Eisley Nursery

GETTIN’ DIRTY with the Garden Goddesses…

March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, or so the old saying goes. But when we think of March we think of St. Patrick’s Days and shamrocks and potatoes – Yes! March is potato planting time. If you haven’t ever eaten garden grown potatoes, you will be having a real treat the first time you taste yours straight from the garden – they are sweeter and moister and more flavorful that store-bought, just like every other vegetable or fruit you get straight from the garden.
It’s best to choose potatoes that are certified seed potatoes, or to save healthy potatoes from your garden for replanting. Grocery store potatoes have often been treated to retard sprouting and therefore will not be vigorous, as well as having no guarantee of being disease free. Potatoes from the farmer’s market or an organic supplier may not have been treated to retard sprouting, but they are also not certified as disease free, so you could inadvertently bring problems into your garden.
Potatoes are planted in this area in the early spring, when the soil temperature is between 55-70°F. If you plant too early, the tubers may rot in cold, wet soil, or the tops may get damaged by frost, reducing the vigor and production of the plant. They prefer an acid soil (pH of 5.5-6.5) that is good draining, rich and fertile, so in Auburn that means add well-aged organic matter. Don’t use fresh manures, and use gypsum instead of lime to provide calcium. Foliar feed during the growing season with fish emulsion or kelp works well, but quit feeding once the plants begin blooming. Occasional thorough watering may be necessary, but let the soil dry out between watering, and keep the weeds under control.
You can begin harvesting “new” potatoes when you see the plants beginning to bloom by carefully hand digging out the baby tubers. Harvest the big guys after the foliage dies down – if it refuses to die, cut the vine off, wait a couple weeks, and carefully dig out your bounty.
Be sure to get our handout with more specifics regarding planting, cutting and drying your seed pieces and “hilling up” your plants. Potatoes are a fun and easy crop to try. If you’re Irish, make it a tradition to plant on St. Paddy’s Day. And if you really love your potatoes, you can save some from your spring planting, and plant a fall crop in August, just when you’re pulling up those worn out zucchini plants!

GETTIN’ DIRTY with the Garden Goddesses…

By Earlene Eisley-Freeman and Cyndi Davis

With the continued interest in growing our own food, and also the continued economic problems, we thought we’d consider edible plants that also have value in the landscape – Rosalind Creasy, as early as 1982, called it ‘foodscaping.’ Many of the plants that have edible crops also are useful as ornamental plants. Consider fruit trees which also provide shade in the summer and a beautiful show of blossoms in the spring, and then oblige us by dropping their leaves to let the winter sun shine through for warmth during the cooler days.
Of our favorites, peaches such as Double Jewel and Red Baron, which have gorgeous blossoms and delicious fruit, are wonderful. Persimmons can provide winter interest as the ripening fruit hangs on the tree late into the fall. Citrus trees are evergreen and generally smaller, so they make a great container plant on a porch or deck, where they may be given a little protection during the cold weather. The blossoms are fragrant and pretty, and the fruit is both tasty and ornamental. Pears and apples lend themselves to ‘espalier’ training along a fence or wall, taking up little space but making a very decorative statement in the garden. Some of the plants we get in have five or six varieties (one branch each) on one tree already trained into espalier form – how fun is that!!
But as you are planning your ‘foodscape’ take into consideration the foods you and your family really eats often and enjoy – it’s much more beneficial to plant nectarines if that’s what you really like to eat, rather than cherries which you may not even want (or which may not do well at your elevation). Also, some plants require more care, water, pruning, preserving, etc. than others, so think about how much effort you are prepared to put into the whole project.
Many herbs are ornamental, as well as edible and relatively care free. While we often think of rosemary, salvia and lavender as landscape plants, we can also use strawberries, chamomile, thyme and mints as multi-purpose groundcovers. Or how about growing a bay tree in a pot on the patio?
Some of our favorite edibles are multi-purpose vines such as grapes, kiwi and hops. These can be used on a trellis for shade or along a fence for privacy, the same way you would use other flowering vines. Or how about a privacy hedge of some raspberries – no sane person is going to climb through that, and you can enjoy some nice fruit as a bonus!
So take a fresh look at your landscape and see if you can get a double-whammy – food and good looks from the same plant. It’s a great way to maximize space, eat healthy, and enjoy your yard in a whole new way!!