Archive for DISEASE CONTROL

Master Gardener Intern Class-Vegetables

I’ve been totally busy teaching classes lately and the last class I taught was the Santa Fe Master Gardener Intern Class on Vegetables. All I can say to the interns is hang in there. Yes there are some difficult classes to get through but there are some great instructional classes as well that are like a breath of fresh air. It wasn’t till I became a Master Gardener that I really blossomed as a gardener. And now I am a rabid gardener! The knowledge you will continue to gain afterwards, the contacts, camaraderie and friendships you will develop will help you grow as well as the plants you will be growing! Hopefully you enjoyed and learned a lot from the Vegetable class. (Yes it was my favorite class when I was an intern!) So for those of you who couldn’t come to class or aren’t in the program but are interested, here are the information sheets. I want to make them available to all.

VEGETABLE GARDENING IN SANTA FE  gives an overview of vegetable gardening in Santa Fe.

INFORMATION SHEET covers what the differences are  between an Heirloom, Hybrid and GMO plant and explains what mycorrhizae fungi is and how it helps plants grow.

HERBS is a list of perennial and annual herbs we can grow here in Santa Fe.

PLANTING TOMATOES and PLANTING SQUASH both address how to transplant them into the garden and some of the things I add to help grow these beautiful vegetables and also how to help thwart the dreaded squash vine borer and squash bugs.

SEED STARTING DATE CALCULATOR from Johnny’s Seeds is the same one from the previous post but if you didn’t read it, then here it is. A great tool for when to start seeds or transplant them into the garden.

And now if you will excuse me, I will continue starting my seeds inside! Perfect day-cold, windy and snowy!

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Using Organic Fungicides-the Key to Success? Stay Ahead of Disease

 I think the key to preventing many diseases in the vegetable garden is using organic fungicides early-before the onset of visible problems. I am using ‘Companion’ (order online) as a drench around the roots and ‘Serenade’  (get at Agua Fria Nursery only) as a foliar spray on the leaves. I had today off so I used them again. I’ve been using them about every 2 weeks.  I’m looking for less tomato loss this year and hope by keeping up on my fungicide schedule, it will help. I use this combo also on the giant pumpkins and squash and they are looking good so far also. I will cut off any suspicious leaves or branches as well as use fungicides  (see mottled leaf on bottom of picture) Of course we haven’t had any rain yet to speak of to really test them (fungal diseases love moist enviroments) so we will see…

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