T.E. Wood Farms, Inc.

05/30/2026

Get Your Yard Summer-Ready!

Summer cookouts, family gatherings, backyard games, and relaxing evenings are right around the corner. Now is the perfect time to refresh your outdoor space!

Top off thin areas with quality topsoil

Freshen up flower beds with mulch

Create a clean, inviting yard for all your summer get-togethers

A little preparation now can help you enjoy a greener, healthier, and more beautiful yard all season long.

T.E. Wood Farms
8647 Dangerfield Pl.
Clinton, MD
301.868.6464

SPRING HOURS:
Weekdays: 7am to 5pm
Saturdays: 7am to 1p.
*Saturdays are weather permitting*

05/29/2026

Tomatoes grew well in that spot last year. So you planted them there again. By August, the same blight appears — earlier and worse than before.

The soil remembers what you grew 🌿

Fungal spores and disease organisms build up around the roots of their host plants. When the same crop returns to the same soil, those populations don't start from zero — they start from last season's peak. The plant walks into a room full of pathogens that were waiting for it.

Moving the crop to a different bed each year breaks that cycle. The pathogens lose their food source. The pressure drops.

🌱 The four families to rotate — and the order that works:

- Nightshades first (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes) — these share the same soil diseases and are the most important group to move every year. If you only rotate one thing, rotate the tomatoes

- Legumes follow nightshades (beans, peas) — they fix nitrogen in the soil, which helps replenish what the heavy-feeding nightshades stripped. Chop the spent vines and leave them in the bed rather than pulling them — the nitrogen benefit comes when the plant material breaks down in place

- Brassicas follow legumes (cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower) — they benefit from the nitrogen the beans left behind. Keep them out of the same bed for several years running — the diseases they're susceptible to persist in soil a long time

- Root crops and alliums follow brassicas (carrots, beets, onions, garlic) — lighter feeders that do well after heavier ones. Different root depths access nutrients the previous crop left behind

🌿 The practical realities:

- Even a small garden benefits. With only two or three beds, moving the tomatoes away from last year's tomato spot makes a measurable difference

- Keep records. A phone photo of each bed at planting time, or a simple diagram on paper. Without records, rotation breaks down within a couple of years — nobody remembers what was where two seasons ago

- Rotation helps most against soil-dwelling diseases. Airborne problems like late blight travel on wind from neighboring gardens regardless of where you plant. Rotation is part of the answer, not the whole answer

- At the end of each season, remove diseased plant material from the bed. Many pathogens overwinter in the debris whether or not you rotate

The soil isn't tired. It's populated. Move the crop, and the population loses its food source 🌿

05/28/2026

May is ending. Here's who showed up, who hatched, who crossed, and who climbed out of the ground.

The orioles arrived and started building. The scarlet tanager is in the canopy — red until August, then gone. Chimney swifts moved into the chimney and haven't stopped eating since.

🌿 The fledglings are everywhere. Robin chicks on the ground learning to hop. Catbird fledglings in the hedge. Barn swallow chicks being fed hundreds of times a day from the mud nest above the door.

Turtles are crossing every road in the county. Painted turtles headed for sunny road shoulders to nest. Snapping turtles on the move. Box turtles walking their territory — not headed for water.

Fireflies flashed for the first time this week after a year underground. Luna moths emerged with no mouth and roughly a week to find a mate. June bugs are at the porch light after three years in the soil.

May is ending. Everything is happening at once 🐾

05/26/2026

05/23/2026

Good morning. As we remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice this Memorial Day weekend, our office will be open today until 1:00 PM to assist with any questions. Due to inclement weather, we will not be loading orders for pick up. We will reopen on Tuesday, May 26th at 7:00 AM. We wish you and your family a safe and meaningful Memorial Day weekend.

05/21/2026

Most garden pest control starts at the hardware store. It doesn't have to.

These ten plants release compounds through their leaves, roots, or flowers that specific pests tend to avoid. No sprays, no powders, no reapplication schedule — they work the whole time they grow.

The ones most people underestimate are the herbs. Basil next to tomatoes helps keep aphids and flies off the fruit. Chives around carrots discourage the carrot fly that ruins roots underground. Rosemary tucked near brassicas makes it harder for cabbage moths to find their target.

The flowers do heavier work than they get credit for. Marigold roots change the soil chemistry around them — nematodes that damage vegetable roots tend to stay away from beds where marigolds have grown for a full season.

🌿 A few placement tips:

- Nasturtiums work as a trap crop — aphids prefer them over your vegetables, so plant them at the edge of the bed as a decoy
- Mint spreads aggressively — plant it in a buried pot or it takes over the bed it's supposed to be protecting
- Garlic interplanted with roses or between vegetable rows helps discourage aphids, spider mites, and Japanese beetles

The best pest plan isn't a product. It's a planting plan 🌱

05/20/2026

Memorial Day is almost here — is your yard ready for family, friends, and backyard memories?

Fresh mulch, healthy grass, and beautiful flower beds can make all the difference before your holiday gathering.

Whether you’re grilling, relaxing, or hosting the whole neighborhood, now is the perfect time to freshen up your outdoor space!

T.E. Wood Farms
8647 Dangerfield Pl.
Clinton, MD
301.868.6464

SPRING HOURS:
Weekdays: 7am to 5pm
Saturdays: 7am to 1p.
*Saturdays are weather permitting*

05/20/2026

Marylanders Reminded to Leave Fawns Alone – ‘Rescuing’ Them is Unnecessary, Dangerous, and Illegal

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources cautions anyone who encounters a fawn to avoid disturbing it and resist the urge to feed or handle it. Even if no adult deer are seen, the fawn’s mother is likely near, and the fawn requires no assistance. Read more: https://ow.ly/VCrc50Z1cqU

05/19/2026

The vegetable you're most likely overwatering is the tomato. The one you're most likely underwatering is the carrot.

Both problems look the same above ground — wilting, yellowing, poor fruit. The difference is invisible underneath. Overwatered roots sit in saturated soil and quietly stop working. Underwatered roots stay shallow and brittle, chasing moisture that was never deep enough to hold.

One inch of water per week sounds simple until you realize each vegetable measures that inch differently.

🌿 The ones people get wrong most often:

- Tomatoes want deep, infrequent soaks — water that pushes roots down, not daily sprinkles that keep them at the surface. Wet leaves invite disease, so water the base only
- Lettuce wants the opposite — light and frequent, because the roots barely reach past a few inches. Let the surface dry and the plant bolts
- Carrots split when watering is uneven. A dry week followed by a heavy soak cracks the root from the inside. Steady wins
- Corn demands the most water during tasseling — miss that window and the ears don't fill out. The rest of the season it's more forgiving
- Beans hate wet foliage. Water at the base, not overhead — wet leaves are where fungal problems start

🪴 One rule that covers most of the chart:

- Push a finger into the soil past the first knuckle. If it's dry at that depth, water deeply. If it's still damp, wait. The calendar doesn't know what the soil knows

Water the chart, not the calendar 💧

05/18/2026

The mulch matters as much as the soil underneath it.

Each material breathes, breaks down, and holds moisture differently. Match the mulch to the plant's root zone and most problems with weeds, rot, and moisture swing solve themselves before they start.

🌿 Four mulches matched to the plants that need them:

- Wood chips — best for fruit trees, berry bushes, and shrubs. The chunky pieces break down slowly and encourage the fungal activity that woody roots depend on. They mimic a forest floor, which is exactly the environment these plants evolved in. Replace every couple of years as they decompose

- Straw — suits tomatoes, peppers, and melons. Light enough to reflect sunlight and keep roots cool in summer heat. It also creates a splash barrier that stops soil from bouncing onto lower leaves during rain — which is how many fungal blights start. Easy to pull back when you need to fertilize or warm the soil

- Pine needles — belong under strawberries, azaleas, and garlic. The needles interlock like a woven mat instead of washing away in downpours. They drain fast and create a clean, dry surface that keeps ripening fruit and curing bulbs from sitting in moisture

- Shredded leaves — ideal for hostas, ferns, and heuchera. The crushed foliage breaks down quickly and builds the spongy, moisture-holding soil that shade plants thrive in. Free every fall — bag your neighbor's leaves if you don't have enough

🌱 The rules that prevent most mulching problems:

- Keep all mulch pulled back from plant stems — piling it against the base holds moisture against the crown and causes rot. A small gap is enough
- Stay around two to three inches deep — much thicker and rain can't reach the roots underneath
- Avoid thick layers of fresh grass clippings — they mat into a dense barrier that blocks air and water. Dry them first or mix with coarser material
- One material per bed, matched to what's growing there. The bed under the oak doesn't need the same mulch as the tomato row

One mulch matched to one bed. That's the difference between feeding your soil and working against it 🌿