ROOTS RUN DEEP FOR GROUNDBREAKERS : ONE CROP ENDS, ANOTHER BEGINS IN YEAR-ROUND GARDENING CYCLE.Byline: Bill Schlotter Daily News Staff Writer In most parts of the country, green-thumb types are anticipating the end of the annual growing season growing season, period during which plant growth takes place. In temperate climates the growing season is limited by seasonal changes in temperature and is defined as the period between the last killing frost of spring and the first killing frost of autumn, at which . Spades and hoes soon will be headed back to the tool shed tool shed n → cobertizo (para herramientas) , their year's work done. Rakes will come out in preparation for fall leaves. And snow shovels will take their places on deck. But as the rest of the nation awaits cold weather, gardeners in temperate Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, are just warming up. Wandering through the growing beds of his spacious Northridge yard, 70-year-old Jim Clarke is replacing the tomatoes, corn and squash of summer with fall crops such as potatoes, onions, cabbage and carrots. In Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , first-time gardeners Duane and Betsy Bowers and 4-year-old son Grant have similar plans for their 20-by-20-foot plot. And in Newbury Park, former opera singer Bill Blailock will soon change his tune, turning the summer concert of floral color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour his well-coiffed front yard to a fall and winter theme. With water rationing several years behind us, gardening is enjoying a resurgence in Southern California. Increasing numbers of soil-tillers are working the ground around their homes with a new fervor, putting vegetables on the tables and vivacious and beautiful blooms in their yards. And in areas south of the Grapevine and west of the deserts, enthusiasts can do the growing thing year-round. ``Fortunately for all of us, the drought has ended,'' said Ralph Klages, a past president of the California Association of Nurserymen and a 50-year veteran of the nursery business. ``The economy is better and people seem willing to take the time to garden. ``I would guess that across the state there was an increase of 10 or 11 percent (in sales) this spring.'' Clarke hasn't contributed to the boom. He continues to buy what he always buys and continues to till, plant, water and weed year-round in the way he learned at the knee of his father and his grandfather, market gardeners in Nottingham, England. ``I love gardening,'' Clarke said, a bit of England still in his voice. ``To put it short, I guess I just grew up with it.'' He stays with it for reasons common to most home gardeners: the taste of his produce and the unique sense of accomplishment that comes from making things grow. Clarke's plots hold most things one might find on the refrigerated re·frig·er·ate tr.v. re·frig·er·at·ed, re·frig·er·at·ing, re·frig·er·ates 1. To cool or chill (a substance). 2. To preserve (food) by chilling. shelves of the local supermarket. There were chard chard: see artichoke; beet. chard or Swiss chard Edible-leaf beet (Beta vulgaris, variety cicla), a variety of beet in which the tender leaves and leafstalks have become greatly developed. , beets, carrots, rutabagas, leeks, onions, garlic, squash, corn, radishes, lettuce, parsnips, turnips, pumpkins, cantaloupes, eggplants, peppers, several herbs ... ``almost everything'' this summer. He'll have an equally eclectic group this fall. ``I can't remember buying vegetables in a store for the past several years.'' Though he immigrated to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in 1960, Clarke still has the English affection for potatoes. He grows his own, of course - lots of them. His summer favorites, though, are his tomatoes. ``They look like the ones in the supermarket, but they taste so much better,'' he said. Tomatoes, it seems, are everyone's summertime favorites. A study done by the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). Cooperative Extension office in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. found that 95 percent of the surveyed gardeners grew tomatoes, making them the overwhelming popularity champion. Runners-up were the summer squashes with 72 percent, with the bronze medal going to cucumbers with 66. Then came green beans green beans Noun, pl long narrow green beans that are cooked and eaten as a vegetable with 65 and lettuce with 64. At the bottom of the list were some exotics, such as Chinese cabbage Chinese cabbage Either of two widely cultivated members of the mustard family, bok choy and Brassica pekinensis. The latter vegetable, also called celery cabbage, forms a tight head of crinkled light green leaves. It has long been grown in the U.S. as a salad vegetable. (4 percent) and kohlrabi kohlrabi (kōl`rä`bē) [Ger. partly from Ital.,=turnip cabbage], plant (Brassica caulorapa, sometimes classified as var. caulorapa (7 percent), along with high gag-factor, all-time unfavorites such as rutabagas (1 percent) and sweet potatoes (6 percent). Fall favorites are cabbage, broccoli, radishes, carrots, potatoes and onions. Nursery sales also bear out the appeal of a big, ripe, juicy red tomato. ``Tomatoes are one of our biggest sellers,'' said Dave Hayton, a buyer for Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park. ``We probably go through from 25,000 to 30,000 tomato starts per season.'' And if more testimony is needed, Del Winkler Winkler may refer to:
Winkler, who has been cultivating the back lot of his Canoga Park home since retiring from construction 15 years ago, used to grow a variety of vegetables and sell them in front of his garage. But while the squash, corn and peppers went unwanted, customers couldn't get enough of his tomatoes. This year, that's all he grew. And the result left even Winkler, who at 81 has seen his share of the world's marvels, in awe of what a few seeds, a little soil and water can produce. ``We had something fantastic over here,'' he said. ``We had such an abundance. And some of these tomatoes have weighed better than two pounds. ``I've never seen anything like it.'' In Simi Valley, the miracles of gardening are just beginning to unfold for 4-year-old Grant Bowers and his parents. ``I've never gardened,'' said Duane Bowers. ``And my wife, Betsy, is from Manhattan and always had a walk-up apartment.'' It was on a trip to the library earlier this year that Betsy and Grant stumbled on some children's gardening books. And before long they had a small plot cultivated behind their home with tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peas, string beans A dish prepared from the unripe pods of several kinds of beans; - so called because the strings are stripped off Any kind of beans in which the pods are used for cooking before the seeds are ripe; usually, the low bush bean. See also: String String , radishes and corn. ``We just followed the books,'' Duane Bowers said. The Bowerses have found their first garden to be a rewarding endeavor. ``It's all been a learning experience for us, especially for our son,'' Bowers said. ``You see changes daily. Sometimes I'll get a phone call at work - `Daddy, you've got to come home quick and see what we've grown.' It's been fun.'' The Bowerses, too, have been initiated into the Order of Fresh Tomato Lovers. They've grown their own, they've deliriously munched them down, they're convinced. ``The only thing as good as a fresh tomato out of your own garden is a fresh tomato stolen out of somebody else's garden,'' Bowers said. If they lived almost anywhere else in the nation, the Bowerses would be letting their little plot go fallow fallow a pale cream, light fawn, or pale yellow coat color in dogs. for winter. But in Southern California, year-round gardening is possible at most elevations below 1,000 feet, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. urban horticulture Urban and peri-urban horticulture (UPH) includes all horticultural crops grown for human consumption and ornamental use within and in the immediate surroundings of cities. Although crops have always been grown inside the city, the practice is expanding and gaining more attention. adviser Rachel Mabie of the University of California Cooperative Extension. With most summer gardens spent, Valley area gardeners are gearing up for fall. ``Mid-September through October are the best time to plant,'' Mabie said. ``But really, you can plant fall crops all the way through February. ``Of course, you have to remember that as the soil gets cooler, the plants take longer to germinate and grow.'' Not every gardener has his taste buds taste buds taste npl → Geschmacksknospen pl in mind when he applies spade to soil. Blailock is thinking visually as he combs and sculpts the immaculately landscaped front yard of his Newbury Park home. The former opera singer gardens the way an artist paints - a backdrop of foliage, a splash of crimson, an audacious line of yellow - to orchestrate a picture that germinated in his head long before it grew in soil. His front yard is a piece of art, suitable for framing - or at least for photographing, as one of the area real estate companies did recently for use on the cover of their sales magazine. And the materials on his pallet are leaves and petals instead of paints or pastels. Chief among the summer colors are the soft reds and oranges of impatiens impatiens (ĭmpā`shēĕnz'): see jewelweed. impatiens Any of about 900 species of herbaceous plants in the genus Impatiens (balsam family), so named because the seedpod bursts when slightly touched. Garden balsam (I. , the area's top ornamental seller for as long as local nursery workers can remember. ``People like them because they're a very prolific bloomer,'' said Green Thumb's Hayton. Mixed in are the richer reds of begonias, the yellows of dwarf coreopsis coreopsis (kōrēŏp`sĭs), or tickseed, names for species of Coreopsis, a chiefly North American genus of the family Asteraceae (aster family). and marigolds, the whites of day lilies ... ``I guess I have about eight to 15 varieties of flowering annuals out front,'' Blailock said. ``I have maybe 10 perennial varieties. I change the annuals three or four times a year.'' Blailock said having lots of color not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed. See also: Color is the trend in ornamental gardens The Ornamental Gardens are located at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Once used as a test facility for the development of winter hardy roses, weigela and peonies it now acts as the steward to several large collections of these days. And he claims he was one of the first to forsake the low-maintenance landscape concept and go to color. ``Everything used to be junipers, junipers, junipers,'' Blailock said. ``Now color is No. 1.'' Klages, who owns Landscape Growers Nursery in Monterey Park Monterey Park, city (1990 pop. 60,738), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a growing residential suburb of Los Angeles; inc. 1916. It is a wholesale, retail, and financial services center. , has seen a lot of trends bloom and wilt in his long career. ``Back in the '40s, it was palm trees,'' he said. ``This is California, and everybody had to have palm trees - even though palm trees aren't native here.'' In the '50s and '60s, gardens of juniper and white rock came into fashion as homeowners in rapidly developing Southern California wanted low-maintenance yards around their new tract homes. ``They wanted to just put it in and then go do something else,'' Klages said. During the drought years, homeowners cut off watering and let all or most of their yard plants die. But in recent years, they've returned to the soil and are landscaping with an emphasis on colorful flowers in as many shades and hues as possible. ``Basically, they want anything that has a flower on it,'' Klages said. So it seems. Color in the front yard. And a few juicy red tomatoes out back. Top tomatoes, impatient impatiens We asked local nurseries and the University of California Cooperative Extension what the most popular vegetables and flowers are in the Valley area. Here they are, and how to grow them: Top 10 vegetables 1. Tomatoes 2. Summer squash 3. Bell peppers 4. Cucumbers 5. Melons 6. Green beans 7. Corn 8. Lettuce 9. Onions 10. Eggplant Top 10 ornamentals 1. Impatiens 2. Begonias 3. Petunias 4. Vinca Vin·ca n. A genus of evergreens usually found in the Eastern hemisphere. Vinca plant genus of Apocynaceae family; contains cardiac glycoside; causes diarrhea; includes V. major (blue periwinkle), V. 5. Marigolds 6. Roses 7. Dahlias 8. Lobelia lobelia (lōbēl`yə), any plant of the genus Lobelia, annual and perennial herbs of tropical and temperate woodlands and moist places. Most lobelias have blue or purple flowers on a long (1–4 ft/30–122 cm), leafy stem. 9. Dianthus Dianthus: see pink. 10. Shasta daisy If you want to grow with the flow, but don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how, try this: Tomatoes Tomatoes are hardy plants that will grow and produce almost in spite of you. And every dedicated gardener has a preferred way of caring for them. Though they can be grown from seed, Dave Hayton of Canoga Park's Green Thumb Nursery prefers to transplant tomatoes from six-packs of 4-inch sproutlings sold at his store. Hayton digs a hole, adds a little bone meal as a soil supplement to help the little plant's root production, puts the plant in and surrounds it with a soil dike Dike, in Greek religion and mythology Dike: see Horae. dike, in technology dike, in technology: see levee. dike Bank, usually of earth, constructed to control or confine water. to keep the water in. He recommends planting tomatoes in April when the last danger of frost has passed. As the plants grow, he puts a wire cage around them to support the stems above the ground. Some gardeners prefer to tie their plants up on single stakes. Others do nothing and simply let the plants sprawl. Tomatoes need less water than many other garden plants This is a partial list of garden plants, plants that can be cultivated in the garden, listed alphabetically by genus. See also:
A : Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ``Let them dry out almost to the point they wilt,'' he said. Then water them again, letting the water soak in long and deep. Plants started as 4-inch seedlings take about 40 days to begin to bear fruit. Impatiens By far the most popular of the bedding ornamentals, impatiens have earned their status for a variety of reasons. ``People like them because they're a prolific bloomer,'' Hayton said. ``They're a button type of flower and bloom in heavy clusters - and they'll bloom almost year-round for you.'' Impatiens prefer the shade, Hayton said, and should be planted from a nursery six-pack into a shaded part of the yard or garden in the spring when all frost danger has passed. Before planting, the soil should be amended with peat and perhaps some fish emulsion Fish emulsion is a fertilizer emulsion that is produced from the fluid remains of fish processed for fish oil and fish meal industrially. Since fish emulsion is naturally derived, it is considered appropriate for use in organic horticulture. if soil fertility is in doubt. ``Keep them wet and keep them out of the direct sun,'' Hayton said, ``and they'll do real well.'' SOURCE: - Bill Schlotter Nursery wares branching out The nursery business is growing. And while much of the growth falls in traditional areas - seeds, sproutling plants, tools, fertilizers - there are a few new wrinkles down at the garden center these days. Dave Hayton of Canoga Park's Green Thumb Nursery reports artificial granite rocks made from Fiberglas are selling well in the landscape market. ``They're costly, but people are willing to pay for them,'' he said. The bogus rocks come in sizes up to 6 feet tall, he said, and are used to achieve a natural, meadowlike look. And they are much lighter than real granite boulders. ``We've also got them in river rock or bouquet stone colors,'' he said. Assistant manager Frank McDonough has noticed a demand at the Armstrong Garden Center in Northridge for more organic products and has responded by bringing in more lines of organic fertilizers and pesticides. And as the cultural makeup of Southern California continues to change, the wants and needs of new immigrants are reflected on the shelves of most nurseries. ``We're getting more into Asian vegetables,'' McDonough said. ``We've got this stuff called Vietnamese coriander Vietnamese coriander (Persicaria odorata, syn. Polygonum odoratum, Polygonaceae) is an herb whose leaves are commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking. Other English names for the herb include Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese cilantro, . We've also got Thai hot peppers - dragon peppers they call them - that are extremely hot peppers. And bok choy bok choy or Chinese mustard Brassica chinensis, one of two types of Chinese cabbage. It has glossy dark green leaves and thick, crisp white stalks in a loose head. Its yellow-flowering centre is especially prized. See also brassica; mustard family. is getting more popular.'' SOURCE: - Bill Schlotter CAPTION(S): 8 Photos, 2 Boxes Photo: (1--Cover--Color) Four-year-old Grant Bo wers gets his first lesson in gardening from his mother, Betsy. (2) In Simi Valley, first-time gardener Betsy Bowers shows some acorn squash. Phil McCarten/Daily News (3) Bill Blailock's Newbury Park yard is a piece of art, suitable for framing - or at least for photographing, as a real estate company did recently for a magazine cover. Michael Owen Baker/Daily News (4) Jim Clarke is replacing the tomatoes, corn and squash of summer with fall crops such as potatoes, onions, cabbage and carrots in his spacious Northridge yard. (5) ``I love gardening,'' says Clarke, who learned at the knee of his father and his grandfather, market gardeners in Nottingham, England. ``I guess I just grew up with it.'' (6) Jim Clarke's garden produces most things one might find on the refrigerated shelves of the local supermarket. (7) Jim Clarke looks at the beets pulled from his garden. John McCoy/Daily News (8) no caption (Tomatoes) Box: (1) Top tomatoes, impatient impatiens (See Text) (2) Nursery wares branching out (See Text) |
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