Vegetable Garden Timetable - The Westside Gardener. The timings mentioned here are what work in my Sumner, Washington garden. Sumner is roughly parallel with Tacoma, but is inland from Puget Sound by perhaps 15 miles. Compared with locations closer to the sound my summer days are warmer, and the nights are cooler. Use this as a guide, but you may want to adjust it for your local circumstances. Since 1992 the average last frost has been on April 8th, while the average first frost arrived October 2nd. Late July temperatures (max/min) are around 81F/54F, while for early January they typically are 49F/34F. January Lettuce, spinach, and mustard can all be started indoors. February First Half If you are growing asparagus from seed, start it now. Second Half Sow some broccoli and cauliflower indoors about mid-month. March By the first week of March, the thread of severe cold blasts is usually over.
Transplant out, under a cloche, those salad greens you started in January. Be a traditionalist, and plant your potatoes on St. April May June July August. July | 2011 | Jekka's Herb Farm. Hampton Court Flower Show was a joy, if a little wet (saved on watering though). Visitors are still surprised to see us there, as we no longer exhibit in the floral marquee. Instead, these days, we have a ‘plant plot’, and Jekka continues to create a beautiful herb display to show visitors how organic herbs can totally transform a garden. Jekka’s Herbs, and the team – Dan, Hannah, Mark and Jekka, Hampton Court 2011 The archway (above) is Galega officinalis Goat’s Rue (a.k.a. French Lilac), flanked on each side by Humulus lupulus‘Aureus’ AGM Golden Hop. Monarda didyma Bee Balm Bergamot obliged by opening its beautiful red blooms that week, and Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’ was an absolute show stealer. Oregano Kent Beauty Jekka’s display was a bee magnet. Bee-ing busy on the Cornflower Tall swathes of Lythrum salicaria Purple Loosestrife, Salvia sclarea Clary Sage, Ammi majus Bishops Flower and Centaurea cyanus Cornflower surrounded the thyme garden at the front.
Like this: Like Loading... Gorgeous But Deadly: 13 Unassuming Poisonous Plants. Doll’s Eyes, Fairy Bells, Miracle Leaf – how can plants with names like these be dangerous? Eat them, and you’ll be sorry you fell for their deceptive names and unassuming appearances. From a tree that can make you go blind to flowers that even kill unsuspecting honeybees, these 13 (more) poisonous plants are anything but innocent. Manchineel Tree (image via: Hobo Traveler) The Manchineel tree (Hippomane Mancinella) is so dangerous, it’s often marked with warning signs. Stand under this tree during a rainstorm, and you’ll get a nasty surprise in the form of blisters all over exposed parts of your body caused by contact with a white milky substance that the tree secretes when it rains. Heart of Jesus (image via: Wikipedia) Eat the Heart of Jesus (Caladium x hortulanum), and you’ll end up praying for mercy.
Doll’s eyes (images via: Illinois Wildflowers) With its broad green leaves and dainty white flowers, Doll’s Eyes (Actaea pachypoda) certainly doesn’t look dangerous. Larkspur Privet Windflower. Basil for Cooking | Harvest to Table. Basil has a flavor sweet and pungent and pungent and sweet—so unique it is sometimes described as “basil-y.” Basil is the quintessential herb for seasoning tomatoes. It goes well with pasta, salads, eggs, cheeses, vegetables, fish, seafood, fowl, and pork, but unlike many other herbs it does not go well with vinegar or other herbs. Basil blends perfectly with olive oil and lemon, but is so volatile that is always best added at the end of cooking—not during. Basil ground with extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese is Italian pesto. Use basil’s aromatic leaves fresh or dried in soups—but most flavorful fresh or fresh frozen.
Known best for its clean, heavy flavor with a licorice overtone aroma and flavor is Sweet Basil, but there are nearly 60 varieties of basil. Ten basils worth growing and using in the kitchen: Basil growing basics: Start seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost, or direct sow when all danger of frost has passed. Companion Planting With Vegetables and Flowers - Organic Gardening. Each spring, I grow legions of onions and shallots from seed, and my biggest challenge is keeping them weeded. Last year, I planted pinches of arugula between the short rows of shallots, and the leafy, fast-growing arugula smothered any weeds and showed remarkably little damage from flea beetles, which often plague it. The arugula was ready to harvest just when the shallots needed room to grow. In a eureka moment, I realized I had discovered a vegetable companion-planting partnership I could use year after year to make my garden healthier and more productive.
The idea of “companion planting” has been around for thousands of years, during which time it has become so besmirched with bad science and metaphysics that many gardeners aren’t sure what it means. The current definition goes something like this: Companion planting is the establishment of two or more species in close proximity so that some cultural benefit, such as pest control or increased yield, may be achieved. Measuring Success. What to Plant Now: April: Pacific Northwest Gardening Region. A region with lush greenery, rain aplenty, mild seasons, gray days, no shortage on slugs, and some of the best soil in the country comes with many challenges — and many opportunities.
Gardening in the Pacific Northwest means cool-weather crops such as greens, root crops and cabbage-family crops will generally thrive, but you may have to take extra care to get high yields of heat-loving crops such as tomatoes and peppers. Starting these summer crops plenty early indoors can give you a jump start. Giving cool-weather crops an early start in spring and keeping a later planting going into fall and winter can be easier in the Northwest gardening region because winters are typically mild. Try cold frames, low tunnels or a hoop house for all-season growing (these resources on year-round gardening can help).
Get a leg up on common garden pests in the Northwest by following these tips on organic slug control and organic aphid control. Pacific Northwest Gardening Groups Oregon Tilth Seattle Tilth 1. Living Willow Fence - one year later....... Planting a woven Living Willow Fence has to be one of the fastest ways to create a living wall in your garden.My woven fence was planted in the beginning of April 2010 and you can see what it looked like by the end of May that same year here.After pruning in the fall - as I want to maintain the visibility of the shape of the fence - this is what it looked like in mid November the first year. The following photos are from June this year, the fence being one year old. If you are not interested in showing the weave, but would rather have a dense hedge, you can at this point weave all the long shoots into the structure.
We don't have a lot of trees on our property, but our neighbour does - and from early afternoon on the hedge is in shade. As you can see, it is doing just fine with the hours of sun that it gets daily. On the North side of the fence, however the growth is more sparse and you can easily see the woven pattern even at this time of the year. How to Grow Celeriac. June 19th, 2009 Email 57 users recommend by Ashley MillerOctober 2000from issue #29 It’s safe to say that celeriac will never be featured in photos of baskets brimming with luscious, perfect produce. In fact, one look at this knobby, dun-colored vegetable with its messy fringe of rootlets and the description “hit by the ugly stick” might come to mind.
Celeriac, also known as turnip-rooted celery or celery root, offers fine-grained white flesh with a taste that always reminds me of the main ingredients in Waldorf salad: celery, apples, and walnuts. Start seeds earlyChances are your local purveyor of vegetable transplants won’t be carrying celeriac, so if you want to grow this European favorite, you’ll have to start it from seed. Like the seeds of parsley, a fellow member of the Umbelliferae, those of celeriac benefit from an overnight soak in water to hasten germination. Hardening off is the next step, and it is here that you must pay close attention to celeriac’s biennial nature. Acmella oleracea - Spilanthes - Better than Botox®? Acmella oleracea - Paracress - Still known under its old names Spilanthes oleracea and Spilanthes acmella and commonly referred to as Eyeball Plant, Peek-A-Boo Plant, Toothache Plant, Spot Plant, Prickelblume, Alphabet Plant, Jambu, Australian Cress, and Brazil Cress.
It has nothing in common with real cresses, but is named after the Brazilian province of Pará. The plant has been assigned various scientific names over the years., and although called a Spilanthes, the latest expert opinion by Robert Jansen (after six years of intense study) is that this plant is best considered a member of the closely related genus Acmella. The genus name Spilanthes means stained flower, from Greek spiloma (stain) and anthos (flower); the reference is to the dark pollen which stains the bright petals. Acmella oleracea is a small tender annual that grows to about 12-15 inches and will spread to 24-30 inches across.
The flower heads are used fresh, dried and powdered. Resources include: October 2010. I have been invited by Laura, curator of The Modern Victory Garden to participate in a "meme" called A Day In The Slow Life created by Tony over at Backyard Feast. That said, I carefully attempted to record the events of Monday October 18th, a day both my wife and I would be home and able to devote the day to working in our gardens trying to finish up our harvest. As Mrs. H had just returned from a trip to Nevada we wanted to spend a relaxing day working together and enjoying the sunny weather. As a brief introduction to us and our lifestyle, I first met my wife, a true kindred spirit, while we worked for a now defunct Italian telecommunications company many years ago. Long story short we are now happily married and have over the years slowly and deliberately entrenched our lifestyle into one that revolves around growing and gathering our own foods, truly attempting to live the "slow" life. 5:00 AM, on the dot, Mrs. 7:00 AM, I leave Mrs. 9:ish, back from our walk Mrs. 11:30 AM, Mrs.
Plants to the rescue of plants - Trucs d'artan. Maybe it's because of their wine-making heritage, but the French are obsessed with fermenting various plants into special insecticidal, bactericidal, and fungicidal brews to use on...other plants. Remember the article on brewing an extract of stinging nettles in this column? Well, the nettle is the undisputed queen of the French gardener's vegetal fermentations.
But at least a score of other plants are used as well, each for a very specific purpose which apparently has been evolved by experience. Some of them--such as pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium, main photo above) you may have used for some time without realizing it. This plant would go unrecognized by most gardeners, yet it is the source of commercial organic pyrethrum, a well-known insecticide.The exciting thing is that now, scientists in France are beginning to evaluate these concoctions in a serious way, and to standardize the best practices for producing and using them. Sage. (Salvia officinalis). How to grow carrots, with dr. john navazio.
WHEN THE MOST COMMON CHALLENGE readers confessed in a recent story on vegetable gardening was “I can’t grow carrots,” I knew whom to call: John Navazio, Ph.D. to the rescue. John, who these days serves in a joint role as Senior Scientist for the Organic Seed Alliance and the Washington State University Extension specialist for organic seed for his home state, has grown—and bred—more than a few carrots in his time.
John, whose dramatic and delicious purple ‘Dragon’ carrot is bright orange inside, was reassuring as ever. First, don’t feel bad, he said. “Carrots are one of the harder vegetables to grow,” confirms John (with flowering carrots in an OSA photo, above), and for a few reasons: They’re such small plants when they first sprout (the seed isn’t too big, either; I like to use pelleted, shown below, and there are now pelleted ones that meet organic certification requirements). john’s carrot how-to: when are they ready to harvest? Which carrots to grow? Carrot how-to on my radio podcast.
Sonia Tastes Hawaii: GARDEN GREENS ....the 'so-called' Spinaches. Malabar Spinach Malabar spinach (Basella alba or Basella Rubra) is a perennial tropical fast-growing and soft-stemmed vine in the Basellaceae family and not an actual spinach. The vines can grow up to 10 feet. Does well on trellises or twisted around wire tomato cages. The stem has a slight little ‘squarish’ look and can be either green or dark reddish purple as in the variety called Basella Rubra. the plant has insignificant white blooms and shiny black berry-like seeds.
The Malabar spinach loves full sunlight, hot and humid temperatures and does best when grown at altitudes less than 500 foot elevation but has been known to grow at higher elevations. High in vitamins A and C and loaded with calcium, it can be consumed as either a raw salad green or cooked as you would regular spinach. I first became acquainted with this plant while living in Cuba. The mucilaginous texture is especially useful as a thickener in soups and stews. Moluccan (Dawn or Daun Dewa) Spinach Okinawan Spinach. Subsistence Pattern. Crop Nutrition and Fertilizer Requirements. Essential plant nutrients | Types of fertilizers | Soil nutrient content and soil testing | Fertilizer recommendations | Plant tissue analysis Essential Plant Nutrients Proper nutrition is essential for satisfactory crop growth and production. The use of soil tests can help to determine the status of plant available nutrients to develop fertilizer recommendations to achieve optimum crop production.
The profit potential for farmers depends on producing enough crop per acre to keep production costs below the selling price. There are at least 16 elements known to be essential for plant growth. Macronutrients refer to those elements that are used in relatively large amounts, whereas micronutrients refer to those elements that are required in relatively small amounts (Table 1). Table 1. All 13 elements must be present in the soil for plant use, in varying degrees of availability, to ensure both the immediate and long term needs of the crop. Types of Fertilizers Table 2. 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 1. 2. ROLES OF THE 16 ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS IN. Primary nutrients | secondary nutrients | micronutrients Sixteen plant food nutrients are essential for proper crop development. Each is equally important to the plant, yet each is required in vastly different amounts. These differences have led to the grouping of these essential elements into three categories; primary (macro) nutrients, secondary nutrients, and micronutrients.
Primary (macro) nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. They are the most frequently required in a crop fertilization program. Also, they are need in the greatest total quantity by plants as fertilizer. The secondary nutrients are calcium, magnesium, and sulphur. The micronutrients are boron, chlorine, cooper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. CHLORINECOPPERIRONMAGANESEMOLYBDENUMZINC In addition to the 13 nutrients listed above, plants require carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which are extracted from air and water to make up the bulk of plant weight.
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Last of the Tree Collards. Tree Collards: The Forgotten Leafy Green Vegetable | Urban Farm And Beehives. Plant of the Month. Secret fungi fantasy - the garden designer. Rob's plants. Looking for Marrowstem Kale seed - Heirloom Plants & Gardens Forum. May 2007. Propagation. Squash Practice. Tree Collards - California Gardening Forum. HOW TO GROW GIANT ONIONS. Growing Apple Trees In The Home Garden. Grafting fruit trees can be simple. Fruit tree propagation. Growing an Apple Tree in a Container. The Tree Collard « A Growing Obsession. Sources of Plants and Seeds. Perennial polyculture: New Designs. Annie's Kitchen Garden.