Benefits of Mulching

Mulch is important to farmers. Mulch is a protective cover of material that is spread on top of soil. It is usually made out of organic material, like crop waste. Farmers may keep the remains of maize or other crops on top of the soil. This creates mulch on the soil surface. The plant remains help protect the soil against wind and water damage. This is called conservation tillage.

Mulching is one of the best things people can do for their plants. Mulch not only protects the soil against wind and water damage. It also helps keep the soil from getting dry, and reduces the need for watering plants. It also limits temperature changes in the soil. And it stops unwanted plants, or weeds, from growing.

Organic mulch improves the condition of soil. As the mulch breaks down, it provides material which keeps the soil from getting hard. This improves the growth of roots and increases the movement of water through the soil. It also improves the ability of the soil to hold water. Organic mulch contains nutrients for plants. It also provides a good environment for earthworms and other helpful organisms in the soil.

The best time to add mulch depends on your goal. Mulch provides a thick barrier between the soil and the air. This helps to reduce temperature changes in the soil. As a result, mulched soil will be cooler than other soil in the summer. Mulched areas usually warm up more slowly in the spring and cool down slowly in autumn. In winter, the mulched soil may not freeze as deeply as other soil.

Mulch used to help moderate the effects of winter weather can be added late in autumn. The best time is after the ground has frozen, but before the coldest weather arrives. Spreading mulch before the ground has frozen may attract small animals searching for a warm place to spend the winter. Delaying the spreading should prevent this problem. The animals will probably find another place to live.

The United States Department of Agriculture says it is easy to find organic mulch materials. Cut-up leaves and small pieces of tree bark can be used. Grass cuttings are also a good mulch for plants. Mulch from newspapers works well in controlling weeds.

Source:
VOA News

Vegetables and Vegetable Gardening

The following posts cover topics related to growing, preserving, preparing, eating, and the nutritional value of vegetables.

• The Black Pearl Pepper: Beauty With a Bite

• Legumes Provide Nutrition for People - and Soil

• Fortified Sweet Potato Provides a Vitamin A Boost to Help Fight Malnutrition

• Growing Vegetables in Shade

• Scientists develop method to grow fruits and vegetables in extreme climates

Nonprofit Seed Savers Exchange Helps Gardeners Save Seeds of Rare Plants

In 1975, a young husband and wife in the United States began an organization to save seeds from rare plants. Diane and Kent Whealy established the Seed Savers Exchange. They still work there, though they are no longer married.

The Seed Savers Exchange operates Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa, in the Midwest. The farm has grown to three hundred fifty-six hectares.

Before Diane Whealy's grandfather died, he gave her a few seeds from three plants he loved. The plants had been brought from northern Germany in the late eighteen hundreds. One grew pink tomatoes that tasted sweet. Another was a climbing bean. The third grew a morning glory flower with a red star.

When immigrants left Europe for America, many brought their best seeds with them. Many of those seeds were lost now. The seeds from Diane Whealy's grandfather gave the Whealys the idea to start the Seed Savers Exchange.

The organization describes its farm as a living museum of heirloom plants. It defines heirlooms as any garden plant passed down over time within a family, just like a piece of jewelry.

More than twenty-four thousand kinds of rare vegetables are in the permanent collection at Heritage Farm. These include four thousand traditional kinds from Eastern Europe and Russia. About ten percent of each crop is grown every summer, to produce fresh seeds.

Also, there are thousands of vegetables, fruits, grains, flowers and herbs that members of the exchange can buy from each other. These are listed each year in a yearbook. People who are not members can order from seed catalogs also published by the organization.

Big seed companies sell mostly hybrid seeds that cannot reproduce themselves. So people must buy new seeds each year.

Seed Savers calls itself an organized link for gardeners who want to protect the food supply through biodiversity. The idea is to grow many kinds of plants so one disease cannot harm them all.

The group says current best sellers include German extra hardy garlic and the Mexican sour gherkin cucumber. They also include Russian giant garlic and Georgian crystal garlic. In fact, there are lots of kinds of garlic, because the exchange ships garlic in September and October.

Seed Savers can be found on the Web at seedsavers.org.

Related topic:
Norway Plans to Store Seeds of All the World's Crops

Source:
VOA News Service
First published: September 5, 2005

Tips for Growing Tomatoes

Plant scientists consider them fruit. Most other people think of them as vegetables. Whatever you call tomatoes, there are many different kinds of this popular and healthy food.

Each plant can produce about four to seven kilograms of fruit. Growers can harvest a big crop with little space. Full plants with fruit take about eighty days to grow from seed. Cold weather can damage young plants, so they are often grown inside for four to six weeks.

A tomato plant can grow several thick stems from its base. Only two or three stems should be kept. From the stems come smaller growths called suckers. New suckers that grow between the stems should be removed. There should be a full meter between plants with three stems, a little less for plants with two stems.

There are two general groups of plants. Small tomato plants grow to about one meter. They can be planted rather close together. Some short kinds do not require special care and are often harvested by machines.

Large tomato plants can grow over two meters tall. They also provide larger fruit. These plants need support. One method uses wires run along both sides of a row of plants. The wires help hold the suckers and fruit. The wiring is secured to strong posts on either side of the row. The wires are raised as the plants and fruit grow.

People who grow only a few plants can place wire cages around each one. The cage can be made of wire fence material. The cage helps the plant grow taller and to produce a bigger crop.

Tomatoes often need extra calcium or the fruit may be ruined. Adding lime to the soil can prevent this problem.

Dry conditions may also ruin fruit. Tomatoes need water regularly. The soil should never dry out completely. Dried grass or leaves placed around the plant can help hold water in the soil and control the growth of unwanted plants.

Tomatoes are native to South America. The tomato is a member of the potato family. The leaves of the plant are poisonous, like the leaves of its relatives. Before the middle of the eighteen hundreds, people grew tomatoes only as pretty plants. They called the bright red fruit a "love apple," but would not eat it.

Source:
VOA News Service
Author: Mario Ritter
First published: October 18, 2005

Growing Vegetables in Shade

Farmers often feel they need a lot of sunshine to produce a good crop. But lots of vegetables grow well without much sun.

The Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania published a report about this subject some years ago in its magazine Organic Gardening. The report said many different kinds of foods from blueberries to beans can be grown in the shade.

Some vegetables do need a lot of sun. A vegetable crop expert at the University of Maine advised putting these vegetables where they can get from eight to ten hours of sunlight a day. Tomatoes, melons, squash and peppers are among those that need the most sun.

Plants that produce root crops, such as carrots and beets, need from six to eight hours of sunlight every day. But leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and spinach, need only six hours of sunlight a day.

The Rodale Institute says a garden should be planned carefully especially if you grow different kinds of foods. For example, rows of vegetables should be planted in an east-west direction. That way, as the sun passes overhead, all the plants will receive an equal amount of light. This is especially important when the plants grow to different heights.

Nut trees such as filbert, hazelnut and yellowhorn produce well with only sun in the morning.

Some fruits also do well without a lot of sunlight. In the United States, blueberries, raspberries, and several kinds of pears need only a little sun each day. In Asia, the hardy kiwi grows well in the shade.

Many herbs grow well without much sun. Mint plants, for example, grow well in the shade. So do sage, dill, oregano, borage, chamomile and several kinds of thyme.

The owner of a garden seed company warned against removing shade trees. He cut down all his shade trees to provide more sun for his crops. But then he had to protect his summer lettuce from the heat of the sun by hanging a piece of cloth to provide shade.

Instead of cutting trees, he suggested putting plants that need a lot of sunlight, such as tomatoes, in containers. That way they can be moved as the sun moves.

Internet users can learn more about the Rodale Institute at rodaleinstitute.org.

Source:
VOA News Service
Author: Bob Bowen
First published: March 7, 2006

Learning to Grow Better Nursery Plants

A new monitoring system developed by USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Ohio is teaching researchers and nursery growers how to grow better trees and horticultural plants using more precise, efficient and safe applications of water, nutrients and pesticides.

The system is the brainchild of a team assembled over the past three years by Charles Krause, research leader and plant pathologist in the ARS Application Technology Research Unit at Wooster, Ohio. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s principal scientific research agency.

Although the lessons learned in the research are still experimental, they’re already being adopted so rapidly by nursery operators that some in the industry expect the ARS monitoring system to be commercialized within the next few years. Nursery managers have reduced water use by 40 percent or more by applying these lessons.

The system monitors plant needs year-round, currently using 30 sensors for each of three sets of 50 trees. Tests are being done at Willoway Nurseries in Avon, Ohio, on Red Sunset maple, redbud, and Chanticleer pear trees. The sensors and a weather station linked to computer data loggers take readings—every minute, 24 hours a day, during the growing season—of measurements such as soil temperature and moisture.

The tests are being done with an increasingly popular production technique called “pot-in-pot,” in which potted plants are set inside holder pots permanently buried in the field. This especially lends itself to the new monitoring system, but is not the only technique that would work with it.

Excess water draining from the pots is measured and evaluated for quality and levels of wasted nutrients and pesticides. The system has shown that applying water at a slower rate several times a day reduces total water use and has revealed that the trees were being over-fertilized. It also promises to be the safest way to target pesticides, pumping them through hoses to individual spray nozzles attached to stakes in each plant pot.

For more details, see the February 2006 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

Source:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Author: Don Comis
First published: February 22, 2006

Sustainable Gardens Are Source of Food and Business in South Africa

One of the likely issues for discussion at the World Summit on Sustainable Development is the subject of food security: ensuring people at the greatest risk have a reliable source of food. One of the ways to reach that goal is to encourage even the poorest families to create self-sustainable vegetable gardens. One South African community has converted a barren plot of land into a thriving, sustainable food source and business.

Near the edge of a major roadway in Mkhuhlu, four women are busy at work in a series of small vegetable gardens. They talk about what to pick for their waiting customers.

They are part of a larger group of 25 women who, in the last seven years, have turned a desolate patch of earth into a prosperous vegetable garden and business.

Eunice Nyakana says the group started Bambanani Gardens as a way to feed their children.

She says she is happy today because she has food to give to her children. She says before they created the gardens she and the other mothers felt hopeless. They had no jobs and no money to buy food. Now, she says, even if they do not make money every day, at least they have food to take home.

Twice a week, Moses and Nancy Mathebula buy vegetables here to resell in their village, some 150 kilometers to the north.

As the women fill the bed of her small truck with vegetables, Mrs. Mathebula says she makes the long drive to Mkhuhlu because these women grow the best produce in the area.

"That is why I come here to buy here, because it is very better. And it is fresh. Fresh, fresh, fresh, fresh," said one customer.

Seven years ago, the women never envisioned getting paid to garden. When they asked EcoLink, a local environmental aid group, to teach them how to garden, they were simply trying to put food on the table.

For nearly two decades, EcoLink, with financial backing from Nestle South Africa, has worked with similar groups of women. They say this year, their community outreach projects, like Bambanani, will feed more than 100,000 impoverished South Africans.

EcoLink project manager Solly Mashego says now more than ever, it is important to teach people how to feed themselves. "Just because they cannot get employment somewhere, it does not mean they have to sit down and watch their children dying of starvation," he said.

Elsie Mpatlanyane, the team leader assigned to this project, says the example these women set is a powerful motivator in rural communities like Mkhuhlu. "I think it is important if everyone can copy from others and do the very same thing, maybe we will not suffer as we are suffering now."

The aid group EcoLink says as unemployment and HIV/AIDS continue to devastate South Africa's workforce, projects like Bambanani Gardens could mean the difference for many South African families between survival and starvation.

Source:
VOA News Service
First published: August 26, 2002

Xeriscape gardener conserves water through landscaping

Colorado is a drought disaster area. Much of the western state's water comes from rain and melting mountain snow. But this year, both snowpack and rainfall are at historic lows. In the national forests, the number of wildfires is at a record high, and firefighters are gearing up for more blazes to come. Cities are also bracing for the drought. Because 70 percent of summer water use goes to lawns, flowers, bushes and trees, cutting back on landscape watering has become a major priority. This has put more emphasis on Xeriscapes - a trademarked name for the technique of water conservation through creative landscaping.

The thunderclouds settling over Boulder seem heavy with water. But experienced gardeners know these clouds usually offer more rumble than rain. "When I hear thunder, I don't assume it's going to rain. Even if it's raining hard, it may only rain for five minutes, and that's not enough to water the plants at all," says Mikl Brawner, a professional Xeriscape gardener.

The landscapes he designs feature plants that use water wisely; here in Colorado, that means drought-resistant varieties. On average, Boulder receives only 43 centimeters of rainfall a year. Sunny skies and strong, hot winds add to the speed at which plants dry out. While many gardeners get around these harsh conditions by watering their lawns and flowerbeds daily, Mr. Brawner takes the opposite approach: If a flower or bush needs a lot of water, he doesn't plant it. And if a new addition proves to be a heavy drinker, he doesn't try to save it.

"A lot of plants that I planted that were not appropriate died. You know, some people thought I was very mean to not water them when I could see they were dying," he says. "But I had decided that for the purposes of demonstration for the community, that I would be a test garden and demonstrate for people what you could get, only watering five times a year."

In a small yard next to his garden shop, Mr. Brawner has been experimenting with Xeriscape plants for nearly 20 years. His demonstration garden is open to visitors, who can wander the winding pathways to enjoy its natural woodland look, with shrubs, groundcovers and trees.

The drought-tolerant pink roses, sky-blue columbine flowers and evergreens are watered only five times between June and September. While that may seem a meager amount of moisture, it's enough for those plants, as well as nubby-looking sedum groundcovers and the saucer-shaped leaves of lady's mantle. There's even an apple tree with the first blush of fruit. There's plenty of color and variety, but since plants that receive less water blossom less frequently, once spring rain gives way to summer sun, his garden contains few flowers.

"One flower, there in the midst of other foliage around it, has a very pleasing presence. It makes its statement and then leaves it at that," he laughed. While a thirsty lawn with plenty of flowers is still the norm in Colorado, here at Mr. Brawner's plant store, a steady stream of gardeners is seeking out the beautiful and hardy Xeriscape varieties.

Drought-tolerance is on everyone's mind, because Colorado is bracing for one of the driest summers on record.

"We really are facing a drought for Boulder that, probably no one alive today has really had to face," Chris Rudkin said. He directs water utilities for the City of Boulder. To weather this year's historic drought, the city has begun water rationing. Residents may water their lawns and gardens only twice a week, for 15 minutes at most each time. For gardeners with traditional landscapes, this might not be enough, but Mr. Rudkin said there's no other choice.

"Our mantra for the coming season is 'every drop counts.' It really, really does," he says.

Mikl Brawner is sympathetic toward gardeners whose landscapes might not survive this year but he said he sees a long-term benefit. "We never like to see plants die, but on the other hand, we've had some wet years here that have given us the wrong impression about what Colorado conditions are like. Maybe this year, in spite of the fact that it's going to be hard on a lot of us gardeners, is going teach us more about what real Xeriscape is and getting down to the nitty-gritty of how to garden in really low-water conditions, and still have beautiful gardens," he says.

"Hey, Mikl!" one man exclaims. "Hey! We've been talking so much about drought, it's starting to rain . . ."

As Mikl Brawner greets another customer, the thunderclouds finally release a drop or two and then, the rain stops. But thanks to his many Xeriscape plants, Mr. Brawner's garden continues to grow, a thriving example of what could be Colorado's landscape of the future.

Source:
VOA News Service
Author: Shelley Schlender
First published: June 8, 2002

Attracting Bees, Butterflies and Moths to Your Backyard or Garden

In the United States, there are nearly 5,000 different species of native bees. Most of them are solitary, friendly bees that nest in holes in the ground or burrows in twigs and dead tree limbs. These bees do not have hives to protect them, so they are not aggressive and rarely sting. Bumblebees, carpenter bees, sweat bees, leafcutter bees, digger bees, and others pollinate many different kinds of plants. They play a critical role in healthy wild plant communities and gardens. About 30 percent of our diet is the direct result of a pollinating visit by a bee to a flowering fruit tree or vegetable plant. Providing bee habitat in your yard can increase the quality and quantity of your fruits and vegetables.

Bees are extremely sensitive to many commonly applied insecticides. If you must use chemical insecticides in your garden, apply them in the evening when bees are less likely to be active.

Bees are attracted to most flowering plants, and are especially fond of blue and yellow flowers. Try planting your garden to have different species blooming in the spring, summer, and fall.

Bee houses

A good use for untreated scrap lumber (at least 3 to 5 inches thick) is to drill holes (from 1/8-inch to 5/16-inch in diameter) about 90 percent of the way into the thick wooden block. Space the holes about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch apart. The 5/16-inch holes work best as homes for orchard bees which are excellent pollinators of fruit trees. Hang your bee blocks under the eaves of your house or garden shed, protected from direct sun and rain.

Attracting butterflies and moths

Colorful butterflies and moths add beauty and interest to your backyard. There are hundreds of different species of butterflies and moths in North America. Butterflies and moths are insects. They hatch into larvae (commonly referred to as caterpillars), eventually become pupae, and develop into colorful adults. How long the process takes depends on the species and the climate.

Butterflies and moths are amazingly particular in their food choices. The larval stage of the butterfly may require food quite different from that of the adult. Some larvae consume tremendous amounts of plant material, seemingly devouring plants overnight. A common example in the garden is the tomato hornworm which rapidly strips tomato plants of their leaves. An equally voracious, but beautiful, larvae is the Eastern black swallowtail which is found only on plants in the carrot family, including celery, carrot, dill, and parsley. A close relative is the Eastern tiger swallowtail that eats the foliage of wild cherry, birch, poplar, ash, and tulip trees.

Adult butterflies require food in liquid form such as plant-produced nectar. They get some of it from flowers and from juices of extra-ripe fruit. The types of flowering plants you grow will determine the kinds of butterflies you attract to your backyard. In addition to the plants listed for hummingbirds, butterfly bush is especially attractive. Find out what species are common in your area and use plants they like. Nectar feeders can be placed in the yard to attract butterflies. Do not use insecticides near plants for butterflies. Learn to recognize larval and egg forms. That large green and black caterpillar eating your dill may one day turn into the gorgeous butterfly you were hoping to attract!

Butterflies, like all insects, are most active when temperatures are warmer. While moths are commonly found at night, most butterflies are active on sunny, warm days. Butterflies will benefit from a basking site where they can warm up on cool mornings. Add a light-colored rock or concrete garden sculpture as a basking site. Butterflies also need a source of water. A shallow dish of water or a depression in a rock that retains water is all they need.

The following types of plants are favorites of bees and butterflies, as well as being attractive additions to a yard and garden.

• Aster (Aster spp.)
  
• Azalea (Rhododendron spp.)
  
• Bee balm (Monarda spp.)
  
• Butterfly bush (Buddleia alternifolia)
  
• Butterfly weed and other milkweeds (Asclepias spp.)
  
• Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
  
• Clover and other legumes
  
• Columbine (Aquilegia spp.)
  
• Coneflower (Echinacea spp.)
  
• Delphinium (Delphinium spp.)
  
• Fuchsia (Fuchsia spp.)
  
• Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.)
  
• Jewel weed (Impatiens capensis or I. pallida)
  
• Lobelia (Lobelia spp.)
  
• Lupine (Lupinus spp.)
  
• Penstemon (Penstemon spp.)
  
• Phlox (Phlox spp.)
  
• Salvia (Salvia spp.)
  
• Trumpet creeper or vine (Campis radicans)
  
• Weigela (Weigela spp.)
  
• Zinnia (Zinnia spp.)
  

Before selecting plants for your yard or garden, it's a good idea to check with a local nursery about which species are most suitable for your area.

Source:
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Gardening for Wildlife - Tips on Creating a Backyard Habitat

Habitat is a combination of food, water, shelter, and space arranged to meet the needs of wildlife. Even a small yard can be landscaped to attract birds, butterflies, beneficial insects, and small animals. Trees, shrubs, and other plants provide shelter and food for wildlife.

The plants you use for food and cover will help determine the wildlife species attracted to your backyard. Nesting boxes, feeders, and watering sites can be added to improve the habitat.

Planning your wildlife habitat

Planning is necessary for attractive and productive wildlife habitat. You have both a horizontal area to work with--the size of your lot--as well as a vertical area that stretches from your soil to the treetops. The vertical area is composed of the canopy formed by the tallest tree branches; understory vegetation consisting of smaller trees, shrubs, and vines; the floor which is often dominated by low-growing groundcovers; and the basement where a variety of organisms exist in the soil. Different wildlife species live in each of these zones, so numerous habitats can be provided on a small piece of land.

Trees and shrubs are the backbone of any landscaping design and are important for wildlife shelter. Many tree and shrub species are excellent sources of food for wildlife. Proper selection of plant material can meet both the aesthetic needs of the homeowner and the food and shelter needs of wildlife. Remember that you are part of the habitat!

Steps to create habitat for wildlife:

1. Identify all existing plants, if any. Note:

• Condition of the plants and their locations.
  
• How much shade the trees and shrubs provide.
  
• Are trees evergreen or do they drop their leaves in the fall?
• Do they provide valuable food sources?
  

2. Make a sketch of your yard noting all existing plants, buildings, utilities, and pathways. You may even consider removing some plants. In some cases, trees have been planted too close to buildings or have grown much larger than the previous owner envisioned. Some species may be of little wildlife value and may not be particularly attractive. Once you have identified existing plants you want to save, start exploring options for plants that will work well with these species. The existing plants around your yard may be adequate to attract some wildlife, but a few changes can effectively enhance the existing habitat. Diversity in the landscape is necessary. Some plants provide food but very little cover; others provide cover but little food.

3. Add trees, shrubs, flowers, and groundcovers to your plan. Not all the planting needs to be done at once. If money or time is limited, consider it a work in progress.

4. Plant a variety of trees first. Select evergreen species for year-round cover and shelter. Select fruit or nut-bearing plants for a food source. Native species are well suited for providing wildlife habitat because they are adapted to the local soil, climate, and wildlife. Additional considerations for choosing and placement include:

• Eventual size. Whether they are evergreen or deciduous (trees that drop their leaves). Deciduous trees planted on the south side of a house will provide summer shade, but will not completely block winter sun.
  
  
• Neighboring properties.
  
  
• Flowering and fruiting habit. Select plants that flower and bear fruit at different times of the year. Some shrubs that produce berries can provide food throughout the year. Trees with nuts and fruit can also provide seasonal foods.
  
  
• Fill in with smaller shade-tolerant understory trees and shrubs. Adding these to an existing landscape will enhance the vertical structure that is common in natural landscapes. Many smaller trees and shrubs are colorful in the spring when they flower, and provide berries for fall and winter feed.
  
  
• Flowering annuals (plants that live one growing season) and perennials (plants that live for more than a year) add color to the yard and can be added at any stage to attract birds and butterflies. If your yard is large, consider using part of it for tall native grasses that provide beauty, as well as a natural source of food and shelter. A native wildflower garden provides the same function. Even on a small lot, native wildflowers, as well as some common garden species, can provide attractive habitat for a variety of birds and butterflies. Avoid straight lines and perfect symmetry. Natural habitat has curves and clumps of vegetation. Wildlife is not particularly attracted to a well-manicured lawn. Wildlife is more likely to come out into the open for viewing when the boundary of the yard is designed and maintained as a retreat for animals.
  

Further reading on this topic:
Attracting Birds to Your Backyard
Attracting Bees, Butterflies, and Moths

Source:
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Advice on thinning fruit

As the proprietor of a small loquat, fig, and lemon orchard (totalling 4 trees - well, the lemon's more of a shrub at this point) I was wondering about the best way to ensure the trees produce good-sized fruit. The loquats in particular tend to yield bunches of many small fruit with are largely filled with pits surrounded by a thin layer of flesh, and as a result aren't much fun to eat. I knew thinning was the recommended way to improve fruit size and quality, but wasn't sure how to go about it.

Fortunately I was able to find this article by Alice Ramirez from a 1997 issue of Flower & Garden Magazine, appropriately entitled "Thin That Fruit." The article notes that in addition to yielding a harvest of larger fruit with a better ratio of flesh to fruit, thinning wll also improve fruit flavor (those loquats have been pretty bland lately) and improve the health of the tree, since it's less likely to be overburdened by too many fruit and lose branches as a result.

It also recommends removing all the fruit from a small, developing plant, causing it to channel all its energy into developing the root and branch systems that will allow it to bear productively in future years. (I've just done this with a blueberry bush I planted recently - it wasn't exactly fun, since I love blueberries, but hopefully I'll be amply repaid next season.)

Other benefits of thinning include reducing the likelihood a tree will bear in alternate years, and the risk of "June drop," when summer heat stress causes a tree to drop all of its crop at once.

While most fruit trees can be thinned when the fruit is in the very early stages of development, Ramirez notes that loquats should be thinned at the flower stage by removing every other flower cluster. So that's at the top of my list for next growing season - until then, I'll just make do with gnawing on these pint-size loquats. (The birds and the squirrels certainly don't seem to mind them - maybe I'm just too picky.)

A gardener who happens to pitch for the Mets

The New York Times has a great article today about Pedro Martinez, renowned pitcher for the New York Mets, who it turns out is an avid gardener when not on the mound at Shea Stadium. Martinez owns an eight acre estate in Greenwich, Connecticut landscaped with dogwoods, crabapples, tulips, two waterfalls and a pond.

Martinez says that gardening helps him relax, focus, and heal from the serious wear-and-tear of major league pitching: "If something hurts, it disappears when you are in the garden. It's about deep thinking, about letting go."

According to the article Martinez's favorite flowers are orchids, found throughout his native Dominican Republic, which fascinate him because of their fragility. Strangely, he makes no mention of pitcher plants, but I'm sure he must appreciate those as well.

The gardening really must be helping, because this plant-loving pitcher has led the Mets to one of their best seasons ever. Turns out the secret to a mean curve ball may be a green thumb. It won't be long before we see Randy Johnson of the Yankees out planting dahlias.