Download Common Garden Myths - Oklahoma Garden Clubs Inc.

Pat Neasbitt
Master Gardener
Common Garden Myths
I ran across this list of Garden Myths from the
National Garden Bureau and thought it was interesting.
Myth: Pinch the seed pod off if onions bolt and go to seed.
Busted: This has been a common practice because older
heirloom varieties were prone to bolting. With today's
newer hybrids, if you pinch the seed pod off immediately,
it will keep the center core of the onion from growing and
the result is a smaller onion that will not store well. The
size of the onion bulb is dependent upon the number and
size of the green leaves or tops at the time of bulb
maturity. For each leaf there will be a ring of onion; the
larger the leaf, the larger the ring will be. From my
experience, onions bolt when temperatures change and it
gets really hot. Once onions bolt or send up a flower stalk,
there is nothing you can do to eliminate this problem. The
onion bulbs will be edible but smaller. So, don't bother
cutting out the seed stalk but use these onions as soon as
possible because they will not keep very long.
Myth: Go ahead and knock the tops of onions over when
they start to fall over and they will make larger bulbs.
Busted: Actually the opposite is true. If you knock the
tops over prematurely, that will stop the bulbing process
and make the onion more likely to sprout during storage.
If you have heavy soil, it is a good idea to pull the soil
away from the bulb when it starts to mature.
Myth: To get sweeter tomatoes, add sugar to the planting
hole.
Busted: I actually never heard this one, but Tomato plants
can't absorb sugar from the soil. They produce it through
photosynthesis. The sugar content of a variety is predetermined in the plant's genetics.
Myth: Plant peas and potatoes on St. Patrick's Day.
Half Busted: This can't possibly be true for all climate
zones! It's much better to go by last-frost dates and just
watch the weather.
Myth: Pinch off all blooms of annuals before planting.
Busted: In many cases pinching is no longer an absolute
must because today's commonly available bedding plants
are bred to be more compact with continuous blooms. I try
to buy plants that aren't blooming yet but have lots of
buds. If there are blooms, I do pinch them off, not so
much to manage growth, but to help the plant put it's
energy into getting roots established as quickly as possible.
Myth: Use tuna fish cans around transplant stems to keep
out cut worms.
Not Busted: Yes, Grandma was correct and frugal with
this tip! Cut both ends out of the can and place it around
the plant. I actually prefer to use something that is
biodegradable like empty cardboard tubes from paper
towels. I don't eat that much tuna, and I don't want to pick
up cans later.
Myth: Beer traps for slugs?
Not Busted: Yes, they really do work. And there is even
research to show they prefer light beers. If it rains, you
will need to refill the traps with fresh, undiluted beer as
those little critters avoid the watered down stuff. You can
just use recycled saucers for containers. At least they will
die happy!
Happy Gardening!