INCOMPARABLY FRESH & COLORFUL !

Last Updated on Sunday, 3 April 2011 12:58 Written by Phillip Sunday, 3 April 2011 12:58

The following is a reprint of an article I did for the local healthy living magazine, called Radish. It was a strange twisted road to the finished product, but I am happy with the way the article looked when published. It was edited to look like an interview with the writer, Candy Czernicki.

Add veggies to your diet – and your landscape

The first day of spring has come and gone, even though it’s still pretty hard to tell. But to get your mind off the mud and muck, you might want to start thinking about this year’s garden. And now’s as good a time as any to start thinking about veggies as well as flowers.

“If you’ve been trying to add more vegetables to your diet and find yourself lacking enthusiasm for the taste of grocery store veggies, maybe you need to discover the taste of fresh vegetables,” Phillip Nicklay, owner of Viola Nursery in Viola, Minn., said. “It doesn’t matter if you are getting your vegetables from the freezer, a can or even the fresh produce shelf – none of these is going to compare to the taste of a fresh vegetable. There is an easy remedy to this: grow your own. It really is easy, and more important, it’s fun.”

As with anything else in life, planning is key.

“Make a list of what you are actually going to eat, along with a few new vegetables that you would like to try,” Nicklay said. “The next part of your pre-planning will be figuring out where you’d like to grow them. An old-fashioned, tilled-up piece of earth on your property is the Cadillac of vegetable growing systems. You should know that this type of gardening (requires) the most maintenance, but can produce the largest quantity of food. If this option isn’t available or if you don’t care to put that much time into your vegetables, (there are) smaller options. If you have flower beds or an active landscape, one of your options is to grow your vegetables along with your existing plants.”

The different colors and textures vegetables can bring when integrated with flowers will help enhance your garden’s look, Nicklay said.

“I like to use vegetables in existing beds the same way I would other plants,” he said. “Vegetables can be blended into landscapes as single plants or in blocks or in waves. Shrubs or trees with edible fruit are a great way to add another value to your landscape. Try a hedge of high bush blueberries or Nanking cherries. You or the birds will enjoy whatever fruit is produced by these plants.”

If neither of the above options works for you, or if you live in an apartment or condo where no garden plots of your own are available, you’re still not out of luck, Nicklay said. And you still have no excuse not to eat your veggies.

“The third way to grow your vegetables is an above-ground container,” he said. “This would include anything from a raised bed to a flowerpot. All of these environments will work for growing vegetables, with each having their pros and cons.”

No matter how you grow your veggies, there are some things all of them require, such as at least 6 hours of full sun, good soil (loose, with lots of organic matter) and consistent of moisture.

If you’re a novice at growing or are an old hand at growing your own fresh vegetables , and want to take things to the next level, you can try organic gardening.

“The term ‘organic’ can mean different things to different people,” Nicklay said. “There are the stringent guidelines of the organic associations, which have the strongest parameters for items to be labeled organic, to the people who think that a plant being grown chemical-free is organic. You have to decide how far you want to take the organic concept.

“To do the most basic growing of chemical-free vegetables, you must start with quality soil, free of commercial fertilizers,” Nicklay added.

But organic soil is only the beginning. “You then need to purchase organically grown plants or seeds,” Nicklay said. “Luckily both of these are more readily available at certain garden centers. While the cost may be slightly higher, the confidence and satisfaction of growing healthier, organic vegetables is worth the extra pennies.”

And organic vegetables aren’t limited solely to tomatoes anymore. Lettuce, peas, peppers, zucchini, beets and carrots have become popular as well.

“With the increase in demand and awareness by growers, there is an ever-increasing variety of plants and seeds to choose from,” Nicklay said. “Knowledgeable garden centers know that the naturally grown vegetables are not just a fringe fad but a more desirable way of life for many people.”
Photo courtesy of my friend Christina Salwitz

What are gmo seeds?

Last Updated on Friday, 1 April 2011 09:22 Written by Phillip Friday, 1 April 2011 09:22

If you are someone who loves to spend time perusing seed catalogs, you may have noticed some companies are noting their “non-GMO seeds”. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. Without going into a whole lot of scientific gobbledygook, I’ll try to give you a short explanation. In the mid 70′s scientist started working with the genes of rice, in order to create a better food product. As they learned more about manipulating genetics, they were able to create new seed strains that were better at everything from being disease and pest resistant, to the ability to produce more fruit. This science quickly took off and involved everything from human to animal food. With the explosion of these new types of foods, also came more people questioning the effects of these genetically modified foods on humans. There are studies showing no negative effects , as well as studies showing positive effects for humans.
Those who are against GMO seeds, also rail against the fact that most of these seeds are being developed by the Monsanto company. The Monsanto company funds much of this research that has been done on GMO plants. The company name has become a buzz word for many in the hardcore organic movement, for all things evil. The fact is, that Monsanto has also developed many products that have helped people all over the world.
I am not God, so I don’t know who is right on this issue. I have not seen enough evidence on either side to make that decision. It is my opinion that you need to follow your own belief system when deciding if you want to purchase GMO seeds. I do know that more and more progressive seed companies will offer a line of non-GMO seeds along with their standard seeds. If you think GMO seeds are going to have an adverse effect on your health, then buy non-GMO seeds.

Don’t be afraid of growing roses

Last Updated on Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:20 Written by Phillip Tuesday, 8 March 2011 10:20

Lena

Often when I suggest roses as part of a customers landscape, I get that look. You know the one….the face scrunches up and a slight scowl comes on! Many peoples first reaction to roses are “fussy, high maintenance plant”. That is true of many of the old fashioned roses. Today’s  roses have been developed for the type of people who garden today. Bailey Nurseries have been a leader in developing roses that perform in an average homeowners landscape. Lets face it, most homeowners put plants in their landscape and don’t want to mess with them ever again. The Easy Elegance series of roses were developed to do just that.

Now Baileys offer another line of no fuss roses developed by the University of Minnesota. These roses have been developed to not only grow, but to thrive in the tough climate of Minnesota. This series is called  ‘Northern Accent’….a fitting name for these plants. The first of this series released to the public were called Lena, Sven and Ole. Maybe to the rest of the country these are just names, but to us here in the upper Midwest these names immediately evoke a smile. We have all been raised here in the middle of Scandinavian descendants, on Ole and Lena jokes. While these roses can make you smile, they are certainly no joke. Now there is a new rose added to this series, called ‘Sigrid’. While Ole and Lena are different shades of pink and Sven is luscious mauve color, their cousin Sigrid is a true red. As you can see by the pictures these are polyantha roses. Which means they produce blooms in clusters. These roses have performed beyond my expectations in the garden. They are continually in bloom and have shown no  sign of any disease or insect problems. I am looking forward to adding Sigrid to my garden this spring!

Sigrid