It’s Zucchini Season! How You’ve Been Growing Them All Wrong.

 You probably think you already know how to grow a zucchini but if you live in North America … you might not.  Here’s the way to grow zucchini to make your plants last longer, take up less space and produce more. 

First off, this post has been shared half a million times. Why? Because it’s GREAT information on something we are all doing wrong.

Secondly … why would you want your zucchini plants to produce more, you’re asking?  Because of the obvious.  They’re fun to throw through people’s open car windows during zucchini season. 

Zucchini are one of those vegetables that already produce more than you ever expect them to and seem relatively easy to grow. And they are.  But you can do a MUCH better job of growing them if you’re aware of these 3 surprising things about zucchini plants.

Most surprising of all is the fact that Zucchini can perform complex math equations.

No they can’t.

Zucchini Growing Tips

Zucchini need to be pruned and staked.  For real. Like a tomato.

Zucchini can be planted VERY close together. 1 per square foot.

Powdery Mildew CAN be halted.  O.K., maybe not entirely halted but slowed wayyyyy down.

Pruning and Staking Zucchini

The only other plant in my garden that I prune more than my zucchini are my tomato plants.  Just like tomatoes, zucchini benefit hugely from pruning.  They’ll be susceptible to less disease, have a more open formation that allows easier access for bees to pollinate and they’ll take up less space.

Staking

It’s best to stake your zucchini when you first plant it, but you can still do it during the growing season.

Plant a stake right next to the main stem of the zucchini plant. I use coated metal stakes. You may not have noticed it before, but zucchini all come from one stem. That stem is just usually sprawled and dirty on the ground covered in decaying leaves. So you can’t get a good look at it.

But trust me. Zucchini have one stem, that can be staked just like a tomato. 

The earlier you do it the easier it is though.

Above you can see a zucchini plant that’s only been staked and tied once, earlier in the season with the rest of the growth just flopped over.  The leaves are being eaten by bugs, there’s no air circulation and the lower leaves near the soil are getting powdery mildew.

Pruning

You can remove ALL OF THE LEAVES FROM THE STEM THAT ARE BELOW THE LOWEST ZUCCHINI.  If you don’t already, you have to start trimming your zucchini plants.

Zucchini leaf stems are hollow UNTIL they get to the stem of the plant. There they turn solid again.  Prune your zucchini leaves right up to the stem of the plant so you don’t have any of the hollow stem left.

Hollow stem portions car harbour disease and bugs so make sure you get right close to the plant stem when removing the leaves.

See the difference from the left photograph and the right one? 

WHY PRUNE?

The developing zucchini gain all their energy from ONLY the leaves growing above them. The leaves below, are just taking energy away from the rest of the plant.

Pruning away diseased and damaged leaves helps prevent and slow powdery mildew by creating greater air circulation.

Pruning away the larger, lower leaves that aren’t contributing to the plant means you can plant more zucchini in a smaller space.

Spacing Zucchini

Most guides tell you to place zucchini plants at least 24″ apart. You don’t need that much room between them.

Plant zucchini 1′ apart in 1.5″ rows.

If you’re staking them and pruning them this is all the room they need.

Here you can see pre-pruning and staking …

And below you can see post pruning and staking.

source: https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com

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The 7 Secrets To Growing Cucumbers – How To Grow An Incredible Crop!

 When it comes to growing cucumbers, following a few key tips can make all the difference between struggling plants, or a massive harvest.

And if you love cucumbers, a big harvest means plenty of cukes for salads, fresh eating,

pickling and more! Here is a look at 7 key tips to help you grow your best crop ever:

The 7 Secrets To Growing Cucumbers

#1 Plant For Early Morning Sun

Cucumbers need a lot of sunlight to produce a bumper crop. Cucumbers rely heavily

on photosynthesis to build strong, sturdy and productive vines. A process that is

centered around the sun entirely.

Locate your crop in an area that receives a minimum of 8 hours of sunlight each day.

And if at all possible, make sure your plants receive early morning sunlight.

Early morning sunlight helps to dry off vines and foliage from early morning dew.

Dew that if left to linger, can create the perfect conditions for mildew and blight.

#2 Great Soil = Great Cucumbers

Whether planted in the ground or in containers, cucumbers need rich, fertile soil

to grow strong and thrive. In addition, that soil needs to be light and airy to allow

for good drainage.

When planting, add in 6 to 8 cups (a few shovels) of compost to each planting hole.

Compost adds vital nutrients that can easily be absorbed by the cucumber plants.

But even more, it also loosens the soil to create excellent drainage.

From pitchforks to shovels and more, there are a wide range of gardening tools that

can work well to work the compost in.

Want to build even more power? Add in a quarter cup of worm castings to the compost.

The worm castings / compost combo can make a huge difference in the health and

productivity of plants.

#3 Plant In Mounds

When planting directly in the soil, plant your crop in slightly tapered hills. In containers,

make sure the primary stem is planted above the surrounding soil as well.

Cucumber plants are highly susceptible to rot. But a bit of “raised planting”

helps keep the main plant stem out of sitting water during heavy rains or watering.

Create tapered mounds approximately 18″ in diameter, that are 3″ to 4″ high in the middle.

And remember – add in that compost!

#4 Transplants Vs. Direct Seeding

Although cucumbers can be grown easily by direct seeding, we prefer starting our

seeds early and transplanting. The added growth and strength of a transplant gives

the plant a better chance to avoid and fight dreaded cucumber beetle attacks.

When planting, plant two transplants per cucumber mound. If seeding, plant 3 seeds

and thin to the 2 strongest after a few weeks. By growing multiple vines per mound,

they intertwine for added strength.

#5  Be Careful What You Plant Nearby

What you plant around your cucumbers will play an important role in their productivity.

One thing to avoid for sure is growing cucumbers near potatoes.  

Potatoes release a substance in the soil that greatly hinders the growth of cucumbers.

And planting them nearby can have devastating effects on your cucumber crop.

But there are some crops that are highly beneficial, like radishes. When grown nearby

or with cucumbers, radishes help to repel harmful insects like cucumber beetles and

aphids that attack tender cucumber plants.

When planting cucumbers, simply seed 5 to 10 radish seeds on the edges of your

mounds. The seeds germinate fast, and will help stave away the beetles. 

#6 Crop Rotation

Cucumbers, much like tomatoes and peppers, can easily develop soil borne

disease when planted in the same space year after year.

Rotate your crop to a new location in the garden each season. This allows the soil

to recover, minimizes disease, and reduces the possibility for long-term infestation.

For best results, wait at least three years before rotating back to plant cucumbers

in the same location.

#7 Harvest Regularly

Once cucumber plants begin to grow and produce,  they need to be picked on

a regular basis to continue to produce.

When overloaded with a harvest, plants will instead put their energy towards making

existing fruit larger, and not into producing new blooms.  

In addition, cucumbers left on the vine too long will become woody, full of seeds,

and bitter. Check plants daily, cukes can go from 2″ inches to 12″ in just a day or two!

A bit of slow and steady fertilizing can help to keep plants producing as well. Apply

a light dose of compost tea or organic fertilizer ever 2 weeks until plants begin to

form their first cucumbers. Once they begin to fruit, fertilizing can cease. 

There you have it, seven huge secrets for growing cucumbers successfully.

Now get out there and grow your best crop ever!

source: https://oldworldgardenfarms.com

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8 Reasons why plants love cinnamon (These really work!)

 Did you know that plain old kitchen Cinamon is an amazing fungicide? Not only that, but cinnamon can be used in the garden so many different ways. I've discovered 8 different ways to use cinnamon for plants. From fungus killer to rooting hormone, cinnamon has got ya covered!

There are 2 things that I'm sure you know about me by now.

1) I'm frugal
2) I prefer to do things as natural as possible.

Pretty simple right? I try to do things the way my great-grandma did. She lived on a farm in the 1920's, and raised 6 kids on 1 income! Everything did double duty and it was done the cheapest way possible. I'm just like her! 

So I'm often looking for simple solutions instead of the expensive commercial crap the media tries to convince us we need now.

That type of search is exactly what led me to cinnamon as a remedy for what ails my plants. I mostly use cinnamon for seedlings since cinnamon prevents dampening off disease, but it can be used several other ways. 

Here are my most common uses for cinnamon in the home & garden.

How to use cinnamon in your garden

1) Cinnamon saves seedlings.
The term dampening off covers a range of diseases that attack a seed/seedling either before or after germination and cause the seedling to die. They can be caused by several different fungus and soil conditions. 

A few years back I read that if you dust the soil of seedlings with cinnamon, it will prevent dampening off. I've been doing it since with great results! This makes a lot of sense too, since cinnamon has antifungal properties. 

This also gets rid of those little fungus gnats that somehow appear around seedling trays. Cinnamon kills the fungus they feed off of. 

2) Prevent wild mushrooms.
Nothing worse then having to waste a beautiful day pulling mushrooms from the mulch in my flower beds. Mushrooms are fungus and luckily cinnamon has antifungal properties. 

By dusting cinnamon all over the garden mulch, it helps to control mushroom growth. Don't worry, it won't hurt your plants.

3) Cinnamon as rooting hormone.
Cinnamon is much cheaper than the chemical rooting hormone they sell in the big box store and just as effective! Just allow the cutting to dry slightly then apply cinnamon powder to the stem before you plant the cutting.

4) Cinnamon as ant deterrent.
Ants do not like cinnamon! Sprinkle cinnamon in your greenhouse or around your garden beds to deter garden pests. It will not kill the ants, but they will stay away from it. 

Sprinkle a line of it in front of your doors if ants are coming into your house. They really hate to cross a line of cinnamon!

5) Cinnamon heals plant wounds.

Overzealous pruning or a slip of the weed whacker and you'll have a plant with a wound that needs fixed up. Simply dust cinnamon on the wound to encourage healing and prevent fungal infection at the same time. 

6) Deters furry pests.

Dust cinnamon along the outside of the garden to deter rabbits, squirrels and even moles. Small critters are close enough to the ground that as they walk through the cinnamon they will get it on their face and breathe it in. 

Cinnamon will irritate the mucous membranes of their nose and mouth without causing permanent harm, but will deter them from visiting again.

7) Flying bug deterrent.

Cinnamon oil is known to be a deterrent for flying bugs like mosquitoes. When dusted around the garden, cinnamon powder can have the same effect. Also see #8 for more flying bug info... 

8) Cinnamon for house plants.

Cinnamon gets rid of molds and mildew in house plants too. Simply sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on the soil. Fungus shows up as discolored spots on the soil.

It will also get rid of gnats if you happen to have them buzzing around your house plants. These are the same gnats seedlings get. The cinnamon destroys the fungus they feed on and the gnats will die.

source: https://www.feathersinthewoods.com

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