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Sunderland Garden News – May 2014

We have planted all the raised beds, and are working on filling the new Herb garden up. The use of Coffee Chaff to deter the slugs worked well, until it rained a lot. We will be putting more down this week. Listed below are the vegetables and herbs that have been planted since the last update. The tomatoes are still in pots and will be transplanted to bigger pots until finally planted in the Garden. We will be putting in some pots at the end of the beds to plant the tomatoes in. We will get more herbs to fill in the rest of the new herb garden.

The Mount Hood Community College Fisheries Students have begun construction of the shed. The deck is almost complete and the walls are being built. When the shed is complete we hope to move the compost bins behind the shed and add a couple more raised beds. The Project YESS group from Mt. Hood C.C. will also be helping us start our vegetables in their greenhouses on campus right down the street from the garden. Hopefully there will be a few extra plants that we will have available for those volunteers that help at the garden to take home and try themselves.

We are trying to get some wood chips delivered and put down around the beds to keep the mud and weeds down. The Kale will soon be taken out and two more beds will be replanted. The Rosemary that was at the top of the Mayan pyramids died from the winter weather and need to be replaced.

We hope to see you out at the garden soon. If you’ve never been, please come by and see what it’s all about. If you’ve been out before come see what is new. Happy gardening!

Tomatoes

The Early Girl tomato is a medium globe type F1 hybrid popular with home gardeners because of its early fruit ripening. Early Girl is an indeterminate variety. It is tall growing and needs support as the plant grows. Fruit maturity claims range from 50 to 62 days from transplanting, which appeals to growers in climates with shorter frost-free seasons. (However, the plants of this variety are not particularly cold-tolerant.) Plants are reliable and prolific.

The ripe fruit is about the size and shape of a tennis ball—very much a standard tomato—and weighs 4 to 8 ounces (~130g). It has a bright color and good flavor, but is usually replaced at the table by later-producing varieties which are considered better tasting

The Super Sweet 100 tomato cultivar is a hybrid that produces long fruit-bearing stems holding 100 or more very sweet cherry tomatoes. Fruits weigh approximately 1 oz., and are 1 inch across. Plants need caging or staking, and produce fruit throughout the growing season.

Sugary is a cherry tomato that will knock your socks off with its sweet, pop in your mouth flavor. An intense burst of flavor make these small fruits fun to eat right in the garden. Oval shaped with a pointed blossom end and a beautiful reddish-pink color. Fruit is produced in clusters on high yielding semi-indeterminate vines, which means that plants stay more compact but continue to produce over a long season and grows great in containers. 60 days.

Herbs

Chamomile or camomile is the common name for several daisy-like plants of the family Asteraceae that are commonly used to make a herb infusion that can help to induce sleep. Because chamomile can cause uterine contractions that can cause miscarriage, the U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends that pregnant and nursing mothers not consume chamomile. Persons who are allergic to ragweed (also in the daisy family) may also be allergic to chamomile, due to cross-reactivity. However, there is still some debate as to whether people with reported allergies to chamomile were truly exposed to chamomile, or to a plant of similar appearance.

Nepeta cataria, commonly known as catnip, catswort, or catmint, is a species of the genus Nepeta in the Lamiaceae family, native to Europe and southwestern to central Asia, and is widely naturalized elsewhere. The common name catmint can also refer to the genus as a whole.Nepeta cataria is a short lived herbaceous perennial, growing 50–100 cm (20–39 in) tall and wide. It resembles a typical mint family member in appearance by having the characteristic square stem that members of the Lamiaceae plant family have, but with brown-green foliage. The coarse-toothed leaves are triangular to ovate.

The small flowers can be white and finely spotted with pale purple or pink. They are showy and fragrant. The plant blooms from late spring through autumn.

Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans)-This sage is equally appreciated for its red flowers and the sweet pineapple scent of the foliage—this herb both looks and smells wonderful when cut for a flower arrangement. The pretty red flowers also look great in salads (yes, you can eat them!). Pineapple sage leaves are often used dried or fresh in teas. Plants will grow up through the summer, when you can enjoy their leafy fragrance. Then, just as some other garden plants start to fade in late summer and early fall, pineapple sage will burst into bloom. This is a great plant for the fall garden because it attracts migrating hummingbirds and butterflies.

Summer Thyme- This low-growing hardy perennial with gray leaves and lavender blooms is a must in the herb garden. Thyme not only tastes great, but it can help to alleviate cold symptoms, too. Not just an herb, Thyme makes an attractive edging plant with its woody stems and oval leaves and can add interest to a rock garden as well. Use in tea or add flavor to meats, stews, soups, tomatoes, cheese, eggs, rice, stuffing, vinegars, or oils.

Borage (Borago officinalis), also known as a starflower, is an annual herb. It is native to the Mediterranean region and has naturalized in many other locales. It grows satisfactorily in gardens in the NW climate, remaining in the garden from year to year by self-seeding. The leaves are edible and the plant is grown in gardens for that purpose in some parts of Europe. The plant is also commercially cultivated for borage seed oil extracted from its seeds. It grows to a height of 60–100 cm (2.0–3.3 ft), and is bristly or hairy all over the stems and leaves; the leaves are alternate, simple, and 5–15 cm (2.0–5.9 in) long. The flowers are complete, perfect with five narrow, triangular-pointed petals. Flowers are most often blue in color, although pink flowers are sometimes observed. White flowered types are also cultivated. The blue flower is genetically dominant over the white flower. Traditionally borage was cultivated for culinary and medicinal uses, although today commercial cultivation is mainly as an oilseed. Borage is used as either a fresh vegetable or a dried herb. As a fresh vegetable, borage, with a cucumber-like taste, is often used in salads or as a garnish.[3] The flower, which contains the non-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA), has a sweet honey-like taste and is one of the few truly blue-colored edible substances.

Curry Plant- Helichrysum italicum is a flowering plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is sometimes called the curry plant because of the strong smell of its leaves. It grows on dry, rocky or sandy ground around the Mediterranean. The stems are woody at the base and can reach 60 cm or more in height. The clusters of yellow flowers are produced in Summer, they retain their colour after picking and are used in dried flower arrangements. The plant produces an oil from its blossoms which is used for medicinal purposes. It is anti-inflammatory, fungicidal, and astringent. It soothes burns and raw chapped skin. It is used as a fixative in perfumes and has an intense fragrance.

This plant is sometimes used as a spice. Although called “curry plant” and smelling like curry powder, it has nothing whatsoever to do with this mixture of spices, nor with the curry tree (Murraya koenigii), and is not used as masala for curry dishes either. Rather, it has an resinous, somewhat bitter aroma reminiscent of sage or wormwood and is used like these: the young shoots and leaves are stewed in Mediterranean meat, fish or vegetable dishes til they have imparted their flavor, and removed before serving.

Vietnamese Coriander (Persicaria odorata) has green, pointed leaves that have a good spreading habit in the garden. Known as ‘Rau Ram’ in Vietnam, this culinary herb has a wonderful spicy flavor with hints of cilantro. In fact, its excellent flavor and ease of growth make it a good Cilantro or Mint substitute. Lending a slightly peppery spice to dishes, compliments meats like pork very nicely. Terrific for flavoring stir frys and curries, though it tastes similar to Cilantro, it is not the same as the Cilantro plant’s seeds, which are also called Coriander. Vietnamese Coriander prefers a moist environment, which makes it a great plant for areas near water gardens or places in your garden that tend to hold water longer.

 

Radishes

Early Scarlet Globe-Crisp, tender, juicy and a popular favorite. One of the most popular home garden varieties of the past 100 years. Early, high-yielding, this favorite produces uniform, bright red globes with crisp, tender, juicy and mild white flesh.

 

Beets

Red Ace Hybrid- Beet roots boast a juicy, sweet flavor and a gorgeous red color. Leaves are green with red veins. This beet will still taste sweet even if it grows large. Red Ace Beets are very adaptable and can handle stressful weather that other beets can’t.

 

Beets are biennial root vegetables that are related to Swiss chard and spinach. They are grown mostly for their roots, although the tops of the plant can also be eaten. Both the greens and the root of the Beet plant are nutritious and delicious. Although beets vary in shape and color depending on type, they often tend to be round and dark red in appearance.

Beets like sandy, well-drained, cool soil and can be planted in early spring (about a month before last frost date) as soon as the ground is workable. They are also a good choice for fall planting. Plant in full sun or part shade. Keep beets evenly watered, ensuring the soil doesn’t dry out.

 

Beets can be harvested whenever you like, depending on your preferences. You can harvest young greens early by snipping them off when they reach the desired length, or wait for the root to develop and pull it up. Don’t allow the root to grow more than 3-inches, since the flavor and texture deteriorate at that point. Store beet roots in a cool place.