VEGETABLES
  Organic Homegrown peas taste so much better than store bought! 'Oregon Sugar Pod II' produces an enormous number of 4" delicious pods that should be harvested and eaten when the pods are flat, before the seeds form. Short, 28" vines are easy to manage. Resists mildew, pea enation virus, and leaf roll. Excellent freezer and late-summer variety. Grow on a trellis.  Here in the Carondelet Garden, we were delighted with our Snow Peas this season. We harvested hundreds of these little, tasty gems. They were eaten in salads, pasta dishes and some were frozen for later use. A wonderful addition to the vegetable garden.
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 Planting tomatoes in pots is nothing new. This is a great way to enjoy your favorite crops in areas with limited space. Tomatoes can be grown easily in hanging baskets, window boxes, planters, and many other types of containers. To successfully grow tomatoes in pots or containers, simply match the variety you want to a suitable container and provide the proper care. Growing Tomatoes in Containers It’s easy to grow tomato plants in pots. To get the most from container-grown tomatoes, you need to match the eventual size of your plant tomato plants to the overall size of your tomato planter box. For instance, smaller varieties are well suited to hanging baskets or window boxes, whereas you might want to choose a sturdier planter or 5-gallon (18.9 L) bucket for larger types.
Make certain the pot is deep enough to accommodate the plant’s root system. A standard 12-inch (30 cm.) deep pot with the same diameter is suitable for most plants. Anything from bushel baskets and half barrels to 5-gallon (18.9 L) buckets can be used to grow tomato plants. Just make sure that the container has adequate drainage. Growing Tomatoes in Pots Fill your pot with loose, well-draining potting soil. It’s also a good idea to add in some organic materials like well-rotted shavings or manure. For example, you might try an equal mix of potting soil perlite, peat moss, and compost. Tomato seeds can be started indoors in early spring or you can purchase young plants once they become available in your area.  Candy Hybrid Onions combine the best qualities of short-day and long-day onions. A day-neutral variety, it bears large, white bulbs with a mild flavor. They're great eaten raw, on sandwiches, lightly cooked in salsas and stir-fries, and cooked into meat dishes, casseroles and other recipes. It's also a fairly good storage variety. They look great and we made sure to place plenty of straw around the young onions to protect from the weather that is yet to come. Looking forward to watching these onions grow.  The Candy Hybrid Onions were harvested on 06.25.2023
and we were very pleased with the result. Here they are drying out in our City Garage. Just a few more days and they will be ready to store for the months ahead.  Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes are rather odd-looking tomatoes with a flattened, globe-like shape and pinkish red skin with hints of green and purple. The flesh is a rich red color and the flavor is delicious– both sweet and tart. Interested in growing Cherokee Purple tomatoes? Cherokee Purple Tomato Info Cherokee Purple tomato plants are heirloom plants, which means they have been around for several generations. Unlike hybrid varieties, heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated so the seeds will produce tomatoes nearly identical to their parents. These tomatoes originated in Tennessee. According to plant lore, Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes may have been passed down from the Cherokee tribe. How to Grow a Cherokee Purple Tomato Cherokee Purple tomato plants are indeterminate, which means the plants will continue to grow and produce tomatoes until the first frost in autumn. Like most tomatoes, Cherokee Purple tomatoes grow in nearly any climate that provides plenty of sunlight and three to four months of warm, dry weather. Soil should be rich and well drained. Dig in a generous amount of compost or well-rotted manure before planting. Planting is also the time to use a slow-release fertilizer. Thereafter, feed the plants once every month throughout the growing season. Allow 18 to 36 inches (45-90 cm.) between each tomato plant. If necessary, protect young Cherokee Purple tomato plants with a frost blanket if nights are chilly. You should also stake the tomato plants or provide some type of sturdy support. Water the tomato plants whenever the top 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm.) of soil feels dry to the touch. Never allow the soil to become either too soggy or too dry. Uneven moisture levels can cause cracked fruit or blossom end rot. A thin layer of mulch will help keep the soil evenly moist and cool.   Here in the Carondelet Garden, we plant our garlic in the fall as one of the last chores of the growing season. A little prep work goes a long way to getting a great garlic harvest next season. Garlic is absolutely one of the easiest of all crops to grow in the Carondelet Garden. It takes a while since the garlic is planted in the fall to give it a good start and time to produce a quality bulb. Fall planting gives the garlic time for the roots to begin to grow and when the winter freeze comes, the garlic goes dormant. Spring comes and the soil warms and the garlic starts right back up where it left off. This year we have planted a type of Porcelain garlic called 'Music.' Music displays more color than most porcelain garlic varieties. The flavor is rich and strong but not overly hot; however, it is sweeter when baked. Porcelain garlic Porcelain garlic is a type of large, attractive hardneck garlic. The plump cloves, usually four to seven to a bulb, are easy to peel, delicious to eat, and store longer than most types of garlic. Let’s learn how to grow porcelain garlic. How to Grow Porcelain Garlic Growing porcelain garlic is basically the same as growing any type of garlic. Porcelain garlic performs well in most climates, with the exception of extremely warm regions such as southern California, Florida, and Texas. It is well suited for cold weather and tends to be larger when grown in chilly northern climates. Plant porcelain garlic in well-drained soil sometime in the fall (between September and November) when the soil is cool. Before planting, dig in a generous amount of compost or well-rotted manure. If you want fat, plump garlic, plant the fattest, plumpest porcelain garlic bulbs you can find. Cover the area with 3 to 4 inches (5 to 7.5 cm.) of mulch after the ground freezes. Straw makes a great mulch for porcelain garlic. As part of your porcelain garlic care, provide about an inch (2.5 cm.) of water per week when bulbs are forming in late spring and early summer. You may not need to irrigate if your climate is rainy in spring. Pull weeds as they appear since these rob nutrients from the bulbs. Harvest porcelain garlic when the lower leaves start to turn brown.   The jalapeno pepper plant is a member of the hot pepper family and shares company with other fiery hot varieties such as tabasco, cayenne, and cherry. Jalapenos are the only pepper that isn’t allowed to fully ripen and change color before being picked. Growing jalapeno peppers isn’t difficult if you provide plants with good soil, plenty of sunlight, and ample water.
How to Grow Jalapeno Peppers Peppers, including jalapenos, do best in loamy, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Full sun and warm temperatures are also important when growing jalapeno peppers. Jalapenos thrive in warm conditions and need temperatures between 65 and 80 F. (18-27 C.) to germinate. Temperature is critical, and unless it’s warm enough, pepper seeds won’t sprout and transplants won’t survive. It’s best to wait until at least two weeks after planting tomatoes to plant jalapeno peppers in the garden. In contrast, jalapeno pepper plants will not produce an abundance of fruit when the temperature is over 90 F. (32 C.) Although jalapeno plant care isn’t difficult, plants must be kept watered during hot, dry spells. It’s best to avoid getting water on the fruit; therefore, drip irrigation is the best form of watering for jalapeno plants. Jalapeno Plant Problems Jalapenos are nightshade plants like tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant, and are vulnerable to similar diseases and pest problems. Keeping pepper plants well-watered and your garden area clean of rotting debris will help to keep pest problems to a minimum. Cutworms, aphids, and flea beetles are common pests of the pepper plant. Spray plants with a heavy shot of water to knock off aphids or use an organic insecticide, like neem oil. Worms or caterpillars should be picked off plants and thrown away. It is a good idea to check plants daily for pests. Harvesting Jalapeno Pepper Plant Another aspect of jalapeno plant care involves proper harvesting. Harvest jalapeno peppers by pinching them carefully from the stem when they are firm and solid-colored before they turn color. Reserve jalapenos for dishes that require very hot peppers. You can dry jalapenos, freeze them, or use them in salsas and sauces if you dare! Learning how to grow jalapeno peppers is a great way to provide some extra zip to your food dishes. In addition, proper care of your peppers will help prevent any future jalapeno plant problems. |
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June 2023
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