October 13, 2010
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Gardening 101 Veggies

Variegated Arugula

Perhaps it is because I have a penchant for the weird and the unusual, or maybe it’s because I just think it’s pretty, but I seem to have a strong affinity for variegated plants. It doesn’t matter what it is, if there is a variegated version, I must have it.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Some variegated plants have an unhealthy, diseased appearance that is unappealing. Sometimes a sickly look is more than aesthetic. Variegation in plants can occur when cells get confused, causing a mutation that results in a lack of chlorophyll or certain pigments. Sometimes this happens spontaneously but disappears, and at other times it keeps going and spreading as the plant continues to grow.

Some variegated plants can be difficult to keep alive, especially when they produce foliage with no chlorophyll at all. I see this with my variegated citrus trees fairly often. The parts with little to no chlorophyll tend to be weaker than other parts of the plant and more susceptible to problems with pests. Watch your plants and see for yourself. But it’s worth the hassle. I love watching the way the new leaves form. It’s exciting to see what will happen next. With regular plants you always know what will come next, unless of course a spontaneous mutation occurs. A little surprise from nature.

The other day, Davin discovered variegation in some of the arugula aka rucola selvatica (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) growing at our Yardshare Garden (photo above). It’s so pretty! We’re very excited about it, but also feel a bit out of our depth and unsure about how to go about maintaining and even encouraging it to spread. I have never seen or heard of variegated arugula before, and am doubtful that we can get it to stabilize. Most of these sorts of spontaneous mutations revert back to green. It’s obviously in the plant’s best interest to do so.

I checked on the plant last night, and the variegated stem has flowers on it. We’re going to let it go to seed and see what happens when we plant it next year. Probably nothing, but it seems worth a shot. The best way to isolate variegation is by taking cuttings, but I have to admit that I’ve never tried taking cutting from arugula before. It’s so pervasive in the garden and easy to grow from seed, I’ve simply never had reason to.

Fortunately, this particular crop has proven to be very cold hardy. Some of the plants in that section have been growing since last year and seemed to overwinter with no effort on our part. Chances are that we’ll see this again next year.

Either way, this has become a fun diversion and a nice excuse to dip into the more scientific side of gardening for a change. If you’re interested in this side of things like I am, I suggest “Botany for Gardeners” by Brian Capon. It doesn’t say much about the topic of variegation, but there is lots of information about how plants develop and evolve, all presented in a way that is understandable to gardeners with no more than high school level science.

Have you noticed any spontaneous variegation on your plants?

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October 12, 2010
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Fall Herbs Veggies

We Made a Pumpkin

Thanksgiving weekend has just passed in Canada, and even though I’m not big on the holiday, the one thing I do demand is a homemade pumpkin pie. Fortunately, we made a pumpkin this year. Accidentally.

Here’s how it happened. Back in the late spring, a friend gave us some unmarked transplants for the Yardshare Garden. A few of them were squashes, but at that size we could not yet tell if they were bushes or vines. We didn’t have any full sun spaces left, so we tucked one into a slightly less than sunny spot near the back of the garden. It wasn’t the best spot, and we knew it wasn’t the best spot, but we planted it anyways. I thought it still had a shot and felt it was worth the experiment to see what would happen when the growing conditions aren’t perfect, but not too far off of the mark either. I’ve learned a lot experimenting in this way. Probably more than I’ve learned doing things the right way. Some edible plants surprise you: they turn out nicely but their yield is lower. Others are just too unhealthy and succumb to diseases and pests they might be more resistant to in better conditions.

When we planted the squash, I assumed it was a bushing zucchini. It wasn’t.

And so it grew and grew rather quickly as winter squashes often do. And when it was threatening to take over the yard, I brought over a freestanding trellis I had woven from green branches in the early spring and we wound it up and off of the ground.

It looked pretty good for an unexpected plant stuck in the wrong space. We were all surprised when the plant grew a pumpkin and the critters that visit the garden didn’t get it. I’ve grown pumpkins (intentionally) several times, but keeping them going in community garden spaces that are overrun by mammalian critters is difficult. The trick is to find ways to protect the fruit when you aren’t there, which is most of the time. City critters are smart — they always break through my defences. Yet, here we were with a pumpkin that we didn’t intend to grow, had put in the wrong spot, and had made little effort to protect. Go pumpkin!

Unfortunately, it was a strange summer. It was unbearably hot and dry for weeks, then raining, raining, raining. Not the best conditions for a squash plant that was not in the sunniest spot in the garden. The plant quickly turned the corner from nice to unsaveable in the bat of an eye. Fortunately, by then the lone pumpkin had turned orange and was very near mature. Eventually the plant died back entirely and the pumpkin fell off of its own accord.

Here it is.
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October 8, 2010
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Places Veggies

Air Potato

I was introduced to this “potato that grows above the ground” on an organic farm tour in Dominica. It was one of the plants we were most excited about, but because we only got the Patois name (and it turns out I heard that wrong, too), were never able to identify it. Davin and I spent hours searching various spellings, and even guessed at what it could be (a yam) with no luck.

And then just like that Davin found it! Dioscorea bulbifera, aka “air potato” is an African yam (of course) that produces potato-like bulbils along the vining stems. There’s quite a bit of controversy around the plant because not all varieties are considered edible. Many uncultivated forms are very bitter if not poisonous, and there is some debate about how to prepare it to make it safe.

The plant is currently considered an invasive threat in warmer parts of the United States. It’s a very fast-growing vine that can grow up high into large trees and disperse itself easily via the bulbils.

For all of these reasons, the air potato is one weird edible that I would advise against growing.

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October 5, 2010
6 Comments
Deep Thoughts Fall Houseplants

This Time of Year

Oh how I dread this time of year.

It’s cold. So cold. I am a wimp. The days are growing shorter, and darker. My hands are like ice cubes almost all of the time. The days of fresh tomatoes and basil are coming to an end. Sweaters, warm socks, and months of dust are coming out from the back of the closet. My book manuscript, photos, and designs are due soon.

It’s getting cold enough at night now that most of my cold sensitive houseplants need to come back inside for the winter. This process takes time. Lots of time. It involves a lot of repotting, shifting, and rejigging my haphazard indoor growing situations (I can’t give these homemade contraptions a more formal description) to make room for my most beloved plants.

Now is the time when I am forced to make decisions about what stays and what simply can not be shoved into a window or underneath a light. Just how did I end up with 10 agave plants? I often wonder if the local cops have looked up at one of my south-facing windows and considered what goes on there. Surely no one would bother to put forth so much energy, time, and money into growing plants without a street value?

Davin jokes that I need a plantervention. Either that or more space and bigger windows.

One thing I do like about this time of year is taking the time to appreciate the great plants I am growing and seeing them in a new light after they’ve had months replenishing outdoors.

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September 24, 2010
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Daily Botanical Flowers Houseplants

Flowering Lithops (Yellow)

Back in July I posted two photos of lithops plants my friend Barry grew from seed. Here’s one of the plants blooming for the first time! Worth the patient effort don’t you think?

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