Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Planting Spring Bulbs



Nothing gives the promise of spring more than tulips, daffodils, other spring blooming bulbs.  Fall is the time to plant if you want to enjoy these early spring treats. Many gardeners tend to use the term "bulb" rather liberally referring to any plant with an underground storage structure.  True bulbs are modified leaves attached to a basal plate that surrounds the following years buds.  The roots grow down from the basal plate.  Some bulbs like tulips and narcissi (daffodils) have a papery tunic surround the bulb.  Others bulbs like lilies and fritillaries have scales covering the bulbs.


Using Bulbs in the Landscape

Bulbs are one of the first flowers of spring.  This makes them very adaptable in the landscape.  They can be planted in full sun or under a deciduous tree.  The bulbs will bloom before the tree leafs out.  Any soil is acceptable; however, adding a compost and organic fertilize at planting time makes for happier healthierbulbs.  They can also be planted in containers.  This is a great option if you love tulips and have deer that love them too.  Containers of tulips on a porch may not be bothered by deer unless they are overly friendly. 

Bulbs are at their best planted in groups rather than scattered or planted in rows.  Medium sized bulbs like tulips, narcissi, or hyacinths look nice planted in groups of 7-10. Small bulbs such as crocuses, or Siberian squalls can be planted in groups of 12 or more.  Leave spaces between clusters of bulbs to interplant ground covers, annuals, or perennials.  By early summer bulbs leaves will fade and the spotlight will be on other flowers.


Stacked Planting of Bulbs

This technique will give you succession of blooming bulbs.  Plant tall growing bulbs such as late tulips.  Add a layer of soil mixed with compost and plant a midseason hyacinth.  Add another layer and plant an early blooming small bulb such as crocuses.






Types of Bulbs

Bulbs are classified according to their blooming season.  There are late winter flowering, spring flowering, summer flowering, and fall flowering bulbs.  Then within each season group (ei. spring flowering) there are early, midseason, and late bloomers.  Bulbs are also classified as hardy, semi-hardy, and tender bulbs.  This post will focus on hardy bulbs which include:  cyclamen, fritillary, grape hyacinth, snowflake, striped squill, tulips, crocus, and narcissi.



Late Winter Flowering Bulbs:  snowdrops, Iris reticulate

Early Spring Bulbs:  crocus, Siberian squill

Midseason Spring Bulbs:  tulips, narcissi



Naturalizing Bulbs

Naturalized plantings are one of the benefits of bulbs.  Choose bulbs that are hardy and appropriate for your soil.  Planting methods can be as simple as tossing the bulbs in the air and planting them were they land or lay out a garden hose in a meandering path and then plant in that path.


Propagating Bulbs

Bulbs multiple on their own without your intervening.  You can dig up a bulb and find numerous bulbs of various sizes.  The larger ones can be replanted and will bloom the following the year.  The smaller bulbs will need to be grown out until they reach flowering size.



Planting Bulbs

When you receive your bulbs in early fall for hardy bulbs and early spring for tender bulbs.  Prepare a planting hole a few inches deeper than the recommended planting depth.  Add compost and a dry organic fertilizer to the soil you removed.  Add enough soil to bring to the appropriate planting depth and plant the bulb.  Space the bulbs a few inches apart.  Water well.


Planting Depths

Narcissa 10 Inches
Tulips 8 inches
Crocus 4 inches
Allium 6 inches
Hyacinth 6 inches



Maintaining Bulbs

Hardy bulbs require little care.  Water throughout fall until the ground freezes.  In the spring you can fertilize as the bulbs begin to bloom. I use fish emulsion. The flowers will begin to fade.  If they develop any seed pods cut them off.  It is best to leave the foliage as long as it is green.  It provides energy to the bulb and roots. When the leaves turn yellow they can be cut back. 


Since you intend for your bulbs to be a permanent planting, little care is needed during the summer months when the bulbs are actually dormant.  The hardest thing for me in the summer is to not accidentally dig them up when planting annuals .


Notice the pollen covered bee in this tulip.

Lifting Over Crowed Bulbs

As bulbs become overcrowded flowering will diminish.  This is the time to lift the bulbs.  Do this as the leaves begin to fade in early summer.  Let the bulbs dry for a few days.  Then remove the faded leaves.  The bulbs can be stored in a warm dry place until fall planting time.


Winter Issues

Bulbs are planted deep enough that they have no problem with winter cold.  If you live in an area with freezing and then thawing you may have problems with newly planted bulbs heaving.  If this is the case an extra layer of mulch will help.


































Thursday, July 5, 2018

Saving Heirloom Lettuce Seed




You wouldn't think tennis balls, Thomas Jefferson, and lettuce have anything in common but Tennis Ball lettuce is an heirloom variety Thomas Jefferson grew on his farm at Monticello. Visiting Monicello  and Mount Vernon are high on my bucket list. Not only do I respect these statesmen and their role as Founding Fathers I also admire their role as Founding Farmers. 


Tennis Ball

Tennis ball is a cultivar still available today to plant in your garden.  This can be your own piece of history to continue cultivating and saving seed from!  Tennis Ball is a butterhead lettuce of "small rosettes of light green leaves measuring 7" in diameter."  (Seed Savers) This lettuce was often pickled in the 17th and 18th century in a salt brine.  Who would of thought you could pickle lettuce?


As odd as it may seem lettuce is one crop I love to grow. Lettuces culinary uses are limited to salads and it cannot be preserved, yet there is something fascinating to me about the varied colors, leaf shapes, and textures. When I come to lettuce in the seed catalog, I slow down and enjoy reading the history of heirloom varieties.  Some just speak to me and must be planted in my garden.  



Heirloom lettuce is a good place to start your adventure into seed saving.  I think sometimes we take it for granted that our favorite varieties will always be around and available in the seed catalogs.  Sadly that is not the case.  One loose leaf lettuce, Bronze Arrowhead, has always had a place in my garden.  It has beautiful arrow shaped leaves that have bronze tips and edges.  I shared these seeds with my daughter-in-law and both of us have grown them repeatedly in our gardens.  This year when I went to re order this seed it is no long available through the catalog.  Fortunately I can still get it off the  seed exchange, but it's a reminder that we should all be saving our favorite open pollinated and heirloom varieties.


Bronze Arrowhead

Flowering


Lettuce is in the asteraceae or sunflower family.  With perfect flowers that self pollinate, it is a good crop to save seed from.  Flowering is triggered by long days and/or high summer temperatures. The flower stalks can be quite beautiful reaching 2- 5 feet tall. Lettuce that forms heads may need a nudge to induce flowering.  Do this by cutting one to two inches into the head as it reaches maturity. The trick is to not cut so deep that the growing point is damaged. 


Lenox lettuce flower stalks

 Isolation Considerations

If saving seed for yourself, isolating is not a concern.  There is very little outcrossing with lettuce.  To be extra safe you can separate varieties by 20 feet or plant a tall crop in-between varieties. What is a concern is the weed prickly lettuce which may grow near your garden. It's always a good idea to know the weeds in your area.  This weed will cross with garden lettuce. (The Complete Guide to Seed Saving.  Robert Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough) Also if you are saving seed to preserve genetic diversity isolation is suggested.

You can see the flower stalks and flowers buds forming.

When to Harvest Seed

The type of fruit a plant bears is the key to how and when seed should be harvested. Lettuce fruit is an achene.  These fruits are a single seed attached to the ovary at only one point. (The Complete Guide to Seed Saving)  Flowering in lettuce occurs over an extended period of time.  Terminal flowers open first followed by the lateral flowers. The seeds are ripe for harvest 10-24 days after the flowers shed their pollen.  Lettuce seeds develop pappus, the white, feathery dandelion like structures which carry the seeds in the wind. When half the stalk is in this stage you can begin harvesting seed.
Merlot Lettuce developing a flower stalk

How to Harvest Seed

There are several methods to harvesting.  You can shake the seed heads into a bag as they begin to dry.  A seed bag can be placed over the entire flower stalk prior to flowering to avoid losing seed to shattering. Bagging is also an isolation method.  With the final method, the entire plant can be pulled up, hung upside down to dry for about a week and then the seeds are harvested.


Lenox lettuce with it's beautiful oak leaf burgundy leaves developing a flower stalk.

Seed Care and Storage

Lettuce seeds are dormant when you harvest them.  After a couple of months they can be planted.  Lettuce seed is sensitive to temperature at all stages of handling.  If the seed is exposed to temperatures above 77F, whether in storage or in the ground, a second dormancy will be induced.  Cold is needed to break this dormancy. (The Complete Guide to Seed Saving) 

This temperature induced dormancy, mimics nature's seasons and protects the seed from germinating immediately after harvest only to experience winter kill.  It allows the seed to be dormant through winter or a cold season and then germinate in the spring. 

Light is also necessary for germinating lettuce seed.   The seeds are usually pressed into the soil surface or only lightly covered with soil.  

The pvc pipes and row cover were used in early spring to protect the lettuce seedlings to allow early transplanting and then as the weather warmed us I used it as a shade in late afternoon.

Storing Seeds

Store the seeds in paper envelopes in a cool, dry, dark room.  Lettuce seed stores up to 6 years.


Recommended Heirloom & OP Lettuce

So now I get to share with you some of my favorite lettuce cultivars.  Some are heirloom with fun histories but all are open pollinated so I can save seed.  Every year I plant a growing list of favorites and try a few new intriguing cultivars. 

Rossimo a loose leaf frilly lettuce

Lunix a red burgundy oak leaf that can be harvested with the cut and come again method or simply harvest the outer leaves.


Grandpa's Admiral a butterhead with a fun history.
In 1977, 90 year old Chloe Lowry gave this family heirloom to Seed Savers Exchange.  It is named after her grandfather, George Admire, who was a Civil War veteran. (Seed Saver's Exchange)

Mascara gorgeous curly frilled oak leaf shaped leaves! Beautiful
maroon leaves.



Merlot my personal favorite.  A beautiful loose leaf lettuce easy to grow, slow to bolt, and high anti-oxidant levels.





Bunte Forellenschluss which can be either a romaine or butterhead type.  "Bunte" means colorful in Germon.  The leaves are splashed with maroon. (Seed Savers Exchange) 

A French heirloom describe in Vilmorin's The Vegetable Garden 1885. (Seed Savers Exchange)  Merveille Des Quatre Saisons is a French heirloom butterhead.





Rouge D'Hiver a Romaine French heirloom that 
dates back to 1885


Red Iceberg which is the only crisped lettuce I grow.  Slow to bolt so it does well for me.



My favorite green loose leaf lettuce is Tango real deeply cut tight dense heads.  



Other favorites:

Romaine:  Little Gem, Parris Island Cos, Cimmaron

Butterhead:  Sanguine Ameliore a rare French  Butterhead introduced in 1906

Loose Leaf:  Rossa di Trento and Italian heirloom from Milan