Where did all the interns go?

It’s that time of year again. Time to say goodbye to the interns as they head back to school. We had a good season, the garden was more productive and less weedy than last year, thanks to all the hours spent mulching by the interns! Although the interns have gone, the vegetables, market and heat continue, making this time of year my least favorite. But rather than whine about the fall planting that needs to be done, the residue that needs to be composted, the trellising that needs to be taken down and the cover crops that need to be sown all at the end of a busy season, I would rather take this time to pay homage to the interns of 2011.

Let’s do alphabetical order, starting with Kathryn Allen.

Kathryn is a soil science major, and that’s always cool. Additionally, Kathryn is a natural at field work. She’s quick and efficient, and I never heard her once complain about the heat and the stresses of manual labor. She never even complained about fish emulsion duties! Kathryn always cared about where our excess produce ended up, and took it upon herself to make special trips to KARM to deliver unsold produce to make sure there was no veggie left uneaten. She was also quite good at making delicious basil syrup drinks for our farm potlucks. And her lavender shortbread was amazing. Hats off to you, Kathryn!

 

Now onto Kirsten Eisele.

Kirsten is an enthusiastic gardener in every sense. On her breaks she could be found with her nose buried in a gardening book and was full of tips and tricks to improve our production. Kirsten was also devoted to volunteering and had a very busy summer! She volunteered at Beardsley Community Gardens and for Food in the Fort, and at the Wisner’s Farm in Dandridge, TN. She left the farm in late July to move back to Alabama to start her own operation. Best of luck to you, Kirsten!

 

A huge thanks to Tiffany Morrison.

Tiffany is best known as the “safety lady” in the Institute of Agriculture, but we learned more about her through her volunteering at the farm and participation in the internship program. Tiffany is interested in learning more about sustainable agriculture, community gardening and the local food movement, so sacrificed her precious time to help us out with harvesting, planting, weeding or whatever needed done. She was most valued for throwing herself into any task and completing it well. My best time with Tiffany was planting potatoes, when she was patient with me as I corrected my (multiple) crooked rows! Tiffany also took great photos of the farm and helped set up a community garden at her child’s daycare. Thanks Tiffany and good luck in Austin!

 

Here’s a bit about Liz Newnam.

Liz studies in the Food Science program here at UT, and was great at knowing when to pick produce at it’s peak! Liz was also our marketer extraordinaire. A contributing cartoonist for the Daily Beacon, Liz was adept at coming up with the perfect pun for our market sandwich board. Since she’s left, we don’t even try anymore! A people person and a natural saleswoman, Liz really shone at our markets. She was also excellent at keeping our farm log book up to date. Come visit us again, Liz!

 

Last but not least, Ann Ramsey.

I’m not really saying goodbye to Ann, as she has decided to stay with us for awhile (yay!) Ann is an anthropology graduate student, and came into our program with a well-needed perspective on the importance of the social aspects of organic farming and sustainability. When I think of Ann over the summer, I think of her harvesting. Ann was queen of the packing house. She was quick and skilled at sorting, bunching, washing, packing and recording our market inventory. Not to say Ann didn’t put her time into the field. She’s planted, weeded and mulched her fair share, for sure. Ann is also quite good at the market, chatting it up with all the customers, and even remembering them when they return! (Something I’m not as good at, myself!) Glad you’re staying with us, Ann!

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our other support this summer, from Andrea Menendez and Alex Mindermann. Andrea was our “water quality gal” who would also help us at the market and in the gardens in a pinch. Andrea was always trustworthy and reliable, and a pleasure to work with. We hope she comes back next summer! Alex spent his third summer with us at the organic farm and was indispensable for helping me with my biopesticide research. Alex is a detail-oriented, thoughtful worker who is an asset in the field. Good luck on tour, Alex, and congratulations on your graduation!

I’ll close this homage on Daniel Priddy, who was my right-hand man and intern coordinator this year. Daniel basically planted the spring garden on his own (with some assistance from me) and was instrumental in the success of the program this year. Daniel is one of those rare breeds of generalist student workers, in that he excels at most everything we ask of him, and always does it with positive attitude. He’s pretty much an all-around awesome guy, and we are glad he’s staying with us again!

Interns, thanks for the great 2011 season! We miss you already!

 

 

Kirsten, Daniel and Liz

Ann, Kathryn and Tiffany

 

 

Squash Ailments

Healthy squash plants are prolific producers, as any true gardener knows.  In the height of their season, it is almost impossible to give these vegetables away!!  To ensure your plants stay healthy, here are a few tips on some everyday ailments that afflict these plants.

The squash vine borer (Melittia cucurbitae), is a nasty little pest that burrows into the stem of the plant.  Though the plant sometimes survives, it is usually weakened, and it may be best to remove it from the garden and replace it with a healthier one.

Damage from the squash vine borer looks like this:

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease commonly seen on squash crops throughout the southeast.  It looks like this:

I have had some success with a homemade mixture of baking soda, water, and dish detergent.  I sprayed this on my plants once every three days until the white spores were no longer visible.  This mixture can be used once a week as a preventative measure against this plant disease.  The concentration I used was : 4 tsp. baking soda per 1 gal water with a squirt of dish washing liquid to help it stick to the leaves.  Shake well before use and spray onto the upper and lower surfaces of the plant’s leaves.

DID YOU KNOW?  Squash plants have both male and female flowers.  The male flowers are held up on long thin stalks, whereas the female flowers are closer to the plant and produce a small fruit at the base of the flower.  If the female flower is not fertilized, that infant fruit will die and fall off.  Many people mistake that as symptomatic of a disease or nutrient deficiency, but it is really a problem with fertilization.  If you don’t have many plants blooming at the same time, it is easy for pollinators to miss some of the female flowers.  I have used a Q-tip to manually transfer the bright yellow pollen from male to female flowers.  Gently swab the interior of the male flower and then dab the pollen onto the central part of the female flower.  It works!!

Tractor Time in Tennessee

To till or not to till, that is often the question.  True, there are a great many advantages to no-till or minimal tillage agricultural systems, and in our garden we do our best to manage the land for good tilth and soil health.  At the same time, tilling can easily and quickly accomplish objectives such as weed management or incorporating organic matter.

As part of our training as farm market interns, we all learned how to drive the tractor.  Ours is a nice compact Kubota that is easy for a beginner to use.  It is small and easy to maneuver through the garden, making it handy to use in different areas as we take out spring crops, avoid summer crops that are still producing, and prepare areas for fall planting.

Here we are learning to use the front-end loader and the roto-tiller.

Heirloom Tomatoes

We’re growing tons of different heirloom tomatoes at the farm: Cosmonaut Volkov, Cherokee Purple, Doll Parton, Sweeties, Amish Paste, Ananas Noire, Schimmeig Striped Hollow, Royal Hillbilly, Orange Oxheart, Pineapple, Principe Borghese… And they all seem to be coming in right now–we’re harvesting almost every day.

Good thing Kirsten found a delicious way to use ‘em up: Heirloom Tomato Pie.

The recipe calls for Manchego cheese, made from sheep milk, which you can get from Locust Grove Farm at Friday’s Laurel Creek market or Saturday’s Market Square market.

Friday Potluck Picnic

Last Friday, we celebrated one of our farm interns with a goodbye potluck picnic. The food was homegrown and homecooked. Good luck, Kirsten. May all your farmer dreams come true.

Venison from Middle TN. Thanks,Bill!

Food prepared with goodies from the farm.

Sweet Tea, Cheerwine, and Coca-Cola. You can’t get anymore Southern than that.

Harvesting Coriander

Still too green...

Did your cilantro bolt a few weeks ago?  Don’t tear it out!  Wait just a few more weeks and you’ll have coriander!

Let the flowers go to seed and let the seed pods and stems turn light brown, like in the image below.  One website says it takes 2-3 weeks after the cilantro has bolted for the browning to occur, but ours bolted 4 weeks ago and the pods are nowhere near brown, so we’re waiting a few more weeks…

Once the pods are brown, gently cut the whole plant off at the base and place it upside down in a large brown paper bag.  Fold the bag over a few times to close and hang it in a dry place for a

Alright, time to harvest

few weeks.  Pods will split open on their own, but it may help to shake the bag or rub them between your palms.

Once the seeds have dried fully, save them to plant next season’s cilantro or start cooking!

You can also eat cilantro root, which “Veggie Harvest” says tastes like cilantro leaves but has a “nuttier” flavor.  You want to harvest the roots while the plant is young, not when it’s already bolted, so this maybe an experiment for next year (Recipes)…

Basil!

We’re growing four varieties of basil at the UT market garden this summer: thai, opal, lemon, and sweet genovese.

Genovese is your typical basil that you’d find at a store.  Thai, opal, and lemon would be delicious in any of the dishes you’d usually make with Genovese– pesto, caprese salad, tomato-mozzarella paninis– but there may be some better ways to bring out their different flavors.  The following recipes are rated four-star and highly recommended by reviewers.

Pork Egg Roll with Broccoli Slaw

Food Network is the recipe jackpot for thai basil–Pork Egg Roll with Broccoli Slaw, Asian Chicken Salad, Grilled Spicy Fillet Mignon Salad with Ginger-Lime Dressing, Grilled Pork Burgers Indochine, or Asian Pesto with Grilled Shrimp.

Chess Pie with Opal Basil Syrup

Opal basil has a spicy cinnamon-y, vanilla-y flavor so every recipe I found pairs it with sweet stuff: Honeydew with Mint, Basil, and Lime or Opal Basil Syrup with Chess Pie from the Blackberry Farm Cookbook (I just made this syrup today- it’s delicious on its own but I can’t wait to mix it with plain yoghurt or with lemonade).

Lemon Snow Pudding

Lemon basil would be delicious with recipes calling for citrus: Lemon and Fresh Herb Tabbouleh or Lemon Snow Pudding with Basil Custard Sauce.

Or, combine all the types of basil we’re growing in Three Basil Pesto!

A peck of purple peppers.

You may have noticed at market that we have some craaaazy looking peppers for sale. These peppers are a kind called Islander. When fully ripe, they turn red, but we’re currently harvesting them when they are a beautiful color of purple.  They’re so beautiful it is almost a shame to eat them instead of using them as a table centerpiece.

If you’d like to ripen your peppers, put them in a paper bag, leave them on the counter, and they will turn red in about a week. Want it to happen faster? Put a ripe tomato in the bag. The ethylene gas it gives off will hurry up the ripening process.

If you prefer to leave them beautifully purple, just use them the same as you’d use a green pepper. When cooked, they lose their color but are just as tasty.

Here’s a delicious recipe that you can make with our peppers and our tomatoes, that just started coming in this week!

Green pepper and tomato salad

Stuffed Green Peppers

Colorado Potato Beetle

Though once found only in the western part of our country, the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), is well established and here to stay.  In the South it is potatoes’ worst enemy; uncontrolled, these beetles can completely destroy a potato crop by stripping the plants of their leaves.
Adult potato beetles burrow into the soil where they over-winter until late spring.  Then they emerge, migrate to your potato crops, and begin mating.  Eggs usually occur in clumps of 25 or so.  For this reason, emerging larvae also appear grouped on plants where they have recently hatched.  They crawl up on top of the leaves when it is warm and feed on the plants’ leaves.

A voracious herbivore, this beetle not only targets potatoes but also feeds on tomatoes, eggplant, cabbages, and even tobacco! For these crops, the use of floating row covers (a breathable, lightweight fabric) may help reduce pest pressure on the potato plants.  It also feeds on jimson weed, henbane, thistle, and mullein, so these weeds may or may not be effective in luring the beetle away from crops.

Since this beetle is resistant to many commercial pesticides, you may find organic methods to be more useful.  Appropriate crop selection is a great place to start.  Several early-maturing potato varieties put on enough leaves before Colorado potato beetle populations explode and thus can better resist defoliation.  These varieties include: Caribe, Norland, Pungo, Redsen, Sunrise, Superior, and Yukon Gold.  Another control method is the use of wheat or rye straw mulches to restrict beetles’ movement into and through potato fields.  Interestingly, research has shown that straw mulch also creates a favorable habitat for the beetles’ predators.  Certain plants such as catnip, tansy, and sage are believed to have some efficacy in suppressing Colorado potato beetle infestations, but research has yet to confirm their usefulness.

One of the best organic management plans for the Colorado potato beetle, though, is routine scouting.  We spend time walking through our potatoes, looking for insects and the damage they inflict on plants.  Often the damage is more visible than the pests themselves.  They leave the tell-tale chewed up leaves.  Turn over the leaves to find the bright yellow-orange colored eggs attached to the undersides.  These are soft and crush easily between your fingers.  Later, the larvae are a little bigger and juicier.  Be careful!  You might get squirted!  This is a great stage to treat with an organically approved pesticide. It is best to knock them out at this stage of development, to prevent them from reaching the adult stage and breeding a whole new patch of trouble.

eggs

Neem-based products such as Neemix™, BioNeem™, and Margosan-O™ have limited success.  Caution should be used, though, since spray concentrations exceeding 1% can result in phytotoxicity on potato plants. Further, recent research has shown that neem products can be lethal to beneficial insects such as the ladybeetle, especially during their larval stages. Since Bt is only effective if ingested by the pest in its larval stage, it is important to catch them early.

 

For these reasons, don’t go overboard with the sprays.  Always follow the directions on the label and keep in mind that adult plants can tolerate a fair amount of insect damage to their foliage and still produce a terrific crop.  Implemented correctly, organic pest control works well, and the results are healthy plants and delicious, chemical-free organic potatoes!

 

larvae

For more information on this pest and its control, please visit:
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/coloradopotato.html

interns scouting for pests

Garden Birds

Over the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of observing several species of birds out at the farm.  I quickly found that the other interns were interested in learning their names and their songs, so I decided to write about birds and their contributions to gardeners.  Birds are attractive and often fun to watch.  They sing, forage, court, raise young, and can be seen doing all kinds of other interesting things.  Several species are quite helpful in the garden.  Insectivorous birds eat many times their own body weight in insects.  Especially while feeding their growing hatchlings, parent birds pick off countless garden pests such as caterpillars, grubs, grasshoppers, aphids, and beetles.

Besides the yummy fruits and veggies you’re growing, birdbaths, birdhouses, and flowering plants make your garden more appealing to wild birds.  Food is important, and you should consider providing a food supply besides what you are willing (or unwilling!) to share from your garden. Birdseed is available in many different mixtures, but I have had the most luck with plain oiled sunflower seeds.  Some birds have special dietary requirements.  For example, goldfinches love thistle seeds and woodpeckers like suet, a mixture of seeds pressed into a brick of fat and hung up in a tree or laid on a birdfeed table.  Consider making your own feeders by reusing plastic bottles (e.g. soda, milk, or detergent bottles).  Be sure to rinse these first, and then look for patterns online.  These recycled bird feeders are low cost and make great craft projects for children.

Birds will need a source of water, too, so if your garden does not include a nearby stream or pond, you should invest in a birdbath of some kind.  This may be as simple as a hefty ceramic bowl or as intricate as an electric or solar powered fountain whose splashing water attracts birds.  Be sure to change the water frequently to deter mosquitoes and to prevent algae build up.

bluebird house

To ensure that your garden birds stick around, you should put up birdhouses to provide shelter and nesting areas for them.  Look at the many different birdhouse patterns available and consider which birds you want to set up house in your garden.  You can attract many different wild birds as long as you provide just the right design for them. Eastern bluebirds, for example, do not like a large front door that allows predators such as squirrels, and other birds such as starlings, access to the nest within.  These intruders often gnaw soft woods to widen the openings on birdhouses, so look for building materials that prevent this.

gourd bird houses

Most birds will leave plants alone, preferring instead protein-packed insects. Sharp-eyed bluebirds and crows pick off grasshoppers, and wrens, especially, eat a wide variety of insects.  Robins feed on many insects, caterpillars, and grubs.  Sparrows mostly eat seeds, but they will also pick insects off of your vegetables and flowers, and starlings often search the underside of vegetable leaves for grubs.  Though primarily known for their love of nectar, hummingbirds also eat fruit flies, gnats, and aphids.  Some species, like blackbirds, however, are such enthusiastic hunters that they may tear up your garden mulch looking for insects.

Despite the many advantages of these avian visitors, sooner or later your interests and the birds’ interests may conflict.  At that point, bird pest control may become necessary.  There are many visual scare tactics for natural bird control.  A good old-fashioned scarecrow works well.  Or you may consider a few well-placed decoys shaped like predatory birds (ex: hawks or owls) or a cat.  A toy snake will work in a pinch.  You can also string up shiny objects whose movement in the wind and light reflection scares away birds.  Be creative.  You can use old CDs, recycled pie tins or other household items.  Physical barriers may be necessary in some cases.  Bird netting can keep unwanted avian intruders away from your fruits and veggies, but be careful that fine meshes don’t get tangled in birds’ feet.

mockingbird

Birds seen at the Organic Crops Unit:

Mockingbird

Red-winged blackbird

Eastern bluebird

American crow

Mourning dove

American robin

Starling

American goldfinch

red winged blackbird

Black vulture

Great blue heron

Cattle egret

Black capped chickadee

Barn swallow

Red-shouldered hawk

Meadowlark

For more information, visit these sites:

http://www.enature.com/birding/garden_birds.asp

http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/backyard-birds.html