Henry in the Garden: Already Preparing for the Spring
The bane of all gardeners is powdery mildew - that white substance that collects both on the tops and bottoms of the leaves of your healthiest vegetable plants. Cucumbers and zucchini seem to be more easily affected by this scourge than many others.
The easiest remedy is always just to remove the contaminated parts of the plant. Think about it: if the plant is healthy enough, it will be easiest for it to just grow its leaves back than undergo an onslaught of store bought chemicals. There are chemical sprays you can get at the nursery and they seem to get more costly every year - and also less effective!
My plan next year is to employ a scheme I saw on the internet. It consists simply of a 10:1 ratio of room temperature water and milk. The milk has to be good whole milk - not the ULTRA-homogenized version, but the standard homogenized will work.
Put the milk solution in one of those $10-15 sprayers and cover both the tops and bottoms of all leaves. And, please, do this only once every seven to ten days or you will kill your plant with kindness. Remember that’s 1 part milk to 10 parts H20. Good luck!
For the young gardener, don’t take things too personally. Remember as it is in life, so it is in gardening: there will be ups and downs. Just because something did well this season, doesn’t mean you’ll have the same luck next season - and vice versa. There will be successes, and miserable failures.
And you’ll always have plants that will come back and visit you, whether you invited them or not. We call those ‘volunteers.’
More Co-op News
November Change for Good Partner: Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
November Change for Good Partner: Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
November's Change for Good Partner is
October Change for Good Partner: AFC Gives Community Fund
October's Change for Good Partner is
September Change for Good Partner: Center for NonProfit Legal Services
September's Change for Good Partner is
Center for NonProfit Legal Services
The Center for NonProfit Legal Services has provided free/low-cost civil legal assistance to low-income persons and seniors residing in Jackson County since 1972.
August Change for Good Partner: Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center
August's Change for Good Partner is
Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center
(KS Wild)
KS Wild's mission is to protect and restore wild nature in the Klamath-Siskiyou region of southwest Oregon and northwest California.
July Change for Good Partner: Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
July's Change for Good Partner is
Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
Protecting and enhancing precious land in the Rogue River region
to benefit our human and natural communities since 1978
Meet the 1st Street Beet
Welcome to the newly redesigned and reimagined newsletter from the Ashland Food Co-op: 1st Street Beet.
Think of this publication as a resource to know what’s going on in every level of the community: at the co-op, around town, in the region, and on Earth!
June Change for Good Recipient: Our Family Farms
June's Change for Good Recipient is
Our Family Farms, an Oregon 501(c)3 non profit organization, is hard at work educating and inspiring farmers, policy makers and the community at large to support regenerative agricultural practices.
Capiche Conversations: Interview with Tracy Kaiser, Marketing & Education Manager of Ashland Food Co-op
Our own marketing manager, Tracy Kaiser, was interviewed by Melissa L. Michaels for Capiche Conversations.
May Day Community Block Party
Photography by Chelsea Whitney Art
On May 1st, several Southern Oregon businesses came together for a block party to provide a space to gather as a community after a rough spell due to the pandemic and fires. The May Day Block Party was hosted on Main St in Phoenix, where the scent of food trucks mingled with artisan goods such as local cheeses, locally farmed flowers, and even fresh-baked pastries.
May Change for Good Recipient: Rogue Valley Farm to School
May's Change for Good Recipient is
Rogue Valley Farm to School educates children about our food system through hands-on farm and garden programs, and by increasing local foods in school meals.
April Change for Good Recipient: Pollinator Project Rogue Valley
April's Change for Good Recipient is
A Visit with Rolling Hills
Visit Rolling Hills Farm and learn more about owner Dave Belzberg, who the Ashland Food Co-op is so honored to partner with for more than thirty five years.