For All Our Gardeners
I love this time of year. The first two weeks of December are usually so quiet around Landreth, and then that week before Christmas we start hearing from a few early birds who miraculously have completed their holiday preparations ahead of time. Some are sending orders, but most are wondering where the new catalog is. The week after Christmas is usually pretty quiet for us too, because then everyone has just received our catalog, and they are stewing over what to choose, but on January 2nd the restful times end, and we are off to a new gardening year. We mailed catalogs on December 19th so you should have received yours by now. If you haven’t and you would like a catalog, please email us at bmelera@landrethseeds.com or call us at 800-654-2407. In this issue, I want to talk about some favorites, that I wish you would consider trying.
I LOVE THIS SQUASH!! This is a pink banana squash. Even people who hate vegetables seem to enjoy this squash. According to Amy Goldman, in her wonderful book, The Compleat Squash, the family of banana squashes was introduced into the United States by 
Shumways in 1893. The first introduction was a Blue Banana squash known as Shumway’s Mexican Banana. The family of banana squashes probably originated in South America along the Peruvian Coast. Seeds discovered in ancient burial sites from that region are believed to be from banana-related plants. The experts, like Amy Goldman, say that the blue banana squash are much better than the pink banana, but we have not been able to identify a reliable source of blue banana seed. However, it is hard to imagine a better tasting squash than the pink bananas we harvest each year.
Shumways in 1893. The first introduction was a Blue Banana squash known as Shumway’s Mexican Banana. The family of banana squashes probably originated in South America along the Peruvian Coast. Seeds discovered in ancient burial sites from that region are believed to be from banana-related plants. The experts, like Pink Banana Squash
The rind of our pink banana squash is a salmon pink when ripe. The flesh is a deep orange and more richly flavored than Waltham Butternut squash. We harvest our squash when they are 14”-18” long. Each vine produces 2-3 squash for us. Last year we grew these squash in containers. The container vines would only produce one squash per vine, but the squash grew to full size and had the same rich flavor. From transplant to first harvested fruit was approximately 70 days.
We loved picking these squash at lunchtime, carving them in half lengthwise, smearing the flesh with butter, salt and pepper and cooking them in the microwave for 10-12 minutes. On many days, this squash was lunch and what a delicious lunch it was. Olive oil, salt and pepper are also good.
I will never understand why this little cucumber is not in every grocery store. It is one of the most delightful salad/munching vegetables that I know, provided that it is harvested when lemon yellow. These cucumbers have very crisp white flesh which has a faintly citrus taste. They are a wonderful addition to salads, but can also be eaten like apples, however, they are not sweet, just refreshing. Actually the cucumbers in the picture above are too ripe. The yellow color should be paler.
Lemon Cucumber
Lemon cucumbers originated in Australia, but more than a century ago were brought to the United States. The plants are extremely productive. A family of four should not have more than 2-3 plants. The plants are also very drought tolerant, and we have found them to be relatively disease and insect resistant. Last year we planted three plants in a half-barrel sized container. They did very well in the container, and we had plenty of cucumbers. From transplant to first harvested fruit was approximately 45 days.
I was not familiar with this plant until 2 years ago, but for the past two seasons we have grown Red Malabar in containers with 
INCREDIBLE results. Malabar Spinach is not a true spinach. It is a vining plant which originated in the tropics where it is a popular food source. The heart-shaped, fleshy leaves taste somewhat like spinach and can be eaten fresh in a salad or sautéed. They are especially good sautéed with olive oil and garlic. We have never tried to eat the vines themselves.
INCREDIBLE results. Malabar Spinach is not a true spinach. It is a vining plant which originated in the tropics where it is a popular food source. The heart-shaped, fleshy leaves taste somewhat like spinach and can be eaten fresh in a salad or sautéed. They are especially good sautéed with olive oil and garlic. We have never tried to Climbing Spinach (Red Malabar)
Our vines grow 12-14 feet or more in a season and are a magnificent, deep burgundy red with large, deep green leaves. Few plants that I have grown are as stunning in appearance. Our plants have been grown in full sun. Though they can tolerate dry conditions, the plants prefer frequent watering. We always direct seed our plants. Soaking the seed in warm water for 24 hours will significantly decrease the germination time which can take up to three weeks without soaking. In 30-45 days from germination, the vines will be 4-6 feet long. The plants are susceptible to a leaf spot fungus, but, in our experience, very little else seems to bother them.
For Our Container/Urban Gardeners
This season, I am going to spend a lot of time talking about the vegetables that we have successfully grown in containers including the ones pictured above. ALL of the vegetables in this picture were grown in containers lined up on an old asphalt parking lot in front of our former building – no special conditions, no fancy watering systems and no unique fertilizing. We have concluded that just about anything will grow in a container. You might not get as much productivity or the fruits and vegetables may be slightly smaller, but they taste just as good.
From years of experience growing heirloom and vintage varieties, I am convinced that there are some vegetables that actually prefer being grown in containers, especially in temperate climate zones. The two vegetables that we consistently find do better in containers than out in the field are eggplants and hot peppers. Our container grown plants are consistently earlier producers, more prolific producers and healthier than our field grown plants.
My favorite eggplant is one that I discussed in our very first newsletter, the Louisiana Long Green.
Louisiana Long Green Eggplant
Unlike many eggplants which are Southeast Asian heirlooms, the Louisiana Long Green Eggplant is an American Heirloom that was probably developed in the mid-nineteenth century in Louisiana. This plant is distinctive because it can tolerate mild frosts. I find that it is also an incredibly prolific container plant. Three eggplants planted in a half-barrel sized container produced 1-2 eggplants per day in about 45 days from transplant. The plants were drought, disease and insect tolerant and made beautiful ornamentals as well. We enjoy these eggplants sautéed in olive oil with garlic, a little butter, salt and pepper. You will not soon forget their rich, nutty flavor.
Peppers are a true American vegetable originating in tropical America where they had been cultivated and eaten for thousands of years. According to Benjamin Watson in his book, Heirloom Vegetables, “Columbus noted in his journal on January 15, 1493 that the native word for the plant was aji (pronounced ah-hee) a word that sounds something like the exclamation an explorer might have made upon biting into one of the hot fruits unawares”.
Carribean Red originated somewhere in the Carribean, but it is not known exactly where. This pepper is extremely hot, but also very beautiful. The 24” plants are quite bushy with light green leaves. The little walnut-sized peppers are a vivid red and cover the plant. The overall visual effect is exquisite, and even if you did not like hot peppers, you might want to grow this plant for its ornamental beauty. One plant will produce a sufficient quantity of peppers for a family of four. Peppers from our plants could be harvested 60 days from transplant.
For Our Gardening Children
I have 10 basic rules that I have practiced over the years when gardening with children. For the next series of newsletters, I am going to discuss these not-so-secret children’s gardening secrets.
My 10 Secrets to Gardening with Children are as follows:
1. Always have something happening in the garden. Start with radishes and end with pumpkins.
2. Choose easy to grow vegetables and flowers. Nothing succeeds like success.
3. Choose each variety because there is something interesting about it, i.e.
a. Unusual Size
b. Unusual Color
c. Unusual Shape
4. Choose vegetables and flowers with a story.
5. Try not to plant mixes of color. Groupings of specific colors are usually more intriguing to children.
6. Tend the garden on a schedule, for example, every Saturday morning, every Sunday afternoon, or each Wednesday at 4:00 PM.
7. Teach children to weed by making weeding a fun game.
8. Always let children do the watering – they love playing with the hose.
9. Teach children proper garden preparation in the spring.
10. Teach children to clean up the garden in the fall and use this as a time to plant flower bulbs and garlic and onion sets.
NEXT NEWSLETTER: THE LOVELY LETTUCE FAMILY
This is our Landreth Newsletter. From September through December, we will publish the newsletter monthly. From January through August, we will publish the newsletter biweekly. In each newsletter, we will try to cover topics of interest to our general gardeners, our patio gardeners and our gardening children. We will let you know about upcoming events and our favorite products. If you have questions or topics you would like to see us cover, please email us with your suggestions to bmelera@landrethseeds.com.
We are a small family run business. We need to get the word out about Landreth. Please think of us, when you are purchasing seeds or buying gifts for gardeners this year. We offer more than 500 varieties of the finest quality seed available. Our notecards, garden tools, watering cans and children’s tools make lovely presents. Our notecards are especially good for those little presents to teachers, helpers, etc. If you like our seeds and other products please go to DavesGarden website www.davesgarden.com and give them some feedback on us in the Garden Watchdog. This feedback really helps us.
Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. We hope you enjoyed it, and we ask you to tell your friends about Landreth, www.landrethseeds.com .
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Starting the Gardening Year
