Tomato ‘Vilma’
Lettuce ‘Drunken Woman’
Asparagus ‘Mary Washington’
Asparagus officinalis ‘Mary Washington’ (ah-SPAR-ah-gus off-fi-si-NAY-lis) Family: Liliaceae Common name: Asparagus ‘Mary Washington’ Zone: 3 – 8 Type: perennial Height: 3-5 ft (90-150 cm) Spread: 30 in (75 cm) Aspect: full sun; partial shade Soil: alkaline; free-draining; humus-rich Water: regular |
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Description: A vigorous-growing, open-pollinated perennial with feathery blue-green foliage. The edible stems…typically called spears…are emerald-green in colour and tipped with purple buds. The delicate flavour of the spears holds well at peak quality over a longer than typical cutting period.
Special Notes: Native to the Mediterranean region, asparagus, which was once used medicinally by the Greeks, became very popular with the Romans as a highly nutritious vegetable, and they spread it throughout Europe as they expanded their Empire. When the Roman Empire tumbled, so did asparagus. It was not to be resurrected until the Renaissance when it was again deemed “an elegant vegetable” worthy of gracing the tables of the wealthy. Early pioneers brought asparagus crowns with them to America where it established easily…and also escaped garden boundaries to become wild specimens. The Department of Agriculture in Concord, MA undertook to breed an asparagus which would be more resistant to rust and fusarium wilt…two diseases which plague this vegetable. From these efforts, three varieties emerged: ‘Mary Washington’, ‘Martha Washington’, and ‘Washington’. Introduced in 1906, ‘Mary Washington’ received enthusiastic reviews from gardeners for having more vigorous growth, higher yields, and better rust resistance while imparting wonderful flavour and great texture. ‘Mary Washington’ has both male and female plants in its gene pool…although some references state this variety only contains female plants. These same references also claim male plants are more productive than female plants…even though all reports tout ‘Mary Washington’ as a vigorous grower.
In our Zone 7a garden: This vegetable is not in our garden just yet. We only decided this year to add asparagus to our list of things to grow and I opted to try growing this heirloom variety from seed. At the moment, I have four seedlings up in nine days, after soaking the seeds for two days, as recommended. I will likely follow the advice from one grower of potting up the young seedlings and growing them on for a year before transplanting them into their permanent bed. I will keep you posted.
Posted on March 10, 2017 |
Lettuce ‘Merlot’
Lactuca sativa ‘Merlot’ Family: Asteraceae (lak-TOO-kah saw-TEE-vah) Type: loose-leaf Common name: ‘Merlot’ lettuce; ‘Galactic’ lettuce |
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Description: An open-pollinated, annual, loose-leaf type. Strikingly deep, shiny burgundy-red, wavy-edged leaves are held open and slightly upright on the main stem. Deep red colour means the leaves are rich in anthocyanins, making this a very healthy food choice.
Fast growing. Relatively slow to bolt but will do better if planted in partial shade through the high heat period in summer. Tolerates light frosts. Crisp texture and sweet flavour with regular watering. Good for growing in containers. Excellent, edible addition in your regular landscape design.
Special Notes: From the Netherlands. Enza Zaden, a Dutch seed company developed ‘Galactic’ in the 1980s but decided its dark leaf colour would impact on its success as a commercial variety. Shepherd Ogden, founder of Cook’s Garden Seeds, spotted it, re-named it ‘Merlot’ and made it available for the North American market. It is still known, and sold as, ‘Galactic’ in Europe. Good resistance to powdery mildew. Slugs, snails, deer, and rabbits can be problematic.
How to Grow: Start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before your last frost date. Sow outdoors two to four weeks before your average last frost date. Succession sow a few seeds every three weeks until about four weeks before your first frost date in autumn for a continuous supply of fresh leaves all season long. Sow seeds ¼ – ½ inch (0.6-1.2 cm) deep and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Lightly cover with soil. Space rows 18 inches (45 cm) apart. Germination is usually in 7-10 days. When seedlings are about 1½ – 2 inches (4-5 cm) tall, thin plants to 10 – 12 inches (25-30 cm) apart. Water regularly to prevent bitterness. Harvest baby leaves in about 30 days. Remove full-sized leaves from the outside for continuous harvesting or harvest the whole plant. You can also cut the whole plant about 2 inches (5 cm) above the soil when it is 6 – 8 inches (15-20 cm) across. More leaves will be produced on the stem left in the ground.
In our Zone 7a garden: We have grown this lettuce variety for the last two years and been very pleased with the production and taste. As with all lettuce varieties, though, ‘Merlot’ will get bitter-tasting if it does not receive regular water. Very pretty in the salad bowl when mixed with other lettuces and a bit of kale.
Posted on August 7, 2016
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Kale ‘Red Russian’