(Via Idaho Gardener)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 23:50:22

Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people’s feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,

To have to go to bed by day?

Post from: Idaho Gardener

a poem for summer nights from my pal Nanc

(Via Gardening Question of the Day (from The Old Farmer's Almanac))

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 19:00:00

How can I get rid of the squash bugs in my garden? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.

(Via Idaho Gardener)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 16:29:35

But gentle, devoted reader, you are being rewarded for your persistence. Here it is in it’s entirety:
(Note: this is from LAST Monday. Week 6 will be reported to you on Thursday so please stay tuned.)

The Salad Days of June
June 23, 2008

Mary Ann Newcomer

I find myself kind of looking forward to Mondays. Monday afternoon is my designated pickup time at the Earthly Delights farm.

I grabbed a bunch of plastic grocery bags (recycling is g-o-o-d), a large paper bag and a large plastic yogurt container…..just in case there is a large supply of warm strawberries again this week. Please. Please oh, please.

A note of catch up from last week: I have a head of lettuce left (again) this week and just today, for lunch, I had 6 sugar snap peas that I found lazing around in the crisper drawer. Honest, if I had known they were there, they would have been gone days ago.

5:30 pm. Picked up the week’s treats. No berries. Sadness.
Here’s what we DID gather up:

*Bronze Pirat lettuce, another beautiful head of it. I have company so it will be all gone in the next day or so.

* Two lovely heads of romaine lettuce which will be for dinner tomorrow because I will STILL have company. I am thinking all this fresh lettuce will dazzle them.

*A generous helping of sugar snap peas, probably enough for three people. I have already blanched these. OK, I blanched the ones I didn’t eat on the way home. Here’s how it’s all shaking down tonight:

The snap peas, 4 new garlic scapes, the bag of what farmer Casey is calling “seasonal zesty salad treats” (nasturtium leaves, purple orach leaves, curly cress, and wrinkled crumpled cress which sounds like it hails from my dryer), plus a handful of fresh basil – all these are going into a pasta salad. We don’t have round peas but we have snap peas so maybe we could call this Pasta Primavera? Give peas a chance.

I cooked a box of bowtie pasta in salted water, drained the pasta, then tossed it with the green garnishes. I will let folks add stuff to their pasta with green bits: offerings include a bowl of chopped hazelnuts, some grated smoked cheddar, a olive/mushroom tapenade which came in a jar from the Boise Co-op and a bowl of breadsticks.

Not to worry, one bunch of kale came was in the bag today so husband has one more week of greens.

Happy eating green until next week.

Oh, and here’s a litte sumpin’ sumpin’ extra for your devotion:

Recommended reading:

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Smith and Mackinnon
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver
Cooking Outside the Box: Easy, Seasonal and Organic, by Keith Abel
Coming Home to Eat by Gary Nabhan

Post from: Idaho Gardener

CSA WEEK 5….the journal entry that didn’t make the paper

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 15:14:55

Easily one of the most recognisable palms, and perhaps the most grown by home gardeners, is the sago palm (cycas revoluta. Its peacock-like fronds demand your attention in whatever setting their placed and their annual flowering display is not to be sniffed at either.

The sago palm isn't actually a palm but instead a cycad - more closely related to evergreen conifers than palm trees. Yet it somehow picked up the common tag of being a palm and is rarely referred to as a cycad other than by those who know. The difference: - palms are monocotyledons (seeds sprout only one leaf) while cycads are dicotyledons (you guessed it...they sprout two leaves from the seed). Hardly a big difference when you're trying to explain this plant's genetic background.

While this plant may not be a true palm, its shape and size make it one of the most utilised specimens in landscape tropical gardens. And why not? The foliage, as an architectural texture, is exquisite and as it grows the trunk adds the dimension of height.

Where can sago palms grow?

Almost anywhere the summers are warm and mild and where they will be sheltered out of frosts and snow. If kept in pots they can be grown in cold climates providing they are overwintered and your summers aren't too cold.

If your climate isn't characterised by frost-ridden winters then growing a sago palm in the ground is certainly an option. Obviously palms that grow in the ground have less maintenance requirements and can grow much taller than their pot-bound counterparts.

Problems with the sago palm

• Slow growing - while they look fantastic when they're a decent size waiting around for them to grow can be an exercise in patience. In most cases they will only add 1-2" (2-5cm) per year - and that's a good year.
• Great leaf catchers - because of their shape and growing habit, sago palms are great leaf catchers. This is a bonus if that's why you wanted to grow this plant but for most gardeners it can become they reason they rip them out. Therefore, plant them in a location that isn't beneath a deciduous or leaf-shedding tree.
• They need warm summers - while sago palms can put up with cold winters they really struggle if they can't enjoy some summer warmth. If your summers don't average at least 20°C (70°F) then the sago cycad may not be an option for your garden.
• They need sun - just like warm summers, cycas revoluta basks in full sun. While they will grow in shade and perform quite well in part-shade they can often become leggy and more disease-prone without at least half a day of full-sun.
• Deadly to dogs - for those gardening pet-lovers keeping a sago palm and a dog in the same confines is asking for trouble. The seeds from the sago palm are extremely poisonous and will kill a dog within a few hours of digestion. And, don't think your children are immune - this can seriously harm them as well.

Caring for a sago palm

Apart from the growing conditions mentioned above sago palms are quite easy to care for. A feed of a balanced fertiliser every six months and caution taken when watering (they don't need much) is really all these plants require.

If your sago palm has become a leaf catcher then removing the built up compost from with the plants centre is paramount. Leaving it to rot down within the plant can cause a myriad of disease and fungus problems which are better prevented rather than trying to cure.

Does Sago come the sago palm?

Most of us have enjoyed endured sago at one point or another in our lives so it's not a dumb question to think that this plant may be the source of our child-based memories. However, the true source is from another palm (a real palm) also commonly known as the Sago Palm Metroxylon sagu.

(Via Snappy's Gardens Blog)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 14:48:00

(Via Country Gardener)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 14:30:00

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 13:55:02

Gardeners grow two types of plants basically, annuals and perennial plants. The annual plant grows from a seed; flowering follows and the mother plant dies after the new crop of seed has matured. The perennial plant does not have a life span that is limited to one year unless it is grown out of zone.

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 13:24:07

Using plant stands in the garden and indoors, with special emphasis on garden plant stands. Create super plant displays inside and out with plant stands that are a decor item in their own right.

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 12:53:18

What is the Right Plant and Where Do I Put It? We all have asked that question if we were brave enough to enter into the world of gardening. Maybe I have stimulated some thoughts to think about when entering this field.

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-06-30, 12:34:17

One of the most important parts of growing a successful vegetable garden is the planning you put into it. Find out what you need to do before planting a single seed.