Blackberry winter has arrived

The Garden Plot

Blackberry winter ends with three chilly saints

For the past two weeks, we have been experiencing the days of Blackberry Winter and some cool days and nights as the wild blackberries are covered with plenty of snow-white blooms. This period of Blackberry Winter will close out on Thursday, May 11, Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13. These three days are known as the Three Chilly Saints. Legend about these "Saints" says that after their visit the days and nights will be warming up which will signal the end of BlackBerry Winter. The warm nights will be welcome as the season of planting warm weather vegetables goes into full swing.

It's the season to plant the four o’clocks

Now that the chilly saints have left and Black Berry Winter is over, we can sow a row or bed of colorful four o’clocks. You can purchase them in assorted packs in colors of red, yellow, white, wine, and pink. They will grow in all types of soil and will produce flowers all the way until frost. The foliage is dark green and highlights the colorful flowers. You can also select speckled and marbled varieties. They can be planted in rows or beds, or on the edges of the garden. My Northampton County grandma planted four o’clocks to line pathways around her flower garden for colorful border.

Pollen starting to slow down

It is a relief to see the dusty pollen from trees grass and leaves begin to slow down. Keep the vehicles and carport rinsed and blown off with the leaf blower. A good amount will still be with us until June arrives. When mowing the lawn, you may need to wear protective glasses or goggles and a hat and maybe a mask to keep pollen out of your nose.

A bit of weather lore for May

Now that most of the cool days and nights of May are winding their way down it's time for a bit of positive weather lore for the second half of May. This bit of weather lore says, "A cold May is good for the corn and hay." We could add the green beans, peppers, tomatoes, and all other warm weather vegetables that can now be planted. The garden soil should be getting warmer each day and conditions improving for sowing and planting any warm weather vegetable you desire. As nights get warmer, we can expect a great growing season.

The season of strawberry is in full swing

The season of the strawberry harvest is on the way and the pick-your-own strawberry crop is ready for a great season. Most fields offer pick-your-own- strawberries or you can purchase them ready-picked and boxed at the farm for a reasonable price. The best time to pick is in the morning when the kids are in school and the morning breeze blows through the field on a sunny morning.

Strawberries have caps, not hulls

Strawberries do not have hulls but caps. Hulls cover the fruits of vegetables, caps cover the tops of strawberries. Strawberry farmers sell strawberry cappers for around $1 each and they make the job of capping berries easier. They can be purchased also at kitchen specialty shops. They dig the caps from the berries without disturbing the berries. We never understood why people in Eastern North Carolina call them hulls or hulling strawberries. We have several strawberry cappers and they make them easier and quicker to cap.

Making a simple strawberry salad

This is a simple strawberry salad made with fresh strawberries. You will need one cup of water, one eight-ounce carton of sour cream, two cups fresh chopped strawberries, thirty miniature marshmallows (or more if desired), one three ounce box of strawberry Jello, one teaspoon McCormick strawberry extract, one envelope of Dream Whip. Heat water to boiling and prepare Jello by package directions. Add miniature marshmallows to Jello and allow them to melt. Add strawberries and sour cream. Add the prepared envelope of Dream Whip. Stir all together and chill in the refrigerator until set.

Another simple and easy strawberry salad

This is another simple strawberry salad that is very strawberry. You will need three cups of fresh strawberries cut into halves, one can of Comstock strawberry pie filling, and one carton dairy whipping cream. Mix the strawberries with one and a half cups sugar, add the can of strawberry pie filling and chill in refrigerator for one hour. Whip the dairy whipping cream until stiff and add several tablespoons of sugar. Spread the whipping cream over the strawberry mixture. Keep refrigerated.

Selecting healthy tomato plant varities

There are several things to remember when selecting healthy varities of tomato plants. One of the "no-no's" is never purchase a tomato plant that already has blooms on them or especially plants that already have green tomatoes on them because they are already bad news for your tomato outlook. Don't buy plants that are tall and that are legged out of their pots. Make sure a six pack or four pack have that number of plants. Make sure the plants have blue-green stems and have been well maintained by the owners. Apply peat moss in the furrow before setting out tomato plants to provide moisture retention. Apply Tomato-Tone organic tomato food before hilling up the furrow. Cage the plants and stake a few plants to stabilize the cages from thunderstorms. Keep soil hilled up to the cages for extra support. Feed with Tomato-Tone every 15 days.

Summer straight necks for casseroles and sonkers

Warm soil in the middle of May is the ideal time to start the warm weather vegetables of straight neck summer squash for making squash casseroles, squash sonkers, and fried squash and onions. Good varities are Early Prolific Straight Neck, Enterprise, and Saffron and Dixie. Sow in a furrow about 4 inches deep. Apply a layer of peat moss in the bottom of furrow, sow four seeds about one-and-a-half feet apart and cover seed in a furrow with another layer of peat moss and then apply a layer of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food and hill up soil on both sides of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade. When seeds sprout, thin them to two plants per hill. Keep the plants hilled up and feed every 20 days.

Cucumbers in the mid-May garden plot

Cucumbers will respond well to the mid-May soil temperatures whether you use seed or plant. The seed in the warm May soil will catch up with cucumber plants. Good cucumber varities are Marketmore 76, Poinsett 76, Ashley, Long Green, and Straight Eight. Plant cucumbers in a furrow about three to four inches deep with four seed per hill about 12 to 18 inches apart. Cover the bottom of the furrow with a layer of peat moss and sow seed on top of the peat moss and then cover seed with another layer of peat moss. Place a layer of Garden-Tone organic vegetable food on top of the peat moss. Hill up soil on both sides of the furrow and then tamp down the soil with the hoe blade. When the seeds develop two leaves, thin the plants to two plants per hill. Keep the cucumbers hilled up for support as they continue to grow. Feed by side dressing with Garden-Tone every 15 days.

Squash will quickly sprout

The squash that are sown now will quickly respond to the warm soil. We favor the summer yellow straight necks simply because they are meaty, less watery, have less seeds and make the best sonkers and casseroles. The best varities of the straight necks are Early Prolific, Enterprise by Park Seed, and Saffron by Burpee Seed.

Plant the squash seed in a furrow about 4 inches deep. Apply a layer of peat moss in the bottom of the furrow and sow the squash seed about four seed per hill about 12 to 18 inches apart. Cover seed with another layer of peat moss to promote moisture retention. Cover peat moss with a layer of Garden-Tone organic vegetable food. Hill up soil on both sides of the furrow and tamp down soil on top of the row for solid soil contact. When the squash develop two leaves, thin them to two plants per hill. Side dress every 15 days with Garden-Tone organic vegetable food and keep soil hilled up on both sides of the row for good support. Water with the water wand on mist mode when rain is not in the forecast.

Strawberry extract enhances strawberries

Strawberry harvest season is now well on the way in Surry County. You can enhance the flavor of fresh picked strawberries by adding a teaspoon or tablespoon of McCormick strawberry extract to a quart of berries when making pie, short cake, of jam. You can purchase it at most super markets.

Hoe hoe hoedown

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"Home Cooking." With some cooks, the call is, "Come and get it." With others, its "Try and eat it!"