spray the foliage with a dilute solution of Epsom salts. The dilution is one table spoon of salt to each gallon of water. The foliage will turn a dark green and the plants will bloom profusely. Epsom salts contains magnesium one of the components of chlorophyll which is why the leave turn dark green. Magnesium is also one of the core elements that plants need for reproduction. This is very inexpensive, you can get a pound of salt for a couple of dollars. Use the left over salt for a foot bath.
Compost is the true miracle worker in the garden. The layer of compost suggested above is to keep the young plant from contacting the soil. Most of the viral diseases come from the soil. When you use compost, every time it rains you get compost tea. Compost also feeds the biology in the soil. You will find earth worms like crazy around your plants. Compost is like popcorn (my favorite snack) for earth worms.
If you don't have compost of your own, you can get a 5 gallon bucket for $0.50 at the waste to energy facility or buy it for $25 per ton in bulk.
Our plants have been outside since the plants had their first true leaves. They are typically very sturdy and stocky from being in the sun, wind and rain. We get nearly 100% survival of transplants that way. They are not set back by transplanting outside and are way ahead of their green house peers.
Use a good balanced organic fertilizer like fish emulsion (fish). You can reapply a dilute version of fish to the foliage of the plants and soak the roots every 3-4 weeks until the fruit starts to mature. You don't want to have fish on any ripe fruit.
I do not recommend Miracle Grow as it over stimulates the plants. Yes, they look beautiful but MG creates a lot of foliage and not as much fruit. The fruit is often not as flavorful and MG is made of synthetic chemicals. When someone asks about pepper problems about 90% of the time they are using miracle grow.
Here is a trick to improve your fruit set. When the plants are about a foot tall and starting to bloom, spray the foliage with a dilute solution of Epsom salts. The dilution is one table spoon of salt to each gallon of water. The foliage will turn a dark green and the plants will bloom profusely. Epsom salts contains magnesium one of the components of chlorophyll which is why the leave turn dark green. Magnesium is also one of the core elements that plants need for reproduction. This is very inexpensive, you can get a pound of salt for a couple of dollars. Use the left over salt for a foot bath.
Compost is the true miracle worker in the garden. The layer of compost suggested above is to keep the young plant from contacting the soil. Most of the viral diseases come from the soil. When you use compost, every time it rains you get compost tea. Compost also feeds the biology in the soil. You will find earth worms like crazy around your plants. Compost is like popcorn (my favorite snack) for earth worms.
If you don't have compost of your own, you can get a 5 gallon bucket for $0.50 at the waste to energy facility or buy it for $25 per ton in bulk.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Why Start Your Own Transplants
There are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes and peppers and there are only about 10-15 varieties available in your local garden center. Even with the Chef Jeff heirlooms that are purchased off the truck for many garden centers, you still only have access to a small fraction of the available genetic material that is available.
We have trialed literally hundreds of tomatoes and peppers over 25 years of growing and have selected varieties that work well in Minnesota and for the purposes that we use them for.
For example
We have trialed literally hundreds of tomatoes and peppers over 25 years of growing and have selected varieties that work well in Minnesota and for the purposes that we use them for.
For example
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)