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Heirloom Seed Varieties for Extreme Heat Conditions

Q. I’m in Southern California, and it is HOT here, I’m looking for some heat tolerant greens. I saw you have the Malabar Spinach and that’s supposed to be pretty good for zone 9/10… Do you have any recommendations of heat tolerant varieties lettuce, spinach, cucumbers etc. Anything else you can  recommend based on what you’ve seen growing in your garden?

A. Thank you for your patience in awaiting the list. 🙂 We took your requested varieties and expanded our search, deciding to make it a topic to share with all customers who live in extreme heat areas. Thank you for sparking this research! Below the lists, we also have added some links to articles you may find helpful, and some tips that are helpful when gardening in high heat. We hope you find this helpful. May God bless your gardening efforts! Continue reading Heirloom Seed Varieties for Extreme Heat Conditions

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Step by Step Guide to Growing Fabulous Microgreens

Step by Step Guide to Growing Fabulous Microgreens - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Step by Step Guide to Growing Fabulous Microgreens - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Our 4 year old daughter is thrilled with her harvest of microgreens.

Whether you’re a beginner or experienced gardener, growing microgreens indoors is a snap with the following easy step-by-step instructions.  All you will need are a few empty containers, (deli or lunch meat containers work great, save money, and are a way to recycle what you have on hand), soil, water, and light, and you can grow microgreens all year round.  Microgreens are super nutritious, grow quickly, require very little space, and are one of the easiest things to grow. They can be expensive to purchase, but you can easily grow your own, and add these super nutritious and flavorful veggies to your diet. If you have kids, this is a gardening project they can easily join in with, too. Our kids love helping grow(and eat!) our microgreens. Let’s dive right in and show how easy it is to grow them!

Continue reading Step by Step Guide to Growing Fabulous Microgreens
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Gardening for Beginners: Learn the Basics of Growing an Awesome Garden

Gardening for Beginners: Learn the basics of growing a fabulous garden - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

If you have never gardened before, now is the perfect time to start. Digging in the dirt is a fantastic way to de-stress and connect with nature, and a fun way to exercise! There is nothing more rewarding than strolling through your garden and picking vine-ripened tomatoes and cucumbers to toss into a crisp salad!

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Microgreens: Their Surprising Health Benefits and Importance in Your Life

Parsley Microgreens - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Parsley Microgreens - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Microgreens are relatively new and were first introduced in the 1980’s in upscale California restaurants to add fresh taste and stunning beauty to traditional cuisine. Once a novelty, they have steadily been growing in popularity. Even though small in size, they are chock full of nutrients, often containing more density of vitamins and minerals than larger and more mature vegetable greens. These aromatic greens are actually baby plants that have been harvested 7-21 days after sprouting, when they reach 1-3 inches tall.

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Getting your Garden Ready for Winter

Winter in Wisconsin - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Getting your Garden Ready for Winter - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
When the dreary days of Winter start to get to you, don’t forget you can start planning for next year to help look forward to warmer weather, fresh air, and the joys of gardening. – St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Now is the time when heirloom gardeners start getting their vegetable gardens ready for Winter. This is not just the end of this season, it is a time to lay the ground work for a good start to next year’s successful heirloom garden! New gardeners among us will wonder what they need to do to finish things off when their harvest is complete for the season.

Once you have picked all the heirloom produce that’s left in your garden, get things wound down for the year by cleaning up the beds. Taking time in the Fall to clean up a bit, makes getting the garden ready in the Spring a whole lot easier, and kicks things off to a good start next year. Continue reading Getting your Garden Ready for Winter

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Survive an Economic Collapse with Heirloom Seeds

This article is on how Heirloom Seeds can help you, and those around you survive an economic collapse.

  • Ensuring your own food supply.
  • Camouflage Gardening
  • Bartering with Heirloom Seeds.
  • Bartering with the vegetables produced in your own garden.

Many people are concerned about the possibility of collapse of the economy or the U.S. Dollar, and rightly so. With all the triggers in the world and the 40 trillion in US debt, the odds are in the favor of a collapse.  Many experts have been warning of the likelihood of a collapse in recent times, and things only seem to get closer and closer. After a collapse of the dollar, its value would soon be worthless.  In a very short time, we would see the price of everyday things go up dramatically, and this would eventually lead to a subsistence crises which is a lack of food, and essential resources. There would be empty store shelves  because it would be too expensive to buy or transport food into the stores, the whole economy would come to  a grinding halt. This scenario we have seen played out throughout past months in present day Venezuela.

If the credit market seizes up.

"If the credit market seizes up, you will not be able to buy goods at your local grocery store, Wal-marts, etc. The distribution system, trucking, shipping, they all rely on credit. Nothing gets done without credit. This is going the affect the real economy like nothing we've ever seen in our lifetimes." - Bill Holter - jsmineset.com

This is where Heirloom Seeds come into play as a vitally important asset.

Ensuring your own food supply

Ensuring your family's food supply, and even those around you in need is the primary reason to have heirloom seeds. Heirloom Seeds can be saved year after year, and provide valuable nutrition when food is scarce. You would essentially become your own seed supplier, by being able to save your own seeds for growing next season.

Camouflage Gardening

In a time of economic collapse, the inner cities would  become very dangerous, as people crazed by hunger seek to provide for their needs at any cost. If you plant a garden out in the open, odds are the fruits of your labors would be stolen or vandalized.   "Camouflage Gardening" is the art of having a garden and hiding it in plain site.

Bartering with Heirloom Seeds

Many people talk about the importance of having precious metals like gold and silver to use as money in the event of a dollar collapse. While precious metals may ensure long term financial recovery, they will not be worth much in the immediate aftermath of  a crash. In the event of the collapse of the dollar, the economy will primarily be a barter economy until a new form of currency is introduced. In the mean time, things will be pretty scary, and panic will be high as people suddenly stop worrying about their new I-phone and start to wonder where their next meal is coming from. In a subsistence crises, you could have all the money, gold, and silver in the world, but if there is nothing to buy, the value of these precious metals suddenly becomes worthless for day to day needs. The value of heirloom seeds during this time would be sky high as people would instantly realize their value in providing a food source for their family.

Bartering with the vegetables produced in your own garden.

Not only will seeds be a great bartering item, but the produce you can grow if you have the knowledge of how to garden would also be a huge asset to use in bartering. Not all people know how to garden, but if you do, and can grow produce from the seeds you stock up and store, you will be very popular with those in your area. During times of economic collapse, food will be scarce. If you can be a producer of food as well as a consumer, it will serve you well. Garden vegetable's can be traded for other supplies or food you do not have. If your neighbor is an avid hunter and fisherman, the two of you would be able to survive fairly well until the crisis is over.

And Most Important!

If the unthinkable happens, remember to pray hard and rely on God to help you to take the next right step and to provide for your family's daily needs. Remember to be a "man of your word" and a person of integrity in these times. If you become known as a person in your neighborhood who doesn't keep his word and can't be trusted, all the seeds and vegetables in the world will not save you, in the end.

Our Heirloom Seeds Collections are a great place to start if you would like to orders seeds to safeguard your future food supply.

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Preventing Disease Part 3: Water Early and Insect Pests

Water early or use soaker hoses.

“Water in the morning” This is one of those old tried-and-true bits of advice that many think is just an old wives’ tale, but really, it makes sense. Many fungal diseases need damp, cool environments to thrive. So if our plants’ foliage is wet overnight, that gives these diseases very favorable environment in our garden. The easiest way to prevent this is to water as early in the day as possible, so that your plants can dry off before nightfall. Bottom watering with soaker hoses eliminates this issue. Yes rain will get on the leaves, but adding our own water to the plants and leaves only perpetuates the problem.

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Preventing Disease Part 2: Keep Diseases at Bay

Preventing Disease Part 2 - Keep Diseases at Bay - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Keep Diseases at Bay: Allow the soil to warm before planting, letting the sun destroy fungal diseases before you start for the year.

Preventing Disease Part 2 - Keep Diseases at Bay - St. Clare Heirloom SeedsKeep diseases at bay: Some fungal diseases get a head start in our gardens because we plant when the soil is still too cool. Our plants are stressed, just trying to get a start in cooler than their ideal temperatures, putting more energy into just trying to survive, which makes them less able to fight of diseases, and before we know it, we’re dealing with sick plants. The easiest way to eliminate this problem is to allow the soil to warm and ensure that you’re not planting to early in the spring.

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Preventing Disease Part 1: At least as much as possible!

Preventing disease is much easier than treatment.

Powdery mildew on tomatoes - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Three leaves infected with with powdery mildew showing different signs and symptoms. – St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Preventing disease in your heirloom vegetable garden is much easier than treatment. Isn’t this the truth in so many things? The old adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” rings true in the garden, too. Treating a problem with plant disease is much harder than taking some precautionary steps ahead of time. And, if you wait until it’s too late, you may lose the battle and all your hard work will be lost.

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Organic Gardening Part 6: Crop Rotation

Organic Gardening Part 6: Crop Rotation - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Crop rotation is part of building healthy soil which is an ongoing process, one to work at each garden season. – St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Crop rotation is a systematic approach to deciding which crop to plant where in your vegetable garden from one year to the next. It  is as important a factor in soil health as amendments, and reduces the amount of work you have to put into achieving healthy soil for your plants.

Interesting fact: George Washington Carver was a major pioneer in teaching of crop rotation, a big help in replenishing soil, rejuvenating the yields and success in farming.

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Organic Gardening Part 5: Organic Soil Amendments

Organic compost - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Worm Castings are an excellent organic soil amendment, hard to Worm Castings - St. Clare Heirloom Seedsfind in retail stores, but a great addition to your soil. The nice thing is, you can order them by mail.
An amazing fact about worm castings: God in His infinitely awesome abilities in creation made worms to produce organic fertilizer. Even if what they take in for food has any chemicals or such, it comes out the other end organic, filtered by their amazing digestive system. They have been lab tested over and over, and this is how they always come out, pure and 100% organic.

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Organic Gardening Part 4: The Importance of Good Soil

“Start at the very beginning, a very good place to start”

Few of us start with good soil, but we can all build it. Turning poor soil into plant-friendly soil is not difficult to do, once you understand the components of healthy soil. Using gardening methods which improve rather than hurt the soil play a huge part in successful gardening.

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Organic Gardening Part 3: Control Weeds

Control weeds!

There are simple, organic methods to reduce your work here, too.

Weeds steal nutrients from your plants, reducing their vigor. The age-old practice of cultivating between plants with a hoe, not only suppresses weeds, but aerates your soil, too. A good workout in the garden on your knees pulling weeds, or wielding a hoe is healthy for you, and your garden, too. But, what if your health isn’t able to keep up with the weeding, what if you are strapped for time, and always get behind on the weeding?

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Organic Gardening Part 2: Learn Your Insects

Organic Gardening Part 2: Learn Your Insects - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Learn your insects: Get rid of the bad, not the beneficials.

Learn your insects! Organic gardening doesn’t mean you have to Learn your insect - Assassin bug - St. Clare Heirloom Seedsshare your harvest with the bugs, but you will probably have less than pristine looking plants and produce. Since  in organic gardening you are trying to garden in cooperation with nature, sometimes you have to accept the occasional pest in the garden, not taking the typical line of attack that has been popular in recent generations of grabbing the nearest pesticide. Your first line of defense should be vigilance. Inspect your plants regularly for signs of a problem and take organic methods of action quickly. Keep in mind, though, not every insect is a foe and that action doesn’t necessarily mean pesticide. Just picking bugs and eggs off plants and putting them in a bucket of soapy water is frequently a first step for organic gardeners. Learn which are the beneficial insects and keep them around, they will help do your work for you, getting rid of pests.

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Organic Gardening Part 1: The Basics

Organic Gardening produce. - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Organic Gardening:
The basic “Why’s” and “How’s” of growing organic.

Organic Gardening can yield a lot of produce plus the peace of mind of being chemical free. - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Organic Gardening can yield a lot of produce plus the peace of mind of being chemical free. – St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Organic gardening was for a while seen as something only the super health-nuts or hippies did. But, not so anymore, we are all becoming aware that the methods of gardening with chemicals that have become popular in recent generations are no healthier than the awful stuff called margarine. The more research that has come out showing the terrible side effects of synthetic fertilizers and the chemicals in commercial pesticides and herbicides, the more we realize, the hippies had something there! Funny thing, though, organic gardening is really not so recent as all that. Thousands of years of gardeners before us grew only with organic methods.  Here we’ll delve a bit into the whys of going organic, and a couple starting points to begin with if you aren’t already on the bandwagon.

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Why Heirloom Seeds

What advantages do they have over hybrids?

Heirloom Squash varieties in fall setting. - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Heirloom Squash come in hundreds of varieties; big, small, long, skinny, blue, yellow, tan, peach, black, brown. Try a new variety of heirloom squash this year. – St. Clare Heirloom Seeds.

Flavor, flavor, flavor! One of the first reasons people grow open-pollinated or heirloom seeds is the flavor. Hybrids are bred for many characteristics such as uniformity (in shape or harvest time), high yields, withstanding rigors of transport, etc. But, sadly in the breeding process the desirable characteristics like flavor and nutritional value suffer. There’s truly nothing as delicious as a sun-ripened home-grown heirloom tomato. You tomato lovers out there know just what I mean when I say we suffer each winter, waiting for the first delicious tomatoes of the next garden season. 🙂

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Juice and Salsa Tomatoes

Juice and Salsa Tomatoes - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Question

Hi, I am wondering which tomatoes you would recommend for canning, mainly juice and salsa tomatoes. I Amish Paste Tomato - St. Clare Heirloom Seedsusually grow Amish Paste or Roma’s.  I want to stay away from GMO’s.
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Large Family Seed Collection garden size

Large Family Heirloom Seed Collection - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Question:

Large Family Heirloom Garden Seeds Collection - St. Clare Heirloom SeedsHow large of an area will it take to plant your Large Family Seed Collection that sells for $79.00. Please give me an idea as to how much space is needed, tight and not so tight.

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We sell Heirloom Non-GMO Seeds

We sell Heirloom Non-GMO Seeds - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Heirloom Non GMO Scarlet Nantes Carrots - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Question: I am looking at starting my garden and collection of Heirloom Non-GMO Seeds but want to ensure they are Non-GMO and Heirloom. In looking through your seeds for sale, some specifically say that and others do not. Are ALL of the seeds Heirloom Non-GMO seeds or only the seeds labeled that way in the description?

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Easy Peel Tomatoes

Easy Peel Tomatoes - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Easy Peel Heirloom Tomatoes - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Nothing tastes quite as good as you own homemade spaghetti sauce, made from your own heirloom tomatoes, in the middle of winter.

The canning season may be over for most of us gardeners but we are excited about this tip that we discovered through a customer inquiry. We have always gone with the “blanch and peel” method of peeling tomatoes for canning, a messy and at times difficult method, but it works. However, when a customer asked us if we had a better method we thought we’d go looking and see what we could find. Our new favorite method: Gas-Flame Peeling! For more info on Easy Peel Tomatoes and other methods of peeling your favorite heirloom tomatoes click on over to http://www.wikihow.com/Peel-Tomatoes.

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Gardening in Northern Wisconsin

Gardening in Northern Wisconsin - St. Clare Audio

Question

I have a question about gardening in northern Wisconsin. I’ve never lived remotely near this far north and am rather nervous about what I’ll truly be able to grow.

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Companion Planting Options for your Heirloom / Open Pollinated Vegetable Garden

Companion Planting - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Companion planting in your Heirloom / Open Pollinated vegetable garden can be a great asset when it comes to gardening. Whether the pairing has been confirmed by research studies or is simply part of companion planting tradition we’re not sure, but this list is some of what we could find. Here are some companion plantings you may want to try, with information on the type of interaction.

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Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination

Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Crops

 

Asparagus
Beans, Lima
Beans, Snap
Beets
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Lettuce
Muskmelons
Okra
Onions
Parsley
Parsnips
Peas
Peppers
Pumpkins
Radishes
Spinach
Squash
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Turnips
Watermelons

Minimum (° F)

 

50
60
60
40
40
40
40
40
50
60
60
35
60
60
35
40
35
40
60
60
40
35
60
40
50
40
60

Optimum Range (° F)

 

60-85
65-85
65-85
50-85
45-95
45-85
45-85
60-70
60-95
65-95
75-90
40-80
75-95
70-95
50-95
50-85
50-70
40-75
65-95
70-95
45-90
45-75
70-95
50-85
60-85
60-105
70-95

Optimum (° F)

 

75
85
80
85
85
80
80
70
95
95
85
75
90
95
75
75
65
75
85
95
85
70
95
85
85
85
95

Maximum (° F)

 

95
85
95
95
100
95
100
85
105
105
95
85
100
105
95
90
85
85
95
100
95
85
100
95
95
105
105

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Primary Heirloom Vegetable Garden Plant Food Elements

Key Plant Food Elements That Your
Open Pollinated / Heirloom Vegetable Garden Needs

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How to Plan Your Organic Open Pollinated / Heirloom Vegetable Garden

How to Plan Your Organic Open Pollinated / Heirloom Vegetable Garden - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Planning for Planting

by Becky Crouse

Whether you are an experienced Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable gardener or you have finally decided that you are ready to graduate from window boxes, planting a vegetable garden requires planning. A properly planned and planted vegetable garden will naturally resist disease, deter insect pests, and be healthy and hardy. With the spring planting season fast approaching, winter is the ideal time to get started.

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Vegetable Gardening on the Contour

By the Soil Conservation Service

Does rainwater from your neighbor’s property drain onto your Heirloom / Open Pollinated vegetable garden? Is your Heirloom / Open Pollinated Vegetable garden on a slope so that water rushes off and is lost to the vegetable plants, taking soil with it? Is your Heirloom / Open Pollinated vegetable garden on a steep slope where you want to plant perennials, shrubs, or azaleas? If so, you should think seriously of planting on the contour or perhaps building a terrace.

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Organic Management of Vegetable Diseases, Part II:

Organic Management of Vegetable Diseases Part II - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Gary Vallad and Amanda Gevens
University Florida Ext.

Introduction

Organic Management of Vegetable Diseases Part II - St. Clare Heirloom SeedsThe successful management of both soil borne and foliar diseases requires a multifaceted program, taking into consideration variety selection, cultural methods, biological’s, and chemical applications approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) and certified organic under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP). This review emphasizes the management of foliar disease and serves as a guide to assist growers in selecting strategies to manage disease in a sustainable system.

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Organic Management of Vegetable Diseases Part I:

Gary Vallad and Amanda Gevens
University Florida Ext.

Most methods of plant-disease control follow one of the six principles summarized by the acronym REPEAT: Resistance, Eradication; Protection, Exclusion, Avoidance, and Therapy. The following is an overview of these principles with an emphasis on methods acceptable in certified organic vegetable production for controlling plant disease caused by soilborne pathogens.

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New Zealand Spinach in the Open Pollinated / Heirloom Garden

New Zealand Spinach - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Jill Samuelson and Dan Drost
Utah State University

New Zealand Spinach - St Clare Heirloom SeedsOpen Pollinated / Heirloom New Zealand spinach is a warm season alternative to regular spinach that does well in hot, dry conditions. Soak seeds in water for 24 hours prior to planting to hasten germination. Seeds should not be planted directly outside until after the last frost date, or start transplants inside 3-4 weeks prior to the last frost. Plant seeds ½ inch deep in loose, fertile soil that has had organic matter incorporated prior to planting. Space plants 3 feet between rows, and every 12 inches after thinning within rows. Although Open Pollinated / Heirloom New Zealand spinach is drought tolerant, water consistently for the best flavor. Fertilize frequently with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Mulches and row covers can help in starting plants outside earlier. Mulches also help with weed control and retaining soil moisture. Leaves should be harvested frequently to encourage new, lush growth. Cut the tips and eat raw or cooked.

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Understanding the USDA Organic Label

Certified Organic Non-GMO Heirloom seeds - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Danielle D. Treadwell and Mickie E. Swisher
Florida State University
IFAS Extension

Certified Organic Non-GMO Heirloom seeds - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Organic certification addresses a growing worldwide demand for organic seeds.

Organic food and other organically produced products are available to consumers in a variety of retail outlets, and the quantity and diversity of organic food and other organically produced products increases every year. The information that appears on an organic label is variable and depends on the percent of certified ingredients, as well as the manufacturer’s or supplier’s desire to advertise the product as organic. Thus, organic product labels can be difficult for consumers to interpret. In addition, many consumers lack a clear understanding of the regulatory significance of products bearing the United States Department of Agriculture’s “USDA Organic” label.

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Nematode Management in Organic Agriculture

Romy Krueger and Robert McSorley
Florida State University
IFAS Extension

Nematode Management

Nematodes are usually microscopic in size and are classified as unsegmented worms, belonging to the Phylum Nematoda. Plant-parasitic nematodes are a concern for growers of agricultural or Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable garden crops. These plant-parasitic nematodes will mainly feed on the roots of plants. A few kinds will feed on foliage but this not common. Many other kinds of nematodes are present in the soil as well. These include decomposers, predators, insect parasites, and animal parasites. Some nematodes are aquatic and do not affect terrestrial plants. Other nematodes act as decomposers, predators, and insect parasites. In farming systems, nematode predators and parasites of insects are beneficial, while nematode parasites of animals and plants are considered pests in agriculture. Beneficial nematodes that

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Growing Open Pollinated / Heirloom Tomatoes in the Home Vegetable Garden

Heirloom tomatoes - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
By Allan Stoner

Open Pollinated / Heirloom Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables grown in home gardens. Open Pollinated / Heirloom Tomatoes grow under a wide variety of conditions with a minimum of effort, and they require relatively little space for a large production. Of tropical American origin, tomatoes do not thrive in very cool weather. They are suited to spring, summer, and autumn culture over most of the North and upper South, and they will grow in winter in the extreme South. Each Open Pollinated / Heirloom tomato plant may be expected to yield 8 to 10 pounds of fruit. The number of tomato plants needed will depend on the size of your family. To spread the Open Pollinated / Heirloom tomato, to harvest over the growing season, stagger planting dates at 2 to 3 week intervals.

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Blossom End Rot in Open Pollinated / Heirloom Garden Vegetables

Sherman V. Thomson/Extension Plant Pathologist
Scott C. Ockey/Plant Disease Diagnostician

Blossom end rot is a non-parasitic disease affecting Open Pollinated / Heirloom tomato, pepper, and watermelon fruit. Fruits are usually affected when about one-third or more grown, but the disease can occur during any growth stage of the fruit. Losses caused by blossom end rot vary from negligible to severe.

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Powdery Mildew on Tomatoes

Sherman V. Thomson/Extension Plant Pathologist
Scott C. Ockey/Plant Disease Diagnostician

 

Powdery mildew on tomatoes - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Three leaves infected with powdery mildew showing different signs and symptoms.

Powdery mildew on Tomatoes, caused by the fungus Leveillula taurica, occurs infrequently in home gardens. However, the disease can be very devastating in commercially-grown tomatoes where yield losses may exceed 50% in heavily infected fields. The extent of loss depends on environmental conditions, date of disease onset, and effectiveness of fungicide control. Hot, dry days with an occasional rainstorm are conducive to disease development.

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Cold Frame, Hot Bed Construction and Use for the home Heirloom / Open Pollinated Vegetable Garden

Elton M. Smith
Ohio State University Extension

Hot beds and cold frames are used by Heirloom / Open Pollinated vegetable gardeners for propagating vegetables for the garden. Hot beds are used for starting the Heirloom / Open Pollinated vegetable plants and cold frames for tempering or hardening vegetable plants to outdoor conditions before transplanting. For most home vegetable gardeners the same frame can serve both purposes. The principle difference between the two is that hot beds have a heat source. Traditionally, hot beds and cold frames were built even with or slightly below ground level and covered by glass sash. Present-day frames are often completely above ground and plastic covered because film is generally available at a reasonable cost.

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Damping-off and Root Rot of Heirloom / Open Pollinated Beans in your Garden

Sally A. Miller, Richard M. Riedel, Randall C. Rowe
Ohio State University Extension

Root rots, damping-off before and after seedling emergence, and seed rots are destructive diseases of Heirloom / Open Pollinated green, snap, lima, and dry beans. These diseases are caused primarily by soil borne fungi. Significant losses may occur to susceptible varieties, especially if cool, wet weather conditions prevail for the first few weeks after vegetable seeding and then are followed by hot, dry weather. Disease incidence and severity often vary greatly, even in areas with a history of root rot. In the same Heirloom / Open Pollinated vegetable growing season, it is not uncommon to lose a Heirloom / Open Pollinated vegetable crop completely and then re-seed and experience no problems. This situation results from changes in biological, environmental, and soil conditions. Since there are no commercially acceptable resistant varieties, vegetable growers should learn how to recognize these diseases and use a combination of management practices to minimize potential losses.

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Build a Snow Fence Windbreak for you Open Pollinated / Heirloom Vegetable Garden

A windbreak can be used to conserve soil moisture in your Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable garden or to keep the wind from blowing the vine plants around. Use a material that casts low shade while filtering wind is ideal. This simple version uses wood snow fencing, which is inexpensive, easy to install and remove, and may be attractive enough to leave up year-round.

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Some Open Pollinated / Heirloom Garden Vegetables Like It Hot

Open Pollinated / Heirloom garden vegetables vary so much in their preferred growing temperatures, planting the heirloom vegetable garden isn’t a one day job. Be prepared to spend several days over the course early spring to early summer planting heirloom vegetable seeds and plants. You’ll plant cool weather crops a few weeks before the last spring frost. Set out warm weather vegetable crops just after the last spring frost. Hot weather vegetable crops cannot tolerate frost or cold soil. Unless you can protect them with a portable cold frame or row covers, plant them at least three weeks after the last spring frost. In warm climates, plant cool weather vegetable crops again in early fall so that they grow during the fall and winter. Here is a guide to the temperature preferences of 30 common heirloom garden vegetables;

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10 Tips for Storing Your Seeds

Pinto Bean - St. Clare Heirloom SeedsIf you have leftover vegetable seeds or you want to save your seeds from your Heirloom Open Pollinated plants from your vegetable garden this year, you'll need to store them properly to ensure good germination.

 

 

  1. They need to be dry and cool no matter where you're storing your seeds. Humidity and warmth shorten the shelf life of seeds.
  2. The refrigerator is generally the best place for storing your seeds, or else another cool spot in your living space.
  3. Keep your seed packets in plastic food storage bags, plastic film canisters, mason jars a lid, or glass canisters with gasketed lids.
  4. You can check your bigger Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable seeds to make sure they are dry enough by smashing a couple with a hammer. If the seed shatters, then it is dry enough.
  5. To keep seeds dry, wrap 2 heaping tablespoons of powdered milk in 4 layers of facial tissue, then put the milk packet inside the storage container with the seed packets, or add a packet of silica gel. DO NOT use oxygen absorbers in storing seeds or vacuum seal them. Seeds need oxygen to remain viable, as they are living organisms. Only use moisture absorbers.
  6. Store each year's Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable seeds together and date them. Because most seeds last about 3 years, you'll know at a glance which container of seeds might be past its prime when planting season comes.
  7. When you're ready to plant, remove seed containers from the refrigerator and keep them closed until the seeds warm to room temperature. Otherwise, moisture in the air will condense on the seeds, causing them to clump together.
  8. If you're gathering and saving seeds from your own Open Pollinated / Heirloom plants, spread the seeds on newspaper and let them air dry for about a week. Write seed names on the newspaper so there's no mix-up. Pack the air-dried seeds in small paper packets or envelopes, and label with plant name, date, and other pertinent information. Remember, if you want to save your own seeds, you'll need to plant open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. They'll come back true to type; hybrids won't.
  9. You can also dry saved seeds on paper towels. They'll stick to the towels when dry, so roll them up right in the towel to store them. When you're ready to plant, just tear off bits of the towel, one seed at a time, and plant seed and towel right in the soil.
  10. Even if you're organized, methodical, and careful about storing seeds, it's good to realize and accept the fact that some seeds just won't germinate the following year. Home Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable gardeners will find that stored sweet corn and parsnip seeds, in particular, have low germination rates, and some other seeds will only remain viable for a year or two.

These ten tips for storing your seeds will help you keep your seeds viable for longer!

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Making a Broom Corn Broom

Making a Broom Corn broom requires practice, but anyone can make one with a little bit of practice. The secret is to bind the stems together as tightly as you can, which is best done with the help of a handy doorknob. You can use a straight stick or dowel rod for the handle. Or you could even use a straight branch for your broom handle.

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How to Make a Scarecrow for your Open Pollinated / Heirloom Vegetable Garden

A scarecrow in the farmers field. - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
To build a scarecrow from scratch, you need only a few materials and a willingness to use your imagination. – St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Scarecrows have been scaring birds away, or, in some cases amusing them, for as long as man has grown crops. Some say these whimsical creatures were first used by tribes in central or northern Europe; others claim that Indians were the first to employ them. Wherever the origin, the scarecrow has been used on farms and in Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable gardens across the country for many years.

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Top 10 Reasons to Use Organic Mulch

By putting an organic mulch in your Heirloom vegetable garden, you’ll save hours of time each year. You should apply a layer of wood chips, grass clippings, shredded bark, sawdust, or pine needles in your vegetable garden because:

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All about Heirloom / Open Pollinated Beans

All about Heirloom / Open Pollinated Beans - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Henderson's Black Valentine Bush BeanHutterite Soup Bush BeanChristmas Lima BeanFordhook 242 Bush Lima BeanBrockton Horticultural Pole Bean
Phaseolus vulgaris – Leguminosae or Fabaceae (Pea Family)
Beans are a crop that grow well in warm weather, so wait until after your last frost date to plant. If the soil is too cold the bean seeds will just sit in the ground and rot. Plan an average of ten to fifteen plants per person. Cold, wet weather can bring about disease. To prevent disease don’t touch healthy Bean plants after working with diseased ones and try not to touch them when there wet. Most dried beans whether bush or semi-vining, require long growing seasons. To direct-sow them plant 1” deep and space them about 6” apart. Beans are very high in protein. Like other legumes, soybeans and cowpeas are excellent green manure crops that enrich soil with organic matter and nitrogen. Some people plant a crop of soybeans just to till them under to add organic matter to there soil.

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All About Heirloom Tomatoes

All About Heirloom Tomatoes - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Amish Paste TomatoGreen Zebra TomatoGolden Jubilee TomatoHomestead TomatoMarglobe Supreme Tomato

There are many factors along the way that can affect a heirloom tomato’s quality such as watering, fertilizing, ripeness when picking, and storage and handling factors. Two mistakes often made when heirloom tomatoes make it into the kitchen is refrigerating them or leaving them on a sunny windowsill to ripen (only tomato plants need full sun; harvested fruit does not). Both of these practices will degrade flavor.

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Benefits of Worm Castings

Benefits of Worm Castings - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Benefits of Worm Castings

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The Benefits of Worm Castings - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Our Worm Castings are Organic and Lab Tested 99% Pure! – St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Worm castings (a.k.a. worm manure, vermicompost, or worm excreta) are rich in plant nutrients, trace minerals and growth enhancers, and incorporating castings into the soil significantly increases microbial life in the root zone. Worm castings are extremely beneficial in that they stimulate plant growth more than any other natural product, enhance the ability of your soil to retain water, and also inhibit root diseases such as root rot. The humus in worm castings removes toxins and harmful fungi and bacteria from the soil. Worm Castings therefore have the ability to fight off plant diseases.

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How to use Worm Castings

Worm castings are the most nutrient rich fertilizer known to man. - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

How to use Worm Castings

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New uses for worm castings are being discovered everyday. Indoors or outdoors, in the ground or in containers, earthworm castings from St. Clare Heirloom Seeds are for your entire heirloom garden.

How to use Worm Castings - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
How to use worm castings is a popular question. New uses for worm castings are being discovered everyday.

How to use Worm Castings Indoors:
Worm Castings can be added to potting soil or mixed into the soil of house plants that are existing. They can also be top dressed on household and inside plants and the nutrients will soak down thru the soil each time they get watered. Repeat every 2 – 3 months as the plants use up the nutrients.

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All about Worm Castings (a.k.a. Worm Manure, Vermicompost, or Worm Excreta)

Benefits of Worm Castings - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

All about Worm Castings (a.k.a. Worm Manure, Vermicompost, or Worm Excreta)

To Purchase Worm Castings Now, Click Here!

Worm castings are the most nutrient rich fertilizer known to man. - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Worm castings are the most nutrient rich fertilizer known to man, stimulating plant growth more than any other natural product on the market. – St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Worm castings are the most nutrient rich fertilizer known to man, stimulating plant growth more than any other natural product on the market. They are 99% pure, natural, and organic, making earthworm castings one of the most highly sought after organic fertilizers today, as more people seek to grow organic and healthy plants in their gardens. Worm castings are the original natural fertilizer put in place by the Creator since the beginning of time, discovered by man to be extremely beneficial in the plant and gardening world.

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Organic Management of Vegetable Diseases – Part 1

Organic Management of Vegetable Diseases Part I:

Gary Vallad and Amanda Gevens
University Florida Ext.

Most methods of plant-disease control follow one of the six principles summarized by the acronym REPEAT: Resistance, Eradication; Protection, Exclusion, Avoidance, and Therapy. The following is an overview of these principles with an emphasis on methods acceptable in certified organic vegetable production for controlling plant disease caused by soilborne pathogens.

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Garden Site Selection

Garden site selection - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Garden site selection - St. Clare Heirloom SeedsSelecting a Garden Site for your
Open Pollinated / Heirloom Vegetables

A back yard or some other plot near your home in full sunlight is the most convenient Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable garden site. However, poor drainage, shallow soil, and shade from buildings or trees may mean your Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable garden must be located in an area farther from the house.

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Damping Off or Pythium – Controlling and Preventing

Damping Off of a heirloom garden seedling - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Damping Off

Damping Off of a heirloom garden seedling - St. Clare Heirloom Seeds
Damping Off is a term used for a variety of fungal problems that lead to sudden seedling death.

Damping off is a term used for a variety of fungal problems that lead to sudden seedling death. A soil-borne fungal disease that affects seeds and new seedlings, damping off usually refers to the rotting of stem and root tissues at and below the soil surface. Usually, the plants will germinate and come up fine, but within a few days they become water-soaked and mushy, fall over at the base, and die. The pathogens attack the tender stems and roots of the seedlings. Some seedlings look pinched at the base of the stem, others flop over, and some wither away entirely. Once the process is underway, its hard to save even a few of your plants. Prevention is the best cure against Damping Off.

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