Edible Landscaping with Rosalind Creasy

Ordering Seeds for Your Edible Landscape

Rosalind Creasy — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:18:51 +0000

Three week old seedlings almost ready to plant in the garden

January is the perfect time to plan your spring and summer gardens. While there are many wonderful local nurseries around the country that offer a few racks of seeds and a limited number of edibles as transplants, I find the largest selection of ornamental edibles are available from mail-order and on-line seed companies. And when you order in January the companies are seldom sold out of some of the most popular choices.

I personally prefer to start the garden planning process by perusing paper catalogs. I put sticky notes on select pages to mark possible candidates, including varieties of seeds of both edibles and strictly ornamental flowers. In addition to the paper catalogs, I go on-line and check for transplant choices at chileplants.com, naturalgardening.com, and tastefulgarden.com. After I have limited my choices, always a painful process, I then go on line and order directly. I find on-line faster than ordering by mail and further, I can tell if the company is sold out and make adjustments to my final plan.

Baby red boc choi, chartreuse lettuces, and peacock feathered mustards are specialty vegetables started in my seed box

Most seed companies offer some varieties for the whole country but many specialize and choose the best varieties for a specific climate. I recommend that gardeners order from their closest seed companies when possible. Southerners from Southern seeds companies, West Coast gardeners from their region, and so on. The drop down “Other Useful Websites” under the Features section of this website contains is a very long list of seed companies and their links. In my book Edible Landscaping there is much information about these companies and many more, including their physical addresses, phone numbers, etc.

Golden zucchini from Renee's Garden Seeds is the star of my front border. In back are the burgundy leaves of purple orach, an heirloom variety from the Seed Savers Exchange.

I specifically recommend:

Generally, for cool and/or short climates in the Northeast and Northwest try Bountiful Gardens, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Nichols Garden Nursery, Pinetree Garden Seeds, and the Territorial Seed Company
For Southwestern gardens look to Native Seed Search, Plants of the Southwest, and Redwood City Seed Company
For Southeastern gardens try Southern Seed Exchange and Whillhite Seed Company.
For seed companies that are generalists with many great varieties look to Burpee’s, Cook’s Garden, and Renee’s Garden Seeds
And finally check the website list for specialists like companies that carry mostly tomatoes, or heirlooms, and herbs specialists to round out your choices.

My containers are filled with special varieties of vegetables. In the large barrel there are plants of bush 'Henderson' lima beans climbing among the black-eyed-susan-vine, and a 'Super Bush' tomato overflows its container.

Edible Gardening Questions: Low Water Edibles

Rosalind Creasy — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:36:53 +0000

Ros frequently receives emails from her readers. In the new Edible Gardening Questions posts, she will publish some of her answers so that we can all benefit from her experience!

Question:

Hi, I live in San Diego where water is in limited supply. My hubby and I took out our front lawn and planted low- water, drought tolerant plants. I would like to add some edibles to my front yard. I have rosemary, lavender and artichoke. Can you recommend some other low-water edibles suitable to coastal San Diego? -Loc

Answer:

I’m so glad you want to grow a few more edibles! As far as drought tolerant edibles are concerned, there are a number of aspects to be considered. The fact is, every time you grow an edible plant and harvest from it, you are saving water. The home gardener uses far less water than the farmer does. It’s not obvious to the average gardener, but I actually occasionally lecture for the Denver Water Company and the State of New Mexico concerning ways to save water in the global sense, not just at the end of your own hose. When you harvest lettuce from your garden you save 3 or 4 times the amount of water that the farmer and the grocery store would use to grow, water, harvest, wash, and keep fresh that head of lettuce.
You stated that you grow rosemary, lavender, and artichokes, which is great, the rosemary and lavender are drought tolerant, but to grow tender artichokes it actually takes a fair amount of water. You didn’t state how close you are to the ocean, but as you are in USDA Zone 10, if you are more than 10 miles away and not in a cool fog pocket, you could grow the drought tolerant plants: figs; pomegranates; pineapple guava; and the Mediterranean herbs, oregano, fennel, sage, sweet bay, and thyme. Another way to save water is to grow super productive edibles like: lemons, strawberries, tomatoes, summer squash/zucchini, chard, peppers, collards, lettuce, and kale, and basil in the summer and cilantro in the winter. Just think of all the trips to the grocery store those would eliminate. These plants give you a large harvest for the water used.

*posted by Jean Ann Van Krevelen

Remembering Our Loved Ones: Cemetery Plantings

Rosalind Creasy — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:15:19 +0000

Early June I visited my in-law’s grave site in Honesdale, PA. My Aunt Flo, cousin Gale Gammerdinger, and I were all frustrated to find that the marigolds that Flo had planted there Memorial Day had been eaten down to 1/2“ stubs. Was it deer or rabbits, or both–in either case they didn’t leave a single leaf. What to do? I put on my landscape designer hat and said, “Why don’t we plant some culinary herbs instead of annual flowers?” And they thought it was a great idea. We went to the nursery and I chose two oreganos, one a golden one and two variegated ones; a purple variegated sage; and an English thyme. Not only would they look beautiful, but there’s a good chance they might make it through the winter and not need to be replaced every year. Flo and a friend were able to plant them the next week and made sure they were kept watered.

photo by David Mill

For years I have planted culinary herbs in my clients gardens when they have critter problems. Deer, rabbits, chipmunks, and woodchucks seem to avoid these intensely fragrant plants. And while it’s a bit unusual to plant them in cemeteries, I knew that my mother-in-law wouldn’t mind this choice in front of their gravestone as she had helped me type my first manuscript for The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping. She was a fan of edible landscaping!

A month later I contacted Gale and asked for an update. She sent along this photo with a note that the oreganos on each end look slightly cut back. So now the question is: are the cuts nibbles by critters or sloppy weed whacker damage? We don’t know yet. We do know that the sage, golden oregano and thyme seem to be untouched. Tune in, we’re going to keep an eye on this planting and follow it until we know for sure. Culinary might be the answer for many families who lose their cemetery flower plantings on a regular basis. Who knows, harvesting a few herbs may give us another excuse to visit with loved ones.

Seed Savers Annual Campout 2011

Rosalind Creasy — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:29:29 +0000

by Jean Ann Van Krevelen

Right now, Ros is at the 31st Annual Seed Savers Campout. In fact, Ros is a member of the board for the Seed Savers Exchange and thoroughly supports their efforts to save and share heirloom seeds. If you aren’t familiar with SSE, I highly recommend you head over to their site and take a look at the gorgeous edibles you can grow from the seeds they offer. Without a doubt, I am most excited to receive their catalog every winter.

Each year, SSE hosts a campout. In addition to being a wonderful time, it’s packed with heirloom experts from across the country. Here’s a bit about the event:

“It’s time to put down your hoe, scrape the mud off your boots and leave your garden behind for a few days for the Seed Savers Exchange Annual Conference & Campout, Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17.

We’ve invited all of the Seed Savers Exchange advisors to the farm this year–experts in their respective fields who regularly advise SSE on a range of horticultural and policy topics, people like Clive Blazey from The Digger’s Club in Australia and Suzanne Ashworth, from California, the author of the classic book “Seed to Seed.”

Herb and Flower Garden at SSE

Ros is speaking several times about edible landscaping. Just a few of the other topics include:

Apple Bud Grafting by Lindsey Lee
Dry Seed Cleaning by Will Bonsall
Herbs, Plain and Fancy by Ira Wallace
Heritage Poultry by Glenn Drowns
Selecting Varieties for Seed Saving by Suzanne Ashworth
Garden Photography by Christa Neu

If you are interested in heirloom edibles and seed saving, you should plan on attending next year’s campout. You’ll have a great time and build great relationships within the community.

tee pee of runner beans, 'Sunset' and under planted with 'Bull's Blood' beets

Edible Landscaping Receives AHS Book Award

Rosalind Creasy — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:59:27 +0000

by Jean Ann Van Krevelen

Recently, Rosalind attended the American Horticultural Society’s Annual Award Ceremony, where she received an award for Edible Landscaping (Sierra Club). You can see just how excited she is to be given this honor!

She was in great company with the three other winners: Armitage’s Vines and Climbers by Allan Armitage (Timber Press), From Art to Landscape by W. Gary Smith, Timber Press, and Gardening for a Lifetime by Sydney Eddison, Timber Press.

If you’d like to learn more about the AHS Book Awards, they offer a downloadable PDF, complete with reviews of each book. And, if you’d like to learn more about the American Horticultural Society, head over to their website to learn more. Here’s a quick look at their mission:

For nearly a century, the American Horticultural Society has been a major force for good in America. Our mission – blending education, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship with the art and science of horticulture – makes us a unique national organization.

Basils for Your Edible Landscape

Rosalind Creasy — Thu, 19 May 2011 02:07:01 +0000

In most parts of the country it is now time to plant basil. Yippee! Like many cooks, basil is my favorite herb in the kitchen, and as luck would have it, it’s completely versatile in the garden too. There are dozens of different varieties–ones with red foliage, ruffled ones, columnar types, and even miniature plants with tiny leaves. A few even have different flavors including the lemon, mint, and anise basils.

On the left in back is Holy basil, the chartruese ruffled plant is basil 'Green Ruffles', the red basil is 'Red Ruben' and the basil with small leaves on the right side is 'Mrs. Burns Lemon' basil

Basil plants grow well in containers, can be used among annuals in a flower border, and the miniature varieties can line an herb garden path or be used in decorative patterns. Whether your garden is formal or informal, it can always benefit from a few basil plants. Purchase plants at local nurseries now or order them on line. If you have a long summer season you still have time to start your basil from seeds.

Below are a few ideas to get you started on your basil adventure.

'Red Ruben' and 'Mrs. Burns Lemon' basil alternate with dwarf species zinnias in a garden border at the Kendall-Jackson winery

Mamma chicken sits surrounded by her "hens and chicks" framed by a diamond of lemon and lime thymes. For a culinary bonus, there is an outer border of the dwarf basil, 'Spicy Globe'

Basils in beautiful containers, such as these variegated 'Pesto Perpetuo' are perfect for a formal entry and give off a gentle perfume as visitors brush by

Edible Landscaping Sold Out – More Coming Soon!

Rosalind Creasy — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:20:49 +0000

My updated book Edible Landscaping took off like a rocket this past November, selling out of current stock in less than a month. We are expecting a new shipment the first week of February. There are a few copies still available at Barnes and Noble and seedsavers.org and burpee.com. You can also place an order on Amazon by clicking on the photo below and it will ship out once the stock arrives.

Washington Post Article on Rosalind Creasy

Rosalind Creasy — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 08:37:39 +0000

Be sure the read the latest Washington Post article on Rosalind Creasy, and her lifelong work in the field of edible landscaping.

‘Edible Landscaping’ pioneer Rosalind Creasy eschews grass for vegetables

(Link)

My book was also recommended in the Washington Post as one of the best landscape design and gardening books available. (Link)

Edible Landscaping in the LA Times

Rosalind Creasy — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:49:57 +0000

A recent review/interview about my new Edible Landscaping book in the LA Times HERE.

Seed Savers 2010 Annual Campout

Rosalind Creasy — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:57:23 +0000

The Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa has been a part of my life since the late 70s when I, and a lot of other worried American gardeners, became aware that many of the old time vegetable and fruit varieties were rapidly disappearing. At that time, most of the major seed companies were offering more and more modern hybrids and fewer heirloom, open-pollinated varieties. (Hybrid varieties are created by crossing two proprietary varieties, thus creating a new variety with selected characteristics. Gardeners cannot save the seeds of this new variety because the offspring will not be the same as the parent. In contrast, open-pollinated varieties, can reproduce themselves and under most circumstances the gardener can save the seeds from year to year. ) To help preserve these old varieties, in 1975 Kent and Diane Whealy founded the Seed Savers Exchange, and a few years later were inspired to have a campout for other seed enthusiasts to gather and share seeds and information.

In late July, I and about a thousand other heirloom seed enthusiasts, attended the Seed Savers Annual Campout to celebrate their35 years. We gathered to swap old varieties of seeds, attend seminars on seed saving and fruit tree pruning, and learn how to cook favorite heirlooms. In the last few years, saving heritage breeds of chickens, geese, turkeys, and ducks has been added to the organization’s goals, and courses on raising poultry were added to the agenda. And because a significant anniversary is a great time to reflect, the group sessions celebrated the early seed savers that collected so many hundreds of old varieties and the founding members that started a movement that has influenced seed savers around the world.

The Seed Savers anniversary cake was enjoyed by hundreds of campout attendees. It was primarily a carrot cake, which seemed very fitting, plus a chocolate layer for good measure.

My grandson Alex Chavarin, assisted me as I gave a number of presentations on raising chickens in the home garden. The hen I’m holding is an unusal White Crested Black Polish.

Five of the speakers at the Seed Saver’s Campout gathered to sign their books and greet their fans. From left to right: Maria Rodale, chairman of Rodale Press; yours truly, Ethne Clarke, editor-in-chief of Organic Gardening magazine; Amy Goldman, author and chairman of the Seed Savers Board of Directors; and Deborah Madison, member of the Seed Savers Board and vegetarian cookbook author extraordinaire.

To learn more about the Seed Savers Exchange, join the organization, and/or purchase seeds of heirloom varieties visit www.seedsavers.org