Ohio Farm Bureau releases updated Ohio Landowner Toolkit
The new 40-page Ohio Landowner Toolkit contains essential information prepared by Ohio Farm Bureau’s legal team that will help answer questions unique to property owners.
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 new 40-page Ohio Landowner Toolkit contains essential information prepared by Ohio Farm Bureau’s legal team that will help answer questions unique to property owners.
Read MoreOhio Farm Bureau, in a partnership with Nationwide, has released a first-of-its-kind ‘Labor Intelligence Report’ and ‘Guide to Finding, Hiring and Retaining Farm Employees’ through their new Ag Intelligence Service.
Read MoreThis first-of-its-kind group focuses on offering more resources to agricultural communities. The group’s first action is introducing a new, anonymous survey to seek feedback directly from rural communities.
Read MoreThe five families honored were the Rethmel family, Todd and Melissa Miller, Julius (Jules) and Jodee Verhovec, Brent and Jenna Clark and the Wickerham family.
Read MoreAs the event wrapped up, ODOT representatives expressed an interest in having Ohio Farm Bureau at the table when future projects are considered.
Read MoreLower, predictable costs and easier administration make it a great alternative to Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, letting you focus on running your business — not your health plan.
Read MoreMeet Nick and Bailey Elchinger, Brad Weaver and Katherine Brown — Ohio’s young ag professionals contestants who will compete at the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Salt Lake City.
Read MoreDepending on what is being burned and where, there will likely be restrictions from either the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency or possibly the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Read MoreJeffrey Stimmell’s motto: Ag classes can not only be relevant but fun.
Read MoreTwenty Ohio Farm Bureau leaders are serving on the 2023 Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Policy Development Committee.
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