I remembered an old joke recently. How do you know you’re in Michigan? If you’re running the defroster in the morning on the way to work and the AC on the way home, you must be in Michigan. I’ll add to that by saying that a real Michigander knows not to take the snow scraper out of the car … ever. I hope the weather has been kinder to you.

I’ve been helping my father-in-law get his vegetable gardens ready for planting. He takes it pretty seriously and has a lot of fun with it at the same time. He started trellising his cucumbers, and it is working well for him. I can’t remember all of what he is planning to plant this year. He had to add to it because my son wants him to do pumpkins. Speaking of pumpkins, check out the story in the June issue of VGN on designer pumpkins. Pretty cool stuff.

We built a small greenhouse so we could get the seeds started early. My father-in-law did it right, too. It is made of wood and sturdy plastic. At night, we bring the trays of seedlings in. I’ve been joking with him that he needs to get a big tunnel like the ones used by Steve Bogash in Pennsylvania and Russ Wallace in Texas. Check those stories in the June VGN. My wife thinks her dad obsesses about his garden now, what would happen if he went with a full tunnel? But at least we’d have plenty of veggies!

Sure, you might have used GPS to drive to your wife’s aunt’s house, or even to find your deer stand in the dark, but what about to plant your crops? Check out the picture below of a dual-GPS-equipped tractor, part of a planting operation where accuracy is the key. Look for the full story in an upcoming VGN. The video below has a little more information on GPS systems. Check it out!

Good growing.

Events Calendar

June 20-22, 2010
Washington Potato & Onion Association Annual Convention
Campbell's Resort, Lake Chelan, Wash.
Contact: Tracy Mullen
Phone: 509-528-4956
E-mail: tracymullen@hotmail.com

June 30, 2010
OPGMA Summer Tour and Field Day
Grobe Fruit Farm, Elyria, Ohio
Website: www.opgma.org

July 24-28, 2010
International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy
The Nittany Lion Inn, State College, Pa.
Phone: 800-233-7505

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