- Author: Cheryl A Potts
Surprisingly, the second best thing I like to do with potatoes, the first, of course, would be eating them, is not planting them, but digging them up. I become like a little kid finding a new toy hidden by my parents in a toy box or an adult, finding a twenty dollar bill in a pocket of a pair of jeans not having been worn for over six months. I never know how many I am going to find, or what size they are going be. Almost every time I do any digging in the vegetable garden area of my yard, I find a potato I missed the first time around. Yea! Lunch!
I have learned that I am only to grow plant certified seed potatoes. Previously, I would plant the eyes of any organic potato I happen to buy, but these store bought spuds perhaps have been treated with a sprout inhibitor and/or may have a potato virus which will cause my crop to be less than desired. The appropriate seeds can be found in most any seed catalog. Each year, one of the catalogs I receive sells potatoes exclusively.
The soil for the potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) needs to be loose, slightly acidic and well draining, so do not plant in clay. Well mulched, composted soil works best.
Potatoes can be planted in this area in February through March for a summer crop or July through August for a winter crop. These plants do not like excessively hot weather but so far mine have done fairly well in this Vacaville heat.
The actual planting of these seeds is a bit different than with other plantings. You take the potatoes and cut them up, making sure you leave at least one eye on each piece. Then you set these pieces of potato aside, somewhere that is room temperature and slightly humid, for one to two days. This causes the dried pieces to develop what is called a callus, which will help the seed not rot once in the ground.
To actually plant the seeds, place one in a hole about three inches deep. Your plant rows should be about thirty-six inches apart according to the information I have read, but I must admit, I do plant them a bit closer together, with the plants six to ten inches apart in the row. Cover with soil to ground level and then in about a month, add three more inches of soil to your row. Water needs to consistent, but relatively light, as they are shallow-rooted. Do not allow the soil to dry out as a second growth will start when and if the soil becomes moist again, That is if your first crop has already formed. This will cause those real knobbly tubers, the ones impossible to peel or cavities called "hollow hearts" in the center of the vegetable.
It is time to dig up your potatoes when the vine dies, the only death I look forward to in my garden. Cut the vine away before digging, then carefully dig up the soil and find your treasures. Kids, I have found, love digging up potatoes, so use your grandchildren well.
Potatoes should be cured for about two week somewhere where is it relatively cool, 55 degrees and humid. Then the they can be stored. Be careful not to store potatoes with apples.
My favorite is Yukon Gold, but there are many other varieties that do well here. White Rose, Russet Burbank and Norgold Russet are a few. The above mentioned potato-only catalog has some great sets of various varieties in one package, which can make for a really fun potato patch.
There are some pests to watch out for. One is that proverbial aphid, and he is rather easy to deal with. Another is the potato tuber moth. He, too, can be dealt with by simply making sure that your seeds are always covered with soil, meaning, watch out for cracks in the soil. There is also a fellow named the Colorado potato beetle, a stubby, round bug with a big appetite for the leaves. Watch for him, and when you find him, throw him away. Then look closely for any eggs that have been laid on the underside of the leaves, especially the early ones, and wash them off with insecticidal soap or clip off the leaf entirely. The eggs are bright orange, so rather easy to find.
Potatoes can be grown in pots, and some enjoy growing them in big containers such as a garbage can. As the plant grows, more soil is added, so potatoes grow at many levels. Just be sure your container can drain.
Just for your information, the growing of sweet potatoes or yams are a completely different story, and perhaps fodder for another blog.
- Author: Martha White
Imagine, if you would, a garden filled with tiny white and pink butterflies dancing and fluttering over the rest of the plants? That image, of whirling butterflies, is the nickname for a reliable, drought tolerant plant that is thriving in my garden: Gaura. This North American wildflower had been left to grow in its wild, natural state in Texas until the 1980's, when the cultivar ‘Siskiyou Pink' was developed. Since then, several additional varieties have emerged as popular choices for the home gardener interested in easy-care, pretty, flowering plants.
The gaura has a compact, clump-forming growth habit, with moderate growth to 2 to 3 feet tall. It will reliably bloom from mid-spring through summer, with wiry arching stems, delicate pink or white flowers blooming along those stems, only a few at a time. In our mild-winter area of California, the gaura will appreciate being cut back for the winter, and will thank you by giving an even prettier display of dancing “butterflies” the following spring. This favorite of gardeners will appreciate full sun, and good drainage, and is not often attacked by insects or diseases. It develops a long taproot, which helps it to be drought-tolerant, but also means it does not like to be moved from place to place. An extra bonus is that this beautiful hard-working plant will also attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden.
In my search for pretty gauras for my garden, I visited our lovely local garden shop, Morningsun Herb Farm, on Pleasants Valley Road on the west side of Vacaville. If you have never stopped there, and you love all things gardening, you will enjoy your visit! The varieties of gaura I selected are ‘Indian Feather', ‘Ballerina Pink', and ‘Siskiyou Pink'. My photos will hopefully give you an idea of the delicate stems and leaves, and the beauty of these tiny 1”dancing flowers.
- Author: Lanie Keystone
If you are looking for a demonstration garden that helps define the essence of a Mediterranean garden, then Turtle Bay Botanic Native Garden in Redding is a fine place to start. The garden is a young one, but we can tell that it will grow into a lovely representation of each of the world's Mediterranean climate zones. Moreover, they have planned the garden to include a wide range of biological diversity—as well as some delightful public sculptures.
As the garden's interpretation points out, the world's Mediterranean climate zones make up just 2% of the entire land mass of our planet. It's easy to forget that small percentage since we live and breathe such a habitat!
The characteristics of these Mediterranean zones are: a) they are each on the western side of continents; b) they are each 30-45 degrees north and south of the equator; and c) they each have rain in winters and warm-hot, dry summers. There are 5 Mediterranean regions which, in order of size are: 1) the Mediterranean Basin—(which includes areas in 15 countries on 3 continents, (60%); 2) southwestern & southern Australia, (22%); 3) western California, 10%; 4) central Chile, (5%); and 5) the western Cape of South Africa, (3%).
The survival adaptations amongst the native plant life that grow in each region are very similar, too. Some of these fascinating traits could be-- tough, waxy, mostly evergreen leaves; gray foliage which reflects sunlight; slightly hairy covering on the leaf to reduce moisture loss; re-sprouting and reseeding from late summer and early fall fires; or summer-deciduous bulbs, corms, tubers, and rhizomes such as daffodils or irises.
When we acknowledge and understand the unique characteristics of our Mediterranean climate and the kinds of plant life that thrive in it, we are able to make wiser choices. In choosing from the vast, varied and exciting world of plants “native” to our Mediterranean zone, we create a garden that truly stays in harmony with our own special region and its needs.
- Author: Tina Saravia
As we get more summer days in the high 90's, with less potable water available, and more expensive water bills, I'm looking more into Food Forest gardening.
What is Food Forest gardening?
Imagine being in a forest with tall trees and small trees, shrubberies, ground cover. It does not get watered. The leaves fall on the ground and act as mulch. The animals and other organisms digest the the mulch and turn it into fertilizer. It's a sustainable way of existence. Now imagine if all those plants are edible. That is Food Forest Gardening.
According to Wikipedia, Forest Gardening in the temperate climate was pioneered by horticulturist Robert Hart. He did not invent the system, but was inspired by those who came before him. In turn, he inspired Bill Mollison, one of the pioneers of the term permaculture, to adopt Hart's seven-layer system as a common permaculture design element.
So we ask, what is the seven-layer system?
It starts with the ‘Canopy layer' consisting of the original mature fruit trees; then the ‘Low-tree layer' or under story, of smaller nut and fruit trees on dwarfing root stocks; ‘Shrub layer' of fruit bushes such as currants and berries, and so on... Below is a an image I found on the Permaculture Research Institute website showing the 7-Layers.
Image source: Permaculture a Beginner's Guide, by Graham Burnett
I still have a lot to learn about food forest gardening. Here's another useful link I found from Cornell University. http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/info/pubs/FC%20factsheets/FCFSforestgardening.pdf
Meanwhile, here's my attempt on creating a food forest in my own backyard. I don't quite have the seven layers covered but it's still a young food forest.
In the Center is a 3-year old Fuyu persimmon tree (Diospyros kaki) to the left is a Florence fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), to the right of the persimmon are some walking onions (Allium ×proliferum), in the front is a sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and a few other struggling herbs and a couple of fertilizer makers.
- Author: Betty Homer
I recently took up cycling again after a six-year hiatus. In my research of Bay Area rides, I stumbled across the Fifth Annual Silicon Valley Tour de Coop which is take place on Saturday, September 17, 2016. This fun ride has its riders traveling from homestead to homestead in the South Bay to view chicken coops, bee hives, and people's private gardens. It appears that the actual route and precise hours of the tour are in the process of being finalized and will likely be posted in the coming weeks so check the link below often. Although it is a trek down to Silicon Valley from Solano County, it is nevertheless a great opportunity to view people's private homesteads for free and in a setting and climate different from our own. Although the tour is free and is self-guided, you will need to register for the tour via Eventbrite, and the link can be found on the tour's webpage. Also, for those who do not cycle, you may also travel from site to site by car. For further information, please see https://tourdecoop.org/