Garden, Plant, Cook!

Friday, September 25, 2020

Celery, in the desert garden. Yes please! And Nature Helps.

Dear Folks,

This summer.  In some ways there are no words to fully describe all of the things that were different, troubling, and in one case a surprise, a good one.

Two of my wild apple trees grown from seed (germinated December 2018) appear to have succumbed to the intense and prolonged heat. Other plants as well. I will write up some of that in another post.The picture is of my celery bed (aka greens bed - more on that below) taken September 10th.  I little crinkly around the edges on some of them. 


However, by harvesting from the center area, I can get these lovely additions to salad etc., while the outer stalks and leaves of the plants shelter the interior growing area.

AND, that is the key to why my celery has been growing lushly since mid-winter (sown and re-seed volunteers last fall).


Here is the greens, herbs and celery bed in March.  I outlined (forgive my awful drawing skills) the celery in some ,so you can easily see them among the various lettuces and herbs. I treat this bed as a cut and come again, harvesting what I need as I need it.  Sometimes I just go out with my scissors and cut 2 inches or so off the top straight across the bed. Sometimes I just go out and cut what stalks and leaves of celery I need.

By June most of the lettuce type greens had blasted or died back.  The celery then took over the bed (top picture).

I have long written about density of planting/sowing for the warm/hot weather.  The density shields the soil surface from direct sun, minimizes evaporation, keeping the root area cooler. The density also creates a shield to the "sides" of the interior plants.

Because the celery began to take over the greens bed in earnest in late spring/early summer, I let it.  The reward was an amazing bed of celery that was about 4 feet wide and 2.5 feed deep.

I have been growing celery for a number of years, letting it self-sow and adding some seeds here and there. Up until this year I usually only had harvestable celery until about late May.

I intentionally sow celery and other greens Sept/Oct.  Usually the self-sown plants are showing up about this time (late September).


Now it was time to do some clearing out so I can sow the new greens bed.

I removed all of the celery plants except for a row towards the front of the bed.  I composted or cut and dropped in another bed nearby.  I do dry some of my celery, but this is too much.

I placed the pruners so you could see the size of the plants and the roots.  I do need to do some experimenting with using celery root in recipes.

This was September 12.  I leveled the bed readying for the seeds.

Normally I scatter the seeds, but this sowing time I decided I wanted a more colorful array of the greens so I decided

to sow in rows.  As the season(s) go forward I may add more in between.   This picture was taken September 15.


On September 23rd the bed looked like this. You can see parts of the row of celery in the front there (bottom of the picture).

So, some helpful information.  I actually have a couple of areas where the celery flourishes.  This one is north of a couple of trees, which keeps the plants early growing time more in the shade with some morning sun and a bit of filtered western sun.

Once the sun moves to summer south, there is more direct sun.  As this bed is the largest, the density was the most helpful.  Go back up and look at the opening picture.  You can see the crispy leaves are on the outside for the most part and that is point about density. Think of it as the plant being its own "nurse" plant protecting the inter growth from the heat intensity.

By keeping the plants generally pruned back, not letting the flowers and seed heads form, they continue to push out new growth.

I hope you give celery a place in your garden, so you too, can enjoy an almost constant access to this flavorful addition to many, many dishes.

Have a best day.

Be patient, be kind to yourself and each other, and share,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

 

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Tuesday, September 22, 2020

October Planting and Sowing Tips - September 22nd First "Official" day of Fall

Dear Folks,

I love finding critters in my garden.  I always seem to come on them quickly - almost on my nose!  I was inspecting my Avocado Tree and noticed an off formation.  Bingo, nice Praying Mantis.

I cleared out much of my celery bed.  I am going to share a celery specific post  next, so watch for it.  If you love celery and live here in the valley this should be a must read for you.


Anyway, while getting ready  to clear the bed, I notice a volunteer Red Romaine seedling.  Some of the celery story will be about volunteer seedlings from prior seasons.  Because I keep this "greens" bed dense and well seeded, the plants throw a lot of seed at the end.


We have a lot of birds and I still have a bunch of sunflowers attracting many birds.  The Lessor Goldfinch is a frequent visitor and was lucky enough to get a picture of one of the males eating a seed.  They also "harvest" tiny bugs which live in the sunflower heads.

First Day Of FALL!

I am sure, like me, most of you will be happy to see the heat go AWAY!  In normal years I enjoy the summer and it takes all summer long to look forward to fall.  This year with the "quagmire" of life created by covid 19, some health issues in my family and the "ennui" that seems to have settled on me, I am hoping the cooler temps, and less wildfires and smoke, will bring a literal breath of fresh air.

We should have been seeing more 90s days in the last week or so but the Smoke is keeping the heat in longer.

I have started seeding in things like root vegetables and the greens bed I mentioned above.  Sowing a seed or seeds always brings me such hope and satisfaction.

October brings major sowing and perennial planting options.  Get your cool weather herbs and root vegetables started now along with the greens and plan on re-sowing repeatedly every 2-4 weeks depending on how much you like your choices.

Fruit trees are planted best in October to maximize root development during the cool months.

Plant your Garlic in October - I try for about Oct 1st but if you get the cloves planted by Oct 31 you will have enough cold soil to give the plants enough time to form good heads in spring.

Jump into your garden and feel revitalized and renewed!

October 1st is World Vegetarian Day.  You don't need to be a vegan or vegetarian to appreciate all the wonderful options from your gardens. Plant something new and find new recipes for old favorites.

 October PLANTING:

Spring!!! in the Desert - Heavy planting possibilities:

Anise
Bay, Greek (Sweet)
Beans, Fava
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage            
Cabbage, Ornamental
Caraway
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chervil
Chrysanthemum, Shungiku
Cilantro
Dill
Endive (and Chicory)
Fennel, Leaf
Fruit Trees
Garlic
Greens
Kale, Ornamental
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lavender
Lemon Grass
Lemon Verbena
Lettuce (arugula, leaf lettuce etc.)
Marjoram
Mints
Mustard
Myrtle
Onions, Green
Onions
Oregano, Greek
Oregano, Mexican
Parsley
Parsnip
Peas, English and Sugar/Snap
Potato seeds (not seed potatoes - use seeds) ("seed potatoes" or cut pieces of potato should be planted Nov 1-Jan 1)
Radishes
Rosemary
Sage
Savory
Spinach
Tarragon, Mexican
Tarragon, French
Thyme
Turnips

EDIBLE FLOWERS TO PLANT:

Calendula
Carnation (Dianthus)
Cornflower (Bachelor Buttons)
English Daisy
Evening Primrose (Oenothera Berlandieri)
Hollyhock
Jasmine Sambac (Arabian)
Johnny-Jump Up
Marigolds, including Tangerine Scented (Tagetes Lemonii), Citrus Scented (Tagetes Nelsonii)
Nasturtiums
Pansies
Primrose
Scented Geraniums
Shungiku Chrysanthemum
Snapdragons
Stocks (Matthiola)
Sweet William (Dianthus)
Sweet Alyssum
Violet
           

GARDEN TIPS for October
"Spring in the Desert" - we call fall our spring because this is when we do most of 'heavy' garden work, trees, shrubs and cool weather edibles all go in now.
    The beginning of primary perennial planting season is now through February.
    Cool weather annuals and biennials can be sown every 2-4 weeks (beginning in August) through end of February for a continuous crop through next spring.
    Garlic: Plant garlic cloves no later than October 31st to ensure full maturity of garlic heads in the spring.  Plant extra if you want ‘green garlic’ (used like scallions) through the cool months. The ‘green garlic’ can be harvested when the clove below the soil swells slightly.
    This is the beginning of bare-root planting season. Asparagus, raspberry, blackberry, grape, and strawberries may start showing up in your favorite garden nursery.
    If you have ever-bearing berry vines, cut them down to the ground after the fruit is finished. (This is easier than trying to keep track of which are the oldest canes — commercial growers use this practice.)
   
Aphids are a major problem with cabbage family - forestall infestations. Add a fingertip of Dawn to 1 quart of water. Shake, pour 1/4 cup down center of each plant once a week

Make and use a safe soap spray on aphids on other plants (the aphids like our cool nights too!).  1 teaspoon each of dawn and vegetable oil to 1 quart of water.  Spray every 5 days for a minimum of 3 repeats to keep them under control.  Neem spray is a good alternative.

Find links to my books and calendars on the side bar.

Enjoy your garden, be kind, be patient with one another, and share.  Keep all first line and first responders in your hearts.

 

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady If you enjoyed this post, please share and subscribe below by entering your email, to get all my posts!

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