Week 7: Loss and Gain

“The experience of old and skillful gardeners will bear witness, that failures often occur even with good seeds, and with the very best attention on the part of the gardener”

            -T. Bridgeman, 1836.

 

                   The peas have Fusarium Wilt. It’s the first crop failure in the 1812 Garden, and the first in the Hamilton College Community Farm. Although almost all the crops have had a run in with something, (either being choked out by velvet leaf in my garden, or attacked by beetles in the community farm) the peas are the first crop to become infected with something that they cannot overcome.   Fusarium Wilt is caused by a soil fungi, Fusarium oxysporum. “Infected plants are usually stunted; their leaves turn pale green to golden yellow and later wilt, wither, die, and drop off progressively upward from the stem base” (Britannica). YOu can see the tell tale symptoms (yellow/green lower leaves, wilting of lower branches, red stem) in the photo of our peas on the left. Even today there is nothing that can be done about it, the plants must be destroyed immediately and are so infectious they cannot be composted. Also, “Fusaria [fungus]can live indefinitely in soil without access to living host plants,” so crop rotation is now a must. Also I had just planted two rows of Jacob's Cattle Bush Beans on the other side of the ill fated peas and am worried they are going to be doomed as well.

On the brighter side, the garden has gained some new members:  bee balm, purple coneflower (Echinacea), Solomon’s seal, wild ginger, and thyme. 

 

Fusarium Wilt. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23rd, 2008, from The Britannica Online Encyclopedia  Web site: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/222756/Fusarium-wilt#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Fusarium%20wilt%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia 

Kawalchik, Clair and Hylton, William. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Rodale Press, 1998