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Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening

Another great general compendium of gardening information. Great pictures, very diverse information. This one book could probably serve as a gardener’s only resource. Great ideas for container gardening, and hard-to-find info on Mini-vegetables. Author: Anna Kruger Copyright: 2005 Publisher: DK Adult Buy from Amazon: <br />

Gel Sowing Method of Seed Starting

Gel Sowing is a method of starting seeds indoors, where seedling emergence is 2-3 weeks earlier than with dry-sown seeds and higher yields have been shown for slow-germinating crops like early carrots, parsnips, tomatoes and onions. It also makes for a safer way to plant out the seedlings, without damaging the roots. Awesome for areas with […]

Symphylans

Symphylans are very small, white, many segmented organisms that you may see in your soil when you pull up a struggling plant. You will notice them darting and scurrying quickly about the root ball or seedling plug. They are also known as symphlans, or “symphys”, pseudocentipedes, or garden centipedes, even though they are not centipedes. They are […]

Soft Rot

Quick Intro Physical Description Bacterial disease of the fruit or tubers of a vegetable, characterized by watery and soft decay of the tissue. Species & Taxonomy Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus Species: caused by several types of bacteria, but most commonly: Erwinia Pectobacterium Pseudomonas Lifecycle These pathogenic bacteria can grow at a wide range […]

How to Calculate Chill Hours for Your Area

Deciduous fruit and nut trees, along with some flowers and biennial vegetables, need a certain number of hours of cold temperatures in order to break winter dormancy. This winter chilling is known as chilling, winter chill, or vernalization. The chilly temperatures actually break down the hormones that are preventing the tree or plant from growing. […]

Leafhoppers

Close up of leafhopper damage on potato leaf

Leafhoppers seem to be the bain of my existence…well, not really – but they sure complicate my veggie gardening. They would only be mildly annoying, if it weren’t for the diseases they spread. Physical Description very small insects, ranging from 1/12 – 1/8 inches long (2-3 mm). They are wedge-shaped, with narrow bodies that are […]