kathyb on August 1st, 2009

This is a little tidbid I read out of The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible:  “Corn has the highest sugar content early in the morning.   So pick it then, before it’s warmed by the sun, and refrigerate it in the husk until dinnertime.  You’ll get the best tasting corn with the morning harvest.”  I wish I […]

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kathyb on July 31st, 2009

In Tucson the season for growing Broccoli has just begun.  Plant it between July 15th and October 1, according to the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office.  It has 4 main types:  Large-headed varieties (Belstar is one I just ordered from Johnnyseeds.com), need plenty of space and crowding them reduces head size.  Romanesco varieties need […]

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kathyb on July 28th, 2009

It’s just about time now to start our 2nd season, or extended season, or fall planting….whatever….. We should be well into our amending and soil preparation for August planting.  I’m ready for some more big ‘ole juicy vine ripe tomatoes, that I’m not finding at the grocery store.  Some that have that excellent vine ripe […]

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kathyb on July 25th, 2009

Mr Toad Visits The Garden…sounds like a children’s story, doesn’t it?  Normally, I would love to have a toad in my garden.  They eat all kinds of pests and are a bonus for sure, but this bad boy is a 2 pound Colorado River Toad.  Ick! Ick! Ick! They emit a poison from their backs […]

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kathyb on July 25th, 2009

Thats what the Mars Lander reported.  If my garden soil measured that, I’d be in a hurry to set me up some raised beds and not even try to correct that problem.  It would be too much to take on, since the acidity or alkalinity of soil has a big impact on our plants ability […]

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kathyb on July 22nd, 2009

To any of you Tucson gardeners who have extra produce there is a new Farmer’s Market forming at 2740 S Kinney Rd.  It is for locally grown produce and products made from locally grown sources only.  It’s first day was July 11th [and is open] from 8am to Noon and will be [open] one Saturday […]

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kathyb on July 17th, 2009

Red hybrid earthworms. Each one ingests its weight in organic matter every 24 hours, and excretes highly nutritious fertilizer called castings.  These castings are the most perfect plant food known to man and contain 5 times the available nitrogen, 7 times the available phosphorus, 7 times the exchangable magnesium, 11 times the available potash and […]

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kathyb on July 16th, 2009

Ok, I know there are more seeds in each packet than is needed for planting, but I wanted to actually use the whole packet of seeds for once.  They age, you know and as they age, germination isn’t guaranteed by planting time next year.

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kathyb on July 12th, 2009

Do you enjoy weeding corn?  It’s just not as easy as weeding, say, strawberries.  I just read an article regarding the use of landscape fabrics between rows of vegetables as weed barriers, an idea I toy with every time I buy a bag of mulch.  I may lay that argument with myself to rest now. […]

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kathyb on July 12th, 2009

I love companions.  Thats why I love my dog Itty.  She’s right there with me in my garden.  Plants like companions, too.  Some pairings are famous.  Like Itty and me, or like tomatoes and French marigolds.  The marigolds repel whiteflies and nematodes. Borage is another good tomato companion.  It improves the tomato plant health and […]

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