Editors' Blog
Here's what the Zone 4 editors have to say.
WHO'S STARTING SEEDS?
In early spring, it's still dark outside when I walk our two border collies, setting out around 6 a.m. I can tell who among our neighbors are starting seeds indoors by the white glow of their flourescent lights suspended in sunrooms or other parts of the house. Though cold outside, it's a sure sign that spring is coming.
Last year, our son got so anxious to get started he jumped the gun, planting hundreds of vegetables in our sunroom, on a four-tiered 2x4 and plywood structure with big banks of lights suspended by chains. Some of the plants outgrew their small plugs and there were simply too many of them to step up to lar ger 4x4 containers. They needed to go in the ground, but it was too early. He knew this might happen, but he just couldn't help himself. Fortunately, most of the plants were timed better and made it into the ground for a bumper crop of tomatoes, peppers, squash, and others.
This year, I started culinary herbs—oregano, parlsey, and sage—right after Thanksgiving, thinking I'd be cooking with them all winter long. Well, here it is March and most aren't large enough to begin plucking. Last week I did step them up to 4x4 containers and they have taken off. Which is a good thing because soon we'll need the space for vegetables.
So the lights in the sunrooms will glow for another few weeks, until the sun rises so early that the lights are no longer marking their telltale message: seeds growing! Even though there's still snow on the ground.
WITHERING CORN
Corn my daughter planted on our property back in June seemed to suddenly stop growing a few weeks ago. This was disconcerting for several reasons: a) no harvest, and b) I've been the one responsible for their watering and care. For help, I sent Cheryl Moore-Gough, Zone 4 Technical Editor—Horticulture, a photo and asked for her thoughts. Here's what she had to say:
"I can only guess but it looks like a combination of lack of water and nitrogen during the entire growing season. N should be added right when they come up and then again in several weeks. We flood irrigate our corn when it gets going, digging a trench between the rows and mounding the soil over the base of the plants, and run the hose into the trench. If you give too much N and not enough water the N cannot be taken up.
"You didn’t mention variety but here’s our harvest log for last year:
First ‘Quickie’ August 20
First ‘Fleet’, ‘Early Sunglow’, ‘Northern Extra Sweet’ August 24
First ‘Revelation’ August 29
"I also see very few ears formed which could mean lack of water during pollination.
"Because of this year’s extreme weather the pros are watering corn 24/7 in much of the corn producing part of the country."
Well, I believe lack of water is no doubt true. We have a lot of other vegetables in production and because of the drought have been distributing water conservatively amongst all the crops, which include lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, onions, and potatoes. Perhaps the lesson here is not to plant more than you can safely water. All our water comes from a single well, and we don't know how much is in it at any given time of the year. We don't want to learn by discovering that the toilet won't flush!
Vegetable Seminar at Oak Gardens
Vegetables for the Gallatin Valley 2012
Classification by Life Cycle
Perennials
• Asparagus, Garlic, Artichoke, Pepper, Potato (native), Rhubarb, Tomato
Classification by Life Cycle
Biennials
• Beet, Broccoli, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chard, Leek, Onion, Parsnip, Turnip
Classification by Life Cycle
Annuals
• Cucumber, Lettuce, Pea, Potato (temperate climates), Radish, Snap bean, Spinach, Squash, Corn
When to plant?
• Hardy-4-6 weeks before last frost
– Peas, lettuce, onion, spinach, kale
• Tender-Just after last frost
– Snap beans, summer squash, corn, tomato
• Half-Hardy-2-3 weeks before last frost
– Beets, carrots, chard, brassicas, potato
• Very Tender-2 weeks after last frost
– Cucumber, melons, eggplant, pumpkin, peppers
Direct Seeding
• Beans
• Beets
• Carrot
• Corn
• Greens
• Lettuce
• Parsley
• Parsnip
• Peas
• Pumpkin
• Radish, small
• Radish, daikon
• Rutabaga
• Spinach
• Squash, summer
• Squash, winter
Why Transplant?
• Some crops are not propagated by seed
Why Use Transplants?
• Extend short growing season
• Force crop production for an early market
• Eliminates thinning and subsequent damages to crop
• Crop uniformity
– Harvest
Relative Ease of Transplanting Vegetables
• Roots of transplants can easily be damaged. Transplanting success depends upon regeneration ability.
Easy: Those crops that can rapidly form adventitious roots
Tomatoes, lettuce, Brassicas
A Little Tougher
Difficulty regenerating root hairs and tips
Peppers, onions, eggplant
Relative Ease of Transplanting Vegetables Difficult
Cucumbers, corn, summer squash
Pollination – Does it Matter?
• Heirlooms
• Hybrids
• Open-pollinated varieties
• Cross-pollinated varieties
• Self-pollinated
• Remember the genetic recombination occurs in the seeds!
Asparagus
Mary Washington
Waltham Washington
Purple Passion
Viking
Jersey Centennial
Jersey Giant
Peas
Shelling
Wando – heat and cold – 68 d
Maestro – 61 d
Early Frosty – 63 d
Knight – 62 d
Snap or edible pod
Sugar Snap – 62 d
Sugar Ann – 52 d
Snow pea
Oregon Giant – 60 d
Oregon Sugar Pod – 65 d
Lettuce – baby ~28d, full size, ~46d
Green loose-leaf
Black Seeded Simpson
Red loose-leaf
Rubane
Majesty
Red Sails
Buttercrunch
Buttercrunch
Tom Thumb
Romaine or Cos-type
Cimmaron (Red)
Parris Island (Green)
Spinach
Savoy (crinkled leaf) type
Melody – 42 d
Avon – 44 d
Tyee – 40 d
Smooth type
Space – 39 d
Whale – 37 d
Swiss Chard
Bright Lights Hybrid – 60 d
Brighter-colored stalks
Silverbeet – 50 – 60 d
Heirloom, sweeter, better yields
Fordhook Giant – 60 d
Kale
Lacinato – 62 d, best when young
Red Russian – 50 d (More tender)
Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch – 53-65d
Vates Blue Curled – 55 d
Onions
“Sets”
Ebenezer – 105 d
Candy – 85 d
Stuttgarter – 102 d
White Sweet Spanish – 120 d
Plants – Walla Walla
Garlic
Stiffneck
Chesnok Red
Softneck
Inchelium
New York White
Broccoli
Green Goliath – 53 d Sideshoots
Premium Crop – 58 d Bolt resistant
Packman – 50 d Early
Windsor – 56 d Heat tolerant
Cauliflower
Snow Crown – 50 d
Early White – 52 d
Graffiti – 85 d – purple curds
Veronica – 78 d – Lime-green curds
Cheddar – 80 -100 d – orange curds
Cabbage
Smooth-Leaved green
Fast ball – 45 d
Earliana – 60 d
Stonehead – 60 d
Golden Acre – 50-70d
Smooth-Leaved Red
Salad Delight-50 d
Super Red – 73 d
Red Success – 72 d
Red Express – 63 d
Savoy
Alcosa – 72 d
Bok/Pak Choi/Joi/Choy/Joy
Toy Choi – 45 d
Joi Choi - 55 d
Pe-Tsai type
Best planted late season to avoid bolting
Minuet – 48 d
Greenwich – 50 d
Rubicon – 52 d
Brussels Sprouts
Longer season
Tasty Nuggets 78 d
Jade Cross 80 d
Bubbles 85-90 d
Oliver 90 d
Parsnips
Longer-season!
Harris Model – 120 d
Hollow Crown 105 d
Carrot types (shapes):
Carrots
All Nantes type:
Napoli – 58 d
Scarlet Nantes – 68 d
Nantes half long – 70 d
Danvers Half long – 75 d
Nelson 56 d
Beets
Red
Detroit Dark Red – 45-70d
Red Ace – 50 d
Early Wonder – 45 d
Yellow
Golden – 55 d
Leaves only
Bull’s Blood – 35 days
Prominent Zoning
Chioggia – 55 days
Snap beans
Indeterminate (Pole)
Green
Fortex – 60 d
Kentucky Blue – 62 d
Kentucky Wonder – 64 d
Romano – 65 d
Runner
Scarlet Runner – 60 d
Bush
Green
Provider – 50 d
EZ Pik – 55 d
Tendercrop – 54 d
Jade – 53 d
Yellow
Indy Gold – 52 d
Goldrush – 53 d
Purple
Royal Burgundy – 55 d
Sweet pepper
Sweet green
Big Bertha – 70 d
Gypsy – 65 d
California Wonder – 75 d
Ace – 50 d green, 70 d red
Red Knight-57d green, 77d red
Hot (allow them to mature on the plant for best intensity)
Cherry Bomb – 62 d green,
87 d red
Jalepeno – 65 d g, 80 d red
Mariachi – 65 d (white,
yellow and red all at once)
Tomatoes can be
Indeterminate (vining) Determinate (bush)
Cherry
Indeterminate
Sun Cherry – 58 d
Sweet 100 – 70 d
Sungold – 65 d
Determinate
Gold Nugget – 56 d
Slicers
Indeterminate
Early Girl – 59 d
Bloody Butcher – 65-70 d
Whopper – 65 d
Determinate
Celebrity – 70 d
Black Sea Man – 75 d
Paste
Indeterminate
Roma – 76 d
Golden Mama – 68 d
Determinate
Bellstar – 65 d
Health Kick – 65 d 50% more lycopene
Cucumbers
First 10-20 flowers are male!
Pick or they will stop producing!
Gynoecious plants need pollinators – be sure to plant the pollinator seeds.
Parthenocarpic type needs no pollination
Lemon cucumber – 58-70 d
Bush type
Spacemaster – 56 d
Slicer
Straight 8 – 58 d
Pumpkins/winter squash
Montana Jack pumpkin – 90 d
Hokkaido squash – 100 d
Burgess Strain buttercup – 85-100d
Lakotah – 85 – 90 d
Also
• Waltham Butternut 85 d
• Table Queen Acorn 59-90 d
• Delicata 80-100 d
Summer Squash
Pattypan type
Sunburst – 52 d
Patty Pan – 50 d
Straightneck type
Zephyr–54 d (yellow and green)
Early Prolific – 50 d
Zucchini type
Gold Rush – 50 d (yellow)
Multipik – 50 d (yellow)
Meteor – 49 d
Ambassador – 47 d
Raven – 48 d (very dark green)
Sweet Corn Types
• Normal Sugary (su)
– Varying degrees of sugar
– Traditional corn flavor
– Cross with sh2 = tough and starchy
• Sugary Enhanced (se) and (se+)
– ++tenderness and + sweetness
– Cross with sh2 = tough and starchy
• Synergistic
– 75% se and 25% sh2
– Tender and sweet. Pick early = watery
– Cross with a sh2 = tough and starchy
• Shrunken (sh2) (Super Sweet)
– Cross with anything = tough and starchy
Spring Treat – 66 d (se+)
Sugar Buns – 70 d (se+)
Bodacious – 75 d (se +)
Early Sunglow – 66 d (su)
Earlivee – 67 d (su)
Butter and Sugar – 73 d (su)
Quickie (64 d) (se)
Revelation (se)
Northern Xtra Sweet – 67 d –
(Sh2)
Xtra Tender 270A – 71 d
(Sh2)
January 4, 2012: A Very Warm Day!
Bozeman Montana. 2:00 p.m. 58°F in the sun (46° in the shade) and I’m out in my driveway in a sleeveless shirt shoveling off the last of the ice that hid in the shadows. I had a sweater on to start, honest, but it was just too hot! Any time I’m engaged in gardening in my front yard it is an invitation for neighbors to come over and ostensibly see how I’m doing since Dr. Bob passed, and often their visit includes a gardening question or two.
The obvious one with this type of weather in January is, “What’s going to happen to our trees and shrubs?” We’re all worried that this spring-like weather will force our woody plants to break dormancy, only to get hammered by the inevitable cold weather that is yet to come. Woody plants in our area have something called a chilling requirement. After our deciduous plants have hardened off in the fall and drop their leaves, they enter into dormancy. We all know that. What folks don’t always know is that the first phase of dormancy is called dormant-rest, in which plants’ physiological processes simply cannot begin until they’ve had a certain number of hours at low temperatures. To overcome rest, buds must be subjected for about 4 to 8 weeks to temperatures of 
24° to 50°F.
As you can imagine, the temperatures and length of time differs between species. This is not well studied, nor is it documented for many of our plants. We do know, for example, that apples usually require a longer chilling than do peaches, which is one of the reasons peaches don’t do well here. They break rest before winter loses its hold for the year. After the chilling requirement has been fulfilled, the plants are in a state of dormant-quiescence. In this state they are ready to go, and are simply waiting for appropriate spring temperatures to get in gear. Kind of like seeds waiting for the appropriate conditions to germinate. In many locations our fall was not as cold as we typically see, so we can all cross our fingers that our woody plants are all still safely in dormant-rest.
Wow! Castle Mountains Music Fest!
Any of you folks who are concerned about the future of America, concerned about who is going to lead this country in the turbulent years ahead, would have been heartened to spend last weekend (July 29-31) in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, at the Red Ants Pants Music Festival. Readers of Zone 4 will know that Red Ants Pants are the so-called "Carhartts for women" made in the U.S. of A. by Sarah Calhoun, a beautiful young woman with more friends than a politician.
Why White Sulphur Springs? Because she couldn't afford Bozeman.
Why women's workwear? Because women deserve the same as men.
Why a music festival to benefit her town, small-acreage farmers and ranchers, and women in small business? If you don't know the answer, you don't know Sarah.
Somehow she managed to lure to White Sulphur Springs—population 900 something—the likes of musicians Lyle Lovett, Jerry Jeff Walker, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Carrie Rodriguez, and a bunch of other talented bands, to play for what turned out to be an audience of around 5,000 adoring fans. Fans of these musicians, yes. But also fans of Sarah.
This was no rowdy bunch of methed out punks. But a crowd of all ages, appreciative of the music and the purpose. Following the headliner bands of Saturday and Saturday night, on Sunday morning Sarah took the mic and gave the security report: No fights. One DUI. One post-concert accident, from which the driver walked way unhurt, but the cow had to be shot.
With Lyle Lovett and Jerry Jeff Walker gone, attendance the second day wasn't quite what we saw the first day. Rodney Crowell came on at four, following the all-girl band from Austin called the Trishas, who he brought back for help on a few tunes, as well as old buddy Guy Clark. Things were getting loose, freestyle. At six the last band took the stage: Micky and the Motorcars. They got in two or three songs when the heavens opened, rain pelted the fleeing crowd, and the winds blew. Andra and me, in our Zone 4 tent, closed up shop and took shelter.
When the squall passed and the sun returned, as it does in Montana summertime evenings, Micky and his band returned to the stage, but the electricity was gone. The small crowd surrounding the stage exhorted him to play anyway. And he did. You had to be up close to hear him, but play he did. Sympathetic for him, Rodney Crowell and the Trishas came back to the stage to lend moral support if not some volume.
So the festival ended on a very sisterly and brotherly gesture of giving to one another. And that's what Sarah wanted for her foundation all along. She's already announced dates for 2012, in late July again. Go to www.redantspantsmusicfestival.com for more information.
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