If you are a dedicated vegetable gardener, you may agree with me that potatoes are one of the most satisfying crops to grow. There is something almost magic about turning over loose, rich soil and having potatoes come tumbling out, needing only a rinse and simple cooking to provide abundant nutrition and taste. If you haven't tried growing potatoes, I can wholeheartedly recommend it -- it is my idea of major fun in the garden.
How to get started? First you need seed potatoes. Some folks like to buy potatoes from the market, cut them into pieces with an eye or two per piece, cure them and then plant. Though that may be the least-expensive method, be aware that store potatoes are often treated with an anti-sprouting agent. And if you shop for organically grown stock to avoid this treatment, even organically grown may not be disease-free. And if those potatoes introduce blight into your garden, you may be fighting the problems for years to come, especially worrisome since potato diseases can affect tomatoes and peppers as well.
So what's the answer? Buy certified disease-free seed potatoes, available now in your favorite garden center. And most will even be organically grown.
Here's how to plant. Choose a site with full sun, good soil and excellent drainage, preferably where potatoes or their relatives haven't been grown for at least several years. Dig a shallow trench 6 to 8 inches deep. Plant the potatoes about a foot apart in the trench. Cover with 3-4 inches of soil. As the plants sprout, the stems will elongate; when they are about 8 inches tall, fill in the rest of the trench with loose soil gently snugged around the stems. As the stems continue to grow, continue to hill soil around them, always leaving some leafy stem exposed. Another hilling should be done in another two to three weeks and another probably two weeks later. All this hilling is essential for a good crop since the tubers will form between the seed potato and the soil surface -- the more loose fluffy soil around the plants, the more tubers will form. Continue adding soil as needed to keep all tubers from being exposed to light, which causes them to turn green and bitter.
When to harvest? When your plants begin to bloom, you can feel gently under the soil with your fingers and probably begin to harvest tender new potatoes. Avoid injuring your plants. Or you can wait until the tops die down to find full-sized tubers. Either way, nothing beats the flavor of your own potatoes harvested directly from your garden. For detailed information on potato growing, visit www.irish-eyes.com.
What kinds of potatoes might you find available? Here are just four of the many possibilities:
'Island Sunshine': Extremely productive with excellent flavor. The grower says it resembles but may supplant vigorous old favorite 'Yukon Gold.' Very resistant to late blight [a dreaded disease that can reduce your yield and cut down your plants prematurely].
'Red Thumb': A fingerling type that is fairly new and still rather rare. It has reddish-pink flesh and bright red skin. Uniformly shaped tubers come out of the ground spanking clean. Abundant yields.
'Rose Finn Apple': Fingerling with rosy-buff skin and deep yellow flesh blushed with red. Plants produce lots of finger-shaped tubers. Excellent roasted or in potato salad. Vines are vigorous and tubers store well.
'German Butterball': Yellow in both flesh and skin. Buttery flavor with heavy yields of medium, mid-season tubers. Stores well.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Trees and shurbs available in bare root
Midwinter is the ideal time to purchase and plant deciduous plants, especially if you can obtain what you want in bare-root form. Bare-root stock is almost always less pricey than the same plants in containers. In addition, many plants are available ONLY as bare root -- they become impossible to find once bare-root season has ended.
If you are new to the term bare root, it applies to deciduous material that is dug from the field by the grower, then shipped to the retail nurseries without being potted up. Once arrived at the nurseries, the plants are then usually heeled in, into beds filled with sandy soil, or occasionally into pressed peat pots, to keep the roots moist and protected, before being sent home with the buyer. Since deciduous plants are completely dormant in winter, they suffer no ill effects with this treatment.
Many gardeners think of trees when bare root is mentioned, but many shrubs, both ornamental and food producing, are sold as bare root as well. What might you find in the garden centers now that is worth considering for your own garden?
Pomegranates produce fruit that is both delicious and decorative, as well as displaying lovely flowers. They are available as bare root and sleeved (in long slender containers intended to be a temporary home). Cultivars include Granada, Eversweet, Kashmir, Red Silk, Sweet and Wonderful. All need decent drainage and a sunny site to bear well.
Blueberries are producers of high-quality healthy fruit and are wonderfully ornamental, too, sporting dainty flowers in spring followed by the attractive blue fruits. An added bonus: Autumn leaves turn vibrant colors. Most are 4 to 6 feet tall at maturity, available both as bare root and in containers. (Surprisingly, container blueberry plants are often no more expensive than bare root.)
Buy two or more cultivars and plant them within bee flight range for good cross-pollination. A few are self-fruitful and nearly evergreen -- ask for a nursery professional's help if you only have room for one plant. They all need sunshine, acid soil high in organic matter and regular irrigation.
A few genetic dwarf fruit trees can be found in bare-root form. Though they are actually tiny trees, they can easily be used in place of shrubs in the landscape or in permanent containers. Lovely pastel-colored flowers in early spring are followed by mouth-watering fruit. Try nectarine NectarBabe or peaches El Dorado, Honey Babe and Pix Zee.
A new option is Spice Zee NectaPlum. This cross between nectarine and plum produces abundant fruit with spicy sweet flavor. The little tree also has tremendous spring bloom followed by dark-red spring leaves that mature to rich green-red in late summer, making it an excellent ornamental. It is self-fruitful as well.
Look also for gooseberries and currants now. While neither is ornamental enough to plant in a highly visible spot, both produce abundant small fruits that can be dried, preserved or added to various dishes. These are tough, cold-tolerant shrubs.
Among strictly ornamental shrubs, a curiosity is Corylus avellana 'Contorta' (Harry Lauder's Walking Stick). In winter, when its artistically contorted and curled branches and twigs are bare, the silhouette of this shrub is a bold and fascinating statement in the landscape. Even the leaves are somewhat contorted. Graceful catkins dangle from the branches most of the winter. Growing up to 8 feet tall, though extremely slowly, this shrub is usually available as bare root or in containers.
-Sharon Hull
If you are new to the term bare root, it applies to deciduous material that is dug from the field by the grower, then shipped to the retail nurseries without being potted up. Once arrived at the nurseries, the plants are then usually heeled in, into beds filled with sandy soil, or occasionally into pressed peat pots, to keep the roots moist and protected, before being sent home with the buyer. Since deciduous plants are completely dormant in winter, they suffer no ill effects with this treatment.
Many gardeners think of trees when bare root is mentioned, but many shrubs, both ornamental and food producing, are sold as bare root as well. What might you find in the garden centers now that is worth considering for your own garden?
Pomegranates produce fruit that is both delicious and decorative, as well as displaying lovely flowers. They are available as bare root and sleeved (in long slender containers intended to be a temporary home). Cultivars include Granada, Eversweet, Kashmir, Red Silk, Sweet and Wonderful. All need decent drainage and a sunny site to bear well.
Blueberries are producers of high-quality healthy fruit and are wonderfully ornamental, too, sporting dainty flowers in spring followed by the attractive blue fruits. An added bonus: Autumn leaves turn vibrant colors. Most are 4 to 6 feet tall at maturity, available both as bare root and in containers. (Surprisingly, container blueberry plants are often no more expensive than bare root.)
Buy two or more cultivars and plant them within bee flight range for good cross-pollination. A few are self-fruitful and nearly evergreen -- ask for a nursery professional's help if you only have room for one plant. They all need sunshine, acid soil high in organic matter and regular irrigation.
A few genetic dwarf fruit trees can be found in bare-root form. Though they are actually tiny trees, they can easily be used in place of shrubs in the landscape or in permanent containers. Lovely pastel-colored flowers in early spring are followed by mouth-watering fruit. Try nectarine NectarBabe or peaches El Dorado, Honey Babe and Pix Zee.
A new option is Spice Zee NectaPlum. This cross between nectarine and plum produces abundant fruit with spicy sweet flavor. The little tree also has tremendous spring bloom followed by dark-red spring leaves that mature to rich green-red in late summer, making it an excellent ornamental. It is self-fruitful as well.
Look also for gooseberries and currants now. While neither is ornamental enough to plant in a highly visible spot, both produce abundant small fruits that can be dried, preserved or added to various dishes. These are tough, cold-tolerant shrubs.
Among strictly ornamental shrubs, a curiosity is Corylus avellana 'Contorta' (Harry Lauder's Walking Stick). In winter, when its artistically contorted and curled branches and twigs are bare, the silhouette of this shrub is a bold and fascinating statement in the landscape. Even the leaves are somewhat contorted. Graceful catkins dangle from the branches most of the winter. Growing up to 8 feet tall, though extremely slowly, this shrub is usually available as bare root or in containers.
-Sharon Hull
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Check out spring flowering trees
In the dark of winter, with cold and rain, it can begin to seem like spring will never come, that unending gloom is all we have to look forward to. But before we know it, the earliest deciduous trees and shrubs will begin to flower, ushering in the beginning of longer days and warmer weather. If you have a bare spot in your garden that cries out for a tree with spring color, check with the garden centers now -- both bare root and container-grown deciduous ornamentals are available.
Look for the tree or shrub of your dreams before bare root stock is sold out, since the price is considerably lower than for the same plant already established in a container. But not all plants can be successfully sold as bare root. Magnolias are a case in point: Their fleshy roots do not take well to being exposed, and they must be transplanted with care if they are to thrive, so they are only sold in containers.
Certainly among the most spectacular of the flowering trees are the deciduous magnolias. Available in a range of colors, flower forms and sizes, and with different mature heights and widths, these trees produce the most abundant blooms in early spring, but often respond to our mild climate by throwing sporadic flowers all year.
A quick check in Sunset Western Garden Book revealed a chart of magnolia cultivars seven pages long, though not all would be readily available locally. Every gardener recognizes the Saucer Magnolia or Tulip Tree (M. x soulangeana) with huge flowers in shades of white, pink, mauve and purple. Other species and cultivars can also be found in garden centers now, with flowers of yellow, cream and burgundy. All are excellent garden trees, some suitable for very small gardens. And some are tolerant of the higher watering needs of a surrounding lawn.
One of my favorite garden trees is the Washington Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum). Small size, good fall color, deep roots, tidy habits, cold and heat tolerance, beautiful form, shiny winter fruit and dainty but abundant white flower clusters all add up to a superb tree suitable for any size garden. Another asset: The decorative red fruit provides winter food for birds. Cities plant them as street trees because they are so adaptable and rarely crack sidewalks or pavement. Some are available as bare root -- check Sunset Western Garden Book and with your nursery professional for detailed information.
You might also consider redbuds. Eastern redbuds (Cercis canadensis) require some supplementary irrigation in our climate but are also excellent lawn trees as well as patio trees. The western native redbuds (C. mexicana and C. occidentalis) are drought tolerant and better suited for natural landscapes. All have tiny but abundant flowers, usually in bright magenta.
Flowering cherries are often planted for their spectacularly generous flowering habit but do have their challenges in our climate. Prone to suckering from the base and with many surface roots, they need to be sited carefully to take advantage of their assets and minimize their drawbacks. Flowering plums and crab apples are usually better mannered but some can also have determined surface roots with some suckering. Become an educated purchaser -- check with your nursery professional so that you are sure to select a tree that will please you over the years and won't become a maintenance problem.
Many flowering deciduous shrubs are available now as well. Though gardeners here often favor evergreen shrubs, careful siting can make the spectacular spring flowering of deciduous shrubs well worth their bare winter appearance. Stay tuned for more information on some especially desirable deciduous shrubs.
-Sharon Hull
Look for the tree or shrub of your dreams before bare root stock is sold out, since the price is considerably lower than for the same plant already established in a container. But not all plants can be successfully sold as bare root. Magnolias are a case in point: Their fleshy roots do not take well to being exposed, and they must be transplanted with care if they are to thrive, so they are only sold in containers.
Certainly among the most spectacular of the flowering trees are the deciduous magnolias. Available in a range of colors, flower forms and sizes, and with different mature heights and widths, these trees produce the most abundant blooms in early spring, but often respond to our mild climate by throwing sporadic flowers all year.
A quick check in Sunset Western Garden Book revealed a chart of magnolia cultivars seven pages long, though not all would be readily available locally. Every gardener recognizes the Saucer Magnolia or Tulip Tree (M. x soulangeana) with huge flowers in shades of white, pink, mauve and purple. Other species and cultivars can also be found in garden centers now, with flowers of yellow, cream and burgundy. All are excellent garden trees, some suitable for very small gardens. And some are tolerant of the higher watering needs of a surrounding lawn.
One of my favorite garden trees is the Washington Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum). Small size, good fall color, deep roots, tidy habits, cold and heat tolerance, beautiful form, shiny winter fruit and dainty but abundant white flower clusters all add up to a superb tree suitable for any size garden. Another asset: The decorative red fruit provides winter food for birds. Cities plant them as street trees because they are so adaptable and rarely crack sidewalks or pavement. Some are available as bare root -- check Sunset Western Garden Book and with your nursery professional for detailed information.
You might also consider redbuds. Eastern redbuds (Cercis canadensis) require some supplementary irrigation in our climate but are also excellent lawn trees as well as patio trees. The western native redbuds (C. mexicana and C. occidentalis) are drought tolerant and better suited for natural landscapes. All have tiny but abundant flowers, usually in bright magenta.
Flowering cherries are often planted for their spectacularly generous flowering habit but do have their challenges in our climate. Prone to suckering from the base and with many surface roots, they need to be sited carefully to take advantage of their assets and minimize their drawbacks. Flowering plums and crab apples are usually better mannered but some can also have determined surface roots with some suckering. Become an educated purchaser -- check with your nursery professional so that you are sure to select a tree that will please you over the years and won't become a maintenance problem.
Many flowering deciduous shrubs are available now as well. Though gardeners here often favor evergreen shrubs, careful siting can make the spectacular spring flowering of deciduous shrubs well worth their bare winter appearance. Stay tuned for more information on some especially desirable deciduous shrubs.
-Sharon Hull
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Houseplants thrive in native tropics
During this chilly and rainy time of year, many folks turn to cultivating houseplants to satisfy their gardening urges. If you have houseplants, you may have wondered from which part of the world they originated. Recently, I spent 10 days in the southern Caribbean, in the tropical two-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, located near the equator where the weather is hot and humid all year. The primary purpose of the trip was bird watching but of course I was very aware of the plant life as well. And everywhere I looked, I saw familiar plants, wild in Trinidad but usually grown as houseplants in the U.S. It was great fun to recognize old friends, and see them growing in their native environment. It gave me a new appreciation of their needs in our own cooler and drier climate, and awe at their ability to survive in the alien surroundings we offer them.
Since we were searching for birds, we spent lots of time in the rainforest on the mountainsides. There, enormous trees form a canopy that creates shady conditions on the forest floor. Younger trees and vining plants do their best to grow up into the light, and many shrubs and herbaceous plants have evolved to make the most of the dappled sunlight that can make it through the heavy leaf cover above. The frequent rains and warm temperatures keep the air saturated with moisture.
Orchids, bromeliads and ferns are abundant, rooted in the moss that forms on branches. They grow happily without soil high in the air, making do with fallen leaf litter, tiny insect bodies and any organic material that collects around their roots. The ground is covered with smaller plants and grasses, filling every available niche. The soil is poor but the constant leaf fall creates a rich surface organic layer that supplies nutrients.
The epiphytes plants like orchids and bromeliads that grow on trees in the tropics are often used here as houseplants, since they will tolerate our indoor conditions. However, our windless, dry and low-light homes do not really mimic the humid, airy rainforest.
In the wild, though warm rains are frequent and the air is moisture-laden, water quickly drains away from roots and crown. In our much cooler homes, most of us tend to overwater these plants, leading to cultural problems and disease. Orchids especially benefit from a situation that includes air movement perhaps from a ceiling fan and in winter, with fewer daylight hours and cool temperatures, less frequent watering, allowing the planting medium to dry out somewhat between irrigations. Misting can add moisture to the air around plants without saturating the growing medium, and placing the pots on saucers that contain pebbles and water so the pot bottoms don't touch the water can also add needed humidity, more closely resembling rainforest conditions.
Besides epiphytes, other "houseplants" that I saw growing there include many palm species, coffee trees, Dracaena, Begonia, Philodendron, Pothos, Diffenbachia, Ficus and Tradescantia Wandering Jew. Tiny Begonias, Tradescantias and ferns covered the steeply cut banks and stone walls around Asa Wright Nature Centre on Trinidad where we were staying, making me wish that I was able to bring cuttings and seed back with me.
Homes all over both islands displayed colorful potted plants around their doorways and front gardens, making even very humble houses cheerful and bright. And at the beautiful Cuffie River Nature Retreat on Tobago, owner Regina Sanchez showed me what she considers an exotic potted plant: our common fall-flowering favorite, a Chrysanthemum with small bright yellow double flowers. She has given them a place of honor beside her front door and said that they bloom all year long for her, needing only an occasional pinching back to keep them compact. I laughed to myself as I recognized a kindred spirit in Regina: like most gardeners, she treasures what is unusual or rare in her climate, and enjoys testing the limits of what a plant will tolerate.
-Sharon Hull
Since we were searching for birds, we spent lots of time in the rainforest on the mountainsides. There, enormous trees form a canopy that creates shady conditions on the forest floor. Younger trees and vining plants do their best to grow up into the light, and many shrubs and herbaceous plants have evolved to make the most of the dappled sunlight that can make it through the heavy leaf cover above. The frequent rains and warm temperatures keep the air saturated with moisture.
Orchids, bromeliads and ferns are abundant, rooted in the moss that forms on branches. They grow happily without soil high in the air, making do with fallen leaf litter, tiny insect bodies and any organic material that collects around their roots. The ground is covered with smaller plants and grasses, filling every available niche. The soil is poor but the constant leaf fall creates a rich surface organic layer that supplies nutrients.
The epiphytes plants like orchids and bromeliads that grow on trees in the tropics are often used here as houseplants, since they will tolerate our indoor conditions. However, our windless, dry and low-light homes do not really mimic the humid, airy rainforest.
In the wild, though warm rains are frequent and the air is moisture-laden, water quickly drains away from roots and crown. In our much cooler homes, most of us tend to overwater these plants, leading to cultural problems and disease. Orchids especially benefit from a situation that includes air movement perhaps from a ceiling fan and in winter, with fewer daylight hours and cool temperatures, less frequent watering, allowing the planting medium to dry out somewhat between irrigations. Misting can add moisture to the air around plants without saturating the growing medium, and placing the pots on saucers that contain pebbles and water so the pot bottoms don't touch the water can also add needed humidity, more closely resembling rainforest conditions.
Besides epiphytes, other "houseplants" that I saw growing there include many palm species, coffee trees, Dracaena, Begonia, Philodendron, Pothos, Diffenbachia, Ficus and Tradescantia Wandering Jew. Tiny Begonias, Tradescantias and ferns covered the steeply cut banks and stone walls around Asa Wright Nature Centre on Trinidad where we were staying, making me wish that I was able to bring cuttings and seed back with me.
Homes all over both islands displayed colorful potted plants around their doorways and front gardens, making even very humble houses cheerful and bright. And at the beautiful Cuffie River Nature Retreat on Tobago, owner Regina Sanchez showed me what she considers an exotic potted plant: our common fall-flowering favorite, a Chrysanthemum with small bright yellow double flowers. She has given them a place of honor beside her front door and said that they bloom all year long for her, needing only an occasional pinching back to keep them compact. I laughed to myself as I recognized a kindred spirit in Regina: like most gardeners, she treasures what is unusual or rare in her climate, and enjoys testing the limits of what a plant will tolerate.
-Sharon Hull
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Get ready for bare-root fruit trees
Following on the heels of the small fruits, bare-root fruit trees will soon be arriving in garden centers. They are usually ready for sale the second week of January, after nursery employees first sort, tag and heel in thousands of plants so that sense can be made of the enormous inventory. It is always an exciting time for employees and fruit tree enthusiasts alike. If you too have fruit tree fever, here are some words of wisdom from Ed Laivo of Dave Wilson Nursery, one of California's premier fruit tree growers.
Ed believes firmly that home gardeners should keep fruit trees pruned so that the top branches are reachable by the gardener. He says that you will get just as much fruit as with a tree allowed to reach full size, and that it will be better quality since the smaller size is much easier to care for properly. He cautions against relying on dwarfing root stock to maintain size, noting that though some root stocks will somewhat limit mature heights, it is really up to the gardener to maintain size at an optimal height and girth, by using proper pruning techniques.
Many local garden centers, garden clubs and The Farm at UC Santa Cruz will be offering pruning workshops in the next two months. Watch this column and the Thursday Sentinel's Garden Calendar for dates and times. And if you'd like to graft your own trees, attend the California Rare Fruit Growers Dormant Wood Scion Exchange: Sunday, Jan. 13, noon to 3 p.m. at the Live Oak Grange 1900 17th Ave. Santa Cruz. Call 831-662-2216 for information.
Along with keeping homegrown fruit trees small, Ed also recommends the trees that he calls "edible ornamentals" which do double duty in our limited garden spaces. This includes such trees as Nectarine 'Double Delight' (sensational fruit, consistently the best-flavored yellow nectarine in Dave Wilson's taste trials, plus magnificent double pink flowers) or Peach 'Red Baron' (large juicy richly flavored yellow freestone fruit with showy double red blossoms). He also raved about Nectaplum 'SpiceZee'; an interspecific hybrid from Zaiger Hybrids. According to Ed, this tree "packs a pile of amazing fruit flavors into an attractive tree. Fruit is slightly acidic and loaded with sugar giving it a spicy sweet flavor. One can detect both Plum and Nectarine traits with ease. The tree is also a beautiful ornamental with a tremendous spring bloom followed by dark red leaves in the spring that mature to a rich green-red in late summer."
All three of these trees are self-fruitful and highly productive.
Ed also discussed cherries that can be difficult to grow well in our climate due to lack of prolonged cold. For sweet cherries, all self-fruitful, he recommends 'Lapins' (large firm sweet fruit, similar in flavor to 'Bing'), 'Royal Rainier' (large yellow fruit of excellent flavor), taste test winner and 'Stella' (large, nearly black, richly flavored, late harvest).
Figs in our climate can also be difficult but for the opposite reason: many need consistently hot summers to develop good flavor. In our cool summer climate, Ed recommends 'Osborne Prolific' fig (large fruit with attractive purplish-brown skin, amber pulp and excellent flavor) and 'Peter's Honey Fig' (beautiful shiny greenish yellow skin when ripe, very sweet dark amber flesh). Ed pointed out that figs can be pruned to any size, that in cold climates they regularly die to the ground in winter, so do not react adversely to hard pruning.
Some of these trees will be available only in limited quantities, so if you have your heart set on specific ones, call your favorite nursery now and ask that your selections be held for you when they arrive. Go to www.davewilson.com for a gold mine of information on specific trees, general orchard advice and answers to oft-asked questions.
-Sharon Hull
Ed believes firmly that home gardeners should keep fruit trees pruned so that the top branches are reachable by the gardener. He says that you will get just as much fruit as with a tree allowed to reach full size, and that it will be better quality since the smaller size is much easier to care for properly. He cautions against relying on dwarfing root stock to maintain size, noting that though some root stocks will somewhat limit mature heights, it is really up to the gardener to maintain size at an optimal height and girth, by using proper pruning techniques.
Many local garden centers, garden clubs and The Farm at UC Santa Cruz will be offering pruning workshops in the next two months. Watch this column and the Thursday Sentinel's Garden Calendar for dates and times. And if you'd like to graft your own trees, attend the California Rare Fruit Growers Dormant Wood Scion Exchange: Sunday, Jan. 13, noon to 3 p.m. at the Live Oak Grange 1900 17th Ave. Santa Cruz. Call 831-662-2216 for information.
Along with keeping homegrown fruit trees small, Ed also recommends the trees that he calls "edible ornamentals" which do double duty in our limited garden spaces. This includes such trees as Nectarine 'Double Delight' (sensational fruit, consistently the best-flavored yellow nectarine in Dave Wilson's taste trials, plus magnificent double pink flowers) or Peach 'Red Baron' (large juicy richly flavored yellow freestone fruit with showy double red blossoms). He also raved about Nectaplum 'SpiceZee'; an interspecific hybrid from Zaiger Hybrids. According to Ed, this tree "packs a pile of amazing fruit flavors into an attractive tree. Fruit is slightly acidic and loaded with sugar giving it a spicy sweet flavor. One can detect both Plum and Nectarine traits with ease. The tree is also a beautiful ornamental with a tremendous spring bloom followed by dark red leaves in the spring that mature to a rich green-red in late summer."
All three of these trees are self-fruitful and highly productive.
Ed also discussed cherries that can be difficult to grow well in our climate due to lack of prolonged cold. For sweet cherries, all self-fruitful, he recommends 'Lapins' (large firm sweet fruit, similar in flavor to 'Bing'), 'Royal Rainier' (large yellow fruit of excellent flavor), taste test winner and 'Stella' (large, nearly black, richly flavored, late harvest).
Figs in our climate can also be difficult but for the opposite reason: many need consistently hot summers to develop good flavor. In our cool summer climate, Ed recommends 'Osborne Prolific' fig (large fruit with attractive purplish-brown skin, amber pulp and excellent flavor) and 'Peter's Honey Fig' (beautiful shiny greenish yellow skin when ripe, very sweet dark amber flesh). Ed pointed out that figs can be pruned to any size, that in cold climates they regularly die to the ground in winter, so do not react adversely to hard pruning.
Some of these trees will be available only in limited quantities, so if you have your heart set on specific ones, call your favorite nursery now and ask that your selections be held for you when they arrive. Go to www.davewilson.com for a gold mine of information on specific trees, general orchard advice and answers to oft-asked questions.
-Sharon Hull
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Rhubarb has its rewards
Now that the holiday madness is waning, we can begin to contemplate gardening again. Rainy winter weather notwithstanding, in our climate, there is plenty to do in the garden. And if you are feeling a bit wonky from overindulging in holiday goodies and eggnog, vigorous work outside is a great way to get back in shape.
One possible task: plant one or several of the "small" fruits. You can take advantage of the fact that selection of small fruits (cane berries, currants, gooseberries, rhubarb and asparagus) is peaking. And your newly set plants will thrive. The moist soil, short days and cool temps all encourage strong root growth now for excellent top growth in spring.
Rhubarb is a particularly undemanding and rewarding crop here. The clumps in my garden never go dormant, providing plenty of juicy stalks to harvest any time of year. Needing only decent drainage and sunshine most of the day, rhubarb rapidly grows from the odd-looking root that you purchase to a big multi-stemmed plant decorative enough to site in the flower garden if need be. [In England, rhubarb is often tucked in among the shrubbery and flowering plants.] Give the plant room to reach 4 feet in diameter at maturity. Work in some rotted manure or compost, set the root just below the soil surface, water it in and watch for handsome red leaves that will green up as they unfurl.
Few insects or pests bother rhubarb since leaves contain oxalic acid. And diseases rarely strike the plant if drainage is adequate. Mine are seldom watered in summer, though the plants probably get some runoff moisture from a nearby raised veggie bed. I give them manure when I have a bit extra but don't have the plants on a regular fertilizer program. And the enormous robust plants just keep producing wonderful stalks for pies, puddings or cobblers, leaving me free to coddle more demanding plants.
Rhubarb supplies vitamins A and C, plus calcium and iron. If you haven't grown or cooked rhubarb, you may be wondering how to use it besides in pies. Easiest is to chop it, then stew gently with a little sugar or honey to eat warm with ice cream or on toast. Countless other possibilities exist. If you enter rhubarb recipes in Google's search engine, you will find dozens of recipes. Here is one of my family's favorites.
Rhubarb Custard Bars
Crust
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
Blend flour and sugar together, then cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender. Press crust into a 9x13-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with a cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Prepare filling while crust is baking.
Filling
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. flour
4 eggs beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
4-5 cups chopped rhubarb
In a large mixing bowl, blend sugar and flour, then add eggs, vanilla and rhubarb and blend well. Pour mixture over partially baked crust and continue baking for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm or cooled. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
One possible task: plant one or several of the "small" fruits. You can take advantage of the fact that selection of small fruits (cane berries, currants, gooseberries, rhubarb and asparagus) is peaking. And your newly set plants will thrive. The moist soil, short days and cool temps all encourage strong root growth now for excellent top growth in spring.
Rhubarb is a particularly undemanding and rewarding crop here. The clumps in my garden never go dormant, providing plenty of juicy stalks to harvest any time of year. Needing only decent drainage and sunshine most of the day, rhubarb rapidly grows from the odd-looking root that you purchase to a big multi-stemmed plant decorative enough to site in the flower garden if need be. [In England, rhubarb is often tucked in among the shrubbery and flowering plants.] Give the plant room to reach 4 feet in diameter at maturity. Work in some rotted manure or compost, set the root just below the soil surface, water it in and watch for handsome red leaves that will green up as they unfurl.
Few insects or pests bother rhubarb since leaves contain oxalic acid. And diseases rarely strike the plant if drainage is adequate. Mine are seldom watered in summer, though the plants probably get some runoff moisture from a nearby raised veggie bed. I give them manure when I have a bit extra but don't have the plants on a regular fertilizer program. And the enormous robust plants just keep producing wonderful stalks for pies, puddings or cobblers, leaving me free to coddle more demanding plants.
Rhubarb supplies vitamins A and C, plus calcium and iron. If you haven't grown or cooked rhubarb, you may be wondering how to use it besides in pies. Easiest is to chop it, then stew gently with a little sugar or honey to eat warm with ice cream or on toast. Countless other possibilities exist. If you enter rhubarb recipes in Google's search engine, you will find dozens of recipes. Here is one of my family's favorites.
Rhubarb Custard Bars
Crust
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
Blend flour and sugar together, then cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender. Press crust into a 9x13-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with a cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Prepare filling while crust is baking.
Filling
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. flour
4 eggs beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
4-5 cups chopped rhubarb
In a large mixing bowl, blend sugar and flour, then add eggs, vanilla and rhubarb and blend well. Pour mixture over partially baked crust and continue baking for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm or cooled. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
New AARS roses for 2008 hit garden centers
Along with the holidays comes the time of year when the new roses for 2008 begin to show up in the garden centers as dormant plants. Some growers package the rose roots in sawdust and a plastic sleeve. Others place them in sandy potting mix inside a natural fiber pot that is biodegradable and can be placed directly in the hole where the rose is to be planted. No matter the packaging method, now is the best time for the greatest variety of roses to be available, at the best prices. Many rose enthusiasts believe that roses planted while dormant will be more vigorous and healthier since there is no danger of transplant shock, assuring a strong and rapid growth start as winter passes.
If you collect roses, or just have a spot or two for a new rose, you will be interested in some of the new-for-2008 beauties from a few of the major growers. And if you have no room for more roses in your own garden, remember that they make excellent gifts for friends and relatives.
Several of the new roses are designated winners in the All-American Rose Selection AARS trials, and others are the top picks of the companies that produced the rose. All have gone through extensive testing in various climates and situations, so even though they are newly for sale, they have proven themselves to be outstanding in at least a few key attributes.
Apricot Candy From Star Roses, this soft apricot hybrid tea has a classic flower shape with ruffled petals. Above average resistance to diseases, heat tolerance and spicy fragrance are claimed for this upright plant.
April in Paris Jackson & Perkins 2008 Rose of the Year. Dappled pink blooms with petals of porcelain texture have a powerful tea rose fragrance that last well in a vase.
Candyland From Weeks, this large-flowered climber with hybrid tea shaped blossoms are carried in huge clusters on a showy plant. Swirls of pink mix with creamy ivory in the gently perfumed flowers. Hardy, vigorous, easy-care, to 12 feet tall.
Catalina From J&P. Ruffled apricot pink petals with a darker pink reverse on long stems have a light tea rose fragrance. Glossy dark green foliage.
Double Knockout From Star Roses, the petit high-centered velvety red flowers are produced on a compact disease resistant plant perfect for smaller gardens. Foliage is deep green.
Dream Come True J&P produced this AARS winner. A Grandiflora, the healthy vigorous shrub produces flawless bi-colored flowers of clear yellow with ruby red edges.
Falling In Love From Weeks, these fragrant clear pink classic-form flowers are produced on full shapely plants. Sturdy stemmed blooms last well when cut.
Lovestruck J&P's Floribunda of the Year has glowing hot pink petals with a white reverse. Petal edges are ruffled and glossy foliage has excellent disease resistance.
Mardi Gras An AARS winner from J&P, this Floribunda produces large bright pink, orange and yellow flowers that intensify in color as they mature. Vigorous upright plants can be trained as a hedge. Foliage is dark green. Fragrance is light.
Pope John Paul II From J&P. Luminous pure white blossoms with fresh citrus perfume appear on vigorous disease resistant plants with dark green foliage.
Winner's Circle Star produced this floriferous climber with large fire engine red non-fading flowers. Especially showy in fall when foliage turns deep burgundy and the plants are covered in bright orange hips. Grows 6 to 8 feet tall.
-Sharon Hull
If you collect roses, or just have a spot or two for a new rose, you will be interested in some of the new-for-2008 beauties from a few of the major growers. And if you have no room for more roses in your own garden, remember that they make excellent gifts for friends and relatives.
Several of the new roses are designated winners in the All-American Rose Selection AARS trials, and others are the top picks of the companies that produced the rose. All have gone through extensive testing in various climates and situations, so even though they are newly for sale, they have proven themselves to be outstanding in at least a few key attributes.
Apricot Candy From Star Roses, this soft apricot hybrid tea has a classic flower shape with ruffled petals. Above average resistance to diseases, heat tolerance and spicy fragrance are claimed for this upright plant.
April in Paris Jackson & Perkins 2008 Rose of the Year. Dappled pink blooms with petals of porcelain texture have a powerful tea rose fragrance that last well in a vase.
Candyland From Weeks, this large-flowered climber with hybrid tea shaped blossoms are carried in huge clusters on a showy plant. Swirls of pink mix with creamy ivory in the gently perfumed flowers. Hardy, vigorous, easy-care, to 12 feet tall.
Catalina From J&P. Ruffled apricot pink petals with a darker pink reverse on long stems have a light tea rose fragrance. Glossy dark green foliage.
Double Knockout From Star Roses, the petit high-centered velvety red flowers are produced on a compact disease resistant plant perfect for smaller gardens. Foliage is deep green.
Dream Come True J&P produced this AARS winner. A Grandiflora, the healthy vigorous shrub produces flawless bi-colored flowers of clear yellow with ruby red edges.
Falling In Love From Weeks, these fragrant clear pink classic-form flowers are produced on full shapely plants. Sturdy stemmed blooms last well when cut.
Lovestruck J&P's Floribunda of the Year has glowing hot pink petals with a white reverse. Petal edges are ruffled and glossy foliage has excellent disease resistance.
Mardi Gras An AARS winner from J&P, this Floribunda produces large bright pink, orange and yellow flowers that intensify in color as they mature. Vigorous upright plants can be trained as a hedge. Foliage is dark green. Fragrance is light.
Pope John Paul II From J&P. Luminous pure white blossoms with fresh citrus perfume appear on vigorous disease resistant plants with dark green foliage.
Winner's Circle Star produced this floriferous climber with large fire engine red non-fading flowers. Especially showy in fall when foliage turns deep burgundy and the plants are covered in bright orange hips. Grows 6 to 8 feet tall.
-Sharon Hull
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