1984. That’s the year that the last professor here at the University of Minnesota published a paper about peanuts. He had tested a number of different varieties, some of which we’re testing now, and found that they do quite well in Minnesota. Then for the next 26 years there was a lull. And now? We have peanuts! Boiled peanuts and man are they good. But…will we end up in 1984 again? How do we make sure that our peanuts don’t disappear into academic oblivion? … Continue reading this article “Beer and 1984”
Author: jeffgillman003
My Thoughts on 2,4 D
My sister, who lives in the Pittsburgh area, just gave me a call. She and her husband have two kids and a lawn and she wanted to know my feelings about using herbicides to keep the grass free of weeds. When we were growing up our parents had a large lawn (and lots of fruit trees) and it took two of us two hours to mow the whole thing. It kind of turned her off to grass. … Continue reading this article “My Thoughts on 2,4 D”
Bambara
This past summer I had the chance to talk with an old friend of mine, Hamado Tapsoba, who I hadn’t seen in 15 years. We had gone to graduate school together, but after graduation he headed back to Burkina Faso, and I headed up to Minnesota. Anyway, while we were talking I told him that we were growing peanuts at the University (yes, I tell everybody — peanut news needs to be shared!). When I told him some of the problems that we had with shorter seasons he asked why we weren’t growing Bambara groundnuts. … Continue reading this article “Bambara”
Odds and Ends and Scrapple
School starts next week and so time is short, but I have a few quick thoughts to share with you before I get back to setting up class for next semester:
1. A class called Plant Production appears to be more attractive to students than a class called Nursery Management and Production — even though the concepts taught are essentially the same.
2. One of the greatest movies of all time, Caddyshack, includes a scene with milorganite. … Continue reading this article “Odds and Ends and Scrapple”
Striking a Balance
About two weeks ago a reader (Julie) e-mailed me about some young gardeners/farmers and how they believed in a natural balance. The e-mail read: “Would you mind devoting a blog or two to the philosophy that nature is perfectly balanced and will find a solution to whatever ails it and therefore we do not need to use any chemicals or poisons to fight pests and disease?”
I thought this was a good question, and here’s my quick answer (followed, naturally, by a more long and drawn out answer). … Continue reading this article “Striking a Balance”
So…How Much Pesticide Is Actually In Our Fruits and Veggies?
We have discussed the dirty dozen here before – those foods which a group called The Environmental Working Group (wow—fancy name – everything they say must be true!) has established contain more residues of different pesticides than other foods. I’ve already stated my concerns about selecting organic foods instead of conventionally grown ones because of a fear of pesticides so I won’t restate that here. Instead what I want to call your attention to an article sent to me by our visiting professor, Charlie Rowher. … Continue reading this article “So…How Much Pesticide Is Actually In Our Fruits and Veggies?”
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Is this title too extreme? I’ll leave that up to you.
Most of you are aware of the frog controversy that surrounds Round-up. A few years ago a professor from Pittsburgh showed that this chemical can kill aquatic creatures if it gets into a pond. Particularly tadpoles. Not that Round-up is intended to be used around water, but still, it is a concern and I don’t want to minimize it. Nor do I want people to forget that other supposedly safer products have their own set of dangers.… Continue reading this article “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
Being Lazy Has Its Advantages
I am just about the laziest gardener you’d ever want to meet. Around my field plots at the school things tend to look good –but that’s part of my job. Around my home, well, I probably water my plants once or twice a year, I fertilize every few years. I almost never use herbicides or any other weed control methods besides pulling – again, that happens once or twice a year. And I only mulch about once every two years or so (sorry Linda!). … Continue reading this article “Being Lazy Has Its Advantages”
Helium Makes Kudzu Float Away
As promised — some happy news: There’s this kid in Valdosta, GA (close to Tifton where I spent a few years as a graduate assistant), who has been experimenting with ways to kill kudzu. Here’s the video.
To see this kid work on something like this at such a young age is fantastic and gives me hope for the future. I wish the kid were here so he could come to the University of Minnesota – I think he has a lot to offer and he makes me slightly more optimistic about where horticulture ends up.… Continue reading this article “Helium Makes Kudzu Float Away”
A Nice Museum
I’ve been to Chicago before, but mostly on business. It always seemed nice though, so, last week I went with my family and, for the first time, I had the chance to look at some of the sights. Navy Pier – overrated. Shedd aquarium – met expectations. Chicago style pizza from Giordanos – so much better than I expected. Chicago hotdogs – damn good, but not equal to Chicago pizza. The Field Museum – TERRIBLY UNDERRATED. … Continue reading this article “A Nice Museum”