20 Jun Wed 2012
Javajournal April 2012
This rather mild winter can lead us into the rites of spring—a time some people consider sacred—when we may begin the rituals of planting, growing and harvesting the best of local, fresh produce. This may apply to those of us who have the desire to grow the finest vegetables, herbs and fruit for ourselves, our families, friends, neighbors and our customers. After all, gardening continues to remain one of the top-10 most popular hobbies in America.
First, let’s all remember that in this part of the midwest, we can have three distinct outdoor growing seasons. Let’s start at the beginning, the usually cool season, spring. In our gardens, we should typically be planting all of our cool-loving vegetables and herbs. You can plant any and all greens, root crops, peas and alliums to your heart’s content if the soil is in workable condition— not too wet or muddy.
Also, you should now be planting those cool-loving herbs, including parsley, cilantro, thyme, mints, sorrel and chives. I think a good resource for the home gardener for choosing seasonal vegetable and herbs in your garden is the University of Illinois Extension website http://web.extension.illinois.edu/vegguide/.
As the days warm, you may be outside more and more to take advantage of the good weather and planting conditions. At the same time, you may be starting your seedlings for the summer. You can enjoy starting tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers and squash indoors to get that head start for the summer. This can be an economical way to lower your costs and let you try varieties that you may not find at nurseries and garden centers.
Now let’s talk a little bit about the bonus season that most gardeners here may simply forget. I think the absolute best growing season here is fall. Everything grows outdoors between mid-August and the first nights of the killing freeze. The days tend to be hot but shorten until the temperatures moderate into the mid-70s to low 50s at night.
Yes, your summer vegetables will continue to thrive, but at a slower pace. The bonus typically comes in early August, when you can start to plant all of the cool spring vegetables and herbs again for the big fall finale. It may be hot and humid for you, but not for the little seedlings as they pop open and show themselves to the world.
As the seedlings mature, the last hot days of the harsh summer should not affect them, nor will they sprout to seed. You have to make sure that they have plenty of water to keep them strong and cool. In September, October and November, you could be rewarded with the best cool and warm season vegetables and herbs—and you may be amazed.
There can be much to look forward to in the months ahead, but it’s only April and you may want to taste some excellent local products. Thankfully, more and more farmers and growers have taken advantage of the mild winter and early spring by planting earlier than normal. There should soon be an early supply of typical spring greens, onions and radishes that ordinarily are fast growers in cool, early-spring conditions.
And a few farmers’ markets plan to debut this month with the first signs of spring. Maplewood Farmers’ Market plans to begin in the middle of this month on Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Schlafly Bottleworks on Southwest Ave. at Manchester Road. Several good growers will arrive at Soulard Market on Saturday mornings this month. These are very fine growers who normally bring in very high-quality, early harvests.
Until our spring harvest really starts to roar into our area markets, anticipate large supplies of California avocados, strawberries and asparagus at your local grocery. They should be excellent in quality, but you can also anticipate higher prices due to rising fuel and operating costs. The avocado crop may be massive, with potentially strong supplies all the way into the fall.
You may also see more and more U.S.-grown vegetables and fruit in your local grocery store. This may only make you want more of our great local fresh products. You shouldn’t have to wait long, as the days get warmer and longer. More and more items will make their way to farmers’ markets and local groceries, including Sappington Farmers’ Market.
By May, everything should be in full swing, including local strawberries and asparagus. All of your favorite cool season crops should be readily available, including fennel, endive and tatsoi. Now is also a good time to start thinking about your canning and preserving plans for the rest of the season. There should be enough bounty this year to allow you to can preserve or freeze vegetables and fruit into jams, jellies, salsas, sauces, or pickles.
Let the rites of spring begin!
First, let’s all remember that in this part of the midwest, we can have three distinct outdoor growing seasons. Let’s start at the beginning, the usually cool season, spring. In our gardens, we should typically be planting all of our cool-loving vegetables and herbs. You can plant any and all greens, root crops, peas and alliums to your heart’s content if the soil is in workable condition— not too wet or muddy.
Also, you should now be planting those cool-loving herbs, including parsley, cilantro, thyme, mints, sorrel and chives. I think a good resource for the home gardener for choosing seasonal vegetable and herbs in your garden is the University of Illinois Extension website http://web.extension.illinois.edu/vegguide/.
As the days warm, you may be outside more and more to take advantage of the good weather and planting conditions. At the same time, you may be starting your seedlings for the summer. You can enjoy starting tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers and squash indoors to get that head start for the summer. This can be an economical way to lower your costs and let you try varieties that you may not find at nurseries and garden centers.
Now let’s talk a little bit about the bonus season that most gardeners here may simply forget. I think the absolute best growing season here is fall. Everything grows outdoors between mid-August and the first nights of the killing freeze. The days tend to be hot but shorten until the temperatures moderate into the mid-70s to low 50s at night.
Yes, your summer vegetables will continue to thrive, but at a slower pace. The bonus typically comes in early August, when you can start to plant all of the cool spring vegetables and herbs again for the big fall finale. It may be hot and humid for you, but not for the little seedlings as they pop open and show themselves to the world.
As the seedlings mature, the last hot days of the harsh summer should not affect them, nor will they sprout to seed. You have to make sure that they have plenty of water to keep them strong and cool. In September, October and November, you could be rewarded with the best cool and warm season vegetables and herbs—and you may be amazed.
There can be much to look forward to in the months ahead, but it’s only April and you may want to taste some excellent local products. Thankfully, more and more farmers and growers have taken advantage of the mild winter and early spring by planting earlier than normal. There should soon be an early supply of typical spring greens, onions and radishes that ordinarily are fast growers in cool, early-spring conditions.
And a few farmers’ markets plan to debut this month with the first signs of spring. Maplewood Farmers’ Market plans to begin in the middle of this month on Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Schlafly Bottleworks on Southwest Ave. at Manchester Road. Several good growers will arrive at Soulard Market on Saturday mornings this month. These are very fine growers who normally bring in very high-quality, early harvests.
Until our spring harvest really starts to roar into our area markets, anticipate large supplies of California avocados, strawberries and asparagus at your local grocery. They should be excellent in quality, but you can also anticipate higher prices due to rising fuel and operating costs. The avocado crop may be massive, with potentially strong supplies all the way into the fall.
You may also see more and more U.S.-grown vegetables and fruit in your local grocery store. This may only make you want more of our great local fresh products. You shouldn’t have to wait long, as the days get warmer and longer. More and more items will make their way to farmers’ markets and local groceries, including Sappington Farmers’ Market.
By May, everything should be in full swing, including local strawberries and asparagus. All of your favorite cool season crops should be readily available, including fennel, endive and tatsoi. Now is also a good time to start thinking about your canning and preserving plans for the rest of the season. There should be enough bounty this year to allow you to can preserve or freeze vegetables and fruit into jams, jellies, salsas, sauces, or pickles.
Let the rites of spring begin!
Greg_5
12:37 PM CDT
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