With your vegetable garden well established, now is an excellent time to consider adding some herbs to flavor those dishes!
Herbs can make a familiar dish new or lift an ordinary entrée to gourmet status. Their subtle magic transforms soups, stews, salads, bread, and even desserts. With a bouquet of herbs or a scattering of herb flowers as a garnish, your food will look as beautiful as it tastes.
Basil – It’s warm, heady flavor lends itself to Italian or Mediterranean cooking, especially tomato dishes or with eggs, cheese or salads. Special Tip: Pesto Sauce – Blend 2 cups of fresh basil, ¼c of parmesan, ½c of olive oil, 3 Tbsp. of pine nuts (or walnuts) and 3 cloves of minced garlic. Use on pasta and vegetables.
Chives – The subtle onion flavor of chives is perfect in omelets, salads, soups, or on potatoes and other vegetables. Special Tip: Get rid of onion odor by chewing on a fresh parsley sprig.
Dill – Used for pickling, dill is also fantastic in salads, sauces, soups or bread and on vegetables or fish. Special Tip: Try pickling green beans, carrots, new potatoes, or peppers with a bit of dill.
Lavender – The addition of culinary grade lavender in tiny amounts can jazz up dishes as diverse as grilled pork chops, to scones, cakes, and even candy.
Marjoram – Like oregano but sweeter, this flavor is perfect in Mediterranean dishes, meats, and vegetables.
Mint – The flavor of mint is refreshing, cool, and sweet, especially good in iced drinks and teas, with lamb or in salad dressings. Plant mint only in a container. It can take over a garden bed if planted in the ground! Special Tip: Minty Sun Tea – Put 8 tea bags, ½c of fresh mint leaves, and 1 gallon of water in clear glass jar. Set in a sunny spot for several hours. Serve over ice.
Parsley – For a clean, sharp and peppery taste, add to vegetables and salads as a garnish. Include in sauces, soups, stews, and stuffing. Special Tip: Parsley is high in Vitamins A, C, and B.
Rosemary – The flavor of rosemary is bold and piney. Use it in pickles, jams, preserves, and sauces, as well as meats and soups. Special Tip: Use a branch of rosemary as a basting brush at your next barbeque or put some on the coals for a great aroma.
Sage – Warm, slightly bitter, this flavor is a must for turkey stuffing, as well as pork, duck and sausage seasoning. Special Tip: Dried sage leaves are used as a substitute for coffee or tea.
Tarragon – A spicy, sharp flavor with licorice and mint overtones, tarragon lends itself to French cooking, egg dishes, fish, and salad dressing. Special Tip – Tarragon Vinegar – Pour a quart of cold vinegar over ½c fresh tarragon leaves, cap, and store for 4 weeks.
Kids and gardening seem to go hand in hand. Dirt itself has a natural draw for children, as is the magic of planting a seed and discovering its power to change and morph and grow. If you have kids in your life, include them in the gardening process by planting with them or at least with them in mind.
Many childhood memories are formed in the garden and can be re-triggered later in life when certain smells re-enter consciousness. Many plants offer unique color, texture or olfactory stimulation, and of course many are edible!
Here are some plants you can place into a garden today that may be of particular interest for kids!
Radishes
Radishes from seed are extremely quick to germinate and grow to fruition within just 3 to 4 weeks from seed packet to table; radishes are the fastest way to illustrate the harvest cycle from start to finish.
Marigolds
Marigolds planted from seed have child-appeal partly due to the bright orange or yellow color and also for the distinct fragrance of the crushed leaf. Do you remember your first marigold? Marigolds are also kid-friendly because as the flower fades, the center can be tugged away to reveal the seeds as they form. These can be dried and planted again (and again), teaching the circle of life.
Cherry Tomatoes
They pop in your mouth, bite-sized, juicy, and growing at just the right height to harvest whenever a child needs a natural snack. Cherry Tomatoes climbs like a vine and can cover a trellis or arbor in a season.
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums, being both colorful and edible, naturally lend themselves to gardening with children. A few seeds set into a semi-shady spot will sprout and clamber to grace a corner with mildly spicy flowers and foliage.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers are awe-inspiring both in the garden or as a cut flower on the table. Plant the “mammoth” giant blooms but don’t overlook the smaller branching ones that can be cut for a bouquet and tend to rebloom.
Pumpkins
Everyone knows that pumpkins have child appeal. The value of a pumpkin planted and harvested from one’s garden is immeasurably more memorable and valuable than one purchased from the supermarket.
Mint
A little mint underfoot will fill the air with the fragrance of so many familiar sweets. Tuck some in a shady spot near the hose spigot where it will soak up the spills. Beware! It travels and spreads if you are not looking. Mint can be invasive, so grow in a pot.
Thyme
Thyme is easy to grow and full of the familiar scent of pizza. It is always good to show kids that their food comes from the earth. Vegetable and herb gardens drive this point home.
More
There are dozens of more options for growing a kids’ garden. Consider planting veggies in with your ornamentals as long as you treat all with vegetable safe care products. Pumpkins and tomatoes can grow right in with the roses and perennials. The basic idea is to enrich the lives of the little set and provide some memories that will linger with them!
Many gardeners have planted their vegetable gardens and are looking forward to tasty, mouth-watering tomatoes, snappy beans, sweet corn or crunchy peppers. Take action now to improve the harvest and prolong it, too!
First, fertilize the vegetable garden with Master’s Tomato and Vegetable Food or E.B. Stone Organic Tomato and Vegetable Fertilizer. Remember it’s better to under than over fertilize. And never feed a thirsty plant. Water the garden thoroughly the day before feeding. Also, keep an eye on the temperature. You don’t want to fertilize if the temperature is expected to be over 85 degrees.
Water established tomato plants deeply and less frequently. These plants have deep roots, and frequent watering encourages plant growth without much fruit production.
Water cucumbers more often. Cucumbers need to be kept evenly moist to help prevent them from being bitter.
As cucumbers, squash and pole beans grow, save space by training them to climb trellises, poles or tomato cages.
When harvesting your first fruits, pick them on the small size, giving you a sweeter, milder tasting vegetable. For tangy peppers, pick when green, or wait until they are red for a more delicious flavor.
Control garden pests before they control you! Snails and slugs are out in force, as well as earwigs, cutworms, and tomato hornworms. Sluggo provides slug and snail protection, and Sluggo Plus adds insect control. Both of these products have organic labels. Captain Jacks (also organic) is suitable for insects and caterpillars and leaf-eating worms and Take Down for small sucking insects like aphids and whitefly.
For those who have not yet planted a vegetable garden, It’s not too late!
June is a great month to plant a vegetable garden. Alden Lane has a collection of vegetables that will help you establish a garden quickly.
Stop by the nursery and let us get you growing this season!
There are several key elements in growing a successful and fruitful vegetable garden, one of which is “Mother Nature”. We can’t always predict or control what nature brings, but the following steps can help improve your success rate.
Soil Preparation Soil prep is the #1 key to a successful garden. Most of our valley soils have a high clay content and must be loosened to allow for proper drainage and better root growth. The addition of soil amendments or organic conditioners plays a big role in turning our heavy soil into “good garden loam”.
First, remove all large rocks, weeds, and debris from the planting area. For a 10′ x 10′ sq. area, rototill or work into the soil 5-8 bags of Bumper Crop, 15 pounds of E.B. Stone Tomato & Vegetable Food (use less if you use a traditional fertilizer instead of an organic selection like E.B. Stone), 5 lbs. of Iron Sulfate and between 5 and 40 pounds of gypsum. This will provide you with a soil that is better draining and rich in nutrients.
If you are planting in a raised bed, remember that the soil should be refreshed each season for maximum production. We recommend using our Master Nursery Professional Potting Soil to add soil volume to beds that have settled. Mix in Bumper Crop along with E.B. Stone Tomato & Vegetable Food, Iron Sulfate and gypsum and you are ready to “grow”.
Planting Vegetables may be started from seed or “starter” plants. A 4-inch potted plant gives you a head start in the growing process and in many cases is more efficient for the urban garden. However, if you start from seed, you will have to thin the seedlings as they grow to get stronger, healthier plants.
Spring planting is generally done after the danger of frost, which for the Valley is the first week of April. Spring/Summer crops include tomatoes, peppers, squashes, eggplants, cucumbers, corn, beans, pumpkins, strawberries, and melons. Some of your leafy green vegetables can also be grown now if given some special care.
Fall planting is generally started as the summer heat subsides, which for the Valley is on or about October 1st. Fall/Winter crops include artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower, kale, lettuces, mustards, onions, peas, rhubarb, swiss chard, spinach, and potatoes in January.
When planting small starter plants, be extra gentle with the stem where it enters the ground or crown of the plant, as it can be damaged easily in transplanting and then your plant will fail. Also, make sure not to bury the stem of the plant under extra soil, the crown needs to “breathe”. The exception is tomato plants, whose stems can be buried. Each hair will turn into a root. When you plant, mix into the soil a “starter” fertilizer like E.B. StoneSure Start. This helps the young plants develop a stronger root system.
Fertilizing Fertilization is the 2nd key component to a fruitful garden. A “starter” fertilizer like E.B Stone Sure Start, will get your young transplant off to a good beginning. After about 3-4 weeks you’ll need to start your regular fertilizing schedule.
We recommend using organic or organic based fertilizers such as E.B. Stone once a month since they provide many benefits to the crops and soil.
Fertilizers should never be applied to dry, thirsty plants. Water your plants first, let a couple hours pass then apply your fertilizer and then water the plants again. Avoid feeding on extra hot days (over 85 degrees).
Tomato & Vegetable Food 4-5-3 E.B. Stone Tomato & Vegetable Food is formulated from quality natural organic ingredients for use throughout the vegetable garden as well as with soft fruits like strawberries.
It will contribute to even plant growth without producing excessive foliage at the expense of fruit. The additional phosphorous helps to ensure the production of high-quality fruits and vegetables.
The calcium in E.B. Stone Tomato & Vegetable Food aids in preventing disorders like blossom end rot.
Watering Watering is the 3rd key to a successful garden. Water new transplants right away and keep young, establishing plants evenly moist. A maturing vegetable garden is perfectly suited to be water-wise since veggies will fruit better if kept on the dry side. Drip systems and soaker hoses can be used for the vegetable garden. Soaker hoses, although left on for an hour or more at a trickle can still reduce water use by as much as 70%.
With drip systems, you’ll need to use 3 emitters per plant, triangulated around the plant, and run the system for 1 hour to start, then increase it to 2 hours when the plant has grown. How frequently you will have to water depends mostly on your soil’s water holding capability and secondly on weather conditions. In general, you want to thoroughly soak your vegetable plants and then let them go dry in between waterings. When you see the plants wilting (droopy), and you know it’s been awhile since you’ve watered, then it’s time to water again. However, temperature extremes will cause plants to droop even though they have enough water.
Mulching Mulching with 3-4 inches of shredded or nugget forest material helps to conserve water, moderate soil temperatures near the crown of the plant and discourage weeds. Studies have also shown that plants that have been mulched, grow faster and develop higher yields in the long term. We recommend any Master Nursery Bark material. Mulch in late spring to allow the sun to warm the soil early on.
Pest Management The first line of defense for your new plants is to protect them from snails, slugs, and earwigs with organic Sluggo Plus. Spread bait, “1 tablespoon per square yard” in a broad pattern out from the plant base of your plants. Read label directions for the frequency of reapplication. For other pest problems, it is best to identify which pest you’re dealing with before treating. If you are not sure what you’ve got, you can always bring some into the nursery in a sealed container. Ladybugs make a good biological control for aphids and some other soft-bodied insects. Captain Jack’s products, (Spinosad) and Bonide All Season Spray Oilare good broad-spectrum pesticides that are organic (OMRI approved) and treat the majority of vegetable pests.
Other Tips & Hints
In spring, new plants should be transplanted into the ground late in the day, (just before sunset), so they will not suffer from heat stress.
Tomato flowers will not set fruit if nighttime temperatures drop below 55 degrees and usually will drop off.
When your tomatoes are blooming, shake the plants to aid in pollination. This will increase fruit set. (This is helpful with peppers too). Spray open yellow flowers with Bonide Blossom Set to enhance fruit set.
Even out watering on tomato plants once the fruit has set and begins to color.
Cooler nighttime temperatures delay the ripening of many spring veggies.
Mix in a tablespoon of Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts) in the bottom of the hole for tomatoes. Apply a tablespoon monthly through the growing season.
We enjoy the mild winter weather and warm spring making strawberry growing easy. Growing and eating fresh strawberries is a Northern California treat. Bare root Strawberries have just arrived so plant plenty for spring and summer.Bare root strawberries planted now will produce by this summer.
Throughout the year, we carry an assortment of strawberries, but the first to arrive are the bare root Seascape everbearing variety. They produce berries throughout the warm season with the heaviest crop in late spring.
Planting Strawberries
Plant strawberries in soil that has been improved by spreading a 3″ layer of Master Nursery Gold Rush or Bumper Crop and mix it in well. Form the improved soil into mounded rows about 4-6″ high and 12-18″ wide and 24-30″ center to center. Or plant strawberries in containers using Master’s Pride Potting Soil.
Ideally, you will want to keep the fruit from touching the soil. Traditionally when planting in mounds, a layer of straw was used to hold the berries up out of the dirt, but you can use any mulch, including bark or even landscape weed fabric. Lay the fabric over the freshly prepared soil anchor it down with soil staples, stones or a bit of dirt, then cut slits into the fabric where each plant goes.
Place each plant a little bit high in the soil, just covering the roots. Planting this way ensures the crown does not rot, and roots do not dry out. Strawberries like even moisture and light fertilizing at planting followed by a heavier feeding after fruiting.
At the time of planting, mix in Master’s Tomato Vegetable Fertilizer. Feed monthly through September.
Plan backyard orchards for variety and prolonged harvests
For years, most of the information about growing fruit came from commercial orchards that advocated methods promoting maximum size for maximum yield but required 12-foot ladders for pruning, thinning and picking, and 400 to 600 square feet of land per tree. Tree spacing had to allow for tractors and heavy automated equipment. Homeowners today do not need or expect commercial results from their backyard fruit trees. A commercial grower would never consider using his commercial methods in a residential backyard, and neither should a homeowner.
Prolonged Harvest of Tree-ripe Fruit From a Small Space
Backyard orchard culture means planting close together several or many fruit varieties which ripen at different times and keeping the trees small by summer pruning. Homeowners today have less space for fruit trees, less time to take care of them, and less time to process or preserve large crops than in the past. Plan today’s backyard orchards with different objectives in mind.
High-Density Planting and Successive Ripening
Maximizing the length of the fruit season means planting several (or many) fruit varieties with different ripening times. Because of the limited space available to most homeowners, this means using one or more of the techniques for close-planting and training fruit trees; two, three or four trees in one hole, espalier, and hedgerow are the most common of these techniques. Four trees instead of one can provide ten to twelve weeks of fruit instead of only two or three.
Close-planting Restricts Tree Vigor – Helping Dwarf Trees Naturally
Trees won’t grow as big when there are competing trees close by. Close-planting works best when rootstocks of similar vigor are planted together. For example, for a four-in-one-hole planting, four trees of the same rootstock would be easier to maintain than a combination of different rootstocks.
Planting More Varieties Means Better Cross-pollination
In our climate, this can also mean more consistent production of pears, apples, plums, and cherries.
Typical High-Density Planting Option Diagrams
Planting Description
Planting Diagram
Area Dimensions: 8′ x 8′
Number of Holes: 1
Number of Trees: 2
Distance Apart: 18 inches
Area Dimensions: 5′ x 10′
Number of Trees: 2 (espaliered)
Area Dimensions: 10′ x 10′
Number of Holes: 1
Number of Trees: 4
Distance Apart: 18 inches
Area Dimensions: 10′ x 20′
Number of Holes: 2
Number of Trees: 8
Distance Apart: 18 inches (in each set)
The key things to remember are you do not need a lot of space and that you can plant multiple trees and even different kinds of trees in a small area that the old methods would have told you was not possible.
These are just some sample diagrams to show you how high-density planting can work in your own backyard, and, in fact, you do not even need a backyard. You can create your own functional, practical orchard on a patio or you can use containers and plant your “backyard orchard” on a sunny balcony.
Many backyard orchard possibilities exist using these new, but proven methods. Come in and spend a few minutes with your Alden Lane fruit tree professionals to learn your options for your particular space, lifestyle and backyard orchard goals.
You may not be thinking Winter in mid-August, but now time to start planting cool-season vegetables from seed.
California enjoys a long growing season. The cool side of summer and the warm side of winter both count for bumper-crop gardening. Planting now allows for a deep, established root system and a very long growing season resulting in more abundant harvests. Sow seeds directly in the garden as space permits, or start seeds indoors and set out in September.
We are starting to get some starter plants in our bedding department. These provide a few weeks head start on those planted from seed. Important to remember that these winter vegetables are sensitive to heat and should not be in sun after noon until about September 1st.
Veggies to plant now include leafy vegetables and members of the cabbage family and including cauliflower and broccoli. Also, plant parsley, snap peas and snow peas, onions, leeks, and chard. Along with beets, carrots, radishes from seed.
(Remember to protect young starter plants from intense heat if temperatures spike; improvise a shade cover. We have shade cloth to help.
Buttery avocados, red strawberry guavas, plump passion fruits . . . all grown at home. Wait – what? You mean we can grow luscious tropical fruits right here in the Tri-Valley? I thought our Sunset Zone 14 (USDA Zone 9) winters were too cold for tropicals!
While it’s true we are a bit too cold for many truly tropical plants which come from a climate with nary a frost, with a little imagination and shift in our thinking we can grow lots of similar fruits which can withstand a bit of cold below 32 degrees. Many of these are from sub-tropical regions of the world. Not only will you be adding delicious treats to your yard, you also gain gorgeous assets in your landscape.
Lots of these plants will look right at home in a landscape themed with layers of palms, large-leaved shrubs, and bright, hot flower colors, straight from your most recent vacation to the tropics. Plant them in sheltered spots in your yard – up close to your house on the south or the east side is a good spot for the most frost tender. Most like a minimum of six hours of sunshine to produce well. And think frost protection for at least the first few years – cover with frost blankets over the tops and down to the ground, and/or wrap with small incandescent Christmas lights for extra warmth.
Try growing a couple of these juicy edible tropicals:
Avocados – yes, challenging, but can be done! Pick a sheltered spot, and choose one of the hardier Mexican varieties, like ‘Stewart’, ‘Mexicola Grande’, ‘Fuerte’, or ‘Zutano’. Fruit ripen 6 to 8 months after flowering.
Bananas – though you won’t harvest any fruit, what a great accent plant, and probably the best way to grow your own plates!
Guavas – so many sub-tropical varieties! They are beautiful, small scale, easy to grow, evergreen trees or large shrubs which deserve a place in every yard.
Limes – add some sweet/sour zest to your Mexican and Caribbean dishes. ‘Bearss’ lime (pictured above) is an all purpose juicy workhorse, while the smaller, rounder Mexican lime dazzles in cocktails and for eating fresh.
Dragonfruit – an intriguing looking cactus-type plant that bears a beautiful pink highly nutritious fruits.
Loquat – easy growing and tropical looking with its coarse texture and serrated large leaves. Try loquat for virtually effortless clusters of fruit. (‘Big Jim’ loquat pictured)
Passion Fruit – exquisite, exotic purple and white and green flowers like something off a space ship give way to green, then purple hanging orbs with sweet orangy-citrusy pulp inside. Try spooning it out.
To grow tropicals, practice good soil preparation incorporating lots of compost. We recommend Bumper Crop. Raise up planting beds, and add Sure Start at planting. Mulch well, and water deeply, allowing plantings to dry down a bit between soaks.
We have a vast collection of tomato seeds ready for starting. We also have a beginning assortment of tomato starts in our bedding department.
Tomatoes group nicely into types according to growth habit and production.
Determinate types grow in a compact, bush form, requiring little or no staking. Fruit forms on the ends of the branches; most of the crop ripens at the same time. One or more successive plantings will ensure an extended harvest period. Determinate types are often the choice of those who want a large supply of ripe fruit at once for canning. Determinate types include Ace 55 and Italian Roma.
Indeterminate varieties continue to grow and produce fruit all season until the first frost. Tomatoes in all stages of development may be on the plants at one time. The plants set fruit clusters along a vigorously growing vining stem. Under optimum conditions, some can grow over 15′, but in most home gardens they reach about 6′. Some indeterminates have a bush form with stockier vines, which set fruit clusters closer together. Indeterminate types include Beefsteak, most cherry tomatoes, and San Marzano (paste).
Semi-determinate tomatoes also continue to produce up until frost. A good one to consider is Glacier.
Tomatoes can also be also grouped by use, shape, and size.
For slicing, use tomatoes that are large and juicy.
Paste (sauce/Roma/plum) tomatoes are drier (concentrated flavor), with fewer seeds, making them ideal for a sauce but also excellent for slicing.
Cherry tomatoes are bite-sized and come in several shapes like oblong, pear-shaped or round.
Kids and gardening seem to go hand in hand. Dirt itself has a natural draw for children, as is the magic of planting a seed and discovering its power to change and morph and grow. If you have kids in your life, include them in the gardening process by planting with them or at least with them in mind.
Radishes from seed are extremely quick to germinate and grow to fruition within just 3 to 4 weeks from seed packet to table; radishes are the fastest way to illustrate the harvest cycle from start to finish.
More
Nurture and Support your Growing Vegetables
You may not be thinking Winter in mid-August, but now time to start planting cool-season vegetables from seed.
Choosing Tomato Varieties