Frost Damage to Plants - DO NOT Prune!

Dear Folks,

It may be tempting to "tidy up" a frost damaged plant but DO NOT - the damaged plant material acts as a protective covering - like a blanket - to the growth underneath the damage.  The damaged parts of the eggplant shown are protecting the pepper plant underneath it.

Coffee Tree Frost Damage

The Coffee Tree took a bit of hit at the top but the mango and two avocados in that area are fine.

You can get more harvests by leaving the dead growth on top, until frost danger is over in late February - give or take a couple of weeks depending on where you are.  My pumpkin vine took a big hit but the pumpkin is still maturing so I'm not going to harvest until it is fully tan. 

Elsewhere on the vine there is a baby pumpkin possibility needing pollination - I noticed there is at least 1 male flower in the vicinity, so we shall see what happens.

On "darn" note another pumpkin which has been growing along got detached from the vine, so now I need to find time to cut into it and see if I can use it like zucchini. That is the good thing about the melon, squash, cucumber family.  You can frequently use the immature fruit like you would zucchini.  Some are quite sweet tasting. I had the opportunity a couple of years ago when baby watermelon got detached and they were delicious!

And my tomato / sweet potato bed took a hit, but as you can see from the second photo there are some nice tomatoes ripening under the damage and canopy.

And finally as you probably noticed in the Coffee Tree photo above, we have oranges!

They are starting to fall from the tree, earlier than normal, probably because of our exceptionally warm fall.  They are really delicious.

Still getting sugar peas along with the wonderful tomatoes and sweet peppers.  So salad tonight!

I wish you the Merriest of Christmases and hope yours is joyous, peaceful and filled with love and good food.

Be safe, be kind and patient.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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First Day of Winter and The Greenhouse is Doing Its Job. Lecture Coming Up

Dear Folks,

It is also the coldest day time temps today so far this Fall/Now Winter.

It had been so warm we did not get the greenhouse up until last weekend and I got seeds started on Monday.  I took the picture this morning.

I LOVE being able to stand in there and work - the sun warms it up so nicely and I have a real problem with the cold.  Basically it is not 75!

I am going through seeds and deciding what I want to grow for February and later planting.

. . .

MY NEXT Lecture is January 20th at Mesa Urban Garden.  Mark your calendars.

Compost, Mulch & Rock - The Difference Makes a Difference.

AND I am adding something new to this lecture - a gardening or cookbook swap!  Bring any gardening or cooking books you would like to donate. Find a book or books you would like to take home.  Any left over books will be used in the MUG Little Library.   NOTE:  ONLY gardening or cooking related books please.

I will also have my seed bank with me for those who may need some seeds to get their growing on.

. . .

MY NEW Calendar is Now Available.  In PDF and Print form. You can see a preview under the picture.  The PDF is the same as the print calendar.  All new format allowing you to make your own notes from your garden experiences.  Then you have your own permanent gardening journal with all the usual helpful reminders.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season, filled with peace, family, fun and good food.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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Agriscaping is Edible Landscaping - My Heirloom Pumpkin is Still Growing.

Dear Folks,

I HAVE to share this video with you.  I know of, but had never met, Justin Rohner of Agriscaping.com.  This is an amazing display of edible landscaping, and his home is in an HOA and shows how edible landscaping can be as beautiful and decorative as ornamental, non-edible plants.

Justin's video could be a visual of my gardens (only his are neater :-) and since he did such a great job showcasing the beauty of edible landscaping I felt you NEED to see it.

He recently gave a video tour of HIS home to illustrate what edible landscaping - what he calls Agriscaping - looks like - and I was blown away by his meticulous layout.  He even has a "farmacy", an area devoted to herbs which can be used medicinally.  This video, for those who live outside of our valley, was taken December 17, 2017 - the middle of early winter in many parts of the country.

Justin Rohner - Agriscaping.com

Here is the link to his website.

One of the points he makes is the different climate zones in YOUR gardens.  I know in mine there can be as much as an 8 degree difference in these different zones and that can be a great guide to what to plant where.

. . .

My Upper Ground Sweet Potato Pumpkin is coming along.  Since this is the first time I have ripening fruit on it (last year's plant failed) I am trying NOT to pick too early.  I sowed the seeds in July and the plant put out a ton of male flowers for weeks once it got going.  This fruit probably pollinated in mid-September. With our lovely warmish weather this fall, I have at least 1 or 2 other young fruit.  We shall see what happens.

RECIPE:

If you missed my recipe for Cranberry/Pistachio Biscotti, -  Here is the link
None of the ingredients are from my garden, but it is the holidays and these cookies are so good, I hope you will try them out.  Let me know what you think if you make them.   catherine  at herbs2u dot net

In case you missed it - did you see the release on my new perpetual monthly calendar?  Blog post and links are here.

 You can also get the link in the upper side bar to the print edition (it is available in print and PDF).

There is still time to donate food to your local food bank to help make sure those in need have holiday dinners. Click here to enter your state to find food banks near you.

Have a great week.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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