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Seed shortage ?
Posted on February 6th, 2010 2 commentsDreaming of biting into a garden-fresh cucumber sandwich this summer? Better order your seeds now.
A poor growing season last year and increased orders from Europe could make it difficult for home gardeners to get seeds for the most popular cucumber variety and some vegetables this spring. Farmers, who usually grow different varieties than home gardeners, aren’t likely to be affected.
Seeds for what’s known as open-pollinated cucumbers seem to be most scarce, but carrots, snap peas and onions also could be in short supply.
“I suspect there will be some seeds you just won’t be able to buy if you wait too long on it,” said Bill Hart, the wholesale manager in charge of seed purchasing at Chas. C. Hart Seed Company in Wethersfield, Conn. “The sugar snap peas we’re not able to get at all, and other companies that have it will sell out pretty quickly.”The problem is primarily due to soggy weather last year that resulted in a disappointing seed crop. European seed growers also had a bad year, leading to a big increase in orders for American seeds.
Demand for seeds in the U.S. soared last year, as the poor economy and worries about chemical use and bacteria contamination prompted many people to establish gardens. Homegrown food seemed safer and more affordable. But some wonder if the wet weather that ruined gardens in many areas last summer will discourage first-time gardeners from planting again.
“A lot of people are getting into it, but it was a disastrous year for gardens last year because it was so cold and wet,” said wholesale seed distributor Mel Brekke, who owns Brekke’s Town and Country near Ames, Iowa.
Kathy Gocke of Bondurant, Iowa, said she orders seeds early for herself and her county’s master gardener’s program and advises others to do the same.
“If you do it before the first of January, they have a pretty good stock,” Gocke said.
Burpee Seeds in Warminster, Pa., bills itself as the largest provider of home garden seeds, and Chief Executive Officer George Ball said the company’s huge reserves mean it will have plenty of seeds. But Ball said he understands why others might have limited supplies after a big spike in demand in the past two years.
“It was unlike anything I’ve seen in the past 30 years,” he said.
Barbara Melera, owner of D. Landreth Seeds of New Freedom, Pa., expects carrot seeds to be especially hard to find because of big orders from Europe, which had a poor crop last year. Also, fewer farmers are opting to grow seeds, she said. Many now have switched to growing corn for the biofuels industry.
“In this country, farmers who grow things for seed are becoming an endangered species,” Melera said. “The farms producing things for seeds is reduced significantly, and in the past two to three years they can get more money for growing corn for ethanol plants than carrots for seeds.”
Jennifer Nothwehr, seed coordinator for the Shenandoah, Iowa-based Earl May seed and nursery business, said she hasn’t run into shortages, but her company typically orders its seeds from wholesalers a year in advance. They received and packaged the seeds they’ll sell this year last fall, and because they set prices last spring, any shortage won’t affect them.
Nothwehr also said that while popular varieties, like one known as the straight eight cucumber, may be hard to find, others are available.“One of the most popular carrots we can’t get, but we have four other varieties we can get if a customer wants to try something different,” she said.
Hart said his family business has a small retail operation, and he’s noticed people coming in earlier than usual this year, possibly because of worries over a shortage of seeds.
“I don’t know if they’re hoping for spring or just hoping to get going,” he said.
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Dirt! can you eat it?
Posted on September 11th, 2009 4 commentsNo matter where you lived wasn’t there always some weird kid down the street who was eating dirt on occasion. Well at least he was getting his vitamins. Dirt contains key nutrients of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium,copper, zinc, manganese, and iron.
The practice of eating dirt is called Geophagia and is regular part of some diets. Native Americans in Southern California eat bread with clay and corn, and in the Southwestern United States they eat clay with raw potatoes.
Humans seem instinctively know that ingesting clay and rock powder can alleviate stomach ailments. It has been determined that most worms found in dirt carry few diseases and are pretty harmless to normally healthy humans.
Most people who practice geophagy get their clays from sources other than the first few inches of topsoil, which have the most biological activity and the most bacteria, parasites and other pathogens.
Not surprisingly, clay eating people from the Southern United States readily admit there is a negative connotation associated with anyone who consumes dirt right out of the ground. So if you cant wait for your garden plants to grow, then the rule of thumb seems to be dig deep and stick with the clays. Bon Appetit! -
Garden Ideas
Posted on August 8th, 2009 7 commentsWelcome to the Home Garden resource guide.
About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles
These articles are the most popular over the last month.
Growing Blueberries 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Blueberry Growing Tips: Blueberries are popular to grow in home gardens because they can grow in a small space, even in containers, and have very few problems. There are three main types of blueberries: highbush, rabbiteye, and southern highbush, with different varieties doing better or worse in various areas. Here are some tips for growing your own blueberries.
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About.com Gardening: Most Popular Articles |
How Much to Plant 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
It’s time to plan the vegetable garden, but how much should you plant per person? Here are some guidelines for how much to plant, but remember that they’re just guidelines. How much to plant depends on a number of factors.
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Tomato Growing Tips 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Tomato plants know what they like and they grow well when you give it to them. Growing the best tasting or the earliest tomato is a great source of pride for the home gardener and here are 10 tips for growing terrific tomatoes.
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Mint 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Plants in the mint family are very hardy perennials with vigorous growth habits. Mint, left to its own devices, will spread quickly and become a nuisance. However, it is very popular as a flavorful herb and the plants can be grown easily. Just try to chose a spot where you won’t mind the rampant growth or grow it in a confined space.
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Strawberries 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Strawberries are one of the easiest fruit crops for the home gardener to grow and one of the most rewarding. Day neutral and everbearing strawberries have been getting all the attention, but there still is no season like June for fresh strawberries. Whatever your zone, there is probably a strawberry plant for your garden. Here’s how to grow great strawberries in your backyard.
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Epsom Salts and Plants 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Gardeners have been using Epsom salts as a plant fertilizer for generations. There is little research to prove conclusively that Epsom salts have any effect on plants, but many seasoned gardeners cite their own gardens as proof that Epsom salts help certain plants grow stronger and produce better. If you’d like to try experimenting on your own, here are some tips for using Epsom salts in your gardens.
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Container Vegetable Gardens 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
You don’t need a plot of land to grow fresh vegetables. Vegetable container gardening can offer high yields in small spaces. With some thought to selecting bush or dwarf varieties, almost any vegetable can be adapted to growing in a container or pot. Container vegetable gardening is perfect for plants that take up little space, such as carrots, radishes and lettuce, or crops that bear fruits over a long period of time, such as tomatoes and peppers.
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Forcing Paperwhites 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Paperwhites (Narcissus tazetta)are popular indoor plants for winter because they’re easy to grow and bloom a long time. Unlike other narcissus, paperwhites don’t require a chilling period, so forcing them is as easy as putting the bulbs in water and waiting. The fragrant flowers bloom within about 2-3 weeks of planting, for almost instant gratification. It’s that easy. Here are some tips for forcing paperwhites.
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March Garden Calendar 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
A regional gardening calender for the month of March can give you general tips on what to plant and what to wait for, but spring in the garden is unpredictable and gardeners will have to use some common sense. Here are some reminders of what you can be doing in the garden, now that winter is on its last legs.
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A Garden of Bouquets, Year After Year 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Free Garden Design – Perennial Cutting Garden
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Growing Plants from Seed 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Starting plants from seed isn’t rocket science, but there are several seed starting tips that will help your success rate with seed germination and give your seedlings a healthy start. Here’s how to start seeds indoors and the seed starting supplies you’ll need to grow plants from seed.
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Raised Bed Gardening 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Raised bed gardening refers to gardening in soil that has been mounded or contained higher than the surrounding soil. Raised bed gardening is an old gardening practice, but it’s currently growing in popularity again because it offers several advantages to simply growing your plants in level ground. Here are some tips on why raised bed gardening should be considered and how to get started with a raised bed.
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When to Start Seed 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Growing plants from seed is an easy, inexpensive way to get more plants. The hard part is often knowing when to start the seeds. Here are a few easy tips to get you on the right track for seed starting.
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Poinsettias 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Poinsettias are popular holiday decorations and gifts. Knowing how to keep Christmas poinsettia plants in bloom longer and how to force them to rebloom next Christmas, requires some special care.
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Lavender 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
You can be successful growing lavender if you choose the right variety, even if you don’t live in the Mediterranean region. Lavender plants, with their fragrant flowers, can be used to make lavender soaps and lotions. Or maybe you’d like to cook with lavender. Even gardeners who need deer resistant plants can grow lavender.
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Merging Your Garden and Your House 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Small Space Gardening – Framing a Window
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Pruning Hydrangeas 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Hydrangeas are popular old fashioned flowering shrubs. Regular hydrangea garden maintenance involves pruning the shrubs to keep them in shape and flowering profusely. But when to prune hydrangeas determines how well they will flower or if they will flower at all.
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Pole Tree Pruners 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Sometimes there’s a damaged branch, just out of reach. Or maybe you need to open the canopy or snip off crossing branches. It’s frustrating when there’s a branch you can’t get to it. Ladders are fine, but pruning requires stability and balance. Some clever person came up with pole pruners. How brilliant to attach a long handle to a saw blade. Here’s some advice and suggestions on what to look for in pole tree pruners.
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Pruning Raspberries 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Brambles like raspberries and blackberries need regular pruning to keep bearing large, healthy crops and to prevent them from taking over your garden. Don’t let this scare you off of growing raspberry or blackberry plants. Pruning rambles is actually a simple procedure, if you follow these steps.
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Fall and Winter Greens 9 Mar 2010, 3:28 am
Cool weather vegetable gardening offers many advantages, not the least of which is the colorful choice of crops that can be grown, like ‘Bright Lights’ chard, ‘Red Russian’ Brussels sprouts, ‘Osaka Purple’ mustard greens or any of the many other suggestions offered here by Cathy Wilkinson Barash for the National Garden Bureau. Extend your vegetable gardening season and try something new. Here are some growing tips and variety selections.
