Planning for Fall

     I know, it's hot out and we are in the worst of the summer (though we are out of that really terrible heat wave for the moment).  However, August 1 to September 15 (maybe a little later on each end of that date range for central Virginia) is time to begin planning and planting the fall garden.  I used to think that, when summer was over, gardening was over for the season.  And that was the case for the most part when I lived in north-central Indiana.  But here in VA, we have an extended fall gardening season.  It is far more pleasant to be out in the garden in the fall than the dog days of summer!
     What can you plant now?  I planted some Swiss chard a few weeks ago and intend to make successive sowings for the next few months (later sowings may need to be grown under cover in the fall and winter).  The plants are coming up and doing well, though there is some damage from bugs (which you cannot see when the greens are cooked!).  I recently planted carrots, which can be tricky in the heat to get to germinate:  one rule, water water water. Fall turnip and mustard green crops (see above) can go in now too. Wait a few more weeks to sow kale and beets- beets especially need to be kept moist until they germinate (some people soak the seeds overnight, then cover the area with damp newspaper or old boards and check underneath daily for sprouting).  Broccoli and other cole crops can go in the ground soon as hardened seedlings (seeds might not work in the heat).  The only veggie that needs to wait until soils temps cool, around Labor day to mid-September, is lettuce.  Lettuce seed is very sensitive to soil temperature, so you need to wait for that cool down.
     Cooler days are coming and with them the "palette" of vegetables change, but what a pleasure to garden in the fall.
     Happy gardening!

Wednesday Laginappe*: Pond Dweller

 ["One More Frog" published with permission of Scott Vrana at: http://500px.com/ScottVrana]

Water gardening is so much fun, and not only for the lovely water plants.  Here is a great photo of one of the singing denizens of our pond.  To see others along with lovely garden photos, go to: http://500px.com/ScottVrana
Happy Gardening!


(*Lagniappe:  "something extra", in Cajun).

Swiss chard

Those of you who follow this  blog know I love greens (wish all my family felt the same).  I love spinach, but I find it too hard to grow- it never gets lush and big in my garden and it bolts too easily (even the slow bolt varieties).  So I grow Swiss chard instead. Chard is an excellent spinach substitute. The taste is similar, especially when cooked, and is good in salads when young.  And chard is easy to grow: it is sturdier than spinach, is slower to bolt (that is, go to flower), can be sowed late into the summer.  Plus chard is way prettier. The variety above (sea foam) is not a show boat, but "Bright Lights" with pink, red, yellow, green and cream stems is pretty enough for an ornamental garden accent.  Another variety, "Rhubarb," has pretty, deep red stems.

Try chard! And happy gardening!

Mystery Plant #3

Can anyone identify this plant?  Here is mystery plant #3.  Grown extensively through the south, the leaves are toxic to all sorts of bugs (and early organic growers used it as an organic insecticide).
Happy guessing!  Happy gardening!  Congratulations to Madeline and Celeste: it is tobacco!

Banana seed?

If you've read this blog for awhile, you know of my passion for bananas- that is, ornamental banana plants.  They add a beautiful, exotic touch to the summer garden. This is a series of photos of one such plant that bloomed last year (see the pink flower on top?  Just below the yellow flowers parts are proto-bananas).  Well, the plant formed little (inedible) bananas and I let them sit on the plant, curious as to what would happen.  The pink bananas stayed intact for quite a few weeks, then burst open into the flower-like structures in the third photo from top. These later formed into boxy, hard seeds (at least, I thought they were seeds).  I planted them and one came up (photo 4).  The photo on the bottom is the banana plant growing, and it will soon need a new pot, as it has outgrown the old one!
So, this answers an important question: do bananas have seeds?
Happy gardening!

Another Mystery Plant: Do you know what it is? Revealed

Here is another mystery plant: anyone know what it is?  Hint: An important crop to some native Americans, it is edible in one stage and used for other purposes in another stage.
ANSWER: this is Hope red dye amaranth. Amaranth produces an edible, high-protein seed, but this one is specifically grown to produce a red textile dye.  I will be learning to make solar dye bath soon at Ginter Gardens (Dye Plants class in August) and will post the results!
Happy Gardening!

Stuffed Greens: Recipe

Too many greens from the garden?  Stuff them!
Like some of my other "recipes," this is more a master recipe, rather than a measured approach (which gives you great flexibility). The basic idea is to start with washed greens that have a large leaf (chard works well, but so do collards with the stems trimmed back, steamed cabbage leaves or other green with a large leaf, like a mustard).  Then, decide on a filling. If it's meat, you are on your own, but any meatball recipe or combo with sausage should work.  You can also use rice, beans or lentils, seasoned with sauteed onion, garlic, peppers, and/or mushrooms and herbs, like Italian herb mixes.  Add toasted nuts if you like.  You can also fill with a ricotta cheese mix, like in a lasagna.  Simply put a dab of the filling on the intact leaf (collards and cabbage will benefit from being steamed before), roll the leaf up and place it in a glass lasagna pan, continuing until the pan is full (see photo).  I topped mine with spaghetti and al fredo sauces and baked for 45 minutes (or until bubbly) at 350 degrees.  But I can imagine topping with salsa and cheddar, maybe having put a bit of corn in the filling. Serve over pasta if you like. Be creative!
Happy greens gardening and eating!