TIPS AND TRICKS FOR A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST

Reminder: keep an eye out for the Mailchimp about next month’s theme to contribute your own advice!

 

 

 

 

* I knew sunflowers were allelopathic (likely to be detrimental to neighboring plants) but always thought it was just from their roots. Now, I have a LOT of volunteer sunflowers in my garden. I love them, but usually chip them up in the fall. Here is what I learned about sunflowers: even the chipped parts can impact the growth of some plants the following season. So now I still let the flower parts feed the birds, but no more composting them into beds. – Lori Ross

* I have Garden Gold peach and Nectazee nectarine trees; both genetic dwarfs that are easily managed in an average yard space. After three 3 years, they are providing the perfect summer peaches and nectarines.

* I avoided leaf curl, a fungal disease that is common around here, by keeping the trees protected during rain. They can grow in large pots beneath a clear covered deck, or I have plastic covered birdcage arbors. – Jordan and the Two JRT’s

* I had a bumper crop of basil; just the plain, regular-leaf basil. The secret is to keep it cut, always down to the next whorl of leaves. Never let it go to flower. This guarantees a continuing harvest of fresh basil leaves.  – Liz Koester

* I grew beautiful Swiss Chard with great success all season long. The main reason for success was location: it was farther down the hill near the wet weather creek, thus receiving cooler temperatures and less sun.

* I have had more cucumbers than I know what to do with. I did some interesting interplanting with them and jalapeños this season and both of those plants have done really well side by side, even while crops in other garden beds seemed to struggle.  – Lindsey McNab

* During the heat of the summer, I cover my raised beds with shade cloth, still allowing the pollinators access to the plants.

* I used sacrificial plants to help control the insects – nasturtiums, radishes, marigolds – Barbara Low

* Oh, my gosh what a crop! I have a beauty of a backyard elderberry bush which I’ve very carefully nurtured (not really) for years. Standing about 6 feet tall, that bush gave and gave this year. But what to do? I made Elderberry Syrup. Caution: Fresh elderberries, stems and leaves contain toxins. Do not eat raw. When cooked properly though, elderberries contain a very valuable antitoxin.  – Mary Schrouder, Class of 2024

* I was a month late transplanting all of our SGF plants, but our crop has been very plentiful and pretty similar to past years. We did add bone meal to the soil this past spring. Butternut squash, Sungold tomatoes, Kentucky pole beans, peppers, marigolds, gourds and luffas have been doing the best in our garden! – Nicole, Class of 2023, and Baby Jane