The Orchard Online News: September 10, 2009

Edition 9.37

September 10, 2009

Master Nursery

CCN Pro

Lafayette
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4010 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Lafayette, CA 94549

Dr. Earth LIFE™ PRO-BIOTIC™ All-purpose Fertilizer

Same great Pro-Biotic formula with Beneficial Soil Microbes and Mycorrihizae. Easy-to-use homogenous pellets can be broadcast on top of soil. Fast, long-lasting results. Starts feeding in 7 to 10 days, lasts for months. Certified organic.

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Don’t miss the Lazy K's END-OF-SUMMER Sale

It’s time to make way for the exciting Fall items we are unpacking now. We need the room, so you get the benefit of some amazing markdowns!

Le Cadeaux dishwear: 25%
Summer Acrylic Stemware: 50%
Children’s hats and swimwear: 50%
Caspari paper products, summer patterns: 50%
Gourmet: 2 for 1
Summer coats and tops: 75%

There is so much more to look forward to this time of year than cold weather, clean-up chores, and heaping piles of green waste. It’s a great time to procreate!

We’ve been deadheading flowers and picking vegetables all summer to keep them coming, but now is the time to let some of your favorites fulfill their desires. Help them procreate by saving their seeds for planting next spring. Some of the easiest summer seeds to save are beans, cosmos, zinnias, tomatoes, sunflowers, and zucchini.

September and October’s warm days make it an ideal time to plant cool season flowers and vegetables from seed. Lettuce, spinach, chard, cabbage, peas, Brussels sprouts, violas, pansies, and kale are some of the easiest to germinate.

Tips for Planting Seeds

Plant seeds in cell packs – it saves time and frustration.
Thoroughly saturate the soil before and after sowing seed.
Tend to your babies every single day.
Use the “mist” setting on the sprayer until plants sprout, to avoid knocking the seeds out of the soil. Make several passes.
Water in the morning, not in the evening.
Never let them dry out. Soil must stay evenly moist.
Locate your nursery where it receives morning sun and afternoon shade.
Thin out crowded plants when they’re large enough to handle.

Paydirt on sale. Buy 3 get 1 free. A unique blend of chicken manure, redwood sawdust, peat moss and mushroom compost.

Adds organic matter to the soil. It helps loosen hard soils, improves water and root penetration and enhances the bacterial action in the soil. Mix into the soil prior to planting flowers, vegetables and shrubs or use as a top cover for newly seeded lawns. Paydirt is perfect for starting your cool season vegetable gardens. One bag will cover 12 square feet if you are adding a 2 inch layer of amendment to your vegetable garden. If you are top-covering a newly seeded lawn, one bag will cover about 96 square feet. Available in 2 cubic feet bags for $8.99. Buy 3 bags and get the 4th for free!

Pull weeds now and put them in the recycle bin, not the compost pile. Get rid of those seed heads before they start dropping seeds!
Take care of tired perennials…deadhead spent flowers.
Prepare beds for cool season vegetables.
Last, but certainly not least, PRUNE MOPHEAD AND LACECAP HYDRANGEAS NOW!!! If you have a hydrangea that flowers blue or pink it’s probably a mophead hydrangea (and some white), unless it’s an Endless Summer Hydrangea. Mophead and lacecap hydrangeas set their buds in the fall, so if you prune them in the winter when you prune other plants, like roses and fruit trees, you will be pruning off next year’s flowers! The number one reason hydrangeas don’t bloom is because the buds were cut off in late fall or winter. So prune them now! (They only need to be pruned if you are controlling the size. Otherwise, just cut off spent flowers and cut out dead wood.)

Last Week's Question: What is the world's largest orchid?

Correct Answer: The largest orchid is generally agreed to be Grammatophyllum speciosum. It can weigh up to 2,000 pounds or 900 kilograms and is reputed to produce up to 10,000 flowers on a mature plant in nature. The pseudobulbs reach 10 feet or 3 meters in height with leaves along
the full length. The species is found in Malaysia, the Solomon Islands, Sumatra, the Philippines, Papua and New Guinea.

See it here.

Prize Winner: Debbie Medvin has won a $10 Orchard Nursery gift certificate. Congratulations! Gift certificates are to be picked up within two weeks of winning. Winner must bring an ID to the nursery to claim the prize. Prize must be picked up in person. Employees are not eligible for this contest. Please stay tuned for another question next week!

Quick Garden Marinara Suace and Basil Pasta

What you need:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh carrot,shredded
1/3 cup fresh onion, shredded
1/3 cup fresh zucchini, seeded and shredded
1/4 cup fresh green pepper, shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
6 cups shaped pasta (fusilli, campanella, gemelli or conchiglie), cooked and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Step by Step:

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat.
Add shredded carrot, onion, zucchini and green pepper; sauté until soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Add minced garlic; sauté for an additional 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
Add chopped tomatoes; cook until thoroughly heated (about 2-5 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Add cooked pasta and basil, cheese, salt and pepper; toss ingredients gently to combine.

Yield: 6 servings

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