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Table of Contents
1) Editor's Comments:Before we get into this week's issue, we'd like to get your opinion on a web site question. We are trying to add a "daily country shortcut" tip to our homepage. We have the tips and software to offer a brand new tip each day, but we are having concerns about our homepage becoming too cluttered. We'd like your opinion on the test page we have set up at http://rexseedco.com/index-new2.htm. Please drop us a note on what you think to tomkrueger@rexseedco.com. Something brand new this week, a guest column. One of our long- time readers asked if he could share an article regarding growing under artificial light. Well, we are more than happy to do so. In fact, if anyone else would also like to submit articles, we'd be more than happy to consider them. Heck, that means less material your editors need to come up with. <grin> We also take a look at container gardening, more on houseplants, our reader mailbag, and more. As always, if you do have questions, suggestions or ideas, do not hesitate to drop us a note. Tom Krueger Rex Gregor "Exotic & Unusual Seeds from Around the World" 2) Container Gardening:
Today's lifestyle has opened the floodgates on container gardening. Even in a townhouse or condo, you can now dig in the dirt as you grow those flowers and vegetables in your container garden. A wonderful part of the urban lifestyle is to establish a beautiful container garden. This can be done either indoor or out. No matter what type of plants you favor, there is a way you can create a container garden. Hanging baskets make some of the most beautiful container gardens, and you can grow them inside or out. New styles are continuously being designed. You can also consider a wall planter which will beautify the side of your home. You can even place one near your kitchen window to grow herbs. Wooden containers of any type, including whiskey barrels, are great containers. Wonderful flowers and foliage turn an ugly whiskey barrel into a thing of beauty. Window boxes are wonderful and there is something very peaceful about a nicely planted window box to showcase your container garden! If you use a self-watering system in the window box, your plants will remain beautiful all summer long. Self-watering containers make it easier to keep all containers beautiful. Containers are available in different sizes, shapes and materials including clay, wood, plastic or ceramic. The one thing in common to all, it is very important the container has sufficient drainage holes. Unless you plant a container shade garden, most container plants will need five hours of sun each day. The ideal planting medium for container gardens is a soil-less potting mix because it is a lightweight mixture and will be free from soil-borne diseases and weed seeds. This kind of mix can usually be obtained at most garden centers. It comes in various quantities and under many different brand names. For the "do-it-yourself," you can make your own container mix by mixing equal parts of sand, loam garden soil, and peat moss. We suggest you heat this mixture in your oven for one hour at 210° F. (99° C.) to kill any fungi, insect eggs or weed seeds. The spacing requirements for flower and vegetable seeds will be found on most packages. Don't overcrowd the container -- limit the number of plants to allow for eventual mature plants. Of course, you do want to plant a few extra seeds because some may not germinate - once sprouted, you can remove the unwanted plants or even transplant them in another container. Don't forget to fertilize your containers on a regular basis - especially if you use a soil-less growing medium. Most soil-less mixtures contain little or no nutrients. The most common fertilizer formulation for vegetable plants is 10-10-10, for flowering plants use 10-60-10. You can also use a time release fertilizer (Osmocote) at 14-14-14. Don't fall prey to the common unwise practice of the novice gardener of over fertilizing. Be sure to follow the instructions of any fertilizer. Container gardening sales reached over $1.2 billion in 2002. It is considered the fastest growing consumer lawn and garden sales category in terms of household participation. In fact, container gardening is becoming a favorite with most golfing husbands. *** 10% savings until September 30, 2003 *** Enter the Store and Click on the Sale Link The discount will not show up in your shopping cart -- we will take care of it for you before finalization of your order. (No other discounts apply.) 3) Humor for Today:"Cash, check or charge?" I asked after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet I notice a remote control for a television set in her purse. "Do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked. "No," she said. "But my husband refused to come shopping with me, so I figured this was the worst thing I could do to him." 4) A Garden in Your Office: By Christopher MorganA do-it-yourselfer can convert an office corner into a nice place to grow practically any plant by installing a metal halide light. To keep the light bright enough, and the light in its corner, a PAR 38 100-watt metal halide reflector bulb works nicely. This setup will supply 1500 to 2000 footcandles (fc) of light intensity (about 15-20,000 lux). Outdoor plants, such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias, will grow well under these conditions. The bulb can be mounted about 4 feet above a counter or desk and provide 1500 fc in a 2 foot diameter spot. Of course, the light will be brighter closer to the bulb. You should generally keep the foliage no closer than 12 inches from the bulb so there is no heat damage. Begonias, impatiens, nicotiana and other plants with intermediate light needs, do well with 1000 fc and could be grown in a 3-foot circle with the bulb at a height of 5-6 feet. Or you can put them in the outer part of an area made for the higher light need plants. African Violets can be grown near the outside of either setup. The lights should be on a timer set to be on for 14-18 hours per day. Metal halide reflector bulbs require a ballast to provide the higher operating voltage they need. Electronic ballasts are more expensive but easier to wire and they use less energy and are very quiet. They also require a ceramic pulse-rated socket made specifically for these bulbs for safety. The cost of a ballast and bulb will be around $170. Metal halide bulbs come in different color temperatures. The 3000K types give a warmer light that is easier to live with -- it also seems to have a better balance between the red and far red wavelengths for good flowering and growth. Insect pests, and particularly spider mites, will be the biggest problem. Starting pest-free is important. Starting from seed or avoiding store-bought plants will help you win the battle. Greenhouse owners may be able to use commercial miticides, which are extremely effective but expensive. Disulfoton granules in the soil will also help, but it does not provide a knockout. Weekly washing and spraying with horticultural detergents will keep most pests in check. 5) The Old Farmers Almanac in 1904:This article was written and published in the “Old Farmers Almanac” on September 30, 1904. We hope you will enjoy it. “ Thousands of silos are being filled now. Some farmers still doubt their value, but those who have used them are believers. They know that both experience and experiment have shown it to be the best and cheapest way to keep corn, as well as that more milk may be made from corn when ensiled than stooked. Do not make the mistake of husking the ears for the cows, but run them right into the silo along with the stalks. Cows are just as good grinders as the millers are and they charge less toll. The fresh pomance from the cider mill may be put into the silo, either alone or with the corn. Cows eat it greedily, preferring it, in fact, to any other feed, and it is nearly as good a milk maker as is corn silage. If you stocked down the corn field with timothy and clover you now have a good cover crop to lessen the losses of the plant food cause by the fall rains. Keep the windfalls picked up and feed them to the pigs. It is the only – and non too ineffectual -- way now know to combat the railroad worm. September shows the fruitage of spring plans and summer toil. If it is less than you wish, seek out the reasons for the shortage and aim to profit thereby. Many farmers blame the season when really an inadequate tillage, a lack of plant food, unchecked insect or blight ravages or other preventable causes are at fault. By: Robert B Thomas 1904 Cold Climate Gardeners are passing
up an excellent resource if they don't take a look into the Minnesota
State Horticultural Society. Visit them today. We recommend them
highly. 6) Quote for Today:"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years." 7) Reader Mailbag: Drying Tobacco I'm enquiring on the best method to dry tobacco. The things I have
found through the net were a little strange. I'm looking for the best
simplified method on preserving. I am trying to make them brown --
mine are dark or lightish green. It may be the sun I would have to
guess?
Most tobacco gardeners and small tobacco farmers that we are familiar with follow these procedures in curing their tobacco. The plants reach the harvesting stage usually in mid- September. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, the plants are cut off the stems near the ground level. The plants are then hung in a drying shed - usually a building such as a garage, where the plants can dry without being exposed to the weather. The leaves are "speared" through the plant stem and hung up side down. As best possible, the "drying shed" should have good air circulation. To obtain the best possible tobacco the leaves should dry for about 2-1/2 months. When the leaves are completely dry, they are usually a light brown. Please note: some varieties will dry to a very dark brown, almost black. More than anything, the color will be based on the tobacco variety planted. Most smoking varieties will dry to a light brown, while some chewing varieties may be a dark brown. The leaves will be ready to strip from the stems when the leaves are completely dry. To strip the leaves, it is best to "mist" them so the leaves will not crumble when stripped from the stems. It is perfectly OK to use the "strippings," but you may want to grind the large stems. You can also visit http://rexseedco.com/hometobacco.htm for additional information on how to cure tobacco. We hope you will find this information helpful. 8) Signs of Overwatering & Underwatering:
When plants are too dry, the leaves will droop. It is nice they give you a clue, unfortunately, the best time to water is before the droop is spotted. But when the plant is too wet, you may see the same symptom. The first is because of not getting enough water, the other is because the roots are rotting and the plant can no longer get the food and water it needs. The same symptom, totally opposite reasons. Where does that leave you? Be observant of the soil condition when the leaves droop. Check the moisture using the best tool you have, your finger in the soil. This will be the best test on whether your houseplant has been getting too much or too little water. 9) Subscribe/UnsubscribeThis newsletter, the Green Thumb Times, is sent out only to those who have requested a FREE subscription by signing up at http://rexseedco.com or specifically asked to be added, or are a valued customer of Rex's Seedco. PRIVACY: Your email address is held in the strictest of privacy. It is never traded or sold to anyone else. To subscribe to The Green Thumb Times Click Here or send email to subscribegtt@goalsmint.com To unsubscribe Click Here or send email to unsubscribegtt@goalsmint.com Tom Krueger, Editor and Publisher Rex Gregor, Contributing Editor Please feel free to forward The Green Thumb Times to a friend. Rex’s Seedco has searched the world for quality
growers of garden seeds. Many of these farmers bring together ancient
wisdom and modern science so people everywhere may have good health
and enjoyment in life. We are dedicated to providing the best wherever
they are found.
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[ Past Issues Index ] [ Rex's Seedco Home ] [ Our Seed Catalog ] [ About Us ]
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Most of us, even those who live in villages and small towns, still
garden the way our Grandparents did fifty years ago. However, today
more and more people are living in townhouses and condominiums which
means the rules are starting to change.
Can you tell the difference on the signs of whether you are overwatering
or underwatering your houseplants? Either condition is bad for your
plants, but overwatering may even be worse.