Harvest Calendar

For the freshest locally-grown produce from July to November, visit our stand at the new Eastern Market in York, Pennsylvania.  Need several dozen sweet corn for a feed or roast?  Give us a call and we will have it pulled fresh from the field within hours of your pickup.      Use this Harvest Calendar to know when your favorite vegetables are available.

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Sowing Seeds

If you are planning a garden here in York, PA or anywhere else, check out the following guidelines for starting plants from seed. They are geared to vegetable planting (beans, beets, carrots, corn, onions, peas, radish, spinach, turnips), but the same principles apply to flowers.

• Plant in a freshly prepared seed bed -- otherwise the weeds are likely to come up before the plants. Keep the ground worked where late sowings are to be made to prevent weeds from starting. 
• Plant in straight rows -- This will increase the attractiveness of your garden and make cultivation and harvesting easier.
• Plant at proper depth -- The depth of planting varies with kind of seed, type of soil and season. In general, the smaller the seed the shallower the covering; but all seeds are planted comparatively shallow early in the spring and in heavy soils, and slightly deeper later in the season and in sandy soils.
• Space seeds properly in the row -- Plants that crowd do not develop properly.
• Firm soil after planting -- After the seeds have been covered to the proper depth with fine, moist soil, it is important to firm the soil particles around the seed to hasten germination. It may be easily and quickly done by light tamping with the back of the rake or hoe.
• The Miller Plant Farm Planting Guide is a complete guide that not only shows the quantity of seed required for a given space but also shows the depth at which to plant, approximate field planting dates and time to maturity.  However,  allowance should be made for the possible need to replant.
• It is best not to use seed more than one year old. If you do, sow the seed thicker to insure a good stand of plants. It usually does not pay to save your own seed unless you have a variety not avcailable from any other source. Do not save seed from an F-1 hybrid vegetable.
• Again try to rotate crops from year to year to prevent disease build up.

Transplanting Plants

The experts at Miller Plant Farm know that plants should not be allowed to get too big before being transplanted. Whether your garden is in York or elsewhere, follow the plant transplanting guidelines below for the best gardening results.

• A few hours before transplanting, thoroughly water the soil in which the plants are growing.
• Take the plants out of the container in which they are growing as careful as possible. Separate them disturbing the roots and soil as little as possible. If plants are in jiffy pots -- Do not disturb pot.
• The Miller Plant Farm Planting Guide is a complete guide that not only shows the quantity of plantsrequired for a given space but also shows approximate field planting dates and time to maturity. 
• Set each plant slightly deeper than before in a hole large enough to take the roots without cramping. Some soil-compost material around and under plants is beneficial.
• Use starter fertilizer when transplanting to give your plants a faster start. Starter fertilizer is an all-soluble fertilizer high in phosphorus, for example10-50-10 or 10-52-17. Mix fertilizer with water (about 2 tablespoons per gallon of water). When you transplant, place about one cup of the solution around the roots of each plant. If starter fertilizer is not available, mix 1cup of 5-10-5 or similar fertilizer in 12 qts. of water and use one cup of solution for each plant.
• Press soil firmly about the roots and cover with dry soil to exclude the air and conserve moisture.
• Transplant late in the day if possible.
• If dry weather follows transplanting, water the plants thoroughly at least once a week.
• Try to rotate crops from year to year to prevent disease build up.