Buffman and Gram's Vegetables for Vitality: Carrots

As many of you know Allen, Sterling & Lothrop's fourth generation has been getting more and more involved in the business.  You may have met Jenn's (AS&L's seed room manager) daughter Nadia running the front with her grandmother, Shirley, or  you may have had one of Shawn's boys help you with a Christmas tree.

This year Buffman (Shawn's middle son) has joined forces with his grandmother, Shirley, to bring you their thoughts on the healthiest vegetable's you can grow.  They consulted Shirley's vast knowledge of gardening and nutrition and  www.whealth.com

-------------------------------------------------

Carrots are easy to grow and high in nutrients; in particular vitamin A.  They are very high in beta-carotene, which helps slow down the aging of cells. Carrots help with the good health of your skin. Some say that eating carrots regularly can help reduce LDL cholesterol level.

When planting carrots work the soil good and deep. Take out any rocks or clods of soil. Improve the soil with lots of compost for larger sweeter carrots. As carrots start to grow thin them to 2 inches apart. 

Carrots are an amazing vegetable that can be eaten either raw, or cooked.  Did you know that carrot tops are edible?  Try using carrot greens as a vegetable or as an herb like parsley.

Carrots are essential in stews, soups, boiled dinners etc.  Try cooking them in a skillet with butter, add a good handful of freshly chopped parsley just prior to serving. 

Bill answers common early spring questions

A common site this winter...

This season has definitely gotten off to a slow start!  It has been a particularly challenging winter that left us with a lot of winter kill, deer & rodent damage.  If your plats are experiencing winter damage—(i.e. stress) this is a good time to fertilize with Holly Tone, Plant Tone, etc. We also recommend using a product called PHC Bio-Pak Plus which adds a lot of micro-nutrients to the soil and is a root stimulator.  We have found this works very well on stressed plants. 

One question I am frequently asked this time of year –Is it normal for my conifers to be shedding needles on the inside?  Just as deciduous trees shed leaves, conifers shed needles before pushing new growth. 

If you have had winter kill or deer damage now is the time to prune back the plant to encourage the dormant buds to grow.  In the case of rhododendrons you may be pruning off some of this year’s flowers; but, I believe it is better for the plant to be using its resources to produce new leaves and new growth.

Another great thing to do this time of year –as I was just discussing with one of our customers—weed early and often;  try to get the weeds before the weeds have a chance to set a good root system. 

In the case of rodent damage on trees and shrubs girdling the bark (hopefully they have not gone completely around the plant) you can remove lose bark and possibly use Tree Kote or Tree Wrap to protect the tender bark.  Unfortunately, if they have created a continuous cut around the trunk it is impossible for the plant to draw water and nutrients and the plant will not survive.