Edibles Native to the Americas

To celebrate this Fourth of July why not plant and/or use some plants native to the Americas?  Some such as tomatoes and potatoes were unknown in the old world until they were imported from the New World.  Thanks to all those over the thousands of years who propagated these plants so that we might have them today.  I cannot imagine life without tomatoes, peppers, and many of these other delicious and nutritious plants.

Some other edible American plants are quinoa, corn, monarda, camas, cattails, wild rice, miner's lettuce, peanuts, and chocolate (an excuse to eat chocolate to celebrate the 4th? : )).  Before consuming plants be sure you are identifying them properly and that they were not treated with pesticides.

See more Fruits native to the Americas

Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard or Chard Beta vulgaris cicla is a vegetable often grown as a spinach substitute because it can handle the heat of summer while spinach cannot.   Chard can be harvested for a longer period than spinach due to its tolerance to summer heat.  Chard can also be planted early - before the last average frost.  Plant in full sun or partial shade.  Chard varieties can be green with white ribs, red ribs, or the rainbow varieties which also include purple, orange, or yellow ribs.   Plant chard in your yard where you would like something unusual, leafy, and colorful.
Cut the outer leaves first when harvesting leaving the inner leaves to grow larger for a later harvest and to keep this colorful vegetable as part of your landscape. 

Chard can be eaten raw or steamed, or in a stir fry.
Chard recipes

Swiss Chard

Chard In The Landscape

Gardening - from Utah Boomers Magazine interview

My interview with Utah Boomers Magazine.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Strawberries

Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits.  I love the scent and the taste of fresh strawberries and all the delicious things you can make with them.

I am growing Alpine strawberries this year for the first time. Alpine strawberries do not grow runners like other types so they can work well as a border plant or in other areas where you don't want your strawberries to fill in.   The berries on alpines are smaller and some say tastier.  Alpine fruits can be red, yellow, or white depending on the variety.  Birds tend to not eat the yellow and white fruits.

Of the runner types of strawberries there are June bearing which bear their crop all at once, Everbearing which bear for a longer period but not actually the entire season, and Day Neutral which bear for much of the season.  If you want to make jam or have another use where you want a quantity at once June bearing are a good choice.  If you want the harvest spread out you would want Everbearing or Day Neutral.  Why not grow some of each?  Just keep them separate so you know what is what.

Strawberries can be grown in full sun or part shade in well drained, weed free soil.   I grow mine in 4 x 4 Square Foot Garden beds.  The alpines I will plant in the front yard here and there as a ground cover near my currant bushes.

My main strawberry pests are slugs, snails, and birds.  I recently heard the idea of placing red painted rocks in the bed right before the berries ripen to fool the birds.  That way when the berries are ripe they won't want to try them.  You can also use bird netting if you prop it slightly above the bed.  Fake owls, fake snakes (or a piece of garden hose curved to look like a snake), or CDs where they are allowed to move in the breeze may all help scare birds away.  For some slug and snail control ideas check my landscape/garden blog.

Strawberry recipes

Spring Fruit Tree Care

If the coldest weather is likely past and the buds on your trees are expanding now is the time to prune most of your fruit trees.   Apples, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, and apricots should all be pruned at this time.

I pruned my trees last week and will be spraying them with horticultural oil within days.  Pruning of fruit trees helps them to be healthier, produce better, and makes harvesting easier. Check with your county extension service and see if they have free pruning demonstrations.

You can prune dead, broken, or branches that rub against others at anytime.  Be sure to cut branches back to another branch or a bud.  If you cut in between branches or buds it will die back anyway.  If you hire someone to prune be sure that they know how to prune fruit trees and that they do not top trees.  Topping trees is unhealthy for the tree and will create problems in the future.  Arborists are professional tree pruners.

After pruning spray the entire tree with horticultural oil.  The oil spray suffocates overwintering insects on the tree.  I would consider oil spray to be one of the most important things you can do for insect control.

Starting Seeds or Planting Now?

When starting seeds or buying plants for your vegetable garden (or if you don't have a vegetable garden) consider planting some of those vegetables in other spots in your yard.

Peppers, lettuce, and many herbs are among the vegetables and herbs that are attractive plants and can be used instead of or among the other plants in your landscape. 

Were you considering an ornamental grass for your yard?  Instead why not plant chives, garlic chives, indian rice grass, society garlic, garlic, or in warmer climates, lemongrass.  You can have a grassy look and eat it too.

Lettuce is available in variety of color combinations and shapes.  Why not use it to add color and interest to your yard and taste to your table?

You can find some other ideas for substitutions and additions of edible plants to your landscape in this blog.

Wolfberry/Goji Berry

Wolfberry, Goji berry, Matrimony Vine, and Gou-gi-zi are all common names for Lycium barbarum.  Wolfberry or Wolf Berry is probably the most well know common name.  Wolfberry has been grown and used in China for centuries.  The berries can be eaten fresh, dried, or juiced and are high in protein and anti-oxidants.  Wolf berries contain all the essential amino acids.  You can find products made with Wolfberries such as juice, skin care, and energy bars.  Also, dried Wolfberries or Goji berries are available from the same site or from your local health food store.

Wolfberry - first year

Wolf berries grow on a vine (or can be pruned to grow as a shrub) which is hardy in zones 3 - 10 and is drought tolerant once established.  Information, plants, and a cookbook are all available from Phoenix Tears Nursery.  Plants can be purchased from Raintree Nursery.  Plants, seeds, and dried fruit can be purchased from Richters.

Wolfberry recipes

If any of you have grown Wolfberries I would love to hear about it so please comment.

Wolfberry in Bloom

Wolfberry Fruit

Second year of growth - Wolfberry flowers and fruit

Hardiness Zones

Hardiness Zones represent areas of average annual minimum temperatures. The USDA has divided the U.S. in to eleven different zones based on the lowest termperature recorded between 1974 and 1986. Other parts of the world also have Hardiness Zone maps.
  

This information is helpful for determining what plants may survive in your area. Hardiness Zones do not take into account rainfall, summer heat, soil type, or other factors but are still helpful when deciding what plants may grow in your area. Other factors such as lack of snow cover and lack of water can affect a plants survivability.
  

Plants are usually labeled with a hardiness zone and/or a minimum temperature to which they will survive. For example English Lavender Lavandula angustifolia, Hardiness Zone 5 - 8 is sometimes listed - 30 F instead of by zone.  Spanish Lavender Lavandula dentata has a Hardiness Zone of 8 - 9.  This information is more important than whether a plant is marked as a perennial.  Perennial in what zone?
  

My garden is a zone 6 ( -10 F to 0 F) so I can usually grow plants that can survive in zones 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. If I want to grow a zone 7 plant I may succeed by finding a warmer microclimate in my yard or growing the plant indoors. A microclimate is an area that has a slightly different climate due to wind protection, more shade, more sun, or other factors which create a climate warmer or cooler than the rest of the area.
  

I have been able to grow rosemary by planting it next to the foundation on the south side of my house. The foundation holds and reflects heat back to the rosemary's roots to keep it warmer through the winter.
  

To find your Hardiness Zone

U.S.A.

Other areas of the world
Update March 2012 - the USDA has a new zone map 

Black Currants

My introduction to black currants came in a Small Fruit Production class when the professor brought in a bottle of black currant juice that he had purchased at a German deli. After having a taste I knew I wanted to plant a bush or two.

Black currants (Ribes nigrum) grow on an attractive, easy to care for deciduous shrub which can be used in the landscape in sun to part shade. These shrubs grow 3 – 6' high but can easily be pruned to reduce the height or espaliered. Black currants prefer a somewhat moist but well drained soil.

Currant bushes are related to gooseberries and have a similar appearance but lack the thorns which gooseberry shrubs have. Some black currants have leaves which will turn red in the fall.

Black currant fruits are more commonly used in European countries where they are used for juice, jam, and desserts. The leaves are sometimes used in tea blends.  If you have only a small amount of fruit on a young shrub you can throw a few fruits into a berry or cherry pie.  Dried fruit sometimes labeled as currants are usually the dried fruit of a grape.

Areas of the U.S. with White Pine Blister Rust may prohibit the growing of currants. Check with your local extension agent for information.

Black currant recipes 

More black currant recipes

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