 Photo and article by Donna Iverson Looking to try something new in your garden next year? Consider growing hops. Hops are a native perennial plant that can live 25 to 50 years. Hops have many uses in addition to brewing beer. The yellow-green cone shaped pods (flowers) produced by the hops can be eaten, used medicinally or even provide a shade barrier for your patio or porch The tomatillo-sized hop cones can be tossed in salads or sprinkled on pizza. They can be used to season stews, soups or baked goods. More intriguing culinary ideas can be found at https://www.duluthpack.com/blogs/great-recipes-for-cooking-with-hops/ Brewed in tea, hops are said to relieve headaches and serve as a muscle relaxant and pain reliever. Scientists are studying them for their psychoactive properties and to treat anxiety, depressions, ADHD and sleep disorders. A word of caution: hops are high in estrogen and can cause dizziness in some people. Best to check with your doctor before embarking on self treatment. To grow hops, you will need a fairly large area with loamy well drained soil that is slightly acidic. A strong trellis is required as hops can grow 10 inches a day when conditions are favorable. They will not produce flowers the first year. On the downside, they require a lot of water and fertilizer. For more on growing hops, check out www.almanac.com/plant/hops As for history, colonists began cultivating wild hops as early as 1628 in New England. Settlers brought them west to Michigan and eventually as far as the west coast. Lastly, maybe you do want to try brewing your own beer. If so, check out www.homebrewersassociation.org
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 Article and photo by Donna Iverson
There is a lot to be said for bucket gardening. It’s cheap. It’s funky. It doesn’t take up much space. It eliminates weeding. Kids love it. And it can be moved around when needed. For example, the buckets could be put in the shade in the spring and early summer for growing lettuce. And then moved to a sunny area to grow tomatoes when the weather heats up. If you are new to container gardening, you can start out small. A neighbor grows a single tomato plant on his deck in the summer every year. Free 5-gallon buckets can often be gotten from local restaurants. But be wary of buckets that may have previously contained toxic substances. To be extra safe, purchase inexpensive buckets at most hardware and big box stores. Wherever you get them, wash them out with soap and water before planting. The most difficult part of bucket gardening is preparing the buckets. They need holes in the bottom to allow water to drain. For this you will need a drill and knowledge of how to use one. If you don’t know how to use a drill, enlist the help of a friend or relative who does. The bucket will need about a dozen small holes in the bottom and around the bottom edge. For more detailed instruction, check out https://www.ehow.com/how_5724150_put-holes-plastic-bucket.html Next, fill the bucket with potting soil, which can be purchased or made yourself. Making your own potting soil can be challenging and there are dozens of contradictory instructions on the web for how to do it. One big disagreement is whether or not to use peat moss. Environmentalists oppose the harvesting of peat moss as it degrades habitat and contributes to global warming. England has banned the collection of peat moss beginning next year. One gardener with relevant discussion and instruction for homemade potting can be found at: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2015/04/homemade-potting-soil-recipe.html During the summer months, you will need to keep your buckets watered and add a slow release fertilizer for food. Plants that tolerate growing in buckets include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, carrots and herbs. Throw in a few marigolds to keep the bad bugs at bay.  Article and photo by Donna Iverson In the summer, fresh salad greens are difficult to come by as they grow best in cool weather. For example, the arugula in my community garden bed has gone to seed. And its leaves are no longer tart but bitter. In August, I find my greens at the local farmers market instead. Often that means purchasing a bag of mixed greens, which in summer contains a lot of oak and red leaf lettuces and tatsoi. Tatsoi is an Asian leafy green variety in the cabbage family. It is a close cousin to the better known bok choy. You can identify it by its large spoon-shaped leaves. Tatsoi has a sweet nutty flavor and is high in vitamins and calcium. It contains twice as much calcium as milk. In the garden, you can plant Tatsoi seeds in late summer. It needs about 3 to 5 hours of direct sunshine. When harvesting, pick the larger outer leaves first and add it to salads or stir fries. It is a cut and come again veggie. If you are a container gardener, it needs a minimum two gallon pot. Other Asian greens you might like to try are Muzuna, Choy sum, Gai lan (broccoli), Gai choy (mustard) and Ong choy (spinach). |
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