Time to talk of other things ...

Garden Weeds - half a dozen good and six pesky ones Technically, the term weed is used to describe any plant that is unwanted and grows or spreads aggressively among cultivated plants, depriving them of space, sun, water, nutrients, etc.  Let's take a closer look at the following 12 weeds most commonly found at the Willowgate Community Garden in Mountain View, California, all of which propagate easily - either by self-seeding or sending runners. Half a dozen beneficial weeds  1. Purslane ( Portulaca oleracea ) is a fast-growing ground-hugging annual plant whose seeds spread with the wind. The succulent leaves have a slightly tart or sour and salty taste and are used in many cuisines around the world, especially in salads, soups, stews, and tomato sauces. 2. Italian parsley ( Petroselinum sativum ), also known as flat-leaf parsley, is a very hardy leafy green biennial herb with serrated leaves and a fresh, slightly peppery taste. It's often used as a garnish, but it can also...

 Solving the puzzle of the 700-year-old Anasazi Cave beans The Legend of the Anasazi Cave Beans You've probably heard some version of the mysterious 700-year-old beans found in some unnamed Anasazi (the Ancestral Puebloan) cave presumably in the Lowry Ruins of Southwestern Colorado, a flat land with rich soil, with cave dwellings carved in places with deep sandstone canyons.  If the legend is to be believed then the speckled beans, deep maroon with white flecks discovered deep in a cave, carefully preserved in earthen vessels in the early 1980s, surprisingly germinated. Today more than one seed company sells the beans,  Fabaceae Phaseolus vulgaris , as Heirloom Aztec Cave Bean, New Mexico appaloosa, Jacob’s Cattle or New Mexico Cave Bean. The Anasazi Caves Anasazi is the Navajo word for “the ancient ones” or "enemy ancestors" The Anasazi (the Ancestral Puebloan) once inhabited vast swathes of land compassing almost 10,000 square miles (26,000 square km), t...

 All you wanted to know about Sundials but didn't know whom to ask The Willowgate Sundial, following a time-tested tradition, aims to be more than a garden ornament or a cutesy timepiece. Offering a localised reference for planting schedules, we hope it becomes a working part of the Community Garden, guiding the annual activities of our gardeners. Planting guide using the Willowgate Sundial For starters, you will need to know which half of the year we are currently in. From January through June, the  first half of the year, look for the information on the left half of the sundial . It follows that from July through December, the  second half of the year, look for the information on the right half of the sundial . You can see what colored bands exist in the current month for potential planting candidates. As an example in March, the sundial shows you can plant Cilantro, Potatoes, Chard, Mustard, Broccoli, Peas, Lettuce, Cauliflower, Bok choy and Kale.  This informatio...

 How to Grow and Care for Artichokes Artichoke plants ( Cynara scolymus ) are herbaceous prickly perennials that are members of the Asteraceae family, including thistles (their blooms are remarkably similar), dandelions, and sunflowers. Artichokes need full sun (at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day) and are best grown in sandy well-drained fertile soil for their edible flower buds that appear in the early summer of year two, which must be harvested when they are 3 inches in diameter before the flowers open. Tender artichokes are preferable. Artichoke plants will go dormant in hot weather.  When temperatures cool off in late summer and fall, the plants will start growing again and you may get a second harvest. Artichoke flowers open into striking large, dome-shaped purple thistles that are lovely, pollinator-friendly and strikingly fragrant if allowed to blossom on the plant. Care and feeding Artichokes are heavy feeders, so add compost or aged manure into the plantin...

 NPK Fertilizer Use in Layman Terms N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphorus), and K (Potassium) are the three elements (by weight) that make up the vital tripod of plant development. Each of them acts specifically in the plant: • Nitrogen N : promotes healthy foliage by helping in the development of shoots and leaves. Without it, the old leaves usually become yellowish, and the plant loses the green tone characteristic of chlorophyll. Sources of nitrogen include fish or crab meal, cottonseed meal, feather meal, soybean meal, blood meal, ammonium/urea and manures such as bat guano, as well as many cover crops. • Phosphorus P : supports strong root development and is responsible for stimulating the plant’s fruiting and flowering. The phosphorus-deficient vegetable has a weakened growth with an abnormal dark green colour.  Sources of phosphorus include  Fish meal, bat/seabird guano, bone meal, alfalfa meal and phosphates. • Potassium K : helps regulate water and nutrient mov...

 Spring blossoms at Willowgate Community Garden We've had some pretty wet weather this spring and there has been a lot of talk about the weeds in Willowgate Community Garden, but today I want to take you on a visual tour of some of the spring blossoms.  And while we are about it, I'll share some tips to grow Irises, Roses and Blackberries and beneficial flowering plants ... so without further ado, let's get started. Bearded Iris California Gold Poshy Purple Bearded Iris Best grown in full sun, Bearded Irises ( Iris germanica, so sometimes called German Irises) grow from shallow, fleshy roots called rhizomes . Their distinctive flowers have three upright petals called " standards " and three cascading petals called " falls ". Running down the centre of each fall near the base is a “ beard ” that resembles a furry caterpillar.  The leaves of the bearded iris are flattened and sword-like, and the plants grow to varying heights. Dwarf varieties may stand j...