Fungal Attack on Basil --- Beware!

This week I am going to share some information on a fungus that is threatening sweet basil plants called downy mildew. If you notice the below symptoms, harvest the leaves immediately and use them. This fungus is very contagious and spores are carried in the air and also survive in seeds.


1. You can identify downy mildew as faint yellow bands on the upper surfaces of the leaves. The lower leaf surfaces become dotted with tiny gray specks. The incubation period is about two weeks
for the disease to show up after initial infection.

2. Leaves showing early stages of the disease can be harvested for fresh use and they are not toxic to humans. If you use/discard the infected leaves you can keep your plant going (note for large farms this is not feasible and many greenhouses like DeBaggios lost their entire inventory this year)

3. Organic fungicides seem to have little effect on the plants and the best defense is to keep plants in a sunny location where they get good air circulation.

For the full article go to the Washington post at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/15/AR2010061501079.html

Image credit: http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/BasilDowny.html 

Repellant Planting

As the summer gets hotter and the plants really start growing, something else is on the rise, BUGS!  As an organic gardener, I am subject to a certain amount of bug damage, but I do my best to make this as minimal as possible.  Repellent planting involves planting certain types of crops that actually 'repel' certain types of bugs.  For example, Cucumber beetles dislike radishes and tansy -- so planting these around your cucumber plants could actually keep this population down.  Here are some rules of thumb, of course in my 1, 2, 3 formula:

1. The 'repellant plant' will provide protection of a certain crop, up to a distance of three feet.  Some plants will be effective against a specific pest, some are effective against a whole variety of pests.

2. Garlic is offensive to most insects that you will see in your garden.

3. Two other 'broad spectrum' repellent properties include marigolds and mints.

Here is a listing of common garden pests and the plants they cannot stand:

• Cabbage Maggot: Planted in adjacent rows: mint, tomato, rosemary, sage
• Cabbage moth: mint, hyssop, rosemary, southern wood, thyme, sage, celery, catnip, nasturtium
• Colorado potato beetle: green beans, horseradish, dead nettle, flax
• Cucumber beetle (both spotted and striped): tansy, radish
• Cutworm: tansy
• Flea beetle: wormwood, mint, catnip
• Japanese beetle: garlic, larkspur, tansy, rue, geranium (white works best)
• Mexican bean beetle: marigold, potato, rosemary, summer savory, petunia
• Slugs: prostrate rosemary, wormwood
• Squash bugs: tansy, nasturtium
• Tomato hornworm: borage, marigold, opal basil

Feeding Heavy Feeders...

Heavy Feeders are those vegetable plants that need soils rich in ALL nutrients.  They are HUNGRY plants, and like growing children, needs lots of food to keep them healthy.  Here are some simple tips to follow:

1.    Three to four weeks before planting heavy feeders, apply lime (granular lime- follow package directions for amount to apply). 

2.   Two weeks after liming, plant your heavy feeder plants making sure to start with soil rich with organic ammendments like compost and use an organic granular fertilizer (like Epsoma that has trace minerals. Make sure to read the package for directions on how much to apply....more is not necessarily better ).

3.  About 8-10 weeks after planting, side dress your plants.  Do this by mixing fertilizer into the top inch of soil, 4 inches away from the stem. 

Heavy Feeders: celery, melons, tomatoes, corn, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplant, squash

Moderate Feeders (give them an initial good start, but don't need side dressing): broccoli, chines cabbage, spinach, brussel sprouts, kale, swiss chard, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, parsley, lettuce

Light Feeders (undemanding and they will grow in most soft fertile soils): beets, onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, radishes, leeks turnips

Full listing of what weeds can tell us about our soil

See previous post for my top three pics....here is the full list!

• Barnyard Grass: Low calcium, low phosphorus
• Beggars ticks: overly moist soil, possibly poor drainage, low calcium, phosphorus, humus, bacteria, poor decay, high phosphate, magnesium, aluminum.
• Hedge bindweed: Improper decay of organic matter, excess of heavy metals, low calcium, phosphorus, potassium, pH.
• Burdock: High iron and or aluminum, low pH, low calcium.
• Carpetweed: Good calcium, balanced soil.
• Chickweed: Good organic matter on soil surface.
• Crabgrass: Low calcium.
• Dandelion: Low calcium.
• Curly dock: Acid soil, poor aeration and or drainage, low calcium, high selenium, magnesium, phosphates, chlorine.
• Giant foxtail: Compacted soil, low calcium, high magnesium.
• Jimsonweed: Improperly decaying organic matter, low calcium.
• Johnson grass: Low calcium, compaction, poor decay.
• Lambsquarters: A sign of healthy balanced soil.
• Prickly lettuce: Low microbial activity, hardpan, crust, low pH, low calcium
• Morning Glory: Low calcium, low phosphate
• Mullein: Low calcium, low phosphate.
• Nightshade: Low calcium, very low phosphate, very high magnesium and potassium.
• Horsenettle: Poor decay, low aeration, hardpan, low calcium, very high magnesium and potassium.
• Mustards: Poor drainage, compressed soils, poor aeration, low calcium.
• Pigweed: Well balanced soil, but may be slighltly low in calcium.
• Plantain: Low organic matter, poor decay, low calcium.
• Purslane: Very high potassium, magnesium, iron, and copper. Low calcium, phosphate.
• Ragweed: Low moisture, low calcium, phosphate.
• Smartweed: Low calcium.
• Sorrel: Low pH, poor decay.
• Spurge: Low organic matter, poor decay, poor aeration, low calcium, phosphate, high potassium, magnesium, salt.
• Thistle: Low manganese, low calcium.
• Velvetleaf: Poor decay, low calcium, phosphorus, high potassium, magnesium.
• Wild onion: Poor decay, low calcium.

So remember, before you pull, think about what those weeds say about your soil!