Legal with Leah – Supreme Court rules on WOTUS case
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the EPA went too far with its enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
Read MoreIn real estate — and home gardening — one thing to remember is location, location, location.
The ideal garden spot offers all-day full sun, well-draining but moisture-retentive soil and easy access to the hose for the inevitable dry spells.
Just as important are following some basic practices to ensure good soil health and creative thinking to transform less-than-perfect places into productive locations.
Once you find that sweet spot for tomatoes and other favorites, it seems reasonable to grow them there again and again. It is possible to reap repeated success, but most likely, the sweet spot will sour and produce wimpier plants, while pesky bugs and plant diseases increase.
“You have to rotate things,” said Robin Gorrell, an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Seneca County. Pest populations can build up in soil over time. This is especially true of tomatoes, among the most popular plants.
Crop rotation, a principle widely practiced by generations of farmers, renews the soil to keep it productive. Plus, by keeping the host plant out of the area for several seasons, pest and disease problems tend to die out.
“In some places they can grow corn after corn,” said Kris Swartz, a Wood County Farm Bureau member and past president of the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. That’s not the case with his farm. He relies on clover, wheat and soybeans as part of the rotation schedule with corn. Swartz was recently recognized with the Olin Sims Conservation Leadership Award by the National Association of Conservation Districts and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Swartz is a Wood County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor.
For Bob Rothwell, an OSU Master Gardener Volunteer in Washington County, the wait between tomato plantings is four years. The same wait period applies to tomato’s nightshade family cousins: potatoes, peppers and eggplant, which can attract some of the same problems.
Rothwell keeps records on what’s been grown in his 20 cultivated beds. He uses members of major plant families to fill the beds between tomato (nightshade) plantings. For instance, one season it’s members of the mustard family, such as cabbage and turnips; then legumes, including peas and beans; and others such as lettuce, spinach, chard, onions and garlic. Legumes add some nitrogen to the soil, replacing this essential element needed for plant growth, said Gorrell.
While infrequent, soil-borne pests can affect some flowers, said Pamela J. Bennett, the Ohio State Master Gardener Program director. “Rotation is always a good idea.”
A few years ago downy mildew showed up as a fatal problem for impatiens, popular summer annuals for shaded places. The soil-borne problem can persist for years, Gorrell said. She has found impatiens available again and tried them with success in her woodland landscape. Those who had impatiens affected by the mildew can use New Guinea type impatiens or wax begonias as replacements.
Master Gardener Volunteers and other seasoned growers have several suggestions for greater success with vegetables.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the EPA went too far with its enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
Read MoreOver 2,000 northwest Ohio farmers have become involved in the OACI certification program since its rollout in early 2020.
Read MoreThe ballot initiative asks Ohio voters if the state should strengthen the petition process and raise the threshold to 60% for approving constitutional amendment proposals.
Read MoreBrandie Finney of Crawford County is the editor of the May 2023 Growing our Generation enewsletter, featuring insights and ideas directly from Ohio’s young farmers and food and agricultural professionals.
Read MoreMany lines of the state budget would have an impact, both positively and negatively, on Ohio agriculture. Find out Farm Bureau’s position on those significant items.
Read MoreThe H2Ohio water quality program is reducing the amount of fertilizer entering northwest Ohio waterways and is an efficient use of state funding.
Read MoreThe Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation provides these reminders to avoid summer’s most common agricultural workplace accidents.
Read MoreThe pilot project will use a unique combination of staffing and a structure aimed to build membership with more specialized programs and services.
Read MoreWright and Moore Law offers six steps to jumpstart the succession planning process.
Read MoreMental health advocate Brandon Fullenkamp from Highland County was a guest on the Farmside Chat podcast with American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall.
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