JUNE
PLANTING
According to the Green Gardening Journal, the following items
are appropriate for planting in the Bay Area during the month
of June: Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage,
Carrots, Cauliflower, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Lettuces, Parsnips,
Potatoes, Radish. Summer Squash, Sunflowers, Tomatoes, Turnips
FAVA
BEAN BASICS
Several people are growing fava beans in their plots this year.
Fava beans are unusual in that they have an outer pod, and then
double-layered inner seeds inside. When you first open the pod,
you will see a large bean inside that looks something like a
lima bean. Many people find the taste of this outer layer of
the bean to be bitter, which is why they are often taken off
before eating the inner bean. This is easiest to do if you parboil
or blanch the shelled beans for a short time to loosen the outer
layer. You can then squeeze them to get the inner bean to pop
out. (Yes – it’s a lot of work to go through to
get a decent amount of edible beans!)
These can now be used in a number of ways. Steam them and sprinkle
with parmaissan cheese and a little salt. Saute them in olive
oil with some diced garlic and pepper. Sprinkle them uncooked
in salads.
Although it’s not for everyone, the cooked pods can be
eaten whole, with the beans inside. Some people don’t
enjoy this somewhat “hairy”/somewhat bitter taste,
but others do – so you might want to at least give it
a try.
And lastly – the leaves of the fava plant can also be
delicious when eaten raw as an ingredient in a salad or as a
replacement for lettuce in a sandwich.
PEST
CONTROL IDEAS
We’re all battling various pests in our plots. Here are
a some ideas that can help control the problems:
Snails/Slugs
• Hand-picking snails out of your garden does work. It’s
especially tedious when there are lots of babies, but don’t
give up!
• When you find them, crush snails and slugs completely,
otherwise they may recover and come back into your plot.
• Some people have had success with diatomaceous earth,
as slugs/snails don’t like travelling on top of it.
• Use container traps like upside down flower pots to
catch them in the mornings.
• Iron phosphate bait (ie: Sluggo) is actually very successful.
Follow package instructions.
• Rings of coconut oil soap (ie: SlugStop) can be placed
around individual plants.
• Plants inside your plot can be covered with small cages
of plastic or galvanized metal window screen – or larger
areas can be covered with protective horticultural fabric.
• Copper tape can be put around edge of plot to keep new
snails from entering from the outside.
Aphids
• Bags of ladybugs can be purchased at garden centers,
for controlling aphids a natural way.
• Insecticidal soaps can be sprayed onto plants, before
aphids get wide-spread.
• Some aphids reproduce more quickly on plants with high
levels of nitrogen in their leaves and buds. Slow-release fertilizers
and compost in your soil can actually discourage them from multiplying.
Gophers
• If you find a gopher hole in your plot, try sticking
a hose down into it and turning the water on. It can sometimes
take a while, but filling up the underground tunnel can stop
the gopher from being able to use it again.
• What our gardeners have tried that does not work: Sonic
gopher noise-machines... the plant “Gopher Purge”...
cat litter poured down gopher holes.
• The one method that has seemed to actually work for
a handful of gardeners here is to completely dig out the dirt
from inside their plots and to lay down a layer of rolled wire
grid, a foot or two below the surface of the ground, and bending
it up on the sides to be attached to the inside wood of the
plot’s frame with a staple-gun. There can’t be any
spaces between the sections of rolled wire, or a gopher could
possibly use that as an entrance. The wire needs to be strong
and galvanized and should have holes 3/4” or smaller,
so that a gopher couldn’t squeeze through them. (Chicken-wire
has holes too big and is made of a wire too thin to really be
effective.) You want the wire to be deep enough in the ground
that your plants have enough space for their roots to grow.
It’s a lot of work (don’t do this on a hot day!),
but the people who have gone through this effort have had great
success in preventing gopher problems.
Earwigs
• Try rolling up wet newspapers into tubes, and setting
them out in the garden in the evening, as earwigs like to crawl
into the cool moist spaces. Dispose of the newspapers in the
morning. This technique might collect other garden pests as
well.
COMPANION
PLANTING
Certain
flowers, herbs and vegetables grow better together because conditions
are created that each need to grow and thrive. Companion plants
help each other by warding off insects, or by supplying nutrients
the others need. The following vegetable combinations come from
Jerry Baker's Great Green book of Garden Secrets. Select the
first list item that you are interested in growing, and the
following vegetables listed are possible good companion plants
for that first item.
Asparagus - Tomatoes
Beans - Beets, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, potatoes
Beets - Beans, kohlrabi, onions
Cabbage - Chamomile, dill, mints, potatoes, rosemary, sage
Carrots - Chives, leeks, lettuce
Cauliflower - Celery
Celery - Cauliflower, leeks, tomatoes
Corn - Beans, cucumbers, melons, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, squash
Cucumbers - Cabbages, potatoes, radishes
Eggplant - Green beans
Kohlrabi - Beets, onions
Leeks - Carrots, lettuce, radishes, strawberries
Onions - Beets
Peas - Beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, radishes, turnips
Potatoes - Beans, cabbages, corn
Pumpkins - Corn
Radishes - Chervil, cucumbers, lettuce, peas
Spinach - Strawberries
Tomatoes - Asparagus, celery, marigolds, parsley
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Q:
I am having a problem with dark patches on my squash and tomato
plants. It is starting to take over the leaves and I’m
afraid that I’m going to lose my actual vegetables. What
exactly is going on, and what can I do to prevent this?
A: More than likely you are dealing with mildew.
It is a splotchy disease that can affect not only the leaves
of your plants, but also the vegetables themselves.
The number one reason for this disease is from watering late
enough in the day that the sun is going down and doesn’t
have a chance to evaporate the water from the leaves. Spacing
of the plants is also important, since the more that air can
circulate, the less water is left to stand on the plants.
There are a number of soap and copper sprays that can be used
to organically prevent fungus-growing on your plants. You can
also follow these basic guidelines to help keep the problem
to a minimum: Try to water early in the day while the sun is
still high. Leave enough spacing between the plants to allow
air to circulate. And try to water at the base of your plants
instead of sprinkling water from above.
In general you want to do whatever you can to prevent stagnant
water from sitting on your plants.
Q:
What are your favorite Bay Area nurseries? Gardeners
- please email in your
suggestions so that we can add to this list. Let us know what
you like, and why, so that we can all find some good local resources!
From Zoe: Half Moon Bay Nursery (Hwy 92 just before HMB).
Wonderful giant nursery with tons of flowers and outdoor plants.
Some veggies, but not their focus. Great pricing on big bags
of dirt/compost. Cottage Gardens in Petaluma is also one of
my favorite nurseries. Large and creative outdoor location with
beautiful healthy plants and a nice atmosphere.
Q:
How long will my seeds last?
A: (From Jerry
Baker's Great Green book of Garden Secrets.)
Some
seeds do live longer than others. Here are some general guidelines,
based on storing seeds in a cool dry place.
• Short-Lived (usually not good after 1-2 years): Leek,
onion, parsley, parsnip, sweet corn
• Moderately Long-Lived (good 3-5 years under good conditions):
Asparagus, bean, brussels sprout, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower,
celery, chicory, cress, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, okra,
peas, pepper, radish, spinach, turnip watermelon
• Long-Lived (good more than 5 years under good conditions):
Beet, cucumber, muskmelon, mustard, tomato
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