Gardening Questions

On this week's episode, Greg and Travis answer several gardening questions that are asked by multiple customers.  The first question the guys answer on this week's episode is whether to use two or three-foot row spacing when planting corn. Travis mentions that he has made the mistake of planting on two-foot row spacing which results in poor pollination and unhealthy crops. The second question they discuss is the difference in fertilization methods between raised beds and ground gardening. Greg indicates that it depends on the type of medium you have in the raised beds, however, they do drain better and you will experience more water leaching in a raised bed. The fertilization method that Greg recommends using as Complete Organic Fertilizer to ensure you the get needed amount of fertilizer. Next on the gardening questions list is there any sweet corn varieties that grow well without irrigation. Although all sweet corn loves water, the one variety that can grow without irrigation is the Stowells Evergreen. When discussing a shift in growing seasons using a high tunnel greenhouse, the guys recommend moving crops up a couple of weeks according to your planting zone to coordinate with the growing conditions in the high tunnel. The three crops that do wonders when starting out in a high tunnel greenhouse are summer squash, lettuce, and indeterminate tomatoes. The fifth question is rather different and interesting to think about which was what did the pioneers do for fertilizer before they could just run down to the hardware store and buy it. The guys suggest the most ideal way they think the pioneer's used fertilizer is by establishing a grazing program with their livestock and a fallow ground program to let the soil rest and build up the nutrient levels by using the livestock manure. The guys also give their best advice for growing artichokes and asparagus around the homestead. However, Greg mentions that if you love asparagus you should be growing it on the homestead. Travis shows off a couple of shallots and needs some help to determine why some are splitting off and others aren't in the garden. They list off a couple of recommendations for growing winter squash such as give them plenty of room to grow and plant early to avoid disease pressures. Another common question is how to rotate different crops in a single plot garden area. Greg has experienced this issue before in the garden if you aren't able to rotate crops you can just move 10 feet over and the vegetables should be fine. Travis mentions that the best way to grow beets is by transplanting to ensure you get them uniformly spaced. If you have trouble growing all greens instead of beets that most likely means you have too much nitrogen and not enough phosphorus and potassium. When it comes to traditional gardening beds, it is recommended that watering ornamentals should be one inch per week. The last question that has been asked is whether or not we can build an attachment for the wheel hoe that would allow you to side-dress your plants. Once the guys started using the injection system the need for a side dressing attachment is kind of on the back burner right now but may come available in the future.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, the guys talk new pepper seed varieties such as Touchdown Bell Pepper, Mama Mia Giallo, Mama Mia Rosso, Cinder Jalapeno, Lola Banana Pepper, and Santa Fe Grande.

Product of the Week

Hoss Hat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-6HDwtb8UA