I guess the Snowman is Bill Nunn what makes a year-round application from his gardening Bill not as widely recognized in our area as an expert on vegetable gardening. It writes it twice monthly column for the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. He's probably still book along with a couple of colleagues and he's been a very popular guest on these Saturday noon broadcast over the past year or so Bill. We're just delighted to have you back with us again today. Thank you. Thank you. We would invite your calls about planting your garden and things that you can be doing this early in the season in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The phone number is 227-6000 and outside Minneapolis-Saint Paul anywhere within the state of Minnesota.The number is one 800-652-9700 that of course is our toll free number. Bill I know that vegetable gardening like most things in our life is always changing always new developments and are there some things that people should be aware of this particular gardening season actually in my opinion the plant scientist and the seed companies of the world and especially those in the United States Have just poured out a lot of wonderful things for us to do for the first time. What when ice is going to be an exciting Gardens? Well north of King, which is Minnesota's on seed company and incidentally the largest one in the world. Has two things that are worthwhile if start they are renewing their smarter Garden plan, which introduced last year 50000 Garden. I was one of them filled out a form a big the garden was what we grew what we did we what we grew and so on we sent it into Northrup King and the hey, we received back a computerized sheet of paper mine was as big as his table with ideas of what we could do better and so on and that's being renewed this year and any Gardener who wants to participate in just right to north of King in Minneapolis or go away other Northrup King seed store and pick up a form fill it out and send it in. They also introducing this year some some punching and grow plants that are very much worthwhile for people who don't normally plant their own seeds with by plants. This is a cute just a cute little thing. You got a box. You got seed packet and you got some soil and you mix it all together with good directions and you or you'll end up with 15 tomato plants that you can put in and your garden that you can really say these belong to me. Well, let's see since 1979 all gardeners have been greatly excited over the sugar snap pea, but the vines were 6 there with vines or 6 ft long. And you and you you were better off if you had Travis this evening higher. Well people like the p is but they didn't like building those trellises now Bob. We've got four new sugar snap peas with short Vines for the first time. That's that's that's that's exciting. By the way, I grew in my garden one of those last year for one of the companies involved had a lot of fun with it very pleased with the results. But the biggest surprise this year clearance effect that all gardeners for the first time for the first time will can plant potatoes with seeds. We've never been able to do that before we have taken the potato. I will cut a hunk of the potato off with one or two or three eyes on the hunk. We plan to the hunk now Bob, we've got potato seed that look a little like radish seeds. Are we going to plant for the first time potatoes just as we plant tomatoes or anything else and that is really exciting. Well, I suspect it will be able to hear more about those and other new developments as we get to our calls and the phone lines are rather full with people who have questions for you girl. So, let's take our first caller right now. You're on the air. Yes, go ahead. My name is Don Willett. He and I would like to have you remind your audience that won March guarding activity they can do is to get rid of the Elmwood from Elm limbs with you falling in the snow last fall and burning Elm firewood as these and this is the principal source of source of Dutch elm disease in this is an excellent time to do that outdoor activity, which will help preserve the beauty of their Gardens in their neighborhood continuing a course to be a real problem in our area and it's something that that people could very well do in the way of gardening and outdoor activities in this month of March is Elm trees down. Not just the branches it felt but the whole tree is must come down I can say I can I can endorse what you were saying we at our house or heating a house with firewood and they are on our own place is the is the is the source of most of the wood we use Spring season with the bark on the Elmwood this time. It's all gone. Gardening. Go ahead, please you're on the air. And I like to plan things and I've been this is this is my first year on the third floor of an apartment building. now I'm thinking about containers for a tomato plant maybe a cucumber Vine that sort of thing. What do I need? Well, if you are permitted try window boxes. Add it feel going to have window boxes be absolutely sure that an expert has put those window boxes on the outside of your window and they window box won't fall on people to the walking underneath I have used when the boxes when I was in the Navy during World War. I had the 40 ft window boxes built them myself with Lumber know perfectly adequate. I grew lettuce and radishes and such things and mr. Crockett's used to tell us that if we were east of the Mississippi we should use plenty of limestone in their Gardens. Is that necessary here? What you need to do is to take the soil in your garden just as soon as you can get to it. And first of all, you make a telephone call to the County extension service. Do you what county do you live in Hennepin and tell anybody who answers the telephone if you want to have your soil tested and thought I'd put my plants in in containers pots. audio Well, you can use any any in that you can use very expensive pots that you can buy the beauty that you can also use 10 cans just be sure to punch holes in the bottom of the can so that you can get drainage and put some gravel of some kind or another over the holes then put the potting soil and put your seeds in it have no difficulty. Thank you. Thank you for calling why don't you finish explaining about soil testing for other people who may be concerned. If you would just tell the whoever answers the telephone in York County agent's office. If you want to have your soil tested you'll get in the mail. An envelope which tells you give you instructions and then didn't send you a little cardboard box that you open the cardboard box and follow the directions go out in your garden and pick five or six places dig a hole 8 in deep put some soil from each hole in a box or something shake it up. So is well mixed and send it to the to the University of Minnesota Sorrows Division. And the the address is on the package you have received from the county service. You'll have to pay it prices are going up that maybe you're going to have to pay as much as $4 to get your soil tested, but I would urge people don't buy any fertilizer at all until you have had your soil tested. I don't put any lime on your soil until you had your soil tested and left the university do this as a citizen of the state and the rest of the county in which you live. This is a service that every Gardener order use. Let's take another caller with a question for a Bill Nunn. Go ahead please you're on the air and I've got grass and leaves grass clippings Lee's garbage in it. And this feeling this one up in July. Am I going to have to put it through a shredder or anything before I plowed under or working into the soil? No, not at all you got to do is melt it froze it now, right you you may be surprised you may be surprised. You may find that there has been a fire in your compost heap better and it says, yes, you may run into some ashes and 360 degrees heat in that compost tea and Could have to have a smoldering fire that never got in the air couldn't get anywhere but you'll have fun looking to see what you do have right ahead and use everything that you don't have to do not to do a thing. Just let it melt put it on the soil and they get in. Okay. It's about a quarter past the hour talking with Bill Nunn about vegetable gardening looking forward to the season and we're taking your calls next listeners on the line. Go ahead, please. Thank you very much. I enjoy your column is going on. Thank you. Would I be best to put them in full sun? Well, I'm not going to ask you a question for the very good and simple reason. I don't know the answer, but I'll tell you what you do. Leon's dr. Leon Snyder Snyder retired from the University of Minnesota retired as the Director of the University's Landscape Arboretum is the authorities so far as I'm concerned and you can make a telephone call to him just call him at the Landscape Arboretum and ask him the question and he'll be tickled to death to answer it with a question on vegetable gardening. Go ahead, please. volume from Long Prairie something called suicide if ever used it. And I've used it for several years here and it works against any insect has a lot of pesticides. And I think it's quite a bit safer than a lot of it affected side. Nice thing about it. Is that one who makes several different companies that are making it. I can't I can't really give you a brand name. But almost all the Seed Catalog. I have never used it as a matter fact. I used to chemicals as I can possibly use but but they the bacterial materials that you put in your soil for all such purposes on the whole I endorse but I can't specifically refer to the one that you're referring to. It is available to have a catalog. So I just thought I'd mention. Can you give me the name of one catalog that has it? Thank you. Okay. Thank you for calling from Long Prairie Minnesota. If you were listening outside, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area and have a question on vegetable gardening. The toll free number is one 800-652-9700. We have another caller standing by go ahead. Please onion my garden in St. Paul grows cucumbers and tomatoes and peppers and things quite well, but I've always had a problem with onions and I wonder if you could give us a few tips on on drawing of vegetables. What's the problem was onions? Do you have do you have damage to the to the bulbs by insects that crawl and bite an insect problem. I buy put in the sets and they just don't grow. Where is the other vegetables do? Well, I don't know. What is the matter where you get your sets? Find Store. Bag of steps. I like white onions or whatever and I put them in water them and take care of them. Like I do the other vegetables and only about two or three will actually come to let me let me let me make a suggestion to you. I suppose they are individuals who go into the five-and-dime stores and buy onion sets in the bags and all they know about those sets has that either yellow white and that's all and nae nae and is almost impossible. If you don't know what you're planning to talk about what the results about to be but if you will look in any of the better seed catalogs, for example, take the Harris catalog. You'll find that they have one keeping onion. That will cost you about $6 a bag and those onion sets will grow now. You got lots of problems onions are heavy feeders. They need lots of they need lots of nourishment. They need lots of water. They need to be separated from Weeds. The best way I know to do that is to first of all prepare your soil make it as rich as you can let it thoroughly and then take newspapers let those newspapers and spread the wet papers on top of the soil then with anything that handle your finger or screwdriver anyting punch holes in the paper and plant your your sets in the holes. Put some more wire over the whole business. So the wind won't blow you a paper away. Okay, you won't have any you won't have any you won't have any weeds and they onions should grow and there should be no problem about him at all. Good luck. Good luck with your onions. This season will take another call and I'll go ahead please you're on the air column Victory Gardens back in World War II and we seem to have an insatiable desire for good tomatoes around my house. And I've had just Dreadful results the past three years last year. I raised a big boy, I think a super boy in it and a Supergirl or something like that. I started from seeds from Burpee and I had as I say just appalling results and I'm kind of curious that I raise my things around Lake Calhoun and I'm wondering if my soil is is in a dangerous condition or just what my problem seems to be on his curious if you had any suggestions. What's the last year last summer was a horrible summer for for tomatoes in an enormous number of Gardens? We had two wheels that were disastrous. My my notion is that where that was complete disaster. The end the plants rotted and melted away. That first of all the varieties that were planted. We're not resistant to Wilkes. You can get through any Seed Catalog any good Seed Catalog the varieties that are resistant and you can plant those seeds another thing other individuals that I bumped into that problems. I asked him this question. Did you plant tomatoes this year? We're either tomatoes are potatoes or eggplants last year and an appalling number of them said yesterday that attacked you should never plant tomatoes in the same place where tomatoes are growing for IC 5 years. Garden has four corners and one good way of just put tomatoes in the northeast corner this year and you will you will always have them in disease-free soil. But remember most people had difficulty with tomatoes last year. We had too many cold nights. We had too much water. We didn't have the warm hot sun that we should have had no and the warm nights we should have had so we had problems with the tomatoes. Let's say a special prayer that this summer we have the best tomato. Well that we've ever had Thank you very much. Appreciate that encouragement. Thank you for calling I am curious if following up on what that gentleman asked Bill we've had that tremendous amount of snow in the Twin Cities area across Minnesota this year. We have had the very cold temperatures. I wonder if the severity of our winter this year will have any adverse effect on the coming gardening season. It could have only insofar as you got perennials in the soil. For the last two years, we've had mile winners and all sorts of people got by with their perennials but not doing too much about them. But if you didn't cover those perennials in the fall, you may find you don't have any left because of the cold but there's a great deal to be pleased with all of the snow and I swear example, we we we got it early ground froze early and it was covered with snow early and the result is it didn't freeze did not go very deep. And they saw and the ice is melting now is not going to cause any floods. It won't cause any great runoffs because it's all soaking in if the soil was frozen down to five feet. It isn't then we'd have a runoff it would be disastrous if we don't have it. So I'm pleased with all of the snow and with all of this ice because it means that we're going to have enough water in the soil. So we all have good germination and I hope good crops Bill Nunn is with us today. And we're talking about vegetable gardening in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The telephone number is 227-6000 and I'll side Minneapolis-Saint Paul one 800-652-9700. The lines are quite busy but to keep trying and you might get lucky. Let's go to another caller right now. Go ahead, please you're on the air. I have two questions one is I'd like to know the name of a good Garden calendar type book so I know what to be doing and my second question is that I only got half of my bulbs planted not vegetable. I hope I'm not cheating by asking a question about daffodils and tulips like every time in the north. I'll plant daffodils and tulips I only got half of them planted and the other half has been pushed to sitting in the garage are they dead? Can I see them in the freezer? Can I buy some dirt and plant them in a window box or what do I do with them? I haven't the slightest idea, but call dr. Leon Snyder at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. He's a good friend of ours a good friend to ksjn and he would. He would help you solve that problem. Well now is for the book. I know build your own the natural modesty. Would that lead you away from talking about it? But tell this lady in our listeners about the book that you wrote along with the one of your colleagues Last Summer. Well, they Minneapolis Sunday Tribune decided that they would do a book of things that I had written things that lie on Snyder Road and things that one of the garden the great Garden humorist the country who died a dozen years or so ago. I didn't write the book is on sale and garden centers and book stores in the country is it can be bought have fun with it? What's the name of it. The name of it? It's a Gardner's handbook. It's a companion to the gardener. Okay, that's one suggestion. Any other books that you can suggest for this lady? She was asking specifically about a calendar of when to plant things. What is the matter? Of course, is that a calendar? That would do you any good here would have to be a regional calendar and practically every calendar that I know about serves Georgia as well as Minnesota and then not very very helpful. Thank you. We have another caller with a question. I vegetable gardening. Go ahead please. Died and I was wondering when a person to plant the Cabbage family plants or the eggplant peppers and tomatoes and also on tomatoes if someone was telling me that you should plan to your hybrid Tomatoes, perhaps two weeks before they open pollinated. Could you tell me when to plant my plants indoors? I think you read the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune by any chance know? I don't know. I'm sorry. I was just going to say I've been in the process of the devising a way of answering that question because it's a question that also speak loud and generally speaking if you'll get your seeds from a catalog then you don't have the problem you were talking about because the catalog answers the question that you are that you are you're asking but I will start planning. I have not planned anything yet. The girl on the grow lights, but next week, I begin planning. The first things I will plant will be the the seeds that require long periods for germination parsley. If you would like parsley in your garden remember, it takes 6 weeks for those plants to germinate and I will say I'm already late and not having planted. The parsley seeds that material you are asking for is in any Seed Catalog that you that you pick up but don't get too excited about it. Those figures are our relative when somebody says to me How how when do I plant my my when I when do I transplant tomato plants from the floor lights in the house out to the garden? I say you don't look at the calendar in order to determine that what you do is to feel the soil. How warm is it? Feel the the the the the temperature of the wind and and use just ordinary Common Sense. Remember the the most of the things that we plant in the garden seeds or plants ought to get there after all danger of Frost has passed. Do you need to plant your hybrid Tomatoes? I don't think so. I don't think that's true at all. More questions for Bill Nunn on vegetable gardening. Go ahead, please you're on the air. Plan for laying irrigation hose under your garden building up mounds of dirt in beds that are maybe a few feet wide and number feet long side with brick or Lumber something and covering the whole works with a some kind of a black plastic or something and having basically a totally enclosed system. I've heard that one of the disadvantages of this is that you get slugs in that kind of a moisture environment. Generally is this kind of a structure a good idea for a weed-free gardening or are there other problems? I would not I would not use it in my own garden. I will use as I said a moment ago wet paper to prevent weeds but the end of it and if I were if I were raising a lot of vegetables and selling them by the ton I might go in for the use of black plastic but to use it. I would have to have the Machinery that comes with the plastic and and and and so on I'll be involved in a big a big a big undertaking. if I were if if I were in your place. I would not do these things that you are that you are talkin about. I make Garden as gardening as simple as you possibly can make it you got the seeds and those seeds will grow in almost any soil we're talkin about I wouldn't try to if if for example you have your soil tested And if your soil is mostly sand. Don't buy a great deal of blacktop to come in and mixed with us or you'll spend a fortune and you won't get what you're looking for. What you need to do is do Barry and that's mixing that's oil all day all of the compost material. You can get your hands on every leaf every thread of garbage and try to build up your soil remembering only one thing sandy soil has to have more water. Now you ask a question about irrigation. I would never use underground Irrigation in the state of Minnesota. This is a cold state if I were in Georgia, I would probably would but not not not in Minnesota. I irrigate I irrigate Irongate for one reason that everybody else irrigation to get water in the soil. But look I'm in Minnesota. Should I use irrigation for another purpose entirely? When the forecast in September is for Frost. I just turned the irrigation water on and it's overhead irrigation. And and I understand if we have a free has that's wonderful. I can invite my friends in for coffee to look at the Garden the next morning. Everything will be covered with ice every tomato color with ice. But the water runs in the water runs in the water runs about 4 in the afternoon. All of the ice is melted and I haven't had a single thing damaged by Frost. Look over here derogation will let you do that underground irrigation does nothing but Supply water to the to the to the plants but in Minnesota, I would urge anybody to use overhead irrigation and the you'll find that the biggest advantage of overhead irrigation is that you can add at least a month to the growing season in, Minnesota. Thank you, 25 minutes before 1 Bill Nunn is with us and we are talking about vegetable gardening. We're taking your calls. We have another listener the question to go ahead please if you know of a good reference for companion planting such as a row of onions next to Cabbage to deter the some insect or something like that, you know of a good reference. Yes, the Garden Way Publishing Company Garden Way publishing company. I'm sorry. I don't have the address and a I has a book that is on companion planting and it's a good book. It's it's it's very much much worse while I do some companion planting but not not not as you're talking about and not as the garden way people Advocate I plant herbs. Including onions all over the whole garden, I do that because the odors from those herbs will repel insects cabbage butterflies and such things now that is another kind of companion planting with regard to some of the claims of The Advocates of companion planting. I can't I'm sorry and endorse them to say that you can't plant onions close to beans. Just for the fun of it every for five or six years I do exactly this. and I have beans as good as they've ever been I have onions as good as they've ever been. I don't think they're at war with each other. I don't quite know how some of these things get started. I suspect that. Well, the my favorite story is about the nails day a sister and a Catholic Convent in France a lot of years ago why I'm not sure stuck Nails around her tomato plants and she didn't have any any cutworms and so that got written into books and it's in every book that I I know about. All I have to say is the cut worms that you was somewhere else. Okay, let's take thank you for calling. Let's move on tonight. Listen to now go ahead please you're on the air. play some Donna Rich Minneapolis, and I want to ask about I guess I don't know the word rotating things not flying things the same place every year now in books such as I'm not sure about yours is home and guarding books. I've read it cause you not to plant certain plants in the same place over your moving around and yet certain lots have limitations for example to play to plant zucchini. They have to have a place to grow out of the whole thing of planning the tall plants in a certain way so they don't shade other plans or if you could tell me what you suggest when you have flat limitations. Are you pretty well have to put the zucchinis in the same place every year. What do you do? What do you do with the soil? You just don't do anything and don't do that. I will or I can I can I can practically assure you that if you plant zucchinis in the same place year after year for how many years I'm not quite sure but I would say the second or the third time you do that you're going to have the squash borer. You have a problem that you wouldn't have if you move the zucchini is around, but let me say there's a better way of doing this. You you jet you're assuming something here you assuming that zucchinis need a lot of room to roam around then. Bush varieties? Get Bush varieties, then don't plant some things. I know of no Bush pumpkin. So I just don't plan any any any any any any any Bush cucumbers, I know no Bush cantaloupes, so I don't plan cantaloupes. Okay, sometimes you just have to not plant a certain variety for a 4-year to until running again. Alright, please. I'm calling from Buffalo wheat planted asparagus last year first time and it came up and sprouted marvelous thing. Now. Is that what did you plant seeds or Roots Roots roots to your roots or three are Roots. I hope their 1-year Roots. I hope so, too. remember Well, I know but even if you had planted 2-year roots. I hope you didn't but if you did I still would not Harvest any. Asparagus from the garden this year Let It Go, which has the wrong time are either. Find a plan on because they're good fall crop. When did you plant them? And you planted Not seeds you play you planted plants. That was as good a time as any Okay, my last question. We have a black walnut tree that is down near our garden. I rather think it was an organic gardening that anywhere near especially for tomatoes anywhere near a black walnut tree. Did you just walk out and having a decent tomato crop last year or is that one of those? I don't think it had a slightest thing to do with the Tomato crop. That was bad last year. Yes, well that's about like mine. But but I know the reason why I keep roots of any tree out of your garden because those roots are using mustard. Yeah, I know they're using moisture more efficiently and more effectively than the roots of the enormous number of the vegetables you're growing in your garden and the competition is in favor of the of the tree. Okay, great. Thank you very much. Thank you for calling from Buffalo Minnesota. We have another listener the question to go ahead please Garden in the shade from Neighbors trees limit the amount of sunshine. I get from about 9:11 in the morning from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. And then after about 6:00 to tell dark some plants vs. Bush beans do fairly well, but Tomatoes produce green fruit ripen a picked green before the price in September squash onions and zucchini grow fruit, but then ride due to heavy duty. Morning, I live near Lake Nokomis in South Minneapolis and have a Sandy have mostly sandy loam soil. I seem to have plenty moisture. Well your problem. I just want to shed. Is there any way at all you can you can shift your garden from the Shady part of your property to the part that has more sun? Is that possible then is to continue to do what you're doing now, which is the best you can and I hope you are planning lots of spinach lots of any of the greens will grow all right with shade, but every other plant that I know about one, son. Is there any chance that you can borrow from a neighbor? Who has the space or a garden but doesn't have one. Could he let you have his space? That that happens very freaking racing matter of fact and both parties to the grandma profit. Well, it's something to think about I guess Bill known as what is today and we're talking about vegetable gardening and we will take another call her. Go ahead. Please bill you might have already partially answered my question cuz we had a problem with her zucchini last year. And I guess that we probably have planted in the same place for the last couple 3 years, but we had three boyfriends and they develop a lot of foliage and a lot of blossoms but two of the plants never produced any fruits and the third just had a couple over got the whole summer what would cause that well, you've answered your own question the the the the the soil had had too many zucchini plants for too long up here to time to do much good I would I would I would get the bush varieties of squash. Then you can move those around without much difficulty try. All right, but just for fun next year if you no matter where you plant zucchini is look at the space between the squash itself the fruit. And and they and the vine look at the space where the vine joins the central stock that goes into the soil and and see if you don't find some some ugly spots there take a pen knife and do a little surgery and I have an idea you'll be very surprised to find what a squash borer really looks like. Okay. Alright. Thank you much to 276 thousand. The telephone number in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and we do have a couple of lines open. So if you've been trying to get in and unsuccessful now is an opportunity as we come to the last 15 minutes of our program with Bill Nunn and another listener has a question. Go ahead please. I have two questions. First of all, I live 20 miles north of the cities. And what is the average last frost date for this area? Why do you ask that question? So much in men gardening magazines and spend such in terms of anticipating planning and I just don't only unaware of that date. Well, I read about these things too and just look the other way the last frost. A date bounces around twice since we've been living in Minnesota twice. We've had killing Frost in in the month of June killing Frost when everything in the garden... Frozen those were the years a tree lost its leaves. And leaves came back, but the oak tree is couldn't make any Akins. We live in in Minnesota. We live in a place where the climate is unstable Rancier attic West wonderful thing. I know I have on each one with two telephones in our house. The first thing I do wake up in the morning before I get out of bed is to pick up the phone and I called ksjn. I'm sorry. I called and I'm sorry that the radio station that operates in cooperation with a Northwestern national bank and they give a weather forecast. Are you dial a number which I have pasted to my telephone. And if that number is busy then I dial another number that's also pasted on the telephone and that is KSTP and I listen to a tape recording that tells me what the weather is going to be like during the day and it may well be that two or three times in the course of the day. I'll dial to find out about the weather because the weather weather is the most important thing to The Gardener in Minnesota. It isn't so terribly important if you have a garden in, Georgia. Is there is a I used to live in George. I used to gardening George. There's no problem in Minnesota. You are with your weather minded one of those things that interest me a great deal about people in Minnesota all of us spend more time than any people in the whole world talking about the weather. And this year I would like to print them out and try and put them out earlier, but put them under glass. I have old cider jugs that I have cut the bottom off of and I'm going to try and put the tomato plant under those take the Caps off the drugs during the day and put them back on at night. Yes would not raise your glass jugs with other things except an excellent idea. I think I can get them out. Well gamble. How much of a gamble are you? How much are you? All right. I'll go good with a couple that's right. You won't be in bankruptcy. Yeah, thank you for calling we have another listening with a question. Go ahead please. Try to refurbish the fertility of my garden pot by raking up all my Elm and walnut leaves and then I turned them under and I've been doing this for many years. And I find now that I'm ashamed to have a superabundance of slugs. Is there any relation between the Turning under the leaves and the slug populations? Yes, and no. Are you either have slugs or you don't have them without any regard to whether you have leaves or whether you don't have them? But I'll tell you one thing that you must worry about if you've been doing that for a long time your soil probably needs nitrogen because the leaders have caused the nitrogen Supply to deteriorate a little earlier in this program to call the you would call the the telephone number of the Hennepin County Agricultural Extension Service. Tell them you want your soil tested that have the soil tested and ask ask. Well, you don't have to ask anything you will get back the result with a recommendation for fertilizer and you'll be interested in knowing the fertilizer I use. And if you know fertilizer your whistle is 20 1010. I don't know hardly anybody who uses fertilizer with the formula that begins with 20. Now. The reason I do it is because I have been doing exactly what you been doing for a long. Of time. I've used tons and tons of leaves and anything else I get my hands on that wood rot. And and and that is the reason why I have to use fertilizer with a very high nitrogen content and you may be in the same predicament but it isn't don't let it worry you at all. But write a thank you for calling should a person have their soil tested. Every season will know how often I'd say every three years unless you're doing a lot of changes yourself in the soil texture and so on are not okay. We have time for a few more calls. Go ahead, please you're on the air. You know, some people that run their used cat litter through their compost pile and I was just wondering if you could tell me if that's good or bad. Is that going to promote diseases in us and what I didn't understand what it is you were running through this. I see nothing wrong with it. I don't I don't I don't think so long before World War II in Japan. And I know what the the honey pots are in Japan the Japanese from time immemorial have use human waste. As fertilizer we have less sense in America. We just pollute every stream every Creek every river every Lake. Because we aren't doing what the Japanese have been doing for centuries. So I'm all in favor of using cat manure or any other kind of manure. Oh good. I love you and thank you for calling we move along quickly. Do another caller. Go ahead please you're on the air. Heads of garlic that are available in the supermarket. I wouldn't do that but you probably could but don't try people have done things with those who know go to a garden center and get and get and get and get that last year and got them from her birthday or what time did you plant them? It was one that was probably June, but I don't think I got enough Sun another suggestion to you this year plant some in September. Okay for next year and by the way, by the way, they're there is a special garlic that you will find is known as elephant. Garlic. That's only because it's just a big is a big bug. That is the best garlic the sweetest garlic and that is a girl that you must plant in the fall and not in the spring. Yes. Yes. No, no, yes. Can you have the better? Okay, thank you for calling we are nearing the end of the arm, but we'll move as quickly as we can. So maybe another call or to go ahead please you're on the air makes it get on patio tomatoes in pots on a balcony in the summer time. I tried spray and it doesn't help much. I finally just ended up giving up on them. Are these flying insects? Well, I don't know but I'll tell you what you do. You call the where do you live you call the County extension service Agricultural Extension Service and ask for mr. Mugus m u g a s and you ask him to tell you the names of those. I think he will be able to tell you without looking at them because other people will have talked to him and he and he will know what they are. You also tell me what kind of spray to use to get rid of them. We're almost to the end of the are but let's take one more call. Go ahead, please you're on the air You Adventure the catalog from the Harris or something. Yes, what would you like to know the address? Okay. It's a good catalog. The name of the company is Joseph Harris. Company the address is Morton. Moreton Farm. Rochester, New York 14624 write for their catalog and by the way, you ought to write for some more catalogs to okay, what are some other catalogs that you would recommend build very quickly in about two about a half minute or so stroke seeds. The address is 737 Main Street Buffalo New York, and the zip code is 14240. And everybody knows the Burpee company. The address we will Minnesota use for Burpee. It's just Clinton Clinton Iowa ZIP code is 52732. And those should provide some useful information for about four other top-flight catalogs, but I haven't got time. I think to tell you about the no I'm afraid we are out of time, but we want to thank you Bill Nunn so much for coming in and visiting with us today as people begin thinking about planting their Gardens in about a month and a half or so. I hold a technical director for this segment of weekend is red Olson. Thanks to Dorothy Hanford for answering the phone. So I'm Bob Potter and this is MPR.