{"id":4294,"date":"2012-03-15T18:42:32","date_gmt":"2012-03-15T18:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/?page_id=4294"},"modified":"2012-03-16T22:26:54","modified_gmt":"2012-03-16T22:26:54","slug":"garden-news-issue-20","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/library\/garden-news-issue-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Garden News Issue 20"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Garden
\n\"divider\"
\nIssue 20 \u2022 Seasonal tips and featured varieties coming to a retailer near you<\/a> \u2022 March 27, 2009<\/span>
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PLANT YOUR VEGETABLES!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spring equinox breezed by last weekend and now it\u2019s full speed ahead into high planting season for vegetable gardens!\u00a0 If you didn\u2019t make it to your local nursery or garden center last week to pick up some spring vegetable starts, don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been sending out flats and flats of veggies again this week, including mini-cabbages, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, chard, European greens, peas, and more.<\/p>\n

It may be cool and cloudy now, but as you\u2019re setting out your spring garden think summery thoughts by planning where to put warm-season veggies in a month or two.\u00a0 Planting time for summer squash, cucumbers, and early tomatoes will be here before we know it!\u00a0 New varieties to look forward to this year include:<\/p>\n

\"Cucumber\"\u2018Alibi\u2019 Slicing Cucumber<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you can only grow one cucumber, \u2018Alibi\u2019 is a great all-around choice.\u00a0 This versatile cuke is firm enough for pickling but tender and succulent for slicing.\u00a0 Space-saving compact vines produce tons of perfectly shaped 3 to 4 inch fruits in a small space.\u00a0 Or pick the fruits much smaller, about pinkie-sized, for making sweet gherkins.\u00a0 Cucumbers need heat and well-drained soil: plant 3 to 4 feet apart in full sun on raised beds or hills.<\/p>\n

\"Pepper\"Miniature Bell Peppers <\/strong><\/p>\n

These irresistible garden treats ripen from green to shiny red, golden yellow, and rich chocolate brown.\u00a0 Productive plants provide a steady supply of sweet little 3-lobed fruits, just 2\u00bd inches wide and 1\u00bc inch long, with thick crunchy flesh.\u00a0 Delicious for veggie trays, in salads, or stuffed.\u00a0 55 days from transplant. \u00a0Plant 12-18 inches apart in rows 24-30 inches apart in full sun in moist but not waterlogged soil.\u00a0 (OP)<\/p>\n

\"Squash\"Zucchini \u2018Bush Baby\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first mini zucchini!\u00a0 Chubby little fruits are striped in dark and light green and more proportional than regular varieties used as baby zukes.\u00a0 Pick them when just 2 to 3 inches long for the best, most delicate flavor (but bigger ones are tasty, too).\u00a0 Compact, very productive bush-type plants can be tucked into small gardens or containers. 49 days from transplant. \u00a0Plant 24-36 inches apart in rows 3-4 feet apart in full sun. Harvest often to encourage additional fruits.\u00a0 (F1)<\/p>\n

\"Tomato\"Tomato \u2018First Light\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Richly flavored, 5-7 ounce fruits should be picked when the lower half is red but the shoulders are still green, for the delightful crisp texture and full tart flavor that makes this taste-test winner ideal for salads and salsas. Strong indeterminate plants produce good yields. 76-80 days from transplant.\u00a0 Plant 24-36 inches apart in rows 3-4 feet apart in full sun.\u00a0 Plants grow 3-5 feet tall; provide a cage or trellis.\u00a0 (F1)<\/p>\n

\"Tomato\"Tomato \u2018Momotaro\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dark pink, meaty round slicers with superb sweet and tangy flavor are excellent for fresh eating. This hard-to-find variety is most esteemed in Japan, where its namesake is a popular folk hero.\u00a0 Indeterminate plants provide good yields of 6-7 ounce fruits. 70 days from transplant.\u00a0 Plant 24-36 inches apart in rows 3-4 feet apart in full sun.\u00a0 Plants grow 4-6 feet tall; provide a cage or trellis.\u00a0 (F1)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

BEAUTIFUL NEW PERENNIAL VIOLET FOR 2009:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Viola\"Viola \u2018Dancing Geisha\u2019 \u2013 <\/strong>Spring is also the best season for violas.\u00a0 This exquisite new variety has gorgeous maple-leaf foliage streaked with pewter and silver and wonderfully fragrant, pale lilac violets that may appear peeping through the snow in early spring, and continue blooming even into hot summer months.\u00a0 Silvery mounding plants grow just 6-12 inches tall and prefer a cool site in part to full shade with rich, moist soil.\u00a0 Scatter them among spring bulbs for an enchanting display of spring color, tuck them among ferns and hostas in a woodland garden, or use as a shady groundcover in beds or borders.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

AND DID WE MENTION THE \u2018WINTER JEWELS\u2019 HELLEBORES?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"HelleboreYes, we highlighted these amazing winter blooming plants last week in Garden News, but just in case we didn\u2019t convey how special they are we\u2019d like to emphasize a few of their terrific qualities:<\/p>\n

*Also known as the Christmas Rose or Lenten Rose, Hellebores bloom in winter!\u00a0 The smooth, cup-shaped flowers start to appear in January or February, holding for several months on the plant.<\/p>\n

*Hardy plants with polished, dark green palm-like foliage covers garden beds in lush greenery throughout the year in our mild Northwest winters.<\/p>\n

*They aren\u2019t even high maintenance.\u00a0 Hellebores are happy in shade to part shade, need little cleaning, are usually unbothered by pests or disease \u2013 even deer don\u2019t seem to like them!<\/p>\n

*\u2018Winter Jewels\u2019 is an exceptional series introduced right here in the Northwest by world-class hybridizers Ernie and Marietta O\u2019Byrne, who selected for the biggest blooms, purest color, and most vigorous plants.<\/p>\n

Grow one or two this year and you may be back for more next spring!<\/p>\n

Oregon Live has a video online about the O’Byrnes and NW Garden Nursery hellebores<\/a> if you would like to learn more.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You can see more of our 2009 New Introductions<\/a> on the website.<\/p>\n

You can read previous issues of Garden News in the Log House Library<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Issue 20 \u2022 Seasonal tips and featured varieties coming to a retailer near you \u2022 March 27, 2009 PLANT YOUR VEGETABLES! Spring equinox breezed by last weekend and now it\u2019s full speed ahead into high planting season for vegetable gardens!\u00a0 If you didn\u2019t make it to your local nursery or garden center last week to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3109,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4294"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4294"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4452,"href":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4294\/revisions\/4452"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loghouseplants.com\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}