Jul ’16- Start your Fall Garden in July-Aug w/ the Demenys

So, it’s always a fun & informative meeting when Mary and Roger Demeny teach us their techniques and and talk about what they are growing now and in the coming months. Mary is a Master Gardener and has been gardening for 66 years!

Mary kicked it off with her seven tips for a successful garden in our area. See below for the tips and her fertilizer recipe.

What to Plant Now:

Now is the time to start Brassicas if you want to start picking in October or so.   Especially the slow growing brassicas that flower or form heads before you pick such as cabbage & broccoli. If you wait until the soil is at their preferred temperature for germination, the days will be getting short & less sunny so growth will be slow. Too slow to be ready for Thanksgiving dinner!  So, use the ice cube trick to start kale, collards, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, kohlrabi, pak choi & related Asian brassicas. You can also start your first crop of lettuces.

Through August, you can also start your late summer crop of squashes & cucumbers, beans from seed & sweet potatoes slips. Or buy tomato & pepper plants. (You’d have to start these from seed in June).  Pre-soak dried beans before planting, except the Roma variety bush beans.

In September, seed other cool season vegetables, herbs & greens such as Parsley, Dill, onions, leeks, carrots (freeze the seed), fast growing greens like arugula & mizuna (you could start them earlier as well).

Note, onion starts are planted shallow–they need sun on the bulb. Leek starts are planted deep, because only what’s underground will be white.  If you buy both and get confused, leeks have flat tops, onions have hollow round tops.

In October, seed beets, radishes, cilantro, green peas. November onward, start your potatoes.

And of course, you should succession plant more winter greens & veggies all winter until mid-spring or so. (Another tip from me is you can plant those radishes among your cabbage, broccoli & the like. Radishes are fast & you will be picking them long before they are overshadowed by the larger brassicas. Also, you can cook radishes. Slice em up & saute. Taste like squash.)

Mary then showed us how to choose good planting dates according to astrology. She gave everyone a copy of the 2016 American Almanac Calendar with instructions how to use it on the first page. Certain signs are “fruitful signs” and you want to plant when the moon is in a fruitful sign. Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus & Cancer are all fruitful signs and several days each month fall under these signs and are marked on the calendar.

Mary also shared some favorite super herbs, greens, fruits & vegetables loaded with anti-oxidants and other disease fighting polyphenols.  Purslane, which is probably growing in your garden right now or in a sidewalk crack near you. Stop weeding it & start eating it. Dandelion & Amaranth aka pigweed are two more superfood summer weeds. (Amaranth leaves can be eaten like other greens, and they also produce a protein rich seed used like a grain.) African Blue Basil, which can survive year round most years. Chives (which are also a good companion plant for roses as they are anti-fungal.)  Cilantro, a cool season herb. She said to plant it in November.  Blackberries (or any berry, but blackberries are the easiest & top the charts for anti-oxidants. You can also pick them wild, usually in May or June.)

Mary’s seven tips for a successful garden in our area:

1) Raised Beds. Build up with good soil.

2) Use the best soil and compost you can afford.  Don’t skimp.

3) Takes steps for good germination. More below for what to do to get a jumpstart on fall.

4) Choose a location with adequate sunshine. Fruiting fruits & vegetables need at least 6 hours, but more is better for more yield.

5) Even watering is essential.

6) Fertilize. She shared her recipe, see below.

7) Mulch with compost, leaves, newspaper, tree trimmings. Mulch in summer keeps soil cool & moist. Mulch in winter keeps soil warm.  And year round it retards weeds.

Germination:  Mary uses ice cube trays.  Fill the trays with water and add a seed to each cell.  She freezes the whole tray until it’s just hard (4 to 5 hours).  The cubes are then “planted” in the garden or container & watered every day.  This is especially helpful for germinating cool weather crops while the soil is still hot, i.e. now.

Mary & Roger’s Fertilizer: Mix 2 cups alfalfa pellets, 2 cups Epsom salt, 1 cup Hasta Gro (lawn food fertilizer; Google it), 20 drops SuperThrive, and 1 cup fish emulsion in a 20 gallon garbage can.  Fill with water.  Mix with a shovel.  Use rubber gloves to avoid skin contact.  Use a watering can with the sprinkler removed to apply to the base of plants.  Amount to apply: Pour for 3 to 5 seconds for large plants, less for smaller plants.

Mary’s Mulch Method – First she sprinkles epsom salts, Tide detergent or diatomaceous earth to deter slugs. Then she lays down several layers of newspaper. Then tops with mulch.

She recommended a few books:
Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease  by Bharat B. Aggarwal PhD of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health by Jo Robinson

A few random varieties Mary likes that do well in Houston: Tycoon Tomatoes (beef steak hybrid), Big Bertha Bell Peppers, Vardamon Sweet Potatoes. And she said if you only have a little space for one fruit tree, pick a Satsuma.

Mary also shared some recipes & passed around slices of her tomato bread, a frequent treat at HUG meetings.

Breakfast Smoothie

In a blender, place:
1 handful of dry oatmeal
Add 1/2 cup milk of your choice
1/3 cup Dandelion greens
1/2 banana, apple or fruit of your choice

Blend well & eat with a spoon

Easy Okra

Pour 2 Tablespoons of oil over whole okra pods & sprinkle with garlic salt & pepper. Place on broiler and broil until done, shaking pan halfway through cooking process. Watch carefully.