They may be tiny, but they are also insanely damaging. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on garden plants in temperate growing zones. They cling to plants and suck sap, which weakens the plant and makes it susceptible to a host of viruses. They also leave ugly honeydew deposits (a sugary, rich liquid) on leaves, closely followed by sooty mold growth.
As the wind blows and the snow flies, you might find yourself gazing out your window at your garden. Are you dreaming of big and beautiful spring roses with luscious warm scents? For many gardeners, roses play an integral role in the garden – they are either beautiful focal plants, the perfect privacy screen, or simply a breath of fresh air in early spring. No matter what role roses play in your garden, you won’t want to miss these tips and tricks to have the healthiest roses of all in your 2021 garden.
Unlike some garden plants, roses do benefit from a little extra TLC, especially in the spring. The first thing you want to do once the weather breaks is to remove any winter rose protection you applied in the fall. After that, take note of the rose’s condition and do the following to get your beauty off to a great start.
Proper pruning
Although not every type of rose requires pruning, spring is the best time to get the job done. Proper pruning starts with sharp and clean pruning shears. If you did not already clean your shears in the fall, do so now, before you cut your rose bushes. Soak pruners in a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water for an hour and rinse well with clean water. Dry thoroughly before using. Pruning your rose bushes before the leaf buds open will send energy into new growth, and this is what you want.
In warmer climates, spring pruning stars in January. If you live in areas with warm winters such as Florida and Southern California, you may just be pruning out dead wood and doing some thinning. For those in areas with freezing winter temperatures, pruning starts in April. Pruning too soon in these areas can result in damage from winter temps and weather.
Feeding
Once plants, including roses, come out of winter dormancy, it is time to concentrate on feeding. Giving them a nutritional boost will revive and ready them for the growing season. There are several excellent feed mixes available, but any all-purpose food will do. Follow the feeding directions on the package. If you prefer to mix your feed, here is my favorite, time-tested recipe for success.
What you need
How to make it
Something I learned a long time ago is to add a handful of Epsom salts when you feed. This extra magnesium is the perfect superfood for hungry roses.
Black spot spray
Roses, unless you have specific disease-proof versions, are prone to fungus diseases. Even organically grown roses benefit from preventative spring spraying. Black spot is a particularly nasty fungus that plagues roses. Sometimes it overwinters on the rose and appears in the spring.
In the past, I have used lime sulfur to kill fungus and also horticultural oil. I have recently used an alternative spray consisting of baking soda ( my favorite go-to natural substance), bleach-free dish soap, and water. To make, simply combine a tablespoon of baking soda with a gallon of water. Add two drops of dish soap ( which helps keep the baking soda on the leaves). Pour mixture into a spray bottle and spray both sides of leaves well. Do this weekly and after rain for best results. The exciting thing about this mixture is that the baking soda changes the pH level on leaf surfaces, making it difficult for the black spot to attack plants.
An ounce of prevention
When it comes to black spot and other rose diseases, an ounce of prevention goes a long way. This is what I mean when I spoke of TLC earlier. If you desire to have big and beautiful roses year after year, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Roses, the symbol of love, require love to thrive. Once you get in the hang of just what your rose needs, it will become like second nature to provide the care necessary. Don’t let the thought of a little extra time spent in the garden rob you of the rich pleasure of owning a rose, or many roses, for that matter. They are indeed a joy to behold when they burst forth in beautiful color and enticing aroma.
Happy Growing,
Susan, CBHC and Master Gardener
Think about the foods that most people crave on a daily basis. Things like chips, candy bars, french fries, cookies, and pizza. What do these foods have in common? They are “engineered” foods that have been created by the food industry to have the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors, and pleasing texture
Now think about the opposite flavors, such as sour and bitter. These are the tastes that make us pucker our lips, pop our eyes wide open and shake our heads. They’re not the flavors we usually seek out to enjoy every day. In fact, many of us have virtually eliminated these flavors from our lives altogether.
This movement toward a “lazy” palate, which prefers easy-to-eat tailored junk over the diverse flavors of real food, is theorized by many experts to be of huge detriment to the human race. The natural foods consumed by our ancestors had a wide variety of flavors that stimulated the tongue and indeed had many different effects throughout the body.
Traditional cultures emphasized the consumption of bitter foods and revered them for their therapeutic properties, while such foods are largely viewed as disagreeable in our society today. Read on to discover some important reasons for incorporating bitter foods into our daily diets, and even using them as natural remedies.
The importance of eating bitter foods
Bitter-tasting foods were a natural part of the human diet until recent years, and this is not without reason. When we taste bitter flavors, many things happen in the brain and body which support good health and fight disease.
The most important benefit of these foods is to stimulate digestion. When a bitter flavor hits the tastebuds, the digestive system begins to produce saliva and enzymes. This is why many societies still consume drinks like aperitifs and digestifs — they really work!
Improving digestion can have numerous benefits, such as boosting energy and revving up your metabolism. You may find that bitter foods help you fight sugar cravings and lose weight, too.
Digesting food more effectively also means that more nutrients are absorbed. While many of us have nutritional deficiencies due to modern foods and medications, we can start to rectify these problems by consuming more nutrient-dense, real foods and improving digestion by working in those bitter flavors.
The liver gets lots of benefits from the consumption of bitter foods, too. The boost in digestion that we get from bitter tastes leads to more bile production in the liver, and thus a more effective detoxification process. Many bitter foods contain sulfur, which is an important nutrient to support liver health.
Individuals with hormonal imbalances may find that consuming bitter foods such as dark chocolate and organic coffee is beneficial to get everything back in check. This, in turn, may result in healthier blood sugar levels, less constipation, and healthier-looking skin.
Incorporating bitter flavors into your diet can even improve unhealthy cholesterol levels and fight inflammation! This could be tied to the traditional Chinese medicine belief that bitter foods help to remove excess heat from the body.
Bitter foods that you should eat on a regular basis
While the best way to consume bitter foods is to forage wild fruits, roots, and vegetables from the natural environment, this isn’t always practical. Here are some options you can easily find in the local supermarket.
You can also use a supplemental herbal blend of bitters to stimulate digestion, balance appetite, and encourage detoxification. You can find digestive bitters in health-food stores or online. They typically include herbs such as gentian, cascarilla, cassia, orange peel, and cinchona bark. However, whenever you purchase a supplement, make sure you find a high-quality product from a source you trust.
The more bitter things you taste, the more you will start to crave them as your body readjusts and finds balance in a variety of flavors. Will you try bitters to help ease chronic health issues and discover robust wellness naturally?
-The Backyard Vitality Team
Haven’t we all had enough stress for one year? An out of control virus that just won’t go away, civil and political unrest, and now….. An increasing number of food recalls continue to threaten our health and wellbeing. Do you buy produce at Walmart? If you have shopped over the weekend at Walmart and purchased single head romaine lettuce – don’t eat it!
The most recent fresh produce recall applies to Tanimura & Antle bagged single head lettuce. E.coli was found during a test in Michigan that was traced back to a Walmart in Comstock. The worst part of all is that the strain of E.coli found (0157:H7) is one of the most likely strains of bacteria to cause hemolytic uremic syndrome ( HUS), which is a type of kidney failure that can be fatal.
The Center’s for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) tells us that up to 10 percent of people with this scary strain of E.col develop HUS. Signs of this condition include:
Young children and the elderly are most likely to develop HUS with long=term effects that can cause severe kidney damage and even death. The FDA urges anyone who is experiencing any of these telltale symptoms to contact a physician immediately.
Walmart has posted a list of all stores that may be infected by this most recent food recall, including 19 states and Puerto Rico. It is believed that the recall impacts 3,396 bags of lettuce that were packaged on October 15 or 16th. If you or someone you know has a suspicious bag of lettuce, throw it out or return it to the store for a full refund.
Food recalls continuing to pile up
There has been a long list of food recalls piling up over the past three months or so, including:
What you can do to stay safe
Besides paying attention to any news of food recalls and throwing out any affected products, be sure to wash fresh produce thoroughly before eating. Doing this won’t kill bacteria if the lettuce is contaminated but will help remove any lingering pesticide residue. And though buying organic is a great way to avoid this, organic lettuce is just as susceptible to E. coli as non-organic lettuce.
Consider starting your very own garden to grow fresh food – you can even grow many edible plants successfully in very little space or even indoors if you don’t have outdoor space. This way, you know exactly where your food is coming from and can avoid human transmitted E. coli and other contamination.
Shop locally whenever you can. Support farmers in your area and eat produce that doesn’t have to travel thousands of miles to reach your table. This limits the number of people who come into contact with the product, decreasing the risk of contamination. As long as the farmers practice safe growing, you are better off purchasing locally sourced leafy greens.
Susan Patterson – Master Gardener
Consumers need to be on their toes now more than ever as the bacteria outbreaks and food recalls show no sign of slowing down. If you have recently purchased parsley or Herbes de Provence from World Market, Walmart, or any other grocer in the United States, it may be part of the latest food recall. A customer tested as ample of High Quality Organics’ parsley, and salmonella was possibly discovered.
On October 12, Sauer Brands Inc. announced a voluntary recall due to the possible salmonella contamination. This announcement came after the herb supplier had certified that the raw materials it provided Sauer had tested negative for salmonella.
Once the company became aware of the potential contamination, they recalled any parsley products made with questionable raw material. Other Spice Hunter products that were manufacturers on the same two days that the salmonella-tainted parsley was produced. The company’s press release stated that this was done “ out of an abundance of caution regarding potential cross-contamination.”
The 29 recalled products include particular lots of organic parsley, Saigon cinnamon, ground cloves, sesame seeds, Herbes De Provence, pumpkin pie spice blend, seafood seasoning blend, coriander, garlic, green hatch chile, Mexican seasoning, black pepper (ground and whole peppercorns), paprika, Szechwan seasoning, Chinese ginger, white pepper, garlic, everything bagel seasoning, chives, Italian seasoning, cilantro, whole fennel seeds, dill, arrowroot, and red cayenne pepper.
The products were manufactured for sale online (at spicehunter.com) and in retail. They were distributed for sale across 31 states: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The recalled product names have specific item numbers and UPC codes. They include:
Although there have been no reports of illness connected to this latest recall, it is essential to be cautious as salmonella infections can become quite serious.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC), salmonella infections cause symptoms such as diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and headache. Symptoms begin anywhere from six hours to six days after infection and can last up to seven days. Severe cases may even require antibiotics or hospitalization. Most people recover just fine without treatment and with proper rest and plenty of hydration. If you have a high fever, persistent diarrhea, bloody stools, persistent vomiting, you need to call your doctor.
One of the best ways to stay safe from tainted food, including herbs and spices, is to grow your own. Growing herbs for spices is much easier than you might think, even if you don’t have much space. You can even grow your favorite herbs in a sunny kitchen window.
Small space kitchen gardening or countertop gardening is a popular movement right now, with more and more people stuck at home and living in apartments, condos, and the like. The good news is that many herbs are quite happy to grow in small containers, and they will reward you with a bountiful harvest with just a minimal amount of attention. Not only that, but you can’t beat the way beautiful greenery looks in your window on a cold winter day. Rest assured that whether you lack space, direct sunlight, or live in a frigid and unforgiving climate, you can still grow plenty of fresh food, including herbs.
Here are a few tips for growing healthy and delicious herbs.
The best way to turn your garden herbs into spices is to place fresh herbs on a cookie sheet and dry them in the oven for 2-4 hours at 180 degrees F or less. Check them regularly to see if they crumble easily. Use a grinder to make a fine powder and store them in an airtight container. Mix and match your favorite dried herbs to create unique culinary blends.
Happy growing!
Susan Patterson, Master Gardener, and Author
What if I told you that you could grow your very own 100% natural sleep and anxiety aide in your garden? Lavender, a well respected culinary and landscaping herb, is also recognized as an insomnia remedy and a tension and stress buster. Its versatility makes it a must in any garden.
We tend to think of homesteading as living on a farm. Don’t assume that you need acres to live off the land or be more or even wholly self-sufficient. A half-acre can fit a garden of a decent size, a small orchard, a small greenhouse, a work shed, a chicken coop, and even a couple of beehives.
Have you ever watched a squirrel and noticed how it spends its day? Squirrels are food gatherers and hoarders. They are driven by instinct towards the habitual gathering and storing of food. Their days are spent briskly skirting from one nut to another.
Many people hesitate to grow garlic because it requires a different strategy from most plants in your vegetable garden. Once you know how to do it, though, growing garlic is easy and well worth it. Fresh garlic from the garden tastes much better than store-bought garlic, which has been in storage for ages. An added benefit? Garlic is a potent superfood that boosts health in several ways.
The pre-cut fruit slices sold at Walmart and other grocers are handy – they are washed and cut, ready to eat. This must mean that they are safe right? Wrong. Like any other “fresh” produce found in the grocery store, they are susceptible to contamination by dangerous organisms like Listeria monocytogenes.
That is exactly what has happened… once again grocers are scrambling to ditch inventory after a red flag warning went out after listeria monocytogenes was detected on equipment used to package the products. Country Fresh fruit packaged in plastic clamshell containers with the best-if-used by dates between October 3 and October 11, 2020, are at the center of this most recent fresh food recall.
Country Fresh packages pre-cut apples, grapes, mangos, pineapples, and cantaloupes and distributes them to various retailers, including Walmart. According to officials at Country Fresh,
“The recall is a precautionary measure due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes detected on equipment used in an area near where these products are packed. The FDA discovered these findings during a recent inspection.”
The potentially contaminated fruit was shipped to Walmart distribution stores and sent to stores in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Lousiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. More information on the recalled items and UPC numbers can be found here. As usual, the FDA warned that consumers who have the recalled items should not eat them and discard of them immediately.
Consumers with questions about the recalls can call Country Fresh at 1-877-251-8300 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
Contaminated food may look perfectly normal
Fruit contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may look and smell perfectly normal but still cause severe and sometimes fatal infections. It is crucial for anyone who has eaten food possibly contaminated to monitor themselves for any sickness signs. Note that it can take up to 70 days after exposure to Listeria to develop infection listeriosis symptoms.
According to Jennifer Hunter, MPH, DrPH, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC),
“Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.”
Symptoms to watch for include:
About 1,600 people are diagnosed with listeriosis each year, and about 16 % die because of the infection. Some people are more vulnerable, including persons with a weakened immune system, older adults, and pregnant women. Pregnant women are ten times more likely to develop an infection. The infection can also cause miscarriages, stillbirths, and preterm labor, along with serious illness and even death in newborns.
Remembering an unfortunate outbreak
The seriousness of listeriosis should never be overlooked. Brothers Eric and Ryan Jensen, Colorado’s Jensen Farms owners, were charged in federal court with the negligence that led to a 2011 listeria outbreak, caused by their Sweet Rocky Ford cantaloupes.
The 2011 outbreak killed 33 people and caused illness in 147 more across the United States. It has also been linked to one miscarriage. Six shipments of cantaloupe from Jensen Farms were responsible for the poisonings, which occurred in at least 24 states. The cantaloupe was recalled on September 14, 2011.
The listeria’s origin was traced back to a packing shed that the Jensens used to process their cantaloupe. Investigators found that the machine used in the processing was designed for cleaning potatoes. One of the processing steps was an antibacterial chlorine spray, which was never used on the cantaloupe before it was packaged and shipped.
A press release by John Walsh, U.S. Attorney of the District of Colorado, states that the Jensen’s cantaloupes were “prepared, packed and held under conditions which rendered it injurious to health.” Jensen Farms filed for bankruptcy in the months following the outbreak.
The #1 best way to protect yourself and your family
Not all farming operations are as careless as Jensen Farms was with their cantaloupe. However, this and other outbreaks serve as a wake-up call for us to be extremely careful about where our food is coming from. Food recalls are part of our flawed food system. As long as you purchase fresh food at the grocery store, you are susceptible to infection.
The absolute best way to stay safe is to grow your food. Maybe that sounds overwhelming to you, and perhaps you don’t have a big space to grow food or have little time to commit to such a pursuit. The good news is that it can be simple; growing a few fresh items at home not only protects your family from sickness but also saves you money. There is no need to have a massive amount of green space to grow food; you simply need the desire.
It is possible to grow an edible garden even in a limited space. Through creative gardening techniques, people are growing enough food in a small vegetable garden to sustain their families, producing high yields in small areas. Some even have enough left over to sell and generate an income. All that’s required is some patience and smart tactics to get the most out of the space that you do have.
Are you ready to experience the joy of growing your food? Let me show you how you can protect yourself and your family from dangerous outbreaks while successfully growing food in a tiny space.
– Susan Patterson, Master Gardener, and Author
A trip to the grocery store is a chore for some, but for fruit and veggie lovers, the produce section is like a candy store. Markets today stock a greater variety of produce than ever before, including out-of-season and exotic items from the other side of the world.
Susan has been nurturing her gardening tips and advice for over 00 years, it’s fair to say she knows her beans. She’ll be sharing her knowledge from tried and tested methods.
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