Grow Garlic in Containers

What grows in Florida in December? How about Garlic? Garlic does its best growing in cold temperatures! Last December, I planted Inchelium Red in December and harvested a fantastic crop early the following summer.

I am planting Inchelium Red again this year. It grows well in Florida and I like its mild flavor.

Garlic would grow fine outside in the ground in my North Florida climate, but I'm not interested in planting in the cold so I'm growing my garlic in containers this year.

When planting garlic, begin with good certified seed garlic bulbs. Filaree Farms and Irish Eyes are good reliable sources for healthy seed garlic.

To grow garlic in containers, start with pots 15-24" tall. Add soil enriched with compost.

Break garlic bulbs apart and plant only the largest cloves. Plant cloves flat side down, about 2-3" deep and 4-6" apart.

Keep pots indoors or outside in temperatures above 50 deg. F for about 4 weeks. Containers can then be moved to overwinter outside in colder conditions. Add a 1-2" layer of mulch prior to hard, long lasting freezes.

Water lightly twice weekly.

For more on growing crops in Florida, consider purchasing my book, Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits & Vegetables for Your Organic Garden

Bright green stalks will emerge in spring, signaling you to top dress your plants with compost or seed meal. In addition to compost, I sprayed my garlic crop with fish emulsion every 2-3 weeks throughout the first half of spring. Once the rapid growing phase is over, bulbing begins and you should discontinue feedings.

When bulbing begins, reduce waterings to once weekly.

It's time to harvest garlic in Florida when about half the leaves have browned. Don't let northern gardeners talk you into waiting longer. Inevitably, my garlic crops have rotted if I have waited longer.

Dig around the bulbs with a spading fork and gently lift the bulbs.

Removing dirt from the bulbs is the most difficult aspect of growing garlic. Don't wash the bulbs as they must be dry to cure properly. I brush off most of the dirt and let the rest fall off as the bulbs are curing. To cure, tie the stalks of 8-10 bulbs and hang these in a well ventilated barn or shed. Last year, I left mine hanging well into fall in a pole barn and they kept perfectly well. You can take yours down after about 4 weeks. Place the bulbs in a net bag and store in a cool location (45-55 deg. F.) Cooler temperatures encourage sprouting.

Common Nutrient Deficiencies in Vegetable & Fruit Plants

Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits & Vegetables for Your Organic Garden
Organic gardening is different from traditional gardening in its focus on creating healthy soil. When soil is nutrient rich, plants grow quickly and are better able to withstand pest and disease stress.
Nitrogen is necessary for photosynthesis, cell growth, and reproduction. This is the element plants use in greatest amounts. Plants deficient in Nitrogen may have yellow leaves and poor growth. Adding organic matter, such as aged manure, cottonseed, and composted plant materials will improve nitrogen levels in the soil.
Phosphorousis required for cell growth, plant reproduction, and flower and fruit formation. Plants deficient in Phosphorous will be stunted, a purplish tinge on the underside of their leaves (yellow leaves in the final stages), poor flowering and poor fruiting. Amend deficient soil with bone meal or rock phosphate.
Potassium is necessary for formation of flowers, leaves, and fruit. It plays a role in photosynthesis in low light conditions and in plants' water regulation. Potassium deficiency occurs most commonly in sandy and acidic soils. Amend deficient soil with kelp or seaweed.
Calcium strengthens stems and other plant parts. Calcium deficiency begins with yellowing and progresses to browning of young leaves. Calcium deficiency is responsible for blossom end rot in tomatoes and tip-burn in lettuce. Amend deficient soil with eggshells and oystershells.
Magnesium is crucial for photosynthesis. It also aids in the action of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Magnesium aids in cleansing plants of natural metabolic waste. It assists in the formation of proteins. First symptoms include the discoloration of veins in the lower leaves. Leaves may also become thin and brittle and may cup upward. Amend soils deficient in Magnesium with Epsom salts, Fishmeal, or Greensand.

Other Nutrient Deficiencies discussed in the book include Iron, Zinc, Boron, and Copper.
Container Gardening for Health

Create a Living Wreath Made of Herbs for Holiday Meals

Living wreaths add beauty and fragrance to your home during the holidays. Harvest sprigs from the wreath to flavor your holiday meals.

To make a holiday wreath, begin with a metal wreath form. Wrap it in moistened sphagnum peat moss. Tuck 3"-5" herb plants into the wreath and secure with florist pins. Wrap with additional moss to hide roots.

Prepare a tray (large enough to hold the wreath) with a thin layer of soil over a 2" layer of moistened gravel. Lay the wreath flat on the tray in a sunny area. As the herbs grow, continue to secure them to the wreath. In about 4 weeks, your wreath will be sufficiently full to hang from a doorway. Take the wreath down after the big day and return it to the tray when the guests have gone home.

Herbs to grow for the holidays:

Creeping Thyme -- Excellent on everything from Turkey to roasted vegetables.
Rosemary -- Delicious on lamb, pork tenderloin, red meats, and vegetables.
Sage -- A must for traditional turkey and dressing.
Parsley -- Not just a garnish! I prefer the flavor of the flat leafed Italian
variety over curly parsley. Used in many sauce recipes, salads, and other vegetable dishes. Add finely chopped parsley and chives to green beans.
Tarragon -- Integral in French cuisine, Tarragon has a strong, slight licorice flavor. It's often used in butter base sauces and included in a rub for Turkey and Lamb.
Chives -- I love finely chopped chives in my mashed potatoes. They are also commonly used in vegetable dishes.
Mint -- Removes the gamey flavor from lamb.


Happy Holidays

Raw Foods Diet

Spencer and Sabrina Aird, Proprietors or The Grass Root Restaurants

On Sunday I drove 3 hours west to Lakeland to give an organic gardening workshop at a Raw Foods Restaurant, Grass Roots. Owned and operated by Spencer & Sabrina Aird, Grass Roots has a warm ambience with cinnamon and saffron painted walls, large arched windows, and upscale art.

The Airds have created a hub for the raw/organic foodies in Lakeland (they also have a restaurant in Tampa). Like the owners, workshop attendees were vibrant and excited about growing some of their own foods.

My mission on this trip, however, was to learn as much as I taught. A small part of me believes I would be healthier on a raw foods diet, but a bigger part of me stubbornly reminds myself of the years I have spent developing recipes for cooked meals. I wanted to know how those who partake in the raw foods lifestyle survive (happily) without lentils, brown rice, pasta, apple pie...what kind of life is that?

After the workshop, I signed books and surveyed the crowd for the best person to corner about her diet. Aha! There she was...last in line and wearing yoga clothes. She would tolerate my questions no matter how basic and annoying. She handed me a book to sign and I held onto it until my questions were answered.

Beans? I asked. How do you live without beans? I asked a million questions and she answered them all.  Thank you, Patricia!

It would be inaccurate to say raw foods dieters don't cook. Though it may not be over a hot stove, they spend more time preparing their food than the average person. They combine ground up nuts with other vegetables to make raw crackers, julienne zucchini to create "noodles", and substitute little known vegetables, such as Mameysa Pote, for those that would require cooking, such as sweet potato.

If I ever become a raw foodie, I promise it won't be tomorrow. But I am going to incorporate more raw foods into my cooking...for example, I'll add diced carrots and celery to my lentils after the lentils are cooked.

So--is a raw foods diet really any healthier than a cooked diet rich in vegetables and whole grains? See the Side Wiki for more information about this debate.

For more on growing your own food, visit The Gourmet Gardener.

Winterizing Fruit Trees

For deciduous fruit trees to break dormancy and produce flowers in spring, they must be winterized properly. The following guidelines on fertilization, watering, pruning, chill hours, and freeze protection will ensure your tree wakes from its winter slumber next spring.
Fertilization: It's time to wean your tree off its monthly fertilization schedule.  Reduce its feeding by half each time you feed until the end of fall. Do not fertilize again until spring.
Watering: Reduce waterings when the tree begins to go dormant. Soil should only be slightly moist throughout the winter period.
Pruning: Do not prune trees less than one year old. Any major pruning of older trees should be done during the dormancy period. See my book, Container Gardening for Health,  for detailed information and illustrations.
Chill Hours: Most deciduous fruit trees require a certain number of "chill hours," the number of hours the temperature drops below 50 deg. F,  in order to produce fruit.  Research the number of chill hours required for your tree variety and compare this number to the average chill hours received in your region. (Ideally, this should be done prior to buying a fruit tree.)
Freeze Protection: Though deciduous fruit trees require chill hours, it is important to keep the roots in containerized trees from freezing.  In most areas trees can overwinter in unheated garages or basements to protect them from hard freezes, but you still may need to wrap the containers in insulative material to prevent root death.  I'd like to hear from gardeners in USDA Zones 1-2B about root protection of containerized fruit trees in these areas. 

For More Information on Growing Organic Fruit Trees in Containers, check out my book, Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables for Your Organic Garden

Understanding the "Dirty Dozen"

Excerpt from "Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables for Your Organic Garden" ISBN: 0978629329.
...In 1988, The National Research Council was commissioned by the U.S. Con-
gress to study issues concerning pesticides in the diets of infants and children using USDA/FDA data .
The results of this study are published in a 372 page book, Pesticides in the Diets
of Infants and Children(ISBN:0309048753).  The study concludes that children are uniquely suscep-
tible to health problems from exposure to toxic pesticides because of their rapid
growth. Infants and children also consume greater quantities of certain foods as
a proportion of body weight. This leads to greater exposure to some pesticides.4
The problem with pesticides is that the quantity of a vegetable your child eats
may exceed government expectations. Anyone who has children knows they go
through phases where they will only eat one food or one group of foods. Since the
government is not in your dining room calculating how many pounds of straw-
berries your tot has eaten this week, they cannot tell you if she has consumed
too much of a certain pesticide. The government can tell you what foods have
chemical residue even after they have been washed and prepared for eating. In
fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the US Food and Drug Adminis-
tration conducted nearly 43,000 tests on produce samples from 2000–2004.
The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) analyzed this data and created a “simula-
tion of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets...” Their study
showed “that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent by
avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the
least contaminated instead.”5 They nicknamed this list of foods “the dirty dozen.”
As of June 2007, the dirty dozen is as follows:
Rank Fruit or Veggie Score Page number
in this book
1 Peaches
2 Apples
3 Sweet Bell Peppers
4 Celery
5 Nectarines
6 Strawberries
7 Cherries
8 Lettuce
9 Grapes, Imported
10 Pears
11 Spinach
12 Potatoes
The list has changed slightly since this book was published -- Kale has moved to the top 12 and spinach has moved down slightly, but all the fruits and vegetables above still remain high on the list.
At The Gourmet Gardener, we don't believe you should have to limit these healthy fruits and vegetables in your diets. Instead, select foods your family commonly eats on the Dirty Dozen list and grow them organically. Use this book as a guide to growing healthy fruits and vegetables in containers and small spaces.
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September/October Schedule

If you are interested in attending a book discussion or workshop, you are welcome to attend the following:

September 22  2PM  Book Signing 

Safety Harbor Library, Safety Harbor Florida

http://www.cityofsafetyharbor.com/index.aspx?nid=60

September 26  9 AM - 2 PM Book Sales/Signing

Organic Morning

Native Nurseries, Tallahassee FL

http://arguelles.tripod.com/NativeNurseries.html

October 10 and 11  Speaking Engagement and Booth Exhibit #937

Green Festival, Washington DC

http://www.greenfestivals.org/washington-dc/

To Schedule a Workshop, Discussion, or Book Signing:

386-362-9089

gginfo@windstream.net

Recipe Potato and Watercress Soup

My Family Loved this Recipe. Try it!

Preheat oven to 350 Deg. F

Dice:
1 White Onion (Small to Medium)
2 Carrots (Large)
1 Russet Potato (Large)
4 Stalks Celery (or use celery leaf if you prefer)


In an oven proof pan with a tight fitting lid, saute the above in 1 TB butter and 2 TB Olive Oil for 5 Minutes. (Add each vegetable consecutively, one minute after each addition.)

Add 1/4 c soup stock. (If you don't have homemade stock, use College Inn White Wine & Thyme.)

Cover pan and place in oven for 10 minutes.

Return pan to stove top.

Add 2 Cups trimmed, chopped Watercress and 3 3/4 cups stock. Simmer 5 Minutes.

Add 1 Cup heavy cream, 1 TB red pepper flakes. Stir.

Add 1 Tsp. lemon juice.

Cook 5 more minutes.

Enjoy. Serves 4.

Want to grow your own organic vegetables, but don't have the space or time to grow a large garden?
Check out my book: Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables for Your Organic Garden

Fall Color in Florida

Florida is a unique mix of natives and transplants. I am talking about people at this moment, not plants. Like non-native plants, some argue the "transplants" from our north should be classified as "invasives," but I like the mix of colors, heritage, growing habits, etc. Transplants add pizzaz to this people garden we call Florida.

During the fall season, though, I hear our friends from the north lament the loss of autumn color. They are happy to be in Florida during the winter, but autumn is another story. While it is true most of Florida's trees don't turn the brilliant orange, red, and yellow colors our northern neighbors flaunt, we can bring color to our porches, patios, and balconies through container vegetable gardens.

Lettuce pots, for example, need not be all green. Add Bright Lights Swiss Chard and Nasturtiums to your lettuce pots for brilliant orange and yellow color through most of the winter months. Outredgous lettuce will add a splash of red to your pot of "greens". Seeds source: Johnny's Seeds

Florida Friendly Fall Vegetable Varieties

Due to popular demand at my workshops and book signings, I will be carrying the following Florida Friendly vegetable seeds for the Fall '09 planting season. Let me know if there are any others you would like to purchase. Beginning in '09, all my seeds are organic. Additional variety recommendations can be found on the IFAS site: www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu .
My mission is to provide gardening information not products so these seed sales are will be offered for a limited time beginning in September on www.gourmetgardener.com .
For more information on container gardening, please consider purchasing my book: Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables for your Organic Garden

Bush Beans-Blue Lake
Pole Beans-Kentucky Wonder
Broccoli Raab
Cabbage-Early Jersey Wakefield
Carrots-Nantes
Chinese-Taisai
Kale-Vates
Lettuce-Tom Thumb, New Red Fire, Red Oak, Outredgeous
Onions-White Lisbon
Shallots-Ambition
Spinach-America
Squash-Cocozelle
Strawberry Crowns-Albion
Tomatoes-Brandywine, Green Zebra
Watermelon-Sugar Baby

Watermelon Woes

My sister called from a Tampa suburb this week, crying over the loss of two watermelon plants. Ever under the watchful eyes of her community's HOA "police," she discreetly planted two watermelon seeds in her flower bed. "I know I shouldn't be crying about this," she told me, "but they were in blossom and I was really looking forward to having watermelons."

While it is true that our husbands tell us our day is not complete unless we've had a good cry, I don't believe my sister would generally cry over a watermelon plant that had a run-in with a lawn mower. I thought for a few days about what might be behind her grief.

I pictured my sister planting the seeds with her five year old daughter. A few days later, I imagined my little niece running in to tell her Mom the seeds had sprouted. For the next few weeks, they watched in amazement as, amidst the neatly maintained Boxwoods and Knock Out Roses, a watermelon planted snaked out into the grass, lifting it's leaves to the sun. When the large yellow blossoms appeared, I know my niece was tempted to pick them. But my sister must have explained the purpose of the blossoms and why they needed to stay attached to the plant. My sister waited with her daughter in anticipation of what was to come next: from a stem just a quarter inch in diameter, a 5+ pound watermelon. (Watching a watermelon plant grow is rather like watching a skinny pregnant person's belly grow in her 9th month. You just can't figure out how it could be possible.) Though my sister has seen watermelons growing on the vine before, I bet her sense of wonder from the sight has never changed. This time would be even better because her daughter would watch in amazement right beside her.

Sadly, her expectations were dashed by the lawn boy.

Gardeners never stop feeling that sense of accomplishment when the harvest a vegetable. The harvest is like a statement: I was enough. I was nurturing enough, consistent enough, vigilant enough.

Who wouldn't grieve the loss of their watermelon plant?


Learn more

eco-Mom

I like to think I'm a fairly forward thinking person. I try to stay informed about world events and live my life with a conscience. However, it is never CNN, NPR, or The New Yorker that motivates me to change. Invariably, my two sons are my moral compass.

I stopped using plastic bags when their disparaging looks at the grocery store became downright embarrassing. Kill a bug in my house and you'll be given the guilt treatment for 2 days. Poisonous snake in the pool? Don't kill it! Trap it and turn it loose in the neighbor's field. Under my children's ever vigilant eye, I've gradually become an "eco-Mom". Eco-Moms travel through time before -- making a purchase, throwing away a recyclable container, or swallowing a high carbon footprint glass of milk -- to determine if our actions will negatively impact our children's future. Sometimes we hold our breath a little longer than we should less the co2 burn a hole in their little lungs.

What is my children's latest challenge? Run a garden business without using disposable plastic containers. Of course, the kids are right. Have you ever been to a garden center where there wasn't a mountain of planters stacked behind a shed? Why do garden companies use so much plastic? Well-because the containers are inexpensive and light weight. They are not, however, very durable, so they frequently end up in the land fill. This should be unacceptable to those of us who are in the greenest of the green industries.

What are the alternatives? Now that I've promised my 15 year old son I'll stop using the disposable plastic, I'm on a mission to find something else that will be equally light weight and inexpensive. I'm not entirely writing off plastic. But any plastic container I use will have to be durable.

So far, I'm testing out eco-containers (made of straw) and earth boxes (yes, made of plastic). I will share the results of my trials at the Green Festival in Washington D.C. on October 8. I'll continue to test the containers over the next few years and will share the results on my website, . Any other recommendations for non-plastic containers would be greatly appreciated. Hurry! I need to start fall planting!

Fall & Holiday Gardens

North Florida has two main growing seasons: spring and fall. I prefer fall. By late September, we are usually coming out of the hurricane season with a replenished water table. Additionally, cooler temperatures discourage pests and weeds. Often, our winters are so mild we can extend the fall garden right through Christmas. I am not exaggerating when I say I often pick Arugula for our Christmas salad.
It's time to prepare now for a fall garden. Plan where you will grow your crops, taking into consideration their light, moisture, space, and temperature requirements. If you will need to bring the plants inside during cold snaps, make sure to plant in light weight containers and include soil components such as vermiculite and perlite.
Many seeds prefer warmer temperatures for germinating than for growing. You can start seeds in late August and have them ready to produce fruit by October.
Also, don't forget to think about your holiday menu when planning a fall garden. Grow fresh sage and tarragon for your turkey, baby carrots, and a myriad of lettuce greens for your salad. Start in August!

Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables for Your Organic Garden

Vegetable Gardening in Hot Climates

Those of us who garden in an effort to reduce pesticides in our diet attempt to garden year round. It is tough this year here in Florida where the heat index is already 110 F. All is not lost. Container gardening is a much more comfortable option for gardener and plant.

Many vegetables and herbs like the heat. Chili Peppers, Tomatoes, Basil, Yardlong Beans, Cucumbers, Okra, Pumpkins and Zucchini are just a few of the veggies to grow in the hottest months.

If you are growing in containers, here are a few tips to make your summer veggie garden successful:

Select compact or dwarf varieties.
Use extra large containers -- they retain more moisture and better insulate the roots of your plants.
Mulch
Place containers on a saucer of water.
Keep containers out of the rain -- at least in Florida. The alternating heat and afternoon showers create fungal issues and make irrigation a pain. I would rather use saucers of water so the plants can take up moisture as needed.
Place plants in a location that receives afternoon shade.
When placing plants, beware of surfaces that radiate heat. Plants on my concrete patio were completed wilted by the afternoon so I moved them over to the pool deck (painted concrete)-- no more wilting!
Barbara Barker,
Author, Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables for Your Organic Garden

Organic Vegetable Gardening in Containers

This blog is an effort to get more people gardening organically. I think there is a misconception that gardening is expensive. When comparing the price of organics at the store to home grown organics, you'll see that growing your own is not only healthier, but also less expensive.

For my garden this year, I spent about the equivalent of one week's grocery bill for my family of four. For that price, I now have cherry, apple, nectarine, and pear fruit trees that should produce for years to come; I also have strawberry plants, sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, grape vines, lettuce and spinach seeds, and potatoes. In my next blog, I'll talk about food safety.

I'm growing the above mentioned plants because they are the plants with the highest pesticide residue according to USDA data. I researched this so much that I eventually wrote a book about it --
Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables to Grow in Your Organic Garden by Barbara Barker
Check it out!