As you read this, May is already half gone. Some brave souls have already transplanted their tomatoes trying to cheat nature. According to the forecast, the nights should stay above freezing for the next two weeks but the forecasts have been wrong before. When it comes to transplanting tomatoes, it used to be May 24 and gradually became the long weekend. However, the long weekend sometimes is early and coincides with a late frost just like last year. Let’s hope this year will be different. I might take a chance myself.
I tried to plant some radishes according to the moon phases but only the quails will know the results. They also cleaned out the new growth on my carrots and now I have to cage everything or I will not have much of a harvest. The deer also have munched on the raspberry canes and Tom had to make a new enclosure for my “Saskatoon Forest.” They chopped some of the branches but things will survive I hope.
Somebody wanted to know how to get rid of dandelions without harmful chemicals. Most people view the dandelion as a common lawn pest. But in other places and other times, it has been valued as a source of food and medicine. The bees love the flowers and they make a very tasty wine especially if it has a chance to age for a couple of years. The bright yellow flowers can be minced and added to butters and spreads for colour. The leaves are used as greens for a very early salad and the older leaves are steamed or sautéed like spinach. The leaves are also used in herbal baths and facial steams. In many parts of the world, dandelion roots are roasted as a coffee substitute. Left to grow near fruit trees, they are part of companion planting. You can also make a game of it. Set a quota of 100 plants per day. One point for the ones in blooms and 2 points for the ones with just the buds. When you have 5,000 points, go and buy a very special plant. This way you will always welcome the dandelions in your garden. If they didn’t grow on their own, you would be buying them at the plant store.
I would like to share a few tips as you are starting to plant your gardens. Plants are like people. Sometimes you like somebody right away and other times, it is more difficult.
Bush beans planted in alternate rows with potatoes protect each other from insects. Bush beans also do well with cucumbers and are a good companion to strawberries. Pole beans do well with corn but they also have some pronounced dislikes such as kohlrabi and sunflower. Beets do not grow well with them but are fine with bush beans. Beebalm (Monarda) improves both the growth and flavor of tomatoes. Borage is an excellent provider of organic potassium, calcium and other natural minerals. Grow this herb in orchards and as a border for strawberry beds. Just make sure the borage remains the junior partner. Borage is said to strengthen the resistance to insects and disease of any plants neighboring it. Honeybees like to feast on the blossoms. The leaves are used raw, steamed or sautéed like spinach. The blue, star-shaped blossoms have a sweet taste and are very pretty as garnish. Sweet basil is a good companion for tomatoes. It repels mosquitoes and flies and when laid over tomatoes in a serving bowl will deter fruit flies.
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Jocelyne Sewell is The Morning Star’s gardening columnist, whose column appears every other Wednesday.
