- Author: Erin Mahaney
A few years ago, we grew a mammoth sunflower that my son has talked about ever since. We had planted it in our raised vegetable bed so it had good sun, good soil, and a good water supply. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so good for the vegetables that struggled to compete with it!
We have tried to grow giant sunflowers every year since in other areas of the yard that didn’t require sacrificing a zucchini plant or a tomato crop. But perhaps due to the clay soil, more sporadic irrigation, or hungry birds or squirrels, we couldn’t even get the seeds to germinate.
So this year, I gave up a corner of my raised vegetable bed to growing a giant sunflower again for my son. The seeds germinated quickly and the seedlings happily grew . . . and then we went on vacation. When we returned, the seedlings were so big that I was reluctant to thin them for fear of disturbing the roots of their siblings. (That, and I’m a bit too soft-hearted to thin seedlings like I know I should.) Giant sunflowers should be space 20-24” apart. If they are planted too closely, the seed head will be smaller.
Ultimately, instead of a giant sunflower, we have ended up with a crop of 5 very tall sunflowers with good-sized—but definitely not giant—seed heads. Being contrary flowers, they prefer to face our sunnier neighbor’s yard than our own. We didn’t get the mammoth sunflower that we were hoping for, but I have to admit, the cheery faces of the sunflowers that we do have more than make up for it. Plus, I know my finches will be happy when the seeds ripen! It was definitely worth worth skipping a few zucchini this year.
- Author: Cheryl A Potts
Pumpkins! Tomatoes! Peppers! Zucchini! Basil! Squash! Strawberries! Sounds like a great day at the Farmer's Market or a trip to Larry's. Right? Well, all this and more can be found at Marks' Growing Center, a program designed to provide individuals with development disabilities, community access, life skills, and employment.
Found on Leisure Town Road in Vacaville is Hope House, a residential home for adults with special needs, and in the frond yard of this home is a huge vegetable garden, composed of donated plants, currently reaching the end of their summer run. However, the pumpkins are turning orange and the gourds are becoming huge and beautiful.
Volunteering for her second year on this project, Master Gardener and retired special education teacher, Bernice Stalk has planted, picked, watered, weeded, and sold the vegetables to local eateries with great dedication while encouraging those with special needs to become involved. These same individual have helped sell their wares at a road side stand set up on some Saturday mornings at their residence, greeting the public, counting out tomatoes and showing off some of their craft items.
These same individuals are excited about manning a booth on October 13th at the last Vacaville Farmer's Market of the season, where they they will be selling zucchini bread, jams, jellies, home made bird houses and other great things for your garden. Be sure and drop by and say hello.
Volunteers make up the staff as well a functioning board. Compost, seeds, time, and plants are donated. Funds raised help pay for trips and activities for the participants. More help is needed as the transition to a winter garden is made. So if you are wanting to get involved, let me know.
- Author: Janet Snyder
Last week, I was doing some shopping at a local big-box store, and after grabbing what I needed, I headed over to my favorite aisle of clearance outdoor merchandise. A pretty good selection of various plant foods, garden tools, and outdoor furniture was still available. However, one item on the shelf made me stop and go "hmm" - a bag of bermudagrass seed.
Really? As a gardener, I can't imagine that anyone would actually want to buy this, as it is so abundant in our area. I fought the stuff in my yard all the time at my old house, where it was always trying to come up in my full-sun flowerbeds and in our row of pyracantha shrubs along the sidewalk. If you have it in your garden, you know what I'm talking about. The problem is, once you've got it in your yard, you might as well make friends with it, because it will probably be there for good. I have a brother in the southern part of the United States, and down there, homeowners put turf in their yards in the form of bermudagrass sod. It is apparently the best for their hot, humid summers and cold, icy winters. There isn't much that will kill it.
Anyway, staring at the one bag left on the shelf, I realized that people must buy the stuff, not knowing the can of worms they are bringing in to their yards. Do yourself and your neighbors a favor, and pass on that bag of bermudagrass seed. If you already have it in your yard and want some help getting rid of it, or if you just want to know more about it, go to http://ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7453.html for some good tips.
- Author: Edward Walbolt
Some of you may have heard what is going on at Nelda Mundy Elementary School in Green Valley. The Daily Republic newspaper ran a front page story on September 3rd about the successful garden being cultivated on the local elementary school campus. It is a progressive educational program that pairs classroom education with life lessons and hands on experiences. The garden is on the school campus and is tended to by student and adult volunteers. The school garden was very fortunate when the Green Valley Agricultural Conservancy provided $1000.00 to get the project off the ground. The garden was planted with tomatoes and other edibles and recently celebrated the first harvest. This is a learning opportunity for students to get first hand experiences with topics relating to gardening, farming, and plant biology. Unfortunately getting a public school garden started is something that cannot be successful without funding and volunteers, which makes it a difficult undertaking. At Nelda Mundy, the school administrators and parent volunteers are committed to the project. It is great to see a public school offering today's youth a well rounded education and going out of their way to do so.
link:www.dailyrepublic.com/media-post/nelda-mundy-elementary
- Author: Betty Homer
Admittedly, this blog entry leans more towards food than cultivation, but hey, isn’t food one of the main reasons why we grow edibles in addition to edibles just being plain beautiful?? I believe our local readers will be delighted to know that we have a number of knowledgeable local olive growers, and, in turn, olive oil producers here in Solano County. This blog entry will feature one such local source—Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company located at 2625 Mankas Corner in Suisun Valley.
Il Fiorello (Italian for “little flower,” which describes the olive flower itself) is owned by Mark and Ann Sievers. I had the pleasure and privilege of attending a marvelous Chocolate and Olive Oil tasting event at Il Fiorello recently. This blog entry will focus exclusively on the olive aspect of the event (rather than chocolate), as olives can be cultivated locally.
During the event, Mark gave an informative lecture, filled with fun facts about olives:
- Most Olives are grown within 200 miles of the Mediterranean Sea.
- There are over 800 varieties of olives.
- Different olives produce different flavored olive oils.
- Greeks use more olive oil than just about anyone.
- There are approximately 800 olive mills in Sicily alone; contrast that with just 53 mills in the United States.
- California is the center for the olive oil industry in the United States.
- Oldest olive tree is in Sicily—approximately 2,600 years old.
Mark explained that when tasting olive oil, you should first use your nose to smell the oil and then taste for depth (fruitiness/bitterness, pungency (e.g., how peppery is it?), and balance). Pungency can be described by the number of coughs you experience as a result of tasting an oil. One of the many varieties of olives that the Sievers grow, is called a Lecchino, which is delicate in flavor and pairs well with vegetables such as spinach. Another variety that the Sievers grow is the Frantoio, which produces a more robust olive oil.
When caring for olive trees, Mark advised that one must be very careful to prune the trees because olives grow on 1-year old wood. Apparently, olive trees are fairly pest-resistant overall, having only one real pest—the olive fly (http://ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74112.html ) which, according to Mark, is pretty easy to control. One healthy tree can produce approximately 40 pounds of olives which will render 2 quarts of olive oil. Mark said that olives start to deteriorate the moment they are harvested (helpful tip for those of you who have olive trees and harvest from them). Olives must be milled within 24 hours of harvest to achieve a superior oil.
Mark advised that olive oil, if kept properly (no heat, no light, no oxygen) in a cool, dark place, will last up to 3 years. He warned that most of the olive oil on supermarket shelves is rancid (I heard the same when attending an olive workshop presented at UC Davis this year) and that the only way a consumer knows to tell the difference, is to have developed a palate for good olive oil.
So if you love olives but do not have your own olive trees, look no further than to our local sources.