Hi Gardeners
Time is so precious. Things can change in the blink of an
eye. Flowers bloom and then they are gone, sometimes before you have a chance
to appreciate them. Tell someone you love them today.
This week I recycled some older articles. Hopefully I’ll
feel more like writing next week.
Shamrocks
Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day and shamrocks will be
everywhere. But what exactly is a shamrock? Well, they are a leaf from a plant
some people call clover. True shamrocks usually have 3 leaflets, although they
are sometimes portrayed with 4 leaflets.
But what plant family do true shamrocks belong to? In the
late 1800’s a debate raged among botanists in Europe and America over this very
important question. Some believed firmly that shamrocks were wood sorrel or Oxalis and others that they were of the clover
or Trifolium family. Both plants grow well in Ireland.
A clever botanist by the name of Nathaniel Colgan carried
out a survey in 1893 by asking residents of Ireland to send him pressed samples
of the plant they considered a shamrock. The survey found that the Irish
overwhelmingly chose a clover, either Trifolium
dubium (Lesser or Hops clover) or Trifolium
repens (White Clover) although a few wood sorrel leaves arrived also.
But for most people the shamrock they are going to see
around St. Patrick’s Day, especially in stores, is usually an oxalis. Oxalis
are small plants, with a bulbous root. The leaves have 3-4 leaflets, sometimes
heart shaped. Most oxalis have small, 5 petal flowers that open flat in the
spring, although some species have funnel shaped flowers. Oxalis or wood sorrel
species are common throughout most of the world.
The species sold as “shamrocks” are usually tender
perennials and won’t survive outside in a cold winter. Keep them in a bright
window and keep them moist but not over watered to the soggy point. A light
fertilization once a month with a fertilizer for flowering plants will keep
oxalis blooming for long periods of time, although they will take occasional
breaks from blooming. Well cared for plants will become larger and live for
several years. The tender Oxalis can make great container plants outside during
the frost-free months.
There are also a few types of oxalis that can be planted outside. When looking for oxalis to plant outside look in bulb catalogs. They may be called wood sorrel, a common name. The bulbs are quite inexpensive for most species.
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| Oxalis stricta, wood sorrel |
Shamrock legends and customs
Nobody really knows if St. Patrick used a clover or shamrock
to teach about the holy trinity or whether he used shamrocks to drive out
snakes or whether he even wore shamrocks on his blue, (yes blue) monks robe as
is so often depicted in pictures. But somehow the shamrock got associated with
him and with Ireland in general.
In Irish culture true shamrocks are worn in the labels of
coats or on the hat on St Paddy’s Day through the drinking and parades. Then
they are put into the last drink of the day, there is a toast, the drink is
downed, and the shamrock thrown over the left shoulder for luck. This is called
drowning the shamrock.
Since 1952 it has been a tradition for the Irish Prime
minister to present the President of the United States with a bowl of shamrocks
in a fancy Waterford crystal bowl on St. Patrick’s Day. (It’s unclear whether
that custom will be performed this year.) Unfortunately, security protocol
demands that the shamrocks immediately be destroyed after the ceremony and
photo taking. The crystal bowls have various fates- President Reagan used one
for jellybeans.
The shamrock also appears on Montreal, Canada’s flag as a symbol of one of the four major ethic groups which made up the city’s population when it was founded. It’s hard to think of Montreal as being part Irish, but it’s nice that all immigrants were honored. Almost everywhere the shamrock is seen as a symbol of good luck.
 |
| Clover, Trifolium reptans |
Peas please
In the spring nothing tastes better than fresh green peas
whether you eat them fresh from the pod or cook them. Peas are an easy
garden crop for gardeners and grow early enough that the garden spot they grew
in can be used for another type of vegetable later in the season. You can plant
peas as early as your soil thaws, many older gardeners plant them on St. Patrick’s
Day. April is also an excellent month to plant peas, but you can plant
them until about May 15 and still get a crop.
There are two basic kinds of peas, those you shell to eat
the peas and those that you eat the pod with the peas. The edible pod peas
are often called snow peas or oriental peas. Shell peas are often called
English peas. Another type of pea is the sugar snap pea, in which you eat
both the pod and slightly larger than snow pea size peas inside.
Good shell pea varieties for planting include Wando,
Lincoln, Thomas Laxton, Karina, and Legacy. Edible pod varieties
suggested are Oregon Sugar, Mammoth Melting and Sugar Sprint. You may
want to purchase inoculated seed or buy a package of inoculant. Pea seeds
can be inoculated with a naturally occurring soil bacteria that helps them
convert nitrogen from the air and gets them off to a faster start in cold
soil. It is a natural product and won’t affect any organic growing plans
that you have.
All types of peas are planted the same way, as soon as the
soil can be worked in the spring. Don’t worry about frost coming after
you have planted them- peas are a cool season crop and will do just fine. You
can speed germination if you soak pea seeds in warm water for a couple of hours
before planting. Plant your peas about an inch deep and 3 inches
apart. Any type of soil will do, as long as it drains well. A sandy
loam area works better in the spring than heavy clay if you have a choice.
All peas need something to climb on, (there are so called
bush peas but they flop over and also need support), so add some kind of
trellis for peas when you plant them. Traditionally small branches are
stuck in the ground, called pea brush, for the vines to climb. Branches at
least as big as a pencil in diameter and 4 feet high are needed. These are
stuck into the ground around the peas so that they hold each other up.
If you want something a bit neater looking use a piece of
wire fence attached to posts, with the peas planted in front of it. You
may have to wind a wayward vine into the fence at the beginning of growth, but
most pea vines will readily climb onto a fence. If you have a fence
around your garden, you can plant peas in front of it.
How many peas to plant will depend on whether you just want
fresh eating peas or if you want to can or freeze peas. For a family of 4
who just wants fresh peas a 6–8-foot row or 20 -30 plants is probably
enough. Double or triple that amount if you want peas for canning or freezing.
Peas have nodules on their roots that take nitrogen from the air. Fertilization isn’t generally needed for peas. They will appreciate regular watering if spring is dry. If an inch of rain doesn’t fall during a week, they will need you to water them. After the peas are 3 inches high mulch them with straw, chopped leaves or compost to keep the soil cool and moist.
 |
| Peas |
Peas will begin blooming 6-8 weeks after they come up,
depending on the weather and variety. When you see blooms start watching
for pea pods as they form and grow quickly. Pick edible pod peas when the
seeds inside the pod are barely visible bumps and the pods are still
flat. You can shell the peas and eat them like regular peas if you let
them get too large.
Pick shell type and sugar snap peas young too, when the peas
inside are still tiny and tender. Split the pod with your fingernail and
use your thumb to push the shell peas out into a bowl.
Keep all kinds of peas picked and don’t let pods get large
and start to dry out. If too many pods start maturing the pea plant will
stop producing peas. If you keep the pods picked while they are young,
and the weather is cool and moist you will probably get a month of harvest
time.
Peas have few insect pests or diseases. They are favorites
of rabbits and deer however and may need to be protected.
Pick peas just before you want to use them or freeze
them. After they are picked the sugar in them quickly starts to turn to
starch and your peas will not be as tasty as truly fresh peas. If there are
more than you can eat, freeze the excess.
Peas don’t like hot weather and will naturally die back when
the weather starts getting above 80 degrees every day. When that
happens, pull the vines and put them on the compost pile and plant something in
their place, like cucumbers if you leave the trellis up or even corn, which
will appreciate the nitrogen the peas left in the soil.
If you didn’t get enough peas in the spring, you can plant a
fall crop of peas. Plant this crop about the end of July. They’ll start
maturing as the weather gets cooler. Make sure to keep them mulched and
watered at this time of the year.
Seed
starting tips – for all plants
Always moisten your planting medium before filling your
containers for seed starting. Trying to moisten it after usually ends up with
seeds being washed out of place or the medium fails to absorb enough water.
Put the planting medium in a bowl or bucket, add water a
little at a time and mix with your hands until it feels moist. It should stick
together but not be so wet that water runs out when you squeeze a handful. If
you get it too wet either add more medium or spread it out on newspaper and let
the paper absorb some of the water.
Rather than poking seeds in the soil in containers, fill the
container nearly full, then tamp the potting medium down lightly, (don’t pack
it down firmly). Next put the seeds on top the planting medium and lightly
cover them, either with more planting medium, or some vermiculite. Remember
some seeds need light to germinate- look up your seed’s requirements. Don’t
cover those seeds.
Until the seedlings have a couple sets of leaves it’s best
to water from the bottom- pour water into a tray that the seedling containers
sit in. Your containers must have drain holes for this to work unless they are
paper or peat pots.
You could use open bottom pots set in a tray also. You can
make these from toilet or paper towel rolls cut into pieces, set into a tray and
then filled with potting medium.
When you transplant seedlings always handle them by the
leaves, never by the stems. If you damage the stem the seedling is likely to
die, it can replace leaves. If seedlings are very tiny you can use tweezers to
lift them by their leaves.
Don’t pull seedlings out of the soil, gently dig around them
and lift them out, trying not to damage the roots or stem.
The plastic “sporks” you get at restaurants actually make a
great tool for picking seedlings out of a flat or pot to transplant. You can also use a tiny spoon.
Don’t mist seedlings.
This is likely to cause dampening off, a fungal disease that is
fatal. Also, if you have enclosed the
seedlings in plastic or glass “mini greenhouses” you must open them in the
afternoon if condensation builds up inside, so it dries off by nightfall.
“March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a
mischievous smile, mud on her shoes and a laugh in her voice.” ― Hal Borland
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And So On….
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