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Welcome to Spring 2009 Newsletter
Spring is almost here—
Of course, I am hoping that spring is here sooner than
later this year. There is soooo much to do outside and
it is so much easier to do it in warmer weather. This
past fall we decided that our garden sales area needed a
new roof and our old wagon shed needed new siding and
usable doors for access to our greenhouse supplies.
Here is a picture of the “aftermath” of construction so
you can see the reason we need some early spring days to
get some order brought to Alloway!
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Seeds are being sown in their cellar cave—that’s right
down in the dark ancient cellar. The grow lights and
the bottom heat are plugged in; seed germination now
seems almost too predictable but becomes a miracle when
the first green sprouts emerge. Starting seeds is such
a primitive occupation but the advantage of bottom heat
and fluorescent light gives the ability of temperature
control. We actually did have a hotbed at the farm; one
that was constructed like a cold frame but used horse
manure and a layer of straw and then garden soil to
start seeds. The manure was fresh and when it heated it
did germinate all kinds of seeds including weeds. The
main advantage was non dependence on the electric grid
but it was hard work and the heat was not consistent.
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Cherokee Tomato-Basil |
Some of the seeds that we regularly germinate in
the cellar are annual and perennial herbs and
flowers. This year we are adding more heirloom
tomato plants. Last year a customer brought us
a tomato plant, Cherokee Purple that we planted
in the Outhouse Garden and babied through the
dry season. I think it was one of the most
flavorful tomatoes that I have ever tasted along
with the wonderful Pineapple tomato, golden
yellow with red stripes. Yumm---add some fresh
Basil and you have a taste sensation! Along
with the veggies don’t forget that growing fresh
herbs and drying them for winter usage is one of
the most cost effective advantages of planting a
garden.
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The Herb of the Year is the Sweet Bay, Laurus nobilis.
It is not hard to grow in a container and fresh bay
leaves will always be available. I will be giving a
presentation on the Bay at the Pennsylvania Herb
Festival in York, PA on Friday, April 17 at 1:45 pm and
again on Saturday, April 18 at 8:15am. Check out some
recipes featuring
Bay and Basil here.
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One of our favorite annuals,
Nicotiana (Flowering
Tobacco) caught the attention of
the National Garden Bureau
declaring 2009 The Year of the
Nicotiana! We love the
fragrance of the tall white
flowering tobacco and we will be
sure to have a nice selection of
other old-fashioned flowers that
offer fragrance and color for
your garden. |
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On the perennial scene, this year
started off on a difficult note when one
of our main suppliers of perennial
plants decided to go out of the
wholesale business. But adversity
sometimes leads to a fresh start and I
believe that has happened. We found
some new suppliers that work with small
nursery businesses and in doing so we
will be able to offer some delightful
new plants that will do well in the
Mid-Atlantic area. Some of these “new”
perennials you will see at Alloway
include a perennial northern Pampas
grass, Erianthus Ravennae, a
wonderful re-blooming Salvia
‘Caradonna, and a variegated
Buddleia ‘Harlequin’ with hot reddish
purple flowers along with a selection of
other hard to find perennials. |
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