Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Judi's Blog

A lot of you folks already have your vegetable gardens planted for the summer. I got mine started about four weeks ago and it's coming on strong. For those of you who feel like you might be getting a late start-don't worry! You still have plenty of time. We will be carrying most all of the summer veggies through August. Its actually better to wait. In March and April, even though the days can be warm and sunny, the nights are still cool. Plants like, eggplant, cucumbers and peppers, will not do well. Most people start to early and try to put in everything all at once. This can lead to disease and loss of vigor for your vegetables.

It is much wiser to start off slow and easy with cooler season crops, like herbs, lettuce, onions, chard, spinach and cool season tomatoes. Then as the spring evenings warm up, you can add the squash, cukes and longer season tomatoes. Your garden will catch up and most of the time even pass earlier planted ones.

We never know what our spring weather is going to be like. And even though it has been as ideal as we could expect, I am beginning to see customers bringing in samples of problems from early planted tomatoes.
Bacterial speck, alternaria, and early blight are diseases with very similar symptoms. It starts off as splatters of rusty brown spots on the leaves. The leaves may start turning yellow. They usually affect the lower and older growth first. Each disorder has its own special look.

The cause can range from leaving last years debris, (leaving spores) in the soil, moisture in the air, from foggy and dewy Santa Barbara mornings or overhead watering. Also heavy soils that stay wet and don't drain well. If this sounds like a problem you might be having, adjust your watering. Once a week should be adequate with proper mulching. You can also pick off the worst leaves and spray with a copper or sulfur spray or other organic fungicides.

The next problem I expect to see is blossom end rot. The dark spot that shows up at the bottom end of the tomato. While sometimes it can be caused by the lack of calcium in the soil, the most common reason is uneven soil moisture. Allowing the tomato to dry out to much, then soaking it. Dry-wet, dry-wet. This is mostly a problem for container grown tomato plants. It is best if you can keep the soil evenly moist.

Hopefully we won't see to many bug and disease problems this summer. But if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us or bring in samples. We will be glad to help you find an organic and healthy solution to your problem.

Monday, May 12, 2008

D's Blog

May Gray / June Gloom
It's very foggy and drizzling this morning. The good news is it looks like some clearing is forecast for the end of the week with some hot sunny days. This is the first year I remember weather affecting my mood but I understand many experience seasonal affective disorder this time of year.
Our May gray/June gloom days are created when the land warms up and the ocean is still cool. These conditions usually occur in late spring and early summer but we may see the pattern in fall as well. We like to complain, but this weather pattern helps keep our weather mild. When it gets hot we complain too. We are a little spoiled in Santa Barbara.
This weather affects our plants as as well. With less sun and light some of our vegetables, annuals, and other plants do not grow as fast as we'd like. The high humidity, moderate temperatures, and low light intensity promote conditions that some fungal disease such as powdery mildew thrive in. On the other hand, watering chores are less. My containers simply are not drying out at their usual rate.
Its hard to believe it may be 80 degrees in a few days. See you at the beach!
Take care, D




Monday, May 5, 2008

Judi's Blog



 It has been a great spring and the roses have never looked better.  The blooms were big and bountiful. But now the first show is over and the next step is important if you want a good repeat bloom. We want the roses to perform all summer. For this we need to set up a routine of feeding every four to six weeks.  Working the fertilizer into the soil and top dressing with a mulch to help keep the sensitive surface roots cool as we move into warmer weather. If your roses are on a drip, be sure to hand water the fertilizer in with a good deep soak.  And remember to always pre-water the day before you feed.  Never feed a dry plant!  Roses are not fussy about what you use to feed them. They just need to be fed on a regular schedule with a good balanced diet.  I prefer organic methods, which nourish the soil and allow the rose to become stronger with all the nutrients available in the soil.

As for pruning and deadheading, this is where you can determine the height, size and shape of your bush.  You always want to prune to an outward facing leaf that is pointing in the direction that you want the next stem to grow. The reason for pruning to an outward bud is to direct the growth away from the center of the bush, which will improve air circulation and prevent canes from growing into each other.  When you have decided how low you want to prune, look for the first leaf that has five leaflets.  Make your cut at a 45 degree angle, slanting down and away from the emerging bud eye and about 1/4" above the leaf axle.

If you are working on a hybrid tea rose, they bloom on a single stem, so it is pretty straightforward. With a floribunda, the flower is on a stem in a group of three or more buds.  They bloom in succession, one after the other.  With this type of rose, you can nip off each flower as it fades, or wait until the whole stem blooms out.  Then remove them all at once.  Also keep in mind that it is not a good idea to put your clippings into the compost pile.  Disease and insects can survive and re-infect. And there is nothing like coming in contact with a rose thorn that didn't quite compost down.  So bag and toss your trimmings into the green waste can.

 The main thing to keep in mind is that roses are very forgiving.  What mistakes you might make are not going to hurt your rose.  They will survive and bloom anyway.  If you don't deadhead, your rose will look messy and stall before blooming again.  The process of pruning away the spent blooms triggers a response in the bush to re-bloom faster.  So by pruning and feeding regularly, you should have another round of beautiful blossoms in a few weeks to share with  your friends and neighbors.