- Author: Mary B. Gabbard
My goal with writing this blog is to convince you to plant some Zinnias…this weekend!
You might be asking “Why a Zinnia”. To which I would reply:
- one of the easiest annuals to grow: can start from seeds right now
- thought of as a ‘cheerful' flower, supplying you with a bounty of color from late spring until the first fall frost. Flower colors range from shades of orange, pink, purple, red, white and yellow w/pale to mid-green leaves.
- attracts Butterflies and Hummingbirds to your garden
- very low maintenance
- non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses: deer resistant.
- grow quickly and reliably: a bonus for new gardeners!
How to plant:
- My preference is to start zinnias from seeds. I like to soak the seeds prior to planting, helping to speed up the germination time. I soak my seeds overnight, typically for about 12 hours. I do this by placing the seeds in a bowl and pour lukewarm water over the seeds. The next day when I'm ready to plant, I simply drain the water and move seeds to my prepared soil.
- Because you'll be planting this weekend, I would suggest starting your seeds in peat pots available at your local hardware store. Our last frost date is March 1st, meaning you can plant directly into your outside garden bed. However, because frost dates can vary a week or two if you are going to plant directly outside, postpone your planting for a week or two.
- If you are planting in a peat pot, transplant the entire pot into your garden bed once the seedlings reach a height of 1 inch. Ok to thin to 1 plant per peat pot to allow for proper spacing.
- Zinnias prefer least 6 hours of sun each day, well-draining soil. Water at the base of the plant to keep the foliage and petals dry. Water deeply a few times a week, preferably in the morning, reducing the risk of fungal diseases.
Maintenance:
- Zinnias will benefit from regular deadheading and flower removal. Trim off the flowers that are brown or wilting, this encourages more flowers to form by shifting the focus of the plants' energy into flower production vs seed production.
Enjoy!
- Author: Kathy Low
It's that time of year when I start browsing through all the new seed catalogs that arrive in the mail and I start thinking about what vegetables I want to grow this year and what seeds to order. But then I bring out my big box of old vegetable seeds from past years to see if I really need to buy more seeds. But as usual, I can never remember how many years each type of vegetable seed is generally viable for before their germination rate begins to decline. I know a simple way to test for seed viability and germination rates only take a paper towel and patience. You place a row of at least 20 seeds on a flat moistened paper towel then loosely roll up the paper towel with the seeds in them. Place the paper towel in the best light and temperature for germination. Then you check the paper towel every few days for up to ten days to see how many have germinated. But frankly, I'm too impatient to do that.
So I decided it was time to put together a “cheat sheet” of general seed viability to keep in my box of old seeds so I won't continue to buy seeds I really don't need to buy. It's a general guide because a variety of factors can affect seed viability, such as the temperature and other conditions the seeds are stored under. So below is my general “cheat sheet” of vegetable seed viability,
Vegetable/Herb |
Years Before Germination Rates Significantly Decline |
|
Basil |
|
5 |
Beans |
|
3 |
Beets |
|
4 |
Broccoli |
|
3 |
Cabbage |
|
4 |
Carrots |
|
3 |
Cauliflower |
|
4 |
Celery |
|
3 |
Chard |
|
4 |
Chives |
|
2 |
Cilantro |
|
5 |
Collards |
|
5 |
Corn |
|
2 |
Cucumbers |
|
5 |
Dill |
|
5 |
Eggplant |
|
4 |
Fennel |
|
4 |
Kale |
|
4 |
Leeks |
|
2 |
Lettuce |
|
5 |
Melons |
|
5 |
Onions |
|
1 |
Oregano |
|
1 |
Parsley |
|
1 |
Peas |
|
3 |
Peppers |
|
2 |
Pumpkins |
|
4 |
Radish |
|
5 |
Spinach |
|
3 |
Summer Squash |
|
4 |
Tomatoes |
|
4 |
Turnips |
|
4 |
Watermelon |
|
4 |
But the list is only to discourage me to buy seeds I don't need. Because my parents grew up during the depression, I was taught never to waste old seeds that could still germinate, which explains why I still have six or more year old bean and melon seeds I still plant because I know from past experience, some of them will still grow!
- Author: Aysha Huerta
Isn't it amazing how you can pass by something on a daily basis and never pay any attention to it but then once you do, all of a sudden you start to see that thing everywhere? That's my relationship with Happy Wanderer (Hardenbergia violacea). This beautiful flowering vine caught my attention at the Nut Tree playground. You can also see it growing along many busy streets and the walls of buildings all around Vacaville. Happy Wanderer blooms in late winter-early spring and they are such a welcome pop of color, almost a teaser that spring is near. Up close the tiny flowers have an Alice in Wonderland feel to them like they could burst into song at any moment which just adds to their whimsical charm.
The Happy Wanderer (also known as Coral Pea or Australian Sarsaparilla) is an evergreen vine with beautiful leathery, oblong leaves and tiny flowers in different shades of purple, white or pink. It's zone 9 hardy, prefers partial shade, is drought tolerant and grows well in clay soil, all things that lend to it thriving here in Vacaville. These plants are wonderful climbers that are known for growing up to 20 feet and are absolutely gorgeous grown over archways. I'm so happy to have finally opened my eyes and stopped to smell the flowers, literally and figuratively.
- Author: David Bellamy
The pomegranate (Punica granatum) originated in the region extending from Iran to northern India and has been cultivated since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean region. It was introduced into Spanish America in the late 16th century and into California by Spanish settlers in 1769.
The pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub that grows between 6' and 12' tall. Left to itself, it will also grow about that wide, so if you have a small yard, you may want to prune it into a more narrow version or remove the lower limbs to give it a small tree-like look. It can be grown as a single trunk small tree or multi-trunked bush with 3-5 trunks. You may wish to keep it in the back of your garden due to its size and abundance of thorns. It can endure temperatures down to 12 degrees before being damaged, and usually starts to leaf out after all danger of frost has passed. The fruits contain hundreds of arils (seeds), that are very sweet and nutritional.
Since it's been around for so long, it has developed a huge amount of folklore, as well as being shown in art and has had various religious and cultural uses. Ancient Egyptians regarded it as a symbol of prosperity and ambition. Hindus believe that the pomegranate fruit is a fertility enhancer and recommends that women who want to get pregnant eat this fruit in abundance It figures prominently in Greek mythology, as in the myth of Persephone, married to Hades and required to spend the number of days there each year equal to the number of seeds in a pomegranate, before she can return to her family in the heavens above. If she would have asked a master gardener, she might have been told to grow a miniature pomegranate bush, whose fruits are much smaller, only slightly larger than a golf ball, and hold only a fraction of the amount of seeds in a full-sized fruit, thereby allowing Persephone to spend the majority of the year away from Hades.
For more information on myth, lore and health benefits of the ancient pomegranate, visit this website below, or just search for pomegranate and you will have lots to read. “Fun Facts on Pomegranate in Religions and Mythology”, at
http://www.amazing-pomegranate-health-benefits.com/pomegranate-in-religion-and-mythology.html
- Author: Trisha E Rose