Time to plant peas!

Flowering pea plants

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Peas are great for spring gardens.  Not only do they taste great, but they add nitrogen to the soil and are easy to "put away" for winter eating.  Early spring is the time to start peas as soon as the soil can be worked (between 2-6 weeks before your last frost date).  

Peas love at least 6 hours of sun, well drained soil, and a side dressing of fertilizer or compost when planted.  Don't get carried away with fertilizer during the growing season or you will have all greenery and no pods.  Be sure to not water the foliage; stick with watering at the ground to avoid fusarium wilt.

Peas are part of the legumes which include fava beans, shell beans (like the popular red, kidney, Great Northern beans), snap peas, snow peas, green beans, lima beans, peanuts, lentils, and soybeans.  Peas have been cultivated for thousands of years all around the world, originating in the Mediterranean and the Near East.  Legumes have some of the highest protein in the plant world.  When combined with grains, you can get a complete protein like you do from meat or eggs.

For maximizing your harvest in a small space, I would go for snow and snap peas since you eat the entire pod.  Even the tips and flowers of the pea plant is edible and a great add to salads.

When you plant legumes, be sure to use a rhizobial bacteria inoculant.  This will really boost your harvest.  You just moisten the seed and coat with the rhizobial powder and plant.  Nitrogen accumulates on the roots of the legume.  Just be sure to not pull the plant when you are done harvesting from it so that the nitrogen stays in the soil!

The seeds germinate in temps between 40-75 degrees F.  Just scratch a small hole about 1.5” deep to drop the seed in and cover.  Have patience, seeds germinate anywhere from 7-25 days.  Plant every 2 weeks until midspring for continuous harvest.  Peas stop producing pods when temperatures exceed 70 degrees F.  Providing shade can extend the season.

Harvest sugar snow peas just as the seeds begin to form to have the sweetest peas while the pod is still relatively flat.  Harvest snap peas after the peas inside have reached full size.  Even with shelling peas, pick as soon as the seeds have rounded out.  Continuous harvesting keeps them producing.  You can keep adding what you harvest to a freezer bag to have the sweetest and freshest for winter eating.

Peas can be grown in pots as well as directly in the ground.  Growing in pots allow you to move your peas to a cooler area as spring heats up.  Grow your peas where you want to plant a nitrogen hungry summer crop, like eggplant, lettuce, zucchini or tomatoes.

Most varieties are vining so be sure to give them a trellis or stake to wrap themselves around.  You can easily grow vining in pots if you use a support and get varieties that the seed packet vine length isn't over a foot longer than the trellis for the pot.

There are bush varieties out there if you prefer to bypass a trellis or support.  Look for varieties that say "compact", "good for small spaces", "good for containers", etc., if growing in small spaces.  Burpee seed packets also have small clay pot with a checkmark in it for those that are good to grow in pots.

What edibles can you grow indoors?

Saturday, March 8, 2014

If you don’t have the room to grow edibles outside, you can grow some indoors.

One of the powerhouses for nutrition are sprouts.  These are so easy to grow.  There are all kinds of seed sprouting kits out there.  The one I have that I really like is 3 levels so you can have one that is fully sprouted that you are using with 2 in various stages of growth so you always have a ready supply of sprouts.

Microgreens are also very easy to grow indoors.  You can get variety seed packets of microgreens.  You can reuse a plastic salad container or seed flat to use as a pot.  Just add potting soil, sprinkle the seeds down as instructed on the seed packet, tamp down gently, lightly cover with more soil, water, place in a sunny window and you will have microgreens in 14-21 days.

Wheat grass is another great edible.  I put it on salads.  You can also juice it.  Wheat grass is a great alkalizer.  Today’s diet is so acidic.  Basically anything we eat besides leafy green and some other vegetables are acidic.  Your body’s blood pH must stay between 7.35-7.45; anything above 7.0 is alkaline.  Wheat grass helps balance your pH.  Wheat grass is also a purifier of the blood.  There are wheat grass growing kits too.  Or you can use an old salad tub that you fill with potting soil and grow them right in the salad tub or seedling flat.

Citrus and avocados can be grown indoors.  You will need to purchase dwarf varieties and they need good full sun.  Logee’s is a reputable on-line source for indoor tropicals.  I have a kumquat that does well indoors.  Its fruits are almost ripe.  I grew an avocado from a seed.  It does well indoors, but I have read that they will not fruit like a grafted dwarf will in a pot.

Any organic tropical fruit that has a seed is worth trying to grow indoors.  It's fun and free!  

There are several herbs that can be grown indoors-basil, celery, chives, garlic, parsley, rosemary, dwarf sage, salad burnet, scallions, and winter savory.

With a grow light or grow light system like an Aerogarden, you can also grow lettuce and tomatoes indoors.  You can grow lettuce without a grow light, just don’t expect lush plants.  Right now, you can plant lettuce outdoors in pots.  

Organic, all natural lawn

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Have you ever noticed that every time a lawn care company treats your lawn, they post warning signs to not have pets or people on the grass for 24 hours?  That doesn’t sound like something that is good for you or your family.

Chemical fertilizers and weed killers kill the microbes in the dirt as well.  These microbes are extremely important to supporting the plants growing.  They help provide the nutrients your turf needs to be resilient through all seasons.

So, what are the options?  You can go all natural and organic.  It takes 2-3 years for the microbes to rebound and your turf to get the full benefit of going all natural.

The system we like is from Organica.  It is applied 4 times a year.  The cool thing about organic, natural fertilizers is that they do not burn the lawn.  You don’t have to worry about applying too much, like you do with chemical fertilizers.  Don’t be concerned either that the NPK numbers on the bag are lower.  Natural products don’t get washed away like chemical fertilizers so you don’t need the high numbers. 

In late fall and early spring, they have a Lawn Booster that you apply; it is 8-1-1.  It contains corn gluten meal, steamed bone meal, sulfate of potash and natural soil bacteria. It simultaneously promotes turf growth & enhances biological activity in the soil profile.  This is really important-having microbes in the fertilizer to repopulate your lawn.  It also contains corn gluten.  This is a pre-emergent weed killer.  For the spring application, apply when the forsythia bushes start to bloom.

Late spring and summer, they have a Kelp Booster Plus.  Kelp Booster has plant growth hormones to give plants added resilience. It provides essential nutrients to promote cell division, root development and growth. 

They used to have 4 different types so if you see these, they are great to use as well.

Espoma, a good all natural company, came out with a system last year.  It is also a 4 season system.  First is early Spring Lawn Booster (Feb-Apr); second is late spring All Season Lawn Food (Apr-June); third is Summer Revitalizer (June-Aug), and fourth is Fall Winterizer (Sep-Nov).  They also have an Organic Weed Preventer (with corn gluten it needs to be applied pre-emergent in the spring) and a high nitrogen fertilizer Lawn Food.  

The great thing about organic, all natural fertilizers is that they do not burn the lawn.  You can also use them on your edible garden and  they are people and pet friendly.  No “Stay Off the Lawn” signs needed!

You will have a lush, green lawn in 2-3 years using this system.  You won’t have the thatch that you see in chemical yards either.  Make sure that you are reseeding to keep the carpet thick to crowd out weeds.  

I would say this is the hardest part of organic-the weeds.  Options are using vinegar on hot days on the weeds, using a propane burn torch, or good, old fashioned pulling.  If you do resort to chemicals for weeds, try to spray as local as possible and do so close to when you are going to apply your next round of fertilizer to help with repopulate the microbes the chemicals killed.

Be sure to use the pre-emergent (corn gluten) every year when the forsythias bloom.  This will keep the weed seeds from sprouting.  If they don’t sprout in the spring, they won’t get a stand going in your yard, making it much easier to pull the few that do make it into your yard.  Corn gluten is also a natural fertilizer and will green up the lawn at the same time.

A natural, organic lawn needs much less watering than a chemical lawn and stays green almost all summer with no watering. 

March Vegetable Garden Planner

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Ah, spring is coming soon!  Now is the time to test your soil, get your garden beds ready for planting, and plan your spring garden.  

Soil Preparation

You can take a soil sample to our local county co-op extension office to have it tested or buy a do it yourself kit at any big box store or local nursery.

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of testing, a sure way to enrich your soil is to use a balanced organic fertilizer and compost.  I add organic material every spring, building the soil’s fertility and ability to hold water.

A local CSA and organic gardener told me a couple of years ago that it is important to not let your fertilizer just lay on top of the ground as many of the nutrients will be lost.  This spring, we will put down an organic fertilizer Re-Vita Pro 5-4-4, a layer of mushroom compost and top with mulch.

What I am planting this March:

Green Oakleaf Lettuce-ready to harvest in 45 days

Wild Garden Kales-ready to harvest in 30 days

Mesclun Valentine Lettuce mix (red tinted lettuce and greens)-ready to harvest in 30-55 days

Marvel of Four Seasons Butterhead Lettuce (I love the sweet taste of butterheads)-ready to harvest in 55 days

Short Top Icicle Radish (a white, mild radish that looks like a white carrot)-ready to harvest in 28 days

Space Hybrid Spinach-ready to harvest in 38 days

Gourmet Blend Lettuce (Prizeleaf, Royal Oak Leaf, Salad Bowl, Ashley)-ready to harvest in 45 days

Sugar snap peas-ready to harvest in 70 days

Broccoli raab-ready to harvest in 50 days (leaves are great in salads)

Carrots Short ‘n Sweet-ready to harvest in 68 days.

These can be companion planted with cabbage, beets, chives, garlic, and onions.  Since they are shallow rooted, they grow well with root crops.

When I plant in pots, I water in with fish emulsion.  Germination should take anywhere from 4-15 days.  I am sure I will be out there looking for little green shoots daily.

Important tip-if planting seeds in a mulched bed, be sure to cover the seed with only soil; seedlings are too weak to push through mulch.

Zone 6 spring garden road map

Planting your seedlings outdoors:

March 31st-cabbage, leeks, lettuce, okra, onions

April 7th-lettuce, lemon balm, parsley

April 14th-broccoli, cauliflower, thyme

April 21st-sage

May 5th-basil, chives, cucumbers, tomatoes, 

May 12th-cantaloupe, eggplant, marigolds, pepper

Starting your seeds indoors for summer planting:

March 3rd-chives, eggplant, leeks, lemon balm, marigolds, onions, parsley, peppers, sage, thyme, tomatoes

March 17th-basil, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, okra

March 31st-cantaloupe, cucumber, lettuce

These dates are just guidelines.  You can start your seedlings later and plant your transplants later as well.  Be sure to read the seed packet for what you are starting.  They make all kinds of varieties that are cold hardy that can be planted sooner.

What made it through the winter and is sprouting in early March? 

Overwintered lettuce, spinach, parsley, garlic, salad burnet, French sorrel, kale, oregano, rosemary, dandelions, strawberries, cilantro, onions, wild leeks, and thyme.

In the greenhouse, lettuce, spinach, celery, blood veined sorrel are still alive and well.

Different colors in tomatoes give different nutrition

Sunday, February 23, 2014

There is an amazing array of colors for just about any vegetable.  The most popular American vegetable, the tasty tomato is no exception.  There are yellow, green, orange, tie dye, pink, brown, indigo, and black tomatoes.  The bluish, black tomatoes that are the “in” tomato are also super tasty and nutritious.  Many of these dark colored beauties were developed using traditional breeding.

Here is a run down of the nutritional profile of each of the color families of the tomato:

Pink and red tomatoes: Great source of vitamin A (25% of your DV), lycopene (a powerful antioxidant), vitamin C (30% of DV), and potassium (10% of DV).

Indigo, purple, brown, black:  They are chock full of anthocyanin as well as the rest of the goodies in red tomatoes.  Anthocyanin is the super charged antioxidant found in blueberries.  It comes from the indigo color.  

Orange and yellow tomatoes:  Have lower levels of lycopene.  The lighter the color, the less lycopene is present.

Green tomatoes:  Since they don’t have the red color, they also do not have lycopene and have little vitamin A.

The winner in the nutrition race is clearly the bluish, brownish, blackish tomato!  Not only are they have the most vitamins and minerals, but they also taste fantastic.

Even if you only have a pot, you can grow tomatoes.  There are many compact varieties available!

Many think the tomato came from Italy.  They actually are from the Americas.  Tomatoes were first discovered in the Andes of South America more than two thousand years ago and first cultivated in Mexico.  When the Spanish came to America in the 1400’s, they took back the tomato to Europe.  For many years, Europeans thought it was poisonous and it was grown only as an ornamental.

The Italians and Spaniards were the first Europeans to introduce tomatoes into their cooking, perhaps as early as the 1500’s.  It came to the colonies around 1745 in Williamsburg by a Jewish doctor of Portuguese decent.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in the United States today.

Easy ways to make a new vegetable garden bed

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Making a new garden bed can seem like a monumental, labor intensive task, but it doesn’t have to be.  There are several minimal labor ways to make a new bed.  It all begins with a hose and old newspaper and/or cardboard.

The best place to put a vegetable garden is close to the house where there is good sun, ideally a spot that gets southern exposure.  Check out where the sun falls throughout a sunny day to see where the best locations are in your yard.  Don’t be concerned if your garden spot gets some shade each day.  Fruiting vegetables need the most sun, 6-8 hours.  Root vegetables require less and leafy vegetables require the least.  Leafy vegetables appreciate getting afternoon shade in the hot days of summer.

Once you have picked out a spot, you can use a hose to lay out what you want the bed to look like.  We then use a spray can of landscaping paint to paint out the edges of the bed.  

The easiest next step is to cut the grass inside your new bed as short as possible.  Then lay several layers of newspaper or cardboard over the top of the closely sheared grass and cover with compost then mulch.  Now, just let the bed lay until the grass dies.  Use a balanced fertilizer when you plant.

Another option is after mowing close to the ground and laying the newspaper/cardboard, dump garden soil over it all, add compost, fertilize and plant immediately.  Just be careful to not cut through the newspaper or you will get grass growing in your new garden bed.

We have also used a sod cutter, cutting up the sod in our new bed.  Then, turning it upside down, covering with newspaper/cardboard, a couple of inches of compost, mulch, and plant.

If you don’t need your garden bed to be “pretty”, a quick way to plant is to simply poke holes in bags of garden soil, put the perforated side down, cut open the top side of the bag and plant away.  The plastic underneath will keep the grass from growing through.  The downside is that your veggie plant roots won’t be able to grow down as well either.  But if you don’t have time, this is a good way to get started.  You can edge around the bags and removed them the following year, adding compost and have a ready made bed for the following year.

You can also go the raised bed route.  There are many do it yourself, precut raised bed kits that you can purchase.  Use the same techniques above to make sure the grass won’t grow up through into your veggies.  Newspaper and cardboard works great for this.  Fill with good soil, compost, an all natural fertilizer and you are ready to plant.

The pros of raised beds is that they warm up quicker in the spring and you control the soil that you are growing in.  The cons, the temperature is not as constant as if in the ground and they will need to be watered more often.

There are several options to getting your garden bed in place that don’t require a ton of time or hard labor.  Now is the time to choose one and get your spring garden growing!

Nutritional value of lettuce types

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Lettuce is rich in vitamin A and K and a good source of folate and fiber.   Ever wonder which was the most nutritious lettuce variety?

Here is a quick run down:

*Most nutritious-Romaine

*Runner up-Loose leaf

*Next-Bibb (butterhead) lettuce

*Least-Crisphead/Batavian lettuce

Romaine lettuce has long, upright leaves with thick stems.  Romaine lettuce gained fame in the Caesar salad.  Today, you can get the traditional type, Parris Island Cos, shorter types like Cosmo, red speckled Forellenschluss, and deeper red types like Marshall or Outredgeous.  Romaine lettuce does moderately well in heat and shade and likes loose, rich soil.  For a great summer variety, Jericho thrives in hot weather.

I love loose leaf lettuce.  It is a great all around green to have.  I will cut off the lower leaves as I need them for salads, letting the center continue to produce leaves, harvesting lettuce for weeks this way.  Loose leaf is more tolerant of soil conditions than Romaine and there is a bevy of types out there.  My favorites are Oakleaf, Mascara, Simpson Elite, and Red Sails.  Red Sails stayed sweet well into summer last year.  I sow loose leaf seed about every 3 weeks to keep a continuous harvest.

Butterhead lettuce is succulent!  I just love the texture and juiciness of this lettuce.  The butterheads make smaller heads with lighter centers.  Buttercrunch is a popular variety.  There are the typical green and many with red coloring like Drunken Woman Frizzy Headed.  Gotta love that name!  Tom Thumb is a cute little heirloom pre 1850’s.  It tolerates heat well, too.  Winter Density has excellent cold tolerance.

Crisphead/Batavian lettuce is very refreshing with its high water content and tight heads.  These lettuces require a very long growing season and do not tolerate hot temperatures so plant early in the spring.  The famous Iceberg lettuce is part of this crisphead lettuce family.  Tennis ball is a pre 1804 medium sized lettuce grown at Monticello by Thomas Jefferson is best grown in the spring.  Loma is a heat tolerant variety that does well spring through summer.

Lettuce is a cool season crop, thriving in spring and fall.  Hardened lettuce can survive to temperatures that drop to 20 degrees.  Lettuce seeds germinate in temperatures between 40-75 F.  I scatter sow seeds in early March in pots that I keep in full southern sun.  Pots warm up much faster in the spring than the ground so you get a head start by using pots.