Homegrown Revolution

In the Dirt

May is a busy time in the vegetable garden.  While madly weeding, harvesting, and maintaining spring crops, the avid gardener must forge ahead with the planting of righteous summer crops like tomatoes, beans, squash and more.

When planting heat-loving “solanacea” (tomatoes, eggplant & peppers) be sure that danger of frost has passed.  These sun lovers do not like nighttime temperatures below 50 degrees.  Check the 10-day forecast and if all looks good, drop your seedlings into rich planting holes full of yummy compost and mulch thoroughly after watering them in.  Companion crop your tomatoes with a fortress of African Marigolds.  These fragrant beauties will give off such a strong scent that the tomato horn worms will never find your precious crop.  An additional companion crop of aromatic basil will enhance the flavor of your fruits.  Basil comes in many flavors.  A couple of my personal favorites include Lime and Cinnamon, but good ol’ Italian basil cannot be beat.

When planting “cucurbits” (summer squash, cucumbers & winter squash) it is best to prepare rich mounds of compost and seed directly in them.  For cucumbers, mounds can be small and spaced a foot apart.  Plant three seeds in each mound.  Once your seedlings are three inches high, thin them down to the single healthiest specimen.  Do the same with summer & winter squash, but make your mounds larger and space them two to three feet apart depending on the crop variety.  Both cucumbers and summer squash can be seeded at the beginning of the month, but it is best to wait until later in the month to seed winter squash and pumpkins.  For extra pest protection, consider covering your seeded mounds with a white fabric called “floating row cover,” which can be found at serious gardening centers or farm suppliers.  This fabric will physically keep the pests from getting at your sensitive seedlings and can be removed once your plants start flowering. 

Last but not least, seed French filet beans in green, yellow and purple at the beginning of the month.  These are a bush variety and do not require trellising, however they only produce for two or three weeks and must be succession planted for an extended season.  Pole beans can be seeded on the 10th of May and will produce long into the fall. 


On the Plate
May marks the opening of many Farmers’ Markets around town which will be overflowing with homegrown seasonal delights.  Be sure to frequent many of them and get to know your local growers.  Keep an eye out for gourmet French Breakfast radishes with an elongated scarlet body and white tip as well as crisp Oasis salad turnips.  These tasty treats can be sliced thin for petite and sassy “tea party” sandwiches or arranged on a plate with French farmstead cheeses, deviled “free-range” eggs, edible nasturtium blossoms, and other delicious spring offerings. 

From the Field
This month’s farmer “shout-out” goes to Amy Lynn Bousman of Sub Rosa Sanctuary just north of Lawrence, KS.  Amy is an organic vegetable farmer, community herbalist, and homesteader extraordinaire.  She grows and processes an impressive variety of medicinal herbs and teaches classes in the art of plant-based medicine making and natural healing.  Check out Amy’s monthly herbal workshops in Lawrence & Kansas City at www.subrosasanctuary.com.