An easy way to grow and harvest potatoes-grow them in cages. Buy a roll of green plastic-coated fencing sold at most home building supply stores. Cut a length to form a cylinder about 3-4 feet in diameter. Secure ends using twist ties and place in the area you want to grow your spuds. Dampen layers of newspapers and line the inside of the cylinder then add about a foot of a mix of compost, topsoil and shredded leaves. Put in seed potatoes and cover with more of the mix. Continue to add a layer of the mix as the plants grow. Once the foliage dies back at harvest time, just remove the twist ties, opening the cylinder. You should just be able to scoop out the spuds and compost the rest of the cage contents.

Terry Boczar

For fast growing vegetables, such as radishes and leaf lettuce, I plant short sections of a row every 10 days in the spring. This staggered planting allows me to harvest vegetables over a long period rather than having more than I can use ready all at the same time.

Michael Gravel

For those who like to grow corn, it's long been known that an effective way to prevent corn earworm is to put a little oil into the emerging corn silk. Unfortunately, this is both messy and time consuming. A better way is to simply spot spray each silken corn ear with a shot of Pam cooking spray. The spray is made from Lecithen and makes the job quick, easy, and effective.

Andy Kirby

For two seasons I have had success with this space-saving idea.  I set my tomato cages where they will be when the tomatoes are set out and stake them down with tent pegs.  Then, on the NORTHERN HALF of the cages' perimeter I plant sugar snap peas.  The first year I planted the silver lace variety which has fewer leaves and more tendrils, but last year I tried both the silver lace and a regular Super Sugar Snap.  Both grew well, climbed the wire cages on the north half, never interfered with the sun on the tomatoes, and were pulled out long before the tomatoes actually shaded them!  I thought myself quite clever.

Stella Schneider

Here in New Jersey, I got my BEST crop of okra EVER, by planting in POTS, not directly into the ground.  The plants produced better and longer, and stayed disease free until fall.

Doug

If you grow corn in a desert area, like we do, you'll know water is at a premium. To use water as economically as possible and avoid waste through evaporation or run-off, yet still get those huge ears of corn, here's what we do (we planted six 15 ft. rows): We bought a 100 ft. length of soaker hose (make sure you know what size diameter it is, and buy the right-size hose pieces), 2 male hose ends, two female hose ends, a Y hose connection and two closed-end hose pieces. After you've "hilled" your corn (used your hoe to mound garden soil around the base of corn stalks after it's grown 1-2 ft. tall to protect your corn from being blown over) lay out your soaker hose, gently weaving it between stalks.  

It helps if you've already laid your hose out in the sun to straighten it.

Trim your soaker hose's length, if needed. Cut the soaker hose (the two lengths water more evenly than one long one) at the top of one of your center rows, and attach the female ends to both ends. Put the male ends at the far ends, and screw on the closed end caps. Attach the Y connecter to both female ends, and to your hose. You do not want to bury the soaker hose, because soaker hoses tend to get their pores plugged underground. Mulch, of course, is different. Now you can just turn on the hose (at low pressure) for a while every couple days (in the evening or morning) to deeply water your corn without wasting water.

This system can be left in place all season, and does not interfere with fertilization. Since you cut the hose at the top of the row, it is easy to remove your garden hose so you can use it elsewhere. We use our soaker hose like this year after year.

Laura Hawley

Hi: Of course blossom end rot can be a problem in tomatoes.  There are many things to consider including the pH of the soil.  But assuming that was correct I added ground up Tums to the tomatoes.  Then I thought of a better thing:-  powdered milk.  Fixed everything!

Steve Pajonk

I like the ease of using peat pellets to start my seeds BUT don't like the netting.  Now soon after the seeds sprout, I remove the netting carefully (peel/rip down the pellet carefully as long as no roots are poking through) and drop inside one inch plastic pots.  I add potting mix to the corners -- this keeps the pellets from drying out and the seedlings are easier to deal with in the plastic pot.

Nancy Nagle

With heavy wet soils in my area, I have trouble turning over soil early enough for planting onion sets.  The last two years I have planted the sets in a raised bed of compost (about 4-6 inches).  I'm able to plant much earlier, the onions like the light mix, and weeding is much easier in the compost as opposed to the clayey soil.  I turn the bed over in the fall and use that location for my garlic which appreciates the added organic material. When starting from seed, pre-germinate seeds in a wet paper towel in a tray above the fridge to "weed out" bad seed and speed up the seedling growing process.  NOTE:  Use homemade or purchased bags of compost rather than from the Town facility. You don't know what is in the Town compost. It's OK for ornamentals but It should never be used on food crops. 

Paul Kranz