Winning Winter Squash

Yesterday we harvested our trial field for new winter squash varieties two hybrid stars really shone!  The first is a new, round, pie pumpkin called 'Trickster'.  It's very similar to the 'Prankster' variety, but we saw much more uniform orange color with the 'Trickster' as well as greater stem quality and a touch better disease resistance.  The second, and a bit unexpected, winner was the 'Quantum' butternut squash.  Wow, what a producer!  High yield, amazing uniformity of color, size and shape with really nice, thick necks and, to be in a field with a fairly significant amount of both downy and powdery mildews present, it was virtually disease free.  If you're considering new varieties of winter squash for your garden next year, it would be hard to go wrong with these!

'Trickster'

'Quantum'

Save Seeds, Money, & Biodiversity!

With all of the variety that September garden harvests can offer, it's the perfect time to start saving seed for next year's garden, but you'll want to make sure to do it the right way in order to protect next season's bounty.  Seed saving can be a wonderful way to save costs in your garden as well as to preserve many of the lovely and tasty heirloom varieties, but there are several potential pitfalls you'll want to be careful to avoid.

First, keep in mind that every plant's seeds are not worth saving.  Hybrid plants, those created by cross breeding separate parent plants for specific features, often produce sterile seed or seed with such a high degree of genetic variability that the resulting progeny may not resemble your original plant at all, such as seen with the strawberry plant (Fragaria x ananassa).  Because of these genetic possibilities seed from hybridized plants are not recommended for saving.

Second, many garden plants are open pollinated.  That means that their flowers do not self pollinate but instead are pollinated via insects or wind, or a combination thereof, by nearby plants of the same family.  Open pollinated plants include many cucurbits (squash, cucumbers, melons), brassicas (cabbage, chard, broccoli, mustard greens, spinach cauliflower, kale, radish) and a variety of other plants such as beets, onions and basil.  These open pollinated plants will naturally cross with others plants of the same family growing in their vicinity, so in order for them to reproduce identical plants from seed they must be isolated from all other plants in their family that may pollinate them.  It is very difficult, if not impossible, for home gardeners to isolate plant varieties and avoid unwanted cross-pollination as these plants must be secluded by large distances to maintain the original variety.  Having plants with more variety from year to year may not sound like that big of a deal, but be aware that this cross-pollination will likely result in the gradual deterioration or "running out" of the seed to be harvested.

A third concern is that of seed transmitted diseases.  If a disease infects a plant at the end of the season it may not cause much visible damage at the time.  But, if seed is saved from the diseased plant, it may result in severe injury to or even death of young plants in the next season.

If after heeding these warnings you are still interested in trying your hand at seed saving, here are a few pointers on how to do so successfully.  To begin, always harvest from the best plants of each type.  Select disease-free individuals with the qualities of traits, such as flavor, color, size, shape, harvest time or flower you find desirable.  Remember that in order for seed to be viable, it must be mature.  This will likely mean that the fruit you take the seed from will be beyond the stage where it is desirable to eat.  So, you will have to decide which fruits to harvest to eat and which to let fully ripen to harvest for seed.  Seed set tends to discourage further fruit production as well as reduce the overall vigor of a plant, so you'll want to wait until the end of the season for each particular plant type to harvest seed.

Typically seeds are ripe when they have turned from white to somewhere between cream colored and dark brown, depending on the plant.  Flower seeds are mature when the flowers have faded and dried.  This will apply to many vegetable plants that you may not think of as flowers, such as lettuce, carrots, onions and most herbs.  Plants with pods, such as beans and peas, have mature seed when the pods have turned brown and dried.  Most seeds of fruiting plants, such as tomatoes and peppers, will be ready once they are past the peak of ripeness.  The catch to this is that if you wait for all of the seeds of a plant to ripen you may lose most if the seeds to birds or animals, so you'll want to try to harvest when most of the seeds are ripe.

Once seeds are harvested, they must be properly prepared in order to be viable.  Most seeds of pods and flowers should be prepared by the dry method.  This means that the seeds should be allowed to mature and dry on the plant as long as possible.  After harvest, complete the drying process by spreading them in a single layer on a screen in a well-ventilated area with low humidity.  You will know they are ready when the chaff (the dry, scaly protective casings of the seed) can be easily removed by blowing or gently rolling the seed in your hand.  For very small and lightweight seed, such as lettuce or carrot, you may want to put the seed in a paper bag to dry as the paper will help wick moisture away from the seed while also containing the seeds.

Seeds harvested from fleshy fruits should be prepared by the wet method.  This is done by scooping out the seed masses and soaking them in a little bit of warm water in some sort of container for three to four days, stirring daily.  This will allow the seed coatings to ferment, a process which kills some diseases and separates the good seeds, which will sink to the bottom, from the bad ones and the remaining fruit pulp, which will float at the top.  You can then pour off the pulp, water, bad seeds and any other undesirable material that may have floated up.  Remove the good seeds and spread them on a screen or paper towel and allow to dry completely, otherwise they may mold in storage.

Now your seeds are ready to be stored.  You can put them in envelopes, jars or plastic freezer safe containers, making sure to label containers with the seed type, variety and date harvested.  Toss them in the freezer for a day or two to kill off any pests that may have hitched a ride.  Finally, store the containers in a cool, dry location.  Keep in mind that seed viability will decrease with time.  Most seed should be used within three years of harvest but others, such as corn, onion and parsley, must be used within one year.

I wouldn't recommend planning your entire garden around saved seeds, as many things can go wrong, but it can be a great way to supplement catalog or store bought seeds and save yourself a few bucks in the process.  Start small and see how it works for you.  And remember, seed saving isn't only good for preserving unusual and heirloom varieties of vegetables, but also for many flowers and native plants as well!

 

What to do on a rainy day?

Do you think since it's raining out that you can't work on your garden?  Think again!  If you're not averse to getting a little damp and having muddy knees, a little summer rain makes the perfect conditions for weeding and transplanting.  Rain loosens up the soil around plant roots, helping those pesky weeds to slide right out when you give them a tug at the soil line and moist soil combined with cloudy or overcast skies help to reduce the shock plants receive when they are moved to a new home.  Just be careful not to trample beds too much or you may compact the soil, making it difficult for plant roots to penetrate as they grow.  Of course, if there is thunder or lightning, be sure to seek safety immediately!  Even if it's storming, you can always peruse catalogs and garden books to plan for changes or additions to your garden or research any recent pest or disease issues you've been experiencing.  Give the Master Gardeners at your local county extension office a call if you get stuck.  Now what are you waiting for?  Get to work!

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Fern Propagation Workshop 8/7

I will be hosting a Fern Propagation Workshop next Tuesday, August 7, 2012 from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm in the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington County at 2 Academy Dr., Westampton, NJ 08060. Master Gardener Educator Joanne Szeliga will teach about the unique and interesting botany of ferns then she'll lead the class in propagating some Japanese painted ferns (Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum' ) of their very own from spores. All necessary supplies will be provided. A $5 fee will cover materials. Pre-registration is required as space and materials are limited. Please contact me to register at (609)265-5050 or bmcminn@co.burlington.nj.us.

Painted fern. PHOTO CREDIT: PERENNIAL PLANT ASSOCIATION

Speaking of stink bugs...

Often it can be difficult to differentiate between beneficial insects and pests in the garden. One common case of mistaken identities is between stink bug pests and their beneficial relatives. While the spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris, is related to stink bugs, contrary to popular belief they are actually different critters entirely.  P. maculiventris looks very similar to Euschistus servus, the brown stink bug, but has more acute spines on the edge of the pronotum (think shoulders). There are at least 10 different species of stink bugs that may be found feeding on a variety of plants in a NJ garden but E. servus and Acrosternum hilare, the green stink bug, are the most common. In recent years the invasive species Halyomorpha halys, also known as the brown marmorated stink bug, has become a major agricultural pest and household nuisance and is making its way into many NJ gardens. To add to the confusion, there are some species of stink bugs (such as Perillus bioculatus, the two-spotted stink bug) that are predators of other pest insects. Still confounded by the subject? Take a look at the Rutgers Fact Sheets below for further clarification.

Rutgers Fact Sheet on Beneficial Insects of the Home Garden

Rutgers Fact Sheet on Stink Bugs

Rutgers Fact Sheet on the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Green stink bug

Brown stink bug

Brown marmorated stink bug

Spined soldier bug feeding on beetle larva

Two-spotted stink bug feeding on Colorado potato beetle larva

What's Eating You? 7.20.12

Adult Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica Newman) seem to be hitting their peak right now.  Adults of these beetles feed on the foliage and flowers of over 300 species of plants.  I could write a lengthy article all about these beetles and how to manage them, but I'd be hard pressed to top Ohio State's Fact Sheet on the subject.  Check out their link below for all you ever wanted to know about Japanese Beetles in the home garden.

Popillia japonica Newman

Ohio State Japanese Beetle Fact Sheet

Burlington County Farm Fair 7/18-7/21

The annual Burlington County Farm Fair kicks off this week at the Burlington County Fair Grounds at the intersection of Hwy 206 and Jacksonville-Jacobstown Rd. in Columbus starting Wednesday, July 18 at 2 p.m.  Be sure to stop by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension booth on the pond to ask discuss your garden questions with our Master Gardener volunteers and to pick up one of our Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) temporary tattoos!  See the links below for more information on the Burlington County Farm Fair, the Rutgers Master Gardeners or the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.

Burlington County Farm Fair

Rutgers Master Gardener Program

Rutgers Fact Sheet on the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

BMSB temporary tattoo

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What's Eating You? 7.12.12

Are you noticing that something has been taking a bite out of some of your plants?  Colorado Potato Beetles (CPB) are very active right now.  You may see them in all live stages, eggs, larvae and adults.  CPB's feed on leaves, flowers, terminal growth, stems, and even the fruits of a large variety of vegetable plants.  Their preferred hosts are tomato, potato and eggplant but they will also feed on many other plants and weeds including ground-cherry, jimsonweed, horse nettle, petunia, henbane, thorn apple, thistle, and mullein.  Chances are, if you're a home gardener,  you have few enough plants (and beetles) that you can manage these heavy foliar feeders with a gardeners best tool, your hands.  Inspect your plants (including the undersides of leaves) once weekly and pick off and crush all eggs, larvae and adults you happen to see, or drop them in a bucket of soapy water.  This will greatly reduce their populations as each generation will reach maturity within only 10 days.  Keeping your garden and surrounding area free of weeds will help to reduce populations.  It is also helpful to rotate solenaceous (the family to which tomato, potato and eggplant belong) plants as far as possible from the previous year’s planting to reduce beetle infestations.  Cheesecloth or non-woven nylon crop covers may help protect the foliage of young tomato and eggplant transplants from beetle damage.  For the larger scale growers or extreme infestations, a biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis var. tenebrionis (BT) (commercially available as Novodor), may be used. BT is a biological pesticide which uses a bacterium to kill small potato beetle larvae.  It is harmless to most other insects and mammals.  As a last resort beetles may be treated with chemical pesticides labeled for control of CPB.  If a pesticide is used, target newly hatched eggs and small larvae making sure to thoroughly cover leaves and stems for best results. With any pesticide always read and follow all label directions before application and observe the required number of days wait before harvest for each particular crop. 

CPB eggs

CPB larvae (1st and 2nd instars)

CPB Adult

Wondering what those purple flowers are?

If you look around Burlington County right now, in highway medians, roadside ditches, maybe even in your own yard, you'll notice an abundance of blue to purple flowers on tall, slender, almost woody stalks.  These are chicory (Cichorium intybus) flowers.  Also known as blue sailors, coffeeweed, or succory, chicory, though considered by most to be a wildflower, has been named a noxious weed by the NJ legislature since its introduction to North America from its native home in Europe.  A perennial by virtue of a taproot, certain varieties of chicory are valued by many for an array of uses of its leaves and roots.  Wild chicory may be used for its bitter leaves in certain dishes but there are also several varieties that have been cultivated specifically for their leaves, such as Belgian endive (not to be confused with true endive, Cichorium endivia), radicchio, and sugarloaf.  Perhaps the best known use, especially of Cichorium intybus var. sativum, is of the root as a coffee additive or, particularly in times of economic hardship, as a coffee substitute.  The root is baked and then ground before use.  Other uses for chicory are of the roots as an additive to beer and as a medicinal treatment for intestinal parasites, or the entire plant may be used as forage for farm animals.

USDA PLANTS Profile for Cichorium intybus

Rutgers N.J. Weed Gallery - Cichorium intybus