Posted on by tonytomeo · 2 Comments

Rotation Makes Gardens Go Round

Corn is a consumptive summer vegetable.

Vegetables are greedy as they grow. They crave rich soil. They exploit it and abandon it at the end of their season. Nutrient depletion can be a problem for subsequent phases of similar vegetables. In other words, vegetables of any particular family consume the same nutrients. Each phase leaves a bit less for the next. Crop rotation disrupts this process.

Different types of vegetables deplete different types of nutrients. This is an advantage for a vegetable garden. Tomatoes can deplete soil nutrients for subsequent tomatoes. Corn, however, may not notice such depletion. It craves different nutrients, so may be content with what tomatoes did not consume. This is how and why crop rotation is so effective.

Crop rotation is simply a technique of not growing vegetables where similar types grew. Vegetables grow better where different types grew previously. Their formerly depleted but vacated soil can recuperate in their absence. They can return to the same soil after three years or so. Other vegetables that grow there for that time accelerate recuperation.

Warm season vegetables are generally more consumptive than cool season vegetables. That is because so many of them are actually fruits, such as tomatoes, corn and squash. More cool season vegetables are truly vegetative, such as lettuce, cabbage and carrots. Because they produce no bloom, seed or fruit prior to harvest, they need less resources.

Therefore, warm season vegetables are more responsive to crop rotation. Most are not relatives of the cool season vegetables that they are now replacing. Similar vegetables of the previous few summers are more of a concern. Tomatoes, eggplants and chilis are all of the Solanaceae family. They should avoid soil that their relatives used previously.

Similarly, if possible, corn should not grow where it grew within the past few years. Nor should beans. Fertilizer can compensate somewhat for soil depletion where rotation is impractical. For example, a fence may perpetually be the ideal support for pole beans. Spring lettuce, carrots and other vegetative vegetables may be less reliant on rotation. Although most squash benefit from rotation, zucchini seems to be productive regardless.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 19 Comments

Heather

Heather is not related to Calluna vulgaris. She is feline, since she is a kitty, who is employed here as the only mouser within the maintenance shops. We did not hire her as such. She merely assumed the job. At the time, after Darla retired, we were in desperate need of a mouser. We do not know where Heather came from, and she can not tell us. She seems pleased to remain employed here. We are pleased to be without rodents.

Her technique is as mysterious as her origin. No one knows how she prevents rodent infestation. She does not seem to catch any. Instead, she seems to passively repel them, as if rodents vacated and will not return because of here presence. Skunks, opossums and raccoons are also notably absent since her arrival, and the raccoons were vicious.

Heather temporarily lived within the nursery when she first arrived and decided to stay. Shortly afterward, and after being named, she decided that she preferred the automotive shop across the road. If she had settled there originally, she might have gotten a lame name, such as Lexus, Tesla or Mercedes. Now, she is quite established here, and lives in a luxurious penthouse in the automotive shop mezzanine above the locksmith shop. She does not seem to venture away from the safety of the shop buildings or the surrounding fenced yard. She has several friends here, including Rhody.

Fortunately, Heather does not seem to need anything more than she can figure out on her own. I know nothing about providing for a kitty. She does not seem to mind at all. Actually, she seems quite happy here, and purrs when petted. She seems to enjoy looking cute for those whom she meets for the first time, and for pictures such as this.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 9 Comments

Safety First

OUCH!

You should have seen the other guy.

Actually, this blood was not contributed by someone else. No one else was involved. Perhaps that was the problem.

I can not sharpen blades. I tried for a long time years ago, before eventually realizing that it would be best to rely on someone else to sharpen my blades. Those who know how to do it make it seem so easy. I have no idea how they do it so well, but I know that they do because it is how my blades get sharpened. It is an enviable ability.

Well, I neglected to get someone to sharpen my blades for a very long time. Naturally, my overused and worn pruning shears are beyond mildly dull. As most of us know, “A dull blade is more dangerous than a sharp blade.”.

The blade did not cause this damage directly. As I wrestled with the dull shears, they unexpectedly slipped past the stem that I was cutting so suddenly that I bashed my thumb against the accordingly damaged latch on the opposing handle. The injury was not bad; but I was too annoyed by it to stop what I was doing, which is why the blood continued to get messy.

I only took this picture so that I could later brag about rescuing a school bus full of Girl Scouts from an attacking polar bear, or something like that. I just have not gotten around to doing so yet. It might have been a grizzly bear.

Because these particular pruning shears are so worn, with a broken latch and a chipped blade, they really should be replaced rather than sharpened. They are the cheapie sort that can not be repaired. The blade can not be replaced. They performed exemplarily longer than they should have.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 14 Comments

Six on Saturday: Shabby Spring

This should have been done earlier. While most who participate in Six on Saturday have been posting pictures of early spring bloom, I have been posting less colorful pictures of dormant corms, their barely visible new spring growth, some windmill palm foliage and a sliced weirdly yellow beet. Some of the few flowers that I posted pictures of were oddly pallid, which was sort of why I thought they might be interesting. Now that I am posting floral pictures, early spring flowers are beginning to deteriorate. The first two are rather shabby. The third has not been quite right for a few months. I should have found fresher flowers.

1. Eucalyptus cinerea or pulverulenta, florist silver dollar got an identity crisis. I learned it as cinerea. I am now told that it is pulverulenta. Regardless of its name, bees enjoy it. We thought we added another tree of the same species nearby, but it is the other species.

2. Tecomaria capensis, cape honeysuckle really was prettier earlier. Its bloom is not too profuse, but it is distinctly orange. Goodness, I really should have taken a better picture.

3. Rosmarinus officinalis, rosemary is badly infested with mites, but blooms regardless. It is right across the road from the silver dollar, and just as popular with the honeybees.

4. Lavandula stoechas, Spanish lavender is the only lavender that self sows here. It does not become invasive though. Its bloom may be blue, pink, white or, obviously, lavender.

5. Tulbaghia violacea, society garlic is one of my least favorite of perennials. It stinks! It is not so much to look at either. It has been here for many years though, and will not die.

6. Grevillea rosmarinifolia, rosemary grevillea seems as popular with hummingbirds as rosemary and silver dollar is with bees. Hummingbirds are prettier than this odd bloom.

This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/

Posted on by tonytomeo

Hyacinth

Hyacinth is one of the earliest of spring bulbs, and is notably fragrant.

If their bulbs got into the garden early enough last autumn, Dutch hyacinth, which are hybrids of Hyacinthus orientalis, are now blooming with cartoon shades of red, blue, yellow, purple, pinkish orange, pink and white. The small, surprisingly fragrant flowers are neatly arranged on plump, bottle-brush shaped flower trusses up to eight inches tall. Their typically arching, rubbery, strap shaped leaves look like small lily-of-the-Nile leaves. Some types have more vertical foliage.

Like many bulbs and bulb like plants, hyacinth are unfortunately not reliably perennial in such mild climates. They prefer cooler winters. Consequently, they are typically grown only as annuals. However, I am aware of hyacinth that not only bloom annually, but have been multiplying nicely over the years in a few local gardens. Their flowers spikes are never as full as they were in their first season, but are appealing nonetheless. I actually prefer the less refined style of naturalized hyacinth.

French Roman or Roman hyacinth, Hyacinthus orientalis albulus, are still somewhat rare, but should be more common since they naturalize more reliably without cold winters. Each bulb produces a few flower stems with smaller and more loosely arranged pink, pale blue or white flowers.

Large hyacinth bulbs are easily forced to bloom suspended just above water by small stones in bowls, or individually in hyacinth glasses (vases that hold bulbs just above water). Forced bulbs should be kept in the dark until rooted, and can be moved out as foliage appears. They are as colorful as tulips and as fragrant as narcissus; but sadly, are not likely to survive after being forced.  

Posted on by tonytomeo · 2 Comments

Spring Blooming Trees

Silver wattle is an aggressively invasive exotic species, but certainly is pretty in bloom!

From my window, I can see across the way to one of my all time favorite weeds in my neighbor’s garden. A healthy acacia tree is nearly in full bloom! Throughout the year, I occasionally remind my neighbor that we really should cut the tree down before its seedlings overwhelm the neighborhood. This time of year though, I am secretly glad that we have not gotten around to it yet.

Even though most people find the fragrance objectionable, I actually find it appealing. It reminds me of Southern California, perhaps because, even on a cool wintry day, it smells like a sun roasted freeway on a hot smoggy day. I suppose that its pollen is a problem for anyone with even mild allergies; and after all, it is still a major weed.

Other trees that are now blooming are not so problematic, or equipped with a petroleum based fragrance. Shrubby forsythia and flowering quince were the first to bloom. Forsythia is the best bright yellow besides acacia. The most popular flowering quince are rich pinkish orange. Apricot, cherry, peach, plum, prune, nectarine, almond and a few other fruit trees, as well as their fruitless ‘flowering’ counterparts, including purple leaf plum, are blooming about now. (Flowering apricot, peach, nectarine and almond are rare.) Fruiting pear and apple trees typically bloom a bit later; but flowering pear and some flowering crabapple are already blooming. Later, redbuds bloom bright purplish pink.

When pruning fruit trees during winter, I sometimes leave a few branches to cut and bring inside while in bloom. Fruitless flowering trees do not need to be pruned like fruiting trees, so can provide even more flowering stems with more flower variation. Stems of forsythia, flowering quince and flowering cherry are often ‘forced’ into bloom by getting cut and brought in just as flower color start to become visible, so that they can finish their bloom inside. Except for redbud, any of the other spring bloomers can also be forced, but are more likely to get desiccated by the dry air inside.

As red maple and red oak begin to break dormancy, they develop delicate pendulous ‘blooms’ that are not very colorful, but might be interesting enough to add to more colorful cut flowers. Of course, pussy willows are always traditional.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 11 Comments

Horridculture – White

White bloom brightens a shady landscape.

White is my favorite color. Do not argue with me about it. I do not need to hear that it is not truly a color or that it is the absence of color. Technically, it is either or both the complete absence of color or the complete saturation of all color. In that regard, it has either or both the same or opposite definition as black.

A prism demonstrates the colorfulness of white light by separating it into all other colors that it contains. Nothing is lacking.

Other colors can be mixed with a bit of white to become a tint, but retain their identity. They can be mixed with a bit of black to become a shade, but retain their identity. They can be mixed with other colors for various hues. Only white and black lose their identities with the addition of another color. No matter how pale, white becomes a tint of the additional color. No matter how dark, black becomes a shade of the additional color.

Pink is not really a color, but it is somehow more acceptable as such than white is. It is merely a tint of red. In other words, it is red with white.

Furthermore, brown is not really a color, but is somehow more acceptable as such than white is. It is merely a shade of orange. In other words, it is orange with black.

Gray is either or both a tint of black or a shade of white, but only if either or both black or white is considered to be the color that it is. Goodness, this is getting complicated.

Ultimately, such analysis is irrelevant to my predilection for white. Brent says that I am a white supremacist. That is rude. I just know that my favorite color is white.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 10 Comments

Celery

Celery season conforms to local climate.

It could be either a warm season vegetable or a cool season vegetable. Celery, Apium graveolens variety dulce, dislikes both frost and arid heat. It is a warm season vegetable where summer is mild but winter is not. It is a cool season vegetable where winter is mild but summer is not. Where winter is cold and summer is hot, it prefers spring and autumn.

Celery is a biennial, which grows vegetatively for its first year, and blooms for its second. Because it is ready for harvest in less than half a year, bloom is not a concern. Any that mature enough to bloom are too tough to eat. Celery appreciates organically rich soil. It needs regular watering. Growth is irregular if its soil becomes too dry, even temporarily.

Celery naturally grows as densely vertical foliar rosettes, or bunches. Its distended and elongated petioles are its primary edible parts. Its disproportionately small leaflets are also edible though. Mature celery grows about a foot and a half to two feet tall. It grows well from cell packs if only a few bunches are necessary. It also grows well from seed.

Posted on by tonytomeo

Vegetables Change With The Seasons

Zucchini seed can be sown now.

Annuals are not all that change with the seasons. Vegetables do also. After all, with few exceptions, vegetable plants are also annuals, or perform as such. Most of those that are biennials are edible only during their first year. They bloom and become inedible if they survive for a second year. Most perennial vegetables are easier to replace than recycle.

As with annuals, it seems to be a bit too early to replace cool season vegetables. Some continue to produce, and may do so for a while. The weather still seems to be a bit too cool for warm season or summer vegetables. Technically, it actually is too cool for some. However, some must grow from seed. The weather will be warmer by the time they do.

Most cool season vegetables are actually vegetables. In other words, their edible parts are vegetative rather than fruit. Conversely, most warm season vegetables are actually fruit. In other words, they contain seeds. Tomato, chili, eggplant, cucumber, squash, corn, okra and bean are familiar examples. Some but not all continue to produce until autumn.

For example, zucchini and other summer squash produce until frost. So do pole bean, some cucumbers and indeterminate tomatoes. However, winter squash only grow during summer to ripen all at once for autumn. Okra, eggplant and various chilis should produce throughout summer, but likely will not. Secondary phases can prolong their production.

Determinate tomatoes, bush beans, and corn benefit most from phasing. They produce all their fruit within a brief season and then produce no more. Subsequent phases should start before preceding phases finish. Some can eventually replace lingering cool season vegetables. With good soil, fresh new tomato plants can start below aging tomato plants.

Seed for corn, beans, root vegetables and greens prefers direct sowing into their garden. Seedlings are stressed by transplant, and too many are needed. Cucumber and squash grow as well from seedling as seed, and a few should suffice. Tomato, chili and eggplant prefer to grow from a few seedlings a bit later. Some varieties are available only as seed, though. Such seed should be sown by about now, directly or within cells, outside or in.

Posted on by tonytomeo

More Palm Silliness

Mexican fan palm, Washingtonia robusta

Mexican fan palm, Washingtonia robusta, is the most familiar palm throughout most of California. It is most typically groomed to remove deteriorated leaves without removing the associated toughly fibrous petiole bases that form a neat lattice-like sweater of stubble around its trunks. Some are groomed to also remove the stubble, leaving a clean shaven and leaner looking trunk. Some are shaven only part way up, with a sweater higher up. Without grooming, or if grooming discontinues, some accumulate beards of deteriorated leaves. Although generally harmless, such beards are combustible and can be infested with rats. On rare occasion, they become dislodged from their trunks and fall. They are dangerously heavy and very messy. This silly looking Mexican fan palm was groomed part way up, and then neglected long enough to accumulate a significant beard. The beard then fell, leaving the bare trunk exposed. Only the few lowest of the old leaves remain below where the beard was. A new beard is now forming above.

Queen palm, Arecastrum romanzoffianum, was an uncommon palm until it suddenly became very popular and almost too common through the 1990s. By that time, selective breeding produced the standardized modern variety, which is a bit greener, fluffier and more vigorous than most old specimens. Although it is a bit more genetically conformative than old specimens, it still exhibits genetic variability. Unless some are cloned by tissue culture, all are grown from seed. Some grow slower, so stay shorter. Some develop unusually plump trunks. Some are unusually floppy. This one is just weird. Its foliar canopy is so strictly narrow that it resembles the locally rare Andean wax palm, Ceroxylon quindiuense. Perhaps it actually is an Andean wax palm! A pindo palm, Butia capitata, lives in the associated front garden, and it is not exactly common.

queen palm, Arecastrum romanzoffianum or Andean wax palm, Ceroxylon quindiuense or something else?