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Robber Flies – Good Insects in the Garden-June 2018

This work is supported by Crops Protection and Pest Management Competitive Grants Program [grant no. 2017-70006-27188 /project accession no. 1013905] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Extension or the Texas A&M AgriLife Research is implied.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides equal access in its programs, activities, education and employment, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity.

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Harvesting Onions, Cleaning Onions, Onions drying

   

3 sisters Instructions for corn,  beans and squash.   Lizard Visitor to Garden

  

Eggplant, Spring Tomatoes, Tomatoes Ripening 

      

Tomato Cages in Place, Sweet Corn

 

2018 finds the WCMG Herb Garden in transition from an A&M test garden to an educational herb garden. The main path to the garden is lined with pots of mint leading to an arbor with coral vine cover.  The east side of the garden is divided into 5 specific areas introducing varieties of basil, lavender, sage, oregano and thyme.    The west side still reflects the test plant layout but it will be incorporated into an educational garden at a later date.

 

 

 

I’ve had a lot of questions lately about care and harvesting of onions and garlic so I thought I’d share the information with everyone.

Onions: By now your onions should be bulbing. This is your cue to stop fertilizing them.

It’s important to not water too close to harvest as it can make onions prone to rotting in storage. Take a moment to read these tips below.

When To Stop Watering

You will want to stop watering about one to two weeks before harvest. You’ll notice the lower leaves start to yellow and wither. Shortly after, the stems will flop over at the neck. Wait until most of them have done so, then bend over the stems of any remaining upright plants. Bending them above the bulb will signal the plants to enter dormancy.

Bolted Onions

Before harvesting, look over your onions. Onions will occasionally bolt (produce a flower stalk), as a reaction to cold weather stress. If you find that some of your onions have bolted, they should be eaten right away. They can’t be stored.

Garlic

At this point, new leaves are no longer being produced, so it is time to stop feeding garlic.

As harvest approaches, plants begin to dry down from the lowest leaf up and from the leaf tips downward, one leaf at a time. When this happens reduce watering. Filaree, where we purchase the seed garlic, recommends harvesting when the top 4 leaves are still 50% green and the lower leaves are completely dry. Bundle in groups of 5-10 plants and hang to dry undercover, out of direct sunlight with good air circulation.

The plants and bulbs cure completely after 3-4 weeks, depending on the weather. Check clove wrappers to make sure they are dry.

When completely cured, the neck may be cut about 1/2 inch above the bulb without any moisture being apparent.

Trim roots to 1/2 inch. Store in netted onion bags or ventilated crates.

Storing: most garlics store well at room temperature, although ideally 55-65 is a better range. Good luck with that around here!

Whew, if you are still with me, happy harvesting. By the looks of the garlic in the gardens, it has been a good year, so I’m hopeful that we will have a great harvest. Enjoy!

Teresa Wilts

Harvest totals for February 1-28, 2018 are:
Fresh produce: 86 pounds
Donated potatoes: 10 pounds
Canned donations: 286 pounds
Monthly total: 382 pounds

Measured rainfall for February 1-28 is: 2.055 inches

Cumulative totals year-to-date are:
Fresh produce: 132.19 pounds
Canned donations: 286 pounds
Donated potatoes: 10 pounds
Cumulative total: 428.19 pounds

Total rainfall for 2018 to date: 2.265 inches