Banker Plants

Protected culture structures, such as hoophouses and greenhouses, are by nature limited in growing space. Many growers make the most of the available space by planting crops that have high returns; i.e., tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplants. In a closed environment, it is also well worth it to put a little of the area aside for banker plants.

Any crop that provides a habitat for beneficial insects can be used as a banker plant. One of the greenhouses at Johnny’s research farm is dedicated to peppers and eggplants — both of which are susceptible to predation by aphids. In addition to the peppers and eggplants, space has been reserved for containers of oats which serve as banker plants by providing habitat for oat aphids. The oat aphids are released into the oats, which are then covered to allow the population of the pest to grow.

Why would someone release an aphid of any kind into their greenhouse and then build their population? The oat aphid is host-specific to only oats; it won’t attack any other crop. At Johnny’s, once the oat aphid population has grown, Greenhouse Manager Pam Carter releases parasitic wasps that attack aphids of all kinds, including those that pose a danger to the peppers and eggplants. As a side benefit, the oats can also provide habitat for ladybugs, another beneficial insect and predator of aphids.

For those of you with concerns about the use of insecticides, banker plants are a practical alternative. In many cases the resulting natural controls by beneficial insects will reduce the need for insecticidal applications.

Further Resources

Johnny's offers a line of farm seed and other types of seed varieties that Attract Beneficial Insects »

To learn more, see our articles on Attracting & Putting Beneficial Insects to Work »

Beat the Heat - July 2014

The high temperatures we've been experiencing at the Research Farm in Albion, Maine have made for great conditions for our trial crops, but they've also challenged the Johnny’s staff to find ways to stay cool in the intense sun.

Here's a look at how we've tried to beat the heat recently:

Andrew and John Paul from the Johnny’s Research Department stay cool in their wide-brimmed hats, as they prune and trellis 2 successive rows of peppers. 

The other crops shown in the foreground of the greenhouse photo above, are eggplants. 

Jill is cultivating the soil at the edges of the plastic. 

The red umbrella was attached to the tractor using a factory kit with modifications.

At the Research Farm - July 16, 2014

Johnny's Research Farm Shop Clerk, Bruce Webber, completes repairs and modifications to our Bedding Pro, a tractor attachment that shreds round bales.

What’s in Bloom at Johnny’s Research Farm - July 4th

     Almost everything is starting to bloom this week and we are all sensing the excitement as yet another wonderful growing season ramps up. Truthfully, there’s always a little anxiety about keeping up with it all, in our short growing season, but we always seem to manage to get the work done and have a little fun too.

     While walking the farm today and checking on how the trials are progressing, I thought it would be fun to collect some of the edible flowers in bloom.

All the edible flowers in bloom!

Flowers; violas, snapdragons, marigolds. Herbs; lavender, sage, chive, chamomile, thyme. Vegetables and fruit; strawberry and peas and field peas.

Lavender, sage, marigold, chamomile and pea flowers

     These edible beauties would make a perfect dessert garnish; strawberry, lavender, pea, and field pea flowers.

 Photo – herb flowers, lavender- useful in baking, deserts and garnish, chamomile for tea and garnish, thyme, sage and chives are great for incorporating into all kinds of dishes. 

    These herb flowers make a great addition to pizza. After pizza is cooked and while still warm, pull the flowers from their stems and sprinkle on pizza or most any savory dish for a beautiful and flavorful topping.

 Photo – Chive, thyme and sage flowers

     Other useful edible herb flowers (not yet in bloom here are basil, oregano, dill, rosemary and fennel.

Check out our edible flower techsheets at Johnnyseeds.com for a whole list of edible flowers with flavor descriptions and tips on how to use them:
- Flavors and Suggested Uses
- Recipes
- Additional Information 

Planting Riddles from over the Years

     Let’s face it. Some old wives’ tales are something to roll your eyes at. If you cross your eyes, they’ll get stuck that way. Or the numerous omens of death, like a bird or moth or bat in the house. Then the infamous step on a crack and break your mother’s back.

     Those old wives might have known a thing or two when it came to gardening. Years of experience provided them with countless tips and tricks for ease, efficiency, and success. After all, their livelihoods depended on the prosperity of their gardens. Their advice often was based around planning for holidays, such as the Fourth of July.

     Plant so you’ll have peas for the Fourth. Peas are a cool weather crop. Depending on the days to maturity of the variety, if you have harvestable peas by late June you would have sown them in late April. This is a time when the soil is cool in many areas. Especially here in Maine, where some years we still receive snow in late April. Planting your peas when the soil is warm will result in lower yields.

     Your corn should be knee high by the Fourth. Of course, there’s a reason they’re called old wives’ tales. Even if there was once some truth in them, it might now be dated to think that your corn will only be knee high. Treated seed and cold-tolerant varieties allow for earlier plantings, especially in ideal conditions

    Whether or not you put any stock in them, these tales represent something that is important on any farm: the sharing of knowledge from one generation to the next.

An Update From Albion - July, 2014

The past several days at Johnny’s Research Farm in Albion have been quite the contrast to each other. Last Thursday was overcast with rain in the morning. Even though the first day of summer was only a week prior, it felt more like the typical, damp spring in Maine. Hillary Alger, the Product Manager for flowers, snapped a wonderful photograph of the delphiniums that were cut at the farm that morning before it began raining. The cool color tones of the flowers truly reflected the slight chill in the air.

Delphiniums at the Farm

Alternatively, the next day, Friday, the temperatures hit 80°F. Birdhouses are scattered throughout the farm and the birds could be seen zipping through the air, glad to have clear skies and sun. As with any open field in Maine, the killdeer were also active, protecting their nests. Walking through the fields, it was easy to see the rain from the previous day had done its work. Everything was lush with color. Bunch a couple of stands of spinach and, not only could you see the sunlight reflecting off the leaves, you could see how rich with green the leaves were.

Spinach

If you could only choose one type of weather to have, it would be a difficult decision. Early in our lives, aren't we all told the simplified version of what basic needs of a plant are? It’s really simple, but it holds true: Beside soil, it’s water and sun.

Disease Resistance: How’d they do that?

In my territory, one thing there is no shortage of is nasty little organisms that are just waiting to take advantage of a defenseless vegetable plant. Here in the southeast our weather can get hot and humid; perfect for all kinds of fungi and bacteria. To make matters worse, insects that can carry viral diseases like Tomato Spotted Wilt and Papaya Ring Spot Virus are all too willing to add to the misery. Fortunately, plant breeders are constantly developing new vegetable varieties that are resistant or tolerant to major disease-causing pathogens.

Genetic resistances can sometimes be the only thing standing between success and total crop failure. One example is resistance to bacterial leaf spot (BLS) in sweet pepper hybrids. When weather conditions favor the development of this disease, there is no effective chemical control - organic or synthetic - that can be applied to the plant. I have personally seen entire plantings completely defoliated due to this pathogen.

The process of incorporating disease resistance into a new variety begins with identifying a suitable source of resistance. This can be challenging as the diversity in cultivated species is sometimes very limited, so breeders often turn to wild crop relatives that they can use in crossing. When the resistance donor is a wild species or related plant which does not look anything like the typical cultivated, the breeder may choose to carry out a back crossing program to eliminate the undesirable wild traits. This method involves selecting progeny from the initial wild x cultivated cross that carry the resistance gene and repeatedly crossing them back to the cultivated parent for several generations until a uniform line which resembles the cultivated plant but has the resistance from the wild donor is created.

Depending on the crop, this process can take many years before a finished line is produced that has the
potential to be a parent in a new hybrid (F1) or an open pollinated (OP) variety. If the resistance gene is recessive, then both the female (seed) and male (pollen) parents of the hybrid would need to have the resistance gene for the resulting F1 seeds to be resistant to the disease. On the other hand, if the gene is dominant than only one of the two parent lines needs to be a carrier.

You might ask how do you know which plants to save for the next generation? In the past, a breeder would expose (inoculate) plants to the pathogen for which resistance is desired. The resulting disease symptoms, or lack thereof, would then be evaluated to determine which plants carry the resistance.

Traditional plant breeding is now being tremendously accelerated by modern breeding techniques that allow you to determine which genes a plant has without having to perform laborious disease screens, simply by taking a tiny bit of plant material (often leaves or seeds) and analyzing it’s DNA for genetic markers (pieces of the DNA that are associated with the resistance genes). These new techniques save the breeder a lot of time and resources because they can eliminate plants without the resistance genes much faster than ever before.

Innovative plant breeding techniques are continually being developed. However, the basic challenges for identifying and utilizing disease resistances in breeding remain the same:
   1. Find a source of resistance
   2. Incorporate it into one or both parental lines
   3. Somehow get back to the original fruit type while “dragging” the resistant genes along for the ride.

A large challenge indeed, but at Johnny’s we appreciate the benefits that resistant varieties offer to our customers and work hard to identify and develop such varieties to support our growers needs.

Rod joined the team at Johnny's as Southeast Sales Representative in 2011. With degrees that include a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master's in Agricultural Entomology, Rod has been in the vegetable industry since 1988. 

The majority of his experience has been gained in field production of major vegetable crops. Rod has broad interest in the many different growing systems utilized by Johnny's customers. Located in Tifton, Georgia, Rod enjoys learning about the challenges that growers in the Southeast are facing. 

Current Sales Territory: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. 

Email » rheyerdahl@johnnyseeds.com 
Direct Line » 229-392-3844

Enter To Win A Weeding Tools Prize Pack

Enter to win!

Spring is finally here- and so are the weeds. Fight back with some of our fast, efficient, back-saving weeding tools.

We’re giving away an exclusive Weeding Prize Package, including a Standard Collinear Hoe, Trapezoid Hoe, Wire Weeder, set of (3) Tubtrugs and a Johnny's gift certificate!

As an added bonus:

Every person who “shares” this Facebook status will ALSO be entered to win a 2nd prize - a Stirrup Hoe!

Simply sign up for our emails:

To enter to win the prize package, simply sign up to receive our emails here. Already actively receiving Johnny’s emails? Then you’re already entered! Don’t forget to “share” our Facebook status here to be considered for the Stirrup Hoe as well!

We will draw winners for both prizes on Monday, June 16th. Good luck!

Using Johnny's Long-Handled Tools

Short-handled Weeding Tools

Weeding is most effectively done when the weeds are young and in the morning on a sunny day. Together, those two tactics will result in the highest mortality rate. Young weeds are simply easier to kill and all weeds are easier to kill when the afternoon sun is available to desiccate their disturbed foliage and roots.

Also, although there seems to be an unending supply, there really are just so many weed seeds available in the 'weed seed bank' — that collection of weed seeds lying dormant in your soil, awaiting favorable conditions to germinate and cause you problems. Weeding while the weeds are young and have not gone to seed, works to effectively deplete the weed seed bank and eventually will result in relatively weed-free conditions. But, you have to be diligent and proactive in order to ever achieve that.

Explore our collection of short-handled weeding tools:

Hand Hoe

The Hand Hoe

Also known as the Nejiri Gama Hand Hoe, this low-cost, lightweight tool becomes an extremely sharp and precise extension of the user's arm when in use. It is by far our best-selling, small hand tool. It sports a D-shaped, high-carbon steel blade welded to a steel shank, set in a wooden handle. These are great low-cost tools for growers to equip their entire farm crew with for detailed in-row weeding in the field. 

    

  

Hand Hoe 

The Lucko Wire Weeder

This tool was recommended to us by Paul and Alison Wiediger of Au Naturel Farm in Kentucky. The Wiedigers prefer this European-made tool for detailed weeding in their hoophouses. The round wire design creates the business end of a tool that won't cut drip tape but will easily upend young weed seedlings. It has a narrow end for weeding between closely spaced crops like dense plantings of baby leaf lettuce, and a wider end to cover more ground in open areas.

The Lucko Wire Weeder

The Wire Weeder

The Wire Weeder

This short-handled version of one of Eliot Coleman's favorite tools is perfect for in-row weeding of closely spaced crops like salad mix, carrots and onions, as well as perennial flowers and herbs.

The Spring Tine Cultivator

The Spring Tine Cultivator

Three round, spring-steel tines scratch the soil just enough to uproot smaller weeds while loosening the surface soil, allowing water and oxygen to penetrate. Great for cultivating tight areas. 

The Ho-Mi EZ Digger

The Ho-Mi EZ Digger

This is also known as the traditional Korean hand plow and dates back over 5000 years. It has multiple curves in its forged design that impart strength as well as function. It can be used to dig, furrow, weed, cover seed, transplant seedlings, and loosen, level, cultivate, and mound soil.

The Cobrahead Weeder and Cultivator

The Cobrahead Weeder and Cultivator

This short-handled version of the Cobrahead has a tough, sharp steel blade and comfortable handle that makes fast work of tedious garden chores. Used to weed, cultivate, make small furrows, and even as a mini trowel for small transplants. 

Pre-emergence Weed Control

This is a practice that many farmers swear by, especially for dense, hard-to-weed crops like baby leaf lettuce or greens. In this method, the bed is prepped for planting a couple of weeks prior to seeding and weeds are allowed to grow. Just before seeding the grower will flame the bed, killing any weeds that have started to grow, and then seed into a so-called 'stale bed.' After that, the crop should come up nearly weed-free. The labor and fuel costs associated with flaming are usually far less than the cost to hand weed these dense beds or cull out weeds in the wash water, so the method pays for itself.

Thanks for reading and best of luck in your own personal battle against weeds.

Adam Lemieux
Tools & Supplies Product Manager 

Learn More

To learn more about Weed Management in Sustainable Agriculture Systems, see the following articles on our website:

• Guide to Johnny's Long-Handled Weeding & Cultivation Tools  by Adam Lemieux, R&D, Tools & Supplies Product Manager
• Weed Management Basics: A Two-Pronged Approach to Season-Long Weed Control, by Eric Gallandt, PhD, Weed Ecologist, University of Maine
• Got Weeds?
  Targeting Annual & Perennial Weeds

Grow a Gardener this Spring

Shop Sunflowers

At last, spring has come back to the northern hemisphere. Most gardeners spend the better part of a winter leafing through seed catalogs, planning out their garden row by row, and dreaming of warmer weather. Seed catalogs are inspirational, but no seed catalog - not even one as comprehensive as Johnny’s - lists the most important thing that can be grown.

Whether it is remembered or long forgotten, every gardener had a first garden - their first attempt at planting a seed to harvest a meal or pick a flower. For some this happens in adolescence or later in life, but for the lucky, their first garden was during childhood. Once the seeds are planted, an entire host of emotions are usually felt; at first apprehension, then impatience, usually followed by excitement, and satisfaction. When the first seeds begin to germinate and break the soil, an indelible mark is made on the gardener.

Spring is the time that transplanted crops are sown. Peppers and tomatoes, perhaps onions, are being sown in trays to await planting alongside direct-seeded crops like squash and pumpkins. This spring, invite a child to help with the gardening. Have him or her help plant and transplant, weed, and harvest the garden. It can be your child, your grandchild, or a neighbor’s child; the relation is fairly unimportant. The entire process will teach the child foresight and patience, the satisfaction of a job well done, the pleasure of success, and unfortunately in some cases, the bitter taste of defeat. Either way, you’ll be passing on a priceless gift. 

This spring, grow a gardener.

-Anthony Stevenson

Anthony joined Johnny's International Sales Department in 2007 and is the Sales Representative for all countries excluding the U.S.A and Canada. Every spring he looks forward to starting his own garden — something he has done nearly ever year since childhood.
Email: astevenson@johnnyseeds.com
Toll-Free: 877-564-6697, ext. 5310

Get Growing Maine - Enter to WIN

Johnny's is proud to sponsor Get Growing Maine, a statewide fundraising raffle for the Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets and individual participating Maine farmers' markets.

Mainers: Enter to WIN a $100 and $500 Grand Prize Johnny's gift certificate!

Buy your raffle tickets at participating local markets (Augusta, Bangor, Bath, Belfast, Waterville, Norway, Sanford, Skowhegan, Thomaston and Rosemont Markets) starting this weekend and/or online at www.mffm.org starting May 10th

Mother's Day Gifts for the Gardeners in Your Life

Explore Johnny's selection of gift ideas for the gardeners on your list this Mother's Day!

Visit the Johnny's Pinterest page by clicking the Pinterest Board below and be sure to pin your favorite gift items.

Visit the Johnny's Pinterest Page

Johnny’s Visits Hawaii (continues)

Johnny’s Commercial Sales Representative, Lainie Kertesz, recently traveled to Hawaii to visit commercial farmers and farmers markets on the islands. She documented her travels, which we turned into a three-part Blog series. Below is part three of this series:   

Kona, Hawaii

Kona: The "Big Island"

Kona, HI

I timed my trip to participate in an Organic conference in Kona, "Growing Organics: Moving Hawai'i's Organic Industry Forward," sponsored by the Kohala Center. 


According to their website, "The Kohala Center is an not-for-profit, independent, community-based center. The Center was established in direct response to the request of island residents to create greater educational and employment opportunities by enhancing—and celebrating—Hawai‘i’s spectacular natural and cultural landscapes... three core areas of work have emerged: energy self-reliance, food self-reliance, and ecosystem health. These areas of work involve basic and applied research, policy research, conservation and restoration initiatives, public outreach and education – all carried out through local, regional, national, and international partnerships."

Specifically, the "Growing Organics: Moving Hawai'i's Organic Industry Forward," conference was to examine what interest exists, and what supports were needed, to further the growth of organics in Hawaii. Organic agricultural producers in Hawaii currently do not have a local organic program office where they can obtain information on aspects of Organic production. 

The 150 conference participants spent the day networking and identifying where more support was needed. The final report and other relevant documents from this conference are available here.

Kona, HI


Thank you for joining us as we revisit Lainie's trip to Hawaii! We hope you enjoyed the 3 part series.

Explore Our Fast-Growing, Diverse Greens

Johnny's is pleased to offer greens from all corners of the globe.

 

All of our greens varieties can be grown to full size and many can be harvested at the baby leaf stage for salad mixes where they add wonderful flavors, textures, and colors.

 

Create your own custom mixes or try one of our popular, easy to grow pre-mixed selections.

  

Johnny’s Visits Hawaii (continues)

Johnny’s Commercial Sales Representative, Lainie Kertesz, recently traveled to Hawaii to visit commercial farmers and farmers markets on the islands. She documented her travels, which we have turned into a three-part Blog series. Below is part two of this series:

Oahu, Hawaii

My time spent at the Oahu Farmers’ Markets:

I was introduced to Pamela Boyar and Annie Suite by another Hawaiian contact who described them as "...amazing women who helped make Hawaii's underground/direct sales for small farmers possible…and I suspect at some time in the future they will be made saints." These two women manage five farmers' markets around Oahu for vendors selling their own, locally produced products.  I was quite surprised to find out most of the other "Farmers' Markets" around the islands are often re-sellers of products 'from away' rather than locally produced. 

Pamela and Annie took time out of their busy days to take me around to visit at least 10 farmers who sold at their markets. The farmers they introduced me to were quite diverse, both large and small farms growing either aquaponically, hydroponically, or in the field. I was fortunate to experience the Hale'iwa market where there are over 40 vendors at this bustling market.

After spending time on Oahu, I had limited time to make many visits, but did get to see two of Johnny’s the largest customers on Kauai; one hydroponic and one field operation.

Kauai, HI

Stay tuned for part three of Lainie's Hawaii Blog series- coming soon!

Explore our Container Herbs Pinterest Board

Did you know that Johnny's is on Pinterest? Explore our new Pinterest Board, "Grow Professional-Quality Container Herbs."

Visit the Johnny's Pinterest Page

Container herbs provide some distinct advantages to growers of all abilities — commercial growers and their retail customers, as well as home gardeners.

Along with the versatility and portability that container herbs provide, herbs in containers offer added longevity and marketability.

Select specific varieties with demonstrated container performance 

For additional information on growing container herbs from Johnny's Research Team:

• Visit Johnnyseeds.com
• Explore the Johnny's Pinterest page

Johnny’s Visits Hawaii

Johnny’s Commercial Sales Representative, Lainie Kertesz, recently traveled to Hawaii to visit commercial farmers and farmers markets on the islands. She documented her travels, which we turned into a three-part Blog series. Below is part one of this series:

Oahu, Hawaii

I recently spent two weeks visiting several of the Hawaiian islands, and more miles in a car than I thought possible. 

A little background on growing in Hawaii: 

· Even with a twelve-month growing season, I was surprised to learn that Hawaii imports 85% of its produce (The University of HI plans to conduct a new survey around this import figure).

· Much of the produce grown, primarily lettuce and greens, is sold to the resorts for fancy salads for tourists. Here at Johnny’s, 10% of our total lettuce sales are to Hawaii.

· Some crops are not cost-effective to grow in Hawaii, or are difficult to produce, such as field-grown fruiting crops like tomatoes and peppers, due to insect and disease pressures. 

· There is a mounting interest in growing Hydroponically and Aquaponically for more controlled growing conditions.

My first stop in Hawaii: Oahu: MA’O Organics 

MA'O Organics’ motto is "no panic, go Organic". MA'O's mission is to empower young people to become leaders and to make their island home a more food-secure place to live. The organization is in its 10th year of offering Youth and Leadership training internships for 17-24 yr-old Hawaiians who are pursuing Agricultural Studies.  Beginning with a two-year Youth Leadership Training, interns can go on to a second two-yr Step Up Training.  After completion, Graduated interns can choose to go on to admin work, or to become co-managers and managers at the farm. The diverse produce raised on the 23-acre farm is distributed through a local CSA as well as to markets such as Whole Foods and Foodland in and around Oahu.

Oahu, Hawaii

Stay tuned for part two of Lainie's Hawaii Blog series- coming soon!

Salanova Lettuce®