Canning?

This new canning funnel, invented by a friend of mine, makes canning safer and easier. 

• Fits securely on the rim of jars preventing tipping and reducing spilling. 
• Fits 1/2 pint, pint, and quart jars whether wide mouth or regular size.  
• Keeps the rim clean - reducing cleanup time. 

Made in the U.S.A.
BPA free
Top rack dishwasher safe

Writing A Book About Herbs

I have been writing a book about herbs and so have not been posting much on my blogs. 
What About Herbs? is now available for Kindle and soon for Nook.

Small Green Roofs book

I won the book Small Green Roofs by Nigel Dunnett, Dusty Gedge, John Little, and Edmund G. Snodgrass from Gardening Jones blog!

It is interesting reading about green roofs on everything from apartment building carports to birdhouses.  I think I will try one on a birdhouse - maybe using edible plants for birds.

Although the book is not specifically an edible landscape book growing edibles on rooftops is discussed along with some photos and instructions for green roof building. 

Bush Cherries

Bush cherries are cherries that grow on a shrub or bush instead of a tree.  There are several types of cherries with the common name of bush cherry including Sand Cherry (Prunus x cistena), Hansen's Bush Cherry - also sometimes called Sand Cherry (Prunus bessyi), Nanking Cherry (Prunus tomentosa), Prunus cerasus X Prunus fruiticosa, and Prunus japonica x P. jacquemontii.  That last one is the only one I have tasted the fruit from so far.

Bush cherries can be grown as a hedge, windbreak, or as a single shrub in situations where you may not want a cherry tree.  Their cherry-like fruit may not be recognized by the passerby as an edible fruit and so if planted along a sidewalk you may not have the fruit picked by others without permission. The bush cherries I planted ripen later than tree cherries and so a crop may not be lost due to weather or birds.

The fruit of Prunus japonica x P. jacquemontii is red like Montmorency tart cherries and has a simliar flavor and size.  At my house they ripen around the first part of August.  My two shrubs purchased by mailorder from Hartmann's Plant Company are about 1' tall and are producing a small amount of fruit.  Their mature size is 4 x 4' when they will be producing a few pounds of fruit. A minimum of two bushes of different varieties should be planted.

Bush cherries vary in mature height from 4' up to 10' or more.  Flavor, color, size, and harvest time and quantity will also vary.  Some would be better used for jams than fresh eating.  Bush cherries may also keep birds away from other fruit in your yard that ripens at the same time. Bush cherries are something you may want to consider in place of non-edible shrubs in your yard.

Bush Cherry in Spring

              

Bush Cherry beginning to show Fall color

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.