Plant Diseases

Growing Lettuce in the Winter When we think of winter crops, we think of tough, leafy greens and durable roots that grow close to the ground and survive the low light and cold temperatures of winter, in part due to their robustness and strength. These crops are often delicious, sweetened with the frosts and hardy to the difficult growing conditions of the cool seasons. One crop that...

This time of the season, gardeners are focused on keeping their plants happy and healthy. We know you want to have the greatest chance of success with your organic seeds from High Mowing, so we’ve collected some of our favorite resources for identifying common garden diseases: For a general overview of plant health and some principles of organic disease control...

There are a myriad of ways a plant can show signs of abnormalities. Sometimes these abnormalities are due to the worst causes – namely harmful pests or diseases. But other times, the symptoms are emblematic of an underlying cause, either cultural or environmental, and can often be reversed as long as diagnosis is correct and treatment is swift. When a...

Let’s talk tomatoes. Almost no other crop screams “summer” like a vine-ripened tomato straight off the plant. Whether it’s a full-on beefsteak or a handful of colorful cherries, that first harvest of the season is the moment farmer and consumer alike have been waiting for since January. At High Mowing, we’ve put together a solid collection of resources for organic...

As fall approaches, many growers are looking forward to once again being able offer cool weather crops like spinach for markets, CSAs and wholesale accounts. Depending on the region in which you grow, your hopes for a bumper spinach crop could be quickly dashed by a single aggressive outbreak of downy mildew. This guide will help you understand this destructive...

The diseases black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. Campestris) and black leg (Phoma lingam) represent a serious threat to brassica crops like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. They can wipe out whole fields and spread rapidly to surrounding farms, potentially devastating not only vegetable crops but also brassica seed crops in places like the Pacific Northwest, a heavy seed-producing region. High Mowing...

Becky Maden is a vegetable farmer currently living in Orwell, VT, where she and her husband operate Singing Cedars Farmstead. Previously, Becky spent 10 years working as the Assistant Farm Manager at Intervale Community Farm, a thriving 500-member CSA farm in Burlington, VT. In her time spent away from the farm, Becky loves to travel, write, bike, run, ski, and...

To grow well, beets need neutral to slightly alkaline soil and proper thinning (since in most cases, each beet seed is actually a capsule containing 2-4 seeds). But beets are also a little pickier in how they absorb and utilize soil minerals, and they have a hard time producing if the ones they need aren't available. To avoid common pitfalls...

Regal Oak Lettuce Here at High Mowing we’re proud to offer an organic lettuce for almost every location, season and use. Whether it’s the middle of winter in Maine, a rainy spring in Oregon, a blistering Arizona summer, or even a trip to the International Space Station, we’ve got the lettuce to keep you in greens all year. In this...

The Enza Zaden/Vitalis Variety Showcase held at their research facility in San Juan Bautista, CA Vitalis Organic Seeds is a family-owned Dutch seed company that focuses their breeding work and organic seed production primarily on leafy and fruiting crops such as lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and peppers. These crops are subject to a host of disease problems, and the highly-resistant varieties...