Nothing is official yet. I am hopeful, though. I am currently in training to establish a new Garden Report on Pirate Cat Radio KPCR-LP 92.9 FM in Los Gatos, KMRT-LP 101.9 FM in Santa Cruz, KVBE-LP 91.1 in Portland, and online at KPCR.org. For me, it is daunting. However, those training me are confident of my ability. I have no problem talking about horticulture for an hour. My difficulty is operating the necessary electronics. It is not much, and actually looks quite simple. I am just not comfortable with it. I am intent on doing what I must, though. I miss my former Garden Report gardening shows on KSCO 1080 AM in Santa Cruz and KBCZ 89.3 FM in Boulder Creek. Ultimately, I would like to post recordings of the new Garden Report here on the blog, or at least post links to such recordings. I am told that is not difficult to do, if I record the shows, which is apparently standard procedure. I still need to find “intro” music for the beginning and end of each show, but I believe that I have a source for that. Goodness, although I know this should be easy, I am nervous!
My colleagues and I are rather proficient with communicating with the plants in the garden. Plants let us know when they want a particular nutrient, or are getting hassled by a particular pest. Those that produce fruit and vegetables also tell us when it is time to harvest. The only problem is that some horticulturists are not quite as receptive to information about ripening produce as we are to problems.
As my tomatoes ripen, I eat them whenever I want to, even if they are warm from hanging out in the sun. Any fruits or vegetables are fair game as soon as they are ready to get eaten. Although I will grow just about anything in my garden, I never bothered to learn how cook or even handle fruits and vegetables properly. For me, the best time to harvest is when I am hungry.
Those of us with more discriminating taste eventually become acquainted with the produce that we grow, so that we know when and how to harvest it to achieve the best quality. We learn how to translate the fragrance of a ripening melon, and to tap to determine density and consistency. Maturity of corn can be determined by their drying tassels, and confirmed by puncturing a few kernels. Color and texture of pea pods let us know when the peas within have achieved their optimum plumpness.
Renee of Renee’s Garden, which is perhaps my favorite supplier of vegetable and flower seed, describes some less obvious recommendations for harvesting produce at the website http://www.reneesgarden.com. While the weather is so pleasant through summer, it is best to harvest vegetables in the morning, while it is still cool in the garden. If harvested later in the day, vegetables can wilt because of evaporation of moisture and absorption of warmth. If harvesting in the morning is not possible, harvesting in the evening is the next best option.
Leafy vegetables like lettuce, chard, collard, basil and parsley, as well as pea, are particularly sensitive to getting harvested during warm weather. Green beans grow like weeds during warm days, but are slightly crisper if picked while cool. Vegetables in the cabbage family that are grown later in the year or early in the following year, such as cauliflower and broccoli, can likewise get limp.
Root vegetables like carrot, radish and turnip are not nearly as sensitive to warmth because they are so well insulated underground. They should be brought in out of the warmth and refrigerated (if preferred) quickly nonetheless. However, turnip greens and any other greens that are grown as root vegetables are just as likely to wilt as other leafy vegetables are.
Eggplant, pepper and zucchini are more resilient, but can potentially get limp if harvested a few days before getting eaten and left to linger in a warm and dry (minimal humidity) kitchen. Many varieties of tomato are best directly out of the garden; but many others actually get better flavor if harvested a bit early and left to finish ‘off the vine’. In autumn, when tomato plants stop producing, the last but nearly mature green tomatoes that run out of warm weather can finish ripening on the kitchen windowsill.
(This article is recycled from many years ago, so contains outdated information.)
Spring in Guadalupe Gardens on April 23 is the big local gardening event of the Santa Clara Valley! Not only will it be within Guadalupe Park, surrounded by the various Guadalupe Gardens, but Spring in Guadalupe Gardens gathers together an impressive variety of local gardening clubs and vendors. There will be workshops, lectures, trail walks and garden tours, as well as fun activities for children, music and entertainment.
The Heritage Rose Garden, which is the most extensive public collection in the United States of America, designed for the preservation of the ancestors of modern roses, will be in full bloom. The Historic Orchard is a tree museum of the many fruit and nut trees that inhabited the vast orchards that once filled the Santa Clara Valley; many of which can be productive in modern suburban gardens.
Representatives of many local gardening clubs will be at Spring in Guadalupe Gardens, with information about their respective expertise, as well as membership. The John E. Stowell Dahlia Society, the American Fuchsia Society and the Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County will all be there, to name a few. I will be at the Gardening Advice Booth throughout the event, to discuss any gardening issues and questions.
When I can get away from the Gardening Advice Booth, I like to see what I can purchase from the many vendors. There will be more than forty. Most of my fuchsias, and some of my aloes and cacti were obtained at Spring in Guadalupe Gardens. It is common to find many uncommon tomato plants and roses. There will also be garden art and paraphernalia. The Master Composters of Santa Clara County will be giving away free compost. One never knows what to expect at Spring in Guadalupe Gardens.
Earth Care Recycling will again host a free electronic waste drop off at the Visitor and Education Center, to collect all sorts of computer components, televisions, stereos, fax machines and telephones. Proceeds benefit the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.
Spring in Guadalupe Gardens will be from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. this April 23, just north of the Guadalupe Gardens Visitor and Education Center, which is located at 438 Coleman Avenue in San Jose. Admission and parking are free. Just follow the signs from Coleman Avenue or East Taylor Street. More information about Spring in Guadalupe Gardens can be found at www.grpg.org or by telephoning 298 7657.
No, not this sort of cutting back. I will be cutting back on posting to this blog. I realize that I have expressed my intent to do so on several occasions in the past, only to resume my habit of posting daily, but now I am a bit more compelled to comply with these intentions. Although I can technically continue to post daily, some of the writing, which is really what occupies the vast majority of time that is devoted to blogging, will be omitted. My garden column will continue to post in two parts on Mondays and Tuesdays. Old articles from my garden column will likewise continue to post in two parts on Thursdays and Fridays. The garden column articles get written regardless, so may as well appear here like they do in their newspapers. Old articles were already written, so do not necessitate too much effort to recycle them here. Therefore, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays are the only days that I actually write for. I can continue to write for the Horridculture theme, or actually, any random topic for Wednesdays. I can also continue to participate with the Six on Saturday meme for Saturdays, since it involves more illustration than writing, which, as previously mentioned, is what occupies too much time. However, I will discontinue my second posts for Saturdays at noon, which were not very interesting anyway. This should be the last of them. Also, instead of writing posts for Sunday, I should merely post illustrations, without much text, if any, perhaps similar to the Silent Sunday and Wordless Wednesday themes at the blog of Eliza Waters.
(This article is recycled from many years ago, so contains very outdated information.)
Many succulents are remarkably easy to propagate from cuttings.
Succulent plants that were so trendy during the 1970’s seem to be gaining popularity again. This is actually one of the few trends that I like to see, since succulents are such useful and practical plants in modern urban gardens. Although some cacti, agave and larger succulents become quite imposing, most other succulents are quite compact and proportionate to small garden spaces. Some can by happy in the partial shade of atriums and under eaves. Succulents generally do not need much attention, are remarkably easy to grow, and are even easier to propagate. Most do not need much water.
‘Gardening with Succulents’, with master gardener Laura Balaoro and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, is a great program for experiencing the potential for succulents in containers and the garden. There will be several samples of container gardens to demonstrate some of the many possibilities for succulents, as well as their variety of textures and colors. Common pathogens, propagation methods, succulent that grow through winter, and succulents that are adaptable to partial shade will all be discussed. After a planting demonstration, there will be free cuttings for those who can not wait to add new succulents to their gardens.
‘Gardening with Succulents’ is only in a few days, from 10:00 a.m. to noon on September 11, so it is important to register right away by telephoning 298 7657 or online at www.grpg.org. If this program gets full to capacity first, there are many other interesting classes and programs described at the website for later. Admission is $15, or $10 for members of Friends of Guadalupe River Park and Gardens. ‘Gardening with Succulents’ will be at the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens Visitor and Education Center, which is located at 438 Coleman Avenue in San Jose.
Nearby in the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, the last of the Rose Deadheading Blitzes will be from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. on September 14, in order to remove spent blooms and promote more blooms before autumn. Volunteers should bring pruning shears and gloves, and wear closed-toe shoes; and of course, stay for ice cream afterward. (Loaner shears are available if necessary.) The San Jose Heritage Rose Garden is located on Taylor Street at Spring Street, just east of Coleman Avenue. Visit www.grpg.org or telephone 298 7657 for more information or to register.
Brent’s landscape style is VERY different from mine.
If you have ever seen ‘The Osbornes’ on television, you know how extravagant the work of landscape designer Brent Green of GreenArt of West Hollywood can be. He actually landscaped and has maintained the home of the Osbornes since before the Osbornes lived there, and has managed to fit a more extensive range of plants into the gardens than I have grown in my career as a horticulturist, arborist and nurseryman. His own home garden is just as bad . . . I mean ‘extravagant’, with more diversity of plants than could be found in any nursery.
Would you believe that Brent Green and I were actually college roommates in the dorms? Sometimes I do not believe it either. Nearly a quarter of a century ago, he came two hundred miles north, and I came two hundred miles south to ‘meet in the middle’ and study horticulture at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. He was very trendy for the time, wearing brightly colored mid ‘80’s clothes and a flat topped afro like Grace Jones. (Yes, he once had hair.) I was old fashioned for ten years earlier, just like I am now, with Levi’s, Durango’s and flannel.
As a landscape designer, Brent Green enjoys the diversity of plants, and getting them to fit into practical, functional and yet very enjoyable landscapes, gardens and outdoor rooms. Most of his favorite work is lush and tranquil, with all the fancy and artful curves, ‘meandering’ walkways, water features, extensive diversity of plants, and herds of color! Conversely, I am still a nurseryman at heart, so engage my garden as a commodity with conformity, simplicity and very basic functionality. I grow vegetables, many fruit trees, and many ‘copies’ of the same reliable plants that I propagate myself, mostly arranged in what Brent Green refers to as straight line ‘row crops’.
Yet, our gardening philosophy is the same. We both ENJOY our gardens, and agree that everyone should likewise do gardening on their own terms. Those who do not enjoy gardening should not need to. There are plenty of other things besides gardening to enjoy.
To facilitate the execution of proper horticultural techniques, we should grow only what we are able and want to take care of. What looks good in a magazine may require more attention that we can commit to or would enjoy. I still believe that the legendary horticulturist Robert Leakley was the first to say what many have copied in various forms since, “If you enjoy it, you are doing it right.”
Rhody is very proficient with Rest & Relaxation. He has been doing quite a bit of it since we left on vacation at midnight last Monday morning. He rode about eight hundred seventy miles mostly on the rear deck so that others on the road with us could observe him doing so. Since arrival in Western Washington, he has been snuggling with others whom he encounters while also engaging in similar activities. This illustrations demonstrates how expertly he engaged in rest & relaxation in Skooter’s Garden.
Although not as proficient as Rhody is, I also have been engaging in a significant rest & relaxation. This is why I have not written as much as I typically write about horticultural topics during the past several days. Although I am aware that I must compose my gardening column by Wednesday, I have deferred most other writing. If it seems otherwise, it is only because my gardening column posts in two sections on both Mondays and Tuesdays, and old articles are recycled for both Thursdays and Fridays. My negligence is more apparent only on Wednesdays and weekends. I should return from vacation on Thursday or Friday, so might resume more typical blogging before too many notice.
(This article is from 2010, so contains irrelevantly outdated information, but the link to the website below is accurate.)
The big Pacific maples outside my window never seem to get enough rest through the brief winters. Not too long ago, their leaves turned yellow and fell during autumn. Their branches were bare for only a short time through the middle of winter. Now their buds are popping open to remind me that it is now early spring. Gardening can no longer be put off because the weather is too cool and rainy to go outside, or for that matter, because it is too cool for the various plants to be actively growing and in need of much attention. Gardening now becomes a rush just to keep up with all that is going on, and to not miss out on the many excellent gardening events this time of year.
The San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, the grandest of these events, has already begun and will continue though March 28 at the San Mateo Event Center. More than 70 seminars feature topics such as sustainability in the garden, edible gardening, new plants, garden design, container gardens and water conservation. Guests can also learn how to create bonsai, build trellises, grow orchids, prune properly and how to determine what plants are best for each garden. Sproutopia has fun and educational activities and entertainment for young children.
There are also many displays exhibiting everything from garden sculpture to victory gardens. The pocket parks and container garden display shows the potential of gardening with limited space, or with little time to devote to gardening. The Bonsai Society of San Francisco is exhibiting impressively mature bonsai specimens, and demonstrating bonsai techniques. Flower Lane exhibits floral design by California Garden Clubs. Hot Plant Picks displays some of the most recently introduced or developed plants. Some are still too new to be available in nurseries yet.
Gardens for the Future, the twenty display gardens that are the most prominent component of the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, illustrate themes ranging from simple and refined to opulent and lush. ‘Velvet Daggers3’ may be my favorite because it “suggests that we seek out new applications of simple technology” and “demonstrates the beautiful qualities of xeric plants” (yuccas perhaps!?). ‘Pulling Up Daisies’ defies conventional thirsty lawns and consumptive landscaping, suggesting evolution of environmental compatible landscaping with natives. “The use of native plants makes ‘Native Garden 3.0’ a model of sustainability.” These are merely three of my favorite gardens. There are seventeen others that are worthy of more theatrical descriptions!
The San Francisco Flower and Garden Show will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., except on Sunday, March 28, when it will close two hours earlier at 6:00 p.m.. It is at The San Mateo Event Center, which is located at 2495 South Delaware Street in San Mateo. Admission is $20 for all five days, or $4 for youths sixteen years old and younger. Children four years old and younger are free. Student admission is $15 with valid student identification. After 3:00 p.m., or 2:00 p.m. on the last day, half day admission is $12. More information can be found at www.sfgardenshow.com.
I am not one to make resolutions for a New Year. Such resolutions can be made at any time. Most should probably be made as they become necessary.
I will say though, that in the future, I should post less frequently to this blog than I have been. I mentioned this a few times since I began posting here a few years ago, but never followed through with doing so.
My weekly gardening column posts in two parts, typically for Mondays and Tuesdays. That is really all that is necessary. Old columns also post in two parts, typically on Thursdays and Fridays. I could continue to recycle them, although, because topics are seasonal, the old articles are often redundant to the new articles that post at about the same time.
All other articles that post on other days are quite unnecessary. Horridculture articles that post on Wednesdays involve too much sniveling. Six on Saturday articles that post on Saturdays are fun for me, but lack substance for readers. Random articles that post on Saturdays at noon and Sundays have become somewhat too random and mundane.
Unfortunately, I can not write well with so much else happening. It is a long story, but what it comes down to is that I really should write less than I have been.
Therefore, for the future, I should commit only to posting my weekly gardening articles, from the gardening column, on Mondays and Tuesdays. I will likely continue to post recycled gardening articles for Thursdays and Fridays, even if redundant, only because they are already written. Although I may continue to post articles for Wednesdays and weekends, I may not. If not, this blog will become merely a compilation of the gardening column articles rather than a real blog. Perhaps less will be better.
Thanksgiving is a celebration of gratitude. It was created by early American settlers who were grateful for their harvest at a time when the exotic fruits, vegetables and grains that they brought with them from Europe were only beginning to get established in unfamiliar climates and soils. They were also grateful for the generosity of the indigenous people, as well as the native fruits, vegetables and game that they introduced them to. Regardless of how meager their resources now seem to be by modern American standards, early American settlers were very grateful for what they had.
Nowadays, for most Americans, sustenance from all over the World is so reliably available and in such abundance that many neglect to appreciate it. As in the past, those who lack such abundance are more grateful for what is available to them. Perhaps that is why Thanksgiving is still so relevant, and such an excellent Holiday. It is a reminder of the importance of gratitude.
Gardening to grow fruits and vegetables, even on a scale that is very minor relative to how early American settlers did so, facilitates gratitude for the sustenance and any surplus that it generates. Produce from the garden is so much more satisfying than produce from a supermarket. A pantry of canned surplus from the garden is so much more gratifying than a pantry of food that was purchased from a supermarket. Perhaps there should be no difference, since food from a supermarket is purchased with money that is earned from other work, which should be comparatively gratifying.
Realistically, there is so much to be grateful for, and so much gratitude to celebrate. In fact, there is enough to justify a specific Holiday for it. Work and gardening can be resumed tomorrow or later, after this celebration of gratitude, Thanksgiving.
Tony Tomeo 