Homegrown in Toronto, January 12, 2010

WELCOME to this issue of Homegrown in Toronto, an e-zine bringing you practical advice on growing your own vegetables and fruit.

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Steve's Note

In this age of Internet ordering, I still prefer to leaf through a paper catalogue, folding over pages that contain something of interest, scribbling notes, then comparing the offerings in different catalogues.

But once I have chosen what to order, I go online: no more trying to keep my chicken-scratch writing within the boxes on the form; and no more trying to remember where I left the chequebook!

CONTENTS

1. Get Growing
      What’s Up and Out
      Tasks for January
2. Get Eating
      Sweet Potato and White Bean Soup
3. Readers Write
      Root Parsley and Celery Root
4. Growing with Kids in the Garden
      Catching Monsters
5. Gardening Education and Programs
      2010 Workshops on Growing Edibles

1. Get Growing

The DILL in my sunroom is a couple inches high and I’ll soon start thinning the young plants and using the thinnings in salads and cooking. Dill germinates easily and is a worthwhile windowsill crop.

FRUIT TREES are tempting for mice, who burrow under the snow and gnaw at the bark as a winter snack. I planted plum trees in the fall, and made wire tree guards to protect the trunk from mice. If you make tree guards, be sure to use a fine mesh, as a mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime.

FUCHSIA. I originally grew Fuchsia boliviana as an ornamental. Then, one day learned that the fruit, which look like purple, elongated peas are edible. Right now I’m enjoying the red flowers...but I see some small fruit have formed.

LETTUCE. Like dill, I have lettuce growing in my sunroom. I simply transplanted a few young plants from the garden in late November. I won’t be getting a lot of it, though, because I’m not growing the best variety. Some varieties are suited to the low-light conditions in the winter, and they would perform much better.

The PARSNIPS from summer 2009 are perfect. Neighbours Anna and Chris suggested a root-and-grain potlatch at the end of December. Luckily, we had a brief thaw that gave me time to chop the few remaining parsnips out of the garden. If you’re planning to grow parsnips, remember that it’s worth the cost of buying fresh seed, as parsnip seed quickly loses its viability.

ROSEMARY is doing well in the sunroom. Over the years, I have killed countless rosemary plants while trying to overwinter them indoors. They just don’t thrive in the hot, dry, low-light conditions. That’s where the sunroom is perfect: It doesn’t freeze, but it stays quite cool—and the rosemary loves it.

TOMATOES. I’m still eating fresh tomatoes from my garden. I’m not joking. The variety of tomatoes I’m eating produces small, bullet-hard tomatoes that pale in comparison to large, juice beefsteak varieties. But they keep well and are great for chopping on salads or making bruschetta over the winter.

Tasks for January

THINK SEEDS. Last year seed houses reported very strong sales of vegetable seeds. It’s no surprise: growing vegetables has once again become sexy. So get your order in early to make sure you get what you want.

Not sure about seed terminology? Here are a few pointers:

Heirloom varieties are older varieties that have become less common as commercial producers switch to newer ones. Many gardeners choose heirlooms for historical interest or novel colours or flavours—and many people are concerned about preserving the genetic diversity found in such varieties. I grow a tomato variety given to me by my Dad’s cousin Audrey, whose father got it from his Italian neighbour Franco, who brought it from the old country. I call it the Franco tomato (I don’t even know if it has a name). In my mind, it’s an heirloom because it has been passed from generation to generation, and it has a story.

Hybrids are varieties that result from crossing different varieties of the same plant in an attempt to achieve offspring with the superior qualities of both. Along with improved vigour, hybrids can have traits such as improved yield, flavour, or colour. Think of the vigour of a mixed-breed dog compared to a purebred (or think of the inbred British royal family!) So while I grow my heirloom Franco tomato (which tends to yield fruit later in the season,) I usually plant a hybrid variety too—an early-yielding one. Don’t bother saving hybrid seeds: some are sterile, while others won’t give seed with the traits of the original hybrid.

Open Pollinated (OP) varieties are those that breed true to their parents, unlike hybrids. Most older varieties and heirloom varieties are open-pollinated types.

Treated seeds are coated with protectants such as fungicides to control diseases that hamper germination or kill young seedlings. If the seed is pink, good chance it is treated.

Untreated seeds haven’t been treated with fungicides. While some untreated seeds may be organic, untreated is not the same thing as organic.

2. Get Eating

I’m cheating a bit with this recipe....as I don’t grow sweet potatoes. But there are some nice Ontario-grown sweet potatoes at farmers markets these days as more growers produce them.

My friend Fern gave me the recipe for this delicious and creamy soup, a recipe she credits to the Toronto Star.

Click here for the recipe for Sweet Potato and White Bean Soup.

3. Readers Write

Response:
No, you grow different varieties for root parsley and root celery.

They’re great for flavouring soups and keep very well.


Talking about celery, I’ve just ordered seed for something called cutting leaf celery, with strong tasting leaves that are good for flavouring soups and stews.

4. Growing with Kids in the Garden

A short while later, we were working in the yard when Emma left. Seeing her scurry to the house and back with some newspaper, I was curious what was up. Scattered under a spruce tree were balls of scrunched up newspaper.

“What are you doing, Emma?” I asked. “Catching monsters,” she replied.

5. Gardening Education and Programs

LEARN TO GROW EDIBLES. Forget the gadgets, picture-perfect magazines, and prescriptive books: I’ll give you practical, no-nonsense advice on how to grow your own edibles.

And I set you up to succeed at home:

• You get a FREE detailed technical bulletin that summarize the workshop. No need to worry about forgetting important details.
• You become a member of the Edible Gardening Club e-mail forum. So once you’re home, you still have my support—and you have a network of like-minded gardeners.

At the first workshop on March 7, I’ll tell you about containers, soil, light, heat...everything you’ll need to know to start seeds at home. And you’ll get your hands dirty too, as you plant seeds. It’s a small, hands-on workshop. Reserve your spot early.

To learn more or register, visit the website or call me at (416) 953-1549.

Workshops take place where any gardening workshop should: in a gardener’s home and garden. Location: Toronto, near the North York Centre subway station.

I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this e-zine and tell me what you think!