Plantlets, tubers, seeds for edible landscapes
March 2 – 15, 2015
Mt. Washington — Just as our lively feelings of attraction to people, pets and wildlife may be referred to, with amusement, as animal magnetism, I’ve been amused to turn the phrase into “vegetable magnetism” to describe the sparkly energy with which we are drawn to everything in the plant world, from the apple we reach for, the forest we enter, the houseplants we care for and, especially at this moment, the seeds and other starts that will soon populate this year’s garden.
Our fascination with plants involves everything about them, including underground tubers, bulbs, and, by extension, the special charm of seed packets — all of which hold the promise of new growth. Altogether, their appeal is so compelling that when choosing varieties and quantities for the new year’s garden great restraint is often required when purchasing. Vegetable magnetism challenges our need to keep within the boundaries of our gardens and to resist overcrowding!
I am most at home in a diverse garden composed of annuals and perennials, herbaceous and woody plants that provide exceptionally nutritious food for people and pollinators and may include ornamentals. I favor native and heirloom varieties. For now, let’s plan for the edibles that require a long growing season.
Onions, then potatoes, are the first storage crops to be planted in early spring. Spring-planted garlic can also be a successful crop, even though fall planting is the norm. Purchasing onion plant seedlings field grown in the south or in northern greenhouses offers the greatest selection of varieties, unless you are prepared to grow your own from seed. Sold in bunches of about 60 bare root plantlets, the most economical mail order source I have found is Dixondale Farms. This Texas company allows a choice of multiple bunches of different varieties at the quantity discount price.
Onion sets also grow vigorous plants. Sets are miniature onion bulbs that are widely available locally. They are irresistible when seen in their wooden boxes at Ward’s Nursery and Garden Center in Great Barrington. Even though I order excellent storage varieties such as Red Zeppelin, Red River, Borettana Cippolini and Copra from Texas, there is no restraining me from filling a bag of equally good keepers, Stuttgarter Riesen and Red Comred, at Ward’s. You’ll also find a bin of white Ebenezer there, all available around April 1. A little later in the season six packs of organically grown plantlets are usually sold at farmer’s markets and garden centers.
Going by the principle that colorful foods are more nutritious than pale ones, and far more exciting tothe eye and taste, my favorite potatoes are All-Blue, Purple Peruvian, Adirondack Red and German Butterball. There are various mail order purveyors; however, for the home gardener the cost of postage
sometimes makes that choice impractical, especially considering that Ward’s will offer the following organically grown seed potatoes around April 1: All-Blue, Adirondack Red and Yukon Gold full size potatoes and fingerlings purple Magic Molly, Red Thumb and yellow Laratte.
Small-seeded vegetable varieties are inherently colorful, although seeking out uncommon colors adds to adventures in growing, cooking and eating. Go for “Cosmic Purple Carrot”, and “Golden Beet.” Please refer to the Nature’s Turn February 16 column for more seed variety recommendations. I look forward to taking another turn together in two weeks.
For an exhaustive list of potato varieties, with photos and descriptions, go to: https://www.potatogarden.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=PG
For good description of purple potatoes, go to: https://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Purple_Potatoes_641.php
To grow your own sets for your 2016 garden: https://www.gardenguides.com/110947-grow-onions-onion-sets.html
