Wheel Hoe Blog

Row by Row Episode 58: Tips for Growing Okra in the Garden

June 17, 2019 by hosstools

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Okra Varieties

Classified in the Malvaceae family, okra prefers warm-weather which makes it perfect for the summer growing season. The guys have tested several okra varieties over the years including Star of David, Cowhorn, Red Burgundy, Clemson Spineless, and Jambalaya. In their trials the Red Burgundy and Jambalaya varieties were the most productive. They do plant on adding more okra varieties in the future. These could include Candle Fire, Louisiana Velvet, Emerald and the Dwarf Green Long Pod okra.

Growing Productive Okra

The recommended row spacing for okra is 26 to 38 inches. Okra may be transplanted or direct-seeded. Rows should be spaced 28″ to 36″ apart, although the guys prefer the wider 3′ spacing. Plant spacing along the row should be 8-12″. Transplanting will require fewer seeds than direct-seeding. When transplanting, you can expect to use about 2 lbs of seed per acre. When direct-seeding, plant seeds 3-4″ apart and thin to 8-12″. This will usually require about 12-15 pounds of seed per acre.

The preferred soil pH for okra is 5.8 to 6.5, which is slightly acidic. Okra prefers a balanced fertilizer at planting. Something like a 20-20-20 or 10-10-10 formulation would work well. The recommended amount is 600-800 pounds per acre, which equates to 13 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft.

Aphids and ants can be a major pest issue on okra plants. If you are experiencing ants in your okra, you more than likely you have an aphid problem. Aphids produce honeydew which attracts ants to okra crops. Also, okra is susceptible to parasitic nematode damage. To reduce nematode issues, practice proper crop rotation and plant cover crops like Sunn Hemp, Sorghum Sudangrass, or Mustard.

Okra is commercially harvested based on three pod-length classifications: Fancy, Choice, and Jumbo. Fancy pods are around 3.5 inches long, Choice pods are 3.5 to 4.5 inches long, and Jumbo pods are over 4.5 inches long. Fancy and Choice okra pods must be harvested daily to prevent pods from getting too large. Okra plants may be pruned as they are harvested. This will make the area cleaner and easier to harvest in the future.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Travis discusses his tomato struggles this year. It was a rough start, but he now has them producing well. The guys perform a taste test two heirloom varieties. They try the Cherokee Purple and the Jubilee varieties. The Cherokee Purple is a dark red, almost purple tomato, while the Jubilee is a yellow to orange tomato. They discuss the primary differences between determinate and indeterminate tomato varieties. Indeterminate tomato varieties will have a slow, steady production over a long period of time. Determinate tomato varieties will produce more tomatoes in a short window.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about planting fall corn and lowering soil pH. Travis explains that he likes to plant fall sweet corn anywhere from late August to mid-September. If you live in zone 7A, Travis suggests planting at the end of July to early August. It is a good idea to also plant the corn on drip tape to make sure it has plenty of water in the late summer temperatures. Greg says it is easy to raise soil pH, but can be really difficult to lower it. The only option for lowering soil pH is to use elemental sulfur. It is best to always perform a soil test before adding lime to elevate soil pH levels. This will ensure that you don’t add too much and over-adjust the pH.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Row by Row Episode 57: Growing Loads of Sweet Potatoes in Your Garden

June 12, 2019 by hosstools

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Sweet Potato Planting

There are over 6,500 varieties of sweet potatoes in the world. Sweet potatoes are a member of the Morning Glory family and will typically mature in 90 to 120 days. Unlike Irish potatoes which prefer cooler soils, sweet potatoes are a heat-loving crop that grows well throughout the summer. Sweet potatoes are usually grown from slips, which are sprouts that are plucked from the sweet potato.

Growing Sweet Potatoes

The guys have tried several varieties over the years including Beauregard, Centennial and Covington. Thus far the Covington variety has been the most productive one for them. This year they will be growing the Georgia Jet which was recommended to them by their friends at Steele Plant Company. Sweet potatoes prefer sandy or loamy soils that are well-drained and not too rich in nitrogen. The optimal pH for growing sweet potatoes is between 5.8 to 6.2. When planting this crop, you should avoid growing them in newly-established gardens, especially areas that were covered in grass. They will grow better in well-established garden plots that have been farmed for several years. It is also important to avoid growing sweet potatoes in garden areas where you experience parasitic nematode problems.

The three major nutrient requirements for sweet potatoes are nitrogen, phosphate, and lots of potassium. The recommended rate for nitrogen and phosphorous is 60 lbs per acre or 1.4 lbs per 1,000 square feet. The recommended potassium rate is much higher at 200 lbs per acre or 4.5 lbs per square feet.

Nutrient applications are recommended per cultivation. At the first cultivation, you should apply all of the recommended phosphorous (1.4 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft.) and half of the recommended potassium (2.25 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft.). The other half of the recommended potassium (2.25 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft.) should be applied before the second cultivation. Nitrogen (1.4 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft.) should be applied in the third and final cultivation. This is the ideal fertilization cycle for sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes need adequate water when slips are young and roots are establishing. Drip tape can work great for this, as long as you don’t overwater when plants are older. Hilling sweet potatoes will help to reduce weed pressure along the row, but doesn’t necessarily increase harvests. You can also prune the vines as they grow to keep the area more neatly managed.

Steele Plant Company

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Travis shows new variety of lettuce called Calshot. This is a red romaine variety which is available in pelleted seed form. Even with the dry and humid weather the guys have experienced lately, they were able to salvage a couple of heads. However, the flowers in the garden have been loving the warm weather. Travis has been harvesting many of his Benary Giant Zinnias, including the lime, white, and the mixed varieties. Greg provides an update on his honey select sweet corn that Travis wanted him to grow this year. Greg explains that it is much sweeter than the varieties he grew previously.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about nematodes and buckwheat. Travis explains that nematodes are microscopic roundworms and they are present in every type of soil. They can damage crops by destroying the root systems. You can control nematodes by growing cover crops like Sorghum Sudangrass and Sunn Hemp. Greg says buckwheat attracts pollinators, especially bees, to your garden. Each cover crop can have a slightly different benefit and each one has a different maturity date. When selecting a warm-season cover crop, one should consider the window in which they expect this crop to grow and mature.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Micro-Boost

Row by Row Episode 56: Improve Your Garden with Warm-Weather Cover Crops

June 12, 2019 by hosstools

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Warm-Weather Cover Crops

Growing cover crops can be just as important as growing vegetable crops in the garden. Cover crops will restore your garden soils by increasing organic matter and feeding the soil biology. Warm weather cover crops are a great option during the warmer months when other vegetable crops may not grow as well.

Sorghum Sudangrass

Sorghum Sudangrass is monocot that contains a fibrous root system similar to corn. Sorghum Sudangrass will aerate and provide a significant amount of biomass for your soil. This cover crop is taller compared to other warm-season cover crops, and looks much like corn. It also provides a solid ground cover which will outcompete weeds and reduce further weed pressure. It can be broadcast or easily direct-seeded with our Hoss Garden Seeder.

Brown Top Millet

Brown Top Millet is another monocot, warm-season cover crop that works great to prevent soil erosion and suppress weeds. Many people like to use this cover crop as a livestock forage. Others will use it to create feeding plots for doves and other wildlife. Much like Sorghum Sudangrass, it is a taller cover crop and performs very well in the heat. It usually matures in 60 to 70 days.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is a dicot, warm-season cover crop with a taproot system. It is the fastest-maturing warm-weather cover crops that we offer. Buckwheat will mature in four to six weeks. This crop is great for attracting pollinators such as bees because they absolutely adore this crop. It is an ideal plant to scavenge the phosphorus in the soil as well.

Sunn Hemp

Another dicot that adapts well in hot and dry climates is Sunn Hemp. This is also a fast-growing crop that only takes eight to twelve weeks to mature. Sunn Hemp works well on overfarmed soils like sandy soils that are nutrient-poor. It is also can be a nitrogen fixer and can be used to suppress parasitic nematode populations in the soil.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, the guys discuss the dry and humid weather they’ve experienced lately. Travis has tomatoes, winter squash, and cucumbers planted on drip tape, but cannot seem to cool them off from the heat. Much to his disliking, he has had to use an overhead sprinkler on his tomatoes and winter squash to cool the plants during the heat of the day. However, the Jambalaya and Red Burgundy okra are growing perfect in this warm weather. Another heat tolerant crop is the Tiger Collards. The guys have been harvesting quite a few of these lately. Greg has some Honey Select sweet corn that is almost ready to harvest. He explains that the brown silks are the primary indication of maturity with sweet corn.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about dry storage vegetables and transplanting sweet corn. Their Irish potatoes and Texas Legend onions will store for four to five months. On average, winter squash and spaghetti squash will last about six months. Seminole pumpkins will last about a year, making them one of the longest-storing crops. In summary, many of the dry storage vegetables will store for several weeks if given a dry area with good airflow and shade. Greg explains that he has transplanted sweet corn in the past, but it may be a little more difficult to transplant than crops like okra, tomatoes, and peppers. You can transplant sweet corn, it will just be more time-consuming.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Seminole Pumpkins

Row by Row Episode 55: The Best Storage Tips for Fresh Garden Vegetables

June 11, 2019 by hosstools

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Storing Vegetable Gardens

There are many ways to store your vegetable crops once they’re harvested from the vegetable garden. Whether you store them in the barn or under the carport, creating a storage area for your vegetable crops is important. Aspects like good airflow, shade, and temperature should be considered to keep your crops stored for their maximal lifespan.

Dry vs. Cold Storage

Dry: When it comes to storing crops like onions, garlic, shallots, winter squash, Irish and sweet potatoes, you want to make sure they are in an area that has good airflow and that is shaded and dry. Here in the South, most people have pole barns which are open-air, covered barns. For these areas, many people build a storage rack with hardware cloth or chicken wire to place their dry storage vegetables.

Cold: Other vegetable crops should be stored in a cool environment to preserve their longevity. These would include crops like greens, lettuce, squash, cucumbers, peppers, okra and many others. In addition to having a cooler temperature, airflow is also important. Travis prefers to use plastic produce bags, much like you would find at the grocery store, to store his cool-storage crops. He places the vegetables in the bag, ties a knot in the top and pokes a few holes in the top for airflow. This creates a similar environment to a plastic clam shell, which is also great for storing cold vegetables. Greg explains that it’s best to not wash vegetables until they are ready to be prepared or consumed. This will decrease the risk of introducing bacteria and spoilage. He also suggests washing squash and cucumbers in a dilution of baking soda as this will help to preserve them longer. Once washed with the baking soda solution, allow them to air dry and then place in cold storage. If allowed to dry, many vegetables like carrots, squash and cucumbers will store for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Tomatoes are a crop that doesn’t fall into either of the above categories. When storing tomatoes, the guys like to pick them during the pink stage. They will then lay the fruits on a towel-covered table under the carport. It is important to lay them in a single layer to prevent spoilage. The carport will provide shade and keep them shaded from direct sunlight, but will not provide a drastic temperature change while they continue to ripen. As soon as they ripen, they will take them inside and lay them on a table in the cooler, indoor climate. The ideal temperature for tomatoes is 60 degrees, so take them inside where it is 68-70 degrees. Here they will store nicely and be ready to eat.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, the guys discuss how they have both been experiencing perfect gardening weather recently. As a result, all the crops in the garden have been growing nicely. Greg has some indeterminate Sun Gold tomatoes that have been really productive this year. Initially these fruits will be green on the vine, but they will quickly turn yellow to orange. They like to harvest them at the yellow to orange stage as that seems to provide the peak flavor. Travis has dug all of his potatoes except his German butterballs, which have a couple more weeks before harvesting. This is Greg’s first year growing shallots and he is growing three different varieties. His favorite variety that he grew is the Banana shallot. Greg prefers to use shallots for cooking instead of eating them raw like his he does with onions.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about drip irrigation filter setups, watermelon fertilization and nutgrass problems. Travis suggests using a separate filter/regulator setup for each subplot in the vegetable garden. This is much easier than trying to move the filter/regulator setup each time you water a different plot. Greg explains that watermelons require about 120 units of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium per acre. Watermelons need a well-balanced fertilizer to help with decreasing the risk of blossom end rot. Every 10 to 14 days, Greg likes to inject either the 20-20-20 or Chilean Nitrate and add the Micro-Boost each time. Travis has had good luck with eliminating nutgrass, but it is not easy. You can aggravate it to death by using our wheel hoe with the oscillating hoe and cultivator teeth. Rotate them and use them at least twice a week and it will eventually go away.

Products Mentioned in the Show

8 mil Drip Tape Irrigation Kit

Row by Row Episode 54: Productive Crops for the Summer Garden

June 11, 2019 by hosstools

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Improving Your Summer Garden

Not sure what to plant in the summer garden? Instead of allowing the vegetable garden to become covered with grass and weeds, grow heat-loving summer crops and keep the garden healthy for fall plantings. A summer garden is a great way to include succession planting and crop rotation. A solid crop rotation will help to promote soil health, plant health and reduce insect/disease pressure.

Succession Planting & Crop Rotation

During the fall and winter seasons, crops like lettuce, beets, and brassicas such as kohlrabi or bok choi are excellent for crop rotations because they all have similar dates to maturity. This is a great three crop rotation for the fall, winter and spring garden. This rotation will provide plenty of food in the cooler months if succession planted properly. To have successful cool weather crop rotations, you should consider choosing crops that require the same amount of time to grow. Succession planting in late spring and early summer is a great way to extend the harvest into the warmer months. We suggest succession planting squash, cucumbers and okra to get multiple crops within a given spring/summer period. We usually plant okra three to four times from spring through fall. This will ensure that we always have productive plants in the garden. As older plants become taller and produce less, we will always have younger plants that are starting to heavily produce.

Sweet potatoes are also a great heat-loving summer crop that can be used to follow several other warm-season crops. We like to plant sweet potatoes behind our Irish potatoes or onions. Because they’re in different families, we can follow either of those crops with sweet potatoes in late spring/early summer. We usually plant sweet potatoes in late May to early June, but they may be planted as late as August in warmer climates. We plant slips from Steele Plant Company in Gleason, TN. Warm-weather cover crops are another great option for summer plantings. These would include buckwheat, sorghum sudangrass, sunn hemp and brown top millet.

Steele Plant Company: https://www.sweetpotatoplant.com/

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Travis brought some Sunburst patty pan squash and explains his preferred method of preparing and cooking them. This is Greg’s first year growing Rattlesnake pole beans and he has been surprised by the shape of the beans. They are not as flat as he thought they would be. For an heirloom variety, they are very productive and easy to grow. It has been a month since Travis has transplanted his peppers and they are not doing good. To fix resolve that issue, he decided to put some Epsom salt, some Gypsum to prevent blossom end rot and soil drench with Micro-Boost. After adding those elements to the peppers they are doing great now. Greg’s Honey Select corn is almost ready to harvest, while Travis’ Incredible Sweet Corn is growing fast but not quite ready to harvest.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about injecting micronutrients and spraying tomatoes for pests. Travis uses the Micro-Boost in his EZ-FLO Fertilizer Injector. The recommended rate is 1/4 cup per thousand square feet. For his garden, he adds two cups to the 2 gallon injector per injection. The Micro-Boost supplement may be mixed with any other fertilizer like 20-20-20, Chilean Nitrate or Liquid-Fish. Greg mentions that he does not spray his tomato plants while growing them in the greenhouse. But he does begin a spray program as soon as he transplants them into the vegetable garden. As soon as those transplants make contact with outside, non-sterile soil, it is a good idea to start a pest control program.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Row by Row Episode 53: Organic Pest Control Solutions for the Garden

June 11, 2019 by hosstools

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How Can We Control Pests?

We cannot always expect to fully eradicate pests, but we can control them in our vegetable gardens. By eliminating larval and younger individuals of the insect populations, we can break that life cycle and prevent further reproductively mature adults from being added to the population. It is also important to only plant certain crops when success can be expected. If pest pressure is extremely high during a given portion of the year, don’t try to grow certain susceptible crops during that time. It can be different for everyone depending on your climate and local biology.

Organic & All-Natural Pest Controls

Insecticides:

The most popular organic insecticide is Neem Oil, which will work best on insects in the nymph or immature stages. They even use Neem Oil in conventional farming because insects do not build a resistance to it. Another great organic insecticide is Pyrethrin, which is a contact insecticide. This means that it will kill whatever it touches. Because of this, it should be sprayed or applied late in the evening when the pollinators have gone to bed. Our Take Down Garden Spray includes pyrethrin and canola oil for a more residual control. The Take Down Garden Spray is not OMRI certified because the canola oil is not organically sourced. However, our Bug Buster also has pyrethrin as the active ingredient and it is OMRI registered. Horticultural Oil is a great option for controlling insects on fruit trees. Use it before bud break to help control insects that can attack any type of fruit trees. Our Fruit Tree Spray is a combination of both Neem Oil and Pyrethrin, which has a synergistic effect. All these products are concentrated and they will help control any of your soft-bodied insects. If you have any problems with worms or caterpillars in your cucumbers, you should definitely use B.t. B.t. is a naturally occurring bacteria and will kill the worms when they try to eat a plant that has been sprayed with it. This will break the pest cycle and prevent those larval forms from becoming reproductively mature adults. Spinosad is another treatment for worms, and it is a little more powerful than B.t. Spinosad is a naturally fermented product that can kill an insect either by contact or ingestion. For slugs and snails, we have a product called Sluggo, which is spinosad in a pelleted granular form. Sluggo works as a bait for slugs and snails in the vegetable garden.

Fungicides:

An OMRI registered option like our Complete Disease Control can be used for your fungal problems in the vegetable garden. You can use it either by soil drench or foliar spray as a protectant. When used as a soil drench, it can help with some of your soil-borne diseases. When used as a foliar spray, it covers the plant and protects it from disease pores. A widely used agricultural fungicide, Liquid Cop is great for controlling powdery mildew, downy mildew, and blight issues. Used especially for powdery and downy mildew, Bi-Carb is a great product to protect against those mildews on roses, vegetables, fruit trees, and ornamentals.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Greg brought some of his Calypso Cumcumbers, which is a hybrid pickling variety that is really productive in the vegetable garden. The guys taste test and compare the Calypso and Lemon cucumbers. Greg definitely recommends growing the Lemon Cucumbers in your garden. Travis talks about one of the most productive crops in the entire vegetable garden — Tiger Collards.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about their relation and their Hoss seed selection process. They also provide information on succession planting and vertical growing. Yes, Greg and Travis are related but they are not brothers. They choose seed varieties based on what they have tried and been recommended by seed and variety experts. They are always looking to provide new seeds and try new varieties that are easy for the home gardener to grow, but that may be difficult to obtain from another company. Greg explains how vertical growing is a great way to save space in the garden. He suggests vertically growing crops like rattlesnake pole beans, running butterbeans, and cucumbers.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Row by Row Episode 52: The Beginnings of Hoss Tools

June 10, 2019 by hosstools

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How Hoss Tools Got Started

Hoss Tools began about nine years ago when Greg and his friend decided that there was a need for quality gardening tools that were made in the USA. They also wanted to be able to offer excellent customer support for those tools. At the time they were both working other jobs when they started Hoss Tools, so they were not able to completely focus on the new business. As the business grew, they both realized that it would require more of their time. Greg bought his partner’s portion of the business and started to create an online presence for the company. Since then, Greg has sold his other business and is now concentrating on Hoss Tools full-time. Travis joined the team around 2013 when the business really started evolving. Now Hoss Tools is completely direct-to-consumer so that we are able to provide better customer service and support.

Row by Row Garden Show: One Year Anniversary

The Row by Row Garden Show is a weekly gardening talk show where Greg and Travis discuss what is happening in their gardens, discuss a certain topic for the week, and answer viewer questions. For the one-year anniversary show, the guys decided to do a big giveaway for their viewers to thank them for showing so much support for the show thus far. The guys did a drawing for several collections of seed packs which included ProCut Sunflower, Lettuce, Peppers, and Summer and Winter Squash packs. They also gave away some of their fertilizers such as Chilean Nitrate, 20-20-20, and Micro-Boost. Finally, they drew names for some of their most popular garden tools like the short single tine cultivator, long single tine cultivator, 8 mil drip tape kit, and the new Hoss Stirrup Hoe. The two biggest products at the end of the giveaway were the Single Wheel Hoe and the Double Wheel Hoe.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Greg has some freshly harvested Golden Delight Zucchini and Goldprize Squash that were really productive this year. Also, his cucumbers are about ready to harvest in the next couple of days. Travis shows his Starfighter lettuce that is looking really good and productive. He also talks about the productivity of his jambalaya okra and how tall they are growing. Greg also brought a huge bulb of green Kohlrabi and mentions that Travis may be envious because he doesn’t know his secret. He recently harvested all of his onions and laid them on the ground to cure for a couple of days before he stores them in the barn.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about yellow squash/zucchini issues, “banding” fertilizer, fish emulsion, and organic solutions for phosphorous and potassium. Travis explains that garden soil pH can become too acidic over time if you grow the same crops year after year in the same spot. This will also start to create some fertilization problems, because plants cannot uptake nutrients in soils with an incorrect pH. To help resolve these issues, you should practice better crop rotations and build the organic matter in your soils. To “band” fertilize, Greg takes his two-gallon sprayer with the tip-off and uses either some 20-20-20 or Chilean Nitrate. He then applies it in a band about 3 to 4 inches beside the plant or plant foliage. The fish emulsion products available in stores are not ready for uptake by plants. Any organic fertilizer will have a much slower uptake because it has to be broken down to those smaller chemical forms like ammonia or nitrate. Greg says that some good organic solutions for phosphate are soft rock phosphate and bone meal for phosphorous.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Micro-Boost

Row by Row Episode 51: Are You Giving Enough Fertilizer to Your Tomatoes?

June 10, 2019 by hosstools

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Fertilizing Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the most popular crops grown by the backyard vegetable gardener. Providing the correct amount of nutrients is an important part of solving the tomato-growing puzzle. Having an effective fertilizing schedule or program will greatly improve your success when growing tomatoes in the vegetable garden.

When To Fertilize Your Tomatoes

Here are some things to consider when thinking about fertilizing tomatoes. The optimal soil pH range for tomatoes is 6.2 – 6.8. In order to achieve the proper soil pH, you can apply lime three months ahead of planting to adjust the soil pH and provide some calcium for your tomatoes. A soil test should always be conducted before applying lime. It is very easy to raise the pH using lime, but very difficult to lower the pH if too much lime is added.

Tomatoes will benefit from a balanced fertilizer which includes equal parts of the three big macronutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium. The recommended use of phosphorous is to apply all of it before planting, because it help the plants to establish a solid root system and phosphorous will not leach out of the soil. When applying phosphorous at pre-plant, you should apply 3.5 pounds of phosphorous per thousand square foot.

As opposed to phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium will need to be “spoon-fed” to the tomato plants. The recommended rate is 3.5 pounds of nitrogen and potassium per thousand square foot, but both of these nutrients should be administered differently than phosphorous. Only around 1.5 pounds of nitrogen and potassium per 1,000 sq. ft. needs to be applied at pre-plant. Then 0.3 pounds per thousand square foot will need to be applied on a bi-weekly basis. This is the “spoon-feeding” part. The best way to apply these fertilizers is through an injector that works in conjunction with the drip tape irrigation system.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Travis brought a bundle of one of the most productive crops in his garden — Lacinato Kale. He also brought some of his Texas Legend onions on which the tops have fallen. Once he harvests all the alliums (onions, leeks, elephant garlic) from this plot, he plans to go ahead and plant his sweet potatoes. Greg is thinking about planting a cover crop like Buckwheat before he plants his potatoes in June. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top with sweet potatoes this year.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about planting rattlesnake pole beans and reusing drip tape. Greg plants his rattlesnake pole beans directly on top of his drip tape. Once they emerge from the soil, he installs the cow panel trellis directly on top of the plants. He places the panel trellis about 3-4″ off the ground so that plants can easily grow on the trellis as they get larger. Travis does not save drip tape from one year to the next. But he does reuse it multiple times in a given year. So it can definitely be used for multiple seasons. He mentions that they have four seasons that they can grow food, so they will reuse the tape four times. You can also reuse the mainline by plugging previous holes goof plugs. There is not really a great way to store and put away drip tape, so it is best if you just use it in the four seasons and replace it.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Row by Row Episode 50: The Truth Behind Why This Forbes Article Is All WRONG!

June 7, 2019 by hosstools

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Breaking Down the Forbes Article

We all know that everything written on the internet may not be completely true. When reading an article, it is important to understand the intention of the article and the background of the author or writer. You should always give yourself the freedom to make informed decisions. Building your own facts and knowledge on a topic is much better than assuming a person or media source is completely right all the time.

Setting The Facts Straight

In this Forbes Article entitled “Why I Don’t Buy Organic, and Why You Might Not Want to Either,” the writer has the position that there is not much difference between organic and conventionally-grown food. His first point includes the argument that there is no difference between the conventionally grown food vs. organic food. This is probably the biggest myth of the entire article. Commercially-grown food that you buy in the grocery store has often been over-fertilized and injected with pesticides that are completely different than what the organic farmers use on their food.In his second point, he makes the preposterous statement that conventional pesticides are non-toxic to humans. In reality the suffix “cide” in the word pesticide means to kill something. Any kind of pesticide can be harmful whether they are used for conventional or organic, but you have to understand and know the proper ways to use those pesticides.

The third point the author makes is that just because organic food costs more does not mean it is safer. Organic food costs more because it is more costly to produce. Organic farming usually occurs on a smaller scale and can be more labor intensive than commercial farming.The fourth point of the article is that conventional farming requires less land and is more eco-friendly. Organic farming was built on the premise of building the soil. Since then, the government has gotten involved with organic certification and the emphasis on building the soil has not been as strong. Conventional farmers are not interested in building soils, they’re interested in maximizing profits on a given piece of land.

The last point made by the Forbes Article is more truthful than any of the other points made. He states that the marketing of organic products is unethical and fear-based. This is somewhat true because so many companies exploit certain terms to comply with the demand for all-natural or organic products. In summary, it is important to understand how things are produced and know both sides of the conventional and organic farming argument. Then you will be able to make informed decisions based on what you believe, not what others tell you.

2016 Forbes Article: “Why I Don’t Buy Organic, and Why You Might Not Want to Either”

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Greg has some red onions that are coming along pretty good, but are not quite ready to harvest. Travis recently planted two varieties of his winter squash in his new dream garden. He planted half in the Hai Kabocha and the other half in Small Wonder Spaghetti.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about side dressing corn and when to stop hilling potatoes. Greg usually side-dresses corn plants using some Chilean Nitrate and puts it about 3 inches from the plant. Travis says the time to stop hilling potatoes will depend on the variety. For early to mid-season crops such as our Yukon Gold or Red Norland, you would hill them around a 1′ – 1.5′ tall. With a later-maturing variety like the German Butterball, you can continually hill the plants as they grow for more potato production.

Products Mentioned in the Show

German Butterball Potato

Row by Row Episode 49: Are You Giving Your Garden Enough Water?

June 6, 2019 by hosstools

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How Much Water Does Your Garden Need

Knowing how much to water your garden can be rather tricky because there are so many variables at play. In general, vegetable crops in the garden need about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. If an entire acre was to receive an inch of water, that would equal 27,154 gallons of water. If you convert that to a smaller scale, that would equate to 0.6 gallons per square foot per week. Our 8 mil drip tape has an output rate of 0.4 gallons per minute per 100 feet. In other words, it would take 1,000 minutes or 16 hours for a single emitter to output 4 gallons of water. A common mistake is watering more than the holding capacity of the soil. The more dense the soil, the better the holding capacity and the longer you can water at one time. For sandy soils, the holding capacity will be lower and you should only water a maximum of 1.5 hours at a time. For clay soils, the holding capacity can be double and you could thus run the water for up to 3 hours a time before wasting water.

Factors That Can Affect This

One major factor is whether you are using subsurface or surface drip. Subsurface drip tape is buried below the soil surface and is the most efficient and conservative way of watering the garden. Surface drip sits on the soil surface and will result in loss of water through evaporation. This will require longer watering times because the water is not being delivered directly to the plant roots. Another factor is the placement of your crops. If your plants are directly on top of drip emitters, you will need less water compared to plants that are located between drip tape emitters. Crops like tomatoes and peppers are typically planted directly on top of emitters whereas corn and beans are planted between emitters. Two additional factors, which we cannot control, are wind and temperature. These will also affect how much water is needed.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Greg brought a kohlrabi bulb and explored some of his diverse language skills. After doing some research, Greg discovered that Kohlrabi in German means “cabbage turnip.” Not only do they eat Kohlrabi in Germany, but they eat them in Vietnam and Bangladesh too. In Vietnam, they call them “su hoa” and in Bangladesh, they’re called “ol kapi.” Kohlrabi has a mild turnip taste and most people prefer to eat them roasted, although they are great raw as well. Some people also like to make coleslaw with kohlrabi. Greg has added that to his to-do list this year. Travis just finished adding some stakes to his determinate tomatoes in the garden. The guys discuss different methods on why and how they like to add their twine around the tomato plants.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about organic pesticides and lettuce germination tips for non-greenhouse owners. Greg explains that any pesticide with the suffix “cide” designates that it was designed to kill something. The safest and best insecticide for preserving beneficial insect populations is Neem Oil. Another great organic pesticide is B.t., which works pretty much only on worms. As always, the best time to apply these pesticides is late in the afternoon in your garden. Travis gives some tips to help with germination for non-greenhouse gardeners. If you have any kind of problems with germination, it is a good idea to use pelleted and primed lettuce seed. Pelleted seeds offer wonderful germination rates, they’re easier to seed in the seed trays and they’re quick to germinate.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Row by Row Episode 48: Interplanting Flowers in Your Vegetable Garden

June 6, 2019 by hosstools

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Improving Your Garden with Cut Flowers

Do you want some vibrant, eye-appealing crops in your vegetable garden? Interplanting flowers in your vegetable garden will leave you astonished by how it can attract more pollinators and beneficial insects, which will subsequently improve your garden production. When thinking of planting during the summer months, interplanting cut flowers are a great choice because they can survive the summer heat much better than most vegetable crops.

Cut Flower Varieties

All of the cut flower varieties we carry can be direct-seeded or transplanted. We prefer to grow most of them from transplants because it makes it a little easier and it conserves seed. The great thing about growing cut flowers in the summer season is that they absolutely love the heat and do not have hardly any insect issues. All of our cut flower varieties have really nice long stems which makes them very appealing to the eye. A purple colored flower variety such as Ageratum Blue Horizon is a great pelleted seed that grows in these beautiful purple clusters. A brightly colored Cosmos mix called Versailles is great for attracting pollinators such as butterflies, birds, and bees. An older variety of Celosia, which you may remember as a child, is Chief Mix, also known as Cockscomb. The ProCut line of sunflowers is popular in the garden providing very manageable flower height. Another great thing about the ProCut Sunflowers is that they are pollenless. So when you harvest them and place them in a vase, they will not drip pollen and leave a mess. Our ProCut Sunflower selection includes colors like red, lemon, orange, plum, and white nite.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Travis brought a head of Skyphos Lettuce and shows how to make a healthy little snack using his lettuce and chicken salad. Greg calls it the Chicken Salad Lettuce Taco. The guys talk about a new variety of lettuce called Starfighter Lettuce, which is a pelleted seed that they have transplanted in a 162 cell seed starting tray. This Starfighter lettuce is ready to go in the ground and will get planted later in the week. Greg shows some of his Banana Shallots and was a little concerned on how well they were doing because he was late planting them. The ones he has pulled thus far were a little bit on the spicy side, but he thinks the taste is subject to change if he waits longer to harvest them.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about side dressing potatoes and they discuss whitefly problems. Travis explains that his preferred way of side dressing is using chicken manure compost. If you do not have access to quality manure compost, you can use some granular fertilizer such as 10-10-10. According to Greg, whiteflies can be tough to manage in some years. If it is a wet year and we receive plenty of rain, the whiteflies are really no issue at all. If it is drier year, the whiteflies are much more of a problem. Whiteflies can be tough because they are nearly impossible to control when they come into your garden. Greg does note that he’s had success using an insect growth-regulator called Knack, but that it can be hard to find.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Cut Flower Seeds

Row by Row by Episode 47: Winter Squash and Pumpkins for Your Vegetable Garden

June 6, 2019 by hosstools

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Growing Winter Squash and Pumpkins

Winter squash are not planted in the winter months. They are planted in the spring, much like summer squash, but they will store well into the winter. That is why they are called “winter squash”. Winter squash should be planted in the spring after the chance of frost has passed. They are typically planted a few weeks after one would traditionally plant summer squash or zucchini varieties. One of the most under-recognized food sources for the home gardener, winter squash is a valuable crop that should be grown by more people because of the long-lasting shelf life without refrigeration.

Winter Squash Varieties

There are three primary species of winter squash, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo, and Cucurbita moschata. Cucurbita maxima include species like kabocha squash that are very sweet and widely considered one of the best-tasting squash types. Cucurbita pepo includes varieties like Delicata and Spaghetti Squash. Cucurbita moschata includes varieties like Butternut, Seminole Pumpkin, Fairytale Pumpkin, and our Blue Bayou Pumpkin. The moschata tends to include more heat tolerant varieties and are a little more resistant to insect pressure. The recommended area of spacing to grow winter squash is at least a 20′ x 20′ or 30′ x 30′ area due to their extensive ground cover, much like watermelons. Most of these squash have 90 days to maturity which is about 40 days longer than summer squash. That being said, it is important to keep this winter squash on drip irrigation to reduce your chances of having issues with downy and powdery mildew.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Travis has some okra transplants that are ready to be planted. Growing okra from transplants has always been successful for the guys. Greg talks about how excited he is about his shallots that are looking healthy and growing well. Travis mentions that he may have to do a little research on when exactly he should harvest his leeks. However, they seem to be growing and doing just fine. So he will wait to harvest his leeks at a later time. The peppers are ready to “step up” into a 4″ pot once they start getting the second set of true leaves. So the guys are busy stepping up the peppers and getting those acclimated to the bigger seed trays in the greenhouse. The guys also share a new tool called the Hoss Stirrup Hoe which is a long-handled version of their Oscillating Hoe attachment for the Wheel Hoe.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about planting green beans and using fruit trees to attract pollinators. Travis says that pole beans need a panel or some type of trellis because they are climbing beans. Greg says it takes 50 days to maturity on pole beans and to definitely plant before the end of May. Greg states that trees are great for pollinators, but you should think several years ahead of time because they take longer to grow than flowers. With flowers, they are quicker and easier to get them in the ground and blooming if you need something quick. Some tree varieties that are wonderful for pollinators include native oaks or any trees that bloom in the springtime. Greg suggests that you should stay away from trees that are not native to your area because you will have difficulty growing those types.

Products Mentioned in the Show

Row by Row Episode 46: Improving Pollinators for Garden Harvest

June 5, 2019 by hosstools

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Improving Your Garden Harvest with Pollinators

Without pollinators in your garden, you more than likely will not be successful growing and producing fruits and vegetables in the garden. In order to improve your garden harvest, you must understand the importance of providing a healthy and safe environment for the pollinators to attract too. Improving pollinators in your garden you should be considerate of what products you are applying and spraying within your garden. Harsh chemicals such as neonicotinoids can end up killing those pollinators because this chemical is injected in the vegetables. When bees pollinate on the vegetable they inject that chemical then ends up killing the colony. Improving pollinators can provide so many successful benefits to your garden especially adding maximal production.

Special Guest: Gary from BEE-LIEVE

Stopping by Hoss Tools Headquarters today was Gary from BEE-LIEVE Farms. Gary spends the majority of his day to day life working with bees. Greg and Gary discuss the disadvantages of poor pollination can lead to blossom end rot or the fruit becoming somewhat distorted. The guys also discuss and provide helpful tips on how you can start and maintain a beehive in your garden. The best pollinator for the garden according to Gary is the European Honeybees which is the true working bee. Some good practices to incorporate in your garden if you do not have any pollinators around is to do some companion planting to attract those beneficial pollinators. Planting flowers such as zinnias, sunflowers, and cosmos help because it is easy for the bees to reach the nectar. When purchasing bees to place in your garden make sure to do some research and definitely educate yourself on how to maintain and care for the bees.

Check out BEE-LIEVE Apiaries & Farm: https://bee-lieveapiaries.com/

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Travis shows us some of his Purple Haze variety carrots that he recently harvested. While Greg tries something new dipping carrots in honey which they now call honey carrots. Greg’s got his rattlesnake pole beans, squash, cucumbers, and potatoes all coming up good. Travis explains that his tater growing this season happens to be the slowest he has ever seen. Also, he made a little mistake in his dream garden when he thought it would be easier to plant his taters at one end of his subplot, but it ended up being the hardest dirt that he has in his garden. This will cause a small issue because potatoes like soft well-drained sandy soil and this dirt that they are planted on now is the complete opposite.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about have they ever tried growing maters in the Fall and which drip tape works best to use for additional seasons. Greg explains that growing tomatoes in the fall can be rather trickier than growing them in the springtime. However, you can be successful if you plant your tomatoes early and use a disease-resistant variety such as Brickyard or Mountain Glory Also, be on a consistent pest control spray program using Neem Oil or B.t. Travis talks about the best drip tape mil if you would like to use it for multiple seasons. In Travis’s garden, he always uses the 8 mil tape over the 15 mil tape because it is just much more flexible and easier to work with especially if you are reusing it for multiple harvesting seasons.

Graffiti Cauliflower

Row by Row Episode 34: New Years Resolutions for Vegetable Gardeners

January 29, 2019 by hosstools

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Vegetable Gardeners: New Years Resolutions

On this week’s episode, the guys discuss their New Years Resolutions for their own personal gardens. Some of their New Years Resolutions include expanding their garden size, growing more cover crops, growing more winter squash in spring, doing more pickling and fermenting, and growing more okra. Travis mentions that he has plans to expand his garden area by 1/4 acre after the removal of trees and preparation of the soil. This will add at least six more subplots to his current garden production. He also mentions that he would like to incorporate more summer cover crops into the rotation, especially in the months of August and September when many things won’t grow due to the extreme heat. Greg explains that one of his New Years Resolutions is to increase his soil health by nurturing the earthworm and microbial populations in it.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment, Travis has some Purple Vienna Kohlrabi and Premium Greens Mix that he grew in his garden. The Purple Vienna Kohlrabi is a great fall/winter vegetable that is cold-hardy, fast-growing and great to eat. The leaves are edible, but most people grow them for the bulb which sits at the bottom of the plant. The bulb has a flavor that resembles a cross between cabbage and cucumber.

The Premium Greens Mix is a combination of several different mustard-like greens and is a great fast-growing, productive crop to grow in the cooler months. It is a “cut and come again” crop that may be harvested 3-4 times throughout the cool growing season. It’s great when prepared raw for a salad, but also can be sautéed with other cool weather vegetables.

Viewer Questions Segment

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about pelleted seed and how to plant mustard as a cover crop. They explain that pelleted seed will definitely be something they carry in the future, but the varieties may be limited initially. They contrast growing a large cover crop of mustard versus a small one and explain that broadcasting is more feasible on a larger plot while a walk-behind seeder works well for smaller plots.

Tool of the Week

Farmer’s File

Row by Row Episode 33: Using Biofumigation to Manage Garden Pests

January 29, 2019 by hosstools

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Biofumigation in the Vegetable Garden

Top 10 Best Gift Ideas for Gardeners

On this week’s episode, the guys take a break from the traditional gardening discussion and talk about the best Christmas gift ideas for gardeners. They have a top 10 list that they reveal. They start with some cutting tools including their Watermelon Knife, Hatchet and Village Machete. Greg talks about how a nice machete is a perfect gift for anyone because it is such a versatile tool with many different uses around the farm and garden. Travis continues through the list with a couple of his favorite short-handle tools, which include the Short Single Tine Cultivator and their famous Garden Trowel. He mentions that the Single Tine Cultivator is absolutely his favorite tool for weeding onions, garlic, and similar crops. He talks about the strength of the Garden Trowel and how it is guaranteed with a lifetime warranty. They then feature a couple of harvesting containers which include the TubTrug Colander and the extremely popular Over-the-Shoulder Harvesting Bucket. Travis speaks about the durability and indestructibility of the Tubtrug Colander and how it won’t become brittle over time. And finally, the number one gift idea is their Single Wheel Hoe. Greg mentions that this is the perfect gift for someone who is just getting into gardening.

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment this week, the guys discuss the speculation of the Grand Solar Minimum that has been hypothesized by a UK scientist. Travis mentions that this is supposedly a more extreme, prolonged version of the solar minimum that happens every 11-12 years as a result of reduced solar flares. He mentions that many of the sites giving validity to the Grand Solar Minimum are in the “prepper” community. Greg mentions that he’s not going to worry about anything he can’t control. He also mentions that if anyone is going to be alright, he believes it will be them.

Top 10 Christmas Gift List

10. Watermelon Knife

9. Hatchet

8. Short Single Tine Cultivator

7. Village Machete

6. Garden Trowel

5. Complete Fermentation Kit

4. Old Hickory 8″ Slicer

On the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about no-till farming and ants in the garden. Travis mentions that true no-till farming can only be done with heavy commercial equipment because it’s tough to penetrate uncultivated soil with hand seeders. And although many market farmers claim to be “no-till,” they are actually minimum till. Greg and Travis prefer minimum till and only use the tiller when removing crop debris or leveling the soil. For ant control, Greg mentions that there are many toxic solutions on the market. But for use around the food garden, he prefers to use something like the Monterrey Ant Control which has non-toxic ingredients.

Tool of the Week

Tool of the Week

Tool of the Week

Garden Fork

Row by Row Episode 3: Fertilizer in Your Vegetable Garden

June 7, 2018 by hosstools

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Fertilizing in the Vegetable Garden

On this week’s show, Greg and Travis discuss techniques and strategies for using fertilizer in your vegetable garden. They talk about the different terminologies used to quantify amounts of fertilizer, including parts per million (ppm) and pounds per square feet. While much of this terminology can be confusing, thinking about fertilizer in terms of pounds per square feet is the simplest way to calculate fertilizer needs. There are many different forms of conventional and organic fertilizers that can be used in a vegetable garden. As far as conventional fertilizers go, their favorite is the 20-20-20 formulation which has 20% nitrogen, 20% phosphorous and 20% potassium. This is a water-soluble fertilizer that works great being injected through a drip irrigation system, as it provides a quick boost to the plants that are noticeable in just a few days.

Organic fertilizers include products like Chilean Nitrate, Fish Emulsion, Blood Meal, Bone Meal, and Compost. As far as organic fertilizers go, Chilean Nitrate is probably the fastest-acting and works great for side dressing corn before hilling. For the other organic fertilizers mentioned, the action is much slower because the nitrogen has to be converted into forms that are available to the plant. Compost is a very effective soil amendment to use before planting, adding organic matter and nutrients to the garden soil. Although compost is available in many forms, chicken-manure based compost is the most nutrient rich. Just be sure to add it several weeks before planting, so that you don’t burn the young plants.

Show and Tell Segment

In the show and tell segment, the guys talk about the last succession planting of beets that are almost ready for harvest. They also discuss the Top Bunch Collards that are being harvested, and why this variety is probably the best collard variety to grow.

Viewer Questions Segment

In the question and answer segment, the guys talk about organic and natural pesticide solutions for controlling bean beetles in a vegetable garden. As with any organic pesticide program, spraying early and frequently is very important. In the second question, they talk about proper crop rotation techniques to maximize the potential of your garden.

Tool of the Week

TubTrug Bundle

Row by Row Episode 2: Fruit Trees & Perennials on the Homestead

May 31, 2018 by hosstools

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Fruit Trees & Perennials

On this week’s show, Greg and Travis talk about growing fruit trees and perennials on the homestead. They discuss many different types of fruit trees and bushes that they like to grow on their own homestead. These include mulberries, blackberries, blueberries, figs, and muscadines. Many of these fruits require very little maintenance once established. In early spring, mulberries are usually the first to produce fruit. These grow on a tree and look much like blackberries, but they don’t have the larger seeds like blackberries and tend to be a little sweeter. Although wild, thorned blackberries are very prevalent in the south, they prefer growing the thornless varieties. The thornless varieties are not quite as sweet as the wild varieties, but they are larger and much easier to harvest. When growing thornless blackberries, you may want to consider some type of trellising system to contain the plants. Fig trees are also a great addition to any homestead. Greg talks about the fig tree program at Louisiana State University and how new varieties are being developed for improved production and better flavor. Most of the older trees you see are the Brown Turkey variety, but some of the new varieties make larger, more attractive fruits.

Show and Tell Segment

In the show and tell segment, the guys talk about lettuce that they’ve been harvesting from their gardens. They mention the Salanova varieties that are highly acclaimed, although they do tend to have some issues with the bottom beginning to rot if left in the ground too long. There are also many varieties such as Adriana which provide a great substitute with a more affordable seed price.

Viewer Questions Segment

In the question and answer segment, the guys answer questions about cover crops and squash bugs. They talk about their preferred cover crops and what time of year is ideal for growing each. They also discuss controlling squash bugs with all-natural and organic insecticides. These type of controls require spraying the plants when they are young and preventing adults from establishing in the population.

Tool of the Week

Single Tine Cultivator

Row by Row Episode 1: Top Four Reasons for Growing Your Own Food

May 30, 2018 by hosstools

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Welcome to the Row by Row Garden Show

On the debut episode of the Row by Row Garden Show, Greg and Travis talk about the origin of the show and how they got the name. Before the first airing of the show, they conducted a survey with their customers and newsletter subscribers to get ideas for the show name. After receiving many great ideas, they settled on Row by Row, the Garden Show. It is intended to be a weekly show for gardeners of all ages and all skill levels. Whether you’re a beginner, experienced backyard gardener, or small scale market farmer, this show will have great information that you can implement into your vegetable garden. With the addition of their Row by Row Facebook group, they hope to encourage interaction between listeners who post photos of their garden and harvests. This is a great way for everyone in the group to learn from others’ experiences.

Top 4 Reasons You Should Grow Your Own Food

The main segment this week includes a discussion of the top 4 reasons that someone should want to grow their own food. They believe that growing your own food is important because you know what’s in it. By growing it yourself, you know exactly what type of insecticides and what types of fertilizer has been used. Food grown at home also tastes better because it hasn’t been over-fertilized with excess nitrogen. Finally, growing food is a great skill-set to pass along to the younger generation to ensure they’re able to do the same.

Show and Tell Segment

In the show and tell segment, the guys provide a snapshot of what’s growing in their gardens currently. They mention the Cubanelle peppers that are already producing many peppers per plant each week. They also talk about the onions that are almost ready for harvest, and how to tell when your onions are ready for harvest. For onions, they prefer the Texas Legend and Red Creole varieties from Dixondale Farms.

Tool of the Week

Heirloom Whole Corn

Vegetable Gardening with the FAD System

June 12, 2017 by hosstools

Here at Hoss Tools, we are firm believers in the FAD System for vegetable gardening. FAD is an acronym that stands for Furrow, Amend and Drip. If you do these three things every time you plant something in your vegetable garden, you’ll be on the fast track to success. Don’t be fooled by the name — this is not a “fad” that will be temporarily popular and short-lived. The FAD system is a proven technique that makes gardening easier and will drastically increase results. Let’s talk about each step in detail and the particular order in which they should be performed.

Details of the FAD System

Furrowing with the Plow Set

Furrow

Creating a furrow lays the groundwork for the remaining two portions of the FAD system for your vegetable garden. The furrow marks the location of your row(s) where your crops will be planted. The furrow doesn’t have to be extremely deep — a furrow that’s about 4-5″ deep will suffice. Our favorite tool for creating a furrow is the Double Wheel Hoe with Plow Set Attachment. If you need assistance pushing a straight line with the Double Wheel Hoe, you can use a string ran between two stakes to help guide you along a straight-line path.

Amend

Once the furrow has been constructed, it’s now time to amend that furrow with some quality compost. Instead of amending the entire garden with compost, we only amend the furrow where the seed/plants will be planted. This conserves compost by only placing it exactly where the plants can utilize it. Quality compost has many benefits in the vegetable garden. It adds organic matter which helps condition and soften the soil over time, it provides a fertile bed for the plants that will be soon growing in it, and it also can provide essential nutrients such as calcium which can help to prevent deficiencies such as blossom end rot. We recommend a compost with an animal-based component such as chicken manure or cow manure.

Drip

Applying Drip Tape

The final step in the FAD system for your vegetable garden is drip irrigation. Drip irrigation is by far the easiest and most efficient way to water your vegetable garden. Drip tape places water exactly where the plants need it — at the roots. We recommend burying drip tape in the furrow with our Drip Tape Layer Attachment, which has many benefits. Burying drip tape virtually eliminates any source of evaporation that could result from laying the drip tape on top of the soil, so that all the water output is available for absorption by plant roots. Burying the tape also makes installation much easier because it is fastened in place by the soil on top and it can’t be twisted by the wind. Finally, burying the tape keeps any rodents from chewing into the tape that might be easily accessible on top of the soil.

The FAD System is your best bet for long-term success in your vegetable garden. The compost will provide benefits to your plants throughout the entire growing season and the drip irrigation will provide efficient and effective delivery of water to your garden plants. If you’d like to see it in action, take a look at the Sweet Potato Planting video below where we implement all three portions of the FAD system for your vegetable garden.

The Best Ways to Trellis Tomatoes

May 24, 2017 by hosstools

Square Tomato Cages

Because the fruits can get so large and heavy, tomatoes are one of those plants in your vegetable garden that require some form of trellising or support. Trellising keeps the plant upright and prevents the stems from breaking during any high periods of wind. It’s also important to trellis tomatoes so that you keep the plant leaves off the ground, which helps to reduce any possible plant diseases that may develop from excess ground moisture. From our experience, the two most effective tomato trellising techniques are using sturdy, square cages and using twine weaved between plants. We use both techniques in our garden, but for different situations.

Using cages to trellis tomatoes is a great technique for several different situations. If you grow 10 or less tomato plants, cages are probably the most feasible option for you. High-quality, square tomato cages provide support around the entire plant. They are easy to install by simply pushing them into the ground over the top of young tomato plants, and these sturdy cages are galvanized and made to last for many years and gardens to come. Cages also work particularly well for large, indeterminate varieties such as Roma or Yellow Pear. For these varieties, the plant will grow continuously throughout the warm season until it is removed or killed by cold temperatures. Because of the increased plant size, taller cages work best to support these massive plants with such a large bounty of fruit.

Florida Weave Tomato Trellis

The other proven option for tomato trellising is called the “Florida Weave”. This technique consists of using stakes along the row and weaving twine between the plants and each stake. The Florida Weave is a great way to trellis tomatoes if you grow many tomatoes along a row. In this case, the number of cages required to support each plant might not be feasible, so the twine trellis makes more sense. We use metal t-posts and wooden stakes along the row, then weave twine around the plants and posts to support the plants. You can use cotton twine or commercial-grade, polymer twine to trellis tomatoes using the “Florida Weave”. In addition to being a great option for large growers, this option works great for determinate tomato varieties that have a limited lifespan.

Check out the video below where we show you how to do the Florida Weave technique.

Double-Row Planting on Drip Irrigation

May 19, 2017 by hosstools

Double-row Planting of Bush Beans

Most of us have a limited amount of garden space. In order to maximize that space, it’s important that we grow as intensively as possible to get the most from our garden plots. There are several techniques that can be used to grow more intensively while allowing room for walkways and harvesting. The Wheel Hoe is a great tool for growing intensively because it requires minimal space to work between rows. As opposed to a gas-powered tiller or a tractor, the Wheel Hoe requires much less space to operate. Another great technique for intensive planting is double-row planting.

Double-row planting, as the name suggests, involves planting two rows about 8″ apart. The double-row technique allows you to grow two rows in almost the same amount of space as one row would require. You can harvest either row from either side of the double-row, thus conserving space in your garden. As the plants grow and a foliage canopy develops between the double rows, you also get the benefit of reduced weed pressure. We like to use drip irrigation in conjunction with the double-row planting for maximal success. We bury the drip tape in our desired location and use the Hoss Garden Seeder to plant on both sides of the drip tape.

We’ve experimented with double-row planting on many crops in our vegetable garden. It works well for onions, carrots, radishes, beets, okra, beans, peas and zinnias. It doesn’t work well for crops that require significant amount of space such as potatoes, squash, tomatoes, or for crops that require room for pollination such as corn. But for all of the other crops mentioned above, it is a proven method for maximizing the growing potential of your garden space. Here’s a great video showing how we perform double-row planting on bush beans in our vegetable garden.

Watering Your Vegetable Garden with Drip Tape

May 18, 2017 by hosstools

Drip Tape Irrigation System

Overhead watering can be a pain. You have to move the sprinkler around the garden every few hours and you always end up watering areas outside the garden that don’t need watering. If the wind is blowing, you can forget a consistent watering pattern. Stop wasting water. Water your garden more effectively, consistently and conservatively with drip tape irrigation.

Drip tape functions similar to a soaker hose, but much more reliably. Unlike a soaker hose that inconsistently emits water along the length of the hose, drip tape has emitters with specific spacing along the length of the tape. Our drip tape has emitters with a 12″ interval spacing, which works great for both transplants and direct-seeded crops. For transplanted crops like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, you can use the emitter spacing to help determine where to place your transplants. For example, if you plant your tomatoes on 2′ spacing, you would just plant a tomato transplant on top of every other emitter. Drip tape is also more durable and doesn’t clog over time like a soaker hose tends to do.

15 mil Drip Tape Irrigation Kit

We recommend burying drip irrigation tape under the soil and planting directly on top of it. Burying the tape makes it easier to lay because the soil provides a downward weight on the tape, preventing it from twisting or moving as it would if it were on top of the soil. Burying also prevents rodents from chewing into the tape and creating leaks. And finally, burying the tape makes it easier to weed around your plants when they emerge because the tape is located directly under your plants. Our drip irrigation tape can be buried up to 6″ deep under the soil.

Our drip tape is available in two different thicknesses, 8 mil and 15 mil. The 8 mil tape has a lifespan of one year or two growing seasons (spring and fall). This is ideal for annual plants in a vegetable garden where the crop rotation and plant spacing will change from one season to the next. The 15 mil tape has a lifespan of 5 years, which works great for perennials such as asparagus, blueberries, blackberries, etc. Both our 8 mil and 15 mil drip tape are available in convenient kits which include all the necessary components to establish a drip irrigation system. These kits include the necessary filter, pressure regulator, mainline tubing and enough fittings for 20 rows.

Corn Pollination – Growing the Biggest Ears

June 9, 2016 by hosstools

Silver Queen Sweet Corn

Growing corn has always been a staple here in the south. We look forward to the time of year when tassels and silks form on the corn plants, because we know this means corn pollination is occurring and it won’t be long until we have fresh corn on the table. Corn is a heavy-feeding crop that requires quite a bit of water and nutrients to feed those tall plants and produce large, full ears of deliciousness. Adequate water in conjunction with proper corn pollination are the two essentials to producing beautiful ears of corn for summertime enjoyment.

Corn is a self-pollinating plant. It produces a male flower, which is commonly referred to as a tassel, and a female flower, which is commonly referred to as the silks. In order for kernels of corn to be produced by the plant, the male flowers must pollinate the female flowers. The male flower is located at the very top of the plant whereas the female flower is formed along the stalk of the plant. The male flower contains the pollen, which is primarily spread by wind, that will be used to pollinate the female plant. When planting corn, it is important to plant at least three rows side by side to ensure adequate wind pollination.

Tassels (Male Flower)

The female flower, or silks, are threadlike projections from the actual ear or cob of the corn. Each thread or silk represents an individual kernel on that particular ear of corn. Therefore, if the corn pollination goes as planned and each silk is pollinated, you will have a full ear of corn. If you have ears of corn that are not completely full of kernels, it is likely that you didn’t receive adequate pollination. While some might think that inadequate corn pollination is due to lack of wind or pollen distribution, it is more often a result of water-starved plants and the timing of female flower development.

The silks contain the most water of any part of the corn plant. So if your corn plants are water-starved, the female flower will be slow to develop. As a result, the male flower will develop much sooner than the female flower, and the pollen will have fallen to the ground by the time the female flower develops. Providing enough water to your corn plants is very important because it helps maintain the rhythm of the development of the male and female flowers. Without any silks to be pollinated, the pollen on the male flower is wasted.

Use Drip Irrigation for Best Corn Pollination

Silks (Female Flower)

Once corn plants become 4 to 5 feet tall, it can be difficult to provide enough water via an overhead source. Most of the water applied overhead will not reach the soil and will be lost to evaporation. Using drip irrigation for corn is a must here in the south. The drip tape irrigation allows us to put water directly where the plants need it. With the drip tape, we don’t lose hardly any water to evaporation and almost all the water we deliver is received by the plant. Consider using drip irrigation next season to ensure you get plenty of water to your corn plants so that the timing of flower development will be correct and you’ll have great, big ears of corn to eat in the summer.

Garden Fertilizer Injector – Feed While You Water!

May 4, 2016 by hosstools

It’s no secret that the plants in your vegetable garden need some combination of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) to thrive and produce to their full potential. Adding compost as a soil amendment before planting can definitely provide most of these required nutrients, but some crops will need additional fertilization throughout their growing cycle. Vegetable garden crops that can be enhanced by additional fertilization include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and corn just to name a few. While there are many ways to administer fertilize to the plants in your vegetable garden, we have found that a garden fertilizer injector is by far the easiest and most effective.

A garden fertilizer injector allows you to inject soluble fertilizer into your water supply so that you provide nutrients to your plants while watering them, saving you time and energy in your vegetable garden. The dissolved fertilizer is injected through the water source at a controlled rate, so that you’re able to administer it accurately and effectively. When used in combination with a drip irrigation system, you can administer fertilizer directly to the plant roots. This conserves fertilizer by only applying the fertilizer to areas of your garden where the plants can absorb it.

EZ-FLO Garden Fertilizer Injector

Our EZ-FLO Garden Fertilizer Injector is the best way we’ve found to fertilize our vegetable gardens! It has a heavy-duty, polyethylene tank that won’t cave in high pressure conditions. It can be easily attached to any standard water hose either at the faucet or between two connecting hoses. Simply add your water soluble fertilizer to the tank, select the application ratio setting on the tank lid, and you’re ready to fertilize while you water! It works great with the conventional 20-20-20 fertilizer blend used by many, but it also effectively administers fish emulsion for the organic farmer. Maximize the potential of your vegetable garden by providing all the right nutrients in all the right places!

Garden Weeding – Wheel Hoe Sweeps vs. Oscillating Hoes

April 13, 2016 by hosstools

Garden Weeding Sweeps

In his 1989 book, The New Organic Grower, Eliot Coleman says this about garden weeding: “Don’t weed, cultivate… Large weeds are competition for both the crops and the grower.” While continuous light cultivation to prevent weeds is very ideal, we don’t always stay on top of things in the never-ending weed game. Inevitably you’re going to get weeds sprouting between the rows in your vegetable garden. And when you do, you’re going to need an efficient means for eliminating them.

We have two different garden weeding attachments for the Hoss Wheel Hoe – Sweeps and Oscillating Hoes. Our Sweeps are sold as a pair (left and right) and our Oscillating Hoes are available in three different blade sizes — 6″, 8″ and 12″. Although these Wheel Hoe Attachments have the same garden weeding function, they each have unique features that might make one or the other perfect for you.

Garden Weeding with Sweeps

Our Sweeps attachment for the Hoss Wheel Hoes include a left and right weeding blade. These blades made of high carbon steel and are extremely sharp out of the box. The left and right blade have a slightly different angle, so that they can be overlapped without interfering with the other. This allows you to alter the weeding path when using the Sweeps. With the versatility afforded by the many attachment holes on Hoss Wheel Hoe tool bar, you can arrange the Sweeps for a solid garden weeding path as narrow as 6″ all the way up to 12″. The Sweeps can also be configured for “straddle-weeding” with the Hoss Double Wheel Hoe. Because of the space between the wheels, you can configure the Sweeps blades to extend outward towards the wheels, leaving a space in the middle to straddle your vegetable plants.

Garden Weeding with Oscillating Hoes

Garden Weeding Oscillating Hoe

Our Oscillating Hoes (or stirrup hoes) are made with a powder coated steel frame and a sharpened, spring steel blade. Unlike the Sweeps, the Oscillating Hoe blades are sharp on both sides. This allows you to cut weeds while pushing the Wheel Hoe in a forward and backward motion down the row. As mentioned earlier, our Oscillating Hoes are a fixed width (6″, 8″ or 12″). The width that’s right for you will depend on your row spacing. With some crops like corn or beans with wider row spacing, you might choose the 12″ Oscillating Hoe. However, with crops like lettuce and greens that typically have narrower row spacing, the 6″ might be perfect. By selecting our Spreader Bar Bonus option, you can also perform “straddle-weeding” with the 6″ Oscillating Hoes attached to the Hoss Double Wheel Hoe.

To conclude, the Sweeps offer a little more versatility as far as different weeding width configurations. And while the Oscillating Hoes are a fixed width, they are sharp on both sides which allows you to cut forwards and backwards. The choice for you will depend on your growing situation. You can’t go wrong with either option for garden weeding!

Hoss Wheel Hoe – The Most Versatile Push Cultivator

April 5, 2016 by hosstools

Double Wheel Hoe Push Cultivator

The Hoss Wheel Hoe is a push cultivator that provides remarkable versatility for preparing and maintaining your vegetable garden. Because the tool bar on our Wheel Hoe has multiple attachment holes and slots, there are endless possibilities for configurations of our Wheel Hoe attachments. Regardless of your garden design and row spacing, you can configure a setup on the Wheel Hoe that will work for you. And because all attachments are easily interchangeable with only a 9/16″ wrench required, changing setups with our push cultivator is a breeze!

The Hoss Single Wheel Hoe and Double Wheel Hoe include a set of 3 cultivator teeth and 4 cultivator teeth, respectively. These push cultivator teeth can be arranged in many different locations on the Wheel Hoe tool bar. You can use the standard configurations seen in our product photos, or you can customize a configuration to work for your specific crop spacing. Recently we planted several rows of Asian greens in our high-tunnel growing house. And while the greens were growing well, so were the weeds. We needed a way to weed these Asian greens that were planted on a very close row spacing.

Single Wheel Hoe Push Cultivator

Push Cultivator Improvising

Using the Double Wheel Hoe, we were able to determine a setup that would work perfect for weeding these greens. We used two push cultivator teeth and placed one behind each wheel, so that the path of each wheel would also determine our weeding path. This would allow us to straddle a row of these closely planted greens and cultivate each side of the plants in one pass down the row. It worked perfectly. The point and curvature of the cultivator teeth allow them to easily move through the garden soil while uprooting all weeds in the way. See how easily it was done in this video:

Our Spreader Bar Extension opens the door for even more possibilities for Wheel Hoe weeding and cultivating configurations. The Spreader Bar Extension allows you to extend the length of the Wheel Hoe tool bar on either side for more attachment locations for our push cultivator implements. And while the options are endless, some great ideas include adding more cultivator teeth for a wider cultivating/weeding path, extending the bedding width of the Plow Set attachment, or offsetting the weeding path of attachments such as our Oscillating Hoes or Sweeps.

Garden Planting – Stop Planting By Hand!

March 31, 2016 by hosstools

When we were kids, I can remember doing our vegetable garden planting by hand. It was a group effort. My dad would use the handle of a hoe to punch a hole in the dirt and the kids would come behind him and drop seed in the hole.

Garden Planting Silver Queen Corn

Mom would then come behind us with her hoe and she would cover and pack the dirt over the seeds. And while we grew many great gardens this way, it’s definitely not the most efficient way to plant a vegetable garden. Although dad was pretty good at punching holes in the dirt with his hoe, there was no true way of getting all of those seeds planted at the same depth. And although mom was also pretty good at covering up the seeds, there was no way to ensure all were equally covered.

To obtain a well-germinated, quality stand of any particular crop, it’s important to plant all seeds equidistant from one another and to plant all seeds at the same depth. This is why a mechanical Garden Seeder is the essential garden planting tool for even the smallest vegetable gardens. Not only will it save you a great amount of time, it will also save a ton of energy and your back! A Garden Seeder allows you to plant all seeds in a row equidistant (for whatever seed spacing you choose) from one another and it allows you to plant all those seeds at the same depth with the same amount of compaction and soil coverage. This consistency in your garden planting can be the difference between a mediocre stand and a remarkable stand of vegetables in your garden.

Garden Planting Made Easy!

For garden planting staples like corn and beans, the versatility of the Hoss Garden Seeder makes it a “must-have” tool! The ability to customize seed spacing and hole size is most important for crops like corn and beans. Corn and beans have by far the most variance in seed size between different varieties than any other crops. Because the seed sizes are different among each variety, you’re going to need a different seed plate with a customized seed hole size for each variety. Also, everyone has a different preferred seed spacing for corn and beans. Because we use drip irrigation, we’re able to plant our corn much closer together on about 3 1/8″ spacing. However, most people plant on 4″ – 6″ spacing. So there needs to be a simple solution to accommodate all of these requests.

Our innovative Seed Plate design makes this really easy. With a simple drill and a step-drill bit, you can easily customize the size of the holes in the seed plates. It’s important to drill the holes large enough so that the seed lays comfortably flat in the hole without touching any of the sides of the hole. This will ensure that seeds will feed through the holes easily during garden planting. Seed spacing is also really easy. Simply divide 19″ by the number of holes in the seed plate to calculate seed spacing. To plant seeds closer together, drill more holes in the plate. To plant seeds farther apart, cover up the bottom of existing holes with tape. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Drip Irrigation in Your Vegetable Garden

March 24, 2016 by hosstools

Drip Irrigation Filter and Shut-off Valves

We jumped on the drip irrigation bandwagon about five years ago and we haven’t turned back since. Here in Zone 8b, it can get quite warm later in the growing season. During these periods of high temperatures, it becomes very difficult to provide water to our vegetables plants in the garden. This is amplified when plants such as corn develop a foliage canopy, which makes it even more difficult to deliver water to the roots from an overhead source. This dilemma was the primary impetus for us beginning to use drip irrigation. Once we began using it, however, we discovered so many more benefits!

Benefits of Drip Irrigation

1. Water conservation. Because you’re only delivering water to the roots where the plant can absorb it, you won’t need to use near as much water. You won’t be watering leaves and paths between plants anymore, so you’ll save on your water and electric bill by watering less and more efficiently.

2. Fewer Weeds. Just like our vegetable plants, weeds need water to grow. When you water your garden from overhead, it delivers water between plant rows and allows weeds in those areas to thrive. Using drip tape eliminates watering those areas of your garden, which reduces weed germination and growth.

Drip Irrigation Supplies

3. Less Disease. Many common plant diseases and fungal infections are caused by excessive moisture on the plant foliage. By reducing the moisture in these areas, you’ll have fewer issues with disease and fungi in your vegetable garden. This is especially the case with crops like squash and pumpkin.

4. Fertilize Easier. Fertilizer Injectors are a wonderful tool that allow you to provide important nutrients to your plants while you water. A drip irrigation system amplifies the benefits of a fertilizer injector because it delivers those plant nutrients exactly where they need it. You’ll conserve fertilizer and have healthier looking plants as a result.

5. Increased Yields. Watering and providing nutrients more efficiently will always result in increased yields in your vegetable garden. Due to the ease of watering with drip irrigation, you won’t ever have to worry about your plants becoming stressed during the growing season. This will allow your vegetable plants to devote all their energy to producing large, flavorful fruits for you to enjoy.

While using drip irrigation does require a small bit of pre-planning with your garden design, it is well worth it once your vegetable garden is planted. Take the time and devote the resources now so you can reap the rewards in the future.

Wheel Hoe Handles – Style and Height Adjustment

March 17, 2016 by hosstools

Here are two of the most frequent questions we get from new customers: “Should I get the steam bent wheel hoe handles or the pistol grip wheel hoe handles?” and “Should I get the standard wheel hoe handles or the junior wheel hoe handles?” So, there’s two separate issues to cover here — handle styles and the height adjustment of the handles. We’ll start with the handle styles.

Styles of Wheel Hoe Handles

We have two different styles of hardwood, ash handles for our Wheel Hoes — steam bent and pistol grip. The pistol grip handles have a wide block at the end that fits in the palm of your hand with your fingers wrapping around like the block like you are gripping a “pistol.” This type of handle was the preferred design in the late 1800s and early 1900s when Wheel Hoes were the preferred tool for all farmers — not just market farmers and backyard gardeners.

The steam bent handles have a curved end that’s not as thick as the pistol grip handles. The ends of the steam bent handles are bent and formed by an Amish group in Ohio who uses a very detailed and unique heating and bending process. In the early 1900s when pistol grips were most popular, the steam bent handles were actually an up-charge option on the Planet Jr. Wheel Hoes.

So which is best? Nowadays most people prefer the steam bent handles because it’s easier to wrap your hands around them. They’re also easier to grip when performing a forward and backward shuffling motion of weeding or cultivating, such as is done with our Oscillating Hoes. The pistol grip handles work great when the Wheel Hoe is being continuously pushed forward down the row, such as is done when using the Plow attachments. It’s really about personal preference. If you’re just using it to make furrows and hill with the Plows, the pistol grips might be best for you. If you’re going to shuffle the hoe down the row like has traditionally been done, then the steam bent handles are probably best.

Heights of Wheel Hoe Handles

We also have two different lengths of handles — a standard handle (Single and Double Wheel Hoe) and a Junior Wheel Hoe handle. The Junior Wheel Hoe handles are the same steam bent handles included with the Single and Double Wheel Hoe, except they have 10″ cut off the end. In the location on the Wheel Hoe frame where the handles attach, you will notice that the top bolt hole is slotted. This slotted hole allows you to adjust the handles up or down depending on your height. Simply loosen that nut on each side, move the handles to the desired height and tighten the nut.

For the standard wheel hoe handles included with the Single Wheel Hoe and Double Wheel Hoe, the range of height adjustment is 38″ to 45″ from the ground to the tallest point on the handles. For the Junior Wheel Hoe handles, the range of height adjustment is 33″ to 39″ from the ground to the tallest point on the handles. As with handle style, handle height is also a matter of personal preference. Some people push the Wheel Hoe using more leg strength than arm strength, and so they prefer the handles lower on the hip. However, some people push the Wheel Hoe using their upper body more than their legs, and so they prefer the handles higher above the hip.

Wheel Hoe Handles – Low Range of Adjustment

Wheel Hoe Handles – High Range of Adjustment

Planet Jr Wheel Hoe – Not Much Has Changed

March 10, 2016 by hosstools

1934 Planet Jr Catalog

Over the years we’ve got our hands on a couple old Planet Jr catalogs that are quite a joy to peruse. This particular Planet Junior catalog was published in 1934 and includes a wide range of farm and garden tools. These catalogs are a great read because they’re written like a book with descriptions and guidelines for how to use every implement to help the user grow their own food. Although in black and white, the photos provide great detail for how the tools are intended to be used.

It’s incredible how a tool like the Wheel Hoe has stood the test of time and it is equally as useful today as it was 100 years ago. As the this catalog states, “Few gardens are too small to require a wheel hoe as it will save more than enough time and labor to pay for itself in the first year.” This couldn’t be more true. There’s just not another tool that you will find that allows you to do so much in your vegetable garden with little effort. This is also probably why the design has hardly changed at all in over 100 years of it’s existence.

The Planet Jr Single Wheel Hoe

Planet Jr Single Wheel Hoe

When we started Hoss Tools, we sought to design a Wheel Hoe that was very similar to the time-tested design of the Planet Jr Wheel Hoe. The only significant improvement we made was including oil impregnated bronze bushings into the wheels to improve durability. Our steel parts are also powder coated, but of course powder-coating wasn’t available in the early 1900s either.

The Planet Junior Single Wheel Hoe was available in several different packages which included the No. 16, No. 17, No. 17 1/2, and No. 18. According to the catalog, “The No. 16 is the most completely equipped Planet Jr. Single Wheel Hoe. ” When this catalog was published, you could purchase a No. 16 Single Wheel Hoe for a whopping $8.50! And although the value of the dollar has changed quite a bit since 1934, the quality of this Wheel Hoe hasn’t.

Garden Seeder Seed Plates – Our Innovative Design

March 2, 2016 by hosstools

Garden Seeder Seed Plates

Our Garden Seeder Seed Plates are just one of the many features on the innovative design of our Hoss Garden Seeder. Our Seed Plates were designed with the customer in mind — with ease of use and affordability being very important. This design makes our Seed Plates the easiest to customize and the most affordable as compared to all other mechanical garden seeders on the market.

So why is Seed Plate customization for a garden seeder so important? Can’t you just have a corn plate that will plant all varieties of corn?

Not really. For certain crops like corn, beans, and peas, there are thousands of varieties available to consumers. Each of these varieties will have its own set of unique characteristics which might include yield, disease-resistance, heat-tolerance and most importantly for mechanical planters — seed size. For instance, we plant a variety of corn called “Silver Queen” which has a relatively large kernel as compared to most sweet corn. We also plant a variety of field corn called “Hickory King” which has a really large kernel compared to most field corn. There lies the problem. With so much variance in seed size, how do we develop a system that can account for that variance and accurately plant each variety?

Our Garden Seeder Seed Plates are made of a machinable plastic that can be easily modified to meet your needs. All you need is a drill. We like to use a “step drill bit“, but a regular drill bit will work as well. The stock plates included with each Garden Seeder have pre-drilled holes which are on the small size spectrum as far as seed size goes. This is because you can always make a hole larger, but you can’t make it smaller! A general rule of thumb is to have the diameter of the hole 1.25 – 1.5 times the diameter of the seed you are planting. This will ensure that all seeds can pass through the seed plate holes, but two seeds cannot get stuck and jam a single hole.

Test Your Garden Seeder Seed Plates!

Yes, this means that you will have to do a little bit of pre-planning before you plant. It doesn’t take very long and will always beat the heck out of planting by hand! Once you have the Garden Seeder Seed Plates correctly modified for a particular variety, the plate should be true to that variety year after year. If you plant multiple varieties of corn, beans or peas, we suggest having a plate for each variety. You can modify one of our pre-drilled seed plates or customize one of our blank seed plates. The great thing is that our Seed Plates are only $5.99 each, unlike some of our competitors whose extra plates are $20 – $40!

So always test your Seed Plates with your seed before planting. Modify if necessary, and always keep plenty of extra plates on hand!

GMO – What does it really mean?

February 25, 2016 by hosstools

I recently saw this photo posted on a friend’s Facebook page and it prompted my response. These types of GMO posts are all over the web and are generally of this variety — extremely misleading and confusing. Allow me to explain.

What is a GMO?

The term “GMO”, which stands for genetically-modified organism, was originally coined to describe transgenic crop varieties. Transgenic varieties are genetically engineered by inserting a gene from an unrelated organism (usually bacteria) into the DNA of a plant species. The added gene gives the plant a certain characteristic that it would not otherwise have. Usually the characteristic is a resistance to a particular herbicide or disease. In the case of GMO-cotton, the plant is resistant to glyphosate (Roundup). This allows the grower to eliminate all weeds without damaging the cotton in the growing fields.

In the post above, corn is the only crop in which a true-GMO or transgenic variety has been developed. The other crops (banana, carrot, eggplant, watermelon) in the photo have changed over time through selective breeding and hybridization. This process involves taking two individuals of the same species and breeding them so that the offspring has desirable traits of both parent plants. So yes, they all have been “genetically modified” to some extent — but the processes are completely different. Inserting an unrelated gene into a plant is quite different than breeding two plants of the same species.

This photo is a perfect example of the plethora of misinformation you can find all over the internet regarding GMO and non-GMO food. We’re not here to promote or condemn GMO or non-GMO. But it is important that people are appropriately informed so they can make an educated decision for themselves and their family.

We believe that the only way to truly know what’s in your food is to grow it yourself!

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