I have never aspired to grow a giant pumpkin like those celebrated in Half Moon Bay, but I thought it would be fun to grow a few small pumpkins of our own for the children to decorate.  For the past two seasons, I’ve experimented with different varieties in different locations, focusing on the very small varieties such as ‘Small Sugar’ and ‘Jack Be Little’ with extremely limited success.  I’ve tried planting them in the limited, and thus precious, space of my small raised bed, tucked in out-of-the-way (yet well composted) areas of the yard, and in containers.  I even tried growing mini pumpkins vertically, which really wasn’t very successful (although two minis are better than none, I suppose).  The larger pumpkin vines have eked out a pumpkin or two, but really haven’t produced very well. 

So this year, while I couldn’t give up entirely, I didn’t try very hard.  I threw a few leftover seeds into a garden box next to my deck and promptly forgot about it until my husband asked one day, “Did you really plant a pumpkin THERE?”

Yes, indeed, we had a happy, healthy pumpkin vine growing in a small box with limited soil--it must have appreciated the full sun and regular water in that location because there wasn’t much else to live on.  I can’t quite recall what seeds I threw down, but I believe it is ‘Rouge vif d'Etampes,’ also known as the ‘Cinderella’ pumpkin because its shape resembles the fairy tale coach.  It is an heirloom pumpkin with beautiful deep orange-red skin.  Although we lost the use of part of our deck for a few months, gingerly walking around the vines, it was worth it to watch one pumpkin grow to full size and to anticipate several others that were close to maturity.

But then pumpkin tragedy struck. All of a sudden, in mid-September, hordes of whiteflies descended.  Whiteflies are small insects that are usually found on the underside of leaves in large numbers.  If disturbed, clouds of them will arise from the plant.  Two types of whiteflies infest cucurbits (the plant family that includes pumpkins and squash)—the greenhouse whitefly and the silverleaf whitefly.  The silverleaf whitefly is relatively new to California, but it is a serious pest and has the potential to cause considerable damage to cucurbits.  Feeding on the plants causes their leaves to turn whitish or silver, hence the name silverleaf whitefly.  More information about whiteflies and cucurbits can be found on the UC Integrated Pest Management website at http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r116301211.html.

Given that I didn’t anticipate my pumpkin plant would grow, much less be infested by whiteflies, I obviously didn’t plan for any cultural controls and I don’t care to use most sprays (mostly due to laziness). Insecticidal soap is a treatment option, but it requires frequent applications and full coverage when spraying.  I simply don’t have the time or the patience to spray the underside of each leaf of a sprawling pumpkin vine multiple times.  We harvested our one large pumpkin, cut the vines without small pumpkins in the hopes of reducing the whiteflies’ feeding area, sprayed the plant once, and cross our fingers that this would control the pests long enough to harvest a few more pumpkins. 

But alas, clouds of whiteflies are not the company you want to keep when relaxing on a backyard deck, so I ultimately harvested one more pumpkin and hauled the infested vines to the trash.  I didn’t even dare compost them since they were so infested.  The harvested pumpkins are now developing dark spots – I keep telling myself that it is natural variability in their coloration, but I am a little worried that somehow the whiteflies have caused the pumpkins to rot.  Time will tell.  No fairy tale ending here for our ‘Cinderella’ pumpkins, but we did enjoy the story while it lasted.

I recently attended a 4-hour workshop on homegrown/backyard mushroom cultivation organized by Biofuel Oasis in Berkeley, California.  Patty and Ray Lanier of Mushroom Maestros located in both Oakland and in Lake County, California, were the featured speakers of this seminar. 

The workshop began with a Powerpoint presentation on a brief history and folklore of the mushroom, the life cycle of a mushroom, and how mushrooms play a part in our ecological system.  After the Powerpoint presentation, Patty and Ray led the group through some hands-on projects, which is the focus of this blog entry. 

I was surprised to learn how easy it was/is to cultivate some varieties of mushrooms at home, specifically, the oyster mushroom and wine cap mushroom (king stropharia).  Below are instructions on how to cultivate oyster mushrooms at home.  Cultivating wine cap mushrooms is even easier and will be discussed in one of my upcoming blog entries.

Oyster Mushroom

Oyster mushrooms are aggressive and eager to grow. 

Materials needed:

1.       Large pot (e.g., a canning pot)

2.       Large colander

3.       Large mesh bag (e.g, an onion bag from the supermarket)

4.       1 bag of mushroom innoculent (can be bought on-line)

5.       1 cylindrical plastic bag (e.g., the plastic bags that newspapers come in or a large plastic bread bag)

6.       1 bag/jar of mushroom grain spawn (can be purchased easily on-line)

Step 1: Pasteurize (not sterilize) clean wheat straw (note: not hay, but straw) which you can purchase inexpensively from a well-stocked feed store, in 150 - 180 F degree heat for 45 - 60 minutes.  It may help to place the wheat straw in a mesh bag like an onion bag, to keep the straw together. 

Step 2: After you have pasteurized the straw, let it dry by placing it in a colander.

Step 3: Sterilize all work surfaces, tools, your hands, etc., with rubbing alcohol.  Empty the mesh bag of its straw contents and spread the straw (straw should be warm to the touch) onto a sterilized surface so that so that the straw layer is 2-3 inches thick.

Step 4: Take handfuls of the mushroom grain spawn and toss it onto the straw until the grains dot the surface of the straw.  Work the grain spawn into the straw. 

Step 5: Stuff the straw into your cylindrical plastic bag, compressing the straw enough so that the bag is firmly (but not overly) packed.  Tie the bag off.

Step 6: Take a nail or a sharp pair of scissors and pierce the bag, making random 1-inch cuts all over the bag, but not to the point where the straw begins to fall out.  This is to aerate the bag while keeping a moist environment for the spawn. Wipe the bag down with alcohol to keep it sterile.

Step 7: Place the bag in a shady area indoors (i.e., does not receive direct sunlight) in an area where the temperature is kept between 60 – 75 degrees.  Keep the bag moist but not damp, by spraying with a spray bottle filled with water.  You should see signs of oyster mushrooms in 2 weeks (the log will turn white), at which time, you can either keep the bag indoors or locate it in a shady part of your yard, protected from the wind and sun and heat.  When the caps of mushrooms flatten out, it is time to harvest.  Don't wait too long, as the mushrooms can grow past its prime in just 1 day.     

For more information on either Biofuel Oasis or Mushroom Maestros, please see www.biofueloasis.com and http://www.mushroommaestros.com/, respectively.

Summer sun shining

Flowers bloom skies clear blue

Autumn approaches

According to all the garden catalogs that come my way, it’s time to “replant, repot, rejunenate “the front yard.  According to those same catalogs, it will cost merely a gazillion dollars for the plants, bulbs, corms, and tubers to accomplish this transformation; and don’t forget about the soil amendments, and fertilizers the folks also want to sell you.  Yeah right, I have that kind of money to use as walking round cash!  Don’t you?

This year, the front yard lost all the glorious shade that came from the late, great green ash tree that stood for 20 plus years.  It’s been interesting to watch the various shrubs and bushes getting acclimated to more sun, less shade.  The oleanders made the transition beautifully, but of course, have you ever seen an oleander suffer from the sun?  They are now rather happy campers in the hot afternoon sun, bowing gracefully in the Suisun City gale that passes for gentle winds.

The buddleia in the ground near the front door went from full leaf to rather skimpy foliage, but made a roaring comeback – full of blossoms and hummingbirds.  The buddleia in the pot, however, is still trying to find a way back from “roasted”, but is managing to hold on until cooler weather when it goes into the ground itself by the side yard gate.  It gets water and encouraging words for the efforts!

The other succulents in their cozy pots that are placed around are thriving and growing like weeds, which is why some of their offspring will be at the plant exchange next weekend thanks to new Master Gardener Elizabeth!  The new Heucheras that were on the front porch in the shade have taken their temporary places in pots at the edge of the early afternoon semi-shade and the afternoon pure sun.  They got set there to find out just how well that spot would suit them.  Hurray! They are doing very nicely and I think that area will be their “forever” home. 

The only plant that is not really happy with the loss of tree shade is my 17 year-old “star” magnolia which is really missing the shade and the wind break the old tree provided.  However, when the new “black tulip” magnolia gets larger than the twig it is, I hope it will provide some relief for its cousin.

There are so many plants I would like to get and put out there, but we are still living with the wreckage from the old tree.  Concrete walkway parts are tilted and the driveway badly cracked thanks to the invasive roots of that ash tree; that, along with a (? maybe more?) break in the main lawn irrigation are subjects for many grousings and speculation and just plain hard work.  I’ve put it all off till later, but yes, I will do it.

Right now, the “new plant” budget is just big enough for some Dutch Iris (both yellow hybrid and deep blue hybrid) and 8 varieties of Muscari or Grape Hyacinths.  Originally planted around the ash tree, the bulbs there “took the hit” when the ash stump was ground out.  For over 35 years, wherever I have lived, there have been Dutch iris and Muscari planted around the front yard.  The only difference between back then and now are the roots left by darn ash tree that have to be hacked at, ripped out, and planted around.  But it will be done! (Right, Bruce?  Bruce, can you hear me?)

See you on the 12^th at the Master Gardener office for the plant exchange.  I KNOW that there is a plant or plants with your name on them for you to take home and enjoy!