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Fruits
and Vegetables - Page 2
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1, page 2
Question:
What are some of the new vegetables for 2002?
Mort's
Answer: All American Selections for 2002 include
Magical Michael basil, Diva cucumber, Orange Smoothie
and Sorcerer pumpkins and Cornell¹s Bush Delicata
winter squash. Magical Michael Basil flowers in 80 days
but can be harvested in 30. It¹s purple flower
has a white corolla. Michael grows to 15 inches tall
and a couple of inches wider. Diva cucumber mature in
58 days but has to be sown in warm soil. Good yields
of 5 inch cukes can be expected. It has powdery and
downy mildew disease resistance. Children will appreciate
Orange Smoothie pumpkins that weigh only 8 pounds max.
Early maturity in 90 days means you can plant late.
Sorcerer pumpkins grow to 20 pounds within 100 days
from seeding This round dark ball is easily carved and
fill pies. Cornell¹s Bush Delicata winter squash
is really sweet; it matures in 100 days and is resistant
to powdery mildew. Mature compact bushes will send out
6 foot runners for water.
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Question:
What are some other new vegetables for 2002?
Mort's
Answer: Quantum onion, Sweet Diane watermelon, Cluster
Grande tomato, Italiano Largo squash, Oriental Giant
spinach, Helda pole bean, Sugar Nut melon, Dynasty cabbage
and Solar Set tomato are available from this year forward.
From the Netherlands, we have Dutch Treat brussel sprouts.
A new Caropak baby carrot, Pagoda Gold squash, Lavender
Touch eggplant, Polish Liguisa tomatoes, Baby Bop bush
beans Dual peas and Melody sweet corn are a few of the
new introductions. Baby Bop beans set high on the bush
will be ready from seed in just 51 days with big yields
of 4 inch beans. Dual has 14 peas up to the pod with
an average of 12. Maturity is 66 days. Melody sweet
corn has a three inch diameter of 18 to 20 rows in a
8 inch cob. It matures on a 74 inch plant in 80 days.
Caropak can be harvested in 74 days or let grow to a
eight inch carrot. Pagoda Gold squash are best harvest
at 5 inches or smaller. Early pickings begin in 43 days.
Lavender Touch is a white with lavender blush eggplant
with a high yield of mild fruit. Polish Linguisa is
a very sweet tomato that weighs a half pound average.
It will grow to 10 ounces. It matures in 73 days. If
you want a 16 inch squash, try Italiano Largo. It could
be mistaken for zucchini but an entirely different flavor.
It is ready in 59 days. Solar Set tomato takes the heat
stress easily and produces half pounders in 95 degree
days. Oriental Giant spinach matures in 35 days . You
can take bay leaves in two weeks. Helda pole beans are
9 inches from 58 days onward. The Canary melon, Sugar
Nut, has huge growth with a smallish two pound melon.
Dynasty cabbage comes in all three colors in the package
of seed. Blue, Silver and Red Dynasty cabbages are tolerant
to all diseases and hold well without splitting. Sweet
Diane watermelons mature in 85 days and roduce a 15
pound fruit. Cluster Grande tomato is disease resistant
matures in 63 days but will continue to give 5 ounce
firm uniform red tomatoes with an excellent taste. Lastly,
Quantum onions matures early in 93 days with a high
percent of new three inch bulbs.
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Question:
My pepper plants are turning yellow. What
is causing this? Will they come back? Fran, Mystic,
CT
Mort's
Answer: Torrential rains have soaked soils this
spring of 2001 in New England. You can put a handful
of hydrated lime under each plant to help dry them out.
If the plants do not respond in ten days, plant new
plants.
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Question:
My peppers have produced no fruit yet. I
used 10-10-10 fertilizer. They are leafy. What's up?
Bill, Niantic, CT
Mort's
Answer: Too much vegetative growth from the high
nitrogen imbalance. Add a small handful of bonemeal
to the soil around each plant. It might not be too late
for stuffed peppers.
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Question:
I grew a two and a half pound pineapple .
Is it edible? Can I get more fruit? Will I need another
apple to make it pollinate? Usha, AOL
Mort's
Answer: The pineapple top can be used to generate
a new plant. Basal suckers can be cut off to start new
plants. Sometimes there will be a sucker under the fruit.
Since the stem grows through the fruit, the top inch
can be sliced off and started above water. Some folks
will put tooth picks in the side of the top to hold
it above a bowl of water. Eventually, it produce roots.
Basal suckers can be placed directly into sandy soil
for rooting. The side shoots below the fruit will often
replace the main stem. Using an apple creates a hormone
stimulant for fruiting. You do not need to pollinate
pineapple. It is seedless and edible.
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Question:
Can you tell me how to start pineapple ?
Joan, Middletown, RI
Mort's
Answer: Cut the top inch off the pineapple Place
tooth picks into the sides and place directly over a
bowl of water. It should barely touch the water. After
the roots are well established move the rooted plant
into potting soil. It will grow in a well lit window.
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Question:
We have a wisteria that has not bloomed since
we planted it three years ago. We have trimmed it because
it is quite vibrant. How can we get it to bloom? Terri,
Preston, CF
Mort's
Answer: You can only trim in the late summer. You
may be cutting off the buds. You can add a hand full
of bonemeal to accelerate the maturity of a somewhat
reluctant specie.
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Question:
Something has cut off my pole beans at a
foot high. I do not see any sign of animals. I have
never seen anything like this in my 17 years of gardening.
It also got my neighbors kale. Any ideas? John, Marlboro,
MA
Mort's
Answer: We checked a number of farmers. They had
no clue. A friend, Russ Martin, who is an avid gardener
and bonsai specialist, had a similar problem two years
ago. It turned out to be a rabbit. Apparently, they
come out in the early morning or late evening to do
their thing. They reach up on their hind feet. He too
saw no traces until he saw them at mid day.
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Question:
I've got a patch of raspberries that didn't
produce much fruit this year. What can I do to improve
the amount of fruit? Evan, Galva, IL
Mort's
Answer: Raspberries bloom on two year old wood.
You can prune and trim in the winter. At this time of
year there are less entanglements to interfere with
your pruning. I would cut down to the ground half of
the present stalks. The remainder of the stalks can
be cut back to five or six feet long. From this year
forward, I would tag the new sprouts each year. All
the remainder may be then removed. In the spring, you
can put down a handful of 5-10-10 fertilizer around
each standing stem.
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Question:
When can I move rhubarb? Walter, Waterford,
CT
Mort's
Answer: You can dig them out, when the leaves start
to fall. This should be mid-October in zone 6 in Connecticut.
Dig a 2¹x2¹ trench as long as necessary to
accommodate the rhubarb roots planted a foot apart.
Do not put any fertilizer in the hole. Fill the trench
with humus rich, well drained soil before inserting
the rhubarb roots. Use gloves to apply handfuls of bonemeal
along the row on each side of the roots.
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Question:
Our three year old strawberries are in bloom
and we have little beetles crawling around them. Can
we spray them and with what? Daniel, Pelican Rapids.
MN
Mort's
Answer: You can use a powder Bordeaux Mix. Be very
careful not to allow any dust to get on the flowers.
Dust the soil and the under leaves Since snout beetles
cut off the bud, you are right on time. I suspect the
infestation is not too severe. It is always advisable
to plant strawberries on hills that are a foot to a
foot and a half. Plant strawberries in clean soil to
alleviate the prospect of insects and disease. Rotating
strawberries every three years is also smart. Rich organic
well drained soil is best.. Lastly, always lay down
straw in between the rows of hills.
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Question:
Should Sweet Potato be planted in rows? Todd,
Waterford, CT
Mort's
Answer: Any plant benefits with elevated rows ,
especially vine type plants. Rows make it easier to
cultivate and keep weeds at a minimum. Weeds attract
insects. It is far easier to harvest in rows. Ipomoea
batatas is more easily grown in zone 6 in the past years
but still risky. They like warm sandy soil. Use a low
nitrogen fertilizer. A good variety for Connecticut
is Big Stem Jersey. You will need to wait until the
end of June in your area for planting. Drying is done
for two weeks at 80 to 86 degrees in a well ventilated
area. Be careful not to cut or damage the roots. Later
you can keep them at 55 degrees. Another method for
keeping involves putting them in wet sand until ready
for cooking. You may not have enough time to harvest
and cure them at 80 degrees.
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Question:
Do we need to hill up Sweet Potato? Todd,
Waterford, CT
Mort's
Answer: It is not necessary but it would not hurt
since they are large vines. Northern varieties should
be planted, when the soil temps are 60 or above. Yellow
and Red Jersey are two hardier varieties grown as far
north as New Jersey. Connecticut is a stretch but not
impossible with the longer growing seasons that we now
experience. Northern slips or plants should be in rows
30 inches apart with plants 15 inches in a row. Sweet
Potatoes are easily damaged by frost. They must be dug
immediately ,when hit by frost. Remove the blackened
vines first before pulling out the potatoes. Juice from
a spoiled vine will go into the root and ruin it. Throw
away any damaged roots. Be careful handling the roots.
They will only last, if they are cured. Cure the Sweet
potato at 80 to 86 degrees over slats. The warm air
must be taken out of the room to remove the moisture.
After two weeks of drying, the temps should be 55 for
keeping.
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Question:
I have got wilting on the Swiss Chard for
the last two years. It comes up great and then the leaves
wilt. I have been using 10-10-10 fertilizer. Could this
be the problem? Richard, Norwich, CT
Mort's
Answer: Excess fertilizer will foster strong spurts
of growth in the spring. This is especially true with
liquid fertilizer. Too much granular fertilizer will
also cause weak cell growth. A slower steady growth
is more beneficial. Rake out any excess fertilizer and
add some hydrated lime to the plants to free the nitrogen.
Next year cut the fertilizer in half and start in a
different area.
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Question:
Is tomato is the fruit of a herb, a vegetable
or a fruit? Chick, AOL
Mort's
Answer: Tomato is the fruit of a herb, Lycopersicum
esculentum. We classify due to use. Trees, vines and
shrubs produce fruits or nuts from the flowers. Many
are edible. Many gardeners will include all remnants
of a flower whether it be a woody plant, perennial,
annual or herb as fruits. That is a technical stretch.
A grocer would probably call a tomato a vegetable and
a watermelon a fruit. Consumers would classify a tomato
as a vegetable and be satisfied with this Love Apple.
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Question:
I grew tomatoes in tire planters this year.
The plants were lush green with plenty of tomatoes.
I used lots of manure and liquid fertilizer. They were
very sour. What did I do wrong? Lawrence, White River
Junction, VT
Mort's
Answer: Soils need to breathe. Rubber planters are
too efficient as containers. Excess fertilizer and heat
build up from the black surface made for healthy looking
plants. Salts from fertilizers need to drain. Clay pots
will help release the acidity. These tires would have
been fine for petunias and marigolds. I would grow the
tomatoes in the garden and use the tire planters for
flowers next year.
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Question:
I have a friend in Texas that cannot grow tomatoes.
Can you help? Fran, Mystic, CT
Mort's
Answer: Texan soils are alkaline and the air is
dry. Both variants can be modified. A hole can be dug
that can be filled with organic material, rich in steer
manure ,peat and aged sawdust as well as the local soil.
Old varieties, Homestead, Rutgers and Marglobe will
produce early tomatoes before the hot, dry summer comes.
Tomatoes love hot weather but they also need plenty
of water.
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Question:
I have bloosom end rot on my tomatoes. What
can I do to get rid of it? John,Cumberland, RI
Mort's
Answer: Rotate your garden to include a root crop,
a leaf vegetable, a fruit veggie, like tomato and a
legume. This 4 year cycle will require less fertilizer.
Lime will help replace the calcium that is symptomatic
of blossom end rot.
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Question:
We have noticed that through the years, our tomatoes
have acquired a different taste. Could the steel plants
be affecting the taste? Veronica, IN
Mort's
Answer: Grapes are very much affected by the mineral
content in the soils from year to year. If the minerals
are leached out because of extra rainfall, this would
influence the taste of the grape and the wine. Onions
that have a great deal of sulphur are the sweetest.
Vedalia, Georgia has a reputation for such sweetness.
There is no doubt that the build up of sulphur from
the coal would result in a variance in the amount in
the soil. There are many plants like the spider plant,
black locust and ailanthus that thrive on such pollutants.
There is not enough evidence to support an argument
as to wether this is beneficial or harmful. We all know
iron is good for you.
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Question:
My tomato plants started yellowing at the
bottom this year and my asters turned brown before the
end of the year. What could be my problem? I did fertilize
with manure. Cheryl, Winmdenton, MA
Mort's
Answer: You should rotate your vegetable plants
each year. Fusarium and verticillum wilt will winter
over in the soil and come back with a vengeance. You
can buy F and V resistant tomatoes but I would still
rotate the plants. Your astershad too much nitrogen.
They will probably come back. I do not like to put any
fertilizer in a hole with a new plant. Concentrate on
starting roots without risking fertilizer burn.
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Question:
I've got black spot at the bottom of my tomato
plants. What causes this? Dwayne, Dalton, GA
Mort's
Answer: Your ph is too low. Excess manure and high
nitrogen fertilizers will cause bottom rot. You can
raise the ph by adding limestone twice a year. Another
solution is to plant in another area next year that
has a ph closer to 6.5. Blossom end rot, which is characterized
by indented black holes is caused by uneven watering,
can be remedied by mulching the tomatoes.
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Question:
My tomato plants have a lot of leaves but
no flowers. Should I stake them? Marilyn, New London,
CT
Mort's
Answer: Tomatoes are vines and should be staked.
Recent heat waves have hurled heavy leaf growth. Pollination
of the flowers, when they eventually will show, can
also be delayed by abrupt temperature changes. Be patient
and your tomatoes will bear fruition for your stake
in them.
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Question:
I have a tomatillo tree in a container. Should
I bring it indoors? Dan, Brunswich, GA
Mort's
Answer: Physalis ixocarpa is an annual that grows
to four feet. . It has a bluish sticky fruit. P. ixocarpa
is technically tomatillo. P. pruinosa is also sold as
tomatillo. It is also annual and has an edible greenish-yellow
berry. Sometimes called Strawberry, it too has to be
brought indoors at this time of year. You can leave
both specie out in zone 8 but they both prefer the warmer
temperatures. Perennial P. peruviana can be covered
for the winter. It is a tender perennial and the container
would require wrapping for the winter.
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