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HAPPY EARTH DAY! |
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Matthews Farmer's Market
Saturday, April 25
7:15 to noon
Herb Transplants
Blueberry Bushes
Veggie Transplants
Farmscape Flowers
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| Greetings! |
If nothing else, farming teaches patience like no other experience and each year brings a new depth to the lesson. The weather is always an interesting teacher. Whether drought or excessive rain, a farming day's activities are nudged in one direction or another by the weather. This year, farmers are patiently waiting for the ground to dry out enough to plant spring crops and hoping that Mother Nature will save some water for the months of June, July and August when crops need an average of one inch of water per week to thrive. In the greenhouse, we remind ourselves that the "watched pot never boils" when we are waiting for seeds to germinate. Patience, patience. All you can do is set up the best conditions and wait for nature to take its course.
This week, I have a new patience professor - crutches! Last Sunday I took my young horse for an outing and, without going into too much detail, I landed on the ground. Nothing broken but much bruised. So my pace is slow and my patience tested. You get a whole new perspective on farming and a great appreciation for walking when you are on crutches. I am focusing on my gratitude to all the folks that help around the farm (especially my dearest Ray!) instead of my frustration at the inability to move at my usual pace. With patience, I am seeing a side of the farm that might escape my notice if I were not moving so slowly and deliberately.
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| Spring and Tomato Fever |
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Tomato plants are in the garden centers, the weather is warm, and your neighbor is bragging about having tomatoes in the ground. Is it time to plant tomatoes? You may want to wait a bit longer. The optimum air temperature for growing tomatoes is between 75ºF and 95ºF and the minimum soil temperature for good tomato growth is 50ºF to 55ºF. Air temperatures below 57ºF will actually delay growth and encourage disease. And remember, we have had killing frosts at the end of April the last two years!
Planting tomato seedlings outdoors before the air and soil temperatures warm up will not help achieve early-fruiting tomatoes. The plants may fail to set blossoms, or they may set and then drop the blossoms. Tomato seedlings planted later, when the air and soil temperature warm up, will generally catch up with and surpass the growth of those tomato seedlings planted earlier.
So relax and spend these early spring days preparing a good garden bed, enjoying the wonderful spring dogwood and azalea blossoms, or attending one of the many festivals that happen this time of year. Planting tomato plants early planting may buy you bragging rights, but not much else.
Did you know....
- To avoid disease, try not to plant tomatoes in the same location every year. Rotate tomatoes with other crops.
- Tomato plants sprout roots all along their stems so set transplants deep in the soil, covering the stems up to the main foliage.
- Plant seedlings two feet apart in rows three feet apart.
- Refrigeration causes tomatoes to lose their flavor in only two days, so store at room temperature.
- Six to ten plants will feed a family of four with lots left over to share with the neighbors.
- As of 1998, the heaviest tomato on record weighed seven pounds, twelve ounces.
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| Home and Community Gardening in America |
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Whether you are new to vegetable gardening this year or have been producing your own local produce for years, you may find you have much in common with 43 million other households that are growing their own. The National Gardening Association has released a research study entitled The Impact of Home and Community Gardening In America. The study which was conducted in January 2009 by Harris Interactive from a representative sample of 2,559 households nationwide contains the following interesting facts.
- 43 million U.S. households plan to grow their own fruits, vegetables, berries, and
herbs in 2009-that's up 19 percent from 36 million households in 2008.
- 21 percent of food gardening households in 2009 will be new to gardening.
Most food gardeners are women (54 percent); 45 years of age and older (68
percent); college graduates (43 percent); residents of the South (29 percent),
Midwest (26 percent), West (23 percent), and Northeast (22 percent); in
households with annual incomes of $50,000 and over (49 percent); married
households (64 percent); households with no children at home (67 percent); and
two-person households (40 percent)
The main reasons given by households for growing their own food include:
- for better-tasting food (58 percent)
- to save money on food bills (54 percent)
- for better quality food (51 percent)
- to grow food they know is safe (48 percent)
- the current recession is motivating them very much (34 percent) or a fair amount (20 percent).
Food gardening households spend an average of 5 hours per week in the garden and the average food garden size is 600 square feet in area.
A well-maintained food garden can yield an estimated ½ pound of fresh produce per square foot of garden area. At in-season market prices that produce is worth $2.00 per pound.
The most popular vegetables grown include:
- tomatoes (86 percent)
- cucumbers (47 percent)
- sweet peppers (46 percent)
- beans (39 percent)
- carrots (34 percent)
- summer squash (32 percent)
- onions (32 percen
- hot peppers (31percent)
- lettuce (28 percent)
- peas (24 percent).
To view the full report, visit
http://www.gardenresearch.com/files/2009-Impact-of-Gardening-in-America-White-Paper.pdf
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Herb: Borage |
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Borage is a self seeding annual that grows 2 to 3 ft. tall and spreads approximately 12 inches wide. It is easy to grow in full sun. Borage is an excellent companion plant for tomatoes, squash and strawberries. The plant actually improves the flavor of tomatoes growing nearby and is said to repel tomato horn worms. At Windcrest Farm, we plant borage, parsley and basil alternatively between our tomato plants.
Borage can be used as a fresh vegetable. As a fresh vegetable, borage has a cucumber like taste and is often used in salads. The flowers and young leaves may be used to garnish salads, dips, and cucumber soups.The flower has a sweet honey-like taste and is one of the few truly blue-colored edible things. The flowers are often used to decorate desserts or frozen in ice cubes for decorative additions to beverages.
Borage seed oil is one of the richest sources of gamma linolenic acid (GLA). Naturopathic practitioners use borage to regulate metabolism and the hormonal system, and it is consider it to be a good remedy for PMS and menopause symptoms such as the hot flashes. Borage is sometimes indicated to alleviate and heal colds, bronchitis, and respiratory infections in general for its anti-inflammatory and balsamic properties.
We will have well-started borage plants available for your garden at the Matthews Farmer's Market on Saturday.
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Sincerely,
Mary Roberts, Farmer
Windcrest Farm
Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.
-Mark Twain
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