Which Flowers to Pick from the Vegetable Garden

Most annual vegetables send out flowers.  It's their way of ensuring their own reproduction. The home gardener must manage flowers, tending the ones that will develop into fruits we want and removing those that distract the plant from its functions.

Leave the flowers on these plants, as they develop into vegetables:

tomato

cucumber

pepper

eggplant

peas

beans

squash, including zucchini, acorn, and pumpkin (a special case, as the blossoms are edible but if you eat them all, no squash will grow)

Remove the flowers on these plants, as their desirable leaves will bitter if flowers are allowed to bloom:

greens including spinach, kale, mustard, bok choi,broccoli raab, and lettuces

radish

herbs including basil, cilantro, thyme, and mint

Harvest from these plants before they go to flower:

broccoli

cauliflower

brussel sprouts

These flower stems are edible in addition to their root.  If you do not remove these, the plant may use energy producing flowers at the expense of making root bulbs:

garlic (picked as curlicue scapes shown above)

onion

The delicate potato flowers may be picked or left on the plant.  Marie Antoinette is said to have enjoyed these beauties in her hair.  They may pull a slight bit of water and energy from growing tubers, but I enjoy leaving their blooms in the garden.

Of course, you may grow these flowers as edibles:

sunflowers

nasturtium

violet

These lists are by no means exhaustive.  Which flowering vegetables have I forgotten?  Which do you have questions about?

Potato Growing in the Compost Bin

When we had some red potatos sprouting in kitchen recently, Alex tucked them carefully in the corners of our backyard compost bin.

They are now over a foot tall.  It used to be pretty shady back there but American Electric Power recently hacked away some tree branches and the plants may get more sun than before.

I see no reason to disturb the tubers.  Having something rooted gives us another excuse to be lazy composters and not turn the bin this summer.  When the leaves go brown, we'll dig around and see if there are any spuds to harvest.

Last year we had an abundance of volunteer tomatoes and sunflowers but they seem to have not reseeded so well this year. Do you have any volunteers making their home in your yard?

Potato Tower Promise

The premise:

Plant 1 pound of seed potatos in a potato tower (described below) and nearly a hundred pounds of potatos will fall at your feet at harvest time.  The premise is that each time you load up the tower with more soil, potatos send out more baby tubers that then grow into full size potatos.

The experience:

We planted a potato tower in mid summer 2009 with two pounds of mixed seed potatos gifted by a coworker of Alex and store bought red potatos.

The result:

We harvested about five pounds of tiny potatos.  My faith in the space saving potato tower was low.

The promise:

At the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Assocation annual conference, I shared my not-so-awe-inspiring experience.  A few people in the crowd had success with the potato tower because they started earlier in the season and allowed more growth between soil coverings.  My interest was renewed.

The plan:

This year, we will start our potato tower as soon as the potatos from our group buy arrive and sprout.  I am expecting them this week.

Our tower is a 2 x 2 foot box with 4 feet of 2x4 inch lumber vertical supports.  2x8s form the sides.  I have seen plans for potato towers made from stacked rubber tires or five gallon buckets slices too.  The basic concept is to use something to contain the soil vertically.

We will space a pound or two of a single variety of seed potatos right on the top of the soil.  Store bought potatos sometimes produce but not always, so buying seed potatos is the way to go for a generous harvest.  If you didn't order with the group buy, you can find a small variety of seed potatos at most garden centers.

We will cover them with 4 or 5 inches of soil mixed with compost and some hay.

When the plants are 8 inches above the height of the 2x8 side, we will add the second row of side panels and cover with 6 more inches of dirt, always leaving at least 6 inches of plant growth.

We will add soil at least one more time.

When the leaves of the plant begin to yellow, we will remove the sides and mountains of potatos will fall at our feet.  That's the plan, anyways.

Rob from One Straw: Be the Change has a nice summary of his experience with the potato tower.  His yield with the tower was similar to mine and he was not impressed.

Rob suggests two other space saving techniques: growing potatos in buckets and in a straw bale.  Seeing as we have one of each of those already, we will try those two methods and stick some seed potatos in a raised bed for a solid comparison of potato growing techniques.  Stay tuned for updates on the great 2010 potato growing showdown.

How do you plan to grow potatos this year?

Seed Potato Group Buy

Do you want to grow potatoes this year?  So do I! However, I don't have much space for them.  Potato tubers are usually sold in two pound bags at the minimum, which is more than I can use of any one kind.

Let's pool together and share an order of potatoes.I would like to grow Cranberry Red, All-Blue, and German Butterball potatoes.  The Seeds of Change catalog suggests that 2 pounds will plant 20 row feet.  Potatoes should be planted 10 - 12 inches apart.  I'm thinking we could split down to a half a pound, which will be 4 - 5 tubers, or a single 4 foot row, producing about 5 pounds.

If you want to share, fill out this order form completely.  Each half pound will cost $3 including shipping, assuming I get enough of you to order with me.  I will take orders until February 23 and request payment soon after.  Seeds of Change expects to ship on March 15, after which pickup will be at my home in Clintonville.

Grow What You Want To Eat!

In the introduction to my Grow Your Garden series, I shared reasons people garden.  I hope you have nailed down some inspiration because now it's time to plan in earnest! My first principle of garden planning is to grow what you want to eat.  This sounds simple, but sometimes people plant what's available or what their mother planted but it's not something they actually want to consume.  Just last year, we planted a big row of radishes.  After harvesting just a few plants we determined we don't actually eat them and gave away the rest.

Next, consider what will grow well in the conditions and space you have.  Below are some suggestions:

Plants ideal for containers:

• lettuces
• greens
• herbs
• tomatos and peppers (BIG containers)

Plants well suited to small spaces:

• kale
• chard
• radishes
• garlic
• beets
• herbs
• lettuce

Plants which can be trellised vertically:

• peas
• beans
• cucumbers
• squashes
• melons

Excellent producers in Ohio conditions:

• tomatos
• cucumbers
• beans
• summer squash
• zucchini
• kale
• chard
• peppers
• raspberries

So, make a list of which fruits and vegetables you love to eat and want to grow.

Next it's time to purchase seeds!  I recommend looking through an online or print seed catalog like to determine which varieties you like.  I have been very happy with the seed quality and customer service of the Seeds of Change online store.  Heirloom varieties typically grow very well in the home garden.  Many gardeners prefer non hybrid seeds so that they may save seeds for the following year.

If you have the chance, ask a gardening friend or neighbor if they have any seeds to share.  Most of us gardeners have a huge collection of seed packets we are more than happy to share.  I have yet to use old seeds that don't germinate, but I do recommend planting a few extras if you are using dated seeds.

If this is your first year gardening, consider purchasing seedlings instead of starting seeds indoors.  Seed starting is not hard, but it does require significant time and money investment.  You will probably want to focus those resources on building beds.

Many seeds will be directly sown in the ground, such as peas, beans, lettuces, greens, onion sets, potatoes, squashes, and sunflowers.  These are perhaps the easiest to grow because you just dip seeds in the soil and watch them produce.

This year I am growing potatoes, onions, garlic (already planted), winter squash, tomatos, peppers, spinach, four season lettuce, beets, quinoa, basil, oregano, sage, thyme (hoping it overwinters), two kinds of beans, peas, and pumpkin.  Please don't let me forget to plant pumpkin.  Of these, the only seeds I will purchase are quinoa, a beefsteak type tomato, and potatoes.  If you also want to grow potatoes, look for my next post about our group seed potato buy!

What do you plan to grow?

Next in the series, I'll share advice about planning your garden beds followed by seed starting.