Tomato Blossom End-Rot: Emergency Treatment and Prevention

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Tomato Blossom End-Rot:

Emergency Treatment and Prevention

Blossom End-Rot is the browning of the bottoms of tomatoes. If you have it... you know it. It happens because your tomato plants either can't easily utilize the calcium in the soil or there is not enough calcium in the soil. In either case, adding some calcium in the from of a limestone slurry will help cure the problem and it will prevent blossom end-rot from happening. Keyword is calcium.

If you have container tomatoes and the containers dry out completely, the root systems of the tomatoes get damaged and they can have a hard time accessing the calcium in the soil. Adding more calcium helps them. The first step in preventing blossom end-rot is adding calcium to the soil when you transplant your tomatoes. Egg shell or lime are good sources of calcium. Making sure you water you plants regularly is important too.

If you get blossom end-rot the calcium slurry will help. When your tomatoes get to size in your containers it is a good idea to add calcium as prevention against blossom end-rot. The video shows you how to apply and make the limestone slurry. Good luck in your garden!




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Cucumber Plant Maintenance: Nutrients, Disease and Pests

Cucumber Plant Maintenance: 

Nutrients, Disease and Pests

Let me start with saying if it is healthy... don't fix it. Each garden has its own special needs when it comes to managing nutrients, diseases and pests. I am in Maryland Zone 7 and my garden is blessed with hot humid summers that bring in their own set of diseases and pests. I also have very clay soil that is great for macro-nutrients but poor in the big 3, better known as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) So... I am giving you guidelines and ideas but not exact recipes of maintenance. It is important to know your garden needs. Start with less and add more as needed.

Cucumbers are a favorite crop of many vegetable gardeners. They are heavy producers but that also makes them heavy feeders. They seem to be quite susceptible to powdery mildew and soft bodied insects that suck the sap out of them. Yellowing leaves can be caused be nutrient deficiencies or pest invasions. It is not always easy to tell what came first.

This video gives you some very effective ways to manage your cucumber plants with hope they live long and produce. I address adding nutrients, spraying for diseases and spraying for pests. I also include the recipes. Good luck in the garden!







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From Garden to Glass: How to Make A Dirty Cucumber Basil Martini

From Garden to Glass:

How to Make a Dirty 
Cucumber Basil Martini

Copyright 2013 Gary Pilarchik

This is a new YouTube video series I just started. It is called From Garden to Glass and it highlights fresh picked garden vegetables as the main ingredient for alcohol and non-alcohol drinks.What is the point of having a garden if you can't enjoy the fresh vegetables and their flavors!

Ingredients:

1 8 inch cucumber or equivalent (thinly sliced)
7 basil leaves (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
2-3 ounces of vodka
1 ounce of dry vermouth
1 lime slice (optional)
1/2 - 1 ounce simple syrup (optional)

The cucumber basil martini focuses on the flavor of your freshly picked cucumbers and basil. The drink will only be as good as the flavor of your cucumber. I actually find they vary based on growing conditions. With lots of rain... the cucumber sometimes has less flavor.

An eight inch cucumber is used as the base to make two martinis. A standard dirty martini has olive juice which adds salt. The cucumber slices get salted to draw out their flavor essence for the martini. The video shows you how to make it. Cheers!





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Harvesting Round and Cylindrical Beets: Two Types of Beets to Grow

Harvesting Round and Cylindrical Beets: 

Two Types of Beets to Grow

Beets are probably one of the best vegetables to have regularly in your diet. Many people are familiar with the standard red round beets like the 'Detroit Dark Red' variety. There are also cylindrical beets that carry the same flavor, color and benefits of round beets. Cylindrical beets, 'Cylindra' for example, offer an easier to slice beet that is a great size for pickling and for salads. The video quickly shows you the harvest of round beets and cylindrical beets.





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Update: Using A Fabric Tent to Stop Cabbage Looper Damage on Your Vegetables: It Works!

Update: Using a Fabric Tent to Stop 

Cabbage Looper Damage on Your Vegetables
(It Works!)

The green cabbage looper is often the answer to what is eating holes in your cabbages, kales, collards, kholrabi and other leafy green vegetables. They come from that white psychotic flying moth. It lays eggs on the leaves of your garden vegetables and that starts the cycle of devastation. I have used the product Bacillus Thuringeiensis or Bt in the past. It is effective and works as long as you don't miss dosings and as long as the rain doesn't quickly wash the product away.

This year I came across a fabric called tulle, pronounced tool, and it makes an outstanding fabric tent. It is strong, you can see through it and most of all it is effective against the white moth that lays the green cabbage looper eggs. I don't have a single hole in the upper leaves from worms as the update video will show you. I highly recommend making a fabric tent. The tulle is inexpensive and can be found at craft stores. I also included the construction video for the fabric tent and the video that shows you the moth that lays the eggs.


Update Video on Kale Growth and Cabbage Looper Protection


Construction Video for the Fabric Tent Over Your Kales & Collards


 The White Moth and Green Cabbage Looper



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