It’s been months since I’ve written in Seasonal Wisdom! My apologies and I’m about to remedy this situation. But one main reason is that I’ve been working on a full-time contract with the University of California’s Office of President to write about food and agriculture for its blog UCFoodObserver.com.

Why in the world should you care? Well, I’ve learned quite a bit that I wanted to share, including edible gardening tips.  If you like food – and who doesn’t, really? – check out these delicious stories. Photo: Martijn de Valk.

But, first, a bit about UC Food Observer

The UC Food Observer is your daily serving of must-read news from the world of food. It includes interviews and analysis of influential agricultural and food people and trends. And it supports the University of California Global Food Initiative, which addresses one of the critical issues of our time: how to sustainably and nutritiously feed a world population expected to reach eight billion by 2025.

I’m the assistant editor and work closely with Rose Hayden-Smith, who is renowned for her knowledge of sustainable agriculture and food history. You may remember these stories about her wartime garden research here and here. Rose is wonderfully talented, inspiring and knowledgeable. It’s been a delight, and I’ve learned a lot from her.

Seven Yummy Stories

Here are seven stories you might enjoy in no particular order:

Photo: Seed Savers Exchange

1) Genetic Diversity is Key … And You Can Help

Learn how important open-pollinated heirloom seeds are towards saving heritage foods. See how many once-beloved foods are disappearing, and why gardeners can play an important role in protecting and increasing this genetic diversity.

“Participatory conservation is very important to our work. It’s not enough for us to have a seed bank and keep these seeds in a Fort Knox-like setting. We want these seeds to grow and be maintained in different gardens around the country and world.” John Torgrimson, Executive Director, Seed Savers Exchange

Read the story.

Photo: Kathy Keatley Garvey

2) Pollinators are Beautiful

On most days, you’ll find Kathy Keatley Garvey outside finding, photographing and documenting insects, especially pollinators. This Communications Specialist for UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology has received international recognition for her photos.

“I see the world through a viewfinder. The work that I do is about the diversity of pollinators, their importance in our food supply and ecosystem, the beauty and the awe, and how we can protect them. Bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of the food we eat. They are crucial to our ecosystem.” Kathy Keatley Garvey

Read the story.

Photo: Wormfarm Institute

3) Agri + Culture = A Good Idea

Nestled among the rolling hills of the unglaciated region of south central Wisconsin you’ll find the Wormfarm Institute, a 40-acre organic vegetable farm and creative hub that is winning applause for reconnecting the link between “agri-culture.”

“For thousands of years, farmers in cultures around the world interwove dance, music and art through rituals of planting and the harvest in celebration of the land and those who care for it.” Donna Neuwirth, co-founder of Wormfarm Institute

Read the story.

4) Cattle Ranching has Ecological Benefits

Did you know livestock is California’s number-one land use? I certainly didn’t, and I’m not alone.

This complex connection of California ranching to food production is a mystery for many, according to Sheila Barry, Livestock Advisor and Director of Santa Clara County for University of California Cooperative Extension. She tells me:

“Working ranches occupy roughly 40 million acres in California. Whether these working ranches are public land or privately owned, many ranchers represent the fourth or fifth generations stewarding the land and their livestock.”

Read the story.

Photo: DotPolka

5) Mexican Food Deserves Another Look

Who told you Mexican food was unhealthy? It simply isn’t true, according to two professors in the San Francisco Bay Area, who co-authored “Decolonize Your Diet.”

Their research shows traditional, indigenous food from Mexico (available before the Spanish colonists arrived) is misunderstood and is actually among the world’s healthiest foods. Luz Calvo, Professor of Ethnic Studies at Cal State East Bay told me:

“The Latino/a Immigrant Paradox led us to look carefully at the health knowledge and practices that immigrants bring with them – especially knowledge about food, recipes, remedios (home remedies), and so forth.

The Latino/a Immigrant Paradox is powerful, because it shows that one does not need to be rich to have good health. But one does need to be connected to ancestral knowledge and culture.”

Read the story. and don’t miss the recipe!

6) Food Sovereignty with Native Americans

In Northwestern Washington, between Seattle and Tacoma, lives the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. This Indian tribe is composed of descendants of the Duwamish and Upper Puyallup people who inhabited Central Puget Sound for thousands of years before non-Indian settlement.

To learn more about the Muckleshoot people and food sovereignty with Native Americans, I spoke with Valerie Segrest. She is a Native nutrition educator who specializes in local and traditional foods. She serves her community as coordinator of the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project and also works as Traditional Foods and Medicines Program Manager. She also is a storyteller and told me:

“Stories not only provide the knowledge we need to thrive in the world, but also solutions to the complex and major challenges we face in this modern world. There is cultural storytelling, and also just people stories; the stories people carry around on food traditions and how food has improved and changed their lives in positive or negative ways.”

Read the story.

Photo: The Millet Project

7) You Should Try Sorghum and Millets

Sorghum and millets are two ancient grains that have a bright future. For instance, sorghum is gluten free grain with high fiber and healthy nutrients. Millets also deserve a moment of your time.

Millets are a diverse family of grains. They are gluten-free and often contain lower carbohydrate content than rice, corn or wheat, as well as higher levels of protein, fiber and minerals, such calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and iron.

In these articles, you’ll find information on both types of grains, as well as recipe ideas and nutritional information.

Take a second for sorghum.

Millets are worth a minute.

Stay tuned for more gardening stories in upcoming weeks! Just in time for another gardening season. What are you looking forward to growing this year?

However you slice them, watermelons are delicious and nutritious fruit to feature in your kitchen and garden. Best of all, this fruit can be easy to grow if you pay attention to a few gardening guidelines. Shown above are two ‘Black Diamond’ watermelons almost ready to harvest at my home.

Learn some of my favorite tips for growing and harvesting watermelons.

My watermelon garden did great this year, and I’m excited about the results. Typically, coastal California isn’t the best place to grow watermelons, but here are some reasons why these warm-season fruits grew so well:

Hot Weather

• We usually have cool summers with foggy mornings at the beach. But this year has been hot and humid, often reaching temperatures of 80s and 90s. That’s the kind of weather that watermelons love. (Those of us without air conditioners are a little less thrilled.)
• Plant your watermelons after the last frost date, when soil temperatures reach at least 70 degrees F. Even a light freeze can kill a watermelon plant.  Watermelons need full sun, or at least six hours of sunlight daily.
• Have a short and cold growing season? Most watermelons require anywhere from 80 to 95 days to ripen, sometimes longer, depending on the variety. Start your seeds indoors about a month before the last frost date, and then transplant outdoors when warm enough. Or, buy established plants and use black plastic mulch that will warm up the soil more quickly. Also, try growing in raised beds for better drainage and warmer soil.

Healthy Soil

• I had just built this garden bed, and had tilled in lots of compost into the top five inches of the soil. This amended soil had excellent drainage, which made these watermelons thrive.
• Plant your watermelons in soil that has been well-amended with compost or well-aged manure.
• Add organic, well-balanced fertilizer, and follow the directions carefully.

Lots of Room

• Watermelons need plenty of room to ramble, and it’s not uncommon for plants to grow vines that are 20 feet long. Above is a photo of one ‘Black Diamond’ watermelon plant that took over this side of my garden. Consider yourself warned!

Watering Watermelons

• Keep soil moist when the plants are starting off, and until the watermelons start forming about the size of a tennis ball. Experts then recommend you water only when the soil is dry, and especially cut back on your watering right before harvest. This concentrates the sugars in the fruit.
• Water at the roots, and avoid wetting the foliage to mitigate fungal diseases. We’re in a drought here, so I’ve used water from my two rain barrels. I’ve also saved water in the shower, while the water was heating up. ‘Black Diamond’ is said to be a rather drought tolerant variety too.

Harvesting Watermelons

Watermelons can be a little tricky to determine when they are ripe. Picking them at the right time is important, because watermelons stop ripening once they are picked.

Here are some tips for knowing when to harvest watermelons:

• Keep track of the time your variety takes to ripen. This information is often on the seed package or plant label. Mark it on your calendar when you plant, so you have a good idea when to look.
• Rap on the watermelon and listen for a low-pitched, hollow sound.
• Watch for the rind to change from a bright slick look to a more dulled appearance.
• See if the bottom spot on the ground turned from white to a rich yellow.
• Stick a thumbnail into the watermelon. The skin should be tough enough that your nail doesn’t cut through it.
• Watch for the closet tendril to the melon stem to turn brown. A grower at my farmers’ market shared this tip.

Don’t forget to leave an inch of stem when cutting your watermelon to prevent rotting if it sits awhile.

Watermelons should keep two or three weeks unrefrigerated. Keeping them in a cool place, however, will help them hold better. Always refrigerate any cut pieces of melon.

Watermelons are Nutritious

These sweet fruits might be 92 percent water, but watermelons still have vitamins A, B6, C and thiamine, not to mention traces of other nutrients. Watermelons are especially high in the antioxidant called lycopene, which is believed to help prevent certain cancers and heart disease.

Try your watermelons straight with a little salt. Or, blend and freeze melons for delicious popsicles. My favorite way to eat watermelons is in a salad with chopped red onions, feta cheese, mint leaves and vinaigrette. It’s especially delightful on a hot summer day.

Watermelon Varieties

Below are just two of the many different watermelons available to grow:

‘Sugar Baby’ Watermelon (6 to 10 pounds) is small enough to fit in your hand, and is convenient for your ice box. This one ripens in around 78 days.

‘Black Diamond’ Watermelon (35 to 50 pounds, even larger) will need about 90+ days to ripen.

The 1956 Henry Field’s Seed Co. seed catalog said about this watermelon, “The big, round, dark green one you find in all markets. Flesh crisp, very flavorful and sweet.”

Today, these heirlooms are more difficult to find in the market, so try growing your own.

Heirloom Seeds

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Seed Savers Exchange

Have you been successful with watermelons? Which ones are your favorites to grow?

Whether it’s the edible unopened buds or the purple choke flowers, there’s a lot to love about growing artichokes at home. The plants also give an interesting vertical structure to your vegetable garden. In this post, Seasonal Wisdom celebrates artichokes! Learn more about planting this pretty perennial in your garden this season.

Native to the Mediterranean, artichokes were among the earliest cultivated vegetables.

In the early days of the United States, artichokes were a popular food among the gentleman farmers. According to Mount Vernon, artichokes were one of George Washington’s favorite vegetables. Here, artichokes can be seen growing at the former president’s kitchen garden at Mount Vernon a few summers ago, along with kale and lettuces. Thomas Jefferson also grew artichokes at Monticello, a few hours south.

Perennial or Annual?

Coastal California is a rather idyllic place to grow artichokes, where they grow as perennials. Artichokes thrive in this region’s mild winters and cool, foggy summers. In my Southern California garden, my one-year-old artichoke plant (shown above) is very happy growing next to borage flowers with red romaine lettuces underneath.

Experts warn that artichoke plants typically won’t produce much the first year, but my plant has grown more than 10 chokes in its inaugural growing season. So, it must be happy here.

In USDA Zones 7 to 9, you may be able to overwinter artichokes by pruning and mulching them well after blooming. In colder climates, you’ll probably need to grow artichokes as an annual.

Growing Conditions

Artichokes like full sun to partial shade. They grow best in moist, fertile and well-drained soil.  Over time, artichokes can grow 3 to 4 feet tall, and up to 4 feet wide in ideal growing conditions. So, make sure you like the location where you planted them. During their active growing season, feed artichokes with a well-balanced fertilizer once a month.

Try to avoid letting the plants suffer from either summer drought, or wet, soggy soil in winter. Adding compost to the soil will improve its texture, encourage good drainage yet also help retain water in the soil.

Harvest artichokes when they are still tightly closed. Otherwise, the artichoke will eventually bloom into a pretty purple thistle flower, which can be enjoyed in flower arrangements fresh or dried. I’m still waiting for mine to bloom, but isn’t this one from my neighbor’s garden gorgeous?

After artichokes stop producing, prune the plants back by a third to hopefully generate another growth flush in the early-fall.

Eating Artichokes

“Life is like eating artichokes; you have got to go through so much to get so little.”
Thomas Aloysius (Tad) Dorgan, Cartoonist

It’s true that artichokes require some preparation, whether you steam, boil or microwave them. But the vegetable definitely has its fans who cherish each and every bite.

As this farmers market sign reminds, you can use artichokes in pasta dishes, soups, salads and appetizers. Try stuffing them with bread, ground meat, feta cheese and nuts. I like to dip the cooked artichoke leaves in melted butter with lemon juice and a sprinkle of white wine with marjoram, tarragon and thyme leaves. Others swear by mayonnaise and other dips.

The California Artichoke Advisory Board offers step-by-step instructions and recipes for eating artichokes.

“In the centre of a spacious table rose a pastry as large as a church, flanked on the north by a quarter of cold veal, on the south by an enormous ham, on the east by a monumental pile of butter, and on the west by an enormous dish of artichokes, with a hot sauce.”
Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, (1755-1826) ‘The Physiology of Taste’

Have you ever grown artichokes before? What’s your favorite way to serve them?

Maybe you bought too many flower and vegetable seeds. Or, perhaps you’re lusting for different types of seeds to grow this year. No problem. Why not share the bounty by swapping those seeds with friends and neighbors? Here’s advice from Seasonal Wisdom on how to host a seed swap …

Yesterday, Seasonal Wisdom spent the afternoon with my friend in the picturesque town of Ojai, California. One of the day’s highlights was visiting the Ojai Valley Green Coalition’s Fourth Annual Seed and Plant Swap.

For the seed swap, I brought seeds for some of my favorite wildflowers, herbs and vegetables. My friend brought seeds she had saved for many years from her grandfather’s heirloom bean plants. In exchange, we picked up lots of seeds, plants and worm castings tea for free or next to nothing. Plus, all the proceeds benefited the local community.

Above are some of the cool things we walked away with that day.

Seed Swap Ideas

Want to participate in a seed swap? Look around your community for scheduled swaps. Many are happening right about now.

Or, consider hosting your own seed swap. Here are some tips:

• Invite friends, neighbors, work colleagues or family members to your seed swap.
• Have them bring seeds to share with others.
• Determine if your seeds are still viable in this Seasonal Wisdom chart.
• Consider hosting a potluck so it’s a fun and tasty celebration too.
• Provide lots of empty envelopes or little bags for people to use.
• Include planting tips and helpful information about your seeds on handouts or on bags.
• Try some new plants this year, and have fun.

Free Printables

For FREE downloadable invitations and seed packages, go to MyFrugalHome.com. This helpful blog gives lots of clever ideas for your seed swap.

Learn More

Get tips for growing food from seeds.

Are those seeds still viable?

Spring foods to enjoy right now.

What started as a weedy patch in a California backyard is now a healthy, thriving vegetable garden with plenty of homegrown food to share with neighbors and friends. Take a mini-tour of this vegetable garden and learn how this clever gardener created her own DIY kitchen garden.

This year, I’m completely inspired by my friend Kathy. She has tackled a yard that was nearly overtaken by weeds and reclaimed the space to grow all kinds of vegetables, from corn to cucumbers and cabbage.  Not only are her hours of hard work and determination impressive, but her garden offers valuable lessons to others eager to grow their own food.

“I had a weed patch of a backyard that needed undoing,” explains Kathy. “Last spring I had plenty of time on my hands, so I was able to take on a vegetable garden project.”

The beginning gardener found ideas for her design in many places. “The biggest inspiration has been to see edibles being grown all over my neighborhood,” she recalls.  “School yards, front yards, backyards, lots converted to community gardens. Even gorgeous magazines and blogs filled with color photos helped a lot.”

After digging up the weeds in her garden, Kathy laid out a weed cloth over the space, and covered it with several inches of wood mulch.  This was to help keep the weeds under control in the future.

Even though she bought the mulch by the bag, the gardener admits mulch and soil amendments are much less expensive when bought in bulk.  “I could have saved a lot of money by buying bulk,” explains Kathy. “Next time, that’s how I would do it.”

Each of the three raised beds is 8’x4’x18” and made of redwood.  They were modeled after these online raised beds. But Kathy’s beds were filled with a special mixture she made with ½ compost, ¼ coir and ¼ perlite.  She says it was a lot of work to combine and mix into the raised beds, and figures she might use premixed, bulk soil next time.

Photo by Teresa O’Connor

Gophers have been a problem in Kathy’s neighborhood, so she took special precautions by adding ½” hardware cloth before adding the soil mixture. So far, the critters haven’t been a problem in her yard.

A drip irrigation system was added so the plants could be watered at the roots. This saves water and keeps the foliage dry, helping to reduce fungal diseases.

Photo by Teresa O’Connor

Kathy built three raised beds, because it’s a good minimal number to practice crop rotation.  This is an old organic gardening method that involves rotating crops by plant families every year, so the plants don’t grow in the same place over and over. It’s an easy way to reduce pest and pathogen problems in your food garden. You just need to remember what you planted each year.

To help her remember the plant families, Kathy grows family members together and even organizes her seeds that way, as you can see above. This Seasonal Wisdom post has a list of plant family members, which will help you with practicing crop rotation.

On planting day, Kathy invited a few friends over to sow seeds and plant transplants into the new garden beds.  We celebrated with a delicious breakfast served al fresco, before grabbing our gardening tools and working. Luckily, the weather agreed with us that day, providing a cool breeze off the coast.

Here I am planting a healthy looking squash transplant into the freshly prepared garden beds.  For best results, don’t disturb the squash’s roots when planting. Squash actually grows best from seeds sown directly in the soil.

Just a few months later, the new kitchen garden is already lush with growing vegetables. Our family has been the lucky recipient of quite a few harvests. And I can truly say the produce tastes as pretty as it looks.

Kathy reports that she is “growing as much as I can squeeze in” to the beds.

Bed one has eggplants, peppers, tomatillos, onions, carrots and parsnips. Bed two has corn, arugula, kale, cabbage, mustard, cauliflower and broccoli. Bed three has beans, zucchini, cantaloupe, cucumbers, butternut and spaghetti squash. She also has lettuce growing in a couple of smaller containers.

One of her most positive impressions so far has been growing beans. “By the time the beds were ready for planting, it was late in the season,” recalls Kathy. “I was worried it was too late in the season … but then the beans sprouted and all my anxiety melted away. Beans sure know how to bust through the soil and climb for the sky.”

To get continuous harvests, sow seeds for more pole beans every couple weeks. Always pick your beans religiously so they keep producing, but don’t pick wet plants to avoid spreading fungal diseases.

Despite Kathy’s pride in the bean harvest, she is most fond of her kale.

“It’s amazing,” says Kathy. “Snip a bounty of kale leaves one day, and the next day it has practically regrown again. Kale is one of those veggies that demonstrate the marvel of growing food.”

These days, Kathy has learned to appreciate helpful plant information.

“Transplants from nurseries or farmers markets rarely include this growing information,” she says. “Even some of the big heirloom seed companies have surprisingly little useful information on their seed packets. Spacing, days to harvest and watering needs are bare essentials that I look for now.”

Photo by Teresa O’Connor

Don’t rush out to spend a lot of money either, warns Kathy. When she needed something to use for hanging her spaghetti squash off the ground, she bought purple fishnet hose at the Dollar Store. So far, they seem to be working just fine.

We hope this vegetable garden tour inspires you to grow healthy foods at home too. Instead of nasty old weeds, you can enjoy delicious and beautiful foods with some sweat equity and a lust for good meals with friends.

Let Kathy’s garden be your inspiration too.

Several of these photos came from Isabel Gomes. You can see more of her photography at Isabellawrence.com.

Growing vegetables, fruits, grains and herbs at home can be done with an amazing amount of style. That’s quite clear from the 73 edible garden designs in the new book Groundbreaking Food Gardens by Niki Jabbour.

If you’re looking for creative ways to grow food, this book is a wonderful resource. You’ll find food garden designs from your favorite garden designers, botanical gardens, TV and radio hosts, book authors, horticulturists, bloggers … and even Seasonal Wisdom! 

In her latest book, Jabbour has assembled edible garden plans for every taste. The author of The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener has gathered ideas by folks ranging from the New York Botanical Garden and Seattle Urban Farm Company to Joe Lamp’l of the PBS-TV show Growing a Greener World.

Founding Fathers illustration copyright Anne Smith

Seasonal Wisdom’s Garden Design

It’s a great honor for Seasonal Wisdom to be included among the 73 food garden designs in Groundbreaking Food Gardens. 

Jabbour asked me to design an edible garden inspired by the Founding Fathers of the United States, after she read Seasonal Wisdom’s articles about George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello gardens.

My Founding Fathers garden plan includes plant varieties and design influences from Mount Vernon, Monticello and Colonial Williamsburg gardens in the late-1700s to mid-1800s.  It also shares some of the most popular vegetables grown around this important time in American history.

Edible Cutting Garden illustration copyright Mary Ellen Carsley

An Array of Food Garden Designs

Regardless of your style, there’s something for everyone in this book. Throughout Groundbreaking Food Gardens, there are beautifully illustrated garden plans, detailed plant suggestions and general growing tips.

One example is this gorgeous Edible Cutting Garden (shown above) by acclaimed book author Debra Prinzing. It creatively mixes edible flowers with fruits, berries and vegetables of all types.

Beautiful balcony edibles ilustration copyright Elayne Sears

Don’t have a large garden? No problem. You’ll find plenty of designs that work well in small spaces, including this Beautiful Balcony Edibles design by Andrea Bellamy, author of Sugar Snaps and Strawberries.  Her cute little garden features a bean teepee and ‘Brown Turkey’ fig tree.

Bike planter illustration copyright Elayne Sears

When it comes to growing edibles, it’s clear from this book that we need to think “outside of the pot.”

You’ll find lots of innovative container ideas, including this bike planter idea from Jean Ann Van Krevelen, who co-authored Grocery Gardening: Planting, Preparing and Preserving Fresh Foods.

These examples are just a small sampling of the many creative food garden designs you’ll find in Groundbreaking Food Gardens. Don’t miss:

• Amy Stewart’s Cocktail Garden design by Susan Morrison
• Amanda Thomsen’s Chicago Hot-Dog garden (with absolutely no ketchup!)
• LaManda Joy’s garden inspired by World War II Victory Gardens
• Theresa Loe’s Urban Homestead (with chicken coop)
• Kenny Point’s Backyard Beekeeper’s Garden

And that’s just for starters…

Whether you’re just beginning to grow food, or you’re already an experienced gardener, you’ll find something to inspire and inform your outdoor spaces in this book.

Disclosure: As a contributor to Groundbreaking Food Gardens, I received a free copy of the book. However, I was not compensated for writing this review, and my opinions are my own.

Learn More: Niki Jabbour also authored the award-winning book The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener. My interview with Jabbour about growing food all year long  is one of Seasonal Wisdom’s most popular stories.

It’s easy to understand why tomatoes are the most popular food to grow in the garden. Tomatoes taste so much better straight from the vine. Store-bought tomatoes just don’t compare.

To get your homegrown tomatoes off to a great start, here are some of Seasonal Wisdom’s favorite tomato tips and recipes…

Ten Tomato Tips for Trouble-Free Tomatoes

Why do some gardeners have gorgeous tomatoes, while others experience growing problems? Often it’s because they didn’t follow these ten tomato tips.

Different Tomatoes to Grow

Green Zebra tomatoes (shown above in my old garden) are among the colorful and delicious varieties to try this year.  Consider:

Six Tomatoes for Cooking and Preserving

Heirloom Tomatoes to Try

Unusual Tomatoes and Eggplants to Grow

Three Ways to Cook with Tomatoes

Nothing beats a sun-kissed tomato picked from the garden and sliced fresh for sandwiches or salads. But you may want to cook them too!

Here are three of Seasonal Wisdom’s favorite ways to cook with tomatoes…

Photo copyright Viviane Bauquet Farre

Classic Heirloom Tomato Sauce

This delicious recipe for Classic Heirloom Tomato Sauce comes from the professional chef Viviane Bauquet Farre of FoodandStyle.com.

Once you taste this tomato sauce, you’ll see why this Seasonal Wisdom post remains so popular.

Photo copyright Isabel Gomes.

Tomato Tart

My talented photographer friend Isabel Gomes of Isabellawrence.com shared this photo along with a delicious tart recipe she found in an old Williams-Sonoma catalog.

This one tastes as pretty as it looks!

Harvest Summer Tart

The best of the garden tomatoes, summer squashes and onions are combined with loads of fresh herbs and goat cheese. For last year’s summer harvest, I concocted this recipe for Fiskars.

The secret to success? Use the freshest ingredients, and eat this tart right away. The puff pastry tastes best straight from the oven.

What tomatoes are you planning to grow? Do you have any tomato tips to share?

All photos are copyright Seasonal Wisdom, unless otherwise noted.

This summer, why not grow your own popcorn? And not just any popcorn either. We’re talking untreated, organic and non-GMO popcorn, which is getting harder and harder to find in grocery stores … and seed catalogs.

Seasonal Wisdom teamed up with Angie’s Popcorn and Fiskars to make it easier for you to grow popcorn in your own garden this year.  We’re giving away TWO garden prize packages with untreated, non-GMO Boomchickapop popcorn seeds, Fiskars garden tools and more. You’ll be popping your own homegrown corn before you know it! Hurry — This random drawing ends at midnight on Wednesday, April 30, 2014. Congratulations to Cindy from Virginia and David from Pennsylvania for winning this random drawing.

What’s Going On?

When Angie’s Popcorn approached me recently about participating in their summer-long “Grow Some Boom” campaign, I was already familiar with the products. I first bought their popcorn, because of a relatively small logo on their packaging that said they didn’t use GMO corn.

Finding non-GMO popcorn in your stores isn’t easy these days. It’s getting more difficult to find non-GMO corn seeds for your garden too, according to the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company.

What’s a GMO? Basically, this term stands for genetically modified organisms, and is commonly used by the public to talk about foods that have been genetically engineered.

This isn’t your typical plant cross breeding, according to Sustainable Table.

“With genetic engineering, genes from completely different species can be inserted into one another,” writes the website. “Scientists in Taiwan have successfully inserted jellyfish genes into pigs in order to make them glow in the dark.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my pork glowing in the dark. And I don’t want my corn and my popcorn genetically engineered either.

Unfortunately, approximately 88 percent of corn grown in the United States is now genetically engineered.

“The majority of genetically engineered crops grown today are engineered to be resistant to pesticides and/or herbicides,” writes Sustainable Table, “so that they can withstand being sprayed with weed killer while the rest of the plants in the field die.”

Sadly, the United States does not require genetically altered foods to be labeled, although 64 + other countries (including China and Russia) do require labeling, according to Just Label It!

Last week, the state of Vermont took steps to start requiring mandatory labeling on GMO ingredients by July 1, 2016.  Definitely a move in the right direction for those who want to know what is in their food. Here’s more from Treehugger.

Grow Some Boom

So to make a long story short, you can see why the timing could not be better to grow your own organic, non-GMO popcorn.  Besides, the weather is finally warming up after a long winter, and corn seeds should be planted after the last frost date in your area.

Here’s what we’re giving away in this random drawing … TWO Grow Some Boom Packages with:

• Untreated, organic and non-GMO Boomchickapop seeds to grow your own popcorn
• Boomchickapop non-GMO popcorn, to eat while you’re waiting for your own popcorn to grow
• Boomchickapop garden bag for tools, supplies or whatever you want

From Fiskars, two winners will each receive a 3-piece Softouch® Garden Tool Kit for digging, weeding, loosening the soil and more.  All with a lifetime warranty.

Enter to Win

Before midnight on April 30, 2014, enter to win this Grow Some Boom drawing by using the Rafflecopter device below.  It’s easy to participate, and you have multiple chances to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This random drawing is limited to residents in the United States.  Please check your spam folders to see whether you’re one of the two winners! Congratulations to Cindy from Virginia and David from Pennsylvania for winning this random drawing.

Good luck all, and happy gardening!

Disclosure: If you read this blog often, you probably know already I’m a paid writer on Fiskars’ national Garden Experts Team. The Fiskars products were provided at no charge for this random drawing, but I was not paid by the company to conduct this promotion. Angies’ Popcorn packages also were provided at no charge, and I was compensated by this company for the promotion.  But my opinions are always my own.

More Help to Grow Your Own Popcorn

Grow Some Boom and Boomchickapop Facebook Page have growing tips and photos from gardeners around the nation.

Popcorn growing tips from Utah State Extension

Want to try sweet corn instead? Blue Jade Corn is another corn you need to try. It’s one of the few sweet corns to grow in containers!

Whether it’s their small sizes or strange colors, these four unusual vegetables for small gardens – and all gardens really – will make you smile.

These four rare foods have performed well over the years in Seasonal Wisdom’s gardens.  So, if you’re looking for something special to grow in your own kitchen garden this season, check them out…

Tom Thumb Pea

This English heirloom pea was introduced to the United States around 1850. A true dwarf, this plant grows only 8 inches high, making it ideal for small spaces and container gardens. Tom Thumb pea doesn’t need a trellis or support like most peas.  Plus, it’s awfully cute and may just encourage kids of all ages to eat more vegetables.

Direct sow this pea early in the growing season for a spring harvest, or in summer for a fall harvest. Tom Thumb grows best in cool weather, and can withstand hard frosts down to 20 degrees F. This pea ripens in 50 – 55 days.

Although this rare heirloom pea may be small, the harvests are surprisingly big.  Set a pot in a sunny spot in your backyard and help keep this historic variety alive.

Find Seeds: Seed Savers Exchange

Astia Zucchini

Summer squashes are more compact plants than winter squashes and pumpkins. But they still get rather big. That’s where Astia zucchini shines. These F1 hybrid vegetables thrive in small spaces. I had a chance to test these unusual vegetables for small gardens when Renee’s Garden Seeds sent me free seeds a few years ago.

Astia zucchini has a non-rambling, compact shape that grew well in my raised bed, but would do equally well in large containers on a sunny patio. The glossy green fruit ripen in about 48 days. Give this edible a rich, well draining garden soil in full sun (at least six hours daily) for best results.

The small zucchini plant is quite productive, so don’t be surprised if you’re sharing big harvests with neighbors and friends this summer.

Find Seeds: Renee’s Garden Seeds

Blue Jade Corn

Blue Jade corn isn’t just a beautiful blue corn. This heirloom is also one of the only sweet corns that will grow in a container.

The seed label claimed Blue Jade corn grows about 3 feet tall. But I direct sowed seeds into a 3×3 foot raised bed, and they grew nearly 5 feet tall.  I guess they liked it there.

Still, if you always wanted to grow corn and didn’t have the space, these are great vegetables for small gardens. This unusual corn ripens in 70-80 days. So, it’s faster than many other varieties too.

Find Seeds: Seed Savers Exchange

Window Box Roma Tomatoes

This delicious hybrid dwarf tomato grows in small containers, hanging planters and even window boxes. The red paste-type tomatoes ripen in about 70 days, and work well for cooking and sauces.

These unusual vegetables for small gardens are easy to grow in a full-sun location. They’re even resistant to tomato verticillium wilt, fusarium and nematode diseases (VFN).

I’ve grown this variety two years in a row with good results. Both years, my plants started as transplants from my independent garden center. There are a few companies selling seeds on the Internet, although I’ve never used their services before. If you give them a try, let me know how it goes!

Find Seeds:

Knapps

Reimer Seeds

Neseed

More Small Garden Tips

Can’t get enough? See more dwarf tomatoes and other small vegetable garden tips here.

These French heirloom carrots grow in small spaces and heavy soils.

What unusual vegetables are you growing this year?

Spring is right around the corner.  I know it’s hard to believe in some parts of the country. But it’s not too soon to start sowing seeds for spring and summer food harvests … or at least, thinking about what you might want to plant when the soil finally thaws.

To get your garden off to a great start, here is a mini Spring Garden Guide with some of Seasonal Wisdom’s favorite resources. It’s illustrated with photos from the inspiring 2014 Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle. Come take a peek.

Spring is such an easy time to love in the garden and home.  As the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy wrote, “Spring is the time of plans and projects.”  It’s a time for new births and new beginnings, especially in nature.

Before we step out into the garden, however, let’s look at our homes first. To help get your home ready for the season, here is Spring Feng Shui Advice from Ann Bingley Gallops of Open Spaces Feng Shui.

Regional Spring Garden Advice

Spring is an excellent time to prepare your soil for healthy gardens. Add organic matter like compost, worm castings and well-aged manures to your soil.  Clean up winter debris in the garden. Cut away broken or diseased branches, but don’t prune spring-bloomers until after they flower. Check on the conditions of your sprinklers.  Make sure the garden shed is organized and ready, and that’s for starters…

In some places spring had sprung a few weeks ago. In other areas, spring seems like a dream that may never come. Each region has different spring garden chores and timing. Here’s advice from university extension services from different regions around the United States:

Northeast: Cornell University

Southeast: Clemson University

Midwest: University of Illinois

Central: Texas Agrilife Extension Master Gardeners

Intermountain West:  University of Colorado

Northwest: Oregon State University

California: University of California Master Gardeners

Growing Food in Spring

Spring is the time to get your seedlings started for the growing season.  Some crops like lettuces, peas, radishes and carrots can be sowed directly in the garden. Others, such as warm-season tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, are best sowed indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date.

Here’s a brief primer on how to grow food from seeds, including seed resources, and tips on what to start indoors and what can be sowed directly in the garden. 

Need new seeds? Here are six questions to ask before buying seeds.

Are your seeds still good? Here’s how long vegetables seeds will stay viable.

Don’t let damping off disease kill your baby seedlings. Here’s advice.

Eating Well in Spring

Make sure these foods are in your spring meals! Seven Spring Vegetables to Eat Now

Growing Spring Foods

Garden-fresh foods always taste best. Here are gardening tips and photos of different spring foods, including interesting heirloom and hybrid varieties:

Beets  

Broccoli

Cool Season Veggies

Cool Season Vegetables to Grow From Seeds

Carrots, Peas and Salad Greens

Carrots for rocky, clay soils

Lettuces  

Radishes

Spring Garden Basics

And just a few more basic tips for your spring garden:

How to Read a Fertilizer Label

Basic Pruning Tips for Healthy Garden

Enjoy your spring garden! And don’t forget these wise words from author Margaret Atwood, “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” We agree.