Book Review. How to grow perennial vegetables, buy Martin Crawford. 3.17.16

Red mulberry

This week I went to the local library and checked out the book, "How to Grow Perennial Vegetables" by Martin Crawford.  2012.

This book is interesting because growing perennial vegetables allows us to have plants that require minimal maintenance, fit into a permaculture landscape, and puts to work some plants that might otherwise be taken for granted or considered weeds.

The book is well written and interesting.  There is a comprehensive list of plants with descriptions, instructions for how to grow them, and culinary uses.  The format is easy to follow and informative.

Plants that were interesting to me -

Violet

Apple mint -  because I recently saw a video about how to make a tea from apple mint.
Asparagus - which I just planted yesterday, "Millenium".  I don't know how that will do, but it's worth a try.
Chives and Chinese Chives - which we already grow.
Columbine - for the leaves.  Salad greens.  I didn't know that.
Dandelion - multi uses, greens and root.   Planning to experiment with both the weed and improved cultivars.  One application is a sort of "wilted lettuce salad" which involves saute of the leaves.
Daylilies - for the flowers or flower buds.  The unopened buds can be used as a sort of green bean - like vegetable.
Hostas  - eat the young shoots as a fresh vegetable, apparently popular in Korea.
Horseradish - I think I will add some in the orchard row.  That should at least give the moles and voles extra flavors to savor as they tunnel through.
Sedum spectabile - I didn't know that!  Already growing many bunches for bees.  Use leaves as a fresh green.  The book states, "succulent and juicy and ready to add to a salad on a hot summer day"

Linden

Linden - leaves for cooking like spinache, or salad.  I imagine better in spring when fresh and young.
Mulberry - leaves can be used as a cooked green. Also, I imagine better when fresh and young.
Opuntia cacti - for nopales.  I don't know how they will do but I am experimenting with them.
Oca - I found these in a catalog but way too expensive.  If I can find a less expensive source I will try.
Rhubarb - mostly uses as a pseudo-fruit, but can also be savory.
Violets - leaves for soups, have a thickening effect.

The book describes many times more than this list, which other than oca and apple mint, I already grow.  All very interesting and useful

I'm fairly impressed at this list, so many edible plants already in my yard, and quite a few that I have not sampled.  I suspect some are better and some are not so good, but we can be sort of like Euell Gibbons, we can "Stalk the Wild Asparagus", in our own yards.


[All images via public domain website, vintageprintable.com]




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Potatoes and review of book, The Complete Book of Potatoes. 3.1.16

It might seem strange to write an entire book about potatoes, but there are several out there, and websites such as "Potato History", "History of the potato", "How the potato changed world history", and many more.  In past  books, I read about the massive, transformative effect that transporting potatoes from the Andes where they originated, to Europe and China, had on human nutrition and populations.  This book is more about growing potatoes, which also deserves a book

The Complete Book of Potatoes.   by de Jong, Sieczka, de Jong.  2011.  Timber Press, Portland OR.

I got the book at my local library, Fort Vancouver Library in Vancouver, WA..

In other books - I forget which - I've read that per acre, potatoes give more calories and nutrition than any other plant, including rice, corn, and wheat.  That difference is what allowed population explosions among the peasantry in China and Europe.  And monoculture, of just one potato variety in Ireland, was what lead to total dependence on an agricultural house of cards, leading to  disease susceptibility and famine.

Reading the book "The Complete Book of Potatoes" resulted  learning in a  number of things about growing potatoes, I did not know, such as - in no particular order

Each cultivar has its own tuber dormancy period, which has a major effect on how long they can be stored.  Dormancy can be 4 weeks, to more than 3 months.  Growing types with long dormancy period would be good for keeping potatoes.  Growing types with shorter dormancy period would be better for fresh use where storage isn't important.

Yukon Gold and Burbank Russet have long dormancy and good storability.

Day length has a big effect on what variety grows and produces, where.

Potatoes remove a lot of nitrogen and potassium from the soil, so need fertile conditions.   However, too much nitrogen, or late nitrogen, can lead to poor quality potatoes.  Note that Pacific Northwest soils, west of the Cascade Mountains, are often verynhigh in potassium.

Emerging potato sprouts can tolerate chill, 28F ro 32F.  Soil at planting temperature should be at least 45F.

For early harvest, plant early green sprouted potatoes, and use plastic tunnels to keep them warm.

Soil pH under 5.5 pretty much prevents scab.  My soil is acidic, in the 5.03 to 5.5 range.

More nutrients are available at pH 6 to 7, but that promotes scab.

Scab should not be a problem at pH above 7.

French Fries were probably developed in Belgium, not France.  Potato Chips, however, are an American Invention.

Potato species originate in a wide area of South and Central America, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, and Paraguay, and south Brazil.  It is thought the wild tuber bearing species actually originated in Mexico - I thought it was Peru.  The most primitive variety is epiphytic - grows in trees.

I think this book was very useful and will have an effect on my gardening.  I am better prepared as to cultivar selection, growing, harvesting, and storing this useful and delicious garden crop.  The book also discusses many potato cultuvars, organic and conventional methods, hilling, mulch, and other aspects of growing potatoes.

Based on the information from this book, my planting of sprouted potatoes might not turn out.  It's OK, there was no other purpose for them, and maybe they will do better than expected.

Image Attribution:
(1)  By Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection.; Peter Henderson & Co. [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.  Date 1872
(2)  By Wiley, Harvey Washington, 1844-1930; United States. Division of Chemistry; United States. Department of Agriculture [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons Date:  1900
(3)  By W.W. Barnard & Co; Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons  Date:  1914

Dendrobium orchid, and a book review

This week I saw this one at Trader Joes. I'm much pickier now, since I seem to have at least one of each of the readily available, home-grower-friendly genus / intergeneric hybrids. If subsequent seasons result in a mini-Cattleya, laeliocattleya, or similar small home-friendly variety; or a miniCymbidium, I might add those. But the current collection is enough to see if they will actually grow and rebloom in my home setting.

Authors differ on whether to repot new orchids on purchase. I did, moving this plant into a ceramic orchid pot with many holes in the sides. Maybe should have sought a bigger one, this had a small amount of extra room but not much. By planting in an orchid pot, I think I'm less likely to cause rot diseases by overwatering.

I've been using a standard Ortho orchid food at recommended strength, about half of the time when I water. The package recommends using every time, but it seems excessive in winter. I also used a standard orchid bark-based mix for the repotting.

For some reason, I like the cane-type pseudobulb varieties (Dendrobium group) and pseudobulb varieties (Oncidium) more than the rosette and other monopodals. I don't know why I prefer these. Plus, Paphiopedilum are rosette-type, and I like them. No accounting for my own taste, I just like them more. The cane-type have an almost bamboo-like appearance.

Book Review.
I bought a book at Safeway, "Easy Orchids" by Mimi Luebbermann. It's a nice little book, lots of pictures (which is why I bought it), and discusses briefly numerous of the easy-to-grow types. A fun book to read and keep for later browsing.

Book Review #2. "Backyard Fruits and Berries"

After giving a barely lukewarm review of another book (click on label "Book Reviews", I wanted to choose a book that I felt more positive about. Here is one. Others are expected to follow.

Again, this book covers the subject of the title. Backyard Fruits and Berries, by Miranda Smith. I bought it locally, but it was not at the bookstore when I looked last week. Available on Amazon.com here.

This is a well packaged book with lots of drawings and photos - a benefit for me. The initial chapters discuss placement of fruit trees, preparation of the site before planting, digging the hole, and planting the trees. The illustration on page 35 is in line with my understanding of how trees should be planted, and shows the concept well. There are chapters on tree care, including mulching, pruning, training. Some of the illustrated techniques are appropriate for the Backyard Orchardist, such as fan-shape, cordon, and espalier, but no discussion of the Backyard Orchard Culture method, including summer pruning, close planting, and maintaining small size. That concept (click on labels for Backyard Orchard Culture, and Dave Wilson Nurseries) is probably just too new for wide publication in books. I mention it here because I expect it to be central to home fruit growers in the future.

There is also a section on grafting. This is great! Also, propagating by cuttings. Any book that empowers the backyard gardener to grow their own, choosing varieties based on their neighbor's or family's experiences, is welcomed. For the avid home orchardist, to share their favorite varieties, and to try new ones by grafting or cuttings, even if they don't know the variety's name, is very welcome.

The sections on disease and insect control are rich with photos, and organically-inclined. Also a plus. I don't like reading about insects and disease damage, because it makes me wonder how we get any fruit at all - but we do, and it's great to see the organic approach.

Fruit specific sections include the usuals, and some unusuals, including apples, apricots, cherries, citrus, figs, pears, plums, and many types of vines and berries.
It includes Asian pears, which I think are an "up and coming fruit" for the home gardener. The plum varieties include European and Asian as well. Sour and sweet cherries are discussed separately - a sensible division given that there are some cultural differences.

The one drawback is already mentioned - Some day we'll need a book which emphasizes summer pruning, multi-tree-in-one-hole methods, and overall philosophy of Backyard Orchard Culture also here. This would include experiences outside of the area where this concept originated, because what works in California may not work, or may require other nuances, elsewhere.

I couldn't find a section on multigraft trees. Many books discourage multigraft, because one variety often overpowers the others. However, the small home orchard is based partly on more involved management, including pruning, and the multigraft may be the best, least expensive, and most reasonable way to have multiple varieties and polinator trees, in a small space. That oversight is minor.

I give "Backyard Fruits and Berries" an "A". It is one of my favorites.

Book Review: "The Fruit Expert"

I like reading books about gardening methods. The different books all have their pros and cons. Looking at the local bookstores, the garden sections seems to be getting smaller, so it's useful to have a bibliography of useful books. Amazon isn't the same as browsing through a book, it's difficult to tell what you might get.

So here's a review of one that I use from time to time. "The Fruit Expert" by Dr. D.G. Hessayon

Availability: This book is currently available at Amazon.com. I don't know current availability at bookstores.

Copyright: 2004

This book is written for the British gardener / home orchardist, although I found many sections useful for my own, Pacific NW garden. It is organized by the fruit type, and includes a forward on planting and an afterward on fruits that can be purchased from the store.

The planting method appears to match with other resources, although the author recommends a planting mix of soil+peat+bone meal. I think that current literature recommends not amending the soil, or not amending it much, because over-rich and over-loose planting mixture can lead to a 'flowerpot-effect', keeping the roots inside the hole and leading to a swampy soggy pocket in the hole. I have never seen that happen either, but now I only add minimal amendment to my planting mix.

Fruit varieties: The author discusses most of the major fruit types, including apple, apricot, cherries, pears, figs, plums, peaches, berries, and soft fruits or berries. The varieties won't generally be appropriate to the American gardener. The pruning section is "OK" but does not discuss summer pruning or backyard orchard culture, which I think is essential for the backyard gardener. The fig section was discouraging, probably due to limited usefullness in the UK. There is nothing on Asian Plums or Asian Pears. I don't know if these grow in the UK. The disease section contains many useful photos. This is not a book for the organically minded.

Overall grade: "C". Interesting for a book that is labeled "The world's best selling book on fruit". The photos are nice to look at. The planting method does not appear up to date. The pruning methods are not up to date or the best for the backyard gardener. The varieties are not useful to the American gardener.

I didn't realize until now, how poor this book is. I actually get it out and read it now and then, but there are better resources for either the novice or the expert.