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Month: June 2020

Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants

Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants

As plants enter their peak vegetative growth phase in June their nutrient requirements increase so they can get bigger and prepare for fruiting (tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, etc.) or storage (carrots, beets, onions, etc.).  We’ve had some badly needed rains and things should start to look good out there.  Also, this can be when plants in deficient soils run short of essential nutrients and show signs of poor health.  In order to promote strong growth and avoid nutrient shortages now…

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Best Mulching Practices

Best Mulching Practices

We’ve had a very dry and unusual spring in Vermont, again.  While there is little we can do about the weather, there are some things you can do in the garden to be sure your plants are healthy and thriving despite what nature brings.  Mulching is a very good practice to conserve water, suppress weeds, improve the soil, and encourage natural pest control. Let’s take a closer look at the kinds of mulch materials to use, when to apply them,…

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Asparagus Alert

Asparagus Alert

If you’re growing asparagus you probably have been harvesting for a couple weeks now. You are not alone in enjoying those delicious, nutritious sprouts – the Asparagus Beetle is now active and it’s time to deal with them! One of the first signs that you have Asparagus Beetles are curved tops on asparagus sprouts known as “shepherds’ hooks”. You might also see the adult beetles on your asparagus, usually up near the tops. They are eating your asparagus and laying…

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Companion Planting & Succession

Companion Planting & Succession

Garden planting and transplanting is now in full swing.  If we can avoid any more cold spells pretty much everything we want to grow can be planted from now on.  But one question remains, who makes good garden companions, who do not?   Plants affect their neighbors and the soil so we should try to place compatible or non-competitive plants near each other when possible.  A similar principle applies when deciding which plant follows recently removed ones (succession).  We don’t want…

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