Friday, June 17, 2022

Fenton Friday: Blackberry Abundance


The heat and humidity came in this week. Luckily, we were able to clear out the rest of the left-side beds and plant our cutting-garden seeds. (The row starts off when the Tomatoes we planted last week.) The Arugula had gone to seed and I hope to collect a lot of that to package up for our Seed Exchange next winter.

We left the self-sown zinnias and I out in a Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia) seedling behind them, knowing how tall and leggy that can get. We got that from last weekend's event for the 50th anniversary of the Washington Youth Garden. To that, we added rows of - Butterfly Monardo (Bergamot Bouquet), Celosia Flamma Orange, Verbena bonariensis  'Vanity', Hummingbird Nasturtiums Aloha Mix, and Cut Flower Marigolds Xochi Orange. To that I hope to add a row of Lemon Basil this weekend. We shall see what all comes up and thrives.

The strawberries and snap peas have slowed down to pretty much nothing, but to make up for it the dwarf, thornless Blackberry plants have an abundant fruit production this year. (You can see them at the very end of the left-hand bed in the photo above.) We sampled a few as we worked and I picked another quart yesterday that I froze for a future cobbler or pie. I hope to get over tomorrow to pick another quart or so for snacking on over the next few days. 

What are you growing and eating this week from 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 11th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Chamomile Plant Profile

 Chamomile Plant Profile

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is also known as German Chamomile or Wild Chamomile. It is an annual flowering plant in the daisy family that is used as an herbal tea. It is known for its curative properties including treating anxiety and an upset stomach.

It is also a terrific pollinator plant and repels some insect pests -- making it a good companion to other edible crops. It is native to Europe and is hardy from USDA zones 2 to 9.

A close relative is Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) – it is a creeping groundcover that is perennial and used herbally in the same way as German Chamomile.

Chamomile prefers rich soil in a sunny location. It can survive in hot climates, with some protection from the afternoon sun, but it does better in the cool spring and fall seasons in our region.

It does not need any fertilizer and it grows as well in containers as in the ground.

Chamomile is easy to start from seed or you can purchase a small plant. In future years, you may find it reseeding itself where it grew before and you may never need to buy it again!

To harvest chamomile, cut off the flower spikes and hang them upside down to dry for a few weeks to concentrate the flavors. After they are dry, snip off the flowerheads and place them in a jar. Add a spoonful or so to a teacup and pour boiling water over them. Let them steep about 5 minutes, sip and enjoy.

Chamomile: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

 

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

Edited by Jamie Oberg

 

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Saturday, June 11, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 108: Frugal Gardening Tips

In this episode, we talk with Jessica Damiano, the Associated Press' gardening columnist, all about frugal gardening tips. The plant profile is on Chamomile and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events.


BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! See how at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support.

Show Notes: 1:49 Meet Jessica Damiano and hear all about her background in journalism/gardening as well as her tips for growing on a budget! 3:00 Jessica reveals her high school aptitude test predicted she’d be best suited for a career in agriculture. 3:28 “My friends called me ‘Farmer Jess’ for about a week.” —Jessica 5:00 While working at Newsday, Jessica received an assignment to go investigate a statue at a reader’s home. The reader believed it to be an antique from Ancient Rome! 7:05 The Great Long Island Tomato Challenge was born out of Jessica’s desire to engage her readers. 9:25 Widespread difficulty with growing zucchini. 11:20 Nine times out of 10, growing issues are not your fault —Kathy 12:44 Jessica dives into the best ways to buy the basic gardening supplies on a budget. 13:15 Soil blocking kits that you can water normally even without the pot. 15:10 Jessica advocates for garage sales to find the cheapest gardening tools. 15:20 Free Cycle is a website where lots of things are listed for free, gardening tools and plants included! 16:53 DIY plant supports. 18:25 Milk jug/kitty litter container watering cans. 21:30 Kathy talks about high-quality tools from estate sales. 24:04 “Sink test” for determining viability of seeds. 24:08 “A lot of seeds are like Salem witches.” —Jessica 25:11 Upcycled lamp shades as plant supports! 27:27 Home remedies for increasing fertilizer prices. 27:58 Best fertilizer for grass. 29:50 Compost as fertilizer in gardens. Jessica touches on lazy composting as well. 31:02 Burying a fish hack for introducing all the ingredients for healthy plants! 32:50 Veggie water as fertilizer. 33:30 Jessica recommends using dried egg shells for calcium in gardens. 35:25 Fish tank water hack. 36:33 Always check your plants when buying them in the fall! 38:35 Jessica explains the benefits of buying bigger plants. 39:31 Multi-faceted tools. 42:52 “Succulents are the gift that keeps on giving.” —Kathy 44:44 Connect with Jessica on all of her socials and her website. 46:30 “Yours for the digging” 48:32 Our plant profile this week is Chamomile! 50:46 News in the garden this week: hydrangea season, tomato plants in the community garden, tours by landscape architects in DC area, and more! 53:05 “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 28: Preserving Your Harvest -- Canning, Freezing, and Drying
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 4: All About Tomatoes

This episode is archived online at: 

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite platform so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Editing and Show Notes: Tori Vandergriff

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Friday, June 10, 2022

Fenton Friday: A Quartet of Tomato Plants

 

Another wet week - but I'm not complaining! Temps have been fairly mild and I haven't had to water the plot much at all.

We planted the four tomato plants I had each in one corner of the front, left bed. The tomatoes were in the back, right bed last year, so I figure this the best attempt at crop rotation that I can do in my small plot.

The four tomatoes are 'White Currant', 'Cherokee Purple', 'Paul Robeson', and 'Sun Dipper'. They will be in the care of intern Tori. The first three are heirloom varieties that I got from the Silver Spring Garden Club plant sale I ran last month. They are tried-and-true, so I have high hopes for them. However, I'm most excited to try out 'Sun Dipper' as it is from PanAmerican Seed and is bred to be disease-resistant -- plus I love snacking tomatoes!

I'm still harvesting a handful of strawberries and a few purple podded snap peas every few days.

We pulled one of the hardneck garlic plants to make way for the 'Biquinho' Pepper plant aka Little Beak peppers that I got from the ladies at Garden Spots. It will be in the care of intern Jamie. The garlic we pulled was not fully developed, so we'll definitely leave all the others in the ground for another few weeks.

What are you growing and eating this week from 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 11th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Monday, June 06, 2022

Sunday, June 05, 2022

Meet the New Summer 2022 Interns

This summer, I have taken on two editorial interns. Look for their author byline in our upcoming Washington Gardener Magazine issues and on this blog. As a first assignment, I asked them to write a short introduction to our readers so you can get to know them.


Hello! My name is Jamie Amadea Oberg and I am a rising senior at the University of Maryland. I am double majoring in journalism and cinema and media studies. I have also completed both the Scholars Arts and Jiménez-Porter Writers' House programs at UMD. In addition to journalism, I primarily write creative non fiction and scripts. On campus, I am the general assignment editor for The Diamondback, helping students from all disciplines and experience levels explore journalism. 

I have some gardening experience, consisting primarily of growing fresh catnip for my cats and filling terrariums with miniature plants (I just rescued a fire belly toad whose tank has multiple live plants). In total, I currently have six adorable pets. I love nature and always enjoyed visiting different farmers markets with my family in Gaithersburg. Having recently moved to the border of Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, I look forward to immersing myself more in the gardening community here. I’m super excited to expand my horticulture knowledge this summer!

Hello, everyone! My name is Victoria Vandergriff but everyone calls me Tori. I am originally from Baltimore, MD, and have a huge family back home. I am living in College Park and finishing up my senior year at the University of Maryland as a journalism major with a history minor. Growing up, my grandmother had the greenest thumb in the whole family so her house was always adorned with the most beautiful assortment of flowers, shrubbery and even fresh herbs. I grew to love gardening because of her and I’m so excited to learn even more throughout my time at the Washington Gardener.

I currently work as a barista at Zeke’s Coffee of DC and with the company, I work at several farmers markets across the DMV. I have grown a serious admiration for the local gardeners and farmers who work with me at the markets which helped make my decision to join the Washington Gardener Magazine team an easy one. At UMD, I’ve taken a wide variety of courses within the journalism school so I’m looking forward to putting my writing skills to the test in the magazine and online blog! My passion in writing is breaking news and environmental issues. This summer, I hope to gain a greater understanding of the gardening scene in DC and chat with lots of amazing people. I can’t wait to engage with all of you through my writing and explore the world of gardening even more. See you out there!

 

Saturday, June 04, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 107: Olmsted Lives

In this episode, we talk with Kirk R. Brown as Frederick Law Olmsted, who was renowned as an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. The plant profile is on Serviceberry and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events.

Kirk R. Brown as Frederick Law Olmsted

Kirk R. Brown

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! See how at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support.

Show Notes: 1:22 Meet Kirk R. Brown as Frederick Law Olmsted, who was renowned as an American landscape architect, journalist, and more. 2:30 Mark Twain was Olmsted’s neighbor! 4:11 Designed one of the world’s first successful world fairs 4:55 Believed heavily in clean facilities and the importance of clean water 6:15 Sustainability and environmental health 6:58 One of founding members of American Society of Landscape Architects 8:29 One of his mentors was Andrew Jackson Downing 10:39 Impact of not being exposed to green spaces 13:00 Central Park used to be mowed by sheep 15:40 Was asked to design western front of the Capitol Building and also worked on Rock Creek Park 16:40 “We were a country on the move.” — Olmsted 17:54 Everything to the west of the Capitol Building is still Olmsted’s original design 19:29 Discussing children and what we pass onto them 21:03 Creating a picturesque landscape at home 23:55 Homeowners being able to use Olmsted’s “water, land, and woods” grouping 28:00 Everyone should visit National Parks and all the green, natural spaces that you can 29:00 Biltmore Estate is Asheville, NC, was designed by Olmsted and is now a public space 30:56 Search “Olmsted parks” to find all of the parks he worked on and how they’re doing today 32:32 Family lineage as architects 35:03 One of Olmsted’s legs is shorter than the other from medical procedures! 36:43 Celebration of “legacy trees” to understand previous generations 39:13 Transition to talking to Kirk R. Brown about his own life 42:54 Olmsted had a huge role in the National Park Movement and the founding of the Red Cross Foundation 45:30 Central Park was the greatest public works initiative since the pyramids, says Brown 48:18 Many people feel a deep, spiritual connection to nature connecting us all 50:53 Contact Brown via social media! Kirk references Gardencomm, the association for garden communicators. You can find more about the organization at https://gardencomm.org/. 52:28 Learn all about Serviceberry in this episode’s plant profile! 54:52 New in the garden: perfect gardening week ahead, harvesting garlic scapes and purple pea pods, cutting blooms in home garden, and more 55:48 Local gardening events: Rooting DC is back this year entirely virtual, master gardeners in the area are hosting online talks, and more! If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 78: Dumbarton Oaks

This episode is archived online at: 

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite platform so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:

Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Show Notes: Tori Vandergriff

PIN THIS FOR LATER!


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