- Author: Lee Oliphant
Grow and Eat Greens Year-Around
By Master Gardener Lee Oliphant
Q. Is there an easy-to-grow edible green that I can plant now and grow year-around? Beverly Delauer, Cambria
A. We have just the thing for you, Beverly! The easy-to-grow Tendergreen Mustard, also referred to as “Mustard Spinach” and “Komatsuna”, is actually not a spinach but in the Brassica family. This tender mustard green grows to maturity in less than 40 days, requires little care, can take cold weather as well as heat (although it tends to bolt in hot weather), is drought tolerant, and can be sown and grown year-around in mild climates.
Tendergreen mustard is a Japanese green that can be eaten raw or cooked. It has thick, smooth, glossy green leaves, oblong in shape. Tendergreen mustard is widely used in Asian countries both in stir-fry and in salads. Its tender leaves, as well as its flowering stems, are used raw or cooked and have a flavor between mustard greens and cabbage. It can be harvested at any stage of growth.
Plant seeds about 6” apart then thin to 12”. Don’t throw away those thinnings. Use the young plants in salads. Once the mustard is 12” tall, begin harvesting the outer leaves leaving the inner leaves to mature. Tendergreen mustard is delicious when mixed with other greens in salads or stir-fried in oriental dishes. This is one reliable green that no vegetable garden should be without.
UPDATE:________________________________________________
After this article published we had many phone calls that the seed were not available at local nurseries. Here's a list of suppliers of this seed that we found on the web. We are not affiliated with any of the following companies. They are listed in alphabetical order.
- Posted By: Michele Yockey
- Written by: Andrea Peck, Master Gardener
Q. Are Indian walking sticks considered pests in the garden?
-Rhonda Kohler, San Luis Obispo
A. The ultimate expert in camouflage, the Indian walking stick exhibits crypsis, the ability to change color, shape and behavior to blend into their environment. Adult specimens reach up to 4 inches in length. Their long, wingless body is generally brown-colored. When confronted, this amazing creature retracts its legs alongside its body, adding to its appearance as a stick. In fact, if it were a bit longer, you might accidentally pick it up and throw it to your dog for a game of fetch. Considering its ability to remain hidden, however, it is a wonder that these curious insects, often kept as pets, often seen as pests, are even discovered.
Originally native to southern India, Indian walking sticks are a familiar attraction in elementary classrooms because they can survive on lettuce, making them an easy pet to care for. Their dramatic appearance and slow swaying motion that mimics a branch in the wind, make these bugs a conversation piece no matter where they perch. These insects became established outside of India as a result of their popularity as pets. The female walking stick is an interesting character that does not require the benefit of male attention to reproduce. Combine that with the ability to lay a significant number of eggs, which often go unnoticed as waste products and you have a recipe for easy breezy reproduction. When kept as pets, it is recommended that cage waste be placed in a tightly sealed bag and thrown away. This should limit the possibility of infestation.
While the Indian walking stick is generally not a major pest, it has become more of a nuisance in recent years. Springtime is typically the time when the most damage occurs. This is because the nymphs hatch and search voraciously for the insect version of a "Twinkie" Small-leafed varieties of ivy and privet are prize catches for these insects, but beware, they will also enjoy azalea, bramble, camellia, geranium, hawthorn, hibiscus, jasmine, oak, pyracantha, rose and of course, your veggies are not immune. In some locations defoliation of plants and significant damage to valued specimens has occurred.
Control of the Indian walking stick is limited. Pesticides are not recommended. Hand removal, though it can be a challenging game of hide and seek, is the best management strategy.
Have a Gardening Question?
Contact the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners: at 781-5939 from 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday and Thursday; at 473-7190 from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday in Arroyo Grande; and at 434-4105 from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday in Templeton. Visit the UCCE Master Gardeners Web site at groups.ucanr.org/slomg/or e-mail mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu
Photo Cutline: Photo Courtesy of UC Regents, by Ryan K Perry
- Posted By: Amy Breschini
- Written by: Maggie King, Master Gardener
By Maggie King, Master Gardener
January means different things to different people. For some it means good books, bunny slippers, and naps by the fire. For avid gardeners, January is the time to grab a pair of pruners and head outside to the fruit trees and vines that await our attention. Careful pruning can make the difference between a bountiful crop of fruits and berries and an unhealthy, unproductive orchard. When we prune we get rid of dead and diseased branches and we improve the structure of a tree.
Probably the biggest reason for pruning can be understood if one thinks back to high school biology class (for some of us it’s a LONG way back!) Does the word photosynthesis ring a bell? It’s the process by which plants use sunlight as an energy source to convert water and carbon dioxide to sugars which are stored in the plant, and oxygen which goes back in to the atmosphere. Important stuff! Proper pruning of trees allows more sunlight to get to the leaves of the trees where photosynthesis will occur.
Using the right technique is important. That’s where the Master Gardeners come in! Many locals have discovered the benefits of our monthly Advice to Grow By workshops, held in our own Garden of the Seven Sisters. One Saturday morning each month we offer a presentation on some relevant topic. The workshop on Saturday January 21 will be a complete discussion of winter pruning of fruit trees and berries.
We will begin with a general discussion of pruning, why we prune,and what plants benefit from pruning at this time of year. Experienced Master Gardeners will then use our own orchard to demonstrate proper techniques in the hands-on portion of the workshop. You will learn the difference between a thinning cut and a heading cut. You will learn what tools will make the job more efficient. In other words, you will be prepared to approach your own backyard orchard (or single fruit tree) with confidence.
The workshop starts at 10:00am. and goes until noon at our garden at 2156 Sierra Way.
January weather can be unpredictable. Bring a hat, a jacket, a bottle of water and a friend or two and come join us for what will certainly be a fun and informative morning.
- Posted By: Amy Breschini
- Written by: Andrea Peck
Advice To Grow By Workshop
By Andrea Peck, Master Gardener
The San Luis Obispo Master Gardeners are at it again with their monthly Advice To Grow By Workshops. This Saturday from 10 to noon the workshop will discuss that odd piece of machinery that inhabits the center of the Garden of The Seven Sisters. As important as any growing element in the garden, the mechanical whirligig is not modern garden art; it is a state-of-the-art weather station which measures temperature, precipitation, wind speed and soil moisture. All information is recorded and can be downloaded for comparison and research purposes.
Though often disregarded, weather is a key player when it comes to gardening effectively. The number and severity of frost days, temperature, inadequate or excess rain and high winds has an effect on plant growth, fruit production and soil. The weather station is a tool that allows information to be extrapolated and interpreted in an accurate, clearly-defined manner.
The weather station was installed in the fall of 2009 by the Farm Advisors and is similar to the equipment used on farms to monitor crops. The Advice to Grow By workshop will discuss the differences and similarities of the microclimates that exist in the Demonstration Garden and the macroclimates of the greater San Luis Obispo County. Also on the agenda is the weather forecast for this coming winter.
As our rainy season begins, it's time to start thinking about what can be done to prevent weeds seeds from germinating and developing into mature plant. During the second half of our workshop, we will be discussing different control and prevention methods of weeds.
The seminar will take place at the Garden of the Seven Sisters, located at 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo. Bring plenty of questions and a pad and pen for notes and unless you have access to your own weather station, dress for the possibility of unpredictable weather.
Got a Gardening Question?
Contact the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners: at 781-5939 from 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday and Thursday; at 473-7190 from 10 a.m. to noon in Arroyo Grande; and at 434-4105 from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday in Templeton. Visit the UCCE Master Gardeners Web site at groups.ucanr.org/slomg/ or e-mail mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu
- Posted By: Amy Breschini
- Written by: George Frisch- Master Gardener
Q. What can I plant under the Coast Live Oak in my front yard to fill in the sandy area below and around the canopy? Ginny Kemper, Nipomo
A. You have lots of colorful and interesting choices in companion plantings for oak trees. Hummingbird sage will give you a wide-spreading groundcover of bright green leaves with pink flowers. Carpenteria californica is an evergreen shrub with beautiful white anemone-like flowers. In a sunnier section under the tree, plant California fuchsia for grey green foliage with red tubular flowers attractive to hummingbirds.
When planting under oaks, however, there are a few basic rules to keep your tree healthy. First, any companion plant should be well adapted to our Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers – cool, wet winters. Our venerable Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) is very susceptible to soil borne diseases such as crown rot and oak root fungus that favor the combination of moisture and warm temperatures from summer watering. Many of our colorful California natives are drought tolerant and will not require summer watering once established.
Be careful where and how you plant. A mature oak feeds from a network of roots located six to eighteen inches below the soil and extending out from the tree half again the distance from the trunk of the tree to the edge of its canopy (drip line). Damaging or excessively disturbing this vulnerable network can be harmful to the tree. Don’t plant anything within the first six feet from the trunk. Instead, leave the leaf mulch, but rake it away from the bark so that the tree does not become buried in deep leaf litter. Be careful how you plant in the rest of the root zone. As you dig a hole for a new plant, try to avoid cutting through thicker roots you may unearth. It’s better to fill in the hole and dig a new one a little bit away than it is to damage your tree.
Be careful how you water your new companion plants. It’s best to plant them in the late fall, so that they can become established over winter, during the natural rainy season. There’s a chance that they may need some extra water during those first two years, especially if rainfall is low. Drip irrigation is a good choice in this circumstance, providing water directly to the companion plants without saturating the soil under the rest of the canopy.
A free UC Publication is available for instant download: “Living Among the Oaks, A Guide for Landowners and Managers” by Douglas McCreary. This is a direct link: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/21538.pdf