Powdery Mildew
Powdery Mildew is caused by a fungus and, unlike many funguses; it can proliferate in hot dry conditions. It is recognizable by a white powdery growth of spores on leaf surface, followed by yellowing and dying of leaves. We have had a warm, dry spring thus far which means you may start to see little dusty grey spots show up on leaves in your garden. These dusty spots are a disease called Powdery Mildew. This disease is caused by a fungus and, unlike many funguses; it tends to proliferate in hot dry conditions. It is recognizable by a white powdery growth of spores on...
Read MorePlanting Beans
Beans, one of the oldest domesticated crops, are a fantastically versatile, easy to grow, and can be highly productive in small spaces. Some beans are eaten fresh in their shell (your everyday snap bean), and some are removed from their shells and dried for long-term storage (shelling beans). Despite the difference in how we eat them, most beans are closely related and have similar growth habits. In our Seattle gardens, we tend to only plant the snap bean type because the shelling beans usually require a longer growing season. Everyday snap beans can be green, yellow, red, purple, and...
Read MoreRhubarb Picnic Cake
Cake 1 1/4 pound (565 grams) rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch lengths on the diagonal 1 1/3 cup (265 grams) granulated sugar, divided 1 tablespoon lemon juice (psst, skip ahead and zest it for the cake before you cut it) 1/3 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, softened 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 2 large eggs 1 1/3 cups (165 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon table salt 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/3 cup (80 grams) Kiefer (sour cream will work too) Crumb 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose...
Read MorePlanting and Harvesting Asparagus
Asparagus, a perennial, is a member of the family Asparagaceae and is one of the most popular perennial vegetables we plant in our client’s gardens. If a garden has space, we always suggest planting a few asparagus crowns. They grow well in our Pacific Northwest climate and asparagus cut fresh from the garden is a delicious, seasonal treat. The fresh spears, harvested late in the spring, have a unique sweetness that is similar to peas. Plant: Asparagus can be planted from seed, but we highly recommend that you plant your asparagus from roots or crowns because planting from crowns...
Read MorePlanting Onions
Onions, part of the Allium family, are a long-season crop, taking up to 8 months to mature from seed. We started our onion transplants two months ago, and they wont be ready to harvest until late-July or August. If you haven’t already started onions from seed we highly recommended that you buy transplants from your local nursery. Whether you start your own from seed or you are buying transplants, it is likely that one pot of transplants will contain a bunch of onion plants. When planting, break up the soil and gently separate the plants. Each of these skinny starts can be planted and if...
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