Archive for April, 2006

Growing Fig Trees

Wednesday, April 26th, 2006


Growing Fig Trees

Fig trees are believed to be native to western Asia but they can also be found in abundance throughout Mediterranean countries where they can receive plenty of sun. The fig tree is also quite popular in Europe and in North America but they can be grown in virtually all parts of the world (although they do best where winters are mild). The fruit they produce comes in a variety of textures, colors, and tastes, all of which are delicious. Fresh figs are much tastier than the dried figs often sold in the market and the type of fig with which people are familiar. An added bonus with figs is that they are not only tasty, but are also quite healthful as they provide a great deal of fiber as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Fig trees are deciduous trees with wide, broad leafs and, in addition to producing a tasty fruit, make excellent shade trees when allowed to grow to their full capacity. When planting a fig tree, you must select a site that will give the tree full sunlight all day long. If sunlight is insufficient, the figs will not ripen properly. The site selected must have adequate space for the large root system that fig trees require.

Fruit trees, like any tree, require adequate water. Young fruit trees need to be watered frequently until they are fully established. Once well established, the tree need only be watered once every one or two weeks. Transplanted trees also require frequent watering until fully established in their new location. You will be able to tell if you are not watering your tree enough if the leaves start to turn yellow and fall. Under watered trees will also not produce fruit.

Fig trees do not require a great deal of pruning beyond the early years. The main rules to remember about pruning a fruit tree are to avoid heavy winter pruning and to prune the tree right after the main crop has been harvested.

Similar to pruning requirements, fig trees also do not require a great deal of fertilizing. Generally speaking, your fig tree needs to be fertilized if its branches grew less than a foot the previous year.

Keeping pests and disease at bay is a bit more problematic. Deer are not particularly attracted to figs, but gophers are. A simple, yet effective way of keeping gophers away is to plant the tree in an aviary wire basket. Birds are also problematic and can do a great deal of damage. They are particularly difficult to keep away. Harmful insects include nematodes, which attack the trees roots and stunt the tree, and dried fruit beetles. The beetles enter the ripening fruit through its eye and damage the try by introducing fungi and causing rot. They best way to protect your tree against these insects is by keeping your orchard clean and by planting your tree away from citrus fruits since the bugs tend to be attracted to and breed in fallen citrus fruits.

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Collecting and Storing the Harvest

Wednesday, April 26th, 2006


Collecting and Storing the Harvest

Gardeners tend to be growers. It sounds like a silly statement, but if you know any die-hard gardeners, you know what that means. They are the ones who drop off three-dozen cucumbers because they had “some” extra. Gardeners do not know how to stop from growing things, they just do as much as they can and see what comes out on the other side. So after they bring in a harvest that could feed the pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving, the Donner Party, and the Brady Bunch, what are you supposed to do with all that food? Storing vegetables for the winter is surprisingly easier than most people believe.

People harvested vegetables long before the invention of the refrigerator and other modern preservation methods. If you travel to any pre-technology era you will find that many cultures had root cellars – these were the places to store vegetables after the harvest so that families would be able to eat for the next year. Many modern people believe that vegetables need to have special treatment to keep them good. This root cellar was the perfect environment to store many vegetables until the next harvest was available.

Storing vegetables actually start with the harvest. Part of storing your harvest is knowing the right time to pluck the vegetables from the vine. Some vegetables don’t have a preference, while others are particularly persnickety about when they are harvested. If you don’t know when a good harvest time is, then ask. There’s a wealth of information online that you could use to determine the right harvest time. There are web sites and user groups – groups of people who share a common interest and usually help each other with questions and problems others may have. There are also countless books available that help gardeners. And if all else fails, you can ask for help. Many greenhouses have people who have grown things all their lives working there and could answer many of your problems in their sleep. Don’t be afraid to ask – everyone has to learn sometime, and few people understand that like the nurturing personality of a grower.

Once you have collected your harvest (at the proper time) and your kitchen, living room, and bathroom are filled with bags and boxes of vegetables, it’s time to store them. In some cases, vegetables can just be left in boxes for the winter. Basements and attics are great places for this if they are dark and cool (between 35-45 degrees Fahrenheit). Don’t store them directly on the floor – too much moisture gathers and rots them. Speaking of rot – if there is any sign of bruising or decay on a vegetable, throw it away. The rotting spreads quickly and can easily wipe out an entire harvest.

There are other methods of preservation such as canning and dehydrating. However, why deal with the complicated with the simple works well? With no electricity or other modern conveniences, gardeners can enjoy their harvest year-round.

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Gardening Your Personality The Traveling Brown

Tuesday, April 25th, 2006


Gardening Your Personality: The Traveling Brown

Anyone who has tried to keep a garden alive in the midst of a drought learns to detest the color brown. People don’t want their plants to be brown – it’s the sign of an unhealthy plant, one that is dying. Can brown be good though? Obviously if a plant is meant to have another color, then brown is bad. What if that plant was designed to be brown? Can brown actually have a healthy look in a garden?

Why does the color of a garden even matter? Non-gardening types may wonder why gardeners put so much effort into picking out what colors, patterns, heights and a myriad of other factors are used in a garden. But a gardener knows that her garden is an extension of herself. When a gardener plants a flower, that flower represents something – whether in color or in style. The gardener may plant yellow for her happy days and red for the romantic ones. Brown is a transitional color – the color of fall. It’s a backdrop and an accent that can give a solid accent to a brilliant landscape.

The color of emotion is not such a strange concept. For years, psychologists have studied the effects of colors on the human psyche. Blue is a color of tranquility. That’s why many doctor’s offices have it on their walls – to calm nervous patients. Green is a color of growth. A nurturing personality will often times wear green, whether consciously or subconsciously. Colors both reflect our current emotions and elicit certain emotions from us. In this case, browns are the transition stage.

Many people focus on the brightly colored flowers – the reds, yellows, and oranges, but they overlook what a simple brown accent can do for the garden. The next time you go to the greenhouse to pick out flowers for your garden, take a moment and look at the brown plants. There are plenty of ornamental grasses that come in brown. By providing a different color and texture, you bring a living quality to your garden.

There are also several plants that have various shades of brown in them. These work great as a transitional color or on the fringes of the garden. There are varieties of pansies, columbines, and others that have this brownish color. When used properly, they don’t reflect the end of the season as much as they do a transition. Brown can be a beautiful addition to the garden, helping the entire landscape seem to jump to life.

Gardeners put massive amounts of time, effort, and money into their gardens. Just as the color and style of a house reflects the owner, so does a garden. By mixing brown in with a variety of other colors, the gardener shows himself to have depth of character. The use of brown in a garden can bring it to life and make it real – helping to accent the beauty of the other flowers. Don’t be afraid of the transitional brown. It’s all a part of the growth process.

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