The Rusted Garden Journal : September 2013

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Part 2 of 6: Organically Managing Diseases & Insects in Garden Greenhouses - The Rusted Garden 2013

Part 2 of 6: Organically Managing Diseases & Insects in Vegetable Garden Greenhouses
This is the 2nd video in the 6 part greenhouse series I am doing for fall gardens. I live in Maryland Zone 7 and hope to grow mainly greens into December. I've also moved in container peppers and tomatoes. I hope the tomatoes produce and I hope I am able to over-winter the peppers.

When bringing in container vegetables into your greenhouse, you will also be bringing in diseases, insects and other pests. This video shows you how to use organic methods to address these issues. Because the greenhouse is a contained environment and because no rain will get to the vegetables to wash them, I will be attempting to go 100% organic with any treatments and fertilizers.
The video provides basic information to treat caterpillars with Bt, fungi and mildew with baking soda, soft bodied insects with soapy water spray and finally slugs and snails with iron phosphate baited pellets.
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Friday, September 27, 2013

Thank You! What Vegetable Garden Videos Would You Like to See for The 2014 Gardening Season?

Thank You! What Vegetable Garden Videos Would You Like to See for The 2014 Gardening Season?
I really want to thank everyone for allowing me to have a lot of fun sharing a hobby I am very passionate about . That of course is vegetable gardening.
This blog, The Rusted Vegetable Garden started about 5 or so years ago. I think I made my first YouTube video 3 or 4 years ago. Everything I create here stems from just enjoying gardening. Slowly my blog started getting visited and that was inspiring. Last January I had under 1000 YouTube subscribers and by next January I should be approaching 100000 visitors and I don't understand why. I really don't understand it. However, I greatly appreciate the kind comments and appreciate the time you give to watching my videos. It really helps further strengthen my passion. I thank you deeply for the interest and conversations.
In December of last year Google launched G+ Communities and I of course needed not one but six or so vegetable gardening communities. They grew in member size and it hit me that vegetable gardening is a shared world wide phenomenon made up enthusiastic, kind and generally good people. We need more gardeners in politics but don't let me get on that soapbox. I think you would agree it is really amazing we can talk about and share, our passion and our gardens, in an instant. That is very cool!
I do this out of a peace of mind and soul I get from physically gardening and talking about it. I also like creating blogs, G+ communities and YouTube videos. I get to really tie together two things I enjoy. If you share this passion I really encourage you to follow it and make a few of your own videos. I'd be glad to help too. Just leave me your questions somewhere.
I've been asked if I make money off videos. My answer is yes (YouTube makes it quite easy) but I still have to work my full time job. But... it is nice to get a few extra bucks for what else.... garden supplies! In fantasy land I'd like this to be my full time job but I don't think gardening videos are going to get as many views as 'tongue wagging' and 'twerking.' I may be older, but I stay informed to keep my kids in check.
I am making my plans for the 2014 vegetable gardening season. I was wondering if you all have any suggestions for YouTube video topics. I would love the input and gladly work on the requests.
Thanks
Gary

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Monday, September 23, 2013

Part 1 of 6: Securing and Heat Sources for Vegetable Garden Greenhouses

Part 1 of 6: Securing and Heat Sources

for Vegetable Garden Greenhouses

I am going to do a 6 part series on collapsible greenhouses you can buy in a store. This greenhouse is 6 x 8 feet and it was purchased for 75% off at Big Lots. It only cost about $30. I think it was worth the investment. My goal is to grow lots of greens as far as I can into the winter. But I do have a few tomatoes in there. Salad just isn't right with out tomatoes.

The series will cover many aspects of fall gardening with a greenhouse. I will cover, in this video, methods of securing the plastic and frame from wind and how to create radiating heat sources for extra night time warmth. Other topics will cover cool weather crops, disease prevention, temperature, over-wintering peppers and possibly (if I decide to keep the greenhouse up through late December and January) full heating elements.

I invite you to learn about using a fall greenhouse to extend your gardening season by several months. I live in Maryland Zone 7, so these techniques are geared to my typical fall and winter temperatures.

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Friday, September 20, 2013

How to Collect and Harvest Bean Seeds for Planting and As Dried Food

How to Collect and Harvest Bean Seeds

for Planting and As Dried Food

The process for collecting beans as future seeds and as food is the same. You may choose to plant different varieties based on your desire. For instance, a bean that produces more seeds may be better for dried food purposes. A bean that has more flesh but less bean might be better for your green bean picking needs. Either way... the seed saving process is the same.

Collect Bean Seeds - The Rusted Garden 2013

You need to let the bean pods and seeds fully mature and fully dry on the vines. Do not pick beans and let them dry other places. The beans probably won't be mature and there is a greater risk of mold and other issues. Let them dry and mature on the vine until the pods are brittle and the seeds have hardened.

Only pick the pods on sunny days when everything is fully dry from rains or morning dew. You don't want any moisture. The video will show you the whole process. I tend to pull the beans right out of the pods as I stand by the vines and put the beans directly into a paper bag. This is a good way to get rid of waste and scare off any insects that might be hanging around in the pods.

There is a very slim chance your dried beans might have been visited by beetles that laid eggs in a pod. The larvae could hide in a dried bean and when harvested, you unknowing bring them into your collection off beans. Eggs could hatch or tiny larvae may grow and eat and infest your dried beans. Here is a link to one type of beetle that does this Dried Bean Beetle. There is a slim chance this could happen but you can take precautions to prevent this.

Again, the video explains the process but I basically harvest my beans in 1/3 sections. Each section gets picked and stored in a separate zip-lock bag. Because many seeds come out of one pod, storing beans in this manner reduces the risk of one infected pod ruin all your beans. You can also put your beans in a freezer for several days. This works really well for beans you are storing for food. The freezing kills the insects.

Beans are really easy to collect and you can save a lot of money by letting several pods mature and fully dry on the vine.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Harvesting and Collecting Cilantro, Dill and Leek Seeds - The Basic Method

Harvesting and Collecting Cilantro, Dill and Leek Seeds:

The Basic Method

You can save a lot of money by letting a few plants fully mature and go to seed. Collecting seeds for flowering vegetables and herbs is quite easy. It is just a matter of getting the flower/seed heads into a brown bag.

The videos show you the whole process and the timing in cutting the seed heads. The process it is pretty simple. Cilantro, dill and leeks will all flower. When the flowers mature and finish, seeds are created. You want to let the flower/seed heads turn brown and fully dry. Timing is important because if you wait too long, the seeds will fall to the ground. Another great way to save money is to let your herb patches self seed.

You want to collect your seeds on a sunny day. You want everything to be dry. If it rained that week, make sure you wait 24-48 hours as to let everything dry. Wet seeds can get moldy.

Collect your seed heads in a brown bag. Paper will absorb any moisture and dry quickly. You can let your seeds sit in the bag about a week if you pick them a tad early to brown out. It is good practice to leave the seeds in the bag a couple days just to ensure they are dry if you have any concerns. Just shake them in the bag each day.

To collect the seeds for storage, just dump the heads onto a plate and pick away. Each seed has its own characteristics. Leek seeds are hard and covered in a husk. You can crush them free. Cilantro seeds are large and round and have a thin husk. You don't need to worry about the husk on cilantro. If you roll them too hard, the seeds can break. The dill seed just hangs on the old flower stems.

It is good practice to let the collected seeds sit 5-7 days on the plates. Again, it is just to ensure they dry. It also lets any critters walk away from them. The videos highlight the process for collecting cilantro, dill and leek seeds.

Good Luck in Your Gardens!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Harvesting & Growing Cilantro in 5 Gallon Containers: My 1st Vegetable Garden

Harvesting & Growing Cilantro in 5 Gallon Containers

You can grow a lot of herbs and leaf lettuces in a 5 gallon container. I over-seed my containers when I just want to harvest leaves. Because you are not growing the plants to full size you can put in a lot of seeds, get a a lot of leaves, feed them and get more leaves.

The trick to getting more leaves until either the weather changes be it cold, frost or high heat... is to cut the leaves off and leave the roots in the ground. Most leaf herbs and leaf lettuces will quickly send up more leaves for you to harvest. This will go on until the weather changes.

Cilantro is a great herb to over-seed in a container. I also put in some arugula. I like the contrasting tastes in my salsa dishes. The video shows you how to harvest the leaves and talks about the points I mention in this entry. You can find this video at my new YouTube Channel for new gardeners: My First Vegetable Garden. I hope you check it out and subscribe.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Growing Peas with Cilantro & Trellising Peas Up a Single Stake

Growing Container Peas with Cilantro

& Trellising Peas Up a Single Stake

As I have mentioned peas are a great cool weather vegetable. My container peas are doing really well this fall. One way you can plant peas in a container is with other herbs or leafy vegetables. The herbs need the lower space above the container and the peas will use the higher space.

I am growing cilantro and arugula in an over-seeded method with my container peas. Because you just want the herb leaves for you kitchen, you are not letting the cilantro and arugula grow to full size. They will do great beneath your peas.

I recommended only 2 or 3 pea plants in 5 gallon container when growing other herbs with them. You don't want a big bulky trellis in there making it hard to get your herbs and you don't want to many pea plants shading out the lower plants.

When growing 2 pea plants in a container the best way to trellis them is up a single stake. The video gives you some basic tips on how to do this and tie they to the stake.

If you are new to gardening, why not join my new YouTube channel called: My First Vegetable Garden. It is set up to teach you everything about gardening as if it was you first day.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Planting Mesclun Leaf Lettuces and Fall Lettuces: Basic Scatter Plot Method

Planting Mesclun Leaf Lettuces and Fall Lettuces:

Basic Scatter Plot Method

Lettuces and most greens are cool weather vegetables. You can plant them in the spring and fall, in many areas. Many greens can stand up to light frosts and taste a lot better with cold weather. I am in Maryland Zone 7 and now is a great time to plant another round of lettuce.

You can grow lettuce in row flower boxes, in other containers and of course in the ground. You can grow lettuce to full heads which requires more spacing and time until harvest or you can plant the seeds using a scatter plot method.

Scatter plot planting is best used for leaf lettuces not head forming lettuces. The scatter plot is used for early leaf picking for baby to mid sized leaves. When your lettuce leaf gets to size, clip off the leaves and leave the roots in the ground. You will get more leaves to harvest later. You can do this until the temperatures finally take your plants.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Planting Radishes: Preparing the Soil and Seed Spacing

Planting Radishes: Preparing the Soil and Seed Spacing

This video comes from my new YouTube Channel dedicated to brand new gardeners. I explain everything. I will be doing videos about planting, tending and harvesting on all the vegetables I grow. This is the planting video for radishes. Why not subscribe? My First Vegetable Garden.

Radishes are cool season vegetables. They like the spring and fall. Warm weather causes them to bolt and produces flowers. The radish at this point becomes woody and it is really inedible. Cool weather is the key to great radishes.

Radishes like loose soil and I amend my soil with peat moss to really loosen it up and it will retain moisture. I recommend NOT fertilizing your radishes. Extra nitrogen tends to create more leaf and less radish. Because radishes mature in about 25 days from sprouting, you don''t really need to over fertilize them. They will use what is available and any compost or organic matter you have been adding over time.

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