Posts

About High Iron Vegetables In 1870, a German chemist, Eric von Wolf, was researching the amount of iron in leafy green vegetables, including spinach. Turns out he found that spinach had 3.5 milligrams of iron in a 100 gram serving; however, when recording the data, he missed a decimal point and wrote the serving contained 35 milligrams! The rest is history and this error and the popular cartoon were responsible for boosting spinach consumption in the United States by a third!...

What is a Jewish Garden? A Jewish garden is a collection of plants that hold meaning to people of the Jewish faith. It is a place for peaceful contemplation and meditation. The design should include seating and shady pathways where visitors can feel as though they are stepping back in history as they enjoy the surrounding beauty and symbolism. When you begin planning your garden, choose your plants carefully so they will have meaning rooted in the faith of the Jewish people....

Planting a Calla Lily in a Pot The calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is not a true member of the lily or Lilium family. They are rhizomatous summer-blooming plants, which are commonly grown like other summer-blooming bulbs, such as canna or dahlia. Calla lily rhizomes, which look somewhat like small potatoes, are planted in spring after the danger of frost has passed. By growing calla lily in a pot, in some locations, they can be started indoors earlier than they could be started outdoors....

Symptoms of Late Blight on Tomatoes Phytophthora infestans, the pathogen that causes tomato late blight, needs tissue to survive. Sporangia from an infected plant are carried through the air, sometimes several miles, and once they land on a suitable host, germination is almost immediate. Tomato late blight needs only a few hours to take hold. All it wants is a little free moisture on the leaves from rain, fog, or morning dew....

Leaf Curl on Lime Trees Our plants can bring us so much joy and calm, but when the leaves on your favorite lime tree start to curl up, your garden can become suddenly distressing and a source of worry. Lime tree leaf curl isn’t the most attractive thing to ever happen to your tree, but it’s not usually a major problem. There are several different reasons for curling leaves on lime trees, and we’ll explore each one so you can choose an appropriate remedy....

Morning glory weed control in the cultivated landscape, however, is essential to prevent the plant from taking over. Morning Glory vs. Bindweeds Morning glory belongs to a family of unique and tenacious plants called Ipomoea. It is very closely related to the Convolvulus, or bindweed plants, which are perennial. Morning glory vine is an annual but reseeds itself so successfully you really wouldn’t know it. The bindweed plants grow from rhizomes, or underground storage structures that promote the spread of the weed....

Why Do My Sunflowers Droop Over? Drooping in sunflower plants can occur in both young and older plants. What to do about drooping sunflowers depends on what stage of growth they’re in and the cause of the drooping. Sunflower droop in young plants Diseases and pests can cause sunflowers to droop, as can transplant shock. Sunflowers do best when they are seeded directly outside. Living in a cooler climate, I have started them indoors before and then transplanted them outside....

Making a Garden To-Do List It’s always sad to see the gardening season end, but who has time to mope? There are numerous tasks to be done to get the garden ready for winter and spring. October gardening tasks wrap up the season and help prevent bugs and fungal issues later. The month may have warm or freezing temperatures, or even snow. You just never know in the Northwest, so it’s best to be prepared!...

About Orange Trees for Zone 9 Yes, citrus abounds in zone 9 and there are a number of reasons for this. First of all, in this thermal belt, weather is affected by both coastal and interior weather patterns. Dry, hot air is the order of the day, but cool, moist air is pushed inland from the coast. This results in hot summers with rare winter frosts. Zone 9 gardeners can look forward to a growing season that starts in late February and lasts through the month of December....

What is Pine Needle Scale? Pine needle scale is a common issue on pine trees. It primarily infects Scotch, Mugo, and Ponderosa, but it is also found in some firs and other species of pine. Scale starts out slowly and can gradually infest all the parts of the plant, but it takes several seasons with perfect weather conditions and often starts in stressed plants. Park managers know how to treat pine needle scale and prevent it from spreading to other plants....

What are Post-Emergent Herbicides? Post-emergents attack weeds after they have shown their ugly little heads. The “post” part of this type of herbicide refers to the fact that it is used on already existing weeds. Pre-emergent herbicides are used before you see signs of weeds. Using a post-emergence herbicide properly can control existing weeds and help prevent future ones. There are different types of post-emergent weed killers, so pay special attention to the product description and carefully identify the variety of weeds you need to control....

Saffron Crocus Growing Conditions Saffron has been a popular spice since ancient times. It has an important place in the cuisines of Africa, the Middle East, and Mediterranean cuisines, and was a common barter spice brought to new lands by Spanish and other explorers. The spice is pricey but you can grow your own and harvest the flavor and color rich styles from the centers of your flowers. That is, of course, if you have the proper saffron crocus growing conditions....

When to Pick Sesame Seeds Ancient records from Babylon and Assyria have attested that sesame, also known as benne, has been cultivated for over 4,000 years! Today, sesame is still a highly valued food crop, grown for both the whole seed and the extracted oil. A warm-season annual crop, sesame is drought-tolerant but does need some irrigation when young. It was first introduced into the United States in the 1930’s and is now grown in many parts of the world on over 5 million acres....

Should You Use Fresh Manure in Gardens? The benefits of using manure as fertilizer are well known. Manure improves soil texture, allows for proper drainage, while also improving the soil’s water holding capacity. It can be used in clay soil, compacted, hard pan soil, or sandy soils. Manure is an organic material that can increase beneficial microorganisms in the garden soil. While improving the soil, manure also provides a slow and steady release of nutrients to the plant life growing in the soil....

When to Divide Ginger The culinary ginger we know and love comes from Zinginber officinale but there are ornamental gingers in the genera Hedychium and Curcuma which produce beautiful flowers and attractive foliage as well. Most are natives of tropical to sub-tropical regions and require well-draining soil, sun, and warm temperatures. Rhizomes are the part of the plant which is divided in order to make new plants or simply to separate old rhizomes from new and increase growth....

Symptoms of Disease in Lychee Though the glossy, green foliage of lychee trees is resistant to many fungal diseases, they can still experience their fair share of disease related problems. Many of these problems stem from growing lychee trees in unsuitable locations. Lychee trees grow best in the subtropics where there are periods of warmth, but also periods of cool (not cold) weather. Lychee trees need a period of about three months of dry, cool (not freezing) winter weather for the plants to go semi-dormant and to control disease spread....

What Are Tender Perennials? Tender perennial plants come from warm climates where they don’t need the ability to withstand cold winter temperatures. When we plant them in cooler climates, they won’t survive the winter without special care. Some tender perennials such as begonias, calla lilies, and caladiums add lush foliage or fantastic flowers to shady spots. Many of these shade-loving tender perennial plants come from tropical rainforests where they are protected and shaded year-round by the rainforest canopy....

Juniper as Herb Plants Juniper plant benefits include their beauty in the garden. Juniper is a popular evergreen shrub that generally stays under 10 feet (3 m.) tall. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North America. The most common variety in this country is Juniperus communis. Juniper shrubs have needle-like leaves and grow seed cones. The outer scales of the cone are a deep blue merging on black. Gardeners refer to these as juniper berries....

What are Pea Shoots? Pea shoots come from the pea plant, usually the snow or sugar snap pea varieties. Some varieties favored by growers are Snowgreen, a short vine cultivar; Oregon Giant, a disease resistant bush snow pea developed at Oregon State University; and Cascadia. They are harvested as young 2 to 6 inch (5-15 cm.) shoots, including two to four leaf pairs and the immature tendrils. They may also include small flower buds....

What is a Fava Bean Plant? Fava bean plants are actually a relative of vetch, which unlike other bean types has no climbing tendrils. Fava bean plants are upright bushy plants attaining a height of between 2-7 feet (.6-2 m.) tall with large, fragrant white to purplish blooms. The fava bean itself looks similar to a lima bean and is up to 18 inches (46 cm.) long. The large seeded varieties bear 15 pods while the small seeded types of fava bean plants have about 60 pods....