Frost Anxiety Time For Gardeners
It's mid-May and my tomatoes are itching to leave the grow lights and heat mats of my cellar and venture into the big time - the outside. I would like to reclaim my cellar space for some other projects, but Memorial Day is still almost two weeks away plus spring so far has been cool and very, very wet - far from ideal for tomatoes and other warm weather veggies. My garden peas and radishes have sprouted; and the broccoli, parsley, kale and brussels spouts that I set out two weeks ago have acclimatized. They all exhibit a healthy green or bluish green, but new leaves are developing very slowly. Although the risk of a late frost is receding as mid-May approaches, frost remains a possibility. Gardeners need to take another patience pill before giving in to the demands of those anxious tomatoes!
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But, if you do feel compelled to set your tomatoes outside now, place somekind of a cover over them. Gallon milk jugs will work as hot caps for a few plants; or, if money is no object, set up a row covering with polyethelene (PE) film. [Note: Be sure to use aluminium or wood framing because PVC piping may interact with the PE film and deteriotate the film.]
Unless the long range forecast during week preceding Memorial Day promises a warm spell for the week following the holiday, my tomatoes will remain indoors until the 31st this year! Oh yes, my plans are, of course, subject to change.
Unless the long range forecast during week preceding Memorial Day promises a warm spell for the week following the holiday, my tomatoes will remain indoors until the 31st this year! Oh yes, my plans are, of course, subject to change.
If you want to learn more about tomatoes, Rensselaer County's Cooperative Extension will be presenting a program on Tuesday, May 21 at its Demonstration Garden located at the Robert C. Parker School, 4254 Route 43, Wyantskill (East Greenbush). The program is entitled, "Starting Right with Tomatoes," and starts at 7:00 PM rain or shine. Bring a dry soil sample from your garden and get a free soil test!
Veggie History: New Zealand Spinach
If you are looking for an easy heirloom vegetable to plant this spring either in your garden or a container, try Tetragonia tetragonoides, or New Zealand Spinach.
NZS is native to Australia and New Zealand. Supposedly, Captain Cook and his crew cooked and ate it to minimize the effects of scruvy, but it fell to Jospeh Banks, the English botanist-explorer who developed much of the Kew Gardens in London during the late 18th century, to introduce the plant to Great Britain.
New Zealand Spinach is not related to our familiar garden spinach (Spinacia oleracae) that frequently appears in omelets and salads. It is actually a member of the fig-marigold family (Aizoacae). As an editable plant, New Zealand Spinach has many desirable characteristics: the bright green leaves and stems are succulent; it's very tolerant of hot weather, and insects and slugs don't like it. Just a few plants can produce a thick, prodigious cover of tender vine-like stems and leaves, BUT NEW ZEALAND SPINACH IS NOT TO BE EATEN RAW because it contains oxalates. [Oxalates also occur in rhubarb and can contribute to the formation of kidney stones.] However, NZS's oxalates can be removed by soaking the greens in boiling water for a minute and then rinsing them in cold water before their final cooking.
If you let New Zealand Spinach go to seed, it will reseed in our climate. Many, many years ago in another place and time, I naively planted a row of NZS in a garden; and I had volunteer NZS popping up for years. I recommend limiting yourself to a few plants confined either to a large pot or hanging basket.
NZS is native to Australia and New Zealand. Supposedly, Captain Cook and his crew cooked and ate it to minimize the effects of scruvy, but it fell to Jospeh Banks, the English botanist-explorer who developed much of the Kew Gardens in London during the late 18th century, to introduce the plant to Great Britain.
New Zealand Spinach is not related to our familiar garden spinach (Spinacia oleracae) that frequently appears in omelets and salads. It is actually a member of the fig-marigold family (Aizoacae). As an editable plant, New Zealand Spinach has many desirable characteristics: the bright green leaves and stems are succulent; it's very tolerant of hot weather, and insects and slugs don't like it. Just a few plants can produce a thick, prodigious cover of tender vine-like stems and leaves, BUT NEW ZEALAND SPINACH IS NOT TO BE EATEN RAW because it contains oxalates. [Oxalates also occur in rhubarb and can contribute to the formation of kidney stones.] However, NZS's oxalates can be removed by soaking the greens in boiling water for a minute and then rinsing them in cold water before their final cooking.
If you let New Zealand Spinach go to seed, it will reseed in our climate. Many, many years ago in another place and time, I naively planted a row of NZS in a garden; and I had volunteer NZS popping up for years. I recommend limiting yourself to a few plants confined either to a large pot or hanging basket.
And remember:
"I'm strong to the finish, cause I eats me spinach..." - Popeye
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