Food Gardening

Grow It Eat It Celebrates 15 Years of Teaching and Promoting Food Gardening!

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Food gardeners are an important part of any local food system. In Achieving Sustainability through Local Food Systems in the United States (PDF) (2013), agricultural economists Dale Johnson and James Hanson, Ph.D. state: “By far the greatest, but often overlooked, local food source in the United States is gardening.”

About 35% of Maryland households are doing some type of food gardening and have lots of important questions: What’s this worm eating my kale? How do I improve my soil and test it for lead? How do I start a school garden? Where can I take a vegetable gardening class?

Since 2009 many residents and communities have received science-based food gardening answers and help from Grow It Eat It (GIEI)– one of the six major sub-programs of the University of Maryland Extension (UME) Master Gardener Program that teaches and promotes home, school, and community food gardening. This article serves to introduce this amazing program and some of its successes. I plan to write a second article later this year on some of the exciting 2023 GIEI projects from around the state.

What is GIEI?

Grow It Eat It was developed late in 2008 by UME staff, faculty, and volunteers in response to the Great Recession. Many people were already interested in trying their hand at food gardening as a way to eat more fresh produce and connect with nature. The economic collapse forced folks to find ways to reduce household expenses.

The main GIEI objective has been to increase local food production by combining the power of grassroots education and technical assistance delivered by field faculty and Master Gardeners, with UME’s digital gardening resources. Master Gardeners (MGs) have taught hundreds of classes, developed demonstration gardens, and helped thousands of individuals and groups start food gardens and learn and use best practices. Residents can learn about GIEI classes and events by visiting their local Extension web pages and connecting on social media. MGs also help residents solve food gardening problems at Ask a MG Plant Clinics around the state. The Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) supports GIEI by training MGs, creating and maintaining digital resources, and answering food gardening questions through the Ask Extension service.

GIEI intersects and collaborates with other MG sub-programs– Bay-Wise Landscaping, Ask a MG Plant Clinic, Composting, and Pollinators– and with UME’s nutrition, natural resources, youth development, and urban ag programs. This helps the program address four of the five Strategic Initiatives guiding the College of Ag & Natural Resources.

5 strategic initiatives of the University of Maryland Extension College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

As the faculty lead, I have loved every minute spent working with UME faculty, staff, and volunteers to shape, improve and expand the program. Master Gardener Coordinators and Volunteers decide how to best shape GIEI to meet local needs. The State MG Office organizes regular GIEI statewide planning/sharing meetings and continuing education classes, and provides seeds, teaching, and marketing materials. MGs responded to the pandemic by moving GIEI classes online. GIEI projects and activities steadily increased in 2021 and 2022 and should surpass pre-COVID levels in 2023.

packets of sunflower and green bean seeds
75K seed packets have been distributed to residents to promote food gardening and the UME MG Program. Sunflower and bean seeds in 2023!
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Beyond Broccoli Part Four: Down to the Roots

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In this edition of Beyond Broccoli (see parts one, two and three for background) we’re going to start exploring some specific species and subspecies (varieties, groups, etc.) within the genus Brassica. Rather than address each species systematically, I’ve decided on an approach based on the plant parts we usually consume. Never fear, I will inform you when introducing each plant how they fit into the genus.

So let’s start at the bottom, with root vegetables.

Fuku Komachi turnips
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Try Growing Sweet Potatoes This Year!

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I am very excited that 2023 is the “Year of Sweet Potatoes” for Grow It Eat It, the statewide food gardening program run by University of Maryland Extension (UME) Master Gardener (MG) Volunteers.

This member of the morning glory family is an amazing and nutritious vegetable crop. Plants grow rapidly with minimal care and produce edible new shoots and leaves and delicious roots that can be stored through the fall and winter.

Reasons to grow sweet potatoes: climate-resilient crop, few pest and disease problems, easy to grow
Graphic design: Steph Pully


The Growing Sweet Potatoes in a Home Garden webpage has the detailed information you need for success. I’m sharing some tips in this article that I hope will further entice you to join the fun!

Getting started

  • Pick a full-sun location.
  • Use a garden fork, spade, or tiller to loosen the top 10-12 inches of soil
  • Mix compost into the soil prior to planting
  • Space plants 1 foot apart in the row or 2 feet apart in each direction if planting in a wide bed
  • Stick a flag or marker in the ground next to each plant so you’ll know where to dig when it’s time to harvest

Varieties and plants (“slips”)

  • Georgia Jet, Centennial, O’Henry, Murasaki, Beauregard, and Covington are some recommended varieties. Vardaman, and Bunch (Bush) Puerto Rico have compact vines and take up less space
  • Sweet potato plants produce few flowers and little or no viable seed. They are propagated year-to-year by sprouts (baby plants aka “slips”) that grow from stored sweet potatoes
Finding sweet potatoes - local garden centers, nurseries, mail-order companies
Graphic design: Steph Pully
sweet potato plants growing in a container
This small container produced enough “slips” for several gardens. The Start and Multiply Sweet Potatoes video shows you how to grow your own “slips” in 5-6 weeks. Photo: Jon Traunfeld
baby sweet potato plant
This baby plant, pulled from a mother sweet potato, is ready to plant in the garden. It’s
already developing a root system! Photo: Jon Traunfeld

General growing tips

  • Water young plants 1-2 times per week if rain is lacking
  • Fertilize as needed; soils high in organic matter may not need to be fertilized
  • Control weeds the first month after planting. Vines will grow rapidly and shade out weeds
  • Vines can be trimmed back 20-30% without significantly reducing the harvest
  • Use new leaves and shoots fresh in salads or in soups, stir-fries, omelettes, etc.
  • Sweet potatoes have fewer pests and diseases than most other garden crops! Fence out deer and groundhogs and check the enlarging roots for vole (meadow mouse) feeding.
sweet potato plant growing in a pot
Sweet potatoes grow well in containers, including fabric bags as shown in this photo. I usually suggest planting one plant in a 10-gallon although a co-worker recently told me she harvested around five pounds of sweet potatoes from a 5-gallon bucket! Photo: Jon Traunfeld
sweet potatoes growing on a bamboo trellis
Save space by training vines to grow vertically. These sweet potato plants growing on a bamboo trellis at the UME Master Gardener Learning Garden at the Maryland State Fair. Photo: Jon Traunfeld
large Korean sweet potatoes have a nutty flavor
This large Korean sweet potato, also called chestnut sweet potato because of its nutty flavor, is my favorite to grow and eat. They are very productive, store very well, and have a firm texture, making them more versatile in the kitchen than most other varieties. Photo: Jon Traunfeld

Harvesting tips

  • Sweet potatoes are ready to harvest 85-120 days after planting (depends on variety)
  • Storage roots don’t stop growing. Check for size when plants reach their expected harvest date.
  • Harvest roots as soon as they reach eating size and before a frost. Roots can crack and become woody when overgrown
  • Loosen the soil about 1 foot from the base of the plant. Use your hands to find and lift the roots
  • Treat them with tender care. Gently remove excess soil; don’t wash!
newly harvested sweet potatoes laying on sheets of newspaper
Newly dug storage roots curing in mid-September on my porch. Photo: Jon Traunfeld

Curing and storage tips

  • Curing improves the flavor, quality, and longevity of harvested roots. It toughens the skin, heals cuts, bruises and scrapes, and promotes the conversion of starches to sugars
  • Commercial sweet potatoes are cured for 7-14 days at 85⁰ F and 90% RH. One week of curing during warm, humid weather in a protected, outdoor location is helpful. Don’t worry if that’s not possible. Your sweet potatoes will still be sweet and tasty 
  • Store sweet potatoes in a cool, humid location – basements work well
  • Use slatted crates, baskets, or cardboard boxes. Fill only 2-3 layers deep
  • Check for and remove spoiled roots
sweet potatoes stored in boxes
Sweet potatoes being stored for the winter. Roots that were accidentally cut during harvest have healed over. Photo: Jon Traunfeld

Check with your county/city Extension office to learn more about vegetable classes and workshops, and demonstration gardens.

Resources:

By Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialist, University of Maryland Extension, Home & Garden Information Center. Read more posts by Jon.

Fruit Trees & Small Fruits: The Garden Thyme Podcast

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Listen to the podcast

In this month’s episode, we’re talking about selecting and growing small fruits and fruit trees. With spring blooming around us, many garden centers and stores will have fruit trees and small fruit shrubs for sale. Creating a home orchard can provide a source of delicious fruit. However, fruit trees and shrubs have their own unique challenges. In this month’s episode, we discuss tips for planning your orchard, growing small fruit (~11:05), tips for growing tree fruit (~27:53) and native fruits (~38:15). 

We also have our: 

  • Native Plant of the Month – Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) ~43:30
  • Bug of the Month –  Plum Curculio ~47:30
  • Garden Tips of the Month – ~52:38

We currently have an open survey for ALL listeners; whether you’ve listened to all of our episodes, or this is your first time. We developed an evaluation to find out if the information we share on the podcast has made a difference in your practices at home. We promise that it is a short, easy 5-minute survey, and we even have exclusive podcast stickers to give to those who participate. We are so thankful for the feedback, and we appreciate you tuning in for the podcast! 

You can take our survey here.

If you have any garden-related questions, please email us at UMEGardenPodcast@gmail.com or look us up on Facebook. For more information about the University of Maryland Extension (UME) and these topics, please check out the UME Home and Garden Information Center.

The Garden Thyme Podcast is brought to you by the University of Maryland Extension. Hosts are Mikaela Boley- Senior Agent Associate (Talbot County) for Horticulture, Rachel Rhodes- Agent Associate for Horticulture (Queen Anne’s County), and Emily Zobel-Senior Agent Associate for Agriculture (Dorchester County).

Theme Song: By Jason Inc

Beyond Broccoli Part Three: Pesky Pests

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Welcome back to Beyond Broccoil! Read parts one and two to get caught up. We’ve put our plants into the garden in the cooler weather of spring or fall, and now we need to get them successfully to harvest.

Brassica crops aren’t subject to many disease issues, though (as discussed in the last post) they can be affected by temperature extremes and variations. The biggest problems you’re likely to have, though, are pests. Animals such as rabbits, groundhogs and deer love chomping on cabbage family plants, so you’ll need to exclude them with a fence. These are not plants you want to spray repellents on—after all, you’d be eating the leaves or other parts you covered with hot pepper or rotten egg concoctions. Row covers (discussed below) may be enough to keep browsing animals out, but make sure they’re tightly secured.

Many insects also love to feed on brassica plants. Here’s a list of the most common with links to HGIC pages covering them:

Harlequin bugs in different stages feeding on mustard. Photo by Barbara Knapp.

The simplest way to deal with these pests really is to exclude them using floating row cover. I have talked to many, many gardeners who resisted doing this, thinking it was too much trouble, and then realized that picking caterpillars by the dozen off their hole-riddled harvest was actually a lot more difficult. (Worse: realizing you didn’t actually pick all the caterpillars off before cooking the vegetables.)

Read the page linked above to learn all about the uses of row covers and the different types available. I recommend trying the more durable insect mesh netting for summer crops, and also the heavier weights of row cover if you want to start your plants early in the spring or keep them going into late fall or winter. Brassicas overwinter quite well if given some protection from cold snaps. You could also consider wintering over plants in low tunnels with clear plastic or under cold frames, but remember that you may have to vent them on warmer winter days (which we’re dealing with a lot more often). Also look into shade cloth as a way to cool the soil when you’re transplanting fall seedlings in hot summer weather.

You need to uncover the plants only to harvest and weed, and they will look beautiful! Photo by Erica

The one circumstance where row cover is not appropriate is when you’re incorporating brassicas into a flower bed as part of edible landscaping. This is great in theory, since some of these plants are really attractive. Just keep possible pest issues in mind. Surrounding brassicas with flowers will help attract beneficial predatory insects, and strong-smelling plants like herbs or members of the onion family may keep animals away. Insects might also be confused by a diverse mix of plants. But unless you’re very lucky you’ll probably have to accept some damage.

Other methods to deal with insect pests include:

  • Pesticides. You can read about these at the links for each pest, above. Try to stick with organic pesticides, and use them as a last resort and according to directions.
  • Handpicking. Have a bucket of soapy water handy and drop the pests in, or squish them.
  • Last-minute kitchen intervention. Soak the vegetables in a sink full of water with salt added. Pests should float to the top.
  • Trap crop. Plant a crop early in the season and destroy the insects that visit it. This may at least cut down on the total number of pests.
  • Weed regularly. Insects feed on weeds as well as crops, so keep their food supply low.

Aside from dealing with pests, growing brassicas is not difficult. Water as needed, and incorporate a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer into the soil. Brassicas prefer a pH of 6-7.5. Add compost to your soil on a regular basis to help maintain nutrients and improve drainage. If you have room in your garden for crop rotation, it’s a good idea to move members of different families to new areas each year. Brassicas might leave a few of their insect pests behind this way (it won’t help with the ones that fly around freely) and they will appreciate the nitrogen left behind by bean family plants (including cover crops).

Pay attention to the weather forecast. If temperatures are heading upwards, your brassica plants may react by going to flower. It might be time to harvest even if the vegetables in your garden don’t look exactly as expected. I have harvested a lot of disappointingly runty broccoli heads, but I’ve also learned that small is better than exploding into bloom. (Though you can eat the flowers.)

Next time we’ll start learning about specific plants within this genus.

By Erica Smith, Montgomery County Master Gardener. Read more posts by Erica.

Beyond Broccoli Part Two: What’s Up with Brassicas?

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Welcome back to Beyond Broccoli! Last month I posted about how the genus Brassica is classified and grouped, and where the plants come from in the world. Now let’s talk about what characteristics the brassicas have in common. Here’s some of what they share as a group:

  • An origin in temperate regions. These species originated in Europe and Asia, and most of them prefer to grow in cooler weather.
  • Thousands of years of cultivation and breeding. They’ve been part of humanity’s diet for a long time, and have great cultural significance in many regions.
  • Some physical similarities. I mentioned the cross-shaped (cruciferous) flower in the last post. Brassica seed leaves (cotyledons) have a characteristic heart shape, and seeds are generally small and round. We’ll explore leaf pigments and other commonalities in later posts.
Seed leaves of mustard
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Beyond Broccoli: A Brassica Series

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Broccoli photo from University of Maryland Extension

Welcome to “Beyond Broccoli”! In my next several monthly posts, I’m taking a deep dive into the genus Brassica and its place in our vegetable gardens. In this first installment, I’ll be exploring the classification of these plants and where they fit into the plant world.

Brassica is (logically enough) part of the family Brassicaceae, which is pretty huge, containing approximately 372 genera and 4060 species. Most of these are not common garden plants, though plenty are; examples include sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), honesty (Lunaria annua), and stock or gillyflower (Matthiola incana). Other notable plants in this family include Arabidopsis thaliana or thale cress, used as a model organism in many scientific studies, and Allilaria petiolata or garlic mustard, a persistent weed many of us fight back for years. One way to get rid of your garlic mustard is to eat it—it’s strong-tasting but great to mix with other greens. Many Brassicaceae plants are edible, though of course not all; always investigate before ingesting.

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