Pretty in July

Take a look at what grows in the garden in July.

In the heat of the summer

In the heat of the summer you can still find the gardeners tinkering around and repairing things.

 

Stay cool/

Grapes

If you want to learn how prune grapevines click here.

Name the vegetable

 

 

What is this?

 

Mosaic Stepping Stones

 

 

Thinking ahead and in preparation for the next garden sale, we are busy making stepping stones and decorating pots.

 

It is a lot of fun and the results are amazing.  See Kurt's coy above.

Growing Squash

Types of  Squash

            Grow the short maturity varieties

            Look for varieties resistant to powdery mildew

 

            Summer squash ( zucchini, crook or straight neck, patty pan)

                        Soft skins (not good for storage)

                        Bushy plants
                        Shorter harvest time
                        Plant in the spring (Feb-Mar.) Try replanting in Aug. and squash bugs may                                     be less      of a problem

            Winter squash (hubbard, butternut, acorn, pumpkins)

                        Hard skins (good for long term storage)

                        Mostly long, vining plants
                        Plant in Aug. for harvest in Nov.

 

Fruit set     

            ŸNot getting fruit:  May need to pollinate by hand.  Male has stem only below the flower   

                        Female has a bulb before the flower
                        Can take a small brush and brush pollen from one flower to the next

            ŸAiding pollination:

                        Plant pollinating flowers among your squash plants

                        Sunflowers are great pollinator attractors and make a hedge of shade.

Watering

            Mulch 4-6” around plants for moisture retention but not up against the stems

            Long and slow deep watering 1-2x’s a week for deep penetration
            Increase the number of days as temperatures heat up

            Mid day wilt is natural with squash.  If the plants refresh in the early evening or                   morning, do not water more.  If it stays wilted, increase the duration and possibly add another day.

            Squash needs shade at the hottest part of the day (3-7 PM) 

 

Pests and Diseases                           

            ŸDealing with powdery mildew (a white powdery residue on the leaves): 

             Causes :  over watering, crowded plants
         
            ŸSquash Bugs: Stages: egg, nymph, adult

            Check the tops and undersides of the leaves for the eggs which are reddish brown                         in a cluster.  Remove the leaves infested immediately, squash them, put them in a           plastic grocery bag tied up tightly and throw them in the trash can.  Do not compost any infected leaves.  (See Bug chart on bulletin board in the shed.)

            Neem oil will kill the nymphs but not the adults.

 

Prepared by Pam Smyth 4/23/13

A Desert Star

 

 

 

Short lived but rich enough to fill the heart for a long time.

 

 

Poppies

So beautiful and colorful. 

 

Get some here.

Ladybugs

Eaters of aphids.  More info here.

 

We say Potatoe

Potatoes are growing in many place in the garden.  Here are two.

 

 

What to do with too much chard

For Chard, Mustard, Kale, etc…

·         Sautee in olive oil and/ or ghee (available at  http://www.littleindiaaz.com/)

Any combination: onions, chives, shallots, garlic, etc… (Allium family).

Optional:

Fry bacon or pancetta along with these at this time if you eat pork;

Otherwise, add slivers of sundried tomatoes canned in olive oil. Set aside.

·         Microwave 1-2 buttered yams until just cooked, almost soft, let cool and set aside.

·         While sauté is in process, wash and stack bitter leafy greens, rolling into “cigar shape” from leaf tip to stem ends.

·         Julienne crosswise greens after making 1-2 longitudinal cuts down length of “cigar”.  Set aside.

·         Flavor oil in sauté with spices of choice; e.g., turmeric, curry powder,  popped  cumin or mustard seeds- to release essential oils. (Available at http://www.littleindiaaz.com/). Spanish smoked paprika (available at Whole Foods or online), cayenne, black pepper, etc…can be added now. Do not salt yet.

·         Braise / wilt down the julienned greens in the flavored oil.

·         Add water, low sodium free range chicken broth, or other broth to taste to aid braising. Cover and simmer.

·         Cube cooled yam into ½” dice. I use peel, you may choose to discard. Rinse and drain one can of white beans.

·         When greens cooked to desired level, adjust salt and pepper to taste. ( I prefer black salt from India, available at http://www.littleindiaaz.com/, which adds a slight sulphur taste, this is an acquired but  amazing exotic layer of flavor)

·         Gently add cubed yams and drained beans to braised greens.  Replace pan lid just to heat these additions. Do not over-stir and damage shape of beans and yams dice.

·        Garnish with toasted chopped cashews and serve with Modena balsamic vinegar and Arbequina olive oil.

Hail, Kale

Like broccoli, cauliflower, and collards, kale is a descendant of the wild cabbage, a plant thought to have originated in Asia Minor and to have been brought to Europe around 600 B.C. by groups of Celtic wanderers. Curly kale played an important role in early European food ways, having been a significant crop during ancient Roman times and a popular vegetable eaten by peasants in the Middle Ages. English settlers brought kale to the United States in the 17th century.

For more information about kale and it's nutritional value, go here.

Oh, hail you kale.

A Growing Garden

The garden is growing.  New plots, new people, and new energy.

 

 

Native plants

The serious master gardeners at FIGG have been experimenting with native plants.  Visit The Arizona Native Plant Society for more information.