Growing Organic : July 2023

Friday, July 28, 2023

Best Apricot Pineapple Jam

Summer sunshine in a jar would be a great way to describe this delicious citrusy jam. The apricots and pineapple compliment each other perfectly. You won't be disappointed. All the canning recipes I share are from tested sources so you can be confident they will store safely. This recipe is from MCP which makes pectin.

Apricot Pineapple Jam

3 cups prepared fruit pitted and finely chopped. You will need about 2 lbs of ripe apricots

1 20oz can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 box pectin

1/4 tsp butter

8 cups of sugar measured into a separate bowl

Pre wash 7 or 8 half pint jars. Place lids in saucepan and heat until just before a boil. Keep warm. Fill water bath canner half full of water and add a couple TBS of white vinegar to prevent mineral build up in your canner. Heat to a boil while preparing jam.

Finely chop unpeeled, pitted apricots. Measure exactly 3 cups prepared fruit into large saucepan. Increasing or decreasing fruits affects setting.

Add crushed pineapple with juice and lemon juice.

Stir in pectin. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir constantly. It is important to bring this mixture to a full boil before adding sugar so the pectin will set.

Stir in the sugar. Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 4 minutes stirring constantly. Yes, 4 minutes is the correct time.

Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Ladle into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Cover with 2 piece lids. Place in water bath canner and be sure jars are covered by 2 inches of water.

Process 10 minutes be sure to adjust for altitude.

After processing turn off heat and remove canner lid. Wait 10 minutes before removing from the counter. Allow to cool.

Check to be sure you have a seal. To do this press the center of the lid. It should not move or spring back when pressed.

Makes 7 half pint jars.

Tree ripe fresh apricots make the best jams!

Remove rings before storing.

Enjoy on some homemade biscuits, bread, or muffins. This jam is wonderful with crepes, pancakes, or waffles.

Links to canning equipment to purchase from Amazon:

Water Bath Canner (I recommend stainless steel)

Half Pint Canning Jars (I only recommend Kerr or Ball)

Powdered Pectin

Canning and Preserving Books

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Pruning Tomatoes

Most internet info suggests that pruning off suckers on tomatoes is a good practice, but if often doesn't explain when and why to prune. Pruning tomatoes is not always a good idea or needed. Wheteher to prune or not depends on the type of tomato and your goals.

Indeterminate tomatoes are the only tomatoes you would consider pruning. Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow vines and fruit until the first frost. Understanding the structure of a tomato plant will help you understand what and when to prune.

In this photo you can see the main stem with a flower cluster coming off and and
leaf node on the opposite side.

Structure of Tomato Plant

Main stem, leaf node, flower clusters, and suckers are the parts of a tomato plant. The leaf nodes and flower clusters grow off the main stem. The suckers grow in-between a leaf node and the main stem. Most suckers on indeterminate tomatoes become additional main stems that will produce flower clusters. If this is the case why would you want to prune?

Reasons to Prune Indeterminate Tomatoes

Accomadate a vertical support system which is typically used in a greenhouse. If you live in an area with lots of wind I don't recommend growing vertically outside unless you have wind breaks. The high winds in my area are hard on any vertically grown plants Also if you have no afternoon shade for your tomatoes I don't recommend vertical growing. More leaf growth will shade plants and prevent sun scald on fruits. I'm in Utah and sun scald is an issue here.

These are greenhouse tomatoes that have overgrown their cages.
Next year I will be growing vertically in the greenhouse.

Prevent the tomato from overgrowing your cages or support structures. Overgrown vines can break if not supported so either get better structures or prune out a few suckers to prevent too many main stems from overtaking your structure.

Manage airflow to prevent disease.

Increase the size of beefsteak or novelty tomatoes by pruning and removing some flowers. The more flowers and fruit the smaller the fruit. This is more a novelty issue if you want large beef steak tomatoes.

Pruning out diseased leaves but remember that pruning in humid climates will leave a wound for entry of more disease. In dry climates you can prune off diseased leaves.

Prune lower leaves below the first flower cluster. This is helpful in preventing soil born diseases.

Why grow vertical?

Limited space and wanting to grow more varieties is one reason to grow tomatoes vertically. Growing vertical allows you to plant closer together and plant more varieties. If you are not worried about spacing allow to the indeterminate tomatoes bush out.

Growing vertically works well in a greenhouse because it allows light to penetrate the plant and provides good airflow. This will allow tomatoes to ripen faster and prevent disease.

Tomatoes NOT to Prune

Cherry tomatoes need no pruning. Let them vine out.
Determinate tomatoes grow to a certain size, stop growing and produce fruit. Do not prune determinate varieties.
Semi determinate tomatoes should not be pruned.

For review, removing suckers limits the number of main stems and the number of fruits that will develop. Be sure you have a reason and purpose to pruning.

When it comes to pruning shears STIHL is the only brand I recommend. When pruning be sure to wipe the blades with Clorox wipes when moving to a new plant. This will prevent spreading disease.

Pruning shears

The Melon Family: Cantaloupes, Muskmelons, and Honeydew

The melon family, (Cucumix melo) is a much larger family than most people are familiar with. And like many families, its members range from the ordinary, extraordinary, to the odd. One melon missing from this family is the watermelon. It belongs to an entirely different classification, (Citrullus lanatus), but both families thrive under the same growing conditions.

History
Not all melons are sweet. Melons are thought to originate in Africa and many melons are grown for pickling rather than eating or used as a summer squash in various dishes.

Here in America we have fixated on the sweet melons which are definitely worth a gardeners attention because these juicy gems pack up the sugar during the final growing days. This irresistible sweetness will be lacking in a store bought melon.

When a melon is ripe in the field you can actually smell it. Interestingly in Europe before the luxury of daily bathing fragrance melons were grown. Ladies of the upper class carried a small pocket melon called Queen Anne's to mask the effects of no daily bath.

Types of Melons

All varieties of Cucumis melo will cross with each other. They will not cross with watermelons or any members of the Cucurbitaceae family.

I mentioned this is a large family of many unfamiliar members. There are 7 subspecies of recognized groups of melons.

True Cantaloupes

True cantaloupes are not the "cantaloupes" which Americans are familar with. True canaloupes are grown in Europe. They have rough scaled rinds with mature fruit that does not slip from the vine. The skin is not nettled

Chito Group

Chito melons are small lemon sized melons used for pickling. They include mango melon, garden lemon, and melon apple.

Conomon Group

Are oblong or club shaped fruits grown in Aisa. They too are used for pickling

Queen Anne's pocket melon

These are also known as pomegranate or plum granny. They are very fragrant and about the size of an orange.

Flexuosus Group

The popular Armenian cucumber is in this group. They are also called Snake melons. Armenians always have a place in my garden they are delicious eaten fresh or can be pickled.

Inodorus Group

This group includes honeydew, crenshaw, and casabas. Their flesh is either white or green.

Reticulatus Group

The common muskmelon which Americans call the cantaloupe are in this group as well as Persian melons. They have the familiar nettled rind and firm orange flesh. As gardeners know, they slip from the vine when ripe.

If learning of the many subspecies of melons has intrigued you, and you are already planning on planting some new exotic variety, then you will want to check out these seed sources.

Baker Creek Seeds

Seed Saver's Exchange
Pinetree Seeds

Planting Guide

Melons love to bask in the sun and are heat loving so planting in the sunniest spot of the garden is helpful. In cooler climates putting down black or red plastic mulch will warm the soil more to their liking. Hot caps or low tunnels may be necessary in some zones. I am in Zone 5 and plant the end of May up until mid June.

Melons need a loose soil and rich in organic matter. Direct sowing in the garden seems to work best.

Dig a hole at least 6 inches by 6 inches and mix in a compost along with a handful of dry organic fertilizer. Mix the amendments with your soil and pat down.

Plant 3 seeds 3x the width of the seed in each prepared area.

Be sure to leave plenty of room for the vines. Space 3-6' apart and alternate plantings between closely placed rows. Melons also do well in a raised bed with a short trellis nearby to grow on.

As the plants begin to vine put down a thick layer of mulch to prevent drying out and protect leaves from soil borne disease.

Water generously especially when fruiting. Drought stressed plants will not be as productive nor as sweet.

Flowering

The male flowers are the first to appear. Perhaps it's an ego thing. They appear at the leaf joint on the main stem and on large side shoots. Female flowers form later on secondary side shoots. Melons produce many flowers but each vine will probably only mature 3-4 fruits. Melons abort a large majority of female blossoms. Gardeners get concerned when they see an egg sized melon shrivel up and die. This too is normal. The energy from that fruit is absorbed into the vine. Remember only 3-4 fruits mature per vine.

Fertilizing

Melons benefit from additional fertilizer. Fertilize with fish emulsion and sea kelp when the true leaves appear, blossoms appear and fruit sets. A manure tea is also beneficial.

Handle with Care!

The vines are very fragile and do not like rough handling. If you have to redirect them do so gently.

Disease and Pests

Prevention the best option. Do not over crowd plants so the leaves dry out during the day. Overhead watering is not recommended. Be sure to rotate each year where you plant melons. In between your plantings of melons you can plant dried beans to better utilize space.

Disease Prevention Spray

I have found it beneficial to spray mature vines periodically with Neem, fish emulsion, and sea kelp . If fungal diseased has been a problem add Serenade. Serenade is a bacteria used to prevent or stop colonization of fungus. Neem is a systemic fungicide and pesticide. Both are safe for beneficial insects.

Striped and Spotted Cucumber Beetle

As the beetle feeds on your plants it not only damages leaves but can spread bacterial wilt. Bacterial wilt causes leaves to wilt. To determine if it is bacterial wilt pull a stem apart. If it has a sticky white substance inside, it is probably bacterial wilt and the entire plant should be removed.

Row covers can be used to protect plants until the female flowers develop. Bees and small flies are necessary for pollination so covers need to be removed at that time.

Powdery Mildew

Appears as white areas on leaves. The fungus will use some of the vine's sugars to fuel its growth which may result in less sweet melons. Prune off newly infected leaves. Neem oil, Serenade,or a homemade mixture of 1 tsp baking soda to 1 qt of water can be used to stop the spread.

Routine Prevention Spray

I have found it helpful to spray periodically with the following combination in a one gallon sprayer:

Neem Oil

Serenade if fungal disease is a problem

Sea Kelp

Fish emulsion

Neem is both a systemic pesticide and fungicide. Serenade is a fungicide. Sea Kelp and fish emulsion are foliar fertilizers, Kaolin Clay (Surround) can be added as a deterrent if you have severe pest pressure.

Harvesting

When a muskmelon is ripe is smells ripe and will slip from the vine when you press where the vine connects to the fruit. The skin between the netting also turns from green to tan or yellow. The netting becomes very rough.

Honeydew are very smooth when immature. As they mature they develop what looks like stretch marks and a sticky surface.

Enjoying Your Melons

Be sure that you plant a variety you actually want. Remember not all melons are the sweet fresh eating type so choose a variety to suit your purpose.

Fresh eating is the best way to enjoy melons. If I have too many ripen at once I cube and freeze them for smoothies or juicing.

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

The Fall Garden: How to Plant & What to Plant

If you don't have a fall garden you are missing out on a second crop of the cool season crops, and it is also one of the easiest times of year to garden- fewer weeds, pest, and disease. You also have the added benefit of absolutely gorgeous weather and fall colors to enjoy.

Here are links to learn more about extending your season into the fall and crop information for a great fall harvest. Plan ahead next year to enjoy a fall season of harvest.

Principles of Fall and Winter Gardening