Trellising Your Organic Tomatoes

Tomatoes pose a unique challenge to gardeners large and small. Indeterminate varieties can reach towering heights but are unable to support themselves, especially once they begin to set fruit. All varieties of tomatoes gain several benefits from support. Plants are able to dry out more quickly, leading to less rot, ripening is more thorough and even, and harvest is easier and faster. Three popular and effective methods of supporting tomato plants are using a freestanding structure, trellising with an overhead string, and the Florida Weave.

Freestanding Structure

Many home gardeners choose to support each tomato plant with its own freestanding structure. Tomato cages and field stakes are the most popular choices, allowing plants to grow at different rates while being supported at any height.

Stakes should be at least four feet tall and set no less than one foot deep. They can be made from bamboo, scrap wood, or an iron bar. Place each stake about 2-4” away from the base of the plant. As the plant grows, tie the vine to the stake with loose knots, preferably just below a major branch.

Tomato cages come in many shapes and sizes, and can often be made at home with repurposed materials. The most popular are cylindrical woven wire secured by stakes pushed into the ground. Tomatoes may need to be tied in order to grow up the center of the cage. Alternatively, they can be carefully trained by hand.

Overhead String

Another trellis technique preferred by growers is overhead string support. As an especially efficient use of space, this method is ideal for high tunnel tomato production, but can be put to use indoors or out. With overhead support, each tomato plant is given one string, running from floor to ceiling, on which to climb. It is important to have a strong support system, such as the hoops or rafters in a greenhouse or an A-frame structure. Make sure any structure can handle a heavy load before setting any strings.

Tie one string per vine directly overhead, making sure it is long enough to reach all the way to the floor. Securely tie the string to the base of the vine, keeping the line taut but the loop not so tight as to damage the stem. Many start by pruning tomato plants down to one or two vines, but I’ve strung as many as five vines per plant using this method.

As the plants grow, there are two popular ways to train the vine up the string. Some choose to wrap the vine around the string a little bit at a time. This can be hard if the string is too taut, but if done well, wrapping the vine can very evenly distribute the weight of the plant. Alternatively, vines can be tied or clipped to the string, allowing the plant to grow straight up. Many growers purchase tomato clips, which are specifically designed for this method of trellising; twine is a perfectly good substitute. Attach clips directly to the vine below a major branch.

 

Florida Weave

An increasing number of tomato growers are using what has come to be called the Florida Weave. While there are many variations to this approach, the basic premise is the same for each. The Florida Weave is easy to put up and take down, as well as simple to maintain during the season. This method works best for tomatoes grown in the field in long single rows.

Start by driving long stakes at least one foot into the soil every 2-5 plants. Set the stakes in the middle of the row, equally spaced between two plants. Using lightweight twine, tie the first line to an end post about eight inches above the ground. Run the line on the front side of the first set of tomato plants, on the back side of the next post, and then return to the front of the tomato plants. This first string will be run in front of all the plants, and behind all of the posts. Make a full loop around at least every other post to keep the line from slipping. At the last stake, tie off and work down the row, mirroring the first line. This second line will run behind all the plants, and in front of all the posts. The two lines will form figure eights as they are woven.

As the plants grow, repeat this process, setting another line about every eight inches. Tuck in wayward branches when necessary, and be sure to maintain tension in all lines. Before long, you’ll have a wall of plants ready to bear the weight of a heavy fruit set. I recommend anchoring the two end stakes securely, as they are under the most pressure. A guy line and tent stake work well, but be careful not to trip when you’re admiring those gorgeous, ripe tomatoes!

General Trellis Tips:

  • Prevent the spread of bacterial and fungal disease by pruning, staking, or stringing the plants when they are completely dry.
  • Make sure all stakes and posts are secure – at least a foot deep, but more if possible.
  • Try to match the size of your trellis system with the plants you’re growing. An indeterminate variety will quickly outgrow a small tomato cage.
  • Whenever possible, avoid breaking major branches or bending the vine against its will.
  • Before a hard wind or rain, check the strength of all structures and tighten anything that is loose.

 

Posted in Beginner Gardeners' Guide, Large Scale Growing, Uncategorized | Tagged | 5 Comments

High Tunnel Winter Growing – Get a Jump On The Market!

Winter is so, like, last season.  But, in a moment of reflection, we wanted to share with you the results of our overwintering variety trials. Like many Northeast growers, we took advantage of NRCS’s Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative to put up an unheated high tunnel in 2010.  We’ve been excited to have this year-round growing space, particularly for trialing different varieties of overwintering greens.

Overwintering Heading Crops

This winter was our second year growing in the high tunnel.   One thing that we were curious about was our ability to overwinter heading crops.  From our experience last year, we knew that it was no problem to grow and harvest leafy greens since we had successfully overwintered 12 varieties of spinach and 30 baby lettuce varieties.  We wondered about the feasibility of overwintering small heads of lettuce and heading Asian greens (the choys and the tat sois) for harvest in the early spring.  Many growers already sell salad mix and baby greens; wouldn’t it be cool to offer the season’s first head lettuce?  Or baby pac choy at market? But we weren’t sure these would make it through the winter at all.  Would they size up nicely in the spring or would they immediately bolt?

Mini-Romaine Lettuce Heads Results

We seeded 14 varieties of lettuce in the greenhouse in late September and transplanted them into the high tunnel on November 22. The result?  Gorgeous heads of lettuce ready for harvest, depending on the variety, from the first week of April through the end of the month.  In our zone 4 climate, most growers would be lucky to plant their first head lettuce in the field by the first week of April (under row cover), so this harvest date certainly extends the season by a good month or two.  And, it was such visual candy to peek into the high tunnel and see rows of these colorful, adorable, mini heads!

We planted several varieties of romaine lettuce.  Tin Tin (see our video ) also produced good size heads, broad and stout, light green in color.  Spretnek  (see our video) produced bright green, mini romaine heads but was the first to bolt.

Red Tide was the earliest to mature, with large loose heads ready for harvest the first week of April.  This is a gorgeous red leaf variety with a lime green interior and soft leaf texture.  April 10th  trials notes say “Really pretty, full size heads, there isn’t much that’s mini about this variety.  Heads are about 7” across, ready to be harvested.”  During the main season Red Tide produces big full heads; we were excited to see this variety standout in our overwintering trials as well.

Winter Density (see our video ) was another variety ready for an early April harvest.  From the notes again: “Leaf is tender, color is nice dark green; nice stout, low growing head.”

We really liked Pomegranite Crunch, a variety we are hoping to be able to offer in our 2013 catalog.  The color of this variety is uniformly purple/red – striking! It formed nice, dense, squat mini romaine heads.

Breen (see our video ) has been a favorite in our main season trials for mini-romaine heads with striking color (burnished red over pale green).  In the high tunnel, Breen’s color was more subdued – more bronzy than bright – and it elongated before producing much of a heart.  Likewise with Rouge d’Hiver, which produced tall, upright, very loose heads without hearts.

The green leaf varieties we planted – Two Star and Lettony – were slower growing and reached harvest maturity around the third week of April.

Emerald Oak, a nice bright oak leaf variety, produced small heads early on, but we lost a lot of the stand to cold or disease.  A lovely variety, but apparently not a great overwintering one.

Asian Greens Results

Compared to the head lettuce, our Asian green trial was not as successful.  We seeded varieties at the same time as the lettuce, Sept 29 with a November 22 transplant date.  They were planted at 4” spacing in rows 6” apart – tight spacing to promote small heads.  They were ready to harvest at a large braising size, or very (very!) mini head size, in early March.  By late March/early April, all the varieties were bolting (except for the Prize Choy, which produced good size bunches of dark green leaves on thick white stems ready for harvest at this time).

But, we discovered the bolting wasn’t all bad.  Shanghai Green produced tender, juicy stalks with mild brassica flavor and florets about ½” in size.  Tat Soi, too.  Tat soi had a stronger flavor than Shanghai Green, but the stalks were just as tender.  Yukina Savoy, on the other hand, had thicker, stringer stalks – fine for chopping up and cooking, but definitely not as tender.  As a leaf variety, Yukina Savoy is more upright and more bolt resistant in Tat Soi but in its unplanned role as a sprouting brassica, it took the backseat.

We harvested the stalks, at the floret stage, and made bunches with lots of leaf.  Staff took the bunches home and cooked them up in stir-fries.  Delicious!

Efficient Use of Greenhouse Space?

One undesirable aspect of this trial is the tie up of bed space.  Varieties that were planted into the high tunnel in the late fall occupied bed space all winter and weren’t harvested until April.  Since we don’t fire up our greenhouse until March, we don’t have a place to start seedlings in late winter/early spring, so that is partly why we planted in the fall.  What one grower in our area does – and what we’d like to try next season – is transplanting head lettuce and bok choy into the high tunnel in March.  The harvest date might not be quite as early, but you’re not tying up all that bed space through the whole winter.  We haven’t tried it, but we can imagine a succession planting plan for direct seeded spinach or leaf lettuce in the fall, followed by transplanted heading varieties in the early spring for a nice diverse crop offering.

In a separate trial, we seeded Shanghai Green on Sept 5 and transplanted into the high tunnel on Oct 6.  The planting date resulted in gorgeous, tight mini heads ready for harvest at the end of November.

In northern climates, the winter growing movement is exciting and it’s wonderful to see so many of our customers extending their season and providing more local produce to their communities and families. We’ll continue to share our experiences with you all, and hope that likewise, you’ll let us know what you’re excited about and what’s working well for you!

Now onward to summer!

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Spring Salad with Meyer Lemon Cream Dressing

The thrill of cutting real heads of lettuce from our hoop house in April cannot be overstated. Head lettuce in these parts is a phenomenon of early June if we’re lucky. So when trials staff started bringing in compact, beautiful, vibrant heads of lettuce for us to take home, I was first in line.

This recipe is about as simple as it gets and it’s all about the lettuce. Don’t be afraid of this dressing- it doesn’t curdle and the cream and lemon combination is light and springy and delicious. This would be perfect with wild salmon and roasted potatoes. It also would make a great lunch with the addition of some hard boiled eggs- especially with those spring-bright yolks!

Spring Lettuces with Meyer lemon and Cream Dressing
- Adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Essential Pepin

  • 6 T. heavy cream
  • 4 t. Meyer lemon juice
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 2 small heads lettuce, leaves washed and dried and torn into pieces – I used red and green oak leaf (Oscarde and Emerald oak)
  • Salt and pepper to taste – I used about ½ t. each
  • Crushed, roasted hazelnuts

Whisk cream, lemon juice and salt and pepper together. Keep whisking until the mixture is frothy and thick. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Toss lettuces with dressing, top with roasted hazelnuts and serve immediately. This salad does not keep well once dressed so make sure you’re ready to serve it before tossing with the dressing.

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Companion Planting – Utilize nature’s diversity to improve the health of your garden

When dreaming of an ideal garden, one often imagines a neat and orderly, well-weeded and organized garden, not necessarily an overgrown forest, right?  Well…in some ways a forest can set a great example for your garden.  Biodiversity is nature’s very organized plan for mixing things up.  The wide range of plants and animals found in natural fields and forests can be a model for our gardens in creating a diverse inter-planting of crops called polyculture. The term polyculture, as defined by Wikipedia, is “agriculture using multiple crops in the same space, in imitation of the diversity of natural ecosystems, and avoiding large stands of single crops, or monoculture,” and is a fancy word for Companion Planting.  It will enhance your ability to fend off pests and disease, make the best use of your garden space, protect your soil, and increase yields… and maybe even beauty.

 Method to your Madness

Companion planting does not necessarily imply a mixed-up mess of a garden.  In addition, it does not mean that interplanting any crops will work in your favor either.  There is actually a science to all of this, which can lead to a very intricate dance for the experienced companion planter.  For the beginner, a few simple guidelines can propel you into a love affair with the polycultural medley of companion gardening:

  • Plant a diverse array of crops in wide rows or blocks instead of mono-cropping in single rows;
  • Interplant flowers and herbs to attract beneficial birds and insects and fend off the pesky ones; and
  • Provide habitat to attract and perpetuate the beneficials.

I have included a chart (see below) from The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening that lists crop types and their time-tested companions, which may help you to organize your efforts.  Furthermore, there are a few companion planting rules that I gleaned from the book Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham.

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

“Choosing plants and grouping them into families and friends to make garden neighborhoods” is one of Cunningham’s “favorite parts of companion gardening.”  She recommends that you group together crop families from your veggie wish list, from which you can assign their favorite plant friends to interplant.  Together these families and friends create neighborhoods. Each year, you can easily rotate each neighborhood to a different location of your garden for the purpose of crop rotation.

The first step is to categorize your crops into families, keeping in mind that plant families can be grouped in many different ways, such as:

  • Genetically related crops with similar growing needs,
  • Crops with similar nutrition requirements,
  • Crops that help each other to grow symbiotically, and
  • Crops that lure or repel pests from one another.

Herbs and Flowers Make Great Friends

Once you have grouped your crop families, next you will want to find plant “friends” to interplant among your families, thus a neighborhood is created. In many instances, these garden friends consist of flowers and herbs which provide a wide array of aromas that either attract beneficial insects or repel the pesky ones, while adding splashes of color and visual diversity…and in some instances include living mulches that help protect and build the soil while suppressing the weeds. Examples of different attributes of your garden companions are:

  • attracting beneficial insects,
  • repelling pests,
  • trap crops for luring pests away from your desired harvest,
  • weed suppression,
  • attracting pollinators,
  • providing ground cover, and
  • soil building.

While you can’t go wrong with interplanting herbs and flowers among your vegetable crops, some choices are better than others.   For example, strong smelling plants like marigolds and basil, while toted as pest repellants, actually serve to confuse pests from finding their desired meal.  Flowers in the Aster family attract beneficial insects.  Nasturtiums provide a nice habitat for predatory insects.  Sweet alyssum can be under-sown as a living mulch among Brassicas.  Dill attracts predatory wasps and works well interplanted with Brussels sprouts.  Tansy is “the singe best plant for luring beneficial (insects) to the garden and keeping them there,” says Cunningham.  For a complete example of Sally Cunningham’s neighborhood planting scheme, you’ll have to get her book, which is, in my opinion, a worthwhile investment for the beginner companion gardener.

The Hospitable Habitat

One of the most important aspects of the companion planting theory is attracting beneficial insects, birds, and reptiles to your garden…and more importantly, keeping them there.  All living beings require food, water, and shelter.  Aside from the obvious meal (garden pests), benficials love to indulge in pollen and nectar, which will be abundant in your diverse array of veggies, herbs, and flowers. Adding rocks and pebbles to your birdbath will provide a way for insects to access water as well as the birds, or creating “bug-baths” on the ground using pie plates or something of the like.  Shelter can be created using hedges, perennials, living mulches, and even rock piles.

There is lots of advice out there for organic gardeners about natural pest control, building organic matter in your soil, attracting pollinators, etc., but companion gardening wraps it all up in a single package.  It will allow you to create a symbiotic relationship between your crops, insects, wildlife, and ultimately your dinner plate.

 

Companion Planting chart from The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, J.I. Rodale

Plant Companion(s) and Effects
Asparagus Tomatoes, parsley, basil
Basil Tomatoes (improves growth & flavor); said to dislike rue; repels flies & mosquitoes
Bean Potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, summer savory, most other veggies & herbs
Bean (bush) Sunflowers (beans like partial shade, unless you live up north, sunflowers attract birds & bees for pollination), cucumbers (combination of heavy and light feeders), potatoes, corn, celery, summer savory
Bee Balm Tomatoes (improves growth & flavor).
Beet Onions, kohlrabi
Borage Tomatoes (attracts bees, deters tomato worm, improves growth & flavor), squash, strawberries
Cabbage Family (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi) Potatoes, celery, dill, chamomile, sage, thyme, mint, pennyroyal, rosemary, lavender, beets, onions; aromatic plants deter cabbage worms
Caraway Loosens soil; plant here and there
Carrot Peas, lettuce, chives, onions, leeks, rosemary, sage, tomatoes
Catnip Plant in borders; protects against flea beetles
Celery Leeks, tomatoes, bush beans, cauliflower, cabbage
Chamomile Cabbage, onions
Chervil Radishes (improves growth & flavor).
Chive Carrots; plant around base of fruit trees to discourage insects from climbing trunk
Corn Potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkin, squash
Cucumber Beans, corn, peas, radishes, sunflowers
Dead Nettle Potatoes (deters potato bugs)
Dill Cabbage (improves growth & health), carrots
Eggplant Beans
Fennel Most plants are supposed to dislike it.
Flax Carrots, potatoes
Garlic Roses & raspberries (deters Japanese beetle); with herbs to enhance their production of essential oils; plant liberally throughout garden to deter pests
Horseradish Potatoes (deters potato beetle); around plum trees to discourage curculios
Hyssop Cabbage (deters cabbage moths), grapes; keep away from radishes
Lamb’s Quarters Nutritious edible weeds; allow to grow in modest amounts in the corn
Leek Onions, celery, carrots
Lemon Balm Here and there in the garden
Marigold The workhorse of pest deterrents; keeps soil free of nematodes; discourages many insects; plant freely throughout the garden.
Marjoram Here and there in the garden
Mint Cabbage family; tomatoes; deters cabbage moth
Nasturtium Tomatoes, radish, cabbage, cucumbers; plant under fruit trees; deters aphids & pests of curcurbits
Onion Beets, strawberries, tomato, lettuce (protects against slugs), beans (protects against ants), summer savory
Parsley Tomato, asparagus
Pea Squash (when squash follows peas up trellis), plus grows well with almost any vegetable; adds nitrogen to the soil
Petunia Protects beans; beneficial throughout garden
Potato Horseradish, beans, corn, cabbage, marigold, limas, eggplant (as a trap crop for potato beetle)
Pot Marigold Helps tomato, but plant throughout garden as deterrent to asparagus beetle, tomato worm & many other garden pests
Pumpkin Corn
Radish Peas, nasturtium, lettuce, cucumbers; a general aid in repelling insects
Rosemary Carrots, beans, cabbage, sage; deters cabbage moth, bean beetles & carrot fly
Rue Roses & raspberries; deters Japanese beetle; keep away from basil
Sage Rosemary, carrots, cabbage, peas, beans; deters some insects
Soybean Grows with anything; helps everything
Spinach Strawberries
Squash Nasturtium, corn
Strawberry Bush beans, spinach, borage, lettuce (as a border)
Summer Savory Beans, onions; deters bean beetles
Sunflower Cucumber
Tansy Plant under fruit trees; deters pests of roses & raspberries; deters flying insects, also Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs; deters ants
Tarragon Good throughout garden
Thyme Here and there in garden; deters cabbage worm
Tomato Chives, onion, parsley, asparagus, marigold, nasturtium, carrot, limas
Valerian Good anywhere in garden
Wormwood As a border, keeps animals from the garden
Yarrow Plant along borders, near paths, near aromatic herbs; enhances essential oil production of herbs

 

Posted in Articles by Megen Hall, Beginner Gardeners' Guide | 15 Comments

A “How-To” Guide for Watering Plants in a Greenhouse

One of the great things about running a greenhouse is the level of targeted care that you can give to your plants. They are all in one spot, and their basic needs can be addressed in a way that would be hard in a field setting. Having some control, even a little, can be a great thing, when the real art of farming is learning to work in a system where we are actually less in control than we might like. Water is one of the more important pieces in the greenhouse, and how, when and with what you are watering can make a big difference.

I have been tempering my water for years, and am very aware of the impact that it has on the plants. Where I live, water comes out of the ground at 50 degrees. I realize plants aren’t people (don’t tell them I said that), but taking a shower at 50 degrees stops me in my tracks, and then it takes me a long time to recover. Your plants feel the same way.  Using cold water not only shocks the plants; it also shocks the soil biology that’s feeding my plants. I am using a compost based mix, where the nutrition that is available to the plants is made so largely by biological activity. That population thrives when the soil is warm, not when it’s cold. Before I had my boiler, I had a hot water hose bib hooked up in my house, and I would blend a mix of hot and cold water to get a mix that was at 90 to 95 degrees when it hit the plants. They loved it.  I now have a plate heat exchanger in the greenhouse that I can adjust the temperature based on the output of the nozzle that I am using. If all this sounds a little over the top, consider the value of the plants that are in the greenhouse at any one time. They truly represent a large fundamental piece of the profitability of your season, and they are worth the time and effort.

As for the how of watering, there are lots of different nozzle choices, and each has a place. I use a very low volume, fine mist for setting seeds after I seed a flat, or for setting new seedlings. I like to set the soil with the lighter flows for the first few days and longer if the seeds are small, so that all the care I took in placing the depth isn’t disturbed by a torrent of water. I have other nozzles with a  heavier flow that I use for putting more water down when I am watering the greenhouse when needs are high. I keep the wand moving, so that there is never water pounding on the trays. A series of lighter passes allows the water to penetrate better than one heavy soak, and it’s a lot easier on the plants.

When you are watering is also important. Sometimes it seems obvious; plants are dry, they need water. Not always. Plants like water, but they don’t want to be wet. Excessive moisture in the greenhouse can lead to fungal diseases, as well as creating an environment for certain pests to thrive. I am very conscious of the local weather when I approach watering. My ultimate goal is that at the end of the day, the plants are dry going into the evening. If the day is going to be sunny, and a heavy water use day, I put on the water first thing in the morning, while the sun is still low in the sky. This will give the plants the chance to shed the water before the sun is high. It is possible for an intense sun to turn that drop of water on a leaf into a little lens and cause burning on the leaf. If I am away during the day, I will come back and water in a more targeted way for plants that are showing thirst, and do a final watering in the afternoon.

Some of the trickiest times for water management are during longer periods of cloudy weather. The plants needs for water are much lighter, and you should adjust accordingly. Switch to a lower flow nozzle, and be really careful about overwatering. Plants are pumps, and they have a tendency to take up the water that they have available. On a sunny day they can use that water, and it is easy to get rid of it. During prolonged cloudy weather, plants have a reduced ability to photosynthesize. Excess humidity also makes it harder to expel water, and that water can build up in the cells of the plant and cause them to rupture. The result will often appear as blisters on the leaves. This is called edema, a physiological condition, which will usually pass when the conditions change. It’s still best to avoid the problem in the first place though.

After a year or three of dragging a hose around on the ground, I made the jump to an overhead water line, and I love it. It’s safer, as there aren’t hoses laying around to trip on, and I have fewer tantrums, as there aren’t hoses laying around to trip on. It’s also a lot cleaner, because the hose isn’t being dragged around on the floor. They are available as kits from greenhouse supply companies, but are also easily fabricated from hardware store parts. My greenhouse is 22’ wide, and one run allows me to get to all the corners of the greenhouse. Super handy, and I can’t imagine not having it.

A little extra attention in the greenhouse makes a big difference, and the value is there. Strong, healthy plants are one of the most important parts of your farm. By the way, my plants love country music.

All my best,

Paul

Posted in Articles by Farmer Paul Betz, Large Scale Growing | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Win a $50 Gift Certificate! Tell Us About Your Favorite Variety!

A few weeks ago we asked our staff what their favorite varieties that we carry are, and we’ve compiled them in the list below. While we were sitting around talking about all these wonderful different vegetables that we love, we thought it would be great to hear from you, our customers – about which varieties you love and why!

So, leave us a note in the comments below about your favorite variety that High Mowing Organic Seeds’ carries, and one lucky commenter will win a $50.00 High Mowing Organic Seeds gift certificate!

  • Tell us the name of the variety you love, and why you like it so much!
  • Include the URL (web page address) of that variety from our website.
  • Make sure you use an accurate e-mail as that’s how we’ll be contacting you if you win!
  • Contest ends midnight (EST) 4/18/12
  • We would love to share your comments with other gardeners and farmers! By commenting below, you give us permission to re-print your comments. Rather not be quoted? Send us an email to questions@highmowingseeds, with the subject line “My Favorite Variety” with the info requested above to be included in our contest and we’d be glad to add you to the pool of contestants.

The contest is now over – Thank you for everyone who entered – we truly appreciate all your comments. Pamela H. is our winner! – congratulations!

The fine print: High Mowing Organic Seeds is giving away one $50.00 gift certificate towards any of our products to one lucky winner! To enter the contest, leave a comment describing your favorite High Mowing Organic Seeds variety, why you like it, and the URL for that variety from our website on our blog post entitled “Win a $50 Gift Certificate”.  (To qualify you need to make sure your favorite variety is one that High Mowing sells!), or send us an e-mail at questions@highmowingseeds.com with subject line, “My Favorite Variety”.  The contest runs from 4/10/12 through midnight (EST) 4/18/12.  The winner will be selected using random.org. The winner will be notified via e-mail, so please ensure that your e-mail is accurate. Winners must respond within 96 hours of the e-mail announcing that they have one being sent. If the winner fails to respond within that time, High Mowing Organic Seeds will select another winner through random. org and will send out another e-mail to the next winner.

High Mowing Staff Picks – Our Favorite Varieties!

Beans:

“The Black Turtle dry beans are wonderful. I was very happy with their upright growth habit. They produced so many beans and I found that they were easy to clean. They dried well on the plant. After harvesting the beans, I dried them a little more indoors and then put them in a tote and stepped on them to break the pods open. Afterwards, I separated the beans from the organic matter. Now I have dry beans that will store a long time!” Brigitte Derel, Sales Associate

Dragon Langerie shell beans – They are beautiful and delicious. I love them in salads.” Meredith Martin Davis, General Manager

“I discovered Tavera Haricot Vert beans last summer. They’re tender and sweet and I picked them for weeks- we froze bags full of them! They were the first thing my eight month old son ate, and he loves them just as much as I do.” Andrea Tursini, Retail Sales and Marketing Manager

Organic Chioggia BeetBeet:

“The Guardsmark Chioggia beet. Raw or cooked, shredded or sliced, its unique spiral interior is a vibrant addition to any plate or dish and best of all, it is a beet! Beets are the best, nothing better than a beet. I have nicked named it ‘the cat in hat’ beet.” Maxine Kelly, Accounting Manager

Broccoli:

“I like the Belstar F1 broccoli for full size heads, they have a nice dome to shed water and a tight bead that does great in the fall. Also stands up to the heat, but I usually slot it for the fall.” Paul Betz, Market Grower and Sales Associate

Cabbage:

Kaitlin F1 cabbage: It holds well in the field…and makes good kraut!” Holly Simpson, Sales Assistant

Carrot:

Napoli F1. My first carrot of the season. They are quick to size up, and have great flavor. The tops are strong for bunching, and stay green and beautiful for a long time in the field.” Paul Betz, Market Grower and Sales Associate

Cauliflower:

“I like the Veronica Romanesco for its flavor and uniqueness.” Amber Gillespie, Accounting Assistant

Cucumber:

“The Suyo Long is also an amazing eating cuke; thin skin and small seed cavity, once people try them they are hooked.” Paul Betz, Market Grower and Sales Associate

Specialty Greens:

Yukina savoy Asian greens.  I plant in the fall for full size heads. The leaves are large, the stems are tender and they can take the cold pretty well. Hong Vit radish green is a favorite as well; super tender as a young green. Let it get bigger and it can be bunched for a braising green, leave some longer and it’s a nice quality radish. Amazing!” Paul Betz, Market Grower and Sales Associate

Lettuce:

Magenta head lettuce. Delicious, holds up well to rain, flooding, heat. Beautiful, crisp, dependable, and did I mention tasty?” Sara Schlosser, Market Grower and Sales Associate

Organic Cortland OnionOnion:

Cortland F1 onion. I love onions and especially onions that I can store and eat all winter long. I’m still eating these in late February and plan to keep on eating them into April.” Andrea Tursini, Retail Sales and Marketing Manager

Peas:

Sugar Ann snap pea – The first thing the kids and I get to eat right out of the garden. Summer days munching on these sweet snap peas are the best.” Meredith Martin Davis, General Manager

Peppers:

Oranos F1 pepper is my all-time favorite–the best sweet pepper I have ever tasted!  Peppers are the sweetest treat out of the field and this one is my favorite to snack on.  The flavor is sweet and full, and the color is so pretty.  It has been the favorite pepper by the Trials staff for all the years we’ve grown it — several of us were so excited to finally be able to get the seed for ourselves this year when we added it to the catalog. Yum!” Kathryn Donovan, Marketing and Trials Assistant

“I also love Oranos F1 pepper – don’t get sticker shock!  This is the sweetest, most beautiful pepper we grew in trials last year.” Gwenael Engelskirchen, Trials Manager

“Have to have NuMex Joe E. Parker Anaheim peppers. Cut in half and put in a baking pan, stuff with a sharp cheddar cheese (preferably Vermont), sprinkle bread crumbs over top, bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with steamed corn, fresh sliced tomatoes and basil.” Barbara Conn, Sales Associate

Spinach:

Tyee F1 spinach has always been a standby for me. Holds up to the heat that we can get in early summer.” Paul Betz, Market Grower and Sales Associate

Summer Squash:

Partenon F1 zucchini. Dependable in any weather or conditions, early, long season harvest compared to other zucchinis, perfect fruit and delicious. I also really like the Segev F1 squash. It produces for the whole season if you give it space to vine. Tender and nutty, a wonderful squash that is little know or appreciated in this country.” Sara Schlosser, Market Grower and Sales Associate

Winter Squash:

Organic Crown Pumpkin

“I really like the Crown Pumpkin winter squash because it has a great color contrast with the muddy green outside and bright rich orange inside, the taste is nutty and the flesh is dense. Also it is very lovely in the garden growing next to other squash of different colors. The history of the Crown Pumpkin also interests me.” Brigitte Derel, Sales Associate

Sugar Dumpling F1 winter squash:  An easy to grow, sweet and nutty flavored squash that works well as a main meal when stuffed, but can easily cross over to dessert with a little butter and maple syrup!” Sarah Zettlemeyer, Wholesale Sales Associate

Tomato:

Cosmonaut Volkov tomato:  The flavor and texture is out of this world!  Rich and sweet that never hides in any kind of sandwich or salad, always a great compliment to everything I add it to.  This tomato takes me to the moon!” Sarah Zettlemeyer, Wholesale Sales Associate

Matt’s Wild cherry tomatoes – Sweet, plentiful, and so easy to grow.” Meredith Martin Davis, General Manager 

Rose de Berne! Great flavor, texture, size, and good uniformity for an open pollinated heirloom tomato.  Worlds better than Brandywine, the almighty heirloom of choice!” Megen Hall, Sales Associate

“I absolutely love Rose de Berne tomato – it has wonderful flavor, smooth skin, dense texture, excellent slicing and salad tomato and not prone to cracking.” Gwenael Engelskirchen, Trials Manager

Flowers:

“I really enjoy the Jasmine-Scented Nicotiana flower. The scent of jasmine fills the air in the early evening hours. It is so pleasant to be in the garden as the sun is setting with such a lovely aroma in the air.” Brigitte Derel, Sales Associate

“I love the scent of the Old Spice Sweet Peas. And I always plant Dark Orange Marigolds in our garden because that’s what my mother does – the smell of marigolds always reminds me of pulling weeds in her garden when I was little.” Andrea Tursini, Retail Sales and Marketing Manager

 

 

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Organic Vegetable Crops that Store Well

In an era where food security is becoming a growing priority, having access to affordable and nutritious food all year, say in your basement or pantry, is becoming increasingly important to many families, including my own.  Canning, lacto-fermentation, and freezing are all great ways to preserve the harvest, but storing produce “as is” is by far the most simple and traditional of all methods.  Each of the following crop types have their own unique storage requirements, many of which can be found in an article I wrote last year called Storing the Fall Bounty

I have compiled a list of High Mowing varieties that have moderate to long-term storage capabilities.  I also included dry beans and corn on the list, which are dried on the plant in the field.

Many of these varieties require a long growing time to mature, so now is the time to plan for these wonderful gems of self-reliance for a full-stocked pantry this winter.

Dry Beans

 Beets

Kohlrabi

Cabbage

Carrots

Celeriac

Corn

(sweet corn can also be harvested fresh, hung to dry in bunches by the peeled back husks, and milled as flour…we like to make sweet corn pancakes.)

Garlic

Onions Leeks & Shallots

Potatoes

Pumpkins

 Winter Squash

 Turnips and other roots

 

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Garden Planning: A Step by Step Approach

Whether you are breaking new ground or an experienced gardener, making a detailed plan can help you to make the best use of your space, prioritize your crops, and maximize your harvests.  While I love my wheel cultivator and swan neck hoe, my most precious garden tools are my planting map and calendar.  Without them, I would be lost.  There are a bunch of different websites that have interactive garden planning tools, such as GrowVeg, but for the “DIY” kind of person, the following tips will guide you through the garden planning process.

Mapping your Garden

If this is your first season in the garden, you may want to check out Paul Betz’s article Turning your Lawn into Lunch.  Once you have established you garden space, then it is time to make a map.  I use an excel spread sheet, but you can also use grid paper if you are more inclined toward pen and paper.  Each square of the grid should represent a specific measured unit so as to help you to create your layout and plan how much seed to purchase.  The best part is that once you make your map, you can use it year after year to create a new garden plan and keep track of your crop rotations.

Planning your Crops and Varieties

There are many variables, (such as your level of experience, the size of your garden, and the amount of time you have to spend) that will weigh heavily on what crops to choose and how much of each you can grow. Inexperienced growers may want to start with just a few of their culinary favorites, choosing ones that are easy to grow, having straightforward needs that are widely adapted to different growing conditions and climates.  For smaller gardens, it may be more rewarding to concentrate on short season crops such as greens and peas that produce prolific harvests in shorter periods of time.  Crops that take up a lot of space, such as melons, tomatoes, and vining plants like some squash and beans can be grown vertically by trellising to save on space.   In larger gardens, succession planting can provide you with continuous harvests for some crops.  It can be beneficial in some instances to plan your successions using varieties that are slotted for different parts of the growing season.

Creating a Layout

Once you’ve chosen your varieties you can begin to plug them into your map to create a layout.  Before you get started, you will want to consider your gardening options because this will affect your layout.  Many gardeners using only hand tools who are wishing to maximize their space are going with U-shaped beds or the “Square Foot Gardening” method in 4’x4’ raised beds.

Mapping your layout allows you to visualize your best design for the season, so that you can foresee any problems and reorganize your plan before the seeds are sown.  Things to keep in mind when creating a layout are:

  • sun exposure
  • prevailing winds
  • areas with unique characteristics, such as poor drainage, ledge, or sloped areas
  • crop rotation
  • planting methods
  • grouping of similar crop types for pest and disease care
  • different shapes and sizes (using tall plants to provide some shade or being sure not to shade out smaller plants with taller ones such as corn)
  • season specific varieties
  • succession planting
  • perennials vs. annuals (best not to interplant these, but to assign perennials to their own area)

I’ve created an example of a planning map for a market garden using an excel spreadsheet.  In this example, each square represents 5 square feet (you can adjust this number to work for the size of your garden space).  This mock layout is based on the traditional bed/row method, but can be easily changed to reflect your planting methods.

Planting Calendar

It can become a bit frazzling to try and juggle the needs of many different crops and all their unique requirements, but can be simplified by keeping a calendar that is dedicated to the garden.  For small and simple gardens, it may not be entirely necessary to devote a full calendar to keep track of when to sow, but nonetheless it is important to schedule planting dates for each variety.  Before you make your calendar, you will want to keep in mind:

  • cultural information for each crop type
  • seasonally slotted varieties
  • which crops you will plant in successions
  • approximate soil and air temps during planting season in your region
  • first and last frost dates

High Mowing has a handy planting guide that will help you determine the best time to start your seeds, ideal soil temps, and detailed cultural information, and more for all of our crop types.   To calculate your start dates for your calendar, you will want to keep track of your crops in the following categories:

I usually calculate my start date by figuring out my intended harvest date and count backwards by using the days to maturity.  It is important to determine whether the days to maturity are from transplant or from seed.  High Mowing lists this information in the growing info section for each crop type.  Alternatively, if you have already determined your transplant date, you can use the above link to the planting guide to reference the number of weeks from seedling to transplant for each crop type to find out your seeding date.  Once you determined all your planting, transplanting, direct seeding, and succession dates, then your calendar is complete.  The next step is to remember to take notes on your calendar as the season unfolds as to what worked and what did not.  This info will be crucial when you pull out your calendar to use as a template for subsequent years.

 Your Unique Garden

Everyone has a different story; a different level of experience and enthusiasm, a different landscape and climate, and a different set of garden priorities.  No two vegetable gardens are alike, but they all produce good, healthy food.  Ready, set, GROW!

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Organic Carrots of Many Seasons – and Colors

In the last variety spotlight, we talked about onions, which, if you’re in the northern latitudes, should all be seeded in the early spring. This month, we’ll look at carrots, which lend themselves to several seedings, or succession plantings, all season long for a continuous harvest.

The unseasonably warm weather along much of the east coast and through the mid-west in March caused the grower in us to jump to attention, only to be lulled (somewhat) back into winter slumber by the colder (more seasonal) temperatures that followed. Mother Nature, it seemed, had stomped on the accelerator of spring, fast-forwarding us into July temperatures and heralding the feeling that we have to get to plantingseedingtillingweeding right now. The phones in our sales office rang off the hook that week. A veggie farmer near us tilled fields and talked of sowing beets and carrots. Then, Mother Nature eased up and took the scenic route to summer and we’re back to covering the greens in our high tunnel with double row cover to protect them from nighttime temperatures in the teens.

Meanwhile, the northwest received unusually heavy late season snow and California experienced a drier than normal winter.

Swings like these, outside seasonal norms, seem to point to the fact that growing food will require greater and greater resiliency. By offering varieties with proven performance in organic systems, we hope that we can offer an advantage towards the success of your growing operation.

Spring

Yaya F1 Carrot – Paul Betz, HMS sales rep, owner of High Ledge Farm, and contributor to this blog, likes to start his season by planting Yaya F1 carrots. At 60 days to maturity, this variety is quick to mature and makes a great early season, fresh market carrot. Yaya F1 is well adapted to different planting densities – at closer spacing it will yield smaller, earlier ‘juvie’ carrots (not quite baby, but still young and tender) with good orange color and a filled out shape. At a normal planting density of 1.5-2”, Yaya F1 will form excellent bunching or fresh market carrots. At a wider planting density (roughly 3-4”), Yaya F1 will bulk up without splitting and yield good sized soup grade carrots with a uniform barrel shape. (Check out our Yaya VIDEO)

Summer

Negovia F1 Carrot - For summer plantings, stick with Yaya F1 if you wish – it shows good performance in all seasonal slots – or shift your planting to Negovia F1 which was a stand-out for flavor, sweetness and texture in our summer carrot trials. Negovia F1 has stronger, more vigorous tops than our early season varieties. This will help maintain quality bunches, even when carrot leaf blights may start to set in.

Fall

Necoras F1 Carrot – In the fall, you’ll want to plant a variety that stores well. We trialed a number of carrot varieties seeking an organic standard to compare to Bolero F1 and found Necoras F1 to be top-notch. Necoras F1 is an excellent keeper that will work well for winter markets or your own root cellar. (Check out our Necoras VIDEO)

 

Finally, put a little COLOR in your life with a rainbow selection:

White Satin F1 Carrot and Yellowstone Carrot both impressed us with their solid, uniform shape and a sweet flavor. These varieties are eye-catching and unique, but they can also hold their own against more standard carrot criteria. White Satin F1 is a great variety to grow for juicing since its juice can be blended with the juice of other fruits without influencing the color.

Cosmic Purple Carrot and Atomic Red Carrot round out the color wheel with their universe-al appeal. Their super hero names are fun to share with your customers or your kids. “Atomic Red carrots – they’re a blast!” or “Comic Purple carrots are out of this world!” And their unique color isn’t just good for silly wordplay – it also adds nutritional variety to the carrot’s repertoire. Atomic Red, in particular, is high in the anti-oxidant lycopene.

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Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing

(makes four main course salads)

This is a classic salad that is hearty enough for a meal! Add some crumbled blue cheese if you like. I made this for a group of friends for dinner recently, with over wintered organic spinach from the High Mowing hoop house. Soup and bread complement this nicely.

Spinach Salad

  • 1- 1 1/2 lbs washed spinach, either baby leaf or mature (if using mature leaves, rip up into smaller pieces)
  • 8-12 pieces of bacon
  • One small red onion, sliced thinly
  • 4-6 hardboiled eggs, peeled and chopped or quartered

Warm Bacon Dressing

  • 5 tablespoons reserved bacon fat (or use olive oil if you feel weird about bacon fat)
  • 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

Cook bacon until very crisp in a skillet, in batches if necessary. Drain bacon pieces on a paper towel, and add 5 tablespoons of bacon fat to a small saucepan. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients, mix well, and warm over low heat.

Place the spinach in a large bowl with bacon and onion. Just before eating, add the warm dressing and toss to evenly coat spinach. Divide onto 4 plates and top with chopped eggs and blue cheese, if using.

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