5 Easy Steps to Grow GIANT Vegetables and Flowers

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Image: http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.mx

Many gardeners enjoy the competition of growing the largest vegetables and flowers - giant vegetables and flowers. It is truly amazing how large some of these giants will grow. I’m not talking about that baseball bat zucchini that hid out under the leaves. I’m talking about 100 pound cabbages and pumpkins that gain 25 pounds in a day. These giants take planning and care.

To seriously compete with the seasoned giant vegetable growers, you’ll need to put considerable effort into your soil, your choice of site and your gardening technique. But to get you started having some fun growing giant sized vegetables, here are 5 easy steps toward success.

Choose the Right Seed

This is the most important step, because some varieties simply grow larger than others. Serious giant growers will often seek out rare seeds to grow. You can start your own giant lineage by selecting a promising variety, like Atlantic Giant Pumpkin or Old Colossus Heirloom Tomato and then saving the seeds from your largest fruits for planting next year. (This only works with open-pollinated varieties, so steer clear of hybrids if you plan to save seeds.)

You may have to do some research on varieties that dependably grow into giants, but the name usually gives it away, like Russian Mammoth Sunflower, that grows upwards of 17 feet tall. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Cabbage: Northern Giant Cabbage (100 lbs.)

Carrot: Japanese Imperial Long Carrot (12+ inches long)

Cucumber: Mammoth Zeppelin Cucumber (16 pounds)

Gourd: Giant Long Gourd (120 Inches)

Onion: Kelsae Sweet Giant Onion (One held the world record at over 15 lbs.)

Pepper: Super Heavyweight Hybrid Pepper (½ pound each)

Pumpkin: Atlantic Giant Pumpkin (400 to over 1000 pounds) or

Squash: Show King Giant Green Squash (400+ pounds)

Sunflower: Grey Stripe Giant Sunflower (2 foot heads)

Tomato: Old Colossus Heirloom Tomato (2+ pounds)

Watermelon: Carolina Cross (Giant) Watermelon (200 pounds)

If you’ve had success growing a giant vegetable or flower, let us know what it was.

Give Them a Healthy Start

Beef up the soil your plants will be growing in before you even plant. Spread some manure or compost the fall prior planting. If you’re serious about competing, you should have a complete soil test done and replenish any nutrients and micro-nutrients that might be lacking.

Giant vegetables tend to grow in quick spurts, so they need lots of food. Slow acting organic fertilizers added at planting time will ensure that the food is there when the plant needs it. It will also make for a healthier soil and less pest problems.

And know what type of fertilizer your plant needs. If you’re growing the plant for the fruit, like pumpkins and tomatoes, you’ll want a fertilizer that’s high in potassium and phosphorous, the last two numbers on the package. If you’re growing a leafy vegetable, like cabbage, you’ll want a higher nitrogen number.

Water

Giant vegetables won’t be as tolerant of sporadic watering as the common garden vegetable would be - and even the common vegetable is touchy about not getting its one-inch per week. You have to provide regular deep waterings or your fruits will either languish or split. I recommend using drip irrigation on a timer that compensates for rain, so there are no slip-ups. Because as much as your plants need regular water, they don’t want to sit in wet soil.

Thin to Just the Best Fruits

The more fruits on your plants, the smaller they will be. If they have to compete for nutrients, they’re never going to be giants. So prune or pinch out all but about three of the largest, healthiest looking fruits. Later in the season, you might want to thin down to just one, but keep a couple of extras at the beginning for insurance.

Don’t worry about too much foliage. The foliage is what will be feeding the fruits and helping them grow larger.

Keep Close Watch for Problems

Pests, diseases and cultural problems can move in quickly and ruin an entire crop, especially when there are only a handful of fruits to begin with. Check your plants daily and correct any problems immediately. Try and remove problems by hand, since using chemicals can disrupt the plant too. Hopefully since you’ve given your plants every advantage, problems will be few.

Now comes the hard part. You have to be patient. Look but don’t touch. Too much fussing with your plants is as bad as too little. Let them do what they do and just enjoy watching them grow.

If you find yourself addicted to growing giant vegetables, talk with the competitors at your local county fair. Some will be coy, but many are very open and generous with their knowledge. They’ll know who has the best seed and will be happy to discuss technique with you. There may even be a regional Giant Vegetable Growers organization in your area.

For a humorous, but very informative peek into growing giant pumpkins, I recommend the book Backyard Giants - The Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever, by Susan Warren. Ms. Warren follows competitors through an entire growing season and gives us plenty of tips along the way.

Source: gardening.about.com

GMO Cabbage With Scorpion Poison Gene Coming Soon

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Originally published on Gaia Health.

Image: Raw For Beauty

Get ready for genetically engineered cabbages that come complete with their own scorpion poison, just for you to eat. It’s touted as requiring less pesticide use and being, of course, completely safe. Close investigation, though, indicates that neither claim is likely true.

A pesticide made with scorpion poison genetically engineered into a virus was first tested back in 1994. Interestingly, the scientists who sprayed the test field wore full body suits to protect them from this “harmless” poison. One must wonder at just how safe it could be when the developers themselves don’t trust it more than that! Of course, the head of the trial, Professor David Bishop, insisted that the trial was safe—though he himself opted to take a vacation, rather than be there for it.

In the newer incarnation of scorpion poison genetic engineering, genes from the scorpion, Androctonus australus hector, for production of poison are being genetically engineered into cabbages. The goal is to produce them for public consumption. With the FDA’s history of rubberstamp approvals for genetically modified crops, it seems unlikely that anything will interfere with their production and entry into a supermarket near you.

Let’s examine the justifications given for this never-to-be-found-in-nature cabbage-scorpion chimera:


1. It will result in the use of less pesticide.
At first blush, this seems to make sense. But it’s specious reasoning. The reality is that, instead of spraying pesticides onto the plants, the plants will contain them in every single cell. The result is that the pesticide will end up in the bodies of people who eat the cabbage. Thus, human beings will become the unofficial pesticide sinks, instead of the environment. I suppose there’s a plus in that, but I do not personally intend to be one of those pesticide sinks. Do you?

2. It’s completely safe.
Where have we heard that before? In this instance it stems from two things:

The scorpion venom has been modified so that it won’t hurt humans: This isn’t quite true. What they’ve done is select a section of the genome that codes for a toxin, called AAiT, which is known to be poisonous to insects.

A study that purports to show that it does no harm to humans[2]: Well … not exactly. The human testing was not performed on live people, nor was it performed on normal healthy cells. It was tested on MCF-7 breast cancer cells—not exactly normal human cells. Do you find that comforting? I certainly don’t.

Will Frankencabbages Be Effective At Stopping Pests?

This is, of course, the real issue, because it’s why farmers Agribusiness would want it. That could prove to be a problem. According to the study on AAiT’s toxicity against insect cells, the toxicity is greatly limited by ingestion. The authors wrote:

[L]ow toxicity with an LC50 of 18.4 μM was recorded in artificial diet incorporation assay in which the toxin was consumed by the testing insect through feeding. We suggested that this might be a result of toxin degradation by digestion.[2]

Sources: Raw For Beauty

Green Med Info

Glutathione: The Most Powerful Antioxidant

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Did you know that glutathione is one of the most powerful antioxidants utilized by the human body? It is a tripeptide (3 amino acids bonded together) made by our bodies for protection against free radical damage, to eliminate toxins, to support energy production and help enhance our immune system.

This antioxidant is actually made by our bodies, however, things like toxins, medications, stress, pollution, poor diet, trauma, infections and radiation deplete our glutathione stores, leaving us susceptible to developing a host of diseases. Without enough glutathione, your liver becomes overworked, and it makes it hard for it to properly detox chemicals and toxins from your environment and food.

Even aging depletes our glutathione levels. By the age of 45, our glutathione levels begin to drop, and they can drop as much as 50% below optimal as we get older. This is one reason why we must consume fresh plant foods that are high in this antioxidant to ensure our GSH stores don’t drop below optimal.

On the bright side, GSH helps prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia, and can be used to treat things from autism to Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, individuals with the least amount of glutathione in their blood are 30% more likely to suffer from a heart attack and stroke than individuals with high glutathione levels, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Glutathione functions in a number of ways:

- It functions in the metabolism of iron

- It is used in a variety of biochemical reactions like DNA synthesis & repair, protein synthesis, prostaglandin synthesis, amino acid transport and enzyme activation. Thus, it affects a large chunk of the immune system, nervous system, gastrointestinal system and lungs

- Regulates the nitric oxide cycle

- Maintains antioxidants like vitamins C and E (gives them a “second life”)

- Neutralizes free radicals and reactive oxygen compounds which, if not tended to, can lead to a host of diseases and illnesses

Long Life Span

Most antioxidants have short life spans (for each free radical molecule, 1 molecule of antioxidant is completely wiped out – they sacrifice their lives). Not glutathione! This antioxidant has the power to recharge not only itself, but other antioxidants as well (like vitamins C and E, mentioned above).

Free Radicals and Detox

Free radical damage to our tissues and DNA is one of the main causes for chronic illness. The cumulative overload of free radicals (from the environment, stress, foods we eat, water supply, etc.) is called oxidative stress, and this is what slowly deteriorates our health. It is important that we maintain a constant store of GSH (and other antioxidants) because this is what protects our cells from oxidation. In addition, the fact that GSH helps restore other antioxidants in our body, it is particularly important that we do not deplete these stores.

The highest concentration of glutathione is located in the liver, the body’s primary detox organ. The liver undergoes two stages of detoxification:

1) Liver enzymes convert toxins into flushable compounds and,

2) Glutathione escorts these toxins out of the body via urine or bile

If glutathione levels are low, our liver becomes overloaded with toxins and this leads to many unexplained sicknesses and health issues we see today.

Glutathione and Aging

The Journal of Age and Aging reported that glutathione levels are highest in seniors who are in good health. These seniors actually had higher glutathione levels than individuals 20-40 years younger. This could be one reason as to why some individuals make it to 90 and 100 years old, versus individuals who make it to 70 or 80.

Boost Your Glutathione Levels! 

Plant Foods High In Glutathione

Some plant foods contain the full version of glutathione like asparagus, spinach, avocado, melon, grapefruit, peaches and squash. Try to consume these foods raw and without heat to allow for greatest absorption and to prevent the destruction of the antioxidant.

Eat Raw

Consuming a high raw, plant based diet will ensure that you get an array of antioxidants into your diet which helps to relieve the stress on glutathione and give it a break. The more antioxidants you have in your body, the less your body will need to depend on its glutathione reserves.

Consume Foods High in Cysteine

In addition, eat more foods high in cysteine like garlic and onions. This sulfur-rich amino acid is a key building block for the antioxidant glutathione.

Eat Cruciferous Vegetables

Also include foods in your diet like broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and kale which enhance glutathione production!

Limit Toxic Exposure

Switching to a whole foods natural lifestyle will reduce your exposure to toxins. Cleaning your home with natural cleaners like vinegar or lemon, and switching to chemical free beauty and skin care products will minimize how many chemicals you are exposed to day in day out. Filtering your water, reducing the amount of refined and processed foods you eat (or cutting them out all together), as well as consuming lots of organic, non-GMO produce minimizes potential toxic burdens. This will help preserve your body’s glutathione producing ability, and prevents it from becoming depleted at an early age.

Exercise

Exercise actually boosts the production of glutathione and helps improve the functioning of your immune and detoxification systems. Any form of exercise will work – whichever you have fun at most. Go outside and play, breathe the fresh air, and move your body for at least 30-60 minutes a day!

Sources:

http://experiencelife.com/article/glutathione-the-great-protector/