Strawberries

I have several strawberry plants. Several months ago, I bought two Chef Jeff June Bearing Strawberry plants from Anderson’s. I planted one of the plants in a hanging basket (the kind with the coconut husk basket) and the other in a 10 inch plastic pot. Then I absorbed three of Sandra’s plants that were planted in a shallow but very wide terra cotta pot.

The plant in the hanging basket has been sending out runners for the last two months. Runners are basically long vine-like shoots that will grow into individual plants after then root in the ground. The strange thing is that only the plant in the hanging basket is sending out runners, the sister plant in the regular pot has not had a single runner. I did cut off two runners and put them in a separate pot. They seem to have adapted well and are growing new leaves. But I decided to do some research because I am unsure of whether I should be cutting the runners off of my parent plant more frequently- particularly, do the runners stop the plant from producing fruit. The following are the answers I found:

An article on ehow.com explains the proper method of preserving strawberry runners. I apparently did not do it correctly when I simply put the runner in the pot…Apparently I am supposed to chill the runners after they root to encourage vigorous growth. Though, I am not too keen on this article because it does not give information about how long the runner should chill. But be wary of this chilling method because this was the only site that suggested chilling.

The Bonnie Plants website confirmed my theory that I should be snipping the runners to encourage more berry development. The June bearing plant I have, puts out a crop in early summer and then does not bear again for a while. However, there are everbearing plants that continuously produce strawberries, but have larger yields in Spring and late summer. Look for Ozark Beauty, Quinault, and Sequoia varieties for everbearing.

Predators!

Slugs like to eat strawberries and the leaves. But, my main problem is the darn birds!! I left for a weekend in June and some bird ate all my berries (I could tell from the peck marks!). So, sadly, I have only enjoyed a few of my strawberries. But those few were delicious. When you see strawberries beginning to ripen, use a lightweight bird net to avoid loosing your lovelies to birds. I lined the lip of my pot with foil to avoid more birds, but I am not sure if this was proper.

Fun Facts:

• Plants will last 3-4 years!
• You must keep the soil moist. Strawberries need lots of water to grow big juicy berries.
• Strawberries need at least 8 hours of full sun.
• Strawberry plants make great ground cover.
• Don’t try growing strawberries indoors, because they need to be pollinated by bees and other insects.
• Avoid growing Strawbs in soil that previously held other berries or tomatoes to avoid viral disease.
• Mulch with straw. Strawberries will rot on the ground, use mulch to avoid rotting and to hinder weeds.

Links

Bonnie Plants

Green Harvest

Learn about all the varieties of Strawberries here and here and here

Garden Broadleaf Sage- Salvia Officinalis

When I think about sage, so many thoughts come to mind. First, I think of autumn and squash ravioli. It makes me think of spirituality. Just the smell of it burning... It also bring visions of hippies at farmers markets. So much.

Sage is from the Lamiaceae family, also the Mint family which includes lavender, thyme and basil. Apparently all these guys have square stems. Though, I am reflecting upon basil and cannot seem to picture this square stem.

I bought some seeds and planted them in with my patty pan squash. The squash has grown in a single direction and has gone over the side of the pot. So there is plenty of room in the pot for other plants and it gets a lot of sun. I am concerned because the seed package tells me that it is easy to grow from seed, but some other random website says it is tough from seed and should be grown from cuttings. I have tried to keep it especially moist to encourage sprouting and even planted some more seeds in with my strawberries. So far, after only 8 days one seed has sprouted.

Fun Facts About Sage

• The latin name for sage is salvia, which means to heal.
• At some point, sage has been said to heal every ailment including warding off evil and encouraging women's fertility.
• It is one of the historical ingredients of "Four Thieves Vinegar" which was thought to help people ward off the plague.
• You should prune your sage regularly to encourage more growth of leaves rather than flowers.
• Germans apparently use sage in their eel dishes. Anyone tasted this?

Gnat Infestation

I have had a gnat infestation for a very long time. I do not know what to do to get rid of them. They live in the soil of my plants. Even if I don't water, the darn gnats just are ever present. Does anyone know any secrets to get rid of these pests?

Common Oregano (Origanum vulgare)

The genus name for oregano (Origanum) means “joy of the mountains,” which is appropriate since it is native to the mountainous area of Greece and the Mediterranean.  It is called wild marjoram in some parts of Europe due to its close relationship with sweet marjoram.  Mexican and Greek oregano are slightly different that common oregano and should not be substituted.

Back in Greek and Roman times, oregano was used medicinally more than for food.  Oregano tea was whipped up to treat coughs and asthma.  According to the seed packet (by Botanical Interests), bald and balding men rubbed a mixture of olive oil and oregano into their scalps in an attempt to grow back their hair.  I wonder if it worked. Oregano came into its own in the US after World War II when soldiers returned from Italy.

Antioxidant Powerhouse!

Researchers at the University of Ogden, Utah found that oregano essential oil can effectively fight streptococcus (i.e. strep throat, pneumonia, meningitis, and other bad stuff).  Studies have also shown that oregano essential oil can stop the growth of some harmful bacteria such as E. Coli and salmonella. This is really bizarre, I read that some restaurants put some drops of oregano oil in salad bars to protect them from dangerous bacteria settling into the food. --- Does anyone know a restaurant that does this?

More Traditional Medicinal Uses

Medicinal Uses Today:  Used in treatment of coughs, colds & flus, upset stomach, lady-type cramps,  and cuts & scrapes.  I don’t know why (yet), but the packet says the pregnant ladies should avoid large amounts of this herb.  Some researchers have found that oregano is more effective in treating Giardia than the commonly used prescription drug (I wanted to add a link to the study, but it is in Spanish and I cannot be certain I am finding the right thing… sorry).

I Am Growing It Too!

I planted some oregano seeds over a week ago. I planted it the normal way, meaning I made a hole and stuck the seeds in.  Well, then I read the packet and found out the oregano seeds need light to germinate.   You are just supposed gently press them into the soil.  So, I tried again and gently pressed them in.  One seed has barely sprouted.  There is green.  I have been regularly watering, which I also learned is wrong.  Oregano prefers soil that is not constantly drenched or else the oregano will be bland.  It is also companion planted with beans.  I suppose that as soon as the plant is established, I will move it in with the beans. 

Radishes

Sandra gave me a few radish seeds from a seed packet she picked up at Anderson's the weekend before last.  I pushed some seeds in with the carrots. They are supposed to be ready in only 30 days-- WHAT? 30 days, ridiculous. I will take a picture once a week (first picture is posted here it was taken one week after planting) to report on their progress.  Supposedly, the radishes and carrots live nicely together. When the radishes are done, we take them out and the carrot just moves into the radishes old home.  I will believe it when I see it.  

Radish History

Radishes were cultivated in Hellenistic and Roman society.  Their genus, Raphanus, "quickly appearing",  describes their quick germination period.  (See above-- Radishes supposed to be all grown up in one month!).  The radish is related to the turnip and mustard.  Since radishes grow so fast, you want to plant new seeds every week, in order to get a continuous crop.  Radishes are in season April-June and October to January (they are not into full hot sun). I hope that San Diego's June-Gloom, paired with the placement on the east facing porch will ensure that the radishes don't die of heat.  Since I have the radishes in a pretty shallow box, I am not expecting any massive plants.

Night of the Radishes

On a festive note, some folks in Mexico (Oaxaca to be precise) celebrate the Night of the Radishes (Noche de Rabanos) on December 23.   At the festival, radishes are the main event.  People enter their carved radishes in contests.  Some are themed radish carvings of the Nativity, saints, and buildings. Radishes were brought to Mexico in the 16th century and historians believed that monks in Oaxaca advised the local radish growers to carve their radishes to entice buyers.   Thus began the radish carving and the rest is history.  This year Oaxaca will celebrate its 112th festival of the radish.  If you are in town, check it out.  Or perhaps, we should have a honorary Noche de Rabanos at my house this year and all try to carve those little guys.  I should point out, that with coaxing radishes can grow pretty large.  Sadly, these radishes are merely ornamental.  So I am sure any radish carving that we do will be quite difficult since I am not sure how to get a hold of the giant radishes!

Nutrition Facts

These gems are pretty high in the vitamin count.  Here is a sample of just a few of their vitamin goodies:  folic acid, potassium, B6, magnesium, calcium, and more;)

In addition to the edible root, the leaves of this plant are also edible and can be tossed in a salad.  Has anyone ever nibbled radish leaf?  What does it taste like?

Artichoke Flower

I have been stalking the PB CG again. I stopped by my favorite artichokes (I posted a picture of them earlier in the week); I caught the artichoke with a thistle flower! The flower is pretty big and the color is a lovely lavender. Check out the picture I took with my iphone.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s entry on Radishes!

P.S. Props to KD for getting her mini garden up and running. She prepped her box and planted some of the 20 cent marigolds. Whoo hooo! We will be following her progress.

P.P.S. I am waiting for some updated pictures from the JS & GS Seattle Patch. Send them over :)

Garden Going Ons

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A few pictures from my endeavors. I tried to take a picture of my back patio. It is dark but you can get an idea of my crazy (especially when you note that so many plants couldn’t make it into the shot). The follow list gives a brief update of the going ons in the eclectic container garden.
1. Dwarf Fig is looking good. Loads of new leaves and even some fruit starting up. I am considering picking all the fruit off since it is still only 1.5 years old. I am not certain that he is ready to be fruit bearing.
2. Tomatoes (Early Girl and Cherry)- I have sampled one early girl and have had several cherry tomatoes. They are delicious and I wish that more were ready to eat. The vines are looking good and strong. Loads of mini green tomatoes and loads of flowers ready to turn into juicy tomatoes.
3. Green Onions- Slow and steady. They are still looking pretty puny, but getting taller each day.
4. Contender Beans- They were quick to give a bunch of yummy green beans. They were delicious dipped in hummus. But the plants got attacked by some powdery mildew, so I chopped off all the affected leaves. Now I have stems that are still trying to grow flowers. Last Friday, Sandra and I pushed some additional seeds in the container. I am hoping I will get another crop of beans in late July.
5. Parsley, Basil, and Cilantro- Looking good. The they are still pretty tiny, but getting bushier and taller every day! I can't wait until they are big enough for daily snippings. PS- Grew them all from seeds! Nutty.
6. Chocolate Peppers & Jalapenos- These guys have peppers growing. They are still too small for picking, but I am excited.
7. Radishes and Carrots- Recently sprouted!
8. Oregano & Thyme- Still waiting for these guys to sprout. Getting pretty nervous.
9. Strawberries- There are so many berries growing out of these plants! I am trying to devise a way to put a net over them to avoid the birds eating them all (like they did a month ago!).
10. Chocolate Mint- Living large. Has made several lovely mugs of tea.
11. Lettuce- I ate two delicious heads of lettuce already and just planted new seeds. Several have sprouted. I have learned now that I really need to be constantly putting new seeds in the pot to have a more frequent supply. Now I have a little lettuce growing in a former yogurt container.
12. Luffa- Well, this guy has some rather interesting looking leaves. I think it is getting ready to have a major growth spurt. Mark my words.
13. Patty Pan Mini Squash- Actually just picked two of the squash and haven't tried it yet. I am very concerned about this plant because several of the leaves are turning yellow. Anybody have any experience with this?
14. Artichoke- Not a whole lot has happened to this plant. It got big leaves and constantly has new ones growing, while old ones die. I have struggled with some kind of burrowing pest. I keep having to cut off infected leaves.