(ARA) – As fall harvest season begins, many gardeners find themselves with bushels of tomatoes, baskets of cucumbers and armfuls of lettuce. So when your garden is overflowing with produce, how do you make the most of your harvest?

Gardeners know that the best way to experience fruit and vegetables at their prime is to grow them in their own backyards or in community gardens. Some of the most popular veggies grown in the United States include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, beans, lettuce, corn and carrots, while the most popular homegrown fruits include apples, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.

The experts at ScottsMiracle-Gro offer some top tips to help you take advantage of your fresh produce:

* Harvest your food the same day you plan on using it. This ensures it will stay fresh and won’t dry out or wilt.
* Do your picking in the morning when fruit and vegetables are most fresh.
* Once you’ve picked your produce, store in a cool place and don’t wash until you’re ready to use it.

How do you know when your produce is ready to be pulled from the ground or plucked from the plant or tree?

* Tomatoes are ready to pick when they’re smooth, heavy, glossy and red or orange.
* When sweet peppers are between 3 and 4 inches wide and are firm, they’re ready to pick. The longer you leave them on the vine; they’ll turn red, yellow or orange and become sweeter.
* When your cucumbers are ready to come out of the garden, they’ll be firm and the spikes will easily rub off.
* When lettuce leaves are young and tender they’re ready for a tasty salad.
* Tasting apples is often the best way to know if they’re ready to pick, but you can also grab one and lightly tug. If it easily comes off the branch, there’s a good chance it would make a great snack.

One of the biggest challenges for gardeners this time of the year is having too much produce at the same time. In many cases, it’s simply too much to eat on your own. So this harvest season, ScottsMiracle-Gro is asking Americans to donate their extra produce to a local Feeding America food bank for their neighbors in need. One in eight people is at risk for hunger and, with record numbers of people turning to food banks, it’s more important than ever to contribute fresh, delicious and healthy produce.

To make sure your extra harvest doesn’t go to waste, visit GroGood.com to find and donate to your local Feeding America food bank.

“I believe that everyone should have access to fresh produce and the GroGood campaign allows Americans to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of their gardens and share their extra harvest with others,” says celebrity cookbook author Katie Lee Joel. Inspired by her mom’s vegetable soup, Joel created this recipe for GroGood Garden Vegetable Soup to use produce fresh from the garden.

GroGood Garden Vegetable Soup

Makes eight servings.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped
1 pint Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 3/4 pounds fresh tomatoes, chopped (can substitute a 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes with juice, chopped)
2 quarts chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup baby lima beans
One 15-ounce can great Northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and bay leaf and cook until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, parsnips, turnip, and Brussels sprouts and continue cooking until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and the stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Add the beans, salt, and pepper, and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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The arrival of autumn doesn't mean your days of enjoying your garden are over.

(ARA) – Your vegetable garden has supplied your family with flavorful, nutritious fare throughout the summer. But the arrival of autumn doesn’t mean your days of enjoying your garden are over. If you plant now for the future and prepare for the coming season, it’s possible to enjoy a few last tasty morsels from your garden and ensure next spring’s landscape will be dazzling.

Here are a few tips to ensure your fall harvest is as fresh and fabulous as possible:

Plant a bit of fall flavor

Add a few short-season vegetables to your garden for fresh-from-the-field flavor this fall. Simply count the days from planting to the average first fall frost to determine how many growing days are left in your area. Select vegetables that will mature and can be harvested in that time. Leaf lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, radishes and carrots grow quickly, tolerate cool weather and are great additions to your fall cuisine.

Get these vegetables off to a good start with a side dressing of low nitrogen fertilizer like Milorganite. Incorporate it into the soil prior to planting or sprinkle a narrow band along the row of plants. “This organic nitrogen will provide needed nutrients without damaging the tender seedlings. It is safe to use on all your edible and ornamental plants,” says Melinda Myers, nationally known horticulturist and author.

Cover ‘em up
Protect tender vegetables like tomatoes and peppers from the first few fall frosts. Floating row covers, cloches and cold frames can protect tender plants from frost. Or harvest green tomatoes before the killing frost and finish ripening them indoors. Spread them out on heavy paper or wrap them in newspaper so the tomatoes don’t touch and store them in a 65-degree location. They will ripen over the next few weeks. Speed up the process by moving a few tomatoes to a bright, warm location a few days before they are needed. And don’t leave green tomatoes behind. They taste great fried or made into relish and other tasty treats.

A fall planting of daffodils, grape hyacinths and other long-lived bulbs can provide many springs of beauty.

Plant some spring color
A fall planting of daffodils, grape hyacinths and other long-lived bulbs can provide many springs of beauty. Prepare the soil and add a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer like Milorganite to the soil. “This organic source of nitrogen releases needed nutrients including phosphorous and potassium from the soil without promoting unwanted fall growth,” according to Myers.

Give them a boost
Don’t forget about your trees. As the temperatures cool, and even after trees lose their leaves, tree roots are in their most active growth period. Fertilize trees in need of a nutrient boost about one month after the first killing frost but before the soil freezes. Use Milorganite to encourage balanced growth without the risk of damaging the roots. The organic source of nitrogen is slow release and stays in the soil. The non-staining iron is available to plants no matter the pH. So, you can give stressed trees a boost without encouraging excess growth or incurring root damage.

Prep your lawn for winter
Help your lawn recover from the heat and drought of summer and prepare it for winter with fall fertilization. University research has shown that fall fertilization is the most beneficial practice for home lawns. Less disease problems and slower weed growth mean your lawns — not the pests — benefit from the nutrients. Fall fertilization also helps lawns recover from the stresses of summer because it encourages deep roots and denser growth that can better compete with weeds, and tolerate disease and insects.

“Northern gardeners can follow the holiday schedule and fertilize Labor Day and Halloween. Southern gardeners should make their last fall fertilization at least 30 days before the lawn goes dormant or the average first killing frost to avoid winter kill,” recommends Myers. Use a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer, for best results.

Tuck them in for winter
A good, long drink and bit of winter protection goes a long way to help struggling and less hardy plants through the winter ahead. A blanket of evergreen boughs, straw or marsh hay applied after the ground freezes will prevent frost heaving and early sprouting, and increase the chance of winter survival for bulbs and perennials.

Wind breaks and mulch can reduce winter drying and death of broadleaf and other evergreens. Water these and other plantings thoroughly before the ground freezes to increase overwintering success.

Add a layer of wood chip mulch on the soil surrounding trees and shrubs to moderate soil temperatures, conserve moisture and reduce weed competition. Keep mulch off tree trunks and shrub stems.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Green Gardening: Save Time, Money and the Environment

Everyone wants a beautiful landscape but most people feel they lack the time and expertise to cultivate the results they want. With a few simple eco-friendly changes in your fall landscape care, you can get more beautiful results with a limited investment of time and effort.

Triple Your Benefits
Cut the grass, recycle fall leaves and improve the soil with a pass of the lawn mower. Shred leaves and leave them on the lawn as you mow this fall. As long as you can see the grass through the leaf pieces, the lawn will be fine.

According to nationally known horticulturist and gardening expert Melinda Myers, “Shredding leaves and leaving them on the lawn is good for the grass and saves you time. As the leaves break down they add organic matter to the soil, improving drainage in clay soil and water holding ability in sandy soils. It’s a great way to recycle a valuable natural resource and reduce your work load. You can increase the environmental benefit even further by using an electric mower to both cut your grass and shred the leaves.”

Further improve your lawn’s health with fall fertilization. University research has shown that fall fertilization is the most beneficial practice for home lawns. Less disease problems and slower weed growth means your lawns — not the pests — benefit from the nutrients. Fall fertilization also helps lawns recover from the stresses of summer because it encourages deep roots and denser growth that can better compete with weeds and tolerate disease and insects.

“Northern gardeners can follow the holiday schedule and fertilize Labor Day and Halloween. Southern gardeners should make their last fall fertilization at least 30 days before the lawn goes dormant or the average first killing frost to avoid winter kill,” recommends Myers.

Use a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer, for best results. Milorganite fertilizer is slow release and resists leaching. Its phosphorus and organic nitrogen stay in the root zone for the plants to use over a long period of time. And, it is good for the environment since the nutrients resist leaching into the groundwater and nearby well. Plus, the non-staining iron promotes greening without excess late season growth that could be subject to winter kill.

Less Work, Better Results
Leave healthy perennials stand for winter. According to Myers, “The seedheads add beauty to the winter landscape and provide food for the birds. Plus, research has found perennials left standing are better able to tolerate the rigors of winter.”

Be sure to remove any diseased or insect-infested plants to reduce the source of pest problems in next year’s garden. Use any extra fall leaves as mulch. Shred the leaves with your mower and spread a layer over the soil to conserve moisture and insulate the perennials’ roots. Not only are the leaves free, but using them as mulch is good for your garden and the environment. Fall mulching gives you a jump on next spring’s landscape chores.

Shredded leaves also make a good mulch for over bulbs. Plant daffodils, tulips and hyacinths in fall for extra color next spring. Set the bulbs at a depth of 2-to-3 times their height deep. Cover with soil, sprinkle on a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer like Milorganite and water. The low nitrogen slow release fertilizer promotes rooting without stimulating fall growth subject to winter kill. The leaf mulch helps conserve moisture, moderate soil temperature fluctuations and eventually improves the soil.

Dig ‘Em In
Still more leaves? Then shred them with the mower and dig them into vacant annual flower and vegetable gardens or incorporate them as you prepare new planting beds. You will be amazed at how quickly these leaves turn into organic matter and improve your garden’s soil. Add a little slow release fertilizer to feed the microorganisms and speed up their decomposition.

Or use the shredded leaves in your compost pile. Combine fall leaves with other plant waste, a bit of soil or compost, and a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer like Milorganite to create compost. Recycling yard waste saves time bagging, hauling and disposing of green debris. You also reduce or eliminate the need to buy soil to improve your existing garden soil.

So put away the rake and find creative ways to save time and money as you put fall leaves to work in your landscape. For more information, visit www.milorganite.com and www.melindamyers.com

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Think About What the Fall Season Means to You

When you think about the fall, there are a variety of symbols that might come to mind. Things like pumpkins and scarecrows are very common symbols of fall, and you can certainly use them in your fall gardening.

For example, if you have an area of your yard that looks particularly boring, you can liven it up with a little vignette of a scarecrow surrounded by pumpkins. For this fall gardening idea, decide if you would like to make your own scarecrow, or buy a ready-made one at your local gardening store.

If you choose to include a homemade scarecrow in your fall gardening plan, start by finding some old clothes and setting them aside. Next, you can either stuff the scarecrow with fallen leaves, or get hay from your garden supply store and stuff the scarecrow. Take the scarecrow and tie it to a large stick, and once this is done, you can move on to the next step in your fall gardening adventure.

Picking pumpkins is a seasonal experience, particularly between September and October. Thus, it is important to time your pumpkin picking for your fall gardening just right. After all, you want to make sure that your fall gardening scene looks lovely for as long as possible!

It is important to note that you probably should not carve the pumpkins that you are using in your fall gardening, since a carved pumpkin only lasts a week at most. Instead, consider choosing two whole pumpkins and placing them on either side of the scarecrow.

Another thing that you should consider incorporating into your fall gardening vignette is some flowers. The flowers that are traditional for the fall are chrysanthemums, particularly gold and orange ones.

If you would like more information on fall gardening ideas, all you have to do is look at the various gardening magazines that are available at your local bookstore. You can also search the internet, since there are a variety of different websites that have pictures of various fall gardening ideas. You are sure to find the right fall gardening ideas for you with the proper research.

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Knowing when the first frost is common in your particular area of the country is important for fall and winter vegetable gardening; some areas of the country aren’t likely to have a frost until late October, some areas will frost as early as late September, while others still never frost at all. 

Frost is sure to damage if not kill a fall or winter vegetable garden unless properly safe guarded against the cold to last over the course of the winter.  A place with mild winters such as the west coast or southern United States can expect to have fine crops of hearty vegetables as late as the winter solstice with proper planning.

Know The Time Required

Different plants require different amounts of time to reach full maturity and need to be planted with enough time to reach that maturity before the first frost is able to inhibit growth. For a fall or winter vegetable garden containing root vegetables such as beets, carrots, or parsnips planting should begin in the middle of July for a late fall crop or later for a winter/spring crop.

Some leafy vegetables take less time to mature, usually around 60 days from seed; these plants should be planted for fall and winter vegetable gardens no later than the middle of September.  Early Cabbage, Winter Cauliflower, and Swiss chard are all considered mid-season plants because of their maturation period.

Early maturing crops such as broccoli, spinach, radishes, and chives should be planted in a fall and winter vegetable garden no later than 30 days before the first expected frost or by the middle of September for most areas.

Dealing With A Freeze

Weather is somewhat unpredictable and a hard season could kill a fall and winter vegetable garden as surely as neglect; sometimes freezes come earlier than expected, but there are things a tentative gardener can do to protect their fall and winter vegetable garden.

Using darker containers for winter planting is a good idea as it allows the sun to warm the roots and soil of the plants; for plants in the ground, covering the tops of the plants with mulch, straw, and dark colored plastic can help the ground to recover quicker from snow and freezing weather.

If crops are desired from a fall and winter vegetable garden the entire winter season additional measures need to be taken such as building a cold frame.  A cold frame is a simple tall sided box with a angled glass lid, this can be made as a permanent structure or as a box to be placed over the top of potted plants.

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