Collard Greens Plant Profile

 

Collard Greens Plant Profile

Collards (Brassica oleracea) are an edible green that is a cultivated variation of the European wild cabbage.

Collards are one of many members of the cabbage family, Brassicaceae or Cruciferae, also known as the crucifers, or the mustard family, which includes broccoli, cauliflower, mustard, turnips, kale, and Swiss chard.

Collards can thrive in the heat, but can also withstand temperatures down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. For best flavor, harvest collards after several frosts.

Collard can be sown in late winter for a summer crop and in mid-summer for a fall crop. In the spring, plant it as soon as the ground can be worked.

Note that it does not form a head like its cabbage relatives. Collards should be harvested continuously by picking the bottom leaves starting approximately 60 days after seeding.

Collards can be eaten fresh, cooked in soups and stews, pickled, sautéed, and fried.

Read more about growing and preparing Collards in the November 2023 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine.

Collards: You Can Grow That!

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

Video, editing, audio, and text by Kathy Jentz

Filmed at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC.

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Monday Thoughts: "You never quite know what influence you're having or what difference the garden is making, but it's only years later that people will admit it." - King Charles III

"You never quite know what influence you're having or what difference the garden is making, but it's only years later that people will admit it." - King Charles III

GardenDC Podcast Episode 175: Herstory of DC Gardens

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with Kaitlin Calogera, a licensed tour guide and author about the women behind many of Washington, DC's public gardens. The plant profile is on Calendula and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Self-Sowing Plants by Dr. Allan Armitage.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 96: Women in Horticulture

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-96-women-in.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 78: Dumbarton Oaks

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/10/gardendc-podcast-episode-78-dumbarton.html

This episode is archived at: 
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Herstory-of-DC-Gardens-e2cmnr3

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

Show Notes: 00:01:10 Women in Washington, DC, gardening 00:04:41 Women in DC history tours 00:08:11 Hidden memorial honoring First Ladies 00:08:58 The design on the US Botanic Garden First Ladies Water Garden 00:13:08 Women's contributions to DC gardens 00:14:45 Rooftop garden creation 00:17:43 Enid Haupt and Seventeen Magazine 00:21:46 Connection between women and nature 00:23:40 Lady Bird Johnson's flower planting campaign 00:25:45 Women behind the Tidal Basin cherry blossom history 00:30:11 Community gardening in urban landscapes 00:36:39 The neighborhood behind the Wangari Maathai Gardens 00:39:13 Ticket availability and popularity 00:40:36 Hidden garden spots in DC 00:43:10 How to contact the tour host 00:44:02 Virtual programs available for participation 00:49:54 Turning a New Leaf Sustainable Landscaping Conference 00:54:32 Embrace self-sowing plants in gardening 00:56:35 Plants that take care of themselves

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

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• Himalaya: https://www.himalaya.com/courses/gardendc-1747568
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• YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine
• Google Podcasts at this link (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices.)

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/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 podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:

Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Interview Edit and Show Notes: Christine Folivi

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Loofah Plant Profile

Loofah Plant Profile

Loofah (Luffa sp.) is a gourd that is dried and used to make a sponge. It is an annual vine that is part of the cucumber and squash family. It is hardy from USDA Zones 7 to 13.

There are two main kinds of Loofah -- the Luffa aegyptiaca also known as the angled luffa, ridged luffa, Chinese okra, or vegetable gourd, and the Luffa acutangular or L. cyclindrica also known as the smooth luffa, Egyptian luffa, dishrag gourd, or gourd loofa. 

Plant them from seed in late spring in a full sun location with good draining soil that is amended with compost or aged manure. The vines can grow up to 30 feet, so a large trellis or fence is required to support them.

The bright yellow flowers of the Loofah vine are quite attractive. When pollinated, they grow into a long, green gourd. Leave them on the vine until they start to turn yellow or brown. Then peel them to reveal the fibrous sponge inside. Shake out the seeds and save a few to plant next year. Then wash off any sticky sap in a bucket of soapy water. Dry them in the sun.

The young fruits and flowers of the Loofah vine are all edible as well.

Loofah vine can be attacked by the cucumber beetle and it can get touched by powdery mildew during hot, humid weather. Otherwise, it is relatively disease- and pest-free.

The vines will die after they are hit with a frost and can then be composted.

Loofah: You Can Grow That!

Also spelled Loofa or Luffa

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

Video and editing by Christine Folivi

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

 Pin this for later!

Monday Thoughts: "Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." - Emily Brontë

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."

- Emily Brontë

Win a Copy of The Garden Journal* by Linda Vater in our November 2023 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our November 2023 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away The Garden Journal* by Linda Vater ($30.00 prize value) from Cool Springs Press.

   Compiled by gardener, author, and QVC host Linda Vater, The Garden Journal is an essential record-keeping tool for every gardener, no matter what you grow. From daily happenings and garden successes to plant lists, variety names, and seasonal to-dos, you’ll be able to stay organized and keep a carefully curated record of current activities and future tasks. This gorgeous journal acts as a logbook and guide through five years of your garden’s life. Keeping track of success and failures, wishes and wants, has never been more beautiful! 

   To enter, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on November 30 with “The Garden Journal” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the November 2023 issue and why. Include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on or shortly after December 1. 

*https://amzn.to/3uvZcen = Amazon affiliate link. We may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does not impact your purchase price.

UPDATE:
Our winner is Melissa Varga of Washington, DC.
Congratulations, Melissa, and thank you to all who entered this month's reader contest.

GardenDC Podcast on Thanksgiving Holiday Break

GardenDC: The award-winning podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening is taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday week and will be back shortly with new episodes. While there is no new episode today, we recommend you re-listen to a past favorite or catch up on some that you might have missed. We also have the following suggestions of past episodes that we think you will enjoy:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 84: Thanksgiving from the Garden

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-84.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 85: Camellias

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/12/gardendc-podcast-episode-85-camellias.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 75: Versatile Viburnums

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-75-versatile.html

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

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• Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc
• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V
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• Headliner: https://play.headliner.app/podcast/37086
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• YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine
• Google Podcasts at this link (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices.)

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/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 podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!