Vegetable Gardening Page 24

  Dill does poorly when transplanted, so start from seed sown directly into your garden. The annual plants thrive in rich, loose soil in a sunny location. Plant the seeds 1 to 2 weeks before the last spring frost date if you want the crop to mature when you do your first cucumber pickling. Sow seeds 1/4-inch-deep in rows that are 18 to 24 inches part; or broadcast seeds over a 2-square-foot bed and gently rake the seeds into the soil. Plants should emerge in 10 to 14 days; let them grow for another 10 to 14 days and then thin them to 12 to 18 inches apart. Make small sowings a few weeks apart in different 2-square-foot areas in your garden until midsummer to get a supply of fresh leaves throughout the season.

  Let a few plants mature their seed (let the seed form and drop from the flower naturally); if left undisturbed, they'll provide many new plants next season.

  ‘Fernleaf' is a dwarf variety of dill that reaches only 18 inches tall, is slow to go to seed, and is great in containers. Taller varieties tend to flop over in a pot, so low-growing varieties like ‘Fernleaf' are better choices for a container.

  You can start harvesting the fernlike leaves about 8 weeks after planting by pinching the outer leaves close to the stem. The leaves have the strongest flavor just when the flower heads are opening. Store fresh dill by wrapping the cut ends with a moistened paper towel and placing the dill in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. To dry the leaves, place them in a dark place on a window screen; after they're dry, seal them in an airtight jar. Freezing the leaves in bunches in freezer bags retains even more of their flavor.

  For pickling, cut off the seed heads when they're light brown. Dry them for a few days in paper bags with air holes in the sides, and then shake the seeds loose in the bottom of the bags. You can use then use these seeds for cooking. Dill seeds are great not only for pickles but also for beans and fish.

  French tarragon

  French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus sativa) is an essential herb for many cooks, but it can cause some confusion for the first-time grower. You must know exactly what you're buying when you purchase a French tarragon plant because it's often confused with similar-looking Russian tarragon, a weedy plant that has little value in cooking. French tarragon is a hardy perennial that can be grown only from root cuttings, divisions, or tip cuttings of new growth.

  If you find tarragon seed for sale, it's probably Russian tarragon. If you're buying plants at a nursery, rub some of the leaves together and then smell them to determine the variety; the French variety will have the strong licorice scent that you want.

  Because seeds can be difficult to find, I suggest that you purchase plants. Or if you have a friend with an established tarragon bed, ask if he can divide his plants in early spring. You want to divide each established plant into two or three plants. You divide by digging up the entire plant, cutting it evenly into two or three smaller plants, and then replanting one plant and giving away the rest. Space tarragon plants 2 to 3 feet apart and give them room to spread. Divide the plants every 2 to 3 years to keep them vigorous and healthy. Tarragon does best in full sun or partial shade, and it needs well-drained soil.

  Cut back plants to 2 feet when flower buds start to form (midsummer) to prevent flowering and to keep the plants from getting floppy. In cold-winter climates, apply a layer of thick organic mulch — such as straw — over the roots in the winter.

  Tarragon's aniselike flavor makes it a wonderful addition to salads, fish, chicken, sauces, and vinegar. Tarragon leaves have the best flavor if you use them fresh in early summer or freeze them for later use. Store fresh tarragon in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with a moist paper towel wrapped around the base. Freeze stems with leaves attached in small plastic bags. Drying some of the harvest is also an option, but the leaves can lose a lot of their flavor if you let them dry too long. To dry, hang in bunches in a warm, well-ventilated room out of direct sunlight. They should dry within a week. Pack them in an airtight container as soon as they're dry.

  Mint

  The mint family offers a tremendous diversity of refreshing scents and tastes for cooking, beverages, and potpourris. Consider these varieties:

  Spearmint (Menthe spicata) is most commonly used in the kitchen for mint juleps, sauces, jellies, and teas, or to highlight flavor in a fruit salad. It's very fragrant and grows 2 to 3 feet tall with pale violet blooms in mid to late summer.

  Peppermint (M. piperita) is another popular mint with a strong aroma; it grows 3 feet tall with smooth, 1- to 3-inch-long leaves and blooms in midsummer.

  Another dozen or so mint varieties include some interesting types such as orange, ginger, chocolate, and apple mint. They're available from garden centers or mail-order herb suppliers (see the appendix for addresses).

  Start with one or two plants and set them 2 feet apart in a sunny or shady location with rich, moist soil. These perennial plants will quickly fill in the open area between them. Use a light mulch to maintain soil moisture and to keep the leaves dry and off the ground. You can easily propagate mint plants by dividing the clumps, so you can share your plants with friends.

  Many types of mint are very invasive, growing into other garden space, especially in rich, moist soil. So unless you grow them in pots or with some kind of confinement, such as metal or plastic (to a depth of 14 inches), they can become a very troublesome weed. I once had mint take over my herb garden in just a year, crowding out all the other herbs. So beware! Figure 12-2 shows you how to plant mint in pots buried in the ground; make sure that the lip of each pot is above the soil line. And remember: Don't let the plants get too thick. Cut them back frequently to promote fresh growth.

  Figure 12-2: Plant mint plants in pots buried in the ground if you want to stop them from spreading.

  Pick young or old mint leaves as soon as you need them throughout the growing season. You can easily dry mint leaves on trays or by hanging bunched branches upside down in a dark, warm, well-ventilated area. The leaves are easy to freeze too; just place the leaves in plastic bags. Store fresh mint in the refrigerator similar to how you would dill.

  Oregano

  You can grow several types of oregano; I recommend only one for kitchen use. Others do have a mild oregano flavor, but they taste like hay; they're best used as border plantings or for wreathmaking.

  The oregano most often used in cooking is Oreganum heracleoticum, and it goes by the common names Greek oregano, winter sweet marjoram, and Italian oregano. It's a hardy, perennial plant that establishes quickly, getting no taller than 6 to 8 inches, making it perfect for container growing. I prefer it over common oregano (O. vulgare), which isn't as flavorful. However, common oregano is lovely; it's covered with ornamental lavender-colored flowers in summer that dry well, are often used in wreaths, and are irresistible to bees.

  You can start oregano from seed planted after the last spring frost, divide established beds to get new plants, or buy transplants at a garden center. Planting in rich, fertile soil and full sun is best. When the plants are 3 to 4 inches tall and wide (a few weeks after planting), thin them to stand 8 to 10 inches apart. Trim back or prune the plants before they flower (about 5 to 6 weeks after planting).

  Harvest oregano leaves as you need them, but remember that you'll get optimal flavor just before the flowers bloom. Use the trimmings in your cooking. After trimming, wait for new growth and use as needed. Oregano leaves dry easily and store well, and you also can freeze them. Dry and freeze the leaves similar to how you would mint.

  Parsley

  Parsley deserves recognition for more than just its role as a garnish. It's also a good breath freshener that's rich in iron and vitamin C. The curly leafed parsley (Petroselinum crispum), which comes in many varieties, is the most common type because it makes such an attractive garnish. For cooking, the flat-leafed parsley or Italian parsley (P. crispum neapolitanum) is preferable; it's easier to work with and has better flavor than curly leafed parsley. I use both to make a delicious and healthful green shake consisting of parsley, bananas, and water! It's not for everyone, b
ut I love it. You also can use parsley as a substitution for basil when making pesto.

  Although parsley is a biennial (it grows leaves the first year and goes to flower and seed the second), it grows best if you sow seeds every year because the flavor is diminished in the second season. Growing parsley from seed, however, requires patience because the seedlings can take up to 4 weeks to emerge from the soil. Soaking seeds overnight in warm water before planting speeds germination.

  Sow seeds in individual pots indoors, plant seeds outside in your garden after the first frost, or purchase transplants from a local garden center (the easiest way to go). Plants do well in sun or partial shade, and they prefer rich, moist soil. Choose a weed-free area when sowing seeds in your garden — you don't want a jungle to grow while you wait for your seeds to germinate. Parsley can handle cold weather, so start seeding 3 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost. In mild-winter areas, you can plant seeds in fall for a winter harvest, but plants will go to seed early the next spring. When the plants have four leaves, thin them to stand 6 to 10 inches apart. Provide the plants an even supply of water throughout the summer.

  To harvest parsley, cut the outer leaves from the plant as you need them. To dry parsley, cut the plant at the soil level (you can cut as much of the plant as you want to dry; it will grow back from a complete cutting) and hang it in a shady, warm, well-ventilated area. After it's thoroughly dried, crumble the parsley and store it in an airtight container. I also like to freeze the fresh leaves to use in the winter, adding them to soups and stews. To keep parsley fresh as long as possible, store it in the refrigerator, with the leaf stalks in water.

  Rosemary

  Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a perennial herb that can be low-growing and spreading or 3 to 5 feet tall and wide, depending on the selection. Most varieties are only reliably hardy to USDA zone 9 (see the appendix for more on zones), so gardeners in cold climates need to grow the plant in a pot and move it to a protected spot in winter (and replant in spring) or grow it like an annual herb. ‘Arp' is a cold-tolerant variety that can be grown in USDA zone 6 if protected in the winter with light mulch. Where rosemary plants are kept as perennials year-round, they can be trimmed into hedges or made into topiaries.

  The blue-green rosemary leaves are highly aromatic and great roasted with potatoes and used in soups, stews, and casseroles. I've even used the branches as shish kebab skewers, giving the vegetables a super rosemary flavor. The attractive plant also produces beautiful blue flowers in summer that bees adore.

  Purchase rosemary transplants at your local garden center; seeds germinate slowly and erratically. Usually one or two plants are plenty for typical family use. Drought-tolerant rosemary thrives in full sun on well-drained soil. Plant rosemary in spring about 1 to 2 feet apart depending on the variety. Amend the soil lightly with compost. Periodically pinch back any errant branches in summer to keep the plant bushy. Leaves can be dried and stems frozen for winter use similar to French tarragon.

  Rosemary makes an excellent container plant — especially the low-growing prostrate varieties, such as ‘Collingwood Ingram'. Keep the soil moist but not wet. In cold areas in fall, bring the plant indoors to a sunny, well-ventilated location. Cut back on watering, but mist weekly with tepid water; the plant should survive the winter to be planted in spring.

  Sage

  Sage encompasses a large group of plants, although only a few are really considered good culinary herbs. Most types of sage are perennials in all but the coldest winter areas. First and foremost among the culinary herbs is garden sage (Salvia officinalis), a hardy perennial recognized by its gray-green foliage and beautiful blue flowers in the spring. Plants can get quite tall (more than 2 feet) and leggy, so the dwarf type (such as S. o. ‘Nana') is a better, more compact form. The dwarf type has equally good flavor but isn't quite as hardy as its garden counterpart.

  Several varieties of garden sage have ornamental leaf color. Purple sage (S. o. ‘Purpurescens'), golden sage (S. o. ‘Aurea'), and tricolor sage (S. o. ‘Tricolor') can add beautiful color to your garden and your dishes.

  You can easily start sage plants indoors from seed or in your garden in early spring. However, plants grown from seed may not have the same leaf shape and color as their parent. A better way to grow true-to-form, high-quality sage is to grow cuttings from a friend's best-looking plants. Or opt to purchase plants from a nursery.

  Set plants or thin seedlings to stand 24 to 30 inches apart. Sage thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. After the plants are established (a few weeks), they prefer the soil to be on the dry side. Each spring prune the heavier, woody stems from the plants. The leaf production and vigor of the plants drop off after 4 or 5 years, so dig up older plants and replace them with new ones every couple of years.

  You can harvest the leaves at any time and use them in a variety of meat-based dishes, such as chicken marsala and veal scaloppini. The leaves keep well dried or frozen. Dry and freeze sage leaves similar to French tarragon. Sage leaves intensify in flavor when frozen.

  Don't harvest sage plants too heavily the first year; leave at least half of each plant intact to give the plants time to get established.

  Thyme

  The thyme family of herbs is aromatic, versatile, and plentiful — more than 50 varieties are grown for culinary or ornamental use. Creeping varieties of thyme are good as edging plants and in rock gardens. Most thymes are perennial and reliably hardy, except in cold-winter areas. Here are a few common varieties:

  Cooking thyme: The thyme most often used in cooking is known as English thyme (Thymus vulgaris). Like the other thymes, English thyme has woody stems with small oval leaves. It grows only 8 to 12 inches high (many other thymes are even shorter). Thyme is used in many dishes including fish and meats.

  Lemon thyme: Loved for its lemony scent, lemon thyme (T. citriodorus) is a delightful plant for both your garden and kitchen. Some varieties have both silver and yellow variegated leaves (leaves that sport two or more colors). Lemon thyme is a wonderful ground cover and an excellent container plant.

  Caraway thyme: Caraway thyme (T. herba-barona) is a low-growing plant that combines the fragrance of caraway and thyme; it has dark green leaves.

  Thyme seeds are troublesome to start because they germinate slowly and unevenly. Instead of starting from seed, buy a plant or two from a nursery, and plant them in the spring in light, well-drained soil that receives full sun. You also can start plants from cuttings if a friend is willing to part with some. Space plants 9 inches apart. Where winters are cold, mulch the thyme plants after the ground freezes with a light mulch, such as pine needles. Trim the plants back a bit in the spring and summer to contain them and prevent the buildup of woody growth.

  Like oregano, thyme makes an excellent container plant. Creeping varieties grow well in windowboxes and hanging pots. Taller varieties look great combined with annual flowers such as lobelia. You can harvest thyme leaves and sprigs all summer. In early fall, cut the sprigs, tie them together, and hang them upside down in a warm, dark, well-ventilated place to dry. You also can dry stemless leaves on a tray or freeze them. Freeze stems of thyme in plastic bags. Store fresh thyme in the refrigerator as you would dill.

  Making Your Landscape Blossom with Edible Flowers

  With your edible landscape it seems that you could be eating almost anything in your yard, so why not the flowers? That's right, many flowers are edible. Now I'm not saying that all edible flowers pack a huge flavor punch, but putting a few in a salad adds pizazz and color.

  Plant edible flowers anywhere you'd naturally plant other flowers. They look great in containers, in the vegetable garden, along a walkway, or mixed with other annual flowers. Even though you'll be picking some of the flowers, the beauty of these plants is that they produce an abundance of flowers so they'll still look good even after a harvest.

  Here are some edible flowers to munch on. Remember that flowers should be washed before eating, and don't harvest flowers that have bee
n sprayed with pesticides. Some people may be allergic to the pollen-bearing parts of a flower so eat only the flower petals.

  Apples

  Bee balm

  Calendulas

  Borage

  Dandelions

  Daylilies

  Hibiscus

  Lavender

  Lilacs

  Signet marigolds

  Nasturtium

  Pansies

  Red clover

  Roses

  Tulips

  Violets

  Although some flowers are edible, many others are poisonous. Make sure that you know what you're picking before you eat it. And don't let young children or pets eat flowers unattended.

  For more information on edible flowers, check out the book Edible Flowers: From Garden to Kitchen by Kathy Brown (Aquamarine Publishers, 2008). A good publication on edible flowers and poisonous plants can be found at attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/edibleflowers.pdf.

  Part III

  Getting Down and Dirty in Your Vegetable Garden

  In this part . . .

  This part has all you need to know about seeds, soil, fertilizers, watering, pest controls, and harvesting. I also talk about some cool farmer techniques, such as succession cropping and interplanting. And for those with less space, I show you how to successfully grow vegetables in containers.

  Chapter 13: On Your Mark, Get Set . . . Grow!

  In This Chapter

  Choosing a vegetable planting method: seeds or transplants

  Determining whether to start seeds indoors or direct seed

  Growing seedlings indoors