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How to Know if it’s GMO?

“Dear Gardenerd,

How do we know if our seeds are genetically Modified?”

Excellent question! I have answers for you.

The good news is that GMO seeds are widely available to the commercial agriculture industry, but the push to sell them to home gardeners is not yet popular (and most likely not lucrative).
The bad news is that farmers growing non-GMO crops for seed are having a harder time isolating themselves from farms that …

Saving Tomato Seeds – Not So Terrifying

It’s January, and one might assume that tomato seed-saving should have happened in …oh…September, but when one puts a couple of tomatoes in
a Snaplock container in the refrigerator, way in the back, and is afraid to attempt to save the seeds for the first time, January is a good time to get over the fear. Thus we begin our
adventure in saving tomato seeds.

It presents itself as a task …

Arugula: Sylvetta vs. Rocket

For so many years, arugula has been a staple in the garden. It’s a fantastic addition to salads (grown right next to mustard greens and lettuces, it adds amazing texture to the garden as well), and
can be cooked into pasta dishes, thrown on sandwiches or served as a garnish for Italian dishes.

This year, our regular arugula plants are getting some competition. We’ve always grown arugula (A.K.A. rocket salad, rocket arugula, eruca sativa), but ever since a visit to Italy where we ate an
entire salad made from Wild arugula (A.K.A. …

Fall Clean Up – Cleaning Tomato Cages

With another tomato season drifting into the past, it’s time to clean up the cages and put them away for the winter. If you are one of the fortunate few whose tomatoes were not struck with blight and
plan on surviving into January, ignore this post. For the rest of us, here’s what to do:

1) Pull off all plant debris

2) Set your tomato cages in the sun away from your growing area

3) Hose down the cages with water
…

Harvesting Seeds: Nematicidal Marigolds

As you pull out your tomato plants this fall, check the roots for galls. These are lumpy swellings that indicate that you might have nematodes living in your soil that are stunting the tomato plant’s
growth. (You can learn more about it from our Got Nematodes podcast)

We had that problem last year so we planted Golden Guardian Marigolds, the roots of which contain a toxin that kills harmful nematodes. Now it’s time to harvest the seeds and turn the crop under so
it can do its job.
…

New 2011 Fall FantaSeed Collection

As summer winds down, the excitement for fall crops is building. Not sure what to grow? Gardenerd is here to help. We’ve picked out a special selection of veggies we have been dying to grow –
and we’re pretty jazzed about it.

Color is the name of the game this fall. Purples, yellows, reds and greens take the stage this fall to brighten up your garden. Check out this beautiful lineup for fall:

2011 Fall FantaSeed Collection

Tomato Tasting Party – Everybody Wins!

We have a tradition with a longtime friend in which we gather together, bringing our best tomatoes each season, to share in the bounty of the summer harvest. We slice them with care and taste each
variety to determine our favorites. There is olive oil and salt, a little basil, and very good bread on hand. Each time we’ve done a tasting we have come away with a new favorite. This year was no
exception.

We gathered in the garden with our contributions and began with show and tell. My husband and …

After-Vacation Harvesting

There’s a point at which every garden hits autopilot. With a little planning and adequate irrigation it can happen while you’re on vacation. During my trip to Italy my garden took off, and when I got
back it was time to harvest the first fruits of the season. (My apologies to those still covered in snow out there. Your time is coming )

Some may recall that our community garden plot was going through some hard times last year – excessive zinc in the soil, nematodes – things were just …