Carrots September is the month of the harvest. It is that time of the year when we yearn for cooler days and warmer foods. It is the end of summer and the beginning of fall where weekend fun now entails apple orchards and fall festivals instead water parks and pools. It is that time of the year when food harvest is at its peak whether it is corn, grain, grapes or vegetables. It is the Northern Hemisphere’s time to close the door and let winter take over for a much needed break. In the gardening world it is preserving and storing your garden’s bounty for a long winter season. The harvest moon will soon appear and not long after that frost will set in and the snow will fly. As the cool days become more frequent the gardens start to slow down and preparation begins to prepare the gardens for winter. My harvest this time of the year yields many carrots, pumpkins, tomatoes and lettuce greens. The carrots are my favorite due to the fact that once planted from seed it takes the majority of the summer to grow and mature. With much anticipation each carrot is pulled and admired with the idea that next year I will plant more and more of a variety. One of my favorite carrots to plant in the Eco Garden System is the little finger carrot. It is a smaller carrot that has a very sweet flavor and grows with ease in the garden system. I have also planted the rainbow mix carrots and enjoy the different colors they can add to a meal. Carrots are a very popular vegetable to grow and are a staple in most gardens. Thinning carrots They can, however, develop problems if the conditions are right. This year I…
read moreHow many of you have been discouraged after planting a garden to find out some of your vegetation is not thriving? From brown spots to yellow leaves to weird looking bugs on your tomato and broccoli leaves, gardening has challenges that can make you want to quit immediately or run to your computer and google “Why are my pepper plant leaves turning yellow?” (If I haven’t googled it once I have googled it five times and that can be in one day.) I want quick answers to salvage what is left of the plant from diseases that will NOT go away on their own! Because I garden in a very large self-watering container, the most common diseases I run into usually come from existing plants that I purchase from nurseries or from organisms that arrive via wind first class. I have had to pull one cucumber plant and one tomato plant as well as some nasturtiums this garden season due to a few significant reasons. Here are three gardening issues that I have had to deal with when gardening in the Eco Garden System. Yellowing of leaves This can be on just about any plant that is growing in the garden. It is common in just about every garden and can be caused by one of three main factors: water, nutrients, or pests. A process of elimination of these three factors and problem solved! My first thought is watering. In a self- watering container this should be the easiest to eliminate. I know our first reaction is not enough water or too much water which with the Eco Garden system this should not be the case! Overwatering gives you wilted plants and under watering gives you shriveled up dry plants. A good way to test is to poke your finger…
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