August 23, 2010
EVENTS
AUG
What's Growing On:


Digging In
with Farmer D!
Fall Gardening Tips
As our August days go zipping by I'm reminded that summer's heat is guaranteed to wane and a chill will soon appear in the air marking the final days for my tomatoes, peppers and other warm-season crops. I look at my garden with a saddening farewell, while Simon and Garfunkel's 'The Sound of Silence' plays over in my head... Then suddenly I snap out of it... rip that mental record off its player, throw on Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' and start rocking out in excitement to all the Fall gardening days that lay ahead!!!

So to all you gardeners and 'gardeners-to-be'- whether you are a first timer, a never timer, an experienced timer or a pro timer (...timer doesn't exactly go well with the last two, but none the less)- now is the time to start looking ahead and planning for your favorite (or soon to be favorite) Fall activity! If you are still on the fence about whether you really want to do a Fall garden or not, then I'm here to tell you to quit teetering and JUST DO IT! I promise, you will not be disappointed. With this said here are a few pointers.

1. Germinating seeds. If your unsure of how to germinate join us next Sunday for our Germination & Fall Garden Prep Workshop CLICK HERE to reserve a spot. Also see below for Sow True Seed's "Fall Planting Chart and Helpful Hints 2010."

2. Soil. Amend and replenish! Enrich your soil with aged manure or Farmer D Organics Biodynamic Blend Compost to replenish micronutrients and organic matter giving the plants a strong start.

3. Try New Crops. Some of the easiest & most tasty crops for fall gardening may be new to your soil as well as your kitchen. You can always set aside small spaces to experiment with varieties such as crunchy Chinese cabbage, nutty arugula, rutabaga and the 'super-cold-hardy' mache (one of my favorites), also known as corn salad. Also, plant a row of fast germinating radishes next to slower germinating carrots to mark the spot.We now carry Sow TrueSeed

4. Mulch & Mulch. Use fresh green grass clippings, hay or Farmer D's Bulk Composted Bark Mulch, which is 20% off at our retail store (bring your own bucket). Mulch will prevent weed growth, help keep the soil cool and moist, and attract night crawlers and other earthworms. To get the best coverage, lay down the double-mulch and wet it thoroughly before you plant your seedlings.

5. Keep Em' Soaked. Keeping newly planted beds moist long enough for seeds to germinate is one of the most important factors. This is easy with leafy greens such as collards, arugula, Chinese cabbage, or turnips, because these seeds naturally germinate quickly, within five days or less. But beets, carrots, lettuce and spinach are often slower to appear, meaning you must keep the seeded bed moist longer.

So, prepare your fall garden beds' my friends because planting time is here! Refurbish the beds you have, expand your garden with new ones (see Farmer D's fall special, 20% off Bed & Soil Combo) or build your own beds and make the most of the long-lasting fall garden season!

** Also to learn more about Sow True Seeds and their mission please click here.

PLANT OF THE WEEK:
Peas and Carrots
"Me and Jenny goes together like peas and carrots"

"Me and Jenny goes together like peas and carrots," is the Forrest Gump quote of 1994 (Holy Cow!) that gave these overlooked, tv dinner veggies their fame and star appeal. No longer does this saying "peas and carrots" conjure buried images of shriveled up bits on a compartmentalized lunchroom tray because these veggies are vibrant, hip and cool! AND the time to plant them is NOW!

Fall is right around the corner, and to be able to harvest those sweet, crisp veggies when its cool, you must plant them pronto. I know it seems hot and steamy to even think about getting back out to toil in the soil, but your sweat now will pay off in a couple of months, and you'll be thanking Farmer D for reminding you to get those seeds in the ground. You will then thank yourself for keeping yourself healthy because this garden combo is full of vital nutrients. Carrots are full of antioxidants and carotenoids that help fight off cancer, heart disease and maintain healthy vision (especially at night, ooh la la). Peas are a great source of vitamins K, C, B1 and folate. They also have lots of fiber and protein to keep your body movin' and shakin' if you know what I mean!

Fall gardening can also be fun because the disease and insect pressure is a lot less this time of year, making for more pleasurable growing conditions for you and your plants. The best part, of course, is the harvest, which is sweeter in the fall because cool temps get the sugars in your plants cranking, in turn giving you the sweetest peas and carrots EVER.

Planting peas:
Make a 1" deep furrow in your well drained soil (amended with Farmer D compost, of course), drop the peas into your furrow 2-3 inches apart. By sowing your sweet peas at this spacing, you are more likely to get a full bed of plants without gaps. Water and wait for them to sprout. Later, after your seeds have sprouted, you will thin them to their final spacing of 5"-6". You will need to trellis these sweet delicious babies because they definitely need room to climb.

Planting Carrots:
Sow carrot seeds ¼-½" deep. Carrots seed takes 14-21 days to germinate. Planting a few radish seeds next to your carrot rows helps to loosen the soil and mark the rows for slow emerging carrot seeds. Thin carrot plants to at least 1" apart in rows spaced about 18."

Check out this delicious recipe for Organic Honey Glazed Pea Pods & Carrots!
Click Here »
 
Companion Gardening
Herbs aka Your Garden BFF
Herbs aka Your Garden BFF

Have you ever wanted an extra hand to help in your veggie garden? A companion of sorts to fight against insects, disease and other garden riff-raff. Well look no further than your herb garden. And if you don't have one, you-know-who (Farmer D) can help! Here are some ways that planting herbs as companion plants in your veggie garden can help, as well as become your new BFF (best friend forever):

Planting borage with cabbage protects it from flea beetles. Plant chervil with lettuce to protect from aphids, mildew, snails and slugs. Dill protects against carrot fly and discourages snails from lettuce. Cabbage worms, snails and slugs despise thyme and hyssop, so plant lots! Sage protects against cabbage worms, aphids, snails and slugs. Safeguard beans and peas from aphids with summer savory. Also make sure not to forget our winged buzzing friends. Please plant fennel and lavender to keep them happily pollinating your plants.

So no longer feel that you go it alone in the garden. Herbs are your companion, as well as your plants!


LEARN MORE »
 
Chalkboard Tip
Start Planning Your Fall School Garden Now!
Now's the time to start thinking about fall planting in your school garden. We will have kid size plants in just a few weeks but don't forget that several of the plants grown in the fall do well if started from seed.


LEARN MORE from The National Center for Home Food Preservation »
 
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Farmer D Organics Garden Center
2154 Briarcliff Rd. Atlanta, GA 30329
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M-Sat: 9:00am - 5:30pm
Sat: 9:00am - 5:00pm
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