THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 25, 1995 TAG: 9506230073
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT STIFFLER, GARDENING COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
``MY GARDEN looks like I was feeding it regular gas and it needs hi-test,'' said Jeff Barnes last week about the plants at his Kings Grant home in Virginia Beach.
He could well be right. This time of year his flowers and vegetables may need a fertilizer boost. The secret is to not overdo it and make sure to water well afterward.
Several factors determine if your garden needs a shot of plant food: soil type; whether you broadcast fertilizer before you tilled; and what flowers or vegetables are planted.
``A garden on sandy soil, which has little ability to hold on to plant nutrients, may need regular light applications of nitrogen fertilizer throughout the growing season,'' said Darryl Warncke, soils specialist at Michigan State University.
Similarly, the garden may need extra nitrogen now if you recently added large quantities of organic matter, such as green manure or cover crops, or if you tilled in last year's uncomposted leaves in the spring.
That surprises many gardeners. ``The bacteria that breaks down organic matter added to the soil needs nitrogen to work,'' Warncke explained. That ties up available nitrogen so that plants can't use it.
If you added organic matter to your garden during the spring, but your garden looks deficient now, it probably needs nitrogen.
If you broadcast fertilizer before you worked the soil and planted your garden or if the soil was rich in organic matter, you probably don't need additional fertilizer. This is especially true with quick-maturing crops such as lettuce, radishes, peas and beans. Those vegetables, except beans, are about finished for this season.
If your soil is naturally low in nutrients or you didn't fertilize before planting, fertilizing now may be your best hope for bountiful vegetables and beautiful flowers.
Vegetables such as corn, onions, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, winter squash and brocolli take several months to mature and need a lot of fertilizer. A rule for tomatoes is to apply nitrogen after tomato plants set a few fruit.
When corn is knee-high and again when silks form, it should be side-dressed by putting fertilizer along the row at the side of plants. Fertilize vining squash before it begins to run and bush squash when it begins to flower.
``Applying dry fertilizer to the soil and watering it in is the easiest and cheapest way to fertilize growing plants,'' Warncke said. Liquid fertilizer is just as effective but requires mixing.
The rule of thumb for vegetables is to broadcast 10 pounds of 10-10-10 per 1,000 square feet of soil, or use the equivalent of a vegetable or flower food. It's smart this time of year to use an organic, long-lasting, non-burning fertilizer. For additional nitrogen only, use ammonium nitrate or natural organic soda. All are available in garden and home centers.
The same principles apply to flowers. Those that are finished blooming, such as spring bulbs, need fertilizing now. For those that bloom all summer, fertilize every six weeks through August.
Once your vegetables are thriving, how do you decide when to pick them at their peak of flavor? Zucchini approaching the size of a baseball bat and lettuce that's bolted and gone to seed are obviously past their prime.
It's easy to spot vegetables past maturity but more difficult to determine peak quality for harvest, said Mary McLellan, Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State.
``Vegetables taste better if picked at their peak,'' she said. ``For some, such as zucchini, that is when they are quite immature. For others, such as winter squash and pumpkins, you want to wait until they mature. A lot of other vegetables are somewhere in between.''
Snap beans are tender and taste best when pods are nicely rounded with developing beans. If you wait until they are bulging and lumpy, pods will be tough and stringy. Pick them too small and you sacrifice a lot in yield.
Cucumbers and summer squash should be picked as soon as they're big enough to eat. Skins will be tender and seed unnoticeable. Overly large fruit gets tough and seeds will be woody. Remove oversize fruit and toss them on a compost pile or the garbage. If you leave them on the vine, the plant will concentrate on maturing seed rather than producing more fruit. Removing oversize vegetables keeps plants flowering and setting new fruit.
Most root crops such as beets and carrots are best harvested small. Pick beets when they're less than 3 inches in diameter before they get woody. Radishes left too long in the ground get woody and hot. Onions can be harvested at any stage. Thin and use the thinnings as green onions.
Peppers and eggplant should be harvested before they reach full size. Peppers turn color as they mature, going from green to yellow, red or purple, so they can be picked at any stage. Ripe eggplant will have a glossy shine. If the skin gets dull, it's past its peak of flavor. Tomatoes can be picked when they're red enough to suit your tastes but don't refrigerate until it's fully ripened.
Sweet corn is a puzzle. Once silks turn brown, one ear looks pretty much like another. About the only sure way of knowing is to peel back the leaves and check for fully rounded kernels - before raccoons do it for you.
Watermelons and muskmelons also are tricky. Watermelons are ready when full-sized, dull-colored and the bottom turns greenish white to cream. Tendrils nearest the melon should be curled and dried up. Muskmelons are ready when fruit begins to separate from the stem.
Garden peas should be plump with peas but still bright green. Snow peas are best when pods reach full size but seeds are barely noticeable. Sugar snap and others with edible pods should be picked when pods are nicely rounded.
Pick leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce and endive when leaves are big enough to use or plants are crowded and need thinning. Most leafy vegetables have already bolted and gone to seed in the hot weather. When that happens, the leaves become bitter.
There's no substitute for fresh, home-picked vegetables for better taste and good health. Fertilize yours now and then pick them at their peak. ILLUSTRATION: ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS COLOR PHOTOS
Fertilize vining squash before it runs and bush squash when it
starts to flower.
Brocolli[sic] and okra mature slowly and may require q lot of
fertilizer to produce healthy vegetables.
With bell peppers and watermelons, color helps determine when they
are at their peak and should be picked.
by CNB