Tips for freezing your garden harvest
- On September 22, 2010
- By Meleah
- In Veggies
0
When I wrote something on this topic last year about this time, I got a lot of questions from readers about different preservation methods. That’s why, this year, I’m focusing my column on freezing techniques. Of course, you’re always welcome to email me with any questions you have, too.
Freezing is one of the easiest ways to preserve herbs, vegetables and fruit. And though you hear talk to the contrary, most will keep well in the freezer for many months. The best time to harvest is in the morning because that’s when stems and leaves are in their best shape — not shriveled or dried out from the hot sun. Do your harvesting on the same day you’re going to freeze things because the longer fresh edibles sit on the counter, the less fresh they’ll taste when it comes time to use them.
Read More»FAQ: Landscape fabric, yes or no?
- On September 01, 2010
- By Meleah
- In FAQ
- 0
Q: I want to keep out as many weeds as possible. Is landscape fabric a good choice?
A: Heavens no. Though you see this stuff used by professional landscape companies all the time, landscape fabric (also known as weed barrier cloth) should never be used in an area where you want to plant living things. Not only is it completely hideous (and some of it always winds up showing), it doesn’t allow water to penetrate the soil in the same way it would normally. It also prevents adequate oxygen from getting to plant roots where it’s needed. And just wait till the day you want to move a shrub or plant something new and you have to maneuver around that thick layer of yuck. If you want healthy plants, skip the landscape fabric and use mulch instead. Shredded hardwood is always a good choice, and there are several sites in Minneapolis where you can get it for free. Check out this website for a location near you: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/news/20030813mulchsites.asp. Shredded leaves and cocoa bean mulch also work well, particularly around annuals and perennials. It sounds like overkill, but mulch should really be 3- to 5-inches thick if it’s going to help prevent weeds and retain soil moisture.
FAQ: Zucchini not flowering
- On July 27, 2010
- By Meleah
- In FAQ
- 0
Q: I have several zucchini plants, but they’re not producing fruit and the flowers are just falling off. Why is this happening?
A: I get this question a lot. It sounds like you’re suffering from a lack of pollinators. Zucchini plants have both male and female flowers and only the female flowers produce fruit. (Female flowers are attached directly to the main vine rather than by a stem.) While it is not uncommon for some of the male flowers to bloom first and fall off before female blossoms have started to open, if a lot of blooms are falling off without fruiting it’s probably because they aren’t being visited by pollinators. In order to flower, pollen needs to be transferred between male and female flowers by insects. Perhaps cool, wet or windy weather has kept pollinators away this year. If you spray to control insects or plant problems, be aware that herbicides and pesticides can also harm beneficial insects like bees. Whatever the reason, if you lack pollinators, you can hand pollinate plants yourself by using a Q-tip or small paintbrush and swirling it inside a flower and then moving from flower to flower as a bee would, swirling the Q-tip or brush gently each time.
Fertilizer 101
- On July 17, 2010
- By Meleah
- In Fertilizer, Organic Gardening
- 0
Raise your hand if you don’t feed your plants like you know you probably should? Yeah, my hand is up, too. There’s no question that plants need nutrients to thrive but, somehow, fertilizing is always low on my list of gardening tasks.
Part of the reason for this is that the garden really doesn’t look like it’s struggling, so I put off feeding for another day. But left on their own year after year, plants will deplete the soil of primary macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K), which is why you find these most often in packaged fertilizers you buy off the shelf.
To a lesser degree, and at a much slower rate, secondary and micronutrients like sulfur, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese may also be depleted over time.
Read More»FAQ: Safety of rain barrel water?
- On July 14, 2010
- By Meleah
- In FAQ
- 0
Q: Is it OK to water vegetables with water from my rain barrel?
A: People disagree on this, but most say no. The reason for this is that runoff from asphalt shingles, which most roofs are covered with, contain bacteria and other contaminants. Plus, no one seems to know whether plastic rain barrels sitting in the summer heat leach chemicals into the water contained inside. To be safe, don’t use water from rain barrels on anything edible. Save if for your lawn and other plants.
