Dear Frank,
Some of you may have recently planted for a fall harvest, but no doubt many of you planted earlier in the year and are just now starting to enjoy your fresh fruits and vegetables. If you're still eagerly awaiting your produce, be patient; Mother Nature's not always predictable. In this issue, we offer some handy tips to let you know exaxtly when to pick your crops.
Once you do start bringing in your ripe fruits and veggies, be sure to enjoy your bounty with your friends -- and donate to a local charity if you have more than you can handle!
Stay cool,
Frank DiPaolo
EarthBox
While the harvest schedule you'll find on most seed packets is helpful, you shouldn't be literal to the day. The number of days it takes for fruits and vegetables to mature can vary due to factors like fluctuations in the weather, changes in watering, feeding schedule, soil temperatures, and more. First and foremost, you'll need to examine your plants daily during harvest season. Be especially vigilant about checking your crops for signs of disease. Harvest the infected produce immediately, and dispose of it. DO NOT compost it.
With some fruiting plants, continual harvesting is one of the best ways to stimulate more production. Plus, you may want to sample some of the produce during development to decide when it tastes best, as this can be subjective.
Some crops can easily be picked by hand, such as beans and peas, but others -- squash, cabbage, and broccoli, for example -- may require garden clippers or a knife. And keep this in mind: your vegetables will be cooler and crisper if you harvest them in the morning.
Mosquito Problems?
Don't block the fill tube! If you're having mosquito problems, there are solutions that won't compromise the flow of the system. Visit the Forum to find out how to get the mosquitoes to buzz off.
Stauffers of Kissel Hill Garden Center
At EarthBox, we value our partnerships with our authorized retailers. There are nurseries and garden centers throughout the country that carry our systems. This month, we salute Stauffers of Kissel Hill Garden Center, which has eight locations in Central Pennsylvania.
Stauffers brings years of dedication and experience to the gardening industry. Family-owned and operated since 1932, this business was originally begun as a fruit-and-vegetable farm. Customers are treated to a vast array of exceptional products, including outdoor furniture, garden art, lawn care products, plants for all seasons, water garden supplies, mulch and decorative stone, and one of Central Pennsylvania's largest selections of trees and shrubs. Special events include do-it-yourself clinics and focused activities for children.
For more information, store hours and online gardening advice, visit their website at www.skh.com.
Produce Aplenty
"These are all Bonnie plants. One Big Beef, one Best Boy, two yellow peppers, two green peppers and two Yummies."
Alexis W.
Zone 6
Newbury County, SC
Brightest Kidz Accolades
We're delighted to announce that Brightest Kidz has selected the EarthBox Ready to Grow Kit as one of its top 20 science toys for summer!
Brightest Kidz is a kid-oriented blog that describes itself as "devoted to helping parents and other caregivers help their children learn to love science. We regularly post science activities, review science related teaching toys, and provide links to other online science education resources."
EarthBox is on Facebook! Now you can become a fan of EarthBox, joining a community of fellow EarthBox users for conversations, advice and photo sharing -- or just to check out whatever new information EarthBox has to enhance your gardening experience!
The patented EarthBox was developed by commercial farmers and proven in the lab and on the farm. Our maintenance-free, award-winning, high-tech growing system controls soil conditions, eliminates guesswork, and more than doubles the yield of a conventional garden -- with less fertilizer, less water, and virtually no effort. It's used successfully on a daily basis by commercial farmers, educators, and consumers. Distributors are also finding it to be a popular growing system.
EarthBox is a remarkably easy-to-set-up system that can be used to grow produce virtually anywhere.åÊOur systems have been incorporated into community gardens all over the world, enabling families and neighbors to share fresh produce while minimizing work and expenses.
EarthBoxesåÊalso make excellent additions toåÊthe classroom. Our Pre-K through 12th grade standards-based curriculum support packages can bring science to life, with hands-on lessons that teach principles of growing and nutrition, utilizing the scientific method in student-driven experiments.
Visit our Education Programs page to learn more.