[Sca-cooks] Re: SC - Creating a period garden

[Chris Stanifer]

--- LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
> << I planted mine in mid-March, and  am being
> overwhelmed with beautiful
> greens, but no  turnips. >>
>
> There could be a couple of reasons for this. 1) They
> need 55 plus days to
> p[roduce bottoms which sounds about right for yours
> which are just starting
> to bulb.

After checking my garden this morning, I have noticed
a few more bulbs beginning to form.  Patience, I
suppose, is the order of the day...

> or 2) A An over abundance of nitrogen will
> produce lots of tops and
> small bottoms. Rootcrops need lots of potash but
> little nitrogen.

Now that you mention it, I did plant these turnips in
the same bed as the previous owner had planted beans
(I know because I have a bush bean plant growing right
in the middle of my turnips, which I didn't plant
there, and it is really too far away from my other
beans to have been scattered there).  If the previous
owner used an innoculant, then that bed may be rich
with nitrogen.

> I use
> compost and wood ashes mixed in the soil for my root
> crops with a side
> dressing of rotted cow manure when they reach 6"
> tall.
>

Do you use this for all root crops, including carrots
and parsnips?  And, do you purchase your wood ash, or
use hearth ashes?  My local garden centers don't seem
to carry wood ash.  Do you know if it is the same as
potash?


> <<I'm pretty sure my Yard-Long Beans will produce
> before my Turnips do at
> this rate...>>
>
> Since yard longs have a more lengthy growing season,
> I would be amazed to see
> this happen but then again you never know what
> surprises Mother will throw at
> you in the garden in any  given year. :-)

(regarding sesame seed sources)

> I bought the seed at Jefferson's Montecello in
> Virginia. Untoasted FRESH
> seed from the store should work unlkess its been
> irradiated and killed. It
> wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Poppy seeds
> purchased at the supermarket for
> baking have germinated for me.

Really!  That's great.  I had always been curious, but
never had the whats-it to try planting various grocery
store "spices" (fennel seed, cumin seed, poppy seed,
etc..)  This may be a new avenue for getting those
"exotic" garden plants you can't find in the seed
catalogs.  Thanks for the tip.

>
> I haven't tried cubebs or grains or long pepper. I
> will now though. :-)
> Nigella is easy though since it is sold now a days
> as the 'ornamental' plant
> 'Love-in-a-Mist'. :-)
>
> Ras

Thanks, Ras.  Now, off to the store to pick up some
sesame seeds...and when my cubebs and long pepper get
here, I'll have to sacrifice a few to the Garden to
see if they grow.

Balthazar of Blackmoor

=====
"The half full glass and the half empty glass both contain the same amount of liquid...the half empty glass, however, has a fly in it."

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