Get sowing for some winter greens and veg like Beetroot, Spring Cabbages, Lettuces, Spring Onions, Chicory, Fennel and Rocket.
21.07.2023 - 22:34 / awaytogarden.com
I TOLD THE PACKETS OF EAGER PEA SEEDS, usually my first-born, to sit tight: not their turn yet. But in a single flat filled with several smaller fiber pots, I just sowed two kale varieties and my earliest Brussels sprouts. And so another growing season begins, as I open the first of many just-arrived packets of seed, in this spring that doesn’t want seem to really arrive.The snow that covered 99 percent of my place three days ago is now holding on to only 15 percent, thanks to a few warmer days and a crazy deluge. But the ground remains locked up tight, an inch of deceptive muck covering rock-solid frost.
For now the kale and Brussels sit on the kitchen counter, atop a heat mat and beneath a plastic dome. When those sprout, broccolis and parsley will go in my improv countertop germination chamber, and that first generation will move to a spot under lights.
My tradition about now each year on the website is to post my seed order, but this time I’m embarrassed at what it adds up to. I blame the endless winter, because in despair, as if it would help stave off the gloom, I binged. Some people eat; I shop for hope instead to soothe myself, in the form of packets of seeds.
There are some aspects of method to my madness:
Last year I shared seed with a friend, aimed at using it up faster while it’s fresh, and we’ll split part of many packets again. I’m skipping potatoes for the first time in memory, to make room for more winter squash. Potatoes usually fill at least two of my 20-by-4-foot raised beds, which will be up for grabs. A longtime passion for chard with thick, white midribs (contrary to the fad for colorful, narrow ones) prompts me to compare several side-by-side this year (‘Silverado,’ ‘Fordhook Giant,’ and ‘GlatterGet sowing for some winter greens and veg like Beetroot, Spring Cabbages, Lettuces, Spring Onions, Chicory, Fennel and Rocket.
It is the season for houseplants and this Solanum capsicastrum was raised from seed probably in a Dutch hothouse for the UK’s pre Christmas market.
Design trends are constantly changing, but sometimes a style reemerges at precisely the time when it feels new and fresh—no matter how long it's been around. Scalloped design is having just that sort of moment. Scalloped borders in interior design can be found as far back as the Renaissance, and they were often used in Art Deco interiors in the early 20th century, and again during the preppy 1980s.
When deciding upon which trees and shrubs to plant in the landscape, I always suggest that gardeners consider plants that offer more than one season of interest. This aspect of consideration is usually not taken into account by most of the people that I speak with, but it certainly should. Especially since there are so many great trees and shrubs that help to brighten up the often-dreary winter landscape. There are several shrubs that flower in winter, some that display vibrant fruit, have interesting form or beautiful bark.
Are you frustrated because there are dandelions and other weeds in your lawn? Did you know that dandelion flowers provide one of the first springtime sources of pollen for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects?
I don’t know about you, but I love a product that can be used in a variety of ways and has staying power, especially in the home and kitchen. I recently discovered fall/winter squash and the varieties and versatility that they provide. I knew about the typical winter squash that you see in the grocery store like Acorn, Butternut, Spaghetti, Pumpkins, and decorative gourds, but have been introduced to other varieties like Honey Nut, Kabocha, Carnival, Turban, Banana, Red Kuri, Sweet Dumpling, and Buttercup.
I’ve made it clear in this blog that Winter is my least favorite season. Therefore, I always seek winter-blooming flowers to raise my spirits. However, before the yellow-flowered daffodils bloom to give me hope that Spring is coming, I rely on the soft-textured drooping gold threadlike leaves of golden threadleaf sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea’).
I noticed that my friend Bob Hyland at nearby Loomis Creek Nursery is counting his twiggy blessings, too, this week—with an ode on his website to Salix ‘Swizzlestick,’ a distinctive corkscrew willow he grows as a dramatic 60-foot hedge.I’m making myself content with much less, but even a little ‘Winter Flame’ (hardy to Zone 4) warms the winter-weary soul. My young plant hasn’t reached full size of 8-10 feet, though at 4 feet it produces a show of yellow-, orange- and reddish-tinged stems that read as coral to my eye.The Dutch breeder of ‘Winter Flame,’ Andre van Nijnatten, has also developed a smaller-stature version called Cornus ‘Arctic Sun’ that is earning high pr
THIS WEEK I BUILT A GREENHOUSE. Well, to be more correct, Susan (who has worked with me in the garden for many years, for which I am endlessly grateful), built a greenhouse.
MY GARDENING LIFE STARTED with a hedge—cutting one back hard, specifically. It was the threadbare, tall old privet surrounding my childhood home, and I was determined to “rejuvenate” it, after reading about the process in a book. No artful hedge has ever been created by my hands, though—a fact that feels all the more lamentable after watching Sean Conway’s video tour (above) of designer and nurseryman Piet Oudolf’s garden in the Netherlands. What magic.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, total $15 including shipping‘Blue Lake Bush’ bean ‘Blue Hubbard’ winter squash ‘North Georgie Candy Roaster’ winter squash ‘Jumbo Pink Banana’ winter squash ‘Sweet Dumpling’ winter squash Another confession: After I posted the previous details of the order, I suddenly felt embarrassed. And then I did the math.As I mentioned in the earlier post’s comments, I haven’t bought any tomato sauce or canned tomatoes in years, for instance. Last time I looked, the organic ones are not cheap, and I use red sauce or something made with it once a week or more. If I credit myself $2 for each container of frozen or jarred meals I created from my 2009 garden produce–just $2, e
THE PROMISE OF ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS is what keeps me from turning under much of the vegetable garden, after record rains brought havoc to some crops. I’ve harvested five cherry tomatoes and as many beans so far, sigh, in a season that began with an abundance of asparagus but then fizzled.