Mother Nature or Robot Sprayer?

I have been out of town for a little over a week on a spring break excursion to visit my sister and family in Colorado. We spent some time in Boulder and visited the National Atmospheric Research Center. I highly recommend their guided tour. While there, we had a conversation with the guide about weather modification. For all of you who believe this is some sort of untrue conspiracy theory, I am sorry to burst your bubble but it is true. The guide explained that scientists are unhappy about the ongoing weather modification which includes the spraying of metal oxides into the atmosphere from airplanes. He said that it is an uncontrolled experiment that is being done mostly by private industries, especially hedge funds and huge agricultural companies, to make bets on weather related industries, such as crops. They call it cloud seeding and believe that they can produce more rain or  cloud cover in areas by spraying these chemicals. I believe it should be illegal. Not only is it unethical to modify the weather, it is unethical to poison the land and people with metal oxides of aluminum and barium. I am trying not to use my blog as a place to rant and rave but I recommend educating yourself if you haven't already. A good place to start is at this website:  http://aircrap.org/list-companies-engaged-weather-modification-related-patents/331939/

It is March 27th, the week after "spring break" and still snowing across the US. There is talk of firing the little ground hog that lied to us all. This time last year, we had warm spring weather and were able to start gardening outdoors with a few frost and cold tolerant crops. Not this year.  While we were in the Rocky's over spring break, it snowed 2 feet in one day and the weather dipped below 0F with windchill of -18F. It was an unusually cold spring weather event, even for the Rocky Mountain areas. The news in Denver was reporting it as a great thing because of their severe water shortage, every bit of snowfall means it will eventually trickle downhill and hopefully replenish their drought stricken area. It also kept the ski areas packed with business. On our way back home yesterday, it snowed in Kentucky. The ground was too warm to allow it to stick but it is still too cold to plant anything outside yet. The night time temperatures and frost will kill just about anything you try to plant right now. I have to wonder if it is Mother Nature or the Robot Sprayers. If it is the robot sprayers, then what is their objective this year? Drought, killing frosts, heat waves, water shortages, floods, hurricanes, wild fires. Who knows? I guess we need to watch their stock market bets instead of read the farmer's almanac nowadays.

Since the cold weather is so persistent, I am happy to have my greenhouse going. I already have broccoli forming heads and lettuce ready for harvest. Several herbs can be harvested anytime too. My tomatoes and pepper plants are booming and will be a good size when the ground finally warms up enough to plant them. While we were away, a friend came by to water my plants and check on the animals. I had tried to set up some irrigation in the greenhouse before we left but I couldn't get it working right in time. Irrigation in a greenhouse requires a lot of tinkering with different nozzles, lines and devices. It also requires good areas for drainage. I believe in order to make it work well, I will need to build some benches that drain instead of using the plastic tables I have now. The tables are starting to sag with the weight of the plants and they hold water in the middle if I use the irrigation. I have a seedling heat mat under the tomato and pepper seedlings that are keeping the soil a comfy 75-80F. It is big enough to warm four trays and has a thermostat so that it doesn't overheat the plants. My greenhouse heater was also installed before we left so that the ambient air temperature can be set at 65-70F. I also have a fan and vent installed for when the greenhouse gets over 90F. It is nice to not worry about it being too cold or hot anymore. Once I get the irrigation worked out, I will only need to worry about fertilizing and checking for signs of bugs and disease.

March back to life and plant some seeds!

Seed tray started

Lettuce, Broccoli & Spinach

Lettuce getting bigger!

Happy, happy, happy plants!!

I am so happy it is finally March! February seems like a very long, long, month to me. March means longer daylight hours, spring weather, grass starts to green up, trees are budding and the first blooms of the year open. It is also seed starting time! I am starting lots of seeds this year and I am so excited about using the greenhouse to get them going. Even though it is dipping down in the 30's at night, I already have several seedlings planted for my spring crop of lettuces, spinach, broccoli, onions, radishes, carrots, arugula, and a few herbs.  Some of the lettuce is doing so well, I could start harvesting it now but I think I will wait until next week when its even bigger! This first week of March, I will start all my tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and summer bulbs. The first week in April I will start the melons & squash plants. Last year, I lost all my tomato and pepper seedlings to a late frost. This year I will be able to wait until Derby to set those out permanently because of the greenhouse. I plan to have more than I have room for, so I will be giving away a few seedlings to some friends and family. I am also excited about the varieties of tomatoes and peppers this year. I have picked a few organic open pollinators and also some disease resistant hybrids. Hybrids are not the same as GMO. They are crossed to combine desirable qualities and it is something that could have happened in nature, much like evolution. It does not involve putting a fish gene in a tomato plant. I buy most of my seeds from Johnny's select seeds. johnnyseeds.com They are an excellent employee owned business in Maine and they have a great website. Their catalogs are well written with information about each plants growing needs, taste, disease resistance, etc.They provide excellent customer service and package all items with great care.

Seed starting is pretty simple if you have the right equipment and a little time. You need a good soil starting medium, some pots or tray cells, a water sprayer to lightly mist the seedlings and a warm area with some light. Dome covers and seed heating mats will speed things up but they are not necessary. Most seeds will germinate well between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though it is 37F outside right now, it is 65F in the greenhouse. The soil needs to be kept moist but not real wet or the seeds or small roots will rot. Once the seedlings emerge, remove any domes or covers so the seedlings get the proper air and light. Light requirements are a minimum of 10 hours. Any less than that and a plant will stay dormant and not grow. I have two lights in the greenhouse with T5 bulbs and one High Pressure Sodium Light. If you just use a regular shop light, you will not see the same results. I have tried the windowsill growing in the past but it doesn't work well. The seedlings end up very spindly and tall trying to stretch to the light. If they survive, the plant's main stalk will be flimsy or thinner and the plant will always be stressed and disease prone. If you are going to invest money in seed starting, I recommend putting it in to proper grow lights and set them on a timer that comes on before dark to extend the daylight hours.


Seed starting is much less expensive than buying all your seedlings at a store. By selecting varieties online, you can grow something different than the neighbors and select varieties resistant to diseases or insects that are common in your area. We always have a lot of fungal problems here in Kentucky. Particularly where I live because of the mixed hardwood deciduous forest in the Daniel Boone. I have tried to select varieties that are more resistant to the fungal diseases. I am also going to set up some irrigation lines this year so that I am not wetting the plants leaves so much which can cause a lot of disease problems. In the past, I have planted some varieties too close together while experimenting with the square foot gardening books. This just doesn't work well here because plants that are close together will stifle air movement and cause disease. You either have to pick off a good portion of the stems and leaves to open it up for air movement or you end up spraying fungicides more often.

I try to buy all organic seeds, if possible. Even if they were not raised organic though, they will be raised that way in my garden. Most crops grown for seed take longer to mature than food crops – the plant must go through its entire life cycle before seeds are mature, and even then there is often a period of curing or drying before seeds are ready to harvest. This lengthy process results in a greater window of time during which any number of pests and diseases can destroy the seed crop.  In conventional seed production, pesticides and fungicides are applied, often at much higher levels than are allowable for food crops.  As the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association asks: “Is it fair for those of us in organic agriculture to want our own farms and environments to be as free of toxins as possible, but expect seed production communities to carry a heavy toxic load so that we can plant cheap conventional seed?" Seed that is produced organically will yield plants that are more adapted to, and more likely to thrive under, organic growing conditions. Increased demand will lead to an increase in variety selection and development, and increased availability of more organic seed!

Some of the seeds I am using this year are leftover from previous years. If you keep your seed in a cool dry location then you can use it more than one year, even if the seed packet is outdated. This can save you money on seed every year. Seed packets sometimes have 100 seeds or more and most home gardeners don't have space or time for that many plants. It is wasteful to throw out perfectly good seed and then buy the same seed again the following year. Generally, here is how long seeds will keep well in the right conditions:

Onions: One year 
Corn and peppers: Two years 
Beans, carrots, peas: Three years 
Beets, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, watermelons: Four years 
Broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, cantaloupes, radishes, spinach: Five years 
I am posting a list of the varieties I am growing this year. I will probably add a few more varieties later this spring, especially of the melons. My chickens love to peck and eat melons and squashes so I have to grow extra for them. I always get this ambitious about growing stuff in early spring, but by the end of summer, some things just don't make it to my plate for one reason or another.

Tomatoes:
Mountain Merit - Mountain Merit is a medium-large, 8-10 oz., red slicer with an excellent disease package to keep it healthy in the field. Larger than Defiant PHR, though flavor is not quite as good. Mountain Merit has one of the best disease packages around for a variety of field conditions. 
Charger - Large, 10-14 oz., red tomatoes are borne on high-yielding, medium-large plants that stay healthy due to multiple disease resistances. Very lightly ribbed tomatoes are firm and have very good flavor. Widely adaptable. Determinate. 
BHN-871 - Compared to Orange Blossom, BHN-871 is a larger, later plant with improved disease resistance, higher yield potential and larger fruit size. 10-12 oz. flattened globe-shaped tomatoes have good flavor but, like most yellow/orange tomatoes, less acid than most reds. Determinate. 
Granadero - Granadero produces very high yields of uniform, attractive, bright red, 4-5 oz. tomatoes with very good flavor. Thick-walled fruit are good for fresh tomato sauces, salsas, and salads. Broad disease resistances, including IR to TSWV, resistance to Nematodes, and low susceptibility to blossom end rot, keep Granadero healthy even under heavy disease pressure. Indeterminate. Organically grown.
Sweet Mojo - 65 days. F1 hybrid. Red grape type, extra long clusters of 20-21 fruit with nice high sugar flavor. Some tolerance to cracking and fusarium, extended shelf life. Stake indeterminate plants.
Great White - There are a number of heirloom "white" tomatoes, and Great White is the best. we have seen. The fruit is meaty with few seeds, a mild non-acid flavor, and creamy texture. The medium-tall plants are less viney and mature earlier than other "whites". Indeterminate. Organically grown.
Roma - The classic sauce and paste tomato. Certified Organic.Compact plants produce paste-type tomatoes resistant to verticillium and fusarium wilts. Meaty interiors and few seeds.
Beefsteak - Meaty fruits with fine flavor. Certified Organic. Large, ribbed fruits, 1-2 lbs. each, are produced on indeterminate vines. Solid, meaty and juicy tomatoes, an excellent slicer. 
Farmstand - A bright red, 8oz.slicer taht is bursting with sweet flavor. Indeterminate.
Sungold Cherry - Exceptionally sweet, bright tangerine-orange cherry tomatoes leave customers begging for more. Vigorous plants start yielding early and bear right through the season. Tendency to split precludes shipping, making these an exclusively fresh-market treat. The taste can't be beat. Indeterminate. 
Peppers:
Habanero - Super-hot! Avg. 2" x 1 1/4", wrinkled fruits ripen from dark green to salmon orange. This extremely pungent Habanero may be used fresh or dried. Key ingredient in Jamaican "jerk" sauces. Yield potential is good, but can be erratic in the North.
Lunchbox Pepper Mix - Equal amounts of our new red, yellow, and orange Lunchbox snack peppers have been combined in this mix. These beautiful, mini-sized peppers are remarkably sweet and flavorful. They are delicious sautéed, as an addition to salads and, of course, perfect for a healthy snack. All three varieties have tall strong plants that yield well for snack-type peppers.
Ancho - Otherwise known as chili rellanos, productive, most authentic tasting ancho we have trialed. Heart-shaped, thinner-walled fruits are mildly pungent and turn from black-green to red. 
Jalapeno -
California Wonder - HEIRLOOM. The standard bell pepper for many decades, this 1928 introduction is still the largest open-pollinated, heirloom bell you can grow, and a big improvement over the earlier bells. Consistently produces 3" X 4", 4-lobed fruit.
Sweet Banana - HEIRLOOM. An All-America Selection Bronze Medal winner for 1941 and still extremely popular. Large, pointed fruits measure 6 to 7" long and 1½" across. The mild yellow peppers ultimately turn brilliant red. A favorite for pickling.
Rainbow Mix - The collection of green, red, yellow, orange and purple peppers will make and outstanding color addition to the table. Start seeds indoors 8 weeks before planting outdoors. Keep seed moist in full sunlight. Transplant when 3 inches tall. Or, sow directly in the garden in sunny location after danger of frost has past. Plant 2 seeds every 18 inches. Thin to 1 plant every 18 inches when 3 inches tall. Use a balanced fertilizer when 6 inches tall to increase production. Plant hot and sweet peppers in separate areas to avoid cross-pollination. Pick peppers regularly for increased yields.
Cucumber:
Straight Eight - Organic. An All-American Winner! These perfectly straight cucumbers have sweet, mild flesh. The excellent flavor makes this a super choice for salads or sticks for dipping. This packet will plant approximately 20 hills. When plants are 2 inches tall, thin to 3 plants per hill. Plant at 3 week intervals up to midsummer for fresh cucumbers all season. Plant cucumber seed only after all danger of frost is past and ground is warm. They need lots of sunshine and water. Keep weeds to a minimum with straw or leaf mulch. In full sun, sow 5 seeds over a hill 12 inches tall and 2 feet across with well drained soil. For smaller gardens, plant alongside fence or trellis.
Rocky - Parthenocarpic Persian type. Tender flesh with good flavor. Very early maturity with high yields. Pick at 3 1/2" for baby cucumbers. Suitable for field or greenhouse production.
Diva - Diva produces distinctly tender, crisp, sweet, bitter-free, and seedless cukes. Plants are gynoecious (all-female) and parthenocarpic (grow fruits without pollination). Foliage is nonbitter, hence not as attractive to cucumber beetles as some varieties. Adapted to open field production and protected cropping. 
Asparagus: These have been growing two years so they should produce a good harvest this year.
Lettuce/Greens:
Coastal Star - Heat tolerant, full-size romaine. The large, heavy heads are dark green. Suitable for marketing as full heads or romaine hearts. Good, sweet flavor. Corky root resistant. Organically grown.
Claytonia - Cold-hardy salad green. Quantities of heart-shaped leaf pairs, each "wrapped" around a white-flowered stem. Hardiest of the winter salad greens, can tolerate moderate frost and can be grown all winter in mild regions or in cold greenhouses. The taste of the young leaves is wild and fresh. 
Arugula - Long, dark, lobed leaves are suitable for salad mix or bunching. White flowers with dark pink veins make attractive spicy additions to salad mixes.
Vit - The ideal winter salad item. This versatile, vigorous, mildew-resistant variety is excellent at a time of year when greens become scarce. Long, oval, glossy green leaves form tight rosettes. Flavor is mild and slightly nutty.
Winter Bibb - Unique, specialty bibb-romaine type for mini heads. Compact, extra-dark green heads, avg. 8" tall. Very tightly folded. Best described as a tall Buttercrunch. Flavor and texture are excellent. Suitable for all seasons - a top performer in our Quick Hoops™ trials. A unique, long-popular English lettuce, known in France as "Craquerelle du Midi" or "Craquante D'Avignon". 
Elegance Mix - Stunning colors! Colors range from dark and bronze red to bluish green. The combination of flavors and textures makes this a beautiful salad. This mix includes Pac Choi, Red Mustard,Mizuna, and leaf broccoli. 
Space Spinach - medium dark green leaves are upright and smooth to slightly savoyed. Resistant to DM races 1-3.
Tyee Spinach -Standard savoy spinach. Known for its bolt resistance and vigorous growth. Dark green leaves with upright growth habit. Suitable for spring, summer, and fall crops. Ideal for overwintering. Resistant to DM races 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, and 12.  
Cabbage - Green & Red varieties
Root Crops:
Evergreen Scallions - Green threads with an oniony kick.
Picador Shallots - Reddish-brown skin with white flesh. Large, French, half-long style produces single bulbs. Great for long-term storage.
Copra Onions - One of the best onions for long storage. Uniform, "rock-hard" storage onion with early maturity. These medium-sized, dark yellow-skinned storage onions have the preferred blocky round shape with thin necks that dry quickly. Firmness and skin are superior. Copra remains one of the best in our yearly storage trials, staying firm and flavorful after most other varieties have sprouted. Highest in sugar (13°-14°) of the storage onions. 
Red Onions
Napoli Carrots - Ideal for overwintering. A specialized variety with a sweet taste when sown in fall for winter harvest. In cold regions sow in the greenhouse. In mild regions sow outdoors in the open or protected with fabric row cover. Up to 7" cylindrical, smooth, blunt roots with strong tops.
Amethyst Radish - Bright purple skin! There is a striking contrast between the purple skin and crisp, mild white flesh. Amethyst is slow to get pithy, and the medium-sized tops are strong.
Red Norland Potatoes
Gold Russet Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Corn:
Vision - Tender, early, yellow super sweet. The 7 1/2-8" long ears have exceptionally tender, sweet, deep kernels, resulting in more corn and less cob. Each cob has 16-18 straight rows. Great for fresh eating or freezing. Much better eating and a more attractive, refined ear than Northern Xtra-Sweet, which it replaced. Good cool soil germination. Recommended minimum soil temperature at planting 65°F
Beans & Peas:
Tenderpick bush beans
Kentucky Blue Lake pole beans
Snowpeas
Snap peas
Squash:
Dunja Zucchini - Organic, early, powdery mildew resistant. Dunja is a high yielder of dark green, straight zucchinis. Open plants and small spines make for an easy harvest. Higher yielding. 
Slick Pic Yellow - Spineless and extra early. Slick Pik™ YS 26 combines extra earliness with spineless leaf petioles for a better percentage of blemish-free fruits and an easier harvest. The very attractive fruits have good flavor, and are a bit longer than typical, yellow straight necks. Bred by Brent Loy at the University of New Hampshire. 
Honey Bear Acorn - Delicious, small size. 4" round, mini-acorn fruits are just the right size halved for single servings. Weighing just 1-1 1/4 lb. (500gm.), Honey Bear has a deliciously starchy and sweet flavor. Promising for direct marketing by name. Compact bush plant resists powdery mildew. This innovative acorn squash was bred by Dr. Brent Loy at the University of New Hampshire.
Waltham Butternut - The standard butternut. Light tan-colored winter squash with small seed cavities and thick, cylindrical necks without crooks. Uniform fruits avg. 9" long, avg. 4-5 lb. The flesh is smooth-textured and has a unique sweet flavor, particularly after 3 months' storage. This 1970 All-America Selections winner from Massachusetts is still deservedly the most widely grown full-size butternut. Avg. yield: 4-5 fruits/plant.
Spagetti - Yellow, spaghetti-like flesh. Skin is ivory changing to pale yellow at maturity. Bake like squash or boil and fork out the flesh, topping the "spaghetti" with your favorite sauce. 3-5 lb. oblong fruit. Avg. yield: 4-5 fruits/plant. 
Big Doris Pumpkin - Good shape with strong handles. Big Doris has smooth, deep orange skin and average 30-40 lb. in weight. Avg. yield: 1 fruit/long-vined plant. 
New England Pumpkin - The classic New England pie pumpkin. Dark orange-skinned pumpkins in a range of small sizes, typically 4-6 lb. Although not as sweet as squash, the well-colored, orange flesh is relatively starchy, dry, and stringless. A well-known mini Jack O'Lantern type for pies. Avg. yield: 3-4 fruits/plant. Organically grown.
Melons:
Moon & Stars Watermelon - Organic. A very unique variety with very sweet bright-red flesh. Legendary variety rediscovered in rural Missouri. Large oval fruits up to 40 pounds. The dark-green skin is speckled with bright-yellow splashes ranging from star to moon size. Leaves are also speckled. This packet will plant approximately 5 hills. Choose a site with good drainage, good air circulation and full sun. Ready to harvest when skin on underside turns yellow and when a thump with knuckles produces a hollow sound. Start seed indoors 4 weeks before transplanting outdoors. 
Hearts of Gold Cantaloupe - The aromatic deep-orange flesh is sweet and juicy. Vines are vigorous and very productive. high in vitamins A, B, and C. This packet will plant approximately 10 hills. Cantaloupe is ready to pick when golden beige, has a distinct aroma, and slips easily from the vine. Start seed indoors 4 weeks before planting outdoors.
Fruits & Berries: These have been growing at least 1-2 years already so this should be a good harvest year.
Blueberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Blackberries
Grapes
Cherries
Herbs:
Sage - Wide variety of culinary uses. Dusty, green leaves are used in dressing, sauces, salted herbs, sausage, and tea. Make a good base for dried floral wreaths. Medicinal:Leaves are used as digestive and nerve tonics. Edible, lovely, small lavender flowers appear in early summer. 
Genovese Basil - Classic Italian variety. Authentic flavor and appearance. Tall and relatively slow to bolt with large, dark green leaves about 3" long. Ht. 24-30". 68 days to harvest.
Oregano - A true Greek oregano. Heavy oregano aroma; great for pizza and Italian cooking. Characteristic dark green leaves with white flowers. Medicinal: In tea for indigestion. 80-90 days to harvest when started indoors.
Rosemary - Pine-scented, ornamental evergreen. Popular for potted plant sales and with chefs. Medicinal:In tea to treat headaches. Stimulates circulation. NOTE: Germination is naturally low and variable.
Thyme -  Aromatic leaves season meats, poultry, stews, sauces, soups and dressings.

Thyme is one of the most widely used culinary herbs. It is commonly grown as a decorative and functional plant in many home gardens, and bees use its pollen to make delectable honey. It is easy to grow and adaptable to most soils and climatic conditions and is perennial.

Catnip - Perennial Herb. This plant, which is one of the mint family, takes its name because of its particular attraction for cats. Young leaves and shoots also impart lemony-mintness to everyday cooking and to catnip tea. Can also be grown for bee forage.

Omega Flax - Good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Golden-yellow flax seeds are used whole, roasted and ground in cooking. Multibranching variety for high seed yield. Medicinal: Ground seeds are a great Source of fiber. 95-100 days to harvest. Organically grown. 

Cumin - Seeds flavor Mexican and Indian dishes. Fragrant, ferny foliage is similar to dill. Young leaves make a nice addition to salad mixes. Grows best in warmer areas, but will produce seeds in northern areas if started early. Medicinal: Seed aids digestion. 

Cilantro - Slowest to bolt. Full, bulky plants provide a high leaf yield. In our trials, Calypso was 3 weeks slower to bolt than Santo.