Composting Workshops at SWANCC

If you've ever considered composting kitchen scraps at home, now is the time! SWANCC is hosting a composting workshop on August 15 from 6:15-7:15pm for residential would-be composters. The workshop is free but you must RSVP because space is limited. To register, and if you have any questions, contact Mary Allen, SWANCC Recycling and Education Director, at mary@swancc.org or 847-724-9205, ext. 204. Include your cell number and the name of your town. You'll then receive a follow-up confirmation with additional info and directions. The class will be held outdoors at SWANCC's Glenview Transfer Station at 1151 N River Road.

SWANCC is the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County, a not-for-profit intergovernmental agency comprised of 23 municipalities in Illinois. Check them out by clicking here.

In and around our garden

One of my favorite things about our community garden is the amazing diversity of design and technique. I walk up and down the walkways almost every day, and it occurred to me that many of you gardeners may not, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite things in our very own garden:

A handy way to store watering cans

Storing watering can AND tools

Nicely rendered Florida weave support for tomatoes

PVC hoops with row covers

PVC hoops with netting

Purple string beans

Creative signage

Our very own sign-maker, Christine

Kids staying cool while visiting the garden

And my very favorite thing -- sunshine on the veg...





 ...which is not a technique, but is beautiful nonetheless.

Flowering onions

I've received a few questions about flowering onions. Yes, onions can flower -- and not just chives! There are lovely Dr. Seus-like alliums that are ornamental onions; these bulbs are not edible.

But sometimes onions planted for eating flower -- here's an explanation from MotherEarthnews.com:

Onion Flowers and Garlic Flowers

5/13/2013 3:57:00 PM

By Vicki Mattern

I noticed onion flowers and garlic flowers in my garden last summer. What caused this, and, in the future, should I remove the flowering stems or let them bloom?

Onions are biennial, which means they ordinarily produce bulbs in their first year of growth, then, if left in the garden, they flower and bear seed in their second year. George Boyhan, a vegetable specialist at the University of Georgia extension office, says springtime temperature swings — such as a warm spell followed by a cold snap — can sometimes cause onions to bloom. That’s especially true if cold weather strikes an onion that is approaching maturity, a state usually indicated by seven true leaves. Younger plants with fewer leaves are less likely to bloom early.

What to do? Harvest any flowering onions and use the bulbs immediately, because they won’t keep well. (You can put the pretty flowering stems in a vase with water.) Do not break off the flower stems or leave the bulbs in the ground for later harvest — the bulbs won’t grow any larger, and the broken, hollow flower stems will channel rainwater directly to the bulbs, encouraging rot.

According to Boyhan, onions are regionally developed. To reduce the chance of onion flowers blooming (or “bolting”) too soon, check with your extension service for recommended varieties. Bulb formation is triggered by the amount of daylight, so be sure you are planting the right “day length” type for your area — “long day” onion varieties in northerly latitudes, and “short day” onion varieties in southerly latitudes. Smaller onion sets (less than the size of a dime in diameter) are less likely to bolt than larger sets. (MOTHER EARTH NEWS’ comprehensive, step-by-step guide to growing onions is available at All About Growing Onions.)

Hardneck garlic produces long, curled stems, called “scapes,” in early to midsummer, following a fall planting. Snip off the scapes as soon as they appear, but don’t harvest the garlic bulbs yet. Unlike onions, the flowering garlic bulbs will continue to grow after the scapes have been removed, putting all of their energy into making the bulb. A tasty bonus: You can use scapes from flowering garlic — which have a pleasantly mild garlicky flavor — in soups, salads, stir-fries or pestos. Harvest garlic bulbs when the lower five leaves of the plant have turned brown.

Above: Springtime temperature swings can cause onions to bloom early. Harvest the flowering onions, as they won’t keep well.

Photo By Dreamstime/Jupaule

MotherEarthNews is a terrific resource for gardening information, as well as information on sustainable living practices.

Tackling Tomatoes -- a terrific class

Had a wonderful class about tackling tomatoes on Monday night! While the class was munching on heirloom tomatoes, I taught them about how tomato plants grow, best ways to feed & water them, and staking techniques. Then we went out into the community garden for some hands-on work.

First, we discussed the different staking techniques I had used with different tomato plants in the Wagner Farm demo plot. I got to show off my new Florida weaving technique (see above) while dissing my previous use of wimpy bamboo stakes. We all agreed that 1" wooden stakes are a good, sturdy choice for staking and making improvised cages.

Then we had a laugh over the tomatoes I hadn't staked -- they were a mess of stems, and separating them out plant by plant took awhile. The demo plot is a place where I experiment and teach gardening techniques. I purposefully hadn't staked some of the tomato plants because I wanted to teach, in the tackling tomatoes class, how to come in, mid-season, and put tomato plants on a better path. It's all very well to say, well, you should've done this when you planted the tomato a few months ago -- I wanted to teach what can be done now.

Finally, each class participant got to prune and diagnose one of the tomato plants in the demo plot. Some of the gardeners were shy about cutting limbs off my plants, but they soon loosened up. Apparently, it's a lot easier to hack away at someone else's plants! Luckily, I'm not sentimental about my tomatoes. I also know, from past experience, that judicious pruning now will save me heartache later.

The best part of the class? Hearing the next day how some of the participants went to work pruning their own tomatoes! I guess the shyness has rubbed off!

________

Stay tuned for more about how to set your tomatoes on a good path for the last 3 months of the growing season!

Dilled Pea Salad With Dill Mustard Sauce

Dilled Pea Salad:

1/2 cup Mayo
1/2 cup diary sour cream
1 Tbsp. Dilled Mustard (see recipe below)
1, 10 oz. pkg. frozen green peas, thawed
1/3 cup sliced green onion
1 3/4 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Lettuce Leaves

Stir together mayo, sour cream, and mustard. In a salad bowl, combine peas, onion, cabbage, celery, and eggs. Add 1/2 cup dressing. Cover; chill 2 to 4 hours. Serve on lettuce-lined plates. Store remaining dressing up to 1 week in frig. Makes 8 servings.


Dilled Mustard Sauce:

3/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/2 cup dry mustard
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. snipped fresh dill or 1 Tbsp. dried dillweed, crushed
2 tsp. salt

In a medium container, combine seeds, dry mustard, vinegar, and water. Cover. Soak 48 hours; add vinegar and water (in correct proportions) to keep seeds covered.

Transfer to food processor bowl. Add remaining ingredients; process 5 to 6 minutes until creamy and flecked with seeds. Add enough water, vinegar, and wine (in correct proportions) to make creamy. Mixture will thicken slightly. Transfer to nonaluminum container. Cover and refrigerate up to 6 months (best aged 3 to 4 weeks). Makes about 3 1/4 cups.

Kale Salad with Pine Nuts & Currants

1/2 lb fresh Kale
2 tbs. black currants
1 1/2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbs. rice wine vinegar
3 tbs. honey
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs. pine nuts, toasted
2 tbs. parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Whisk balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, honey and olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Wash and chop the kale into larger pieces. Add chopped kale, pine nuts & parmesan cheese to dressing. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

And you thought your itty bitty zucchini plant would never fill the space

So we've made it through the first influx of cucumber beetles, and a flood, and a late cold spring, and now your zucchini are out of control.

What to do?

You can prune vining veg (like cucumbers or melon), by making a diagonal cut right above a set of leaves. Zucchini plants are more like long stalks with leaves on the end (bushes, rather than true vines), so while you can just chop wandering leaves, there are other things to try.

While I don't generally allow fences around your garden plots, I'll modify the rule to help you corral your bushy friends. Try a pea fence between your plot and the next to keep your zuke in line.

This type of fence is terrific to use first for cool-season peas, and then to keep summer veg in line. Be sure it's solidly in the ground, though, because squash are tough characters.

Another thing to try, especially for zucchini, is a tomato cage.

But not like this -- flip it over and place it over your plant, like this --

This is a helpful technique for several reasons. First, it keeps those huge zucchini leaves from shading your neighbor's veg. Second, the zucchini grow around the base of the plant, and they can be hard to find amidst the prickly stems and huge leaves. Lifting and containing the leaves like this makes it really easy to find your growing-over-night zucchini before it's the size of a baseball bat.

"Drinking In the Garden" - Bella Fragola

1 ounce fresh lemon juice
4 basil leaves
2 strawberries
2 ounces Beefeater 24 gin
1 ounce simple syrup
1 can sparkling water (about 8-10 ounces)
Lemon Wheel

Add lemon juice, 3 basil leaves and 1 strawberry to a mixing glass; lightly muddle.

Add the gin and simple syrup along with ice to fill; shake vigorously. Strain over ice; top with a splash of soda.

Garnish with lemon wheel, basil leaf and strawberry, if you like.

 Find a Friend, Sit back and enjoy.

Radishes of Unusual Size

Mike from plot SC1 was kind enough to share his comparative radish study. Anyone else taking pictures of your harvest?