Garden Tip: Time to harvest medicinal herbs
by Leslie Cox; Monday; August 3, 2020
This is a good day to harvest medicinal plants and herbs during the August Full Moon.
I have oregano, thyme, marjoram, lemon balm and sage to harvest.
Garden Tip: Over-watering vs. Under-watering
by Leslie Cox; Monday; July 27, 2020
Over-watering your pots and garden is worse than under-watering them. It is much easier to revive a dry plant than it is to dry out drowned roots. Unless, of course, you have ignored your watering chore for too long.
Bean ‘Dragon Tongue’
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Phaseolus vulgaris Family: Fabaceae |
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Days to Maturity: From seed 55 – 65 days
Description: Romano, or wax bush type bean with 6 – 8 inch (15 – 20 cm) long cream-coloured pods streaked with purple. There are 4 – 6 light brown with dark mottling seeds in each stringless pod. High yielding with excellent flavour. Pick young to eat as snap beans or allow to mature for shelling beans.
Special Notes: An open-pollinated Dutch heritage bean dating back to the 18th century. Having been cultivated throughout much of North, Central and South America, these beans have adapted to a wide range of heat and humidity levels.
Sow seeds for successive crops every 3 weeks until the end of July. Harvest between 55 – 65 days. Leave beans on plants to mature if you are growing for dried beans. The more often you harvest, the bigger your yield will be.
Special Growing Notes: Beans prefer a soil pH of 6.0 – 6.5. Work some Dolomite lime into acidic soils about two weeks before seeding. Adding peat to alkaline soils will lower the pH. Working some Complete Organic Fertilizer into the row before seeding is a good soil amendment. It contains the necessary nutrients and some lime to adjust the soil pH. Find the recipe here. Too much nitrogen in the fertilizer can impede pod set and delay maturity.
How to Use: The smaller the beans, the more tender so pick often for eating raw or steamed. If growing for drying, leave pods until they are turning a creamy-yellow colour and pods are rigid. Allow pods to dry completely before shelling. Dry beans for another two weeks in a dry, airy room.
Pests & Diseases: Wet conditions can be detrimental to bean plants. Be sure to have good air circulation between bean plants to deter powdery mildew. Never harvest bean pods when leaves are wet. Variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia) and beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) are two pests which enjoy devouring the newly emerging first leaves and leave just the stem as evidence there was once a plant coming up. Pillbugs (Armadillidium vulgare), thrips and spider mites can also be slightly problematic.
In our Zone 7a garden: I first trialed this bean variety for my Growing Sprouts School Garden program in 2012. The name of the bean and unusual colouring were such a hit with the students, they enjoyed eating their home-grown beans come harvest time. Lots of comments on how good they were. (Honestly, there were few kids who said they did not want to eat any.) The worst problem we have growing any bean variety are the cutworms. Typically, I have to re-seed at least a dozen because the first plants have had their first leaves nipped off.
Posted on July 23, 2020 |
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Garden Tip: When not to fertilize shrubs and trees
by Leslie Cox; Monday; July 20, 2020
Stop fertilizing your shrubs and trees mid-July. Encouraging new growth through the rest of the season means they will not have time to harden adequately to avoid winter damage.
Harpaphe haydeniana (cyanide millipede)
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Harpaphe haydeniana Family: Xystodesmidae
Common name: cyanide millipede; almond-scented millipede; yellow-spotted millipede Food: leaf litter; conifer needles Adult size: 1.5 – 2 in (4-5 cm) long Type: Beneficial |
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Life cycle:
Description & Life Cycle: Adult cyanide millipedes are quite distinct with their black colouring and bright yellow patches along both sides. The body consists of about 20 segments with males having 30 pairs of legs and females having 31 pairs. Millipedes are oviparous (egg-laying) and mating begins in spring. Cyanide millipede females will lay anywhere from 30 to 300 eggs in a season, typically underneath a rotten tree or log. The young hatch into an immobile dupoid in three weeks or more. The dupoid then molts into a pale-coloured instar stage. Each subsequent instar molt produces another segment which is slightly darker until it reaches maturity and is fully black with its yellow patches on the side. Adults live for 2 to 3 years.
Special Notes: Harpaphe haydeniana is native to the Pacific Northwest from southeast Alaska to California and west as far as the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The adult millipedes play an important part in maintaining the health of the forest ecosystem by breaking down the leaf litter and releasing nutrients for other organisms through their digestive system. The immature millipedes feed on humus. This millipede has few predators due to its ability to exude hydrogen cyanide through its exoskeleton. This secretion is relatively harmless to humans, although it may cause some skin irritation so be forewarned. If possible, wash affected area immediately with soap and water. A more extreme reaction will occur if any secretion should get into the eyes. Seek medical aid if this occurs. Small-sized pets…cats and dogs…may exhibit stronger reactions to the hydrogen cyanide if it should get into their eyes. Rinse with water immediately, if possible, and seek veterinary aid.
Remedial Actions: This insect is highly beneficial to the health of the forest ecosystem so no remedial action is needed. In fact, they should be respected and left to do the work they are meant to do. Unfortunately, in just one week, we have seen two Harpaphe haydeniana which had been stepped on and killed in our local forest.
Posted on July 15, 2020 |
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