Not of lot of exciting or good stuff to discuss, except for this flower -- Blue Butterfly. See at the bottom, after this month's sowing/planting tips. This are so blue it is tempting to dismiss them as artificial.
November PLANTING:
Do yourselves a favor and harvest tender herbs --before first frost -- typically November 17th, but who knows this year!! Along with other greens to make the "Herb Soup" recipe at the end of the planting tips. You will love it!
Anise
Asparagus
Bay, Greek (Sweet)
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cabbage, Ornamental
Caraway
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chamomile
Chard
Chervil
Cilantro
Dill
Endive (and Chicory)
Fennel, Leaf
Fruit Trees
Garlic (only as green garlic)
Greens
Horseradish
Kale, Ornamental
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lavender
Lemon Verbena
Lettuce
Marjoram
Mints
Mustard
Myrtle
Onions, Green
Onions
Oregano, Greek
Oregano, Mexican
Parsley
Parsnip
Peas
Radishes
Rosemary
Sage
Savory
Spinach
Tarragon, Mexican
Tarragon, French
Thyme
Turnips
EDIBLE FLOWERS TO PLANT:
Calendula
Carnation (Dianthus)
Chamomile
Cornflower (Bachelor Buttons)
English Daisy
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 Alyssum
Sweet William (Dianthus)
Violet
GARDEN TIPS for November
First frost date average is around November 17th.
Frost in the Valley at the 1100 or lower elevations is usually limited to ‘soft frost’ where simple cloth sheets or paper placed over sensitive plants (or moving potted plants beneath patios or trees) is sufficient to protect them. Never use plastic covers as the plastic transmits the cold to the plant tips.
For every 1000 feet over 1100 in elevation the first frost day is moved forward 10 days. The possibility of hard (killing) frosts starts to occur, although at 2000 feet or lower this is still a rare occurrence.
Frost pockets in the Valley can surprise gardeners. As a matter of practice, if the weather forecasters predict an overnight temperature of 40 F, I prepare for frost by protecting my sensitive plants with cloth or paper covers This is because heat retention by buildings and walls dissipates by early morning (4 or 4:30 a.m. to dawn the temperature can drop 8 degrees plus or minus).
Frost danger continues until about mid-February.
Cool weather annuals and biennials can be sown every 2-4 weeks (beginning in August) through the end of November for a continuous crop through next spring.
November through January can be a ‘rainy’ season for the desert. You can usually hold off on regular watering if you have received a half inch or more of rain within 2 days of normal watering days. Make good use of your water meter to determine soil moisture.
If rains are heavy this month, in addition to foregoing some water days, you may need to put down Ironite or green sand to compensate for mineral bonding (which makes iron unavailable to the plants) due to both the excess water and the cold soil.
FROST DAMAGE
The best way to think of frost damage on your edibles is the damaged plant material is now a partial protective cover to the underlying growth.
As mentioned in prior notes, frost damage in the lower desert gardens is usually limited to 'soft' frost which is controlled by simply putting cloth or paper covers over the plants at night, or if containers, moving them under evergreen trees or onto the patio.
IF, however we get hard or killing frosts, of extended periods or days, die-back will occur even on protected plants. The reason is the radiant heat retained by structures and even the soil dissipates completely, leaving the plants exposed to too-cold air.
Whether the frost damage is from soft or hard frosts if the plant is still alive DO-NOT-REMOVE-THE-DAMAGE. Doing so risks damaging the growth still alive under the top die-back. I don't remove even dead plants until spring. I have found basil seedlings coming up under a large dead basil plant killed off by a hard frost.
Obviously we like our gardens to look pretty most of the time, but selectively resisting the urge to pull something a little bedraggled gives you, the gardener, access to earlier production of the warm weather plants because of their larger root systems.
Herb Soup
From the book : “101+ Recipes From The Herb Lady” - by Catherine Crowley
A wonderful blend of herbs, lettuces, croutons and cheese. The beauty of this soup, besides its fabulous flavor, is the ability to vary the herbs, lettuces, croutons and cheeses for different flavors. I developed this recipe from Provencal soups.
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
4 cups mixed fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used Thai basil, cilantro, parsley, see note below*)
1 package spring lettuce mix
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups boiling water (can use broth - but try the water the first time)
6 cups croutons (any stale bread diced will work too - some day-old nice artisinal breads would be great for this)
3/4 cups Parmesan cheese
Set aside 1/2 cup each of herbs and lettuces for garnish. Divide croutons and cheese into 6 soup bowls.
Saute shallot in butter for 1 minute. Add herbs, salt, and lettuces all at once and cook—stirring for 5 minutes. Add boiling water, cover and simmer for 15 minutes—stirring occasionally. Ladle greens and broth into soup bowls. Add garnish of herbs and lettuces to each bowl. Serve and enjoy. Serves 6.
*Traditional recipes call for sorrel and chervil or any combination you like - the Thai Basil has a tarragon aspect to it which mimic the chervil with a kick and cilantro's citrus back-note mimic the sorrel.
Amazing blue color!
The flowers, leaves, young shoots and tender pods are all edible and commonly consumed, and the leaves can also be used as a green colorant. "It also contains Delphinidin an anthocyanidin, a primary plant pigment, and also an antioxidant. Delphinidin gives blue hues to flowers in the genera Viola and Delphinium. It also gives the blue-red color of the grape that produces Cabernet Sauvignon, and can be found in cranberries and Concord grapes as well as pomegranates, and bilberries." -- wikipedia
It is a member of the legume, Fabaceae family, with the unusual name of Clitoria ternatea.
It is subtropical, so wait until last frost to sow. I would recommend direct sowing in the ground rather than pots first. Direct sown seeds do not germinate with the high percentage of pot-sown, but the ones that do are usually quite a bit stronger and healthier.
I direct sowed the seeds March 21, 2020 and it started to sprout on March 31st. I started harvesting the flowers on September 23rd and the plant is still pushing out flowers each morning. I realized too, I need to leave some flowers on to produce seeds! :) The vine is in a mix shade and sun location, with dappled sun and afternoon sun.. I have a friend who is growing in the sun.
This plant is native to
equatorial Asia, including locations in South Asia and Southeast Asia but has also been introduced to Africa, Australia and the Americas.
Butterfly Pea Vine Seeds Names: Rich Royal Blue, Clitoria ternatea, Bunga telang -- Uses: Edible/Tea and Decorative, Butterfly Garden/Host Plant
Fun Fact: "The flowers have more recently been used in a color-changing gin Blue in the bottle, it turns pink when mixed with a carbonated mixer such as tonic water due to the change in pH. As organic colours are not permanent, this type of gin is recommended to be stored in a dark place to maintain the effect." - wikipedia
Go to Youtube and search for blue butterfly flower and up comes a host of drink, tea and even cocktail ideas. Anything like lemon or lime will turn the blue color pink or purple. I am providing some steep liquid for a family member to make blue ice cubes for folks to add to lemonade. I suggested she slip a cube into someones ligh beer in a glass :)
1 to 1.5 teaspoons per cup to make tea. Steep at least 5 minutes or longer for a darker color.
In the collage, I started the steep, took a picture at 5 minutes and again at 10 minutes. The color was not deeper. I used 5 fresh flowers as a baseline to see what kind of color I could get. I will be using dried flowers for the ice cube event.
If you are looking for a fun, beautiful and unique flower to grow, give this a try.
Be nice to yourselves and each other, be kind and patient (sometimes hard to do with everything going on), share what you have, and don't forget to garden!
-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
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