(soft upbeat music) >>I've been growing boxwood and propagating, planting, loading trucks of boxwood since I was literally about three or four years old.

And when boxwood blight came around in 2011, we heard about it, and our first thought was that, "Hey, we may have something that has resistance."

>>I've been working here 33 years.

We grow as much of our own food as we can, and this is just for feeding the 100 people.

100 people do eat a lot of food.

With lettuce, for us, there's no going back, because we need to get, oh, 100 heads a week.

>>Production funding for "Virginia Home Grown" is made possible by...

Strange's Florists, Greenhouses and Garden Centers.

Serving Richmond for over 90 years, with two florist shops, two greenhouses and a garden center.

Located throughout the Metro Richmond area.

Strange's, every bloomin' time!

And by... (birds chirp) (bright music) (bright music continues) >>Welcome to "Virginia Home Grown!"

Gosh, did it get hot, and fast!

I hope you're staying hydrated.

To keep my plants hydrated, I mulch my gardens and my containers, particularly my favorite summertime plants, such as this Robert Poore phlox.

Today we're talking about our favorite plants, really, your favorite plants!

These are the ones we hear most about from you: vegetables, including tomatoes, and shrubs.

Before we get started, I wanna remind you to send in your questions on our website, vpm.org/vhg.

We'll be answering those a little later.

In the second half of our show, we will visit Twin Oaks in Louisa to get some expert advice on improving your vegetable harvest from a best-selling author.

But first, I visited Saunders Brothers Nursery in Piney River to learn how a century old family business is still innovating by creating a new line of boxwood blight resistant plants.

Let's get going.

>>Over the years, we have collected many, many cultivars of boxwood.

And so when boxwood blight came around in 2011, we heard about it and our first thought is that, hey, we may have something that has resistance.

And we took two truckloads of plants down to North Carolina State to be tested for box blight resistance.

>>Yes, I can't think of a garden that does not have a boxwood in it.

They're so prevalent.

But how did you figure out which ones were more resistant?

>>Well, English has been around forever.

English boxwood or Suffruticosa has been around forever.

When I was in high school, I loaded thousands and thousands of those plants on trucks to deliver from our nursery.

It was our number one plant.

And so we had plenty of those and so we put those into the tests and we found out sure enough, that they were extremely susceptible.

So susceptible that now we use it as an indicator plant that there's blight in a garden or in our greenhouse or wherever.

And that is a huge part of where we should go with boxwood blight.

We gotta get rid of the English boxwood.

>>But you've also learned through your research and trials that it's the Asian boxwood that actually have more, I'll say, resistance to blight than those of the European descent.

So, that's where you're focusing your research?

>>Yeah, just about everything that we or the survivors, the ones that we think have a future are the Asian cultivars.

And so we're moving very heavily in our program.

And the Asian cultivars just do better.

I mean, I can look right here in the landscape and these are Asian cultivars.

And this, back 20 years ago when I moved into this house, there were huge English boxwood here.

And here's a Japonica variety, which is an Asian variety, which is doing great.

>>Yeah, so it's not to get rid of boxwood.

It's let's take away what we have, which we know is susceptible and plant what, through your research we're learning, is resistant.

And so you've developed a number of cultivars >>Yes.

>>Over the years, but how do you develop something like that?

Is it just trial and error?

>>Yes, it really is.

There's no real easy way to do that.

We have a research facility down in North Carolina.

It's a three and a half hour drive.

So we do not want to introduce boxwood blight into our home gardens or into our nursery.

So we're very careful, we go down, we do our work.

We set out replicated trials where we will look at different varieties and try to figure out which ones have the best resistance to blight.

And the boxwood leaf miner also is an insect, which is a big deal.

I think we ought to emphasize too, though, that the most important thing about a boxwood is it has to look pretty.

>>Has to have your wow factor.

>>We call it a wow factor.

>>Yeah.

>>It has to look pretty.

And so that's the first thing we look at and then we look for insect and disease resistance.

>>And through that, you've developed a new generation.

>>Yes, and so we have right now, two plants in our family of plants, our NewGen family, but we have many more to come.

We will introduce two more in a couple of years.

And they all share the, >>Wow factor.

(laughs) >>Yes, the wow factor, the insect and disease resistance.

And they have to be easy to grow too.

We can't overlook that.

>>Yeah.

>>For both the nursery man and for the homeowner, they have to be fairly easy to grow, fairly low maintenance.

>>Mm hm.

In the industry, there's a need for plants that grow at different heights, different sizes, even different forms, so what do you have here?

>>I should preface that with our goal with NewGen boxwood is to create an artist's palette of many different varieties of different size, different shapes.

So now we are breeding boxwood, and we really just started that about six or seven years ago.

>>Okay.

>>So we really just are starting to get our feet wet in that.

We're looking for plants that have many different sizes and shapes.

So right here, I brought five different plants.

And most people would look at these and say, these are not even boxwood.

>>Yeah.

>>But if I look at these two, these are sort of extremes right here.

If you look at this plant and it's really tall and skinny.

It's a bean pole.

And by itself it's not very pretty, but if it fills in, I think it could be really nice.

>>Yeah.

>>And then this is an extreme dwarf plant, >>Mm hmm.

>>With small leaves and you know, it'll keep a very tight size over time and it's kind of a neat plant.

But these are just some of the plants that we're testing and everything in between.

>>Yes, these aren't finished products.

These are just, I'll say the beginnings or the middle.

>>Yes, so we are testing literally thousands, tens of thousands of different plants.

And we're very quick to throw out the ones that don't show promise, that have insect or disease resistance or whatever, and to find plants that do better.

Yeah.

>>That's fantastic.

But you're looking towards sustainability.

You're looking toward plants that are disease and insect resistant so we're not having to go out and spray.

>>Yes, absolutely.

We are looking for plants that people can plant out and have very low maintenance and do very little on.

These plants here, we prune them once a year, and other than that, there's not a whole lot of maintenance.

And we don't like spraying.

Nobody likes spraying.

>>No.

>>And so we're trying to avoid that.

>>Yes, yes.

And these are the new alternatives.

So with our NewGens here, I'll say ours, 'cause I'm part of the industry and I'm excited to be able to have these options.

You know, you've got two different cultivars that you're introducing.

>>Yes.

>>Can you tell me about what the difference is in these two cultivars?

>>Yes, so this particular cultivar here is NewGen Freedom.

It's a very fast growing, really green and compact plant.

It does require a fairly aggressive pruning to keep the shape, but really beautiful green, lush foliage.

NewGen Independence is a high-gloss leaf, a little slower growing plant, takes a snow load really nice.

Just a really nice, nice plant.

Just very classic boxwood look.

>>Good type, huh?

>>Yes, yes.

>>Excellent.

Well, you've got the momentum going, but it's so important to get it out to the homeowner.

>>Yes.

>>So what's the next steps for Saunders Brothers?

>>So we've been selling NewGen boxwood since 2018, and on a fairly regional basis, you know, mainly the Mid-Atlantic area and a little bit into the Northeast and a little bit into the Midwest.

But we were approached a few years ago by the Proven Winners brand of plants.

And so we are partnering with them, and then they are taking the plants to the market and selling them all the way to the consumer level.

>>I love this because as people are working in their gardens and they're discovering maybe they do have a problem of boxwood blight in their garden, they then can go to their garden center and purchase a plant to replace it that will be resistant to that blight.

>>Yes.

>>And that's exciting.

>>Yes, we talk about resistance.

On our tags, we say good resistance with proper care.

You cannot overlook the best management practices.

Just something as simple as mulching the plants is so important to mitigate the effects of boxwood blight.

>>Yeah, so you just don't throw these plants in the ground and walk away.

>>You do not, because we have yet to see any variety not show any symptoms at all of boxwood blight.

And I said it earlier, the English boxwood is the most susceptible.

So we're encouraging people to get rid of the English boxwood from their gardens over time and to replant with more resistant cultivars.

>>And that's a great place to end as we look toward the future, knowing that yes, you can replace it and you'll have options.

>>Yes.

>>And I thank you.

I thank you to everybody involved and for Saunders taking the lead on this.

>>Boxwood is deer resistant due to the alkaloids present in the plant, knowing a Virginia company is one of the leaders in hybridizing boxwood blight resistant shrubs is reassuring for the future.

And now we are joined by another innovator working with a different popular landscape shrub.

Murray Buckner from Full Moon Blooms is with us to share his work in hybridizing new Paniculata hydrangea varieties in striking colors.

Now, before we get started, remember to send in your gardening questions on our website at vpm.org/vhg or through Facebook.

You know, Murray, I think many people aren't familiar with the paniculatas, the panicled hydrangeas.

You know, they're really very stunning.

But, you know, most of 'em are familiar with, I'll say our very popular one.

But let's talk about that just to start off with, okay?

>>We can do that.

>>Yeah.

>>So paniculadas for Virginia are much better.

As far as the climate, they're much more heat tolerant.

They're cold tolerant all the way into Canada.

They bloom on new wood.

They don't need nearly as much water.

You can change the time when they bloom by the way you prune it, you can keep them small.

There's tiny varieties, there's giant varieties.

So it's just a much heartier plant.

>>It's more versatile too.

>>It is.

>>Yes.

And when you say hardy, we're thinking of, you know, it's June, I'll say in Central Virginia and you brought in a sample of a macrophylla, our big leaf hydrangea, you know, the blue ones as everybody talks about.

And this is in water.

(laughs) >>Right.

And yeah, so the paniculadas just do much better in the heat than the macrophyllas.

And they don't have any of the diseases also, so- >>Which is another big bonus.

>>Right.

>>Yes.

But most people are familiar with them being white and then as the season progresses, they turn to a chartreuse and sometimes even a pretty pink.

So tell me about the hydrangeas that you've been working on over at the farm, what you've come up with.

>>Okay.

Why my hydrangeas are gonna change the hydrangea world is because the blooms start with color.

So if you see this color here, they start like that.

They don't turn like that in the fall.

And I have colors never before seen in a hydrangea.

>>Oh.

>>So I have cherry red.

>>Oh wow.

>>I have peaches, coffee, all different colors, and they all start that way.

They also change in the fall to different colors, but the main thing is that they start with color.

>>Fascinating, so rather than just starting white and changing to chartreuse or I'll say a more of a pink or a magenta, they actually are just going to immediately add color to our garden.

>>Right.

>>That is fantastic.

>>Right.

>>How many have you patented?

>>So I have a patent on one, and then I'm applying for patents on about 10.

So the only issue with me bringing in a lot of my new hydrangeas is that there's restrictions as far as patents.

[Peggy]- Well, we understand that, yes.

Can't let the cat out of the bag too early.

>>And then I have competitors that probably might wanna know what I'm doing.

>>This is exciting.

So when are we gonna be able to buy these plants, you know?

>>Well, I'm hoping at the end of next year.

>>Oh, good.

I'll be waiting.

I'm saving a spot in my garden.

>>Okay.

>>This is exciting.

>>Yeah, so I have some that are miniature, and then I have some that will grow 20 feet tall and every type of bloom in between.

>>Excellent.

So how do you do this?

I mean, how many plants do you grow?

I've got so many questions on the process itself.

So could you explain the process?

>>Okay, so what I do is when I first start, is I throw like the kitchen sink at the plant.

I'll hybridize it with 20 or 30 different plants.

>>Okay.

>>And so one of the ways is just open pollinating.

And so you pick, you have a field of plants, and then you pick the best ones, and then you plant 'em out and see what's good.

The second way to do it is to segregate a couple plants and then still let the insects and the wind pollinate 'em, but you get a tighter variety that way.

But I hand pollinate it because I think I'm just a tiny bit smarter than the insects, so- >>You're intentional.

>>So you have tiny little sepals.

I'm sorry, so these are the sepals.

Most people think that these are the petals of a flower, but these are...

I keep thinking.

Moderated, not moderated.

>>Modified leaves?

>>Modified leaves, right.

>>Yes, bracts.

Uh-huh.

>>But the true flower is in here and it has the- >>Way down deep.

>>stamen and the stigma.

And so what you have to do is take pollen from the stamen and put it on the stigma, and you do it over and over again for three or four days 'cause you don't know exactly the time period when it's right- >>Actually receptive to it.

>>Right, right.

>>Yes.

And then after that, so you let it set for how long?

I mean, it's going to close down, it's been pollinated, so it's going to, you know.

>>Yeah, so it'll form a seed, and one of these seeds will need to mature for about 80 days.

>>Okay.

>>And then from that seed, it'll open up and you'll get about 50 of these tiny little seeds.

>>Oh my.

>>And then each one of those will be planted out in a flat, and then maybe a hundred per flat, and then all those have to be hand transplanted into cell packs.

>>So at what time do you start culling them?

>>So in about six months, they'll bloom.

And after that, like I might grow 5,000, and in six months, I'll have to throw away 4,990. because you only get about maybe 1% that's good.

>>That's amazing.

Well, Murray, this is fantastic information and I thank you for sharing because I don't think people realize the extent of the numbers involved and the detail that goes into it, so I thank you so much for sharing.

>>You're welcome.

Thank you.

>>And I applaud you for the work you're doing, too.

>>Thank you.

>>Yes, thank you.

And now we're going to get ready to answer your questions, but first Randy Battle has tips to share on growing and harvesting one of his favorite vegetables, broccoli.

(light percussion music) >>The beginning of summer is here, and it's so exciting because there are so many things that are blooming and blossoming, and it's time to harvest a lot of our fruits and vegetables.

One of my favorite things to grow is broccoli.

Yes, you guys, you can start from seed, or you can buy a starter plant at a local nursery.

I love growing broccoli.

Not only is it high in nutritional value, it's just fun to watch the florets grow.

And not only can you eat the florets, but you're also able to eat the leafy greens.

You can saute them.

You can boil them.

You can add smoked meat to them if you like.

You know, Southerners, we love smoked meat.

When it comes to the heat factor, broccoli is not too happy about a lot of heat, so you want to go ahead and pick it before it gets extremely hot in your garden.

Now, what I mean by that is, if you can see this plant here, the florets have started to separate, which means it's gonna go to flower.

The plant is just reproducing itself.

It's trying to create more seeds to fall back into the ground so it'll make a new plant.

Now also, as you can see, I've compacted my little small garden bed.

I have at least 25 broccoli plants here, you guys.

I have harvested some already, and I have some that we're going to harvest today.

And what I like to do is I cut it at a 45 degree angle When it rains, you don't want the rain to puddle just right up onto that root.

You just want it to kind of run off.

And also, once you pick your broccoli head, don't cut the whole plant off and throw it away.

Keep that plant because what's gonna happen is you're gonna have some small broccoli florets that come out of the sides of the stem.

So I have my little garden tool here, and I use the rugged side of the blade.

And what I like to do is simply hold my broccoli head over, and I want to cut just below the last floret, just like that, you guys.

And I like to take mine, you know, just like that.

And you can eat 'em raw, but I like to rinse them off first, and then I'll put 'em in a salad or saute 'em, however you want to do it.

And one thing you want to make sure is to check on your broccoli every single day that you can.

I like to check on mine early morning because you would be surprised how quickly they grow, especially in high temperatures.

Remember to live, love, laugh, grow stuff and eat it.

>>And now it's time for our favorite part of the show, when we get to hear from you.

Make sure to send us your gardening questions through our website, vpm.org/vhg, or on Facebook.

Shana has joined us to help with those questions, so welcome, Shana.

And where do we start?

>>Thank you.

Murray, thank you for sharing, and it was great.

I actually am growing hydrangeas, one in the sun and one in the shade, just to do a sample.

So someone had a question here, and I'm curious about it as well.

It says, "How much shade can a hydrangea take, and does it affect the amount of flowers?"

>>It certainly does, and it really depends on the species.

The hydrangeas, the genus has over 100 different species of hydrangeas, so usually we're talking about the little pink, blue ones, which are macrophylla, or the paniculata.

The paniculatas will take much more sun and will need more sun to flower.

And also, the oak leaf hydrangeas can take more shade.

So it depends on the species, really.

>>So I should have looked at that label and not just tossed it away, huh?

(chuckling) (Murray laughing) >>I will share that I've got two macrophyllas, and I have one that gets more sun and the other gets significantly more shade, and the one in the shade is performing so much better.

The one that's getting more sun is right now very unhappy, so.

>>Oh.

I wanna see what happens to mine.

I just planted 'em last fall, so I'm interested.

Okay, so this next question is, "Does the soil pH affect the bloom color in the variety, and what pH should it be for hydrangeas?"

>>So for a paniculata, it won't affect it.

>>Okay.

>>So, but for a macrophylla, the lower the pH, the more acidic, makes it turn blue.

>>Hmm.

>>And then the more alkaline will make it turn pink.

So, like, below five you would go towards the blues, and above five, you'd go towards the pinks.

But there needs to be, like, in a pot, you need to have some aluminum in there because that affects it as well.

But in the ground, there's usually enough aluminum, so.

>>But for your plants that you're hybridizing, what you're saying is that you're hybridizing these paniculatas so they stay pink, they come out pink, or peach, or any of the colors that you're aiming for with your work.

>>Right.

>>And that they stay there most of the summer, and then, of course, when the cool weather comes in the fall, they alter to another color, so.

>>Right, and they're not affected by the pH.

>>Not at all.

>>No.

>>So gardeners can plant them just about anywhere.

>>Right.

>>Hmm, okay, that's interesting.

I'm still excited to see what happens to mine.

(Peggy laughing) This one has to do with the peonies.

This person, Sally actually has some peonies, and she's dealing with some powdery mildew on the leaves.

And she's trimmed 'em back, and she kinda wants to know, you know, will that help promote the airflow?

What does she need to do?

>>Well, with anything with powdery mildew, trimming back and promoting the airflow is always a bonus.

And with all the rain we've had, lots of powdery mildew out there.

But it's also been proven that you can make a soapy water mix.

ad spray the plant down, particularly under the leaves where most people don't realize is where the powdery mildew is really thriving.

And to do this about once a week, and it'll be able to just take and cover that mycelium, and it will, I'll say suppress the disease.

>>It'll dry it out some, right?

>>Dry it out a little bit, yeah.

>>Mm-hmm, okay.

>>But it'll also prevent that mycelium from going to spores, so.

>>Okay.

That's good to know.

I see some forming, (Murray laughing) I need to stop and act.

(chuckling) >>Okay, so this one is Kim in Henrico.

She has some native perennials and some other shrubs, and she bought 'em and they said they were drought-resistant.

But what she's finding out is that with this hot weather, how much should she be watering them, and should she be adding more water on a regular basis because we're going through this hot spell right now?

>>Yeah, well, I think even when you're planting hydrangeas or anything, the first year you put them in the ground, you've got to water them regularly.

>>Right, right.

>>I mean, our perennials and even our shrubs, that first season, they've gotta get their roots set, and watering is critical this time, but also mulching them, as I mentioned earlier in the show, to help retain that moisture in the soil.

How long does it take for those paniculatas to kinda get established in the ground, Murray?

>>I would say, well, the best thing to do is plant in the fall.

But if you're gonna plant this time of year, you're gonna have to water 'em all the time.

And if you buy something in a pot, the roots haven't grown out of that pot size, so that's all you're actually having, so you have to water it pretty constantly.

>>And what about the second year?

>>The second year you can slow down on, significantly.

It's just they started to get their roots out there, and again, mulching is the key.

And I like to talk about, I mean, I just get a water jug or milk jug and wash it out, and stab the bottoms, and fill it with water and put it at the base of the plant, and it's my inexpensive drip irrigation system, you know?

(chuckling) I can just move the container around, you know, so that you can get that water right to that root ball that Murray just talked about.

>>Right.

>>So really, with these native plants, if we weren't having this crazy heat spell.

>>They'd be fine.

>>Yeah, that'd be fine.

>>If she mulched them.

>>So basically, it's just mulch it, and keep giving it plenty of water to get past this extreme heat that we're experiencing.

>>Exactly, yeah.

>>Good, okay.

And this one is pruning.

So Gary wanted to know, "Do you recommend pruning the lower leaves of your tomato plants?"

I think we- >>We went over this.

>>Yeah.

You definitely want to.

>>So we'll talk about that.

But I wanted to say with pruning, with hydrangea paniculatas, when do you prune those plants?

You had mentioned pruning earlier, but when?

>>So for the paniculatas, I prune in the summertime to make them bloom in the fall, because I don't want my blooms, you know, blooming in the summer when I can't sell flowers.

So paniculata is actually, the first pruning is done in the winter.

And you can prune different levels, you can prune it hard or not so hard.

It affects how it grows.

But they definitely like to be pruned in the wintertime.

>>You know, I consider 'em like rose bushes.

If you prune 'em down low and hard, you're gonna get some good, strong growth, and big beautiful flowers.

>>Right.

>>If you keep 'em tall, you're gonna get a lot more little growth with smaller flowers.

>>Right.

>>So the question is, do you want really big, bodacious flowers?

Prune 'em a hard low.

Do you want lots of flowers, which is why I always want, and keep it up higher, so.

>>Right.

>>And always take the deadwood and rubbing wood out, so yeah.

>>Right.

I grow for cut flowers, so I do a harder pruning.

And then, so I get stronger stems from the paniculatas.

>>Sounds great.

>>Yeah, it really does.

>>Good information to know.

And these are for the paniculatas.

We have to be clear on that.

>>Right, right.

And so the macrophyllas are not the same at all.

>>Whole different critter.

(Murray chuckling) >>Yes.

But which one will most people, homeowners, have in their yards?

>>Macrophyllas.

We're trying to get 'em to go to paniculatas.

(Shana laughing) >>Right.

>>Because the macrophyllas are fussy.

(laughing) >>Right.

>>Okay, so I can prune those back a lot and still get some good foliage.

>>The macrophyllas, you wanna wait.

They form their buds on the previous year's growth, so you prune 'em right after they bloom and then you let it be.

>>Okay.

>>You got one shot.

>>Okay.

>>Unfortunately, in the spring, nature prunes it, too, which we're gonna prune this session right here 'cause I gotta get going, so.

(laughing) That's 'cause it's all the time we have right now, but we look forward to answering more questions later in the show, so keep 'em coming.

And Murray, thank you.

Thank you so much.

>>Thank you.

for having me.

>>Thank you.

>>I'm excited to learn more, (chuckling) anyway.

And next, Shana met with Pam Dawling at Twin Oaks in Louisa to talk about insights she gained over 25 years managing the community vegetable garden responsible for feeding 100 people, so let's take a look.

>>This is Twin Oaks community.

We're in Louisa County between Richmond and Charlottesville, and we are an intentional community of 100 people.

We share our income and we share our work and we share our mistakes and we share our expenses.

So, this is the food garden.

This is just for feeding the hundred people.

>>Well, what I noticed is how beautiful and lush your crops look.

But I'm also looking at how rich your soil is.

>>Yeah, well.

>>You need amendments and certain things that you add to your soil to enrich it?

(Pam laughs) >>Mostly it's compost that we make here.

We also gain some from cover crops, especially in the winter, but also summer cover crops like buckwheat.

We grow them and we turn them back into the soil.

>>The spacing, which you grow in your garden is about what, two and a half acres, three acres?

>>Yeah, it's about two and a half acres currently.

>>So, I'm quite sure that you guys are harvesting thousands of pounds probably a month.

>>Yeah, lots, yeah.

(Pam and Shana laugh) Yeah, lots of harvesting.

It's a sign of success, right?

>>Yes, speaking of success, I understand that you are author of several successful garden books?

>>Yes, my most recent one is the second edition of, "Sustainable Market Farming."

And it's a huge fat book about all kinds of vegetables.

First edition, I wrote over 10 years ago, and in between times I wrote a book about growing food in a hoop house.

And that was based on my experience here.

>>Well, so you're doing a fantastic job.

>>It works.

>>It definitely does.

>>Yeah.

>>I want a hoop house now.

>>Yeah, it does make everything easier, >>But also notice that you chose to grow your cucumbers on the ground.

>>We grow a lot of different crops in the winter in there, and then we grow like early spring and early summer crops.

And so like the tomatoes will come out the end of July, 'cause by then we'll have plenty coming from outdoors.

And the cucumbers and the squash are just our first ones.

When they peak and they're not doing so well, we just pull them out and we rely on harvesting outdoors.

So, we don't like to spend a lot of time putting up trellises.

Also, in the hoop house, you've gotta think about the light, more than you do outdoors.

And so we don't want tall plants blocking the other crops further to the north.

So, we just get a bush variety of cucumbers.

It's Spacemaster and we grow them and we keep them onto a four foot-wide bed, by pushing them back in when they try to escape.

>>Do you find that some of the things that you're planting are more resilient than others?

>>Oh yeah, definitely.

(Pam laughs) We always read the small print in the catalogs to see if it says resistant to this or that disease.

Recently, I just learned of a Swiss Chard variety that is resistant to this Cercospora Spot Disease that we get.

So, we're trying some of that this year.

>>Tell me about some of the organic methods or the companion planting methods that you use.

>>Right, well, we do a bit of companion planting, in that, like we grow the Nasturtiums in with the squash and the cucumbers to fend off the striped cucumber beetle.

And we do plant little clusters of flowers to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects.

And we just plant those at the ends of the beds of the vegetables.

And we do crop rotation.

>>Yes.

>>I do think crop rotation is important that you don't plant the same thing in the same place two years running.

(Pam and Shana giggle) So, we do that and that will help with pests that don't move very far, or diseases that could be in the soil.

And also we do succession sewing.

Like with beans, we plant them maybe five times during the growing season.

They're not right next to each other.

So, if the first ones get a disease, it doesn't jump straight to the second ones.

>>That's wise.

>>Yeah.

>>You do your lettuce the same way?

Succession planting.

>>Well, we haven't this year, we just do lots.

>>Yeah.

>>Because we eat oh, 100 heads a week.

>>Okay, any particular variety, especially in these very hot summers that we have?

>>Yes, we mostly grow the Batavian lettuces in the summer.

They're the most heat-resistant ones, although there's also a romaine called Jericho that is heat-resistant.

And there's, oh, New Red Fire is surprisingly heat resistant, but it doesn't make very big heads.

So, we try to grow different ones so we're not serving up the same kind of lettuce every week.

>>I know that you probably love a ton of different types of vegetables, okay.

But tell me some of your favorites.

>>I really enjoy ground sweet potatoes, partly 'cause you put them in the ground and then they grow a lot and you don't do much for a while.

>>Leave and forget.

>>Yeah, and then you dig 'em all up and it's fantastically satisfying to see them all and then cure them.

And then you've got food for months and months.

It gives me a big sense of satisfaction, food security.

>>What type of variety do you grow?

>>Well, it's a bit of a mixture of Beauregard and Georgia Jet.

They're similar and they're both fast, and they're both tasty.

>>I'm also curious about some of the common mistakes that gardeners might have when they're growing their vegetables.

You seem to be so successful.

Tell us some of those common mistakes that we need to avoid.

>>Thinking about the squash, one thing is that when you harvest them, it's important to cut the zucchini, especially off of the vine.

So, you've got a bit of the stem end.

>>Yes.

>>And you don't leave that behind.

'Cause if you leave that behind, the plant acts as if fall is here.

It's all over.

>>Oh.

>>And it doesn't make as many new squash.

>>What about tomatoes?

>>Tomatoes.

>>What are some of the common mistakes that people make with tomatoes?

>>Well, one of the things is try not to touch the plants at all while the leaves are wet.

>>Yeah.

>>Because then you can transfer fungal diseases from one to another.

And don't let anybody who uses tobacco touch your tomato plants.

(Pam laughs) >>Oh, why?

>>Because they can transfer Tobacco Mosaic Virus.

And then once you've got that, it's, you've got it forever kind of thing, so.

>>What varieties do you enjoy growing?

>>Well, if we're doing paste tomatoes, we like Roma.

And for early ones, we like mountain magic, it's fairly small, but it's very tasty and productive, and it doesn't succumb to diseases much.

>>That's key.

>>So we like that one.

We like Jubilee, it's a big orange slicer.

We do that one.

Another one we really like is Garden Peach, which is the unusual furry skinned tomato.

>>Oh, okay.

>>It's very tasty.

It doesn't get many troubles like, insects don't seem to wanna bite it.

So, we like that one.

It's unusual though.

>>And I noticed that the lower leaves, you guys are constantly removing the lower leaves.

>>We do.

>>Okay.

>>We remove any that touch the ground, 'cause we don't want to spread diseases.

So, we do that about once a week, I suppose.

We go through and we take off the lower leaves.

Also, once the plants get quite big, they're not really using those lower leaves.

There's not much light reaching them.

They don't photosynthesize much.

So, the plant doesn't really need them and they're just a possible source of trouble.

>>Do you snap off the suckers as well?

>>We do, yeah.

We just leave two main stems and then we pinch out the the suckers, yeah.

>>Yeah, 'cause I saw not a lot of leaf foliage, but a lot of tomatoes.

>>Right, that's what we're going for.

(Pam and Shana laugh) We're not gonna eat the leaves.

>>Very productive.

(Pam and Shana laugh) I'm gonna try more of those methods that you're using.

>>Yeah.

>>You know what you shared was wonderful, thank you.

I really appreciate you allowing us to come and visit your beautiful garden.

>>You're very welcome.

(mower engine roars) It's really nice to spread garden chat with other people that are interested in growing vegetables.

(mover engine roars) >>Wow, so much information was packed into that segment that we're going to post on Facebook a list of the vegetable varieties she spoke about.

And now, Pam is here with me to share some more vegetable care tips.

It's always a pleasure to learn about gardening at the Intentional Communities in Louisa.

And we were last at Twin Oaks in 2022 to learn about Common Wealth Seed Growers.

And in past seasons, also featured the Acorn Community.

So thanks for always welcoming us in and for being here today as we celebrate 25 years of "Virginia Home Grown."

But before we begin, remember to send in your questions through our website, vpm.org/vhg, or through Facebook.

Well, Pam, we've got quite a beautiful array.

Where's my dinner plate?

(laughs) >>Oh, later, perhaps.

(laughs) >>Perhaps.

(Peggy and Pam laughing) You know, in the segment, we talked a lot about lettuce and people are intrigued that you can grow it in the summertime, myself included, 'cause we all know it's bolted with this heat and stuff.

>>It's hard.

>>It's hard.

It is hard.

>>So you have four very specific types of lettuce or varieties of lettuce.

>>Yes.

Well, I brought these in as an example.

The ones we grow in the summer are nearly all Batavian types.

And my favorite is this dark Cherokee here.

But this one is, what is this one?

Cardinale, yeah.

This one has turned somewhat red as well.

And there's this frilly one.

What is that one?

Muir.

>>Muir.

>>That's a new one, yeah.

And so we like to grow these because they resist bolting and they don't go bitter like other lettuces can do.

So we grow, we try to plant out 120 a week, and usually, we use some shade cloth in the summer.

I found this little piece.

It's just right for this flat here.

>>That's perfect.

(chuckles) >>Yeah, it's perfect.

You don't have to buy fancy shade cloth.

You can use window screens and all sorts of things.

I think that's something from a tent, I'm not sure, but, yeah.

Also, lettuces- >>And, you know, just in that little segment, the number of tips you shared was just amazing for the average homeowner, you know?

>>Yeah.

>>But you do have a book here, "Sustainable Market Farming," and as you said earlier, farming is a loose term.

We shouldn't think of it in terms of a professional farmer, but as we're farmers.

>>Right, mini farming, yeah.

>>Yeah.

>>Yeah.

The details apply whether you're growing five cabbages or 500 cabbages.

Just the same amount of details' useful.

And I, yeah, this is my new book.

I just finished it.

And then my other book, "The Year-Round Hoophouse."

If you've got a hoop house or if you have dreams of getting a hoop house, that's a great book to get.

But otherwise, I would say the "Sustainable Market Farming" is the one that tells you all about lots of different vegetables and techniques and planning and organizing and recordkeeping, which- >>Is not our favorite.

>>Not your favorite, but it's so worth doing.

It's really worthwhile.

And you can do a lot with the photographs.

Using your camera, using your phone, yeah.

>>Absolutely.

So you've got some wonderful yummies here and some colorful things.

So you're trying different varieties constantly.

>>We are.

(chuckles) These carrots, I'm not really a fan of fancy-colored carrots, really.

I like the orange ones.

These are Danvers 126.

This is our standard one.

And they get bigger than the fancy-colored ones.

But these are fun.

These are Fantasia, and it's just one packet of seeds and you get all these different- >>That's so fun.

>>different colors, yeah.

>>One reminds me of Virginia Tech, maroon and orange.

>>Oh yes, yes.

>>Sorry.

(Peggy and Pam laughing) >>Yes.

And the scallions, there's lots of different kinds of scallions, but I only ever bother with Evergreen Hardy White because it's so cold-hardy and you can just grow the same ones all year round and get really nice scallions.

>>Fantastic.

>>Yeah.

>>Fantastic.

So you had mentioned cabbages earlier.

>>Right.

This is Ruby Perfection, and- >>Beautiful.

>>Yes.

>>It's beautiful.

>>It's nice red cabbage.

>>Yes.

>>Yeah, it's slower than some, but it's very nice cabbage.

>>How has that been doing in the heat?

Did you harvest this?

>>Well, we've harvested them.

Yeah, we have bags of them.

(Peggy and Pam laughing) Yeah.

We do them in the spring, and then we harvest them.

>>Yes, they do not like the heat.

>>No.

And this is my favorite beet.

This is Formanova or Cylindra.

And they have this long shape, which means that you get a lot more beet in a row, you know, because they're- >>You just space 'em a few inches apart.

>>Yes, a few inches, but yeah.

>>Yeah.

>>Yeah.

I mean, they're very tender and delicious.

>>Oh, I'll have to give 'em a try.

>>Yeah, really, and yeah, really love doing- >>My mother do not cook beets well, so I don't- >>Oh, I'm sorry.

>>Yes, so I'm trying.

>>Yes.

>>I'm trying.

(laughs) You know, I went out and harvested a huge basket of these this morning.

Luckily, mine get a little shade until about 10 o'clock.

>>Oh, hmm, these didn't.

(Peggy and Pam laughing) These are Provider.

It's a very reliable green bean.

And sometimes we alternate, we grow, well, we grow beans about five times during the summer.

And so we usually start with Provider because it's cold tolerant.

The seed, it's dark-seeded.

They're better than the white-seeded varieties that are coming up in cold conditions.

So we start with Provider, and maybe the second time we plant beans, we might plant these again, or a different, oh, I can't remember the name.

Never mind.

This one is worth, if you only get one, Provider is a good one.

>>Yeah.

So it's a bush bean.

>>It's a bush bean.

We don't grow pole beans 'cause I don't like putting up trellises.

(Peggy laughing) And also, they're slower to come into- >>Yeah, they are.

>>into- >>into bean, we'll call it.

>>Into bean, yes, to bean-itude, yes.

>>Now, we're running out of time, but I wanted to get to the squashes because I wanted to have you- >>All right, briefly on the squashes then.

>>Yes.

>>Yes.

So this is one of my favorite yellow squashes.

It's called Zephyr, and it has this, it's partly green and partly yellow, which is attractive to look at, but also, it's a very tasty squash.

That's important.

>>Yes.

>>And this zucchini is Green Machine, and- >>Oh, I know that one, yes.

>>Yes.

>>[Peggy But you were talking earlier about how to harvest them.

>>Yes, how to harvest.

This is how to harvest, and this is how not to harvest.

You wanna make sure that you cut them leaving part of the stem and not leave the stem on the plant because then the plant will act as if the zucchini is still there and decide not to make any more, and that- >>That's it.

>>That's, yes.

>>Speaking of that's it, it's time for us to say goodbye and to move on.

So I thank you so much for bringing in all these delicious vegetables.

>>Yes.

It's been fun.

(laughs) >>Yes.

Well, next, we're going to answer more of your questions.

But first, Amyrose Foll has growing tips for America's native crop, corn.

And share that there are many varieties you can try in your garden.

(upbeat music) >>Corn is the quintessential American vegetable and grain.

It's been grown in this continent for thousands of years and it's a favorite on backyard barbecue menus and family get-togethers for the 4th of July.

Whether you're growing sweet corn or you're growing a grain corn, like flour corn, for grinding and creating masa, you wanna make sure that you've got several conditions present.

You have to have enough corn in that area to be able to properly pollinate your plants and you want to be able to have good, healthy plants, so feeding is very important.

They are heavy feeders of nitrogen.

So when you plant densely, like you see here, you're going to need to probably amend your soil a little bit.

I like to plant densely, because in Central Virginia, we get a lot of wind.

Unlike other vegetables, corn won't tap down into the soil.

The brace roots come out at the bottom, but where that kernel is in the level of the soil, it is never gonna get deeper than that.

So make sure you're planting deep to try to offset the wind that we have.

We wanna make sure that they are nice and healthy before they silk out and tassel out, because each of those silks is going to take up pollen from those tassels, and each one creates a kernel, which is why you need to have enough plants and enough wind pollination to get really good, juicy, delicious corn cobs.

If you wanna plant more than one variety of corn and you don't want them to cross-pollinate, maybe you don't have a lot of space in your garden, don't worry about it.

You can separate by time.

Corn will only silk out and tassel out for about 10 to 14 days during the course of its maturity.

So you would choose varieties that have the same days to maturity, like these two here, and you're gonna plant them about three weeks apart.

That way, there's no chance of cross-pollination, so you're going to get true-to-type corn cobs from each variety throughout your growing season.

I generally plant about five varieties a year.

In Virginia, we have a great, long growing season for corn, depending on the variety, so I can squeeze those in very early and very late into the year, planting as late as August for some varieties.

And these ones, you can see they're in totally different stages of growth.

This is a Peruvian variety from the Andean Mountains.

It's a beautiful speckled variety.

Kind of short 'cause it's pretty cold in the mountains.

And then this, that's quite a bit bigger in the back, is Glass Gem Corn, and it is about three weeks ahead of that variety up there.

Absolutely gorgeous.

I love this corn.

A lot of people ask me whether certain varieties of corn are edible.

All corn is edible if you know how to use it, because there's different applications for different kinds of corn.

Not everything is the sweet corn that you see in the grocery store.

So, before you head to your garden center to get a run-of-the-mill variety, I encourage you to maybe try a heritage variety like we have here and explore what you can do in your garden and your kitchen and all of the different applications and uses for all of the beautiful jewels of the garden that corn is.

>>There are so many favorite plants, making it hard to pick which to feature.

So please continue to let us know yours.

And now we're going to take more of your questions.

So go ahead and send them in to vpm.org/vhg.

So let's see what we have here.

So, Pam, we first, you know, we had the garlic on the table and we didn't get to it.

So share with us.

You had hardneck garlic.

I grow softneck garlic.

So tell us, how do we know when hardneck garlic is ready?

>>Well, what we do is we pull up a few sample ones.

Once the leaves start to yellow a bit, We pull up a few samples and we cut horizontally with a sharp knife.

And we look at the cross-section of the garlic, and if there's little air spaces around whatever is left of the stem of the scape that was in the middle, if there's little air spaces, it's ready.

But if it's sort of still full with no space at all, it needs a bit longer.

So that's how we tell.

There is some formula about 50% of the fifth leaf or something going brown.

But I don't find that such a useful one.

>>So actually cut the neck?

>>No, cut right through the middle of the bulb of the garlic horizontally.

>>All right.

>>So you open it up- >>All right, I thought that's what you said, but I just wanted to clarify.

>>Yes.

>>Right.

Did you ever like dig down below and just get a like feel of how big the bulb is, and just like do a guess and just yank it out the ground?

>>No.

(all laughing) >>Just like too much time.

>>I like, I like to be impressed at how large it's got, but I wouldn't just be like get it out of the ground without checking a few.

'Cause we grow quite a lot, and it would be a sad thing to make thousands of mistakes.

>>Oh yeah, for sure.

>>Yes, you need those.

>>Well, the other question we have is about tomatoes.

And the tomatoes, for Mary, are very slow to get going this year.

And she rotates her plants in the garden every year, and she uses a basic fertilizer.

So any ideas, either of you, as to what's going on with these tomatoes?

>>Like, I know that when my tomatoes start to struggle, I start to look with what's in my soil.

Did I really add the good amount of compost and stuff to enrich the soil?

Go back to the foundation.

And maybe she needs to do a soil test.

>>Yeah, and the other thing I was noting is today, being so warm, last month's show, it was still chilly.

>>Yes.

>>Hmm.

>>And tomatoes love temperatures over 55 degrees.

They don't like 'em down at 55 and below.

And we were having night temperatures in the 40s.

>>Oh, we were.

It was so nice.

(all laughing) But the tomatoes were probably going, hmm, I'm not happy with this (laughs).

So we have to take that into account too, are those lower temperatures.

'Cause I was covering and uncovering and covering and uncovering and covering and uncovering.

Not to be repetitive, but yeah.

So I'm with you on soil tests, but also look at the weather.

>>Yeah, soil tests are important.

>>The other problem is it's above 90 degrees and they're not gonna want to produce.

>>Yeah, that's true.

>>Yes.

>>Yes, sorry.

Tomatoes are challenging in Richmond.

>>Yes, you might have to next time put 'em somewhere where it gets some partial shade.

>>Exactly.

A little cooling off.

Or buy some shade cloth.

>>Exactly.

>>Yes.

>>Set up a little tent.

That's a good one.

Yeah.

We've just solved the problem (laughs).

>>Hope so (chuckles).

>>Well, another one is you grow a mixture of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes.

Do you prefer one over the other?

Do you think hybrid vegetables sacrifice flavor for disease resistance?

You know, what are your thoughts on this debate that's always out there?

>>Oh, there is, isn't there?

>>Yes.

>>It is out there.

I'm not opposed to hybrids at all.

Often they are more productive and they can have good disease resistance and they can have good flavor.

So we actually just did a flavor test.

We walked along our row, four of us, and we tasted each one, not each one, but each different variety.

And we said, yes, we'll grow that one again.

And no, not that one.

So whatever works really is important.

It's not theory for me.

It's like does it taste good?

Does it grow well?

Then I'll grow it again.

>>Minimum input.

Maximum output.

>>I like that strategy.

>>Yeah, I do too.

But anyway, Craig here from Hanover asked a question: "Can you speak to soil quality as a factor for producing better-tasting tomatoes?

I'm interested to know if you think Louisa's soil can possibly produce," oh, here's Craig again, "a better tomato than a Hanover."

(all laughing) Craig, you cornered me last time on this.

(all laughing) >>Hmm.

>>Put you on the spot.

I'm so sorry.

>>Yes.

I don't want to make a war between Louisa and Hanover at all.

I'm sure that soil does affect the flavor.

And it's quite well known that the same variety can taste different if grown in different places.

Like, we had somebody come to Twin Oaks who's really wanted to grow Tappy's Finest tomato.

She said that was the best one.

So we grew some, but they didn't do that well, they didn't taste anything special for us.

So I think you've just gotta go with what tastes good where you are.

>>Yeah.

But we all know that Hanover just has the most beautiful soil in all of Virginia.

>>Oh my gosh.

>>Just hands down (laughs).

>>Richmond got some good soil too.

>>Now you can improve your soil.

(all laughing) >>But can I add one little thing?

>>Sure.

>>I know I'm growing the same type of tomato and I'm choosing to grow one inside of a pot and one in the ground.

And I noticed that the ones in the pot, skin is a little tougher than the ones that are in the ground.

They taste a little sweeter.

And so the major difference is, of course, less watering, more natural watering, But the skin is tougher.

Microbes.

>>Don't take away the microbes.

That soil and the microbes in the soil.

You know, that richness, the minerals, the mineral content of the soil.

All of this plays a role in the flavor of that tomato.

>>Yes.

>>I'm tempted to put those potted ones in the ground.

>>You can, yeah.

(all laughing) >>Well folks, I don't want to get us in trouble.

We've just got one minute left.

Less than one minute.

So what is your favorite vegetable, Pam?

Besides the sweet potato, 'cause you already... And also, yeah, just answer that one.

>>Tomatoes.

>>Tomatoes.

(both laughing) >>Yeah, although I really like cantaloupe melons as well.

>>I do too.

There's nothing like vanilla ice cream on cantaloupe.

It was my childhood dinner on a hot, hot day.

Sorry, I'm from New York.

I'll admit it (laughs).

>>Anyway.

>>Blueberries, maybe.

>>All right, I'll do both.

Anyway.

>>Oh yes.

>>Well, we're out of time.

And Pam, I thank you so much for being on this show today.

I appreciate you taking your time.

>>Oh, I've enjoyed it.

Thank you.

>>Yes.

And Shana, thank you as always for joining us.

>>It was fun.

>>And thanks to all of our guests today, and thank you for watching.

We hope you have a better understanding of how new introductions of plants are developed.

And will try new varieties in the landscape and the vegetable garden.

Remember to sign up for our monthly newsletter at vpm.org/vhg for gardening information and advice from me and the team.

Always, our Facebook page is full of gardening tips, so be sure to visit us there too.

I look forward to being with you again soon.

And until then, remember, gardening is for everyone, and we are all growing and learning together.

Happy gardening.

(peaceful music) (peaceful music continues) (peaceful music continues) >>Production funding for "Virginia Home Grown" is made possible by: Strange's florist, greenhouses and garden centers, serving Richmond for over 90 years with two florist shops, two greenhouses, and a garden center located throughout the Metro Richmond area.

Strange's: Every blooming time.

And by... (birds chirping) (relaxed folk music) (relaxed folk music continues) (relaxed folk music continues) (relaxed folk music continues) (soft ambient music)