Quotation of the Week: "The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent upon it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do." — Galileo

VEGETABLES!

 

Shade Gardening

Well-designed and properly planted shade gardens are the most refreshing parts of any landscape, but you can't plant them properly unless you understand the characteristics of shade. Many homeowners start out with mostly full sun, but then either plant too many trees or let volunteers grow wherever they plant themselves. After a few years on this course a sunny garden can become a shady or even gloomy one. It takes real courage to cut down mature trees, but sometimes this is the only way to reclaim the sun. In some cases you can lace trees out to let adequate light through. The best shade is that which you create yourself, either by building a shade structure or by planting an appropriate number of well-chosen trees in the right places. The most difficult shade is that which you can't control — solid shadows of buildings or walls, sometimes alternating with an hour or two of burning hot sun. Shadows don't stand still; every day they move from west to east as the sun moves across the sky from east to west. They also lengthen northward as the sun moves south during fall and winter, and then they gradually shorten again as the sun moves north in winter and spring. These factors make gardening in the shade a lot trickier than gardening in full sun. So if you're interested in shade gardening, begin by observing and understanding the shadows in your own garden; notice where they occur, how dense they are, and their duration. Not all semi-shade or even dense shade is alike. It differs widely according to what causes it and its exposure (the direction it faces). It's important to learn how to distinguish among these various degrees and exposures of shade and to learn which plants are most likely to succeed in each of them. Shade plants vary greatly in shade tolerance. Most shade plants, particularly flowering ones, need semi-shade, which, by definition, means partial sun. Only a small number of plants will grow with no sun at all, but many gardeners have created beautiful gardens even in dense shade. Some good plants to consider when planning your shade garden are fuchsias, begonias, coleus, impatiens, monkey flower, wishbone flower, allium triquetrum, clivia miniata, cyclamen, iris japonica, calla lily, Japanese anemone, Aspidistra elatior, astilbe, bleeding heart, foxglove, hellebore, cape primrose, spider plant, English ivy, liriope, and azalea. When these plants are given homes in the appropriate environment, they thrive and are beautiful additions to any shade garden.

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How to Plant and Grow Tomatoes

Tomatoes are the favorite vegetable for home growing. If you want to grow a special variety you can't find in nurseries — Sweet Million, for example — you can sprout the seeds indoors (they germinate readily) and grow your own transplants. But it's easier and quicker to grow your tomatoes from transplants you buy at the nursery, so that is the method given here. Select a disease-resistant variety, such as Better Boy, Ace Hybrid, or Celebrity — one that's appropriate for your needs and climate zone. Choose a spot in full sun, and prepare the soil by digging it deeply with a spade and mixing in Kellogg Amend, or Whitney Farms Planting Compost. Add a good vegetable fertilizer such as Whitney Farms Tomato & Vegetable Food. Plant transplants deeply. If they're leggy snip off the lower leaves, make a little trench with the trowel, lay the plant in sideways, and bend the stem up gently. Roots will form all along the buried stem. Choose a staking system (such as a tomato cage or trellis). Water deeply and continue to irrigate so the soil stays evenly moist. Tips on Choosing Your Tomato Plants 1. If you are buying seeds, always buy from a reputable company. If you can find a company that grows its own seed in a climate similar to your own, so much the better. Leftover tomato seeds can be used in subsequent years provided they are well-sealed and stored in a dark, cool place. They may last up to 4 years, but you would be better off using fresh seeds each year. 2. Height and bushiness of the plant are serious considerations, particularly for gardeners growing tomatoes in small spaces. 3. Other factors to consider in selecting seeds or seedlings include taste, size, shape, color, mildness, (acidity or non-acidity), disease resistance, and cracking resistance. Home-growers need not consider whether the variety has "firm skin" or "uniform ripening" characteristics, as these belong to the "good shipping" types and concern primarily commercial growers. 4. Your intended use for the tomato may dictate your selection. For instance, if you want to use your tomato crop for preserving or for making tomato paste, you'll want to select a variety that has a strong tomato flavor and lasts a long time in the refrigerator. "Roma" is a good variety for making tomato paste. 5. Disease-resistance may be of special interest to you if a particular disease is prevalent in your area. 6. You may be concerned about the "days to maturity" (the time it takes for a transplant to bear ripe fruit) if your growing season is short — or you are the impatient type. 7. Finally, your priority may be in choosing a unique tomato plant, a novelty no one else in the neighborhood grows.

Sometimes, despite a gardener's best efforts to improve the soil and care for the grass, a lawn fails to thrive.  Insufficient light is often the cause of the problem. Other times the location is too hot or steep to keep well watered and fertilized. On such sites a gardener is well advised to consider low maintenance alternatives to turf grass. The following plants are excellent choices for difficult locations: For Shade: Campanula: Spreads quickly and is beautiful to behold. Vinca Minor: Best choice for dry soil; has periwinkle blue flowers Pachysandra: Spreads quickly through underground runners but is not invasive; thrives in acid soil Lily Turf: Ideal for use around ponds and the edge of streams; best with well drained soil and light feeding. Baby Tears: An evergreen, emerald-green creeping ground cover with tiny leaves. It is a soft, velvet-like carpet growing 2.5cm (1") high. This must be kept moist. Sword Fern: A tough fern that tolerates some sun and looks good through winter. This can look more like a shrub than a ground cover Hosta (hardy cultivars): Lush yet elegant appearance; dozens of varieties and easy care make hostas a popular choice for shade. This can look more like a shrub than a ground cover. For Sun: Thyme: Thyme is low growing and rugged. It requires a minimum in watering, loves loose sandy soil and as an added bonus, it blooms. Most low growing varieties, under 2 inches, take light foot traffic and therefore are great between stepping stones in those sunny warm areas. Sedum:This is a large group of hardy and tender succulent annuals and perennials. Sedums are very easy to propagate as almost any tiny leaf or piece of stem that touches the ground will root. Trailing Gazania: 12" high perennial from South Africa. It is a perennial that flowers in the summer and requires little water.
	Camapanula
	Pachysandra
	Sedum
	Vinca
	Hosta
	Thyme

What You'll Need: 1 pound fusilli, cooked and drained 2 cups fresh asparagus, diagonally cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 cup fresh green peas 2 teaspoons olive oil Cooking spray 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into julienne strips 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1-1/4 cups chicken broth 2/3 cup whipping cream 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil Step by Step: Cook pasta according to package directions, adding asparagus and peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and place in a large bowl. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion and garlic; saute for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; sauté for 1 minute. Stir in broth, whipping cream, salt and red pepper; cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add tomato mixture to pasta mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and basil. Serve immediately. Yield:  8 servings