All the Dirt on Gardening

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2010-04-30T09:32:00.001-07:00

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How About Some Take-It-Easy Gardening Ideas?

2010-04-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

Whether you have a new home to landscape, an existing home to maintain, or if you rent, making your surroundings pleasing will provide hours of summer enjoyment.

For apartments, a large pot or two brimming with sun loving herbs and flowers make a big difference in how the entry looks and feels. A shady entry can be transformed with ferns in hanging pots or in tall planters.

Trees benefit both homeowners and renters. Most trees need some sun to thrive but, they can be planted in a pot on a sunny balcony or deck to provide shade and improve the view.

Woody shrubs are indispensible around a property line, across a deck, or under trees. In the summer, shrubs add softness and fullness. Placed carefully, they provide shade and a windscreen.

Perennial flowers, bulbs and annuals also play a role in easy gardening.

Easy care perennials come back year after year with little effort on the gardener's part. Hostas in the shade, Knock Out Roses for the sun, fall asters and dozens of other perennial, flowering plants will return for several years. To keep them easy care, though, avoid plants that need weekly pruning or staking to maintain their appeal.

It's hard to go wrong with sticking some durable bulbs in the ground. In this category, daylilies cannot be outdone. From spring to first frost, their leaves fill the garden and in the summer their flowers bloom day after day.

Annuals have their place, too. These are plants that last only one season. For the summer though, annual plants add herbs for the table, flowers for the butterflies, and color to spice up a solid green garden. Budget-wise gardeners look for annuals that drop seeds and return next spring.

Do more of what works.
If there are successful plants in your landscape, consider adding more of the same type. For example, if hibiscus, viburnum or lilac thrive in your neighborhood, plant six as a hedge.

Avoid work.
Certain trees and shrubs are messy. Magnolias drop flowers and leathery leaves that create problems near a pond, fountain or swimming pool. For lower maintenance, stick with small leaf plants and evergreens that shed very little.

Be water smart.
A little mulch goes a long way toward reducing the amount of water that potted plants need. In the summer months, put mulch on top of the soil in planter boxes, flower pots and flower beds. Since most herb and succulent gardens need the soil to be dry on the top, mulch those sparingly.

Soaker hoses are inexpensive and can reduce the chore of watering. Lay them down so they circle the bed, attach to the hose and let them run while you sip a glass of tea and read a book. Tuck a tuna fish size can under the hose and watch for it to fill. That's one inch and the right amount of water for most plants. A soaker hose and some mulch will cut both the work and the water bill.

If you have a sprinkler system for the lawn, place azaleas, mums and other moisture loving plants near the edge of the lawn. They will be kept happy with little effort on your part.

Install a pebble pool.
Mark out an area with a hose or a bag of flour, dig down four inches, stacking the removed soil to form a berm. Line the spot with plastic and fill it with small stones. Edge the pool with large flat stones. Put out a few pots or plant water loving plants in the ground around the pond. Add water as needed.

Place a chair or bench nearby so you can watch the birds, frogs and butterflies.

A Few Scenes from Today's Garden

2010-04-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

There's a New Gal in Town - Hort Couture

2010-04-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hort Couture sent out their trial plants this week and I am thrilled to be one of their trial gardens for Zone 7.

My box contained variegated sage called Sage la Crema, , Heirloom tomato Black Krim, Ready to Wear Paris Calibrachoa, and Hemigraphis Blackberry Waffle.

This is a new brand to me and these cute plant tags were in the pots.
You can take a look at their blog here.

I researched the plants on the Internet and all the comments from trial gardens were terrific and outstanding. I can't wait to get them growing.

Another Earth Day Story about Organics- This One from Cuba

2010-04-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

In today's issue of The Dirt from the American Association of Landscape Architects, the story is about Cuba.

The Future of Cuba's Urban Agriculture

Due to the collapse of aid from the Soviet Union and U.S. sanctions in the early 1990s, Cuba moved from a centrally-planned, fossil-fuel based agriculture system to a locally-organized organic urban one, writes Solutions journal. However, with lessening tensions and growing trade with the U.S., there are new concerns that Cuba’s model of self-sufficient green agricultural production will be scrapped.

Farmers and agronomists responded to economic isolation by localizing food production, which has now taken off across Cuba's urban areas. In fact, urban farms in vacant lots in the capital, Havana, and a network of producers across the country now provide 80 percent of the country with local, organic produce and helped turn Cuba into an unintentional leader of the green movement, says Solutions. CBS News adds that most urban farms where organic produce is grown are walking distance from residents.

So, Cubans are eating locally grown organic food grown within walking distance of their homes. Go figure. Then, read the rest of the story at this ASLA link.

Earth Day - Today Is the 40th

2010-04-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Our veggie garden is 20 by 20 - on the left are the peas on a trellis, then leeks, wax bush beans, Dinosour kale, Cos and Romaine lettuce, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, broad beans on the far right and potato cages in the back.

Earth Day is celebrating its 40Th birthday today. Denis Hayes, national coordinator for the first Earth Day in 1970 is the international chair of Earth Day 2010. Hayes is chairman of the board of trustees of the American Solar Energy Society and president of the Bullitt Foundation.

Twenty million Americans participated in that original Earth Day celebration. Within three years Congress passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Today, most schools and many towns acknowledge Earth Day through activities meant to remind us that caring for the earth’s resources is important.

Small conservation activities include recycling paper, glass, cooking oil, plastic containers and plastic bags. Groups can participate in tree planting projects or pick up aluminum cans along our streets and recycle them.

Easy everyday efforts make a difference. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and turn off lights as you leave a room. With a little more thought you can combine errands to save fuel.

Another idea is to buy locally produced food whenever possible. It takes less fuel to transport food from regional producers to your table.

Locally grown chickens are available at Central Meat Market and local eggs, beef, pork, and lamb are sold at the Muskogee Farmer's Market. Fruits, herbs and vegetables are sold at several area farmers’ markets, plus Reasors, Arnolds and at seasonal stands that pop up in the summer.

Muskogee Wellness Committee has sponsored two gardening events to support and educate local residents in the art and science of growing a little of their own food in a home garden or in containers.

To promote gardening on a slightly larger scale, the Wellness Committee put on a community gardening event last year.

Community gardening can be summarized as healthier people growing healthier food in healthier neighborhoods.

Families who garden together have an exercise based activity that produces fresh fruits and vegetables to build their health, and increase their food security.

Community gardens strengthen community bonds, and create a positive, recreational space for neighbors to get together. Neighborhoods become safer and community gardens increase the value of homes in the immediate area.

Children learn about science, math and the environment from family and friends when they are engaged with others in a garden. They learn job skills and increase their community connections. Similar programs report that participating students improve their school attendance.

In Muskogee, on Tuesday, April 27 from 5:30 to 6:30 there will be a community garden meeting at the Parks and Recreation Dept. especially for people who live in the area of Spaulding Park.

The section of Spaulding Park where the old greenhouses stood is going to be developed into community garden plots for the use of the residents of the area. Paths and raised bed growing plots will be laid out before the planting begins.

The April 27 meeting will be held to discuss how the Spaulding Park Community Garden will operate, discuss the ground rules, and to find out how many might be interested in participating.

The plots will not be reserved only for those in the immediate area, but gardeners who live within a short distance are more likely to remain enthusiastic about weeding, watering and harvesting over the summer.

Doug Walton, Community Foods Coordinator with the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and manager of Muskogee Farmer’s Market, will help facilitate the discussion. Walton has a wealth of information about community gardens around the state.

If you live in the Spaulding Park area and have an interest in the community garden effort, please call the Parks Department, 684-6302, and let them know you would like to attend the meeting.

Spaulding Park Community Garden Planning Meeting
Tuesday April 27, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Parks and Recreation Dept., 837 East Okmulgee
Please call 684-6302 to let them know you are coming so there will be chairs and snacks for all.

Old News Can be Worth Reading

2010-04-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

The American Society of Landscape Designers sends out a monthly email called
The Dirt with links to stories of interest. Through a series of clicks I found a link to a Sept. 23, 2009 New York Times story that is perfect for the Earth Day thoughts we are all having.

In the Garden, by Ann Raver, "The Grass is Greener at Harvard"

Follow the link above to read the entire piece. Here are a few excerpts to help you think Earth Day thoughts.

There is an underground revolution spreading across Harvard University this fall. It’s occurring under the soil and involves fungi, bacteria, microbes and roots, which are now fed with compost and compost tea rather than pesticides and synthetic nitrogen.

Our goal is to be fully organic on the 80 acres that we maintain within the next two years, said Wayne Carbone, Harvard's manager of landscape services.

The lumps of soil showed how grass grew when treated with chemical fertilizers and how it looked when treated organically, she said. You could really see the root systems and how different they were.

The organically grown grass on campus is now green from the microbes that feed the soil, eliminating the use of synthetic nitrogen, the base of most commercial fertilizers. No herbicides or pesticides are used, either. Roots reach eight inches into soil that was once so compacted the trees planted in it were dying.

Soil tests show the presence not only of beneficial bacteria and fungi but also of the micro-organisms that feed on them, recycling nitrogen back into the soil.

And the 40-year-old orchards at Elmwood, which have been treated with compost tea, are recovering from leaf spot and apple scab, two ailments that had afflicted them.

Mr. Van Valkenburgh, who grew up putting DDT on the family’s vegetable plot, had seen how Mr. Fleisher's use of compost and teas had improved Battery Park City's 36-acre landscape, which thrives, despite heavy foot traffic, without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.

An organic approach requires a radical change in thinking.

This is not a product-based program, it's knowledge-based, Mr. Fleisher said...

When the project started, Mr. Fleisher said, the soil was so compacted, we could not dig past three inches.

But when Mr. Clyne stepped down on his spade this day, it went through the grass like the proverbial knife through butter. He made a core sample, a square of turf and soil as wide and deep as his spade, then lifted it gently and laid it on the grass. The soil was dark and crumbly; the roots were six to eight inches long.

Healthy soil is a mixture of sand, silt and clay particles held together by the gums and gels formed by bacteria as well as by fungi and plant roots. These micro-organisms, as well as insects and earthworms, create the spaces through which air and water can trickle.

Organic growing techniques are so simple that any homeowner can get the hang of them. But to do so, it’s necessary to learn some basic facts about the structure and biology of your particular soil. In an organic approach, one bag of chemicals does not fit all. And timing is key.

Without good drainage, water and air cannot be properly absorbed by plant roots.

There’s a give-and-take between fungi and plants, as the fungi consume carbohydrates exuded by plant roots and give back water, phosphorus and other minerals. Bacteria also consume carbohydrates. And they in turn are eaten by protozoa and other creatures that convert the bacteria’s protein into nitrogen, which feeds the plants.

Adding compost to soil gets that biological community cooking.

To help laypeople unravel the mysteries of the soil in their own yard, Harvard has posted a kind of mini-course on its Web site www.uos.harvard.edu/fmo/landscape/organiclandscaping. It includes simple directions for building a compost pile hot enough to eat weed seeds, building a compost tea brewer, and brewing teas particularly suited for grass, perennials or woody plants.

Leeks, Leeks, Perpetual Leeks

2010-04-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last summer I let one leek flower and go to seed.
Then, I laid the seed head on a bed, moving it every couple of weeks. Leeks grew over the winter from those seeds. The photo below was taken last November.

Today I did a third harvest and took out all but two that will go to seed for next year's crop.

We cleaned off the green tops and root bottoms after a couple of runs under the hose. The tops went to the compost pile. In the house the leeks were trimmed more and the trimmings went into the stock pot.
The perfect pieces from the bottom were sliced lengthwise about one-fourth inch wide. Those slivers were popped into a hot nonstick skillet with a little olive oil, herb salt and a whisper of sugar and cooked until soft.
Tonight they go under a pile of oven-roasted fresh asparagus.

I'm In Love With A Radius Spade

2010-04-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

Frankly, I have always skimmed over gardeners' complaints and raves about tools. I have a shot shovel, a circle hoe, a few trowels and a pair of hands, what else could I need?

Radius offered to send me a Pro-Lite Advanced Design Carbon Steel Digging Tool with Fiberglass Shaft - a spade - and I was cynical but willing.

Well, now I have the religious fervor of a recent convert - this weekend actually. I took it out to the vegetable garden to see what it could to that my shot shovel could not and it proved itself to be worthy of praise.

The ergonomic handle, besides being a fun color, is perfect for grabbing with both hands. The quality of the shovel's spade is the best I've ever used, though I've already admitted to being a bit of a tool novice.

I harvested lettuce with it as well as planting new seedlings where the lettuce came out. It's a dream to use.

Go figure. Tools to make a difference.

"The PRO Spade is a great digging and transplanting spade with a large sharpened stainless steel blade appreciated by consumers and professionals. Radius PRO Stainless tools feature a large "O" handle and extra-wide raised forward kick for reduced strain, better balance, and ease-of-use.
These tools also include a resin-encased steel core shaft that is virtually unbreakable."

Here's the Radius link.

Free Saturdays and a Photo Contest at the Oklahoma Botanical Garden - Northwest of Tulsa

2010-04-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

Pearl Garrison, Communications Director ath the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden let me know that they are having free Saturdays and a photo contest that is open and free to everyone..

Here's the scoop - The OCBG website is here. You can find a map and hours at the site.

Photo Contest information -
One contest is on Facebook and the other is a judged competition.

Choose: Wildflowers, nature trail, the tree-covered Osage Hills, native grasses, persimmon grove, boulders with moss and lichen, new landscaping and everything else you can imagine in the natural setting of the Cross Timbers ancient forest and prairie.

The pictures must be taken at the Garden, which will be open from 10 am to 1 pm Saturdays beginning May 1.

There is no charge to enter the contests or to visit the Garden.

Instructions on how to enter the contests are at ocbg.org and on Facebook. The contests are for amateur photographers.

At 6 p.m. Tuesday April 20 Natalie Green, owner of Apertures Photo, will lead a one-hour class on how to take great outdoor pictures. The class is free for Garden members and students. The cost for others is $10.

Please contact the Garden at 918-289-0330 or pearl@botanicalgardentulsa.org if you plan to attend. Seating is limited.

Gerald Klingaman Speaking in Muskogee Thursday at Muskogee Garden Club

2010-04-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

Dr. Gerald Klingaman, retired extension horticulturist from the University of Arkansas, will be talking on Spring in an Ozark Garden at Muskogee Garden Club this morning. Klingaman said he would talk about native plants as well as non-natives that work well in our gardens.

Some Arkansas natives have a counterpart in China that look similar and grow in the same kind of habitat, Klingaman said. It is more interesting to have variety, so you can plant both.

Native plants include many we grow but do not think of as natives. Consider Oakleaf Hydrangea, Carolina allspice, Virginia creeper, beautyberry, witch hazel, Virginia sweetspire, azalea, Viburnum and sweet bay magnolia.

Several years ago Klingaman gave us a tour of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks in Fayetteville while it was under construction. Now he is the operations director.

In addition to public speaking on plants and his work with the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, Klingaman writes for Learn2Grow, an online horticulture site and writes a weekly Plant of the Week column for Arkansas newspapers and the Extension website Plus he contributes a monthly column for the Arkansas Gardener magazine.

In an article on Arkansas Blue Star (Amsonia hubrichtii), Klingaman called this native perennial one of his favorites.

The milky sap that makes Amsonia toxic to livestock makes it a plant that deer avoid. It belongs to the dogbane plant family, along with Vinca and Periwinkle.

Arkansas Blue Star is a perennial that grows up to 3-feet tall with 4-foot wide branching. The characteristic blue, star shaped flowers arrive in late spring. The seedpods are cigar shaped. Willowy leaves, one-eighth inch wide and 3-inches long, fill in the space after the flowers fade.

It grows well in a rock garden where its fall gold color will brighten up the bed. Provide part shade, well-drained soil, and lots of compost.

In an article for the University of Arkansas Extension Service, Klingaman said several native plants have endured in his gardens at home.

Many of us have planted hybrid Heuchera in our shade gardens but there is also a native version called Arkansas alumroot (Heuchera villosa var. Arkansan), which blooms with white flowers from August until winter dormancy.

Arkansas alumroot is a small plant found in the Ozark Mountains. In a garden it will grow to 18-inches tall and 2-feet wide. After becoming established it is drought tolerant and easy to grow.

Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is a small, spring blooming tree. Its other names include Old-man's beard and Grancy Gray-beard.

Old-man’s beard has snow white flowers in 6-inch long clusters. The multi-branched shrub or small tree grows about 6-inches a year to become 15 to 30 feet tall. They prefer well-drained soil that remains moist over the summer and bloom best in full sun.

Fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica) is another Arkansas native that grows beautifully in our area. If you have oak trees on your property you will have plenty of acid soil to make fragrant sumac grow to its full size of 6 to 8 feet. It is also a good selection for stabilizing the soil on a hillside since it suckers from the root and will spread.

Hercules Club, prickly ash, or toothache tree (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis) likes moist soil and full sun. It grows slowly to 20 feet with thorns similar to black locust trees. The citrus scented leaves are a foot long and have a leathery texture. Yellow, spring flowers are followed by green berries that ripen to a rusty red.

The name toothache tree comes from an alkaloid it contains, xanthoxylin, which was used in early dentistry.

Mary Ann King of Pine Ridge Gardens in Arkansas sells many of these plants.

Klingaman is a very interesting speaker and this promises to be a treat for everyone who can attend.

A Few Tulips - Spring 2010 - Blooming April 12 Because We Had No April Freeze

2010-04-13T04:38:00.000-07:00

Tulips are mostly an annual thing here and maybe everywhere outside of Holland. Every year I say I'm not going to put in tulips because they don't come back, spread, make more, etc.

So when my friends who plan ahead get those great summer deals on fall planted bulbs, I decline to add my order to theirs.

It's the late season sales that I can't resist. When Touch of Nature and Brent and Becky's send those late fall sale emails, I'm thinking spring.

Last year I felt like I had finally arrived as a garden writer when Brent and Becky's sent me a box of complimentary bulbs (first and only). This year I felt like I had arrived as a gardener when these tulips from that box returned to grace the garden a second year.

These three photos are tulips I ordered from Touch of Nature's end of the year sale.

My friend Jan who orders in the summer gave me some of these (smarty pants thinks ahead). They won't return but what a glory!
This year is the best ever for tulips and their friends. No ice storm this year and no April 15th or Easter hard freeze. So what's our normal weather? Is it this year or those other awful years? I certainly don't know but we are enjoying and celebrating spring 2010 as the good tulip spring.

What's Blooming in Zone 7

2010-04-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hyacinth bulbs

Viburnum now

Viburnum last week

Bluebells

Forellenschluss Romaine Lettuce from the Third Millenium BC - One of 75 Exciting Vegetables for Your Garden

2010-04-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

Open pollinated Forellenschluss romaine lettuce has been called the Jackson Pollack of lettuces.

Fedco Seeds says this Austrian heirloom is also called Freckled or Trout Black.

"An absolutely gorgeous romaine with the delicate taste and texture of a butterhead, distinguished for its deep green leaves flecked with wine-red splotches." and "The best-tasting lettuce I've grown - can give a large heavy head as sweet as can be," praises Michael Goldman.

Also the best-tasting of the 50 lettuces in our 1998 trial. Very buttery tender leaves may be harvested at 4 to 6 inches for mesclun or allowed to grow full size for maximum ornamental benefit.

William Woys Weaver traced Forellenschluss back to 1793 when it was a dwarf variety of Spotted Aleppo developed in Germany. More upright and cup-shaped than Speckled Amish, with larger and darker splotches and better heat tolerance.

Forellenschlus romaine lettuce according to Horticulture Magazines' 2007 article -

Historically, lettuces of the ancient world were divided into two main camps: the cabbage-headed lettuces, which are of a round, relatively loose-leaved habit, and the cos or romaine lettuces, of a tighter, more conical, and elongated inclination.

Said to have originated on the Greek island of Cos (Kos), off the coast of Turkey, romaine lettuces were known to be under cultivation as early as 3000 BC. Despite a general belief that the cabbage-headed varieties of Lactuca sativa are physically closer to their wild Asian ancestors (L. scariola), some botanists credit the romaine type with being the oldest form of cultivated lettuce. A famous wall fragment of the third millennium BC portraying Min, Egyptian god of fertility and bounty, shows him in full phallic salute amid a field of stylized yet readily identifiable romaines.

This ancient variety was apparently brought into Italy by way of Turkey. A romaine variety is known to have been introduced into France in the 14 century, and by the early 17 century, romaine had found its way to England, where its current appellation was adopted, rooted in the French for Roman lettuce, laitue Romaine.

By 1623, a whole host of romaine varieties, from light and dark green to red striated, tipped, and spotted, were being described in Europe. Forellenschluss, whose name translates to speckled like a trout and is alternately called troutback lettuce, is an extremely handsome Austrian heirloom of the red-spotted type. It features bright medium green leaves dappled with lively burgundy splotches, looking for all the world like each head has been spattered with a good red wine.

These exceedingly attractive 8 to 12 inch heads are also notable for their delightfully smooth, buttery flavor and for the fact that they hold exceptionally well in the heat.

Lettuces are mainly cool weather creatures and fairly undemanding in terms of soil and fertilization. Being 98 percent water, they are sensitive beings when it comes to drying out, so do keep them evenly moist, particularly at the seedling stage.

In any case, direct sow or plant seedlings out after the danger of frost has passed; re-sow at monthly intervals throughout the summer. You should be harvesting these spectacularly speckled leaves in about 55 days from sowing.

Excerpted from "75 Exciting Vegetables for Your Garden", Gibbs Smith, 2005, by Jack Staub. This really cool book is available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Connors' Hort Students' Annual Plant Sale - Better than ever

2010-04-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

Connors State College in Warner OK has an annual plant sale that showcases what the horticulture students have learned to do. Here's the list of what will be available April 15 and 16 from 10 to 6 only.

2010 CSC Plant Sale – Warner Campus Greenhouse

Full Sun Annuals PRICE
Sweet Potato Vines 2.50 per 4 pot
Dianthus 24.00 per flat 2.00 per 4 pk
Vinca (Periwinkle) 24.00 per flat 2.00 per 4 pk
New Guinea SunPatiens 3.25 per 3 pot
Gerbera Daisy 3.25 per 3 pot
Antigua Marigolds 24.00 per flat 4.00 per 6 pk
Little Hero Marigolds 14.40 per flat 1.20 per 4 pk
Lantana 3.00 per 4 pot
Zonal Geraniums 3.50 per 4 pot
Portulaca (Rose Moss) 24.00 per flat 2.00 per 4 pk
Gazania 14.40 per flat 1.20 per 4 pk
Dreamland Zinnia 14.40 per flat 2.40 per 6 pk

Hanging Baskets PRICE
Other Assorted Baskets 10.00
Asparagus Fern 12.00
True Boston Fern 12.00
Variegated Begonia 6.00
Winged Begonia 6.00
Ivy Geraniums 10.00

Vegetables (Tomato) price Size
Mr. Stripey 1.00 per 4pk Large
Jet Star 1.00 per 4pk Medium
Better Boy 1.00 per 4pk Extra-Large
Roma 1.00 per 4pk Small
Brandywine 1.00 per 4pk Large
Patio 1.00 per 4pk Medium
Juliet 1.00 per 4pk Small
Celebrity 1.00 per 4pk Large
Beefmaster 1.00 per 4pk Extra-Large
Whopper 1.00 per 4pk Extra-Large
Big Boy 1.00 per 4pk Extra-Large
Quick Pick 1.00 per 4pk Medium

Partial Sun Annuals
Callibrochia (Million Bells) 2.50 per 3 pot
Crossandra (Fire Cracker) 1.50 per 3 pot
Begonia 2.00 per 4pk 1.25 per 3 pot
Fox Tail Ferns 2.00 per 3 pot

Shade Annuals
Impatiens 24.00 per flat 2.00 per 4pk
New Guinea impatiens 2.00 per 3 pot
Torenia (Wishbone Flower) 3.00 per 3 pot

Full Sun Perennial
Prairie Fire Grass 4.00 per gal. pot
Rose of Sharon 4.00 per gal. pot
Azaleas 3.25 per gal. pot
Gallardia (Blanket Flower) 2.00 per 6 pot
Peony 8.00 per gal. pot
Crape Myrtle 4.00 per gal. pot
Day Lilies 4.00 per gal. pot
Clematis 8.00 per gal. pot
Garden Phlox 2.50 per gal. pot

Shade Perennial Price
Hosta 4.00 per gal. pot
Astilbe 4.00 per gal. pot

Vegetables (peppers) price
Colossal Pepper 1.00 per 4pk
Bell Boy 1.00 per 4pk
Sweet Banana Whopper 1.00 per 4pk
Parks Whopper 1.00 per 4pk
Big Bertha Bells 1.00 per 4pk
Hot Jalapeno 1.00 per 4pk

Vegetables Price
Burpless Cucumber 1.00 per 4 pot
Zuccini Spineless Beauty 1.00 per 4 pot
Enterprise Squ. Staightneck 1.00 per 4 pot

Support the students while getting a pretty good deal.

Salvia Oxford Blue - Clary Sage

2010-04-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Salvias are a favorite of mine and I'm adding seed grown Oxford Blue to the beds this spring.

The seeds are from Chiltern in England and the plant is called Salvia hormium Oxford blue in the catalog.

Well, it's difficult to research this plant since it has several names going for it. Its family name is Labiatae/Lamiaceae or mint, of course.

One synonym is Salvia viridis. Other names include Clary sage Oxford blue. The Backyard Gardener calls it Oxford Blue Annual Clary Sage, pretty much covering all bases.

It is an annual that grows to 18-inches tall, though Clemson U. says it will be 2-feet tall by the end of the summer.

Just to throw a little science into the mix, Purdue's Hort Dept says
"clary, clear eye, eyebright, clarywort, and musoatel sage, the species is widely cultivated throughout the temperate regions of the world. Principal production centers include France, the USSR and Hungary. Reaching a height of 1 to 1.5 meters during flowering, the plant is characterized by broad-ovate, green, pubescent leaves, and the economically important lilac to blue-colored flowers. The name sclarea is Latin for clear or bright, in reference to the color of the flowers, and the name clear eye refers to the traditional use of the plant for clearing the eyes.

Fresh and dried leaves of clary sage have been used as flavoring agents in adulteration of wine, in substitution for hops, and in adulteration of digitalis. The flowers are used in herbal teas, sachets, potpourris, and beverages. The essential oil is used as a fragrance and fixative in the perfume industry. The concrete and absolute, often blended with lavender, jasmine, or other scents, are used in soaps, detergents, creams, powders, perfumes, and lotions (14.1-8). Clary sage is also grown as an ornamental.

As a medicinal plant, clary sage is known for the mucilaginous seeds used to clear the sight and reduce inflammation of the eye. The plant has reportedly been used for its antispasmodic, astringent, and carminative properties. Clary sage has been used in treatment of cancer. The plant displays lecithinic properties and the seed contains anti-Tn-specific agglutinins. Antispasmodic activity is probably attributable the presence of nerol."

Well, and, I hope the blue flowers are pretty to look at and loved by butterflies, skippers and their friends, since that's why I'm growing it.

Anyone out there experienced with this annual salvia?

Bulbs, Corms, Tubers and Rhizomes

2010-04-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

Bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes all have a place in a garden. They are a plant-them-now, enjoy-them- later proposition, unlike the established plants purchased at a garden center. Bulbs, tubers and corms are an energy storage unit that grows roots, leaves, stems and flowers months after they are planted.

A collection of hardy bulbs will give your flower beds, and areas under trees, flower s that will return for several years. Many bulbs will reproduce, giving you the bonus of more plants over the years.

Bulblets form at the base of the mother bulb on gladiolus and along the underground stem on some lilies. Other bulbs make bulbils, or tiny, new bulbs, up toward the top of the flower stems.

Tulips, hyacinth and daffodils grow and bloom from bulbs planted in the fall. Lilies grow from bulbs planted in the spring or the fall.

Tall, stately, Gladiolus grow from spring planted corms; crocus bloom in late winter snow from corms planted in the fall. Corms are actually stems. They multiply by producing small cormels around the base of the mature corm.

Single, double, bearded and water iris grow from rhizomes. So do canna lilies and lily-of-the-valley. Rhizomes are a stem structure whose main stem grows just below the soil surface.

Caladiums grow from tubers, or modified stems. Tuberous begonias and gloxinia develop tuberous stems at the surface of the soil. Dahlias, daylilies and sweet potato vines grow from tuberous roots.
Most gardeners call the whole lot of them bulbs.

To improve your luck with any of these flowers, start with a sunny location. When selecting a planting spot, remember that after the bulbs bloom, the stems must remain in place until they turn yellow. During that period, the leaves of the plant are absorbing energy to feed the bulb for the following year’s flowers.
As the bulb’s leaves are gathering energy for next year, they will stop being attractive so put them where other perennials or annuals will hide them.

Bulbs need a spot with good drainage. If you can situate them on a slope or have a mounded or raised garden bed, either one could give your bulbs a place where water drains away. Another solution is to plant them near trees and shrubs so the tree roots will take up any extra rainwater.

Choose bulbs based on their cold hardiness, bloom time and size. Hardy bulbs such as daffodils and hyacinths will come back next year no matter how cold the winter, so plant those unless you want to replant ever year.

Fall-planted-spring flowering bulbs are sometimes called Dutch bulbs in catalogs.
Summer flowering bulbs tend to be less cold hardy but some bloom longer. Summer bulbs include crinum, caladium, canna, crocosmia, elephant ears, ginger, gloriosa climbing lily, pineapple lily, Peruvian daffodil, tuberose, lycoris and dahlia.
Familiar fall blooming bulbs such as red spider lilies and fall crocus are cold hardy.

Small bulbs are called minor and include crocus, squill, chiondoxa, aconite, anemone and hyacinth. These tiny bulbs have sweet little flowers that provide a carpet under the larger flowers.

Most bulbs like soil pH of 6.0 to 6.9. Add horticultural lime if a soil test indicates the need. Fertilize bulbs at planting time at the bottom of the planting hole. Be sure to fertilize again when they are up and blooming. Some gardeners prefer to add a layer of compost rather than using chemical fertilizers.
You can snip off the flowers when they fade but leave the leaves in place until they fall over.

In addition to local stores, you can find bulbs online. Sources include: Bloomingbulb.com, Easytogrowbulbs.com, Brentandbeckysbulbs.com, Brecks.com, Colorblends.com, Johnscheepers.com, ScrheinersGardens.com, VanEngelen.com, Touchofnature.com and Oldhousegardenbulbs.com.

It's a Mystery

2010-04-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Last spring I planted a pack of Fedco Seeds Beneficials Mix in the vegetable garden.
The package was said to contain: alyssum, bachelor button, borage, gem marigold, dill, fennel, Phacelia tanacetifolia or fiddleneck, caraway, parsley, golden marguerite, ajuga, basket of gold alyssum, and Rocky Mountain penstemon.

Indeed dill, parsley, basket of gold alyssum and a couple of others came up.
The entire planting took over a bushel basket sized area but brought the pollinators for our veggies and we were happy with that.

One took over and it's photo is here

Russell Studebaker, Sharon Owen and I exchanged a few emails and decided that it's Golden Marguerite or Anthemis tinctoria. In the spirit of trust and verify, I checked Cal Berkeley's plant site and here it is - Anthemis tinctoria.

The Missouri Plants website has lovely photos and information on it here. They say it is one of the chamomiles grown to make tea.

Plants for a Future says it is also used as a dye.

NEXT Anyone want to take a guess as to the identity of these two?

Gator Grabber - Get One If You Have Leaves to Pick Up

2010-04-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

This Gator Grabber is a cool new item from Radius Garden in Michigan. It has adjustable handles and big teeth, making it easy to use and efficient.

The Radius motto is "garden more hurt less" and it certainly applied in this situation. The oak tree drops its leaves now as the new leaves are emerging. It's either rake them and then bend over to scoop them up or.... ta da ... use the Gator Grabber.

It's no contest which is easier on the back.

All those leaves were taken to the shade garden to build up the soil over there. Not one was wasted.

A Mystery Is Solved: How and Why Certain Plants Make it Big and Others Remain Obscure

2010-04-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Each spring there is an explosion of certain new plants in the garden centers of large home improvement stores. Why specific plants are selected for annual promotion may surprise you. If your guess is that the plants are chosen because they are the best available specimens for your garden, you have to guess again.

Tony Avent, co-owner of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh NC, spoke recently on the topic at the Flower Garden and Nature Society in Fayetteville AR.

Photo: left Russell Studebaker - garden writer for the Tulsa World, center - yours truly, right - Tony Avent

Plant Delights, considered one of the premier boutique mail order nurseries, has been providing unique plants since 1991. Their customers are collectors and plant hobbyists.

Avent is known for setting trends. His introductions include tropicals, hostas, Arisaema, Agapanthus, elephant ears, wild ginger, Baptesia, and agave. Avent finds plants, breeds new hybrids, and then grows them on acres of test gardens before they are offered to customers.

He said there are four levels of plant markets: 1) Mass market (big box stores), 2) mainstream (garden centers), 3) niche market (specialty nurseries) and 4) bio market (plants for collectors).

Mass-market sellers offer plants that are at their best in the spring. Avent said that approach is logical when you consider the fact that most gardeners spend their budget in the spring and plants that are at their best in October look like a pot of dirt in April.

In order to be economically feasible, plants sold in volume have to be easy to mass-produce from seed or from cuttings within 16 weeks.

Size matters. Large volume plants have to grow quickly into a sellable size that customers think are worth their price.

In order to qualify for mass release, a patented plant has to fit into a seven shelf high shipping rack. Plants that cannot be stacked in "7 rackers" cannot be sold cheaply.

Also, the value of greenhouse space is a factor. Plants that have to be grown in heat and light all winter cost more to produce and have to carry a higher price tag.

When hardiness zones are printed on the plant tag, each additional zone has the potential to double sales. For example, a plant that is said to be hardy in zones 7 to 9 will sell half as many as a plant that is said to be hardy in zones 6 to 9. Not all plant tags accurately reflect plants' cold and heat tolerance.

Large growers apply growth hormones to artificially dwarf plants so they are compact on the shelf. When you get them home and the growth inhibitor wears off, the plant will not behave the same. It’s not your gardening skills that make plants change their appearance.

Trends in plant popularity go in a 30-year cycle according to Avent. For example, invasive used to be considered desirable. Catalogs said a plant would naturalize well when it became established and gardeners wanted that feature.

Most new plants that show up in spring are either from a commercial or university plant breeding program, from back yard breeders, or, are random seedlings that a grower discovered in a bed.

A few plants are found in the wild by plant explorers, but they rarely become commercially viable. Many fail to thrive, so they are not an economical method of expanding the plant supply.

Avent said gardeners should go to garden centers and specialty nurseries to find the truly great plants. Some niche market plants such as variegated agave can also be found on eBay.

The catalog for Plant Delights Nursery is available in print (919-772-4794) and online at www.plantdelights.com. In addition to being an engaging and informative speaker, Avent invents clever names for his hybrids and writes entertaining plant descriptions.

Plant Some Seeds of Four O'Clocks for a Floral Clock a la Linnaeus

2010-03-30T01:59:00.000-07:00

Four O'Clock's are an old fashioned annual flower that blooms in the afternoon and closes at night. Marvel of Peru gives a clue to the reason they are annuals in our zone 7 weather - they are from areas where the weather is Peru-like - no freezes in the winter.

The seeds are large and come up in a week or two. The plants grow 3 to 4 feet tall in my garden by the end of the summer. I probably should pinch them a few times to prevent that end of the summer leggy look but I never get around to it.

Mirabilis is the Latin name for these summertime beauties. It means wonderful. They are very easy to grow so they are a good choice for a child's first garden. Plus the fluttery things are attracted to the flowers on sunny afternoons - hummingbirds, butterflies and skippers will visit the open blooms.

At Yale.edu there is a fun article from 2006 on Mirabalis. According to the author, Eric Larsen, who found the information on the BBC site, you can plant a floral clock garden for hourly sequential flowering.

Here's an excerpt and the link so you can read the rest of the article.

The idea that one can design a floral clock has intrigued generations of garden designers since Linnaeus proposed the idea back in the 1700s. It is doubtful whether Carl actually planted a garden where the flowers were arranged so that they would announce the time of day by their successive flowering, but his son worked on the idea more fully after the elder Linnaeus' death.

In Philosophia Botanica, pere Linnaeus classified different plants by the types of flower production. For instance, Meteorici have flowers that open and close by weather conditions.

Tropici are flowers that open and close depending on the length of the day. Aequinoctales are plants that bloom at a fixed time of day unaffected by weather conditions.

These of course are the plants one would choose from when designing a floral clock.

Back in the 19 Century, it was all the rage to plant floral clocks, which were basically a circle divided into twelve with plants in each segment that would flower. Below I provide a partial list of plants that would work for your floral clock project. Bear in mind that some plants would need to be replaced as their season of bloom passes.

2:00 AM Night blooming cereus closes
5:00 Morning glories, wild roses
6:00 Spotted cat's ear, catmint
7:00 African marigold, orange hawkweed, dandelions
8:00 Mouse-ear hawkweed, African daisies
9:00 Field marigold, gentians, prickly sowthistle closes
10:00 Helichrysum, Californium poppy, common nipplewort closes
11:00 Star of Bethlehem
12:00 Noon Passion flower, goatsbeard, morning glory closes
1:00 PM Chiding pink closes
2:00 Scarlet pimpernel closes
3:00 Hawkbit closes
4:00 Four o'clock opens, small bindweed closes, Californian poppy closes
5:00 White waterlily closes
6:00 Evening primrose, moonflower
7:00
8:00 Daylilies and dandelions close
9:00 Night blooming cereus

The list above is from a BBC web-site, hence some of the English-sounding names. Your observations and thoughts are welcome on the times of flower opening, floral clocks or any other subject.

There is a variety called Broken Colors, with multiple colors, shades and hues on the flower. Another flower on the same plant will be completely different. This plant isworth growing if just for the flower colors, but add the aroma and you have a surefirewinner.

Plant of the Week is a publication of the Marsh Botanical Gardens. Opinions expressed herein do not reflect on the official policies of Yale University. We also welcome guest columnists, contributions and salty snack products.
Until next week, Trying my best to entertain - Contact: Eric Larson (eric.larson@yale.edu)

2009 Heirloom Tomato Trials - Winners Announced

2010-03-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

The Kerr Center’s tomato demonstration trial results were announced this week.

The trials were grown on the Cannon Horticulture Plots – a five acre site that features loam soil with moderately poor drainage, about 3.1 percent native organic matter, and a pH range from 6.5 to 7.0. Phosphorus and potassium levels are low and medium, respectively.

I've summarized the results with little editing and you can click on the link above for more info.

In 2008, the field was planted to an all season cover crop of sorghum-sudangrass to smother bermuda grass and build the soil. This was followed with a winter cover crop of grain rye, common vetch, and crimson clover, which was mow-killed with the mow residue used as mulch.

16 heirloom varieties were grown in the trial. Most were red, pink and purple fresh market types. All were grown from seed in their greenhouse on March 20 and transplanted to the field on April 30, when soil temperatures reached 67.

They used drip irrigation and applied the mulch over the next 10 days.

Several weeks of cold heavy rain followed. Fortunately, very few plants were lost. Because the plants set out April 30 had grown little during early May cool weather, replacements set out on May 15 readily caught up.

Varieties were laid out in short plots of three plants each and replicated twice for a total of six plants per cultivar. Transplants were set three feet apart with row spacing of six feet. Each plant had a tomato cage that measured 15 inches in diameter
and 4 feet in height. All were sanitized in advance using a light chlorine spray.

They seeded buckwheat between the rows on June 8 to encourage pollinators and other beneficial insects, and also to suppress weeds. Adjacent areas of the field were planted to purple-hull peas and

VARIETY,COLOR, BEST USE, RELATIVE YIELD, MARKETABILITY, and 1ST HARVEST
MARMANDE Red Fresh Mkt. Low Medium 26-Jun
BRANDYWINE Pink Fresh Mkt. Low Poor 1-Jul
BLACK FROM TULA Purple Fresh Mkt. Medium Medium 1-Jul
OZARK PINK VF Pink Fresh Mkt. V. High Good 1-Jul
PRINCIPE BORGHESE Red Roma Drying/Canning High Good 1-Jul
BEEFSTEAK Red Fresh Mkt. High Good 1-Jul
EVA PURPLE BALL Pink-Purple Multi-purpose High Good 3-Jul
MORTGAGE LIFTER Pink Fresh Mkt. High Medium 6-Jul
CHEROKEE CHOCOLATE Purple Fresh Mkt. Medium Medium 6-Jul
HOMESTEAD Red Fresh Mkt. Medium Good 6-Jul
ARKANSAS TRAVELER Pink Fresh Mkt. High Good 8-Jul
OLD VIRGINIA Red Fresh Mkt. High Good 10-Jul
T.C. JONES Yellow Fresh Mkt. Medium Medium 10-Jul
RUTGERS Red Canning/Fresh Mkt. V. Low Good 13-Jul
BIG MONTH Red Roma Canning/Fresh Mkt. Low Good 13-Jul
CHEROKEE PURPLE Pink-Purple Fresh Mkt. Medium Poor 16-Jul

All plants received a split side dress application of custom blended organic fertilizer on April 30 and May 18. They applied, in pounds per acre, a total NPK equivalent of 39–13–18. They sprayed all varieties six times during the season with dilute foliar sprays made predominantly from soluble fish, seaweed, humic acids, and trace minerals.

They used drip irrigation sparingly since the plants were already well mulched. It became clear that the plants were getting too much water and fruit quality suffered accordingly. A symptom they learned to recognize was the upward curling of plant leaves - apparently in an effort to expose the under-leaf stomates to sun and wind to transpire more water.

Weed control required minimal attention thanks to mulching and covercrops.

They suffered minor amounts of pest damage with tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) in mid-June. As fruit developed, they also found significant levels of damage from both tomato fruitworm (Helicoverpa zea), tomato pinworm (Keiferia
lycopersicella), and stink bugs (Pentatomidae).

Labeled amounts of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and a saponin-based surfactant were applied July 3, 7, 14,and 23.

Diseases were much less of a problem and more easily managed. Both septoria blight
(Septoria lycopersici) and early blight (Alternaria solani) appeared during the season. Labeled amounts of Serenade (Bacillus subtilis)and Seacide(fish oil) were applied at the same time as Bt, and seemed to hold these diseases in check.

Discussion (mostly unedited)
We were not at all satisfied with our management of insect pests. As already mentioned, we needed an earlier-flowering cover crop to bolster populations of beneficial insects before they are needed in the tomato crop. Also, we needed to
begin applying Bt sprays earlier in the season and make more applications.

While insect pests reduced the marketability of some of our tomatoes, radial cracking and were much greater problems. The high incidence of cracking and splitting was a consequence of the rainy growing season and heirloom genetics - few of the old heirlooms have been selected for crack resistance. Mild cracking is not
a great deterrent to farmers market and roadside sales. Severe cracking, however, is unappealing and can affect shelf life. To counterbalance
cracking problems, we often harvested fruit slightly early, rather than waiting for vine ripeness.

From a commercial perspective, the bestperforming varieties were not only those with
high yields, but also those with high marketing percentages - reduced cracking and insect damage. The heirlooms that did a good job of meeting these criteria in our trial were Ozark Pink VF, Principe Borghese, Beefsteak, Eva Purple Ball, Arkansas Traveler, and Old Virginia.

These criteria are somewhat less critical for home gardeners, especially those pursuing new taste experiences or novelty. Several of the varieties in
out trial might fill that need.

Most heirloom varieties tend to be indeterminate types. This means that they are more vining, and tend to spread the harvest over a long period of time, often producing ripe tomatoes up until frost.

Determinate types are more compact plants whose fruits tend to ripen over a shorter period of time, typically two to six weeks. Determinate types are favored by processors, growers with short marketing windows, and gardeners with limited space.

Marmande is a moderately early, semi-determinate,tomato. The fruits are red, slightly ribbed, averaging about 4-6 ounces. The Baker Creek catalog describes it as a popular old French variety, originally developed by the Vilmorin Seed Company. Marmande did not produce well in our trial, but the fruit quality was good.

Brandywine is, perhaps, the most reputable of heirloom tomatoes, touted, particularly, for its distinctive flavor. It is a potato-leafed variety.
William Woys Weaver writes that potato-leafed tomatoes first appeared in the U.S. in the 1860s,an introduction from France. According to Weaver, Brandywine did not
originate with the Amish, as widely believed, but was a commercial release from the
Philadelphia seed company Johnson and Stokes in 1889. Carolyn Male writes that it was named for the Brandywine River in eastern Pennsylvania.

There are now several Brandywine varieties in catalogs. Weaver holds that the pink variety is the original Brandywine, and the yellow Brandywine, a true mutation. Amy Goldman, on the other hand, claims that the original Johnson and Stokes release is actually the lesser known Red Brandywine, which has normal leaves and deep red fruit; the potato leafed varieties, she writes, are more properly known as Sudduth's or Quisenberry's Brandywine.

In all cases and variants, Brandywine fruits grow large and heavy, but are thin skinned and not suited to shipping. The pink, potato leafed Brandywine is prone to cracking and splitting when grown in the South.

Black from Tula originated in the Ukraine. Goldman writes that it was originally imported from Russia by the Seed Savers Exchange in 1996 and made commercially available in the U.S. in 1998.

It is among the better-known exotic tomatoes. The fruit has prominent green shoulders, rose black skin, and chocolate tinged flesh. The coloring puts some people off, while others are attracted not only by the appearance, but also by
the rich old-fashioned flavor.

The Baker Creek catalog and other sources state that Black from Tula is one of the largest purple varieties, with 8 to 12 ounce fruits. Our fruits were true to description, but smaller on average. Cherokee Chocolate, the only other dark purple
we trialed, was much larger on average.

Ozark Pink VF This pink-fruited variety was originally developed by the University of Arkansas for vine ripe harvest by market growers and home gardeners.

True to catalog descriptions, the fruit is not firm enough for shipping, but is quite resistant to cracking. The eating quality and shelf life were both
good. Our plants were also very productive.

6 HEIRLOOM VARIETY TRIALS
Pink VF was the highest yielding variety in our trial.
Ozark Pink VF has an indeterminate growth habit and was specifically bred for staked production in our hot, humid, and disease prone region.

Principe Borghese This interesting semi-determinate variety produces a great abundance of small, 1 to 2ounce grape and pear shaped fruits. In the Kerr Center trial, the fruits were firm and resisted cracking and splitting quite well. Principe Borghese is especially well suited for sun drying.

Apparently,it is common to pull whole branches and hang them outdoors until the fruit dries. In some seed catalogs, such as Pinetree Garden Seeds, this Italian variety is listed separately from the rest of the tomatoes, under foreign vegetables and, unfortunately, gets overlooked.

Beefsteak The term beefsteak is commonly used to describe a type of tomato, as opposed to a specific variety. Beefsteak varieties typically produce large, somewhat flattened fruits with thick, solid flesh and few, small seed cavities.

According to the Baker Creek catalog, the variety known as Beefsteak is a popular, standard variety, with rich, old time tomato taste.

Eva Purple Ball The origin for this variety is the Black Forest region of Germany, where it is traced back to the 1800s. Like Brandywine and Black from Tula, Eva Purple Ball ranks among the better known heirlooms.

Male writes that it is a variety without obvious faults, one that is widely adapted and performs well for just about everyone, everywhere.

Both Male and Goldman remark on the consistently shaped globular fruits that typically weigh about 4to 5 ounces. It has excellent taste for fresh market uses, but is multi-purpose.

The Southern Exposure Seed Exchange catalog claims it is well adapted to hot and humid climes, and has excellent resistance to fruit and foliar diseases. It was certainly one of our best performers!

Mortgage Lifter There are numerous lines of mortgage lifter varieties. It appears that the one we purchased is the interestingly named Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter – named for the West Virginia breeder, who owned a radiator repair shop in the 1930s.

The beefsteak type fruits are mild tasting, large and smooth, often weighing in at a pound. On the down side, they crack and catface readily. Stems, too, are often hard to remove. These characteristics are apparently shared by all the mortgage lifter
varieties. Mortgage Lifter has an indeterminate growth habit and plants tend to grow large.

Cherokee Chocolate is a dusky, brownish colored mutation of the popular Cherokee Purple variety. Chocolate performed better for us than its
better-known sister, including earlier fruiting.

Homestead was developed in the 1950s for Florida growers. It has good disease resistance and, unlike many heirlooms, is good for shipping.
The fruits are red, globular, medium-sized.

Arkansas Traveler is a familiar and popular variety in our region, and has been grown for generations throughout much of the South. It tolerates heat and humidity, and is crack and disease resistant. Fruits are medium-sized, smooth
and pink/rose-colored. The flavor is good, but considered unremarkable.

Old Virginia The Baker Creek catalog tells us this variety was commonly grown in Virginia during the early 1900s. They suggest it as a good choice for globalwarming gardening, because it sets fruit well despite hot summer weather. The dark red fruits are typically 6 to 12 ounces in size, with an old time sweet tart taste.

T.C. Jones is a beefsteak fruit type that originated from Kentucky. It was the only yellowfruited variety in our trial and it proved a favorite for its taste. Its growth habit is indeterminate and the vines grow quite large.

Rutgers A New Jersey heirloom, with a determinate growth habit, it is considered fairly popular among area gardeners. We were surprised, then,
that it did so poorly for us.

Big Month An Amish heirloom, it is the only true Roma-type we included in our trial. Big Month is named because all of its fruit tends to ripen
together making a big month of harvesting and canning. Its performance was disappointing,though it might have done better in a drier year. According to the Baker Creek catalog, this variety is highly drought resistant. The summer of 2009 was anything but droughty at Kerr Center!

Cherokee Purple Like Brandywine and a few others mentioned, Cherokee Purple is one of the legendary heirloom tomatoes, touted in good part simply for being delicious.

According to Male, the variety is over 100 years old and was supposedly grown by the
Cherokee. Its genealogy, however, is questionable. Male laments the confusion and blames it on the embellished descriptions in many early seed
catalogs.

Apparently the name Cherokee Purple captured the imagination of seedsmen and
promoters as well as gardeners!Cherokee Purple is indeterminate and disease resistant, making it a good choice in the South. Fruits are relatively large, about 10 to 12 ounces. It yielded moderately well for us, but we encountered much cracking and insect damage.

A Daffy Photo Album - March 28 2010

2010-03-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

Trilliums Are Coming Up

2010-03-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

The Trillium Discussion for Enthusiasts has a new online glossary thanks to Jim Shields at Shields Gardens and his cohorts.

Shields Gardens is in Westfield Indiana. Check out the Shields beautiful site here.

The online discussion is over my head most of the time but I joined to learn about Trilliums. The plants in my garden were sent to me by a couple of generous members of the discussion group.

Edgewood Gardens website has lovely Trillium photos.

The Trillium Discussion archives are here and it is searchable if you have a specific question about these spring beauties.

The Woodland Plant Picture Gallery and Trillium Identification page is on the home page here.

Have you checked? Are your Trilliums coming up yet?

Tomatoes - Grow the Best, the Biggest, and the Sweetest This Year - Tips from the Tomato Man's Daughter

2010-03-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes are the most popular home grown food. Actually a fruit, most people use them as a vegetable. Once called Love Apples, tomatoes were thought to be poisonous and were grown only as ornamental plants.

Today, the competition is fierce to grow the first, the sweetest and the biggest fruit a home gardener can produce. We might all improve our chances for an abundant harvest with some advice from an area expert.

Lisa Merrell is the daughter of Tulsa's Tomato Man, Darrell Merrell. She calls her business The Tomato Man's Daughter (www.tomatomansdaughter.com). At The Old Home Place-the same location of her father's business, Lisa sells tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings.
During the season, Lisa sells 30,000 plants at festivals and the Old Home Place. Most of those plants are grown from seeds Darrell and Lisa saved in a freezer over the past two decades.

If you go
The Old Home Place, 2208 West 81 St, Tulsa OK
Open Monday through Saturday April 8 to May 29
9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
tomatomansdaughter@gmail.com and 918-446-7522

She starts all of these seeds in trays. The trays are filled to the top with Sunshine LC1 potting soil and watered. The soil is given time to absorb the water before planting.

Tomato seeds need 70 to 85-degree warmth to germinate so I use only warm water, Merrell said. They take 3 days to germinate in a climate controlled warm spot or 5 to 7 days to come up on top of the refrigerator.

Lisa grows 85 tomato varieties. Her Top Ten tomato varieties for 2010 are Cherokee Purple, Carbon, Yellow 1884 Pinkheart, Sioux, Eva Purple Ball, Royal Hillbilly, Grandma Suzy's Beefsteak, Break O'Day, Oxheart and Sweet 100.
To get an idea of the size of this one-woman operation's responsibility, consider starting 780 flats of 3-inch pots.

The seeds started on Feb 16 were planted into pots on March 9 to have them ready for her Early Bird sale April 8 to 14. In addition to the Old Home Place, Merrell will sell her plants at the Sand Springs Herbal Affair & Festival on April 17 and at the Jenks Herb and Plant Festival on April 24.

Each plant is $3.50, with a buy-12-get-one-free deal.

Merrell's Tips - Planting Tomatoes

Select a site with at least 6-hours of sun. The plants appreciate afternoon shade in late summer.

Add compost to planting soil. Mushroom compost is proven to work well.

Add a pound of composed manure and a tablespoon of Epsom salts to the planting hole.

An alternative to animal manure is a mixture of 1 Tablespoon blood meal, one-half cup bone meal, one-half cup greensand, 1-Tablespoon Epsom Salt, 1 whole banana, and 2-crushed calcium tablets.

Plant 3-feet apart. Bury the plant half way up the stem. Bury or remove the lower branches.

Water during planting and again after planted.

Mulch with straw or hay.

Water twice a week with a soaker hose or the equivalent of one-two gallons of water per plant per week.

Merrell's Tips - Growing Tomatoes
Soak the soil to 8 inches deep twice a week. Punch holes in gallon jugs and put them into the ground next to tomatoes at planting time. Fill the jugs twice a week while you are checking plants.

Mulch plants, and fertilize with alfalfa, Epsom salts, or manure. Shake plants gently twice a day after flowers appear to help set fruit.

Spray with Bordeaux before any signs of disease appear.

Use Bacillus Thuringiensis to control tomato hornworms and Pyrethrum for spider mites and aphids.

Blossom end rot is a water-soaked spot on the bottom of the tomato that turns black. Extreme weather conditions during a growth spurt are the culprits. Foliar feeding with liquid calcium can correct the problem.

Prune if you want to shape plants but it is not necessary.

Cover plants with shade cloth in July and August

With a cat standing guard over freshly planted seeds in sterile soil, what could go wrong?