Fenton Friday: Popeye Would Be Proud

Guest Post by Melinda Thompson

During my fall internship at Washington Gardener Magazine, I learned how to grow 'Viroflay' Spinach from seed. As a lover of houseplants, learning to grow edibles was a new experience for me. 

Each week the other interns and I would meet on Friday and stroll over to the community garden to care for our plants. The first week planting the seeds I was nervous about everything: overwatering, cutting the plant in a way that would be detrimental for growth, etc. But with the guidance of our editor, Kathy Jentz, those nerves slowly faded away. At the same time as planting the spinach, we planted “Long Standing” cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), which was unsuccessful. We even tried planting it a second time, but the seeds never germinated. 

After about two weeks of waiting, I saw the tiniest leaves sprout up on the spinach plants. A few more weeks passed and it was time for cutting. I learned that you have to cut the leaves at the bottom of the stem, leaving the tender inner ones to grow up. I was able to get about four bountiful harvests over the fall months. And with a cover cloth, they were still growing through mid-November. 

My favorite thing about spinach is not only can you make a salad with it, but you can cook it in other things. I love adding spinach in to pasta dishes and quiches to get some more extra healthy food into my meals. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this experience and would love to plant more in the future.

About the Author:

Melinda Thompson is a senior journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, with a vocal performance minor and a concentration in women’s studies. She is an intern this fall with Washington Gardener.

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Fenton Friday Meets Bloom Day

I don't recall another time when my weekly Fenton Friday reports on our community garden overlapped with the 15th of the month aka Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, though I' m sure it must have... In any case, here is my combined post. 

The bloom that is putting on a terrific show right now in the garden plot is the Marigold 'Big Duck Yellow'. We started it from seed and it is just now really hitting its stride. The flowers are HUGE and the bumblebees are burying their heads into them. I had quite a struggle finding a few full blooms to cut as the bees were not letting me! It was an AAS winner in 2019. These plants is very sturdy and tall, so I am using it to divide the cherry tomatoes from another bed, as the indeterminate tomato plants would take over that whole side of the plot, if we let them.

We harvested the largest leaves from the 'Viroflay' Spinach today and picked some more cherry tomatoes. We also cut some branches off the Holy Basil aka Tulsi for the interns to sample. 

Last week's replacement seeding of 'Garden Party' radish mix and 'Shanghai Baby' Bok Choy are all up and doing great! Today, we thinned out the radish seedlings and can likely thin the bok choy next week.

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Fenton Friday: Spinach - Two Ways

Lamb's Quarter aka Wild Spinach

I didn't spend too much time at the garden plot this week as it rained most of the days. I went over today and did a bit of weeding and discovered that I was growing a good crop of Lamb's Quarters.  I know this wild green is being grown by someone else in the community gardens, so it must have seeded over from their plot. I had never eaten it before, so I tried a raw leaf - meh. Then, I picked a few bunches and brought them home with the Asparagus I harvested to add to a pasta dish. I blanched the Lamb's Quarters and Asparagus first, then tossed in some butter and Parmesan cheeses with the rotini pasta. Pretty good!

You can read more about Lamb's Quarters in the November 2016 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine.

Spinach Salad

Earlier this week, I harvested a bag fill of 'Bloomsdale' Spinach to make a lunch salad. On that base, I chopped up an apple, threw in a handful of dried cranberries, and drizzled on bleu cheese dressing. Yum!

Elsewhere in the garden, the edible Peas and the Sweet Pea flowers look ready to produce any day now. Tiny Strawberry fruits are forming and the Cilantro has really taken off. The Beets are still too small to harvest, but I dug another batch of Radishes and should really plant another round in that spot before the summer heat sets in.

In a week or so, I'll start to transition to warm season crops. I am really looking forward to trying out some heirloom Watermelon and Squash seeds I got at this year's Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges!

What are you harvesting this month in your edible garden? 

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Fenton Friday: Salad Days!

Today at the community garden plot, we harvested lots of Spinach and Arugula. Then we made a big salad for lunch. This serves 2 people if it is a main dish or 4-6 people as a side dish. Here is the recipe we used:

Salad ingredients:

• 5-10 ounces arugula (homegrown or organic, when possible)

• 5-10 ounces young spinach leaves (homegrown or organic, when possible)

• 2 small apples - cored and cut into small cubes

• bleu cheese (or goat cheese) crumbles

• 2 Tbsp dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup raw pecans or walnuts - chopped

Dressing ingredients:

• 1 large lemon, juiced ( about 3 Tbsp)

• 3 Tbsp local honey

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Clean and dry the salad greens. Prep the other salad ingredients. Then mix the dressing in a mason jar. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour on dressing and mix well. Enjoy!

Adapted from: https://minimalistbaker.com/apple-pecan-arugula-salad/

We also harvested Cilantro and my little kitty, Versace, snarfed up the piece I gave him. He loves the stuff.

This was a very wet week for us, so we weeded a bit and I also grabbed a handful of Asparagus. In the rest of the plot, the Garlic and Strawberries actually seem a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. The Lettuce mix and Carrot seedlings are finally popping up. Radishes, Peas, and Cauliflower are coming along nicely.

I hope to be able to plant my annual cutting flowers in the next week or so.

How is your vegetable garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: 
Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 6th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)\

Fenton Friday: Seedlings UP

Arugula

Peas

This week's weather started with snow flurries and freezing winds and ends with summertime temps and searing sun. At my community garden plot, we have several things coming up from seed and we threw a cover cloth over them last week - first to insulate them from the cold and now from the heat!

The seedlings that are up already seem okay. The lettuce and carrots have not germinated yet, I am wondering if I should wait or put out a new batch of each.

How is your vegetable garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: 

Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 6th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)

Spinach

Radish

Fenton Friday: Spring Vegetables

By India Hamilton

This spring, I grew ‘Bloomsdale’ spinach, ‘New Zealand’ Spinach, and Heirloom Mustard Greens from seed at the Fenton Community Garden. I sowed one row of each variety of Spinach and Mustard Greens in a raised bed and also sprinkled Bloomsdale Spinach seeds into a small container.
   At eight weeks, I was able to harvest both the Mustard Greens and the Bloomsdale Spinach in the ground. The container of Bloomsdale Spinach, which had been started at the same time were about 2-3 weeks behind in growth compared to the ones in the soil. While the Mustard Greens were only cut once, I was able to harvest the Bloomsdale Spinach three more times after the initial cutting. Unfortunately, the New Zealand Spinach never came up. We think it was old seed.
    I froze the Mustard Greens we harvested for later use. My family recipe for Mustard Greens consists of slow-cooking them in a pot with butter, salt, and bacon bits.
   I was able to use the Spinach as both an addition to chicken alfredo pasta and a side with rice and tilapia fish.
   Overall, these seeds were very easy to plant, maintain and harvest. Additionally, the Bloomsdale Spinach has a delicious, unique flavor and I would definitely recommend them to new gardeners.

How is your edible garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: 

Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 5th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)   

About the author:

India Hamilton is a junior multi-platform journalism major and black women’s studies minor at the University of Maryland, College Park. She copy edits and writes feature and event pieces for the online publication, Pulsefeedz. This spring, she was an editorial intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.

Fenton Friday: Harvesting Spinach

We were able to harvest a salad's worth of Spinach and Mustard Greens from the garden this week. The Mustard was already bolting, as we had record heat this week, so we needed to do that quickly.

I put a double-thickness of cover cloth over the rest of the cool-season edible seedlings - carrots, radishes, cilantro. parsley, and other greens. I hope that saved them from being fried in the 90+ degree heat and that this coming week's more seasonable temps let them thrive and grow.

How is your edible garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: 
Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 5th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)   

Fenton Friday: Shredded Lettuce

I sat to write this post when all hell broke loose outside. A mid-afternoon thunderstorm arrived with two rounds of golf-ball-sized hail. I just spent the last two hours mopping out my sunroom and picking up broken branches. My home garden looks like it went through a blender with leave parts strewn everywhere. It was with some trepidation that I went over to the Fenton Community Garden to see my plot.

It is not as bad as I thought. Everything is laying down for the hail and rain deluge, but I think it will all right. Most of it just looks soggy and beaten/bruised, but not broken.

The question of the week is that the Mustard Greens are ready to pick (after they recover from the storms), so now what? Do I cook them? Eat them raw? How do you prepare yours?

About Fenton Friday: 
Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 5th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)