Author: Bob Bauer

I decided to dig up the beets and try to figure out why they did so poorly. I discovered a web of wood like roots so dense that they held the soil together like sod. They were blackberry roots from the other side of the fence. I didn’t know blackberry’s sent out shallow roots because they can survive in the […]

The whiteflies have followed me up to the house. They are hanging out on the back deck. This is a good thing because it made me Google do they overwinter? I !earned a lot about them and will take very seriously their appearance next spring. They are a major agricultural problem and have four stages of development, so require more […]

As I punched my dibble into the soil to make holes for my garlic cloves the holes kept caving in. I realized the ground was dry. Having dew on the grass in the mornings made me think plenty of moisture was in the dirt. If the dew evaporates, and doesn’t trickle down to the ground, that is not the case. […]

It’s a good time to gather up your Swiss chard seeds before the November rains come. You can strip them right off the stems by the handful. I dry mine in the afternoon sun to get the morning dew to evaporate, otherwise they might mold in storage. My son went gung-ho in seed gathering this year with Swiss chard, hollyhocks, […]

The fall planted lettuce never got thinned so it’s now a short, thick hedge. It makes harvesting it with a scissors easy. It’s not as sweet as spring lettuce but only a buffoon would call it bitter :). It’s “tangy” ok? The dark color is because it’s full of chlorophyll, which some people think is so good for you that […]

I limed my garden yesterday. Well, part of it anyway. The six pound bag of lime that my wife brought home instructed me to apply 4-5 lbs per 100 sq ft. If you don’t know the pH of your soil, you don’t know how much lime to apply. I did an internet search and came up with another gem. It […]

The most important thing you can do for your garden during fall cleanup is to much. All the plants that come out will leave dirt exposed to the elements. Erosion and compaction can result when rain batters the ground. Covering exposed soil is the cornerstone to healthy gardens. You can use leaves, straw, hay, compost, tree shreddings, shavings and discarded […]