Time to plan this year’s garden

by Michelle L. Dauberman

The time for planning this year’s garden is upon you yet during these cold days you may be finding it hard to get back into the swing of things so here’s an inspired plant list to get you started!  Happy Gardening!

Arugula, 'Roquette' (Eruca vesicaria subsp sativa)

Beans, 'Maxibel' (Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Maxibel’)

Beans, 'Serengeti' (Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Serengeti’)

Beans, ‘Black Turtle’ (Phaseolus vulgaris 'Black Turtle’)

Beans, 'Soleil' (Phaseolus vulgaris 'Soleil Filet')

Beets, 'Golden Orange' (Beta vulgaris 'Golden')

Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus)

Cucumber, 'Mouse Melons' (Melothria scabra) 

Endive, 'Tres FIne' (Cichorium endiva ‘Tres Fine’)

Kale, 'Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch' (Brassica oleracea 'Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch')

Lettuce, 'Kweik' (Lactuca sativa)

Lima Bean, 'Big Mama' (Phaseolus lunatus)

Okra, 'Burgundy' (Abelmoschus esculentus)

Spinach, red stemmed Malabar (Basella alba 'Rubra')

Tomatoes, 'Black Cherry' (Lycopersicon lycopersicum ‘Black Cherry’)

Tomatoes, 'Black Vernissage' (Solanum lycopersicum 'Black Vernissage')

Tomatoes, 'Amish Paste' (Solanum lycopersicum ‘Amish Paste’)

Tomatoes, 'Sungold Select 11' (Solanum lycopersicum ‘Sungold Select’)

Basil, 'Holy' (Ocimum tenuiflorum)

Basil, 'Napoletano' (Ocimum basilicum ‘Napoletano’)

Rosemary, 'Barbecue' (Rosmarinus officinalis 'Barbeque')

Tarragon, 'Siberian' (Artemisia dracunculoides)

Looking for more inspiration?

Come join our Master Gardeners across the state to get ready for the new growing season at the “Master Gardener Spring Gardening Seminar.”  https://extension.psu.edu/spring-gardening-seminar?

Where trade names appear, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Penn State Extension is implied.

News from the Edible Landscape Demonstration Garden

Cardoon in bloom

This past week brought the judging panel from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's City Gardens Contest to the garden. It was a beautiful, sunny morning and the garden looked splendid -- not a errant weed, nor a feasting harlequin beetle in sight! The weeks of attentive care by the Master Gardener volunteers were obvious to the four knowledgeable judges, one of whom was a retired Penn State Extension horticulture specialist. We silently chuckled when even she was unable to identify the cardoon in bloom! Winners will be notified sometime after Labor Day. Stay tuned for the update!



Black Turtle and Great White Northern Beans

The shelling bean harvest has begun -- Black Turtle, Great White Northern, Calypso, Whippoorwill -- all are at their height of production. These beans are excellent choices for freezing shelled in small freezer bags. Adding them to homemade soups in the winter adds extra flavor, texture and nutrition.

The first planting of cucumbers have finished fruiting and have made their way to the compost pile. 'Pickle Bush' is a very prolific producer. Our small number of plants produced enough cucumbers for salads, soups and a dozen or more pints of 'bread and butter' and 'spicey ginger' pickles.

The herb beds are in their glory right now. The eight different cultivars of basil are a sight to behold .Summer or winter savory combined with rosemary,sage, thyme and sweet marjoram are ready for drying and making Herbs de Provence. Please stop by after this Saturday's (August 10, 2013) workshop -- Culinary Herbs: Fragrant, Flavorful and Festive Foods -- at the Horticultural Center, N. Horticultural and Montgomery Drvie, Philadelphia, PA 19131. 9:30 am registration. The workshop begins at 10 am. $10 registration fee. For more information: 215-471-2200, ext. 116 or
e-mail at PhiladelphiaExt@psu.edu

News from the Edible Landscape Demonstration Garden

Success can come in small packages or sometimes in small bottles filled with smelly liquids. The garlic concentrate diluted with water (one part concentrate to three parts water) has been effective in deterring those pesky Japanese beetles from completely denuding the grape vines. Most of the damaged leaves have been removed and, with luck, the plants will push new growth before the end of the season. Score one for our side! Hand picking the harlequin beetles off of the curly kale seems to be keeping those critters in check. The plants are looking quite perky for this point in the season.

The cucumber harvest is well under way. We planted 'Pickle Bush' hybrid along two small trellises back in May. The resulting plants are flowering well and have produced enough cukes to make a batch or two of bread and butter pickles. A later planting of 'Marketmore 97' cucumbers are almost a foot high and should provide us with even more crunchy additions to late summer and early fall salads.

Cardoon in bloom

The dozen or so different types of beans are now in their glory. The long, red Chinese noodle beans climbing high on their tepee supports look wonderful at the back of the garden. The various shelling bean plants -- Calypso, Great Northern, Black Turtle -- are filled with pods, ready for picking. The string beans including 'Soleil', 'Masai' and 'Kentucky Wonder' are in flower. What a wealth of delicious eating awaits!


The cardoons are in full bloom at the moment. Their thistle-like flowers are bold and beautiful. It is worth considering planting this perennial for its ornamental qualities alone.

Come visit us in the garden soon! We love company!

Great Bean Poles

By Sandy Grimwade

Pole beans are a great choice for a small garden and June is the perfect time to plant them. Pole beans give a high yield per square foot of garden and their picking season lasts much longer than bush beans. Here is a recipe for making an inexpensive and simple support tripod for pole beans that will last for years.

Bean tripods

The tripod will support 15 – 20 plants and occupy a triangular space about 30 inches on each side.

Ingredients

• 3 poles. Any 6 – 8 foot strong wooden stake will do. I use 1” x 2” poles of treated lumber.  I purchased them at a big box store in the construction lumber department – much cheaper than fancy pointed stakes from a garden center,
• Polyester string (40 – 50 feet) (Don’t use cotton or sisal as it may rot or break after one or two seasons)
• Strong wire (about 6 inches)

Tops of poles with drilled holes and wire loop

Tools

• Power drill with ¼ inch bit
• Pliers
• Saw (if poles do not have a sharpened end)

Directions

• If the poles don’t have a point, saw wedges off one end to make a point, so that the poles can be pushed easily into the ground.
• Drill 2 ¼" holes through each pole; one about 1" from the top and one about 18" from the pointed end. 
• Attach the three poles together at the top by threading the wire through all three and twisting the ends together with pliers to form a small loop.
• Stand the tripod on a lawn or firm surface with the legs evenly spaced. 
• Thread a piece of string through the holes at the bottom of each poles to form a horizontal triangle. Tie the ends of the string together to form a large stretcher loop. I like to have the legs about 30 inches apart.
• Tie string about 1/3rd of the way along one side of the horizontal stretcher string, run the string up through the wire loop at the top then back down to the stretcher on the same side. Tie the vertical string to the stretcher another third of the way along. 
• Repeat for the other two sides of the triangle.
•  Place the tripod in your prepared bed and push about 9 inches of each leg firmly into the soil.

I like to plant a couple of beans near base of the each pole and one bean every 4 inches or so along the sides depending the variety. When the beans start growing, they will soon grab onto the strings and climb rapidly upwards.

At the end of the season, pull up, fold and store the tripod for next year. The old bean stems come off the string quite easily, especially if they are left to dry out first.