Category: How-Tos

Confused about what those 3 numbers mean on fertilizer?

A fertilizer’s formulation is always presented on the label as:

N-P-K

Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potash (always in that order)

Remember “Up, Down, all Around” to help you recall the function of each number.

N (Nitrogen) is about leaf development; good for veggies were you want a lot of “greens” ex. lettuce and spinach.  It is wonderful for grasses and corn and also any ornamental plant where you would like to encourage more leaves but aren’t concerned about blooms ex. coleus.  Many people also use nitrogen  for compost.

P (Phosphate) accelerates rooting or blooming; used for young or newly planted items and bulbs to encourage root growth; high P is used to promote blooms; ideal for flowering containers or fruit blooming.

K (Potash) compliments Nitrogen and Phosphate to boost overall health of the plant.

Most plants thrive with well-rounded fertilizers for optimum performance, but you may choose one that is higher in one number or the other based on your selected outcome.

Plant indoors about 3-4 weeks before last frost in loose, well-drained soil.

Cut “seed” potatoes so that each piece has at least 2-3 eyes; allow to air dry (callus) 5-7 days before planting.

Plant 2” below soil, about 24” apart; water and mulch. Keep moist-not soggy.

After they bloom and plants start to decline, reduce water and you can harvest.

If a green potato appears above the soil level it is best not to use it.

Potatoes will store underground until frost.

Perennial roots are available commercially as 2 year olds. Soil should be well drained and rich in organic matter. The crown of the root needs to be planted 12-18” below the soil level. Dig a trench 18” deep and spread the long roots sideways to nestle the crown low enough. Cover the crown with 3” of soil and water in. After a week or so a sprout will appear. Allow it to grow 8-9” and cover ½ way. One the sprout has cleared the soil level by several inches fill in the rest of the trench. They prefer some moisture but not a lot. Once they are established they require little care. You can begin harvest after 2 years.

Variety

Martha Washington – 3 year old plants

Heirloom: Historically harvested seeds (over decades) that produce roughly identical plants from generation to generation.
Open Pollinated: Seeds are produced by wind or self-pollinated and produce roughly identical plants from generation to generation.
Hybrid: Seeds generated from 2 parent strains targeting specific characteristics; heavy production, disease resistance, hardiness, etc.
GMO: Genetically modified Organism. Genetic engineering inserts genes into another unrelated organism to bring a desired outcome, eg; bacteria introduced into corn to offset the damage of earwigs on the ears of corn.
Organic seed: Any seed produced meeting the USDA standards for Organic growing; does not include GMO’s.

Any of the alliums can be sown in the garden March/April and can be planted provided the plants are hardened off. They like a loose, moist (not wet) well-drained soil.

Sets:
Small bulbs are sold bagged and usually develop into stewing type onions. Plant with the pointed side up, just under the soil line.

Scallions/Bunching Onions/Green Onions:
Easily seeded in the garden early spring or started indoors late winter. The whole plant is harvested and used. The tops can be used much like chives. The small root bulb is mild in flavor. Sow in a shallow trench, use a seed tape or plant young seedlings. Plant with the white bulb just slightly below the soil line.

Slicing Onions:
Transplants are usually young onion plants sold bundled or in soil. Starting them indoors early guarantees a larger onion earlier in the growing season. Plant so the white (yellow or red) roots are concealed by dirt. The may be flimsy at the start but will firm up in days. As they mature the top foliage yellow and shrinks. They can be harvested and stored by hanging them (including the tops) or clean up the bulbs and store in a refrigerator.

Leeks:
Started by seed indoors late winter. They don’t develop a bulb like onions, rather develop a thick stalk used for soups, egg dishes or general flavoring. Plant by seed or young seedlings. Harvest when the stalk is large enough for slicing.

One of the easiest crops to grow- corn is a grass type plant.

It likes it sunny with supplemental nitrogen.

“Knee high by the 4th of July” is the adage that determines if you’ll be harvesting or not!

Seeds can be soaked overnight before planting to help break the seed coat. Sow just below the soil line.

Overall, the crop excels with a fertilizer or soil nutrient high in Nitrogen.

One of the first crops we get to seed in the ground early spring!

Pre-soaking the seeds overnight (or several nights) helps the seed take up water and break the seed coat.

From years of experience we find this ensures 70-80% success in germination. Some use an inoculant to try to stimulate better germination, but its success varies.

Take into consideration that they don’t like the heat, so choose a site where the temperature won’t spike early in the summer.

Peas like rich soil with consistent moisture. Be careful early in the season to not overwater the young plants!

When the heat hits, they slow in production. Sowing again in mid-July can produce a healthy fall crop.

Garlic is a bulb that usually is planted late summer/early fall and harvested the following summer or fall depending on the variety.

Ideally when they are planted they will have time to root in sufficiently to endure the winter and late enough in the season to avoid tall green shoots that could freeze. They can be planted early spring and harvested late fall- but may not reach their full potential.

Garlic is grown all around the world!

Hardneck varieties are hardier and best for this region.

Soil should be rich in organic matter but should drain easily (especially if there’s consistent moisture during the winter).

During the summer a light mulch layer of leaves or clean grass clippings on the soil can prevent the soil from moisture extremes.

The bulb or cloves need to be broken into individual segments. The tip of the clove goes just slightly under the soil level, green sprout (or pointed side) up.

Sunset Greenhouse:  1023 Sunset Road * 80909    (719) 634-6232

PLANTING FOR THE GOOD GUYS!!

In a world laden with synthetic and even organic pesticides, wouldn’t it be nice to return to a harmony with the way things are supposed to be, where the good bugs eat the bad bugs? If we provide the right plants, they will come…

Alyssum: flowers attract hoverflies whose larva devour aphids; draws bees to pollinate early blooming fruit trees
Borage:  deters tomato hornworms and cabbage worms; one of the best bee and wasp attracting plants.
Carrots: blooms attract hoverflies and predatory wasps
Calendula: attracts bees and hoverflies
Catnip/Catmint: deters flea beetles, aphids, Japanese beetles, squash bugs, ants and weevils.
Chamomile, German:  host to hoverflies and wasps.
Centaurea: attracts bees, lacewings, hoverflies and parasitic wasps.
Chives: attract hoverflies, bees and parasitic mini-wasps; keep aphids away from tomatoes,
Chervil: keeps aphids off lettuce
Cilantro: repels harmful insects such as aphids, spider mites and potato beetle. A tea from this can be used as a spray for spider mites
Cosmos: attracts lacewings, hoverflies and parasitic wasps
Dill: flower umbel attracts ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies and parasitic mini-wasps but also the tomato horn worm so it would be wise to plant it somewhere away from your tomato plants.
Fennel: foliage and flowers attract hoverflies, ladybugs, tachninid flies, beneficial parasitoid wasps. It can retard the growth of some nearby plants.
Garlic: systemic in action as it is taken up by the plants through their pores and when garlic tea is used as a soil drench it is also taken up by the plant roots. It has value in offending codling moths, Japanese beetles, root maggots, snails, and carrot root fly
Golden Rod: one of the best; attracts assassin bugs, big-eyed bugs, ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies, praying mantis and parasitic wasps.
Lavender:  repels fleas and moths. Prolific flowering lavender nourishes many nectar feeding and beneficial insects. Lavenders can protect nearby plants from insects such as whitefly, and lavender planted under and near fruit trees can deter codling moth.
Marigold: has roots that exude a substance which spreads in their immediate vicinity killing harmful nematodes.
Mint: the menthol content in mints that acts as an insect repellant and tiny flowers attract Braconid and Icheumonid wasps, and Tachnid and Syrid flies; bees and other good guys love it; deters white cabbage moths, ants, rodents, flea beetles, fleas, aphids. Earthworms are quite attracted to mint plantings, and it may deter ground squirrels and mice from tunneling in the area.
Morning Glory: attracts syrphid flies and ladybugs
Nasturtium: deter aphids, squash bugs, and striped pumpkin beetles.
Oregano:  plant near broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower to repel cabbage butterfly and near cucumbers to repel cucumber beetle.
Parsley: flowers attract parasitic wasps and hoverflies.
Thyme: deters cabbage worms.
Yarrow:  attracts predatory wasps and ladybugs; good accelerant to the compost pile.

Plants that attract Lacewings:
Achillea filipendulina Fern-leaf yarrow
Anethum graveolens Dill
Angelica gigas Angelica
Anthemis tinctoria Golden marguerite
Atriplex canescens Four-wing saltbush
Callirhoe involucrata Purple poppy mallow
Carum Carvi CarawayCoriandrum sativum Coriander
Cosmos bipinnatus Cosmos white sensation
Daucus Carota Queen Anne’s lace
Foeniculum vulgare Fennel
Helianthus maximilianii Prairie sunflower
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy
Taraxacum officinale Dandelion

Plants that attract Hoverflies:
Achillea filipendulina Fern-leaf yarrow
Achillea millefolium Common yarrow
Ajuga reptans Carpet bugleweed
Alyssum saxatilis Basket of Gold
Anethum graveolens Dill
Anthemis tinctoria Golden marguerite
Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed
Atriplex canescens Four-wing saltbush
Coriandrum sativum Coriander
Daucus Carota Queen Anne’s lace
Fagopyrum esculentum Buckwheat
Foeniculum vulgare Fennel
Helianthus maximilianii Prairie sunflower
Penstemon strictus Rocky Mt. penstemon
Potentilla recta ‘warrenii’ Sulfur cinquefoil
Potentilla villosa Alpine cinquefoil
Tagetes tenuifolia Marigold – lemon gem
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy
Taraxacum officinale Dandelion
Veronica spicata Spike speedwell
Vicia villosa Hairy vetch

Plants that attract Ladybugs:
Achillea filipendulina Fern-leaf yarrow
Achillea millefolium Common yarrow
Ajuga reptans Carpet bugleweed
Alyssum saxatilis Basket of Gold
Anethum graveolens Dill
Anthemis tinctoria Golden marguerite
Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed
Atriplex canescens Four-wing saltbush
Coriandrum sativum Coriander
Daucus Carota Queen Anne’s lace
Fagopyrum esculentum Buckwheat
Foeniculum vulgare Fennel
Helianthus maximilianii Prairie sunflower
Penstemon strictus Rocky Mt. penstemon
Potentilla recta ‘warrenii’ Sulfur cinquefoil
Potentilla villosa Alpine cinquefoil
Tagetes tenuifolia Marigold – lemon gem
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy
Taraxacum officinale Dandelion
Veronica spicata Spike speedwell
Vicia villosa Hairy vetch

Plants that attract Parasitic Mini-Wasps:
Achillea filipendulina Fern-leaf yarrow
Achillea millefolium Common yarrow
Allium tanguticum Lavender globe lily
Anethum graveolens Dill
Anthemis tinctoria Golden marguerite
Astrantia major Masterwort
Callirhoe involucrata Purple poppy mallow
Carum Carvi Caraway
Coriandrum sativum Coriander
Cosmos bipinnatus Cosmos white sensation
Daucus Carota Queen Anne’s lace
Foeniculum vulgare Fennel
Limonium latifolium Statice
Linaria vulgaris Butter and eggs
Lobelia erinus Edging lobelia
Lobularia maritima Sweet alyssum – white
Melissa officinalis Lemon balm
Mentha pulegium Pennyroyal
Petroselinum crispum Parsley
Potentilla recta ‘warrenii’ Sulfur cinquefoil
Potentilla villosa Alpine cinquefoil
Sedum kamtschaticum Orange stonecrop
Tagetes tenuifolia Marigold – lemon gem
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy
Thymus serpylum coccineus Crimson thyme
Zinnia elegans Zinnia – liliput

Plants that attract Minute Pirate Bugs, Damsel Bugs and Big Eyed Bugs:
Caraway Carum Carvi
Cosmos – white sensation Cosmos bipinnatus
Fennel Foeniculum vulgare
Alfalfa Medicago sativa
Spearmint Mentha spicata
Peter Pan goldenrod Solidago virgaurea
Marigold – lemon gem Tagetes tenuifolia