A blossom on a snow pea vine. Toss them into salads for color and flavor.
Late summer is the time to start planting for fall harvests. Now is the time to plant vegetables that prefer to mature during cool weather.
Plant Pisum sativum—the English garden type along with edible podded snow and snap varieties—in early to mid August for harvesting in mid to late September.
Plant peas in between the rows of corn in your garden. The corn will mature and be harvested long before the peas need the room. Another good place to plant fall peas is where lettuce or other greens were growing. These leafy crops deplete supplies of available nitrogen in the soil and the roots of peas “fix” nitrogen into the soil.
This is a complicated scientific process that I’m not qualified to explain. Suffice it to say that it works. Once the plants are finished producing, leave their roots in the ground and they will release the captured nitrogen into the soil where it can be used by other plants that you subsequently grow in the same area.
When planting peas for fall, plant them almost twice as deep as spring-planted peas. This will help keep the seeds cool and also from drying out before they germinate. In any case, keep them well-watered to avoid over stressing them and also mulch the soil to keep it cool.
Space the seeds about two inches apart and thin the seedlings to about four inches apart when they’re three inches high.
Snap peas and Oriental snow peas grow tall enough to require some type of support for them to climb upon. English garden peas only grow about 12 to 18 inches high and do not need such support.
The blossoms and new growth shoots of pea vines are also edible. In fact, the seedlings that you thin are completely edible. Simply pinch off the roots and toss them into a salad or stir-fry.
Check your pea vines daily once they start producing. Edible podded peas are best eaten when the peas inside are just starting to swell. English garden peas, traditionally eaten when plump and succulent, can quickly become tough and woody if left too long on the vines.
When freezing weather kills off the vines, leave the roots in the soil. By spring they will be nearly completely decomposed and ready to plant a crop that likes rich, well-fertilized soil, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, or melons.
Corn as we know it today does not grow anywhere in the wild. It is a plant that was developed by an unknown group of people in Mexico between 7,000 and 12,500 years ago. They used a wild grass called teosinte which had small kernels that were separated on the cob, unlike our modern day hybrids.
Zea mays is how we classify corn botanically today. There are thousands of varieties of corn classified as either sweet corn or field corn. Sweet corn is for human consumption and is the corn on the cob we eagerly wait for every summer. Field corn is grown as animal fodder and used to produce cornmeal, corn syrup and corn bio fuel.
Corn is a hot weather plant and will not grow during the cool temperatures of spring. Wait to plant until the soil warms up to at least 6o° and all danger of frost has past. Plant corn seed 9 to 12 inches apart in rows that are 24 to 30 inches apart. For intensive spacing, plant 9 to 12 inches apart in all directions. Since corn is wind pollinated, always plant two rows or use intensive spacing. This will help facilitate pollination.
For a continuous harvest, either stagger your plantings a week or two apart or plant several different varieties that mature at different times.
Mulch the soil well and provide at least one inch of water per week.
There are three types of sweet corn: standard normal sugary, sugary enhancer, and supersweet.
Standard sweet corn contains a sweet gene that regular field corn does not. This type is best suited to eating immediately after picking, as in “start the water boiling before you go out to the garden to pick the corn.”
Sugary enhancer hybrid corn contains an enhanced sugary gene that makes it sweeter than standard sweet corn and also much more tender and creamy. This type of corn is the best and most tasty for eating fresh and it is considered superior to all other types of sweet corn.
Supersweet hybrid corn has a higher sugar content than standard sweet corn but has a crispy, tough-skinned texture and lacks the creamy texture of the other sweet corn varieties. This is not noticeable in fresh corn on the cob but does affect the quality of frozen and canned corn. This type of corn is considered superior to all varieties for fresh eating unless it must be stored, shipped or mechanically harvested. This makes it a natural for the urban home vegetable garden.
Corn is ready to pick when the kernels are fully formed but not completely mature. This occurs about 20 days after the first silk strands appear. When ready to harvest the kernels are smooth and plump and milky juice appears when punctured with a fingernail. The silks will appear dry and brown and the unpicked ears will feel firm.
Because sweet corn only remains in this stage for about seven days, check them frequently so that the kernels do not become too mature.
And don’t forget to start the water boiling before you go out to the garden to pick it.
Green beans are one of the most popular vegetables grown in home gardens.
Green beans are one of the oldest cultivated plants, having been cultivated for at least 6,000 years in the Americas. Green beans are native to Central and South America, unlike broad beans grown to produce dried beans, which are native to Europe and Asia.
There are over 4,000 known varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris available in seed catalogs. This includes so-called green beans as well as dried beans. “Green beans” are simply immature beans that are picked while the seeds are still small and tender. They come in green and yellow varieties in both bush or pole styles.
Bush beans grow on compact bushy plants and produce their crop over a 3 to 4 week period approximately 50 days after planting, depending on the variety. Pole beans are twining vines that grow 8 to 12 feet high and produce their crop from about 60 days after planting until the vines are killed by frost.
Plant either variety of beans in late spring after all danger of frost has passed and after the soil has warmed up to at least 65°. Some experts claim the plants will be healthier and produce more beans if you wait until the soil has warmed up to 70°. Although some gardeners start beans indoors, they grow best if the seeds are planted in the garden where they are to grow.
Beans don’t require overly rich soil as long as it is well drained. Do not plant where potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce or cabbage were grown the previous year. Move your beans to a different location in your garden every 2 to 3 years.
Plant bush beans about an inch deep, 1 to 2 inches apart in rows that are 2 to 2 1/2 feet apart. When the seedlings are 3 inches high, thin them to stand about 3 to 4 inches apart. For intensive spacing, plant them 4 to 6 inches apart in all directions.
Plant pole beans an inch deep in hills about 3 feet apart in rows 3 to 4 feet apart. Insert a pole in the center of each hill and plant 6 to 8 seeds around it. Thin to the strongest four plants when they are three inches high.
Side dress with 10-20-10 fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks until the bush beans produce their crop. Continue fertilizing pole beans for the entire growing season. Keep them well watered; beans need to be kept evenly moist or they may drop their blossoms before the infant beans form. Mulch the soil around them to retain moisture and prevent it from drying out.
Harvest green beans before the seeds in the pod begin to swell. They should be crisp and firm and easily snap when broken in two. The “snap” is how they became known as “snap beans.” Hold the plant with one hand while picking with the other hand or you may pull off most of the plant along with the beans. Another good way to harvest them is to use a small pair of scissors and snip them off the plants.
In European folklore, planting beans on Good Friday or in the dark is considered good luck. As far as I’m concerned, any green beans that escape notice by a bunny are considered good luck.
*Green beans are the second most popular vegetable behind tomatoes.
Calendulas, also known as pot marigolds, are one of the easiest annual flowers to grow.
Calendulas are now grown primarily for their golden yellow flowers, but they were traditionally grown as both a seasoning and for medicinal purposes.
Calendula officinalis is its scientific name, but it is also commonly refered to as “pot marigold.” The reason for this is it was once used by the poor as a seasoning, particularly as a substitute for saffron.
The name “calendula” comes from the Latin kalendae, meaning the first day of the new moon, which was also the first day of the month for the Romans. The plant got this name because it was always in bloom on the first day of every month. Calendulas will flower constantly in mild climates.
Pot marigolds grow 18 to 24 inches high and bloom prolifically for the entire growing season. Plant the seeds in the garden where they are to grow. When they are two inches high, thin them so the plants stand 8 to 12 inches apart. Calendulas will reseed themselves and come up every year.
They will grow in almost any type of soil, as long as it is well-drained. They don’t require any additional fertilizer, but they will benefit from a top dressing of compost once during the growing season.
Calendulas have antiseptic and anti-fungal properties. Their petals are often made into calendula oil or calendula cream, which are applied to help sores and skin ailments heal faster.
Pot marigolds are known as the “herb of the sun” because the flowers have the unusual habit of closing in the heat of the afternoon and remaining closed until the sun has risen the following morning. They then follow the path of the sun, just like sunflowers.
It is sometimes described as the flower of grief because dew gathers in the flower during the night and drips off like tears when the flower opens the following morning. In the language of flowers, calendulas mean sacred affections, joy, remembrance and grief.
Calendulas are also known as the friendship flower, which is the way I prefer to think of them.
Sweet peppers start out green and depending on their variety, change to red, orange, yellow, purple, or even brown.
Fresh summertime sweet peppers are plentiful at supermarkets and farmer’s markets everywhere. Their bright colors beckon you to look, smell, and buy them.
Sweet peppers are known scientifically as Capsicum annum and are members of the nightshade family. They are usually plump and bell shaped, featuring either 3 or 4 lobes, although other varieties of sweet peppers are more tapered and have no lobes.
The four different types of sweet peppers are bell, banana, cubanelle and pimento. Like their hot relatives, they also originated in the Americas. The word “chile” is from an Aztec word, “nahuatl,” although aboriginal South Americans called it “aji.” Archeological evidence shows that Peruvians have been eating wild peppers since about 7000 BC and have cultivated them since approximately 6100 BC.
Start sweet peppers from seed indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the average date of your last spring frost. Harden off before transplanting to the garden, which should be done when you transplant your tomatoes. Sweet peppers will not grow well in cold, wet soil and do not grow when nighttime temperatures dip below 50°.
Space pepper plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 24 to 36 inches apart. For intensive spacing, plant 14 to 18 inches apart in all directions. Side dress with granulated fertilizer when planting and add a scoop of compost to the planting hole. Peppers thrive in well-drained fertile soil and need consistent moisture. Apply liquid fertilizer after the first round of infant peppers have set and continue to fertilize weekly throughout the growing season.
All peppers need consistent moisture to set fruit. Lack of this or a drought can cause blossoms or even infant fruits to drop off the plant. Hot dry winds and soil can prevent the fruit from forming in the first place.
If you are a smoker, wash your hands before handling pepper plants. It is possible to transmit the tobacco mosaic disease (if present in your cigarette tobacco) to your garden sweet peppers, as they are both members of the nightshade family.
Stuffed peppers are one of the most popular way to serve summer’s bounty of fresh sweet peppers. Most cultures have their own recipes but all usually feature a filling of rice and some type of meat or protein, along with their favorite herbs and spices. There are many other recipes which use peppers in many creative ways. Their use as an integral component in recipes has become almost as commonplace as onions and garlic.
Within 50 years of being brought back to Spain, sweet (and hot) peppers had spread throughout all of Europe and the Mediterranean region. Soon after that, Portuguese explorers had successfully introduced peppers to Africa, India, Southeast Asia, China and Japan.
Sweet peppers are one of the most widely used vegetables/seasonings in the world.
Dusty Miller makes an attractive addition to flower beds and container gardens.
Dusty Miller is grown as an annual in much of the temperate zones but it’s technically a perennial. It will survive winters in Zone 7 and warmer and is often planted with pansies in winter flower gardens.
You can find Dusty Miller available in several cultivars under the Latin name Senecio cineraira. The first name, Senecio, comes from the Latin “senex,” which means old man. The second name, cineraria, means ashy gray in Latin.
There is a more finely leafed variety that is excellent to use in hanging baskets or in any container. The lacy foliage really stands out when viewed up close.
Plant them in among your flowers for a shimmering backdrop to their bright colors. Dusty Miller prefers full sun to part shade so they can be planted among virtually all blooming plants.
Native to the Mediterranean, Dusty Miller prefers sandy, well drained soil. This is one member of the flower border that can withstand drought. It is excellent planted in window boxes that are beneath the eaves of your house and therefore do not receive much natural rainfall.
It isn’t bothered by many pests except the occasional aphid, which can be washed off with a strong spray from the hose. Do this on a cloudy day so the fuzz on the leaves doesn’t get burned by the sun.
You can start them from seed indoors about eight weeks before your last spring frost, but they’re also widely available in spring as bedding plants. Space them 8 to 10 inches apart and they will quickly grow to cover the area.
With their lacy, shimmery, gray foliage, they make ideal plants to add to a white garden. Planted near patios or terraces, their soft gray color reflects nighttime exterior lights for a magical effect after dark.
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