Solarization of our whole hoophouse

Solarization plastic spread across our hoophouse. Next we weighted down the edges with small buckets of rocks. Photo Ken Bezilla

I wrote in August 2019 about Solarization and Crop Choices to Fight Nematodes. Previously we solarized part of a bed in our hoophouse, or one or two beds. I’ve written before about our first efforts at solarization to fight root knot nematodes in our hoophouse. Back then we shoveled soil on the plastic edges to make a good seal between the plastic and the soil. Later we developed a good technique of pushing the plastic edges down into soil using spades, which gives a much better seal, and if you work both sides of the bed at the same time you can avoid wrinkles.

Solarizing a single bed in 2019 using a spade to push the plastic edge into the soil..
Photo Pam Dawling

This summer we decided to solarize the whole hoophouse. We hope to make progress on reducing fungal diseases in our winter crops, drawing down the weed seed bank, and killing lots of nematodes. We plan to solarize for the whole of August (4 weeks). Here’s the story so far.

Solarization

Solarization is a method of killing pests, diseases and weed seeds near the surface of the soil by covering the soil with clear plastic in hot weather. Nematodes are only active in warm weather, and we have not had problems with them outdoors, but of course, it’s warmer in the hoophouse!

In my Book Review: The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution: High Production Methods for Small-Scale Farmers, Andrew Mefferd, I wrote a little about solarizing:

“Solarization uses clear plastic (old hoophouse plastic is ideal). In a summer hoophouse, solarization can be as quick as 24 hours, Andrew says. When we’ve done this, one of our goals was to kill nematodes and fungal diseases, not just weeds, so we waited a few weeks. Outdoors it takes several weeks. You can see when the weeds are dead. Bryan O’Hara poked a thermometer probe through solarization plastic and found a 50F degree (28C) difference between the outside air and the soil immediately under the plastic; a 10F (6C) difference at 1″(2.5 cm) deep and little temperature gain lower than that. Solarization does not kill all the soil life!”

Preparation for Solarizing

Last time we changed the plastic, we saved our old hoophouse plastic in one large sheet, for just this option of solarizing the whole hoophouse. Unfortunately, someone used it for some other purpose, and we ended up having to buy new plastic to carry out our plan. Ouch! Label your old plastic very thoroughly! We bought 4 mil Tufflite Nursery Clear plastic from Nolts Greenhouse Supplies, Ephrata, PA (only rated for one year outdoors), thinner than the 6mil we buy for covering the frame. Be aware that shipping can be a big part of the cost, unless you are ordering lots of things.

Clearing hoophouse tomatoes and sunn hemp cover crop.
Photo Pam Dawling

We pulled up our tomatoes and cucumbers at the end of July, a week earlier than usual. The squash had already gone. I was sad to say goodbye to the bell peppers as they were the best we’ve had in years. Usually we keep the peppers until October and do our winter crop planning so that the pepper area is the last planted in winter crops, but we made that sacrifice! For several years our peppers didn’t do well, as the salinity of our soil had got too high. We now do salt wash-downs in September and March. This year they were spectacular! Big plants, huge peppers!

Lady Bell peppers ripening on 7 July.
Photo Pam Dawling

We decided to keep the big shadecloth in place for the solarizing day, expecting it to be very hot. It wasn’t, but it was a wise precaution. We planned to remove the shadecloth the next day, but it was raining and we need the shadecloth to be dry to pack it away. So we waited a couple of days for our little monsoon season to pass. Normally we leave the shadecloth in place until mid-September or so, but this year we want maximum heating for the solarization.

We are leaving the drip tape in place so we can water the soil and keep it alive below the hot zone. If we had thought of it in time, we might have spread compost on the beds before spreading the plastic and killed the weed seeds that have landed on the compost pile while we ignored it since early April. We were stretched thin and got behind with the mowing, and we know grass and spiny amaranth seeded somewhat on to the pile. We did have it partly covered with a tarp.

Unrolling the Plastic

Unrolling plastic to solarize the hoophouse.
Photo Pam Dawling

We bought plastic 32’x100’ which was just right for the footprint of our 30’x 96’ gothic hoophouse. We unrolled it down the center bed (it was folded in several concertina folds from each edge to the middle). We gradually unpacked the folds and pulled the plastic out to the edges. It is important to get as smooth and tight a fit as possible (few airgaps between soil and plastic).

We designated one person to take their sandals off and walk on top of the plastic, while the rest of us gathered small buckets and put some rocks in them, to anchor the edges. This all went very smoothly and took less time than we expected. We used about one bucket of rocks every 20’ down the length. We rolled our painters’ pole that we use for our SnoBrum in the plastic across the west doorway, the direction the strongest winds come from, for add extra security in preventing wind getting under that edge of the plastic. We did not bury the plastic edges in the soil, as that seemed difficult and we figured a large area would suffer less edge cooling/heat escape than a single bed.

Closing Up the Hoophouse for a Month

We closed the doors and windows and relaxed into enjoying a summer month off from harvesting in the hoophouse. We have made a list of infrastructure repairs, landscape care and, of course, the winter crop planning to do in t he next month. And we’ll be irrigating maybe twice a week and checking the soil thermometer periodically. It showed 80F last week, before we solarized.

Hoophouse solarization at Dripping Springs Garden, Arkansas.
Photo Pam Dawling

More Resources on Solarizing

eOrganic’s Organic Vegetable Production Systems Topics list offers publications on plant disease management, weed management and management of soil-borne pathogens using Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation. Here’s a 2025 webinar about On-farm Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation for the Management of Soilborne Pathogens in High Tunnel Production Systems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pEf26ae6XI

The University of California Solarization site and their Small and Organic Farm Advisor have good information, including some in Spanish and Hmong

More Resources on Nematodes

I’ve written here before about our struggles with root knot nematodes in our hoophouse, and you can read everything I know about nematodes in the Year-Round Hoophouse.

My article on nematodes in Growing for Market in November 2014 describes our discovery of the beasties and our first attempts to deal with them. My most thorough blogpost about nematodes was for Mother Earth News Managing Nematodes in the Hoophouse. It’s free for MEN members.

There is info on dealing with nematodes from Garry Ross in Hawaii, where nematodes are a fact of daily life, in my post Cold weather, snow, thinking about nematodes from February 2015.

Tree Leaves as Fodder and Hay

I follow the news from Sandra and Lynn at Lynbreck Croft in the Cairngorms National Park of Scotland. They have been guardians of that 150 acres since 2016, restoring the degraded landscape. They grow vegetables, raise long-haired Highland cattle, native rare-breed pigs, honeybees and egg-laying hens. They butcher their own livestock, sell food super-locally, teach courses on the croft, and provide tours by arrangement. They have planted nearly 30,000 trees and installed fencing to keep the land in good heart.

I have reviewed their book Our Wild Farming Life.

Cover image of Our Wild Farming LIfe book.Chelsea Green Publishers

They are members of the UK Agricology Tree Fodder Hub, a group promoting using shrubs and trees as supplementary livestock feed. This was once an important component of animal husbandry, either browsed fresh or harvested and fed dried (“tree hay”) in winter. There is an increasing interest in this practice as it is sustainable, perennial, no-till, and answers a need for those farming in regions with short summers wanting a low-input system that maintains animal health and welfare.

Trees in the animals’ landscape provide not just browse but also shade and shelter. The animals are able to select the varieties and species best suited to their nutritional and medicinal needs and personal preferences.

The Hub includes research into usefulness of various trees, their role in moderating climate change impacts; building soil health; sustaining insect, amphibian, reptile, fungal and bird life; and a link to TreeFEED: Trees for Forage: Short term plantings to enhance livestock production, health and resilience. (Trials of the TreeFEED project carried out in Cornwall by Farm Carbon Toolkit.)Cattle browsing for feed.

Agricology’s Tree Fodder Technical Guide incorporates in its 36 pages a wide range of research and farmer stories, videos, blogs, offering opportunities to learn from other farmers, explore different approaches and pick up practical suggestions.

“Findings & recommendations

Tree fodder provides supplementary nutrition, minerals, and medicinal compounds, supporting livestock health and resilience, especially during dry seasons or winter months.
Domesticated animals naturally browse on trees and shrubs, with goats and sheep showing higher intake due to their ability to digest anti-nutritional factors.
Tree fodder is comparable to grasses and forbs in macronutrients and can be superior in protein, fat, and sugar content.
Tree fodder is a stable source of minerals like zinc, cobalt, selenium, and calcium, which vary by species, location, and season.
Condensed tannins and salicylic compounds in tree fodder can provide health benefits, such as reducing methane emissions, managing intestinal parasites, and treating inflammation and pain.
Direct browsing, cut-and-drop feeding, tree hay, and silage are effective ways to provide tree fodder. Tree hay is highly palatable and can be stored for winter use.
Pollarding and shredding are effective methods for harvesting tree fodder. Proper timing and storage are crucial for preserving nutritional value.
Case studies: Farmers Tim Downes and Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer [of Lynbreck Croft] have successfully integrated tree fodder into their systems, improving livestock health, fertility, and resilience while reducing reliance on chemical treatments.
Recommendations: Incorporate diverse tree species for nutrition, shade, and shelter; manage trees for optimal growth and accessibility; and explore tree fodder as a sustainable supplement to traditional feed.”

Drying tree hay at Lynbreck Croft

Lettuce Seed Germination Myths and Reality, and Ag Solidarity Network

Lettuce nursery seedbed with shadecloth in June. Pam Dawling

This week’s post is a combination of two features. First explorations of a myth about lettuce seeds needing light to germinate, and how to germinate lettuce when it’s hot. Second a social platform just for farmers, homesteaders, and agriculture professionals, without paid advertising.

Do Lettuce Seeds Really Need Light to Germinate?

Robert Pavlis runs a website devoted to exploring and, when needed, exploding Garden Myths. One such legend is that lettuce seeds need light to germinate. I always cover my lettuce seeds with soil, trying not to sow too deeply. They grow.

Robert Pavlis read the research

He conducted his own experiments.

Here are results of his tests of lettuce germination

The seeds he tested germinated in the dark, but light increased the rate of germination. So, lettuce seeds can germinate in the dark.
Even small amounts of light do improve germination.
Covering seeds with a thick layer of soil either prevents germination or stops the growth of the newly germinated seed.
Pavlis recommends: Too much soil over small seeds is never a good idea.

Norman Deno, 1921-2017. Plant scientist at Penn State University

Dr. Deno’s Seed Starting Books

from 1993, in the USDA National Agricultural Library, have a lot of valuable information on starting seeds. You can read them on the Garden Myths site.

2022 Italian Study

In 2022, the Italian Journal of Agronomy published an article, Indoor germination and seedling growth of green and red lettuce under LED-light spectrum and subsequent effect on baby leaf lettuce, by Cristian Hernández-Adasme, Herman Silva and Victor Escalana.

The light requirement for germination depends on the spectrum and intensity of the light.

Low light intensity can reduce photosynthesis, and an inadequate light spectrum can slow plant growth and reduce crop quality. The study investigated the effect of various light wavelength spectra at low intensity on the germination and growth of red (Carmoli) and green (Levistro) lettuce seedlings, using a temperature-controlled space, and LED lights for 12 hours or darkness.

The second trial (using the same light conditions) compared yield, quality, leaf color and stress-resistance to lettuce seedlings grown under the same experimental conditions and under natural light.

In the third trial the LED-grown seedlings were transplanted into a hydroponic greenhouse under natural light, to assess the impact on mature baby lettuce plants.

The study showed:

Green lettuce seedlings had higher weight than the red seedlings.
Red light reduced the percentage germination.
Blue light reduced germination time and increased the number of germinated seeds compared to darkness.
Fresh weight was higher under red light and the BGR2 spectrum mix (29% blue, 53% green 17% red and 1% far red).
Blue and full-spectrum lights applied to lettuce seedlings increase the fresh weight after transplanting.
High-blue component lights increased the dry matter percentage, and chlorophyll content of lettuce seedlings, but the difference did not hold up after transplanting.
The anthocyanin content of Carmoli seedlings was stimulated by blue light, but even more so by natural light.
Varying the spectrum at low intensity can positively modify the growth and biochemical characteristics of lettuce seedlings, although the effect depends on the cultivar, in particular perhaps the lettuce color.

Baby lettuce mix in our hoophouse in winter.
Photo Twin Oaks Community

Conclusions

Spectrum modification at low intensity significantly impacts the different growth stages of lettuce, although the differences depend on the cultivar. High blue component lights positively affect the germination process by accelerating it and increasing germinated seeds per day. Also, high blue component lights improved the DMP, CHL a/b ratio, and ANT concentration in lettuce seedlings. In addition, broad-spectrum light such as BGR2 positively affects the FW of the seedlings and, together with blue light, increases FW by about 18% in the mature lettuce grown under natural light conditions. On the other hand, LED technology would be feasible to use in vertical farms for seedling production because of its advantages of long service life and low power consumption. In addition, the yield per unit area in controlled growth systems can be up to twice as high as in traditional agriculture.

This information is modified (the Conclusions are copied verbatim) from the website linked above, under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Deed.

Muir summer lettuce seedlings in a Winstrip 50-cell flat, covered with shadecloth. Pam Dawling

Sustainable Market Farming, 2^nd Edition

Research has shown that lettuce has better emergence in hot weather if sown between 2–4 pm, because the temperature-sensitive phase of germination will then occur at night when soil temperatures are cooler. Regardless of this research, I sow it in the evening! (I just find it hard to believe lettuce germinates best sown at the hottest time of day.)

Last week, faced with temperatures of 95F (35C) and 100 F (38C), I decided to try a morning sowing. I used my usual summer method: sowing outdoors in a nursery seedbed, covering lightly with soil, watering with freshly-drawn cold water, covering the rows with ice cubes, and then shadecloth. Nothing came up. I realize this is no way to conduct an experiment! But I’ve gone back to evening sowing!

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Growing for Market magazine logo

Summer Lettuce Lessons from Southern Growers

Growing for Market magazine has a good article by Jesse Frost on growing summer lettuce in the South

A method from Au Naturel Farm in Kentucky is to set seeded trays in the walk-in-cooler for 48 hours. Pull the tray out in the afternoon and “usually by the morning time those seeds have already popped up. Using that technique we were able to get almost perfect germination every single week.”

Lettuce on Steadfast Farm in Arizona, under shade cloth. Jesse Frost

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Ag Solidarity Network

Ag Solidarity Network

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The ASN is a collective and farmer-led virtual platform with the intent to grow our community of organic & regenerative farmer folks. Members can post questions, learn about and share events and job opportunities, search for farmers in their region or specialty area, and more! The ASN connects a diverse network of farmers, farmer-workers, homesteaders, and food system professionals who are collectively growing the organic movement. The platform is free for users and user data is never sold, shared, or exported outside the platform. Want to support our work or get involved?

Refreshed Resources on my Website, and more on sweet potatoes

Now my new book, Sustainable Market Farming, 2nd Edition, is out, I am spring cleaning all the website pages and resources I hadn’t paid so much attention to recently.

I have updated my slideshows on SlideShare.net and I’ve searched out every one of my slideshows in a post on this site, and installed the most recent version.

I’ve updated my Events Page and my Videos and Podcasts page (there were a lot of broken links to fix there!).

At some point during the pandemic, I made a linked list of all my blog posts on Mother Earth News and posted it on my Events page (no one was going anywhere for a while). Now I’ve moved that list here, and checked the links.

Articles I wrote for Mother Earth News 2015-2020

Updated June 2025

Note that some of these articles are quite old and I might have updated them on this website, so before taking action, double check using the search box on my blog page.

How to Grow Winter Hoop House Crops

How to Make a Winter Salad Mix

Insectaries: Grow Flowers to Attract Beneficial Insects

Starting Seeds in Hot Weather

Hoophouse Bed Prep for Fall Plantings

Why Do Potatoes Sprout and How Can You Prevent Sprouting?

Direct Sowing vs Transplanting Pros and Cons

How to Delay Vegetable Crops from Bolting

Managing Nematodes in the Hoophouse

Pre-sprouting and Cutting Seed Potatoes

Grow Your Own Sweet Potato Slips

Screen Compost Now to Make Your Own Seed Compost for Spring

Step-by-Step Garden Hose Hole Repair

Why, When and How to Hill Potatoes

Saving Frost Tolerant Vegetables

How to Prevent Sweet Potatoes Sprouting in Storage

Varieties and Advice for Growing Early Spring Lettuce

Heat-Tolerant Eggplant Varieties

13 Steps to Planning your Vegetable Garden

Using Open Flats (Seed Trays) to Grow Sturdy Seedlings Easily

Hoop-House Intercropping in Spring

Intercropping Vegetables in Late Spring and Early Summer, aka ‘Relay Planting’

Planting Leeks

Intercropping: Companion Planting that Really Works

Growing Sweet Potatoes

Saving Sweet Potato Roots for Growing Your Own Slips

There are more, but that’s plenty to be going on with.

Sweet Potato Slip Propagation

One person asked on my New Society video for more info on sweet potato propagation. I haven’t got any videos, so I’m offering photos. You can read the text in my book. First here are 4 photos of the single node cutting method, followed by several of the slips-in-flats method we use at Twin Oaks.

Single-node sweet potato slip showing roots three days after striking the cutting.
Photo Anthony Boutard.

Sweet potato single node cuttings at 3 days. the short cuttings are set at an angle in the cells, and then pruned. You can clearly see the new shoots emerging.
Photo Anthony Boutard

Single-node sweet potato slip at 16 days. So many lovely roots!
Photo Anthony Boutard

Sweet potato single node plants at 18 days.
Photo Anthony Boutard

Now for the Slips-in-Flats method:

A sweet potato sprouting slips. We “plant” our mother roots in flats of compost in our germination chamber and let them grow sprouts about 6″ tall.
Photo Pam Dawling

Sweet potato slips growing in our germination chamber. We cut the slips daily when they are tall enough. Photo Kathryn Simmons.

Cut sweet potato slips in water. we keep them in water for up to a week. Photo Kathryn Simmons.

Once a week we plant the rooted slips in flats, about 2.5″ apart.
Credit: Kathryn Simmons.

We let the slips root into the compost in the flats and grow sturdy shoots before we transplant outside. Photo Pam Dawling

Freshly planted sweet potato slips on biodegradable plastic mulch. Photo Pam Dawling

Sweet potatoes several weeks after transplanting outdoors. Photo Brittany Lewis

Tomato stem first aid and dealing with aphids

Our first Sungold tomato in our hoophouse May 19. With aphids.
Photo Pam Dawling

The first tomatoes are ripening in our hoophouse, along with the first cucumbers and green beans. It’s an exciting time.

It’s also the time when some problems are raising their heads: accidents, slugs and aphids in particular. I’ll save the slug topic for another week, and collect photos.

Our first Glacier tomatoes ripening in our hoophouse.
Photo Pam Dawling

In our hoophouse we prune our tomatoes more vigorously than we do outdoors. We plant 2 feet (60cm) apart and remove sideshoots (suckers) to leave two stems. Our goal is early fruit. We will pull these plants up at the end of July, once we have plenty to harvest outdoors. We pinch out the sideshoots every 6 days. Sometimes a bad thing happens and a stem breaks. It takes a while for a new sideshoot to grow big enough to effectively replace it. So we repair broken stems and keep a sideshoot as well, until we see if the repair does well.

Often we use electrician’s tape as we have that handy in our drip tape repair kit, but I have used bandaids in the past. I’m sure duct tape would work. Minor damage only needs taping, but bad breaks need splinting too. Sometimes we also fasten the damaged stem to the string-weaving, with tape or twine, for extra support. It can be surprising how well breaks can heal. It’s like on-the-spot grafting.

Here’s a photo of a healed break from a few weeks ago that was taped and also tied to the string-weaving. It’s crooked but strong. We could remove the tape now.

A repaired and recovered broken tomato stem, tied to the stringweaving for extra support.
Photo Pam Dawling

Here’s a photo of a fresh splinted taped break. I removed the larger leaves above the break so they made no demand for water, hoping that would help the stem get all it needs. There is a tiny sideshoot forming in one of the leaf axils, just in case.

A freshly broken tomato stem, splinted and taped with electrical tape.
Photo Pam Dawling

Here’s a photo of a splinted break taped to the horizontal string-weaving to reduce the pull of gravity.

A repaired splinted freshly broken tomato stem, taped to the string-weaving for extra support.
Photo Pam Dawling

You can see in the photos that we are now getting aphid buildup, which we escaped earlier in the spring when they are more usually an issue in the hoophouse. We do have ladybugs patrolling, but I guess not enough. My next strategy will be to jet the plants from a hose. Failing that we have a soapy water spray that needs doing three times, every 4 or 5 days to catch newly emerging aphids before they reproduce. We all dislike that job, so hopefully the water jet will do the job.

We have four yarrow plants in our hoophouse to attract aphid-eating beneficials, and we also left some of our winter brassicas, especially mizuna, to flower for the same cause.

Yarrow flowering in our hoophouse, to attract beneficial insects .
Photo Pam Dawling

The May 2025 issue of Growing for Market magazine has a very good article on tackling aphids by Caleb Goossen, which closely follows the Biological IPM steps.

Pest identification
Monitoring and assessing pest numbers and damage
Guidelines for when management action is needed
Preventing pest problems
Using a combination of biological, cultural, physical/mechanical and chemical management tools
After action is taken, assessing the effect of pest management

In the Growing for Market article, Caleb Goossen takes us carefully through the steps of monitoring and identifying the pests and choosing cultural controls such as good sanitation, maintaining a diversity of crops, avoiding over-fertilization with nitrogen, knocking back an infestation with a blast of water, and planting flowers that attract beneficial insects. If cultural controls are not enough, move on to biocontrol options. The article explains clearly the parasitoid wasps that can be bought, as well the oats banker plant system that can be used to keep cereal aphids well-fed as alternative food for the wasps. Cereal aphids don’t trouble most greenhouse crops.

Predatory species include green lacewings, convergent ladybeetles, and Aphidoletes midges. Green lacewings and ladybeetles also eat thrips and whitefly. Bear in mind that the convergent ladybugs may have been wild collected, bringing a potential ethical concern, and possibly bringing in their own parasitoids or diseases. I appreciate an author who addresses ethics as well as practical results.

The last resort is organic pesticides, starting with a soap or an oil product, as they have lower risk for other insects. Other options (with more risk for other insects) include pyrethrin or azadirachtin (neem-based products), which are best only used for severe infestations, and followed up after a couple of days with biocontrols to mop up any lingering aphids, while allowing beneficials to rebound after their assault by the pyrethrin or neem. There are bio-insecticides such as Beauveria bassiana fungus, but these can also infect beneficial insects. The article includes pros and cons, and how-tos.

Pepper plant with aphids and ants farming them.
Photo Pam Dawling

I hope your early crops are thriving, and if they are not, this post will help you.

Stale seedbeds, triage farming, vertical farming

This week I have for you several sources of information related to small-scale sustainable farming.

Hoe the small weeds in this bed of young lettuce soon, and the closing canopy of the lettuce will shade out most weeds after that. Photo Bridget Aleshire

Triage Farming

Growing for Market has posted Triage Farming by Matt S. as a free article on their website

Matt tells of becoming farm manager on a new piece of land, with terrible drainage problems and lots of grass weeds.

“There are five spheres in which a farm can be challenged. Most farms deal with serious disadvantages in one or two of these. We were handicapped in four.” The five are location challenges, site challenges, infrastructure and equipment challenges, institutional challenges (dealing with the bureaucracies), human challenges. They didn’t have human challenges!

As a response to kicking around dried mud-balls full of grass bristles, Matt invented Triage Farming. Triage (from the French trier ‘separate out’) was a concept that came into wider use during WW1 as medics had to sort injured soldiers into three groups: those that would be OK without treatment really soon, those that were going to die whether they had treatment or not, and those who would get the most value from immediate treatment. In farming it means prioritizing using your limited resources to their maximum effect when it’s impossible to accomplish all you hoped to do.

This is not a sustainable way to farm (or live). It’s a way to preserve sanity and be most effective when things have got out-of-control. It doesn’t leave a feeling of satisfaction. But nor a feeling of despair. It can be ruthless, sloppy and minimalist.

Maybe you have never had such moments, but I have. If you have, then I recommend this article. Keep a copy handy, especially in the heat of the summer. You’ll likely not agree with every decision Matt made, but the article will help you raise your head and look around, rather than keep pushing on the task at the top of the schedule you made back in January.

Matt helps with deciding which crops to grow, and how much, if you know it’s likely to be a difficult year (new site, brand new crew, etc). He works through each of the five challenge spheres he identified and explains his response to that aspect: suitable crops for different location challenges, suitable equipment, approaches to weeding (timely, untimely, and “carnage weeding”), tools and equipment for different situations, dealing with various bureaucracies, and how to delegate to other workers.

Matt has an uplifting style, which also helps when the going gets tough.

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False and Stale Seedbeds

I just read a very clear 25-page publication about using false seedbeds and stale seedbeds, including flaming. False and Stale Seedbeds: The most effective non-chemical weed management tools for cropping and pasture establishment. Dr Charles N Merfield, 2013. Lincoln, New Zealand: The BHU Future Farming Centre www.bhu.org.nz/future-farming-centre

Screenshot 2023-07-31 at 13-45-27 False-and-stale-seedbeds–the-most-effective-non-chemical-weed-management-tools-for-cropping-and-pasture-establishment-2015-ffc-merfield.pdf

“False and stale seedbeds are based on three rules:

most weed seeds are dormant,
tillage is the most effective means of germinating weed seeds, and
most weeds only emerge from the top 5 cm / 2” of soil.

Both false and stale seedbeds work by the very simple process of germinating the weeds then killing them and then growing the crop.
False seedbeds use tillage/cultivation to kill the weeds.
Stale seedbeds use thermal weeders or herbicides to kill the weeds.”

Both false and stale seedbeds are made by preparing the bed 7-10 days before you plan to sow your crop, watering if the conditions are dry, then killing the carpet of emerged weeds, by very shallow tilling, hoeing or flaming. Getting the tillage correct is critical, including having a good weather-eye. Flaming will kill broad-leaved weeds, but only set grasses back by about a week. Alternatively, cover the prepared bed with a tarp to germinate and kill the weeds.

The 5-15% of weed seeds that are non-dormant are mostly in the top 5 cm/2” of the soil, and germinate very quickly. These can be very effective techniques, and this publication explains them well, and has good photos of crops, and machines such as the milling bedformer and the roller undercutter, and some fancy flamers and steam weeders, which might be equipment to aspire to, while working with spring tine weeders and shallow tillage. The explanations help with getting a better understanding of weeds seed germination, and so how to succeed with pre-plant tillage and post-crop-emergence cultivation. Timing is important, as is having the right tools for the job.

There’s also a good relevant article in Growing for Market:

Tools and strategies to reduce time spent weeding by Sam Hitchcock Tilton

Definitely read this if you are spending a lot of time weeding, or your crops are over-run by weeds. Work towards reducing your weed population each year, by preventing weeds from seeding. “Realize that one lamb’s-quarters or kochia or bindweed or galinsoga plant going to seed can be a much bigger problem next year than 10 or even 100 non-reproducing plants are now. So marshal your precious weeding resources smartly.”

Timely hoeing, while weeds are tiny and quick to die, can prevent the need for pulling weeds by hand, if you are working on a quite small scale. If your scale needs other tools, here you can learn about equipment to physically control weeds as part of your cropping system. If you are using a 4-wheel tractor, consider hillers, mini-ridgers, finger-weeders, Spyders, beet knives (L-blades), tine weeders, basket weeders.

A Thiessen walk-behind tractor cultivator, with Spyders up front, with the front of the Spyder angled towards the crop row (to pull soil away from the row), and torsion weeders at the back to weed in the crop row.

The article includes some equipment for 2-wheel walk-behind tractors, such as the Thiesson cultivator, Buddingh and Tilmor basket weeders, Even wheel hoes have weeding attachments.

Sam also describes stale seed-bedding, and advises rolling the prepared bed before tarping or watering, to provide the weed seeds good contact with the soil.

Sam’s article includes excellent photos, a tailored-for-beginners’ explanation of which tool does what and many links to other website and videos.

As Ben Hartman points out in The Lean Farm, hand-weeding is in a sign of failure to act sooner, that has led to a time-wasting scramble to correct the situation. read my review of The Lean Farm.

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Here’s an article from USDA on Killing the Crop Killers—Organically

As an alternative to bromide fumigation to kill pest nematodes, and other pests, try anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), an organic treatment that temporarily removes oxygen from the soil, is inexpensive and easy to apply. This method involves using a source of carbon, such as orchard grass, or mustard seed meal, tilled into the soil

Lean Times Hit the Vertical Farming Business.

Vertical farming is a code for a type of high tech hydroponics. See this article on the BBC website. Yes, hydroponics uses a large amount of energy to grow the plants. Yes, growing plants takes skill and attention. Yes, growing only a few crops is risky: people will only eat so much lettuce. Aerofarms has filed for bankruptcy, and several other “vertical farming operations” have hit financial troubles too.

Balance that with this post by Lee Rinehart from ATTRA:

Real Organic: Reflections on “The Deep Roots of Organic in Soil” by Paul Muller.

Soil is complex, with a universe of microorganisms, and cycles of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and many other elements. Farmers are part of the cycle. Organic farmers are seeking to make continuous improvement to the life in the soil, by observing patterns and lifeways, mimicking the native systems. We are not the center of the universe. Wendell Berry says “We don’t know what we are doing because we don’t know what we are undoing.”

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Plastic in the Organic Supply Chain Conference Report

From Modern Farmer

In early May, the Organic Center and the Organic Trade Association held the Organic Confluences conference about Reducing Plastic Across the Entire Organic Supply Chain. “While plastics serve many practical purposes on organic farms as well as for packaging and distribution, plastic production, use, and disposal cause massive amounts of pollution, which disproportionately affects low-income people and communities of color in the United States and around the world. At the conference, farmers, researchers, policymakers, wholesalers and retailers, nonprofit organizations, government agency staff and many others gathered to define the challenges in reducing plastic use, identify research needs, highlight success stories, and discuss what needs to be done to solve this growing problem.” Read a report about the conference on the eOrganic website here, with links to the conference program and slide presentations.

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Young spinach seedlings.
Photo Pam Dawling

Spinach Trial Underway to Inform Organic Seed Production

The Organic Seed Alliance is evaluating 272 spinach accessions from the USDA-ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) seed collection at their research farm in Washington State to assess timing of bolting and seed yield potential as part of a NIFA OREI funded project. This fall, they will share the trial results as well as their knowledge on spinach seed production and seed cleaning techniques through a webinar hosted on eOrganic, but meanwhile, read more about the project on their blog post here!

The seed production trial information is a part of an effort to aid in developing better varieties for organic farmers. “Research on the role of soil microbes on nutritional content, nitrogen use efficiency, and abiotic stress such as extreme temperatures is also underway by the project lead researcher Vijay Joshi at Texas A&M, and Ainong Shi and Gehendra Bhattarai at University of Arkansas. Together with the results of the seed production trials this project will help inform organic spinach breeders and farmers, and anyone working with seed from the USDA-ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) seed bank.” Results will be posted on the eOrganic project website.

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Tomato Breeding Project Fueled By Over 1,000 Backyard Gardeners

Some of the Dwarf Tomato Project’s diverse harvest. Courtesy of Craig LeHoullier

This 12-minute segment from Science Friday is an interview with Craig LeHouiller, who is a gardener/garden writer / tomato breeder in North Carolina. He is the author of Epic Tomatoes. In this segment he talks about the open source Dwarf Tomato Project. He and collaborator Patrina Nuske-Small aimed to preserve the flavor and beauty of heirloom tomatoes, without taking up too much space. They started crossbreeding heirloom tomatoes with smaller dwarf tomato plants. They signed up over 1000 volunteers across the world. They now have over 150 varieties of dwarf tomatoes, everything from cherries to beefsteaks, in every color. You can buy seeds from Victory Seeds, who have dedicated themselves to offering every dwarf variety produced.

Fruit for the Month: June

This is another post in my new monthly series, about small fruits that can be grown sustainably in a mid-Atlantic climate. I’ll talk about planting, pruning, harvesting and care of the plants, according to the season. I’ll give links to useful publications. I’ll have a focus fruit, and then more about others that need attention during the month. We do grow apples and pears, and some other tree fruit, but I’m not writing about those as I don’t have much recent experience.

Blueberries are the focus fruit for June

June is the month in our climate, to harvest blueberries. Blueberries are a great crop to grow, as they are not troubled by many pests or diseases (apart from birds). While you are harvesting take notes (or photos) of the various varieties you have, and when and how well they are producing, so that you will know which ones to propagate from in the winter, if you want more.

See my article about blueberries in Growing for Market magazine

See ATTRA Blueberries: Organic Production available free online, for a wealth of information from choosing varieties, planting, details on pests and diseases you might encounter. Updated 2022. Also search the ATTRA site for other info on blueberries, such as soil management (blueberries need acid soil), living clover mulches, and honeybees and alternative pollinators.

Harvesting blueberries

Blueberry harvest. Note “berry bucket” hanging around the worker’s neck. Photo Marilyn Rayne Squier

I recommend harvesting two days a week, in the mornings, once the dew has dried, to avoid spreading fungal diseases. Blueberries don’t deteriorate or over-ripen as quickly as softer fruit, so if you can only find time once a week, that will be OK. Or if you are selling blueberries, once a week may work better for your sales. Blueberries don’t crush as easily as strawberries or raspberries, so if you have lots you can put them in buckets or crates. We usually harvest into homemade berry buckets with long rope handles, that we can hang around our necks, freeing up both hands for picking berries. Our berry buckets are made by cutting plastic gallon jugs and adding rope through holes we punch near the top. Full berry buckets get emptied into a bigger bucket.

Only pick the berries that are purple-black all over. Check the back of each each ripe-looking blueberry to make sure it’s ripe all over. The area around the stem is the last to change color. Really ripe blueberries will “tickle” from the bush into your hand

Do not wash fruit before refrigerating, as this leads to rot.

Types of blueberries

We grow Northern Highbush blueberries here in winter-hardiness zone 7a (suitable for zones 3-7) and we like to have a crop we can harvest standing up! There are also lowbush blueberries, which are popular in cooler climates, such as Maine. Rabbiteye varieties are better to the South, in the region roughly south of Interstate 40 (mostly zones 6-9). Rabbiteyes are taller plants, with smaller berries than highbush types. A new hybrid type, Southern highbush, is adapted to the southern rabbiteye zone and the coastal South (zones 6-10). Look into these if you are in the right area: they have a lower chilling-hours requirement, and flower and fruit earlier than highbush or rabbiteye varieties. As the climate changes, fruit growers are challenged by traditional crops no longer getting enough winter chilling hours to fruit. (Chilling is the number of accumulated hours at temperatures below 45°F/7°C in the dormant season.) Balance this with your changing frost dates, as earlier flowering will not be an advantage if your last frost is going to cancel the fruit. Remember that all blueberries are self-fertile but will produce better crops if you plant several compatible cross-pollinating varieties.

Young Blue Crop northern highbush blueberry.
Photo Kathryn Simmons

At our farm, Duke has been a very reliable early fruiting highbush variety, whereas Spartan has not worked out. We like to have several varieties with different ripening dates, to extend the harvest. Blue Crop, Blue Jay, Elliott and Chandler also do well here. If I was starting over, I’d also try some Southern Highbush varieties.

We have bought good plants from Finch Blueberry Nursery in Bailey, North Carolina, as well as from a more local source in SW Virginia (now retired). If you only want a few plants, buy potted blueberry plants locally. Otherwise, order bareroot plants shipped to you. In Virginia Edible Landscaping offers a wide choice.

When to plant blueberries

If you are planning to plant blueberries, here are some considerations. Generally you will want o buy young bushes and plant them in the dormant season. In warm areas, plant in late fall so the plants get roots established before your early spring thrusts them into opening buds. In cooler zones, plant in early spring, so that winter does not kill them.

New blueberry plant with winter wire mesh protection. Photo Kathryn Simmons

As with all perennials, clear the area of perennial weeds the previous year, and reduce annual weeds, for instance by growing a good cover crop, which will smother emerging annual weeds and also feed the soil. Get a soil test, and follow the recommendations to amend the pH to 4.8-5.5 using sulfur in spring or fall before planting. I like the pelleted sulfur, that looks like lentils, because it is easy to spread, and no dust gets in your lungs. Depending on your soil type, you might need 430-1750 pounds of S per acre, or 1-4 pounds per 100 sq ft. Work in some good compost before planting.

Plan space between the rows that will let you walk, mow or whatever you need to do even once the bushes have reached full size. 8-12ft is recommended. Ours are a bit closer than that. In the row you can either plan for a hedge effect, or leave yourself access space. You can plant blueberries on raised beds or wide ridges. You can move bushes later in life, if you find they are competing too much.

Blueberries six years after planting. Photo Kathryn Simmons

Plan how you will cover the soil. I recommend landscape fabric topped by bark mulch or woodchips. This combination works well to keep perennial weeds at bay (wiregrass!). If you are avoiding plastic, you can use double layers of overlapping cardboard topped by 3” of organic mulch: chips, sawdust, straw or spoiled hay. Blueberries don’t do well with plastic mulch that is impervious to water, as it encourages the roots to grow just under the plastic, where they can easily get overheated and die. Some people like to grow a living mulch, perhaps mowing it to mulch closer around the plants once it dries. A hybrid model has mulch in the rows and a cover crop between the rows.

Blueberries have shallow roots, so you will likely need some irrigation method. I like drip irrigation, but overhead sprinklers work too.

You will, of course, have some annual care to provide. Each spring, expect to provide some source of nitrogen and potassium, as needed. I’ll cover that another time. Each winter, prune for strong branches and good levels of production, and remove any perennial weeds.

Blueberries showing Tenax fencing and basket balls on posts to support roof netting. Photo Kathryn Simmons

Pests to watch out for include big ones like deer, groundhogs, birds and uninvited humans. We have a triple fence, with wire netting in the ground against burrowing animals, 7’ tall Tenax deer fencing, and seasonally, Avigard flexible bird netting over the top. For our newer blueberry planting we make a temporary hooped structure and cover just with the bird netting, held down to the ground with 6” soil staples. This planting is nearer our buildings than the older one, and is not visited by deer or groundhogs.

Blueberry netting on PVC electrical conduit hoops. Photo Pam Dawling

Smaller pests include blueberry maggots, blueberry stem borers, cranberry fruitworms, cherry fruitworms, Japanese beetles, leafrollers, leafhoppers, and aphids. Our perhaps, like us, you will not be troubled by any of these.

Diseases include mummy berry, Botrytis grey mold, Anthracnose, stem blight, stem canker, rust, phytopthora root rot, Phomopsis twig blight, blueberry stunt and several viruses. A Cornell University blueberry diagnostic tool offers a step-by-step exercise to help figure out what diseases may be affecting your crop.

Propagate blueberries by layering a low branch, as you see here with Chandler variety. Photo Kathryn Simmons

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Other small fruits available in June

Two rows of floricane raspberries with a willow and grapes in the background. Photo Kathryn Simmons

Cherries, red raspberries, strawberries, Juneberries, gooseberries mulberries. Blackberries, apricots, peaches, plums.

If you live in Virginia or nearby, see this produce calendar

Other fruit care in June

New grape vine in May. Photo Bridget Aleshire

Grapes: Mow, weed, water in drought. If you have young vines, remove side branches from the trunks, and fruitlets. Your goal is to first grow strong plants, then produce grapes after that.

Strawberries: Prepare for new strawberries in early June: Disk or till the area for new strawberries if using bare-root plants, and prepare the beds with compost, driptape, and landscape fabric.

June 16-July 16: If using bare-root transplants, plant new strawberry beds.

Late June/early July (after fruiting): Dismantle two-year-old beds. Renovate carry-over strawberries by mowing or shearing/clipping weed and mulch, but don’t compost them. . Plant new strawberries if using bare-root transplants, perhaps rooted runners in the paths of older beds.

Rainbow and Kathryn spread hay over the new strawberry bed. Photo Luke Stovall

All fruit: Water all fruit crops. Weed, mow aisles as needed. Weed and mulch rhubarb, lop flowers. Record condition and fruiting dates of new grapes, blueberries. Note best varieties.

Conferences, Growing for Market articles and books

What with the pandemic, snowstorms, power and internet outages and related travel limitations, you might be forgiven for thinking I’d faded away or something! Except for my regular weekly blogposts, which I have kept up, come whatever!

This week’s blogpost is a reminder about other aspects of my work. Conferences, magazine articles, and my books. First the conferences. I do have an Events Page, in case you haven’t discovered that yet, and one with videos and podcasts I’m in. I’m also including a list of other Organic virtual conferences

Virginia Association for Biological Farming

2022 Virginia Biological Farming Conference,

January 22-24 (Saturday to Monday)

Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center

Conference website

Saturday 1/22 will be half-day and full-day pre-conference sessions. The general conference is on Sunday and Monday.

Lodging and Travel

Workshops

The three-day Conference includes: Pre-Conference intensive workshops, 48 concurrent sessions of workshops, presentations, and panel discussions, 50 tradeshow exhibitors, locally sourced farm meals and book sales with author signings. The Conference highlights include a Youth Program, a Silent Auction and networking opportunities including regional meetings and fireside chats, morning yoga for farmers and the Taste of Virginia Expo & Social.

Update:

I had planned to give a half-day pre-conference intensive on Year-Round Hoophouse Vegetables, and two 90 minute workshops on Growing Sweet Potatoes from Start to Finish and Lettuce Year-Round. But then it all looked too risky for me, and I had to cancel. Very sorry.

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February 10-12, 2022 (Wednesday to Saturday 2.30pm)

PASA

Lancaster Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 25 S Queen St, Lancaster, PA

PASA is taking great care to make the in-person conference as covid-safe as possible. See the website. https://web.cvent.com/event/495529cf-5f11-41ed-9a1d-c9e55d151c6a/summary?RefId=home

I am giving three 60 min workshops:

Optimize Your Asian Greens Production Thursday 2/10 9-10 am

Beauty in a tatsoi plant.
Photo Wren Vile

This workshop covers production of Asian greens, outdoors and in the hoop house, for both market and home growers. Learn to grow many types of tasty, nutritious greens easily and quickly for fast returns. This workshop includes tips on selection of over 20 types of Asian greens, the timing of succession planting, crop rotation in the hoop house, pest and disease management, fertility, and weed management throughout the year.

Winter Vegetable Production Methods from the Field to the Hoophouse, Fri 2/11 9-10am

Harvested turnips ready for storage.
Photo Pam Dawling

Grow cold-hardy vegetables in the open and with protection varying from rowcovers to hoop houses (high tunnels). Learn about tables of cold-hardiness, details of crops to keep growing into winter, crops for all-winter harvests, overwintering crops for spring harvests, and winter hoop house crops. We’ll also discuss how to plan harvesting and planting dates, and how to maximize production with succession planting, follow-on cropping, and with stored vegetables.

Growing Sweet Potatoes from Start to Finish, Saturday 2/12 11am-12.00 noon

Sweet potatoes on a plate.
Photo Brittany Lewis

At this workshop you will learn how to grow your own sweet potato slips, plant them, grow healthy crops, harvest good yields, and select suitable roots for growing next year’s slips. You will also learn how to cure and store roots for top quality and minimal losses. This workshop will be useful to beginners and experienced growers alike.

Handouts

Booksigning Thursday 2/10 4.30-5.30 pm at the Book Nook

Book sales at the Book Nook

The is also a virtual conference in January and early February.

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Maryland Organic Food and Farm Association (MOFFA)

Virtual Conference February 26, 2022

https://www.marylandorganic.org

I am giving a 45 minute recorded workshop on Cold-Hardy Winter Vegetables.

There will also be a pdf handout.

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Mother Earth News Fair at Seven Springs, Pennsylvania

September 16-18, 2022. Early Bird discounts are available already!

Hours

Friday Sept 16: 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday Sept 17: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday Sept 18: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Location

Seven Springs Mountain Resort
777 Waterwheel Dr.
Seven Springs, Pa. 15622

http://maps.google.com/?q=Seven%20Springs%20Mountain%20Resort

The Fair at Seven Springs is unique, as speakers, staff and attendees co-mingle throughout the weekend at this beautiful four-season resort. Take advantage of complete lodging and ticket packages, which can be booked directly through the resort. Packages are available including rooms or condos. For more information and to make a reservation online click here, or please call 1-800-452-2223.

I am presenting two 60 minute workshops at outdoor stages:

Cool Season Hoophouse Crops

Hoophouse winter greens.
Photo Kathleen Slattery

How to fill your hoophouse with productive food crops in the cool seasons. Suitable crops; cold-hardiness; selecting crops; calculating how much to harvest, how much to plant; crop rotation; mapping; scheduling; seasonal transitions; succession planting and follow-on cropping.

Growing Sweet Potatoes from Start to Finish

Sweet potatoes in storage. An ideal crop for winter meals, as they store at room temperature for a long time, maybe seven or eight months.
Photo Pam Dawling

At this workshop you will learn how to grow your own sweet potato slips; plant them, grow healthy crops and harvest good yields, selecting suitable roots for growing next year’s slips. You will also learn how to cure and store roots for top quality and minimal losses. This workshop will be useful to beginners and experienced growers alike.

My books will be on sale in the Mother Earth Bookshop

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I have presented at several Mother Earth Fairs Online.

Online: Food Independence Course Part Two

was released on 3/26/21.

It consists of eight video presentations, most of which come with pdf handouts. My contribution is Growing Asian Greens, and pairs nicely with Guide to Asian Vegetables by Wendy Kiang-Spray, author of The Chinese Kitchen Garden: Growing Techniques and Family Recipes from a Classic Cuisine. Other topics include Dandelion Wine, Homemade Teas, Food Conversations, Passive Solar Greenhouse Design, Productive Growing from Home, and Growing Your Own Spices.

Part One of the Food Independence Course includes seven videos, most with handouts, and there is a free preview of DIY Sourdough Basics with Jessica Moody. other topics include Your Edible Yard, the Chinese Greenhouse, Community Meat Buying Club and Mindful Meat Eating, Practical Yogurt and Emma’s Cool crops.

You can subscribe to the All-Access Bundle for $2.99/month (or $35 for a year).

Once you register for All-Access, you will receive access to all 47 current video workshops and prerecorded webinars plus anything new that is added.
All the workshop videos are pre-recorded and can be viewed whenever you like and however many times you like.
Because the videos can be viewed at your convenience, you can watch them on your own schedule!
At MOTHER EARTH NEWS, all of the content, including these workshops, are designed to empower you to become less dependent on systemic products or services. What does that mean? This is an opportunity learn how to save a lot of money on things such as groceries, expensive health products, energy, and more!
Unlike at the physical FAIRS, where workshops take place simultaneously, you don’t have to pick and choose which workshops to watch! Most folks can enjoy only 10 to 12 workshops maximum at a physical FAIR. Now you can see them all!
No additional travel expenses, such as hotel rooms, airfare, gas, pet care, dining out, etc.
All dogs are allowed!!!

I have also contributed an 8-part Garden Planning Course

Before that, I did a workshop on

Winter Cover Crops for Gardeners

as part of the Winter Gardening Course.

Fall broccoli undersown with a mixed clover winter cover crop.
Photo Nina Gentle.

All these and many more videos and handouts are available as part of the All-Access Bundle

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Podcasts and Videos

Check out my page for Podcasts and Videos!

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More Virtual Organic Conferences in January and February

Here’s a useful list from eOrganic. I’ll be at PASA, but not the others.

eOrganic is the organic agriculture community of practice with eXtension. Theirr mission is to foster a research and outreach community, engage farmers and ag professionals through trainings and publications, and support research and outreach projects.

Growing for Market articles

January 2022 Growing for Market magazine cover

The January 2022 issue has my article on Greensprouting and planting potatoes. The November/December issue has my article on Planning an asparagus patch.

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Heads up on Sustainable Market Farming price increase elsewhere but not through my website.

After nine years at a cover price of $34.95, it is going for another reprint, and will be $39.99 as of February 25, 2022. Fortunately I have plenty of copies on hand for direct sale.

New and Upcoming Online Events 2020-2021

I’m making this extra mid-week post because I haven’t offered many events this year, and you may have stopped looking on my Events Page!

Click here Make the most of the offseason by getting a step up on planning next year’s garden with this informative and enlightening course from author and Fair speaker Pam Dawling. Workshops include setting your garden goals (how to plan and which crops to grow), mapping, crop rotations, growing transplants, scheduling seedlings, interplanting, contingency plans, and so much more! (Note: If you’ve registered for the All-Access bundle, you now have access to this course!)

Mother Earth News Fair Online

My new contribution to the Mother Earth Fair Online has just arrived – a Garden Planning Course of eight workshops, with handouts, and a resource list.

Workshops include setting your garden goals (how to plan and which crops to grow), mapping, crop rotations, figuring out how much to grow of what, growing transplants, scheduling seedlings, interplanting, contingency plans, and so much more!

Click here to read more and sign up. You can get my Garden Planning course for $20 or the 2021 All-Access Package at $2.99/month or $35/year – the complete collection of online courses (currently 39) and recorded webinars – with more than a dozen new courses in the works! Each online course includes 6-8 video workshops of about 30 minutes each and supporting materials (called “handouts” in the days of physical in-person events).

I also have a workshop on Winter Cover Crops in the Winter Gardening course. There is a link to that course just below my photo on the page I linked to.

This can give you an inspiring way to invest some time this winter. We know lots of new gardens were started in 2020, and maybe you are dreaming of a bigger and/or better garden in 2021. Turn your dreams into plans and get off to a smooth start!

This big Online Fair also makes a nice gift! (Scroll to the end of the View All Courses second page, for the All-Access Gift icon, 39 courses for $75. It includes a half-price offer on all courses that will be added during 2021.

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Organic Growers School 28th Annual Spring Conference

Online, March 13-21, 2021

The Organic Growers School Spring Conference 2021 is all virtual this time! Attendees will learn how to farm, garden and live organically through 12 tracks and more than 30 workshops. You won’t have to choose between two or more great workshops that are on at the same time. This year you’ll be able to “attend” every one. In your pajamas if you want.

Kick-off Live Event on March 13, 2021

Three live Keynote Talks
Teaser videos for our 12 Themed Tracks
Lunchtime Entertainment
A live Q&A with our Keynote speakers
A video social with other attendees
Access to our Exhibit Hall

March 14-19, 2021 – Themed Track Workshops

View 3 pre-recorded hour-long workshops in each of 12 Themed Tracks:

- Keynote
- Cherokee Foods
- Cooking
- Farming
- Food Systems
- Gardening
- Herbs
- Livestock
- Mushrooms
- Permaculture
- Soils
- Sustainable Living

March 20-21, 2021 – Live Track Closing Panel Discussion Sessions

Join a live Panel Discussion with each speaker from the Track workshops
Interact directly with panelists during the live Q & A portion

In the Gardening Track, Ira Wallace and I will be presenting The Seed Garden. Details to come, as we iron them out.

Garden cart with supplies for watermelon seed collection.
Photo Pam Dawling

I have been slow to join in the world of online events for a few reasons.

One is that in my rural county, we have poor internet connections and slow speed. I cannot reliably participate in a video conference where I’m one of the speakers. The service could just drop my connection at any time. This is a reality of many parts of rural America. We need something like the Rural Electrification Act to bring us into the 21^st century. 2017 marked the 80^th anniversary of that piece of Roosevelt’s New Deal.

A second reason is that I live as a member of Twin Oaks, an intentional community, where we share values of cooperation, sharing, nonviolence, equality, and ecology. We also share our resources. That includes our bandwidth. We have chosen not to spend a lot of our income on funding fast internet (it could be a deep black hole).

A third reason is that we have chosen to stay home as much as possible, to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection in our large household. Our group includes people who are more

vulnerable, due to age or health. We chose to self-quarantine, and think of ourselves as in a big bubble. It’s wonderful not to need masks or distancing at home. Anyone who goes off the farm has to be careful about masking and distancing, and about sanitizing on return, even quarantining alone for two weeks if the risk seems high. Going into a city to do video-conferencing is just not something I’m willing to do!

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Articles in Growing for Market

I’ve started a new run of writing articles in Growing for Market, a magazine. Upcoming is an article about collards. In recent months I’ve written about both wet and dry seed processing, planning garlic planting, and methods of growing sweet potato slips.

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Articles in Mother Earth News

I have an article coming up in the Mother Earth News magazine, about making and using open wood flats for seedlings and transplants. I also contribute to their blog, in the Organic Gardening section.

Vegetable harvests, articles on seed saving and garlic planting, workshop on cover crops.

Close up of Cow Horn okra pods.
Photo Kathryn Simmons

There are several aspects of vegetable harvesting. In this post I will look first at maturity indicators, then at four ranges of cold-hardy crops for harvest at various stages of winter, followed by a reminder of the order for harvesting storable crops, according to the coldest temperature they can take. After that I have links to a couple of other websites with great information on these topics, a mention of two articles on seed saving and one on garlic planting I have in Growing for Market magazine. And a link to a Mother Earth News Fair Online workshop on establishing winter cover crops.

Harvest and Maturity Indicators

Don’t harvest too soon or too late. How do you know when it’s ready to harvest? Different factors are important for different crops. Use all your senses.

Size: Cow Horn okra at 5”/13 cm (others shorter), green beans a bit thinner than a pencil, carrots at whatever size you like, 7”/18 cm asparagus, 6”/15 cm zucchini
Color: Garden Peach tomatoes with a pink flush. The “ground spot” of a watermelon turns from greenish white to buttery yellow at maturity, and the curly tendrils where the stem meets the melon to turn brown and dry. For market you may harvest “fruit” crops a bit under-ripe
Shape: cucumbers that are rounded out, not triangular in cross-section, but not blimps. Sugar Ann snap peas get completely round before they reach peak sweetness.
Softness or texture: eggplants that “bounce back” when lightly squeezed, snap beans that are crisp with pliable tips. Harvest most muskmelons when the stem separates easily from the fruit (“Full slip”).
Skin toughness: storage potatoes when the skins don’t rub off, usually two weeks after the tops die, whether naturally or because of mowing.
Sound: watermelons sound like your chest not your head or your belly when thumped. Try the “Scrunch Test” – press down firmly on the melon and listen and feel for the separation of the ripe flesh inside the melon.

Cabbages are fully mature when the head is firm and the outer leaf on the head is curling back. Ignore the separate “wrapper leaves” when making this judgment. If you need to keep mature cabbage in the ground a few days longer, twist the heads to break off some of the feeder roots and limit water uptake, and they will be less likely to split.

Mature cabbage showing curled leaf on the head.

This educational photo of a split cabbage is provided by Firesign Farm

Broccoli
Select blue-green broccoli heads and harvest them before the flower buds open, but after they’ve enlarged. We press down with finger-tips and spread our fingers to see if the head is starting to loosen.

Young immature broccoli head after rain
Photo Wren Vile

Sweet Corn

Sweet corn will be ready to harvest about three weeks after the first silks appear. Corn is ready when the ears fill to the end with kernels and the silks become brown and dry. An opaque, milky juice will seep out of punctured kernels. You can use your thumbnails to cur through the husk on the side and view the kernels. Don’t make your cut on top of the ear, or the dew and rain will get in and rot the corn.

Garlic

Garlic is ready to harvest when the sixth leaf down is starting to brown on 50% of the crop. See Ron Engeland’s Growing Great Garlic. Harvesting too early means smaller bulbs (harvesting way too early means an undifferentiated bulb and lots of wrappers that then shrivel up). Harvesting too late means the bulbs may “shatter” or have an exploded look, and not store well.

Cut across hardneck garlic – airspaces around the stem show maturity

Music garlic cut open showing gaps around stem – a sign of maturity.
Photo Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Garlic bulb cut horizontally to check maturity (good now or soon).
Photo Wren Vile

Onions

Wait until the tops fall over to harvest, then gently dig up the whole plant and dry. Leave the dry, papery outer skin on the onion for protection.

Four Ranges of Cold-Hardy Crops for Harvest at Various Stages of Winter

Crops to keep alive into winter to 22°-15°F (-6°C to -9°C), then harvest. Harvest and use soon: Asian greens, broccoli, cabbage, chard, lettuce, radishes. Harvest and store: beets, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, kohlrabi, winter radish (including daikon), rutabagas, turnips. Many greens and roots can survive some freezing, so it is worth experimenting to find how late you can keep crops outdoors.
Hardy winter-harvest crops: cabbage (Deadon), carrots, collards, kale, leeks, parsnips, scallions, spinach. We grow our winter-harvest crops in our raised bed area, which is more accessible in winter and more suited to small quantities.
Overwinter crops for spring harvests before the main season. Some crops, if kept alive through the winter, will start to grow again with the least hint of spring weather and be harvestable earlier than spring plantings. Depending on your climate, the list can include carrots, chard, chicories such as radicchio and sugarloaf, chives, collards, garlic, garlic scallions, kale, lettuce, multiplier onions (potato onions), scallions, spinach. In mild areas, peas can be fall sown for a spring crop. Sow 1″ (2.5 cm) apart to allow for extra losses.
Winter hoophouse crops: The rate of growth of cold-weather crops is much faster inside a hoophouse than outdoors. The crop quality, especially with leafy greens, is superb. Plants can tolerate lower temperatures than outdoors; they have warmer soil around their roots, and the pleasant daytime conditions in which to recover. Salad greens in a hoophouse can survive nights with outdoor lows of 14°F (–10°C) without inner rowcover.

In my post Root Crops in October, I gave this list of storable crops in the order for harvesting, related to how cold they can survive.

Clear and store (in this order):

Sweet potatoes 50°F (10°C)
“White” Peruvian potatoes 32°F (0°C) approximately
Celeriac 20°F (°C)
Turnips 20°F (°C)
Winter radish 20°F (°C)
Beets 15-20°F (°C)
Kohlrabi, 15°F (°C)
Carrots 12° F (°C)
Parsnips 0°F (°C)

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Here are some links to a couple of good sources for more harvest information:

Piedmont Master Gardeners Garden Shed Newsletter

Guidelines for Harvesting Vegetables by Pat Chadwick

A list of seven basic principles of harvesting, followed by a crop-by-crop list of almost 50 individual crops and a resource list of 18 publications (focused on the mid-Atlantic and Southeast)

October Tips from Harvest to Table, by Steve Albert covers all climate zones and comes complete with a USDA Hardiness Zone Map

Prepare your garden for colder weather, plant winter crops where there is still time, harvest crops that will suffer from cold, construct low tunnels with rowcover or clear plastic to keep crops somewhat protected from wind and cold temperatures

Links to other posts by Steve Albert

How to Prepare a Winter Vegetable Garden

Predicting Frost in the Garden

Garden Tips for October

Growing for Market articles

Harvesting seeds this fall?

I have written articles for Growing for Market magazine about growing and saving seeds (August and September issues), and planting garlic (October issue).

Given the shortages of some varieties this spring, it wouldn’t surprise us if more people tried producing seeds of vegetable or flower varieties this year. Here are links to articles from the August and September magazines, covering wet and dry seed processing.

Roma tomatoes cut in half for seed extraction.
Photo Pam Dawling

Wet seed processing and saving

Wet seeds are embedded in fruit. Wet processing has four steps: scooping out the seeds or mashing the fruit, fermenting the seed pulp for several days, washing the seeds and removing the pulp and then drying the washed seeds.

Read the article “Wet seed processing and saving”

Dry seed processing and saving

Dry seeds develop in pods, husks or ears, and dry on the plant rather than inside a fruit. While you obviously want to get seeds into the hands of growers before they need to plant, and into seed catalogs before they get printed, often there is no urgency to extract the dry-seeded crops from their pods. You can wait for a slower time, or use seed cleaning as a rainy-day job.

Read the article “Dry seed processing and saving”

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I have a workshop on Winter Cover Crops for Gardeners as part of the Mother Earth News Fair Online Winter Gardening Course. The Winter Gardening Course features 7 videos, each 21-44 minutes long. Mine’s 32 minutes on cover crops.

You can enroll for the 8-course Winter Gardening Course for $20.

Or choose the 2020 all-access course bundle of 21 courses (over 100 videos) for $150.