Irish Potato Famine
Prior to the 19th century, Ireland's farmers primarily grew grains such as wheat, oats, and barley. However, by the 1800s, due to a rapidly growing rural population, the Irish began to rely on just one crop – the “Irish Lumper,” a variety of white potato (Solanum tuberosum). It was easy to grow on small farms, even in the worst soil, and provided enough sustenance for impoverished tenant farmers and their families. In the mid-1840s a blight struck potato plants all over Ireland. Leaves would wither with shocking speed and when the tubers were dug up for harvest, they were found to be shrunken, mushy, and inedible.
Known as the “Great Hunger,” by 1851 one million Irish had died of starvation with another million emigrating to other countries, reducing Ireland's population of 8 million by twenty-five percent. With a current population of about five million, it has not recovered to this day. The huge flood of Irish pouring into the United States in the late 1840s had a profound effect on our country, especially in urban areas. By 1850 it was estimated one-quarter of New York City's population was Irish.
Cause of the Late Blight
Late blight affects a wide range of plants, including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Symptoms include brown-purplish spots and lesions on leaves and stems, with white fuzzy growth underneath the leaves, ultimately causing fruit rot and plant death. Late blight continues to be a destructive disease, causing serious agriculture losses worldwide in tomatoes and potatoes.
Late Blight Management
If you suspect your garden potatoes are infected by late blight, bring in a sample to your local UC Cooperative Extension office. You can also learn more about late blight at: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/DISEASES/lateblight.html
Saint Patrick's Day
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a UCCE Master Gardener with Stanislaus County since 2020.
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We are getting close to the typical average last frost date at March 3rd. So now is the time to start some cucumber, squash or melon seeds indoors.
Starting Mix
First, you need some seed starting mix. You can use ready-made mixes, or you can make your own by using potting soil mix you have on hand. Since I always have some potting soil mix on hand for use in containers or up potting starts, I use that. I suggest screening it through a ¼ inch hardware cloth sieve to take out any larger pieces which might block the seeds from poking through the mix.
Once the soil is hydrated, add it to the seed trays. Since cucumber, squash, and melon seeds are larger seeds, they are planted at about twice their size or roughly ½ inch depth.
Next, place your starter tray on a rack or designated place, covering it with a humidity dome. If you have plant-start heating mats, they can be very helpful by warming the soil, but are not absolutely necessary. It is customary to “bottom” water seeds, so add water to the tray your seeds are in. The soil should be moist enough from the initial wetting process described above, thus only a little water should be needed in the tray. Add water only when soil dries out slightly. After about 15 minutes, if any water remains in the tray, drain it. The humidity dome should stay on until the seedlings begin to show.
Seedlings
The Armenian cucumber seeds in these photos germinated over five days from February 17th through the 22nd with the humidity dome being removed on February 22nd.
At this point the seedlings should be placed under grow lights slightly above their height. Adjust the height of the light as the seedlings grow. If the grow lights are too high, the seedlings will likely become “leggy,” because they are stretching to reach more light. This will cause them to be weaker due to the main stem being too long and thin, and likely top heavy. The first set of leaves on the seedlings are the cotyledon leaves. The next set of leaves you will see are the first true leaves and the cotyledon leaves will likely drop off.
Preparing Plants for the Garden
Hardening off is the process of acclimating the new seedling to the outdoors. This starts by moving them outdoors the first day for perhaps 2 hours. This continues daily, increasing amount of time of outdoor exposure each day for about 1 week. By then your new starts should be able to handle being transplanted into your outdoor garden.
If you prefer not to jump start your growing season by starting seeds indoors, cucumbers, squash, and melon seeds can be started in the ground in late March. Just be sure to check the long-range weather forecast to see if any possible freezing temperatures might happen.
Tim Long has been a UC Master Gardener in Stanislaus County since 2020. All photos are by the author.
/h3>/h3>/h3>Learn about planting leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach, and root vegetables like carrots, beets and radishes. Not to mention broccoli and cauliflower. All of these vegetable plants can be grown in the ground or in containers. Great class for beginning gardeners.
We are excited to say that our classes are at nine Stanislaus County Library Branches! We hope to see you there.
August 2023 Library Branch Schedule
- Tuesday, 8/1 at 6:00 p.m. - Salida
- Saturday, 8/5 at 2:00 p.m. - Empire
- Tuesday, 8/8 at 6:00 p.m. - Oakdale
- Thursday, 8/10 at 1:00 p.m. - Patterson
- Saturday, 8/12 at 2:00 p.m. – Riverbank
- Monday, 8/14 at 6:00 p.m. – Ceres
- Tuesday, 8/22 at 2:00 p.m. - Waterford
- Wednesday, 8/23 at 6:00 p.m. - Turlock
- Monday, 8/28 at 5:30 p.m. - Modesto
Hibiscus are one of many flowers that are edible. Edible flowers can be used to add color, fragrance, flavor, and texture to foods. They can be added to soups and salads raw, used in entreés or desserts, make tea or flavored water, candied, breaded, or fried. They have the benefit of often being healthy while providing few calories.
Precautions
Before consuming edible flowers, one should always proceed with caution. As with any new food item, slowly introduce specific flowers to the diet to see if any allergic reactions occur. The flowers should come from your garden or trusted source that has not been sprayed with pesticides. Do not use flowers from plants or bouquets that have been purchased from a floral shop, nursery, or garden center, as they may have been treated with pesticides. Many flowers share common names, so always look for the scientific name (genus and species) to ensure you have the right flower.
Harvesting
Choose flowers that have just fully opened, harvesting in morning right after the dew has dried. Flowers need to be carefully washed out, and in many cases, remove the stamens, styles, pistils, and sepals (the parts that hold the pollen and the green stems that hold petals together). Use as soon as possible for maximum flavor.
So Many Flower Choices!
Nasturtiums: these flowers have a delicious, peppery taste similar to watercress and their colorful blooms look lovely in summer salads.
Pansies: come in a wide range of colors with a mild lettuce-like taste which makes them popular for salads. The entire flower can be used.
Marigolds: some varieties have better flavors than others, so experimenting is a must. French marigolds have a bright, citrus-like flavor and a colorful addition to salads. The petals can be cooked in dishes and are sometimes referred to as “poor man's saffron.” Dried petals of African marigolds can be used to make a tea.
Dianthus or pinks: Their petals can be steeped in wine or sugared for use in cake decorations. The petals are unexpectedly sweet, if the bitter white base of the flowers is cut off.
Honeysuckle blossoms, as the name suggests, have a honey-like flavor. They bring a fragrant sweetness to jams, jellies, cakes, candies, and other sweet treats.
Roses: are often used in Middle Eastern dishes in the form of rose water which can add an intense flavor to a dish. The petals can also be sugared or used as garnishes.
Lavender: not only smells wonderful, but English and French lavenders have a sweet flavor used in a wide range of baked goods, ice creams and other recipes. However, use sparingly, as the flavor can be overpowering.
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a Stanislaus County Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension since 2020.
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- Why are the leaves on my citrus trees yellow and what should I do to make them green again?
- Is it time to prune my citrus tree?
- Can I plant a new citrus tree now or should I wait until it warms up?
Learn how to plant, prune, care for, harvest, and get all your questions about citrus during our free online webinar on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. Maxwell Norton, Emeritus Cooperative Extension Advisor from Merced County will be teaching this class. Use the link below to register.
Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Time: 9:00 am – 10:30 am.
Where: Online
Register: https://ucanr.edu/citrus/2023
Link: you'll be sent a link to log in with before the class.
Registration will close Tuesday, January 31 at 8:00 a.m.
Can't tune in live? Watch the recording the following week on our YouTube Channel.
If you live in Stanislaus County and have a question for the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, call (209) 525-6802 or fill out our online survey http://ucanr.edu/ask/ucmgstanislaus where you can also attach photos.