Robbins Farm Garden

A Cooperative Learning Project

The Huge Health Benefits of the Reticent Radish

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Re:  Acidity, Asthma, Blood Circulation, Bronchitis, Cancer, Constipation, Dyspepsia, Gall Bladder, Gall Stones, Gallstones, Gastric Problems, Headache, Headaches, Insect Bites, Jaundice, Kidney, Kidney Disorder, Kidney Infections, Leucoderma, Liver, Nausea, Obesity, Piles, Respiratory Problems, Skin Care, Skin Infections, Skin Problems, Sore Throat, Urinary Tract, Weight Loss

Radish, the well-known salad ingredient, is a juicey root crop, pungent or sweet in taste. Radishes can be white, red, purple or black, long-cylindrical or spherical in shape. They are eaten raw, cooked or pickled. The oil obtained from the seeds is also used. The other parts of radish which are consumed are the leaves, the flowers, the seed pods and the seeds. The scientific name of radish is Raphanus Sativus, which belongs to the Brassicaceae family. Radish is also known as Daiken in some parts of the world.

For the huge health benefits of relishing radishes, click here.

Spined Soldier Bug on Patrol in the Robbins Farm Garden!

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On Saturday morning, July 14th, I discovered this 1/4-inch long, light-orange colored bug on the basil.  It proved difficult to photograph, since it really didn’t like to stand still.  However Alan, being very patient, finally captured these two shots — one for close-up detail, and the other with my hand for scale.

   

After many hours of searching the internet, I am now convinced that what I found is the nymph stage of a type of Stink Bug — the Spined Soldier Bug, Podisus maculiventris.  While many types of Stink Bugs are exceedingly damaging to many food crops in the U.S., this particular bug is actually beneficial because it’s a predator.  It kills other insects by literally sucking the life out of them!  

So, this is one of the good guys!  It’s a good thing that we don’t need to get rid of this bug, as stink bugs are very difficult to control, both organically and conventionally!

 

 

For more info on Spined Soldier Bugs:
1.  http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/bugs/stinkbugs/stinkbugs.htm#nymph

2.  http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2010/08/02/immature-predatory-stink-bug-eats-monarch-caterpillar/

3.  http://bugguide.net/node/view/237854

4.  http://stinkbugsguide.net/infestation.htm

5.  http://www.motherearthnews.com/blogs/blog.aspx?id=142346&LangType=1033&blogid=1502

 

Flower Sprouts: Kale and Brussels Sprouts Announce a “Love Child”

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Chief Gardening Officer Mike Smith recently made us aware of Flower Sprouts, called the first new vegetable in 10 years, a cross between Kale and Brussels Sprouts. (See Mike’s post). At Mike’s suggestion we decided to try them in the Garden this year.


Flower Sprouts thriving in the Robbins Farm Garden, with proud parents Kale and Brussels Sprouts (not shown) close at hand.

Reportedly, the Flower Sprout was developed by Tozer Seeds, a family-owned business in Surrey, UK and was first introduced in 2010. Both an owner and a senior plant breeder from Tozer expressed pride to the press over this first new vegetable in a decade. Apparently, this enthusiasm is not shared by everybody in the UK, with the Daily Mail announcing “A New Vegetable for Your Children to Hate“. Even the BBC Surrey reporter interviewing the Tozer Seeds representatives seemed to be trying to overcome her timidity over veggies to faintly praise the Flower Sprout although Dr Frankenstein probably thought the same about his little project, the Flower Sprout is different.

Far from being some sort of hybrid monster, it has been developed over the last ten years using traditional breeding techniques…….. It has a Brussels sprout-like growing habit with its tall stem and rosettes forming all the way up to a frilly-leaved top. A bit like one of the more imaginative hats you see at Ascot Ladies Day. And its appeal may go further than just the aesthetic. Brussels Sprout haters around the world could possibly be won over by its milder, sweeter flavour. But for those of you who, like me, are of a nervous disposition and get easily frightened by funny shaped vegetables, be warned! “Funny-shaped”? We would take issue with that description, but, of course, we Robbins Farm Gardeners are particularly enthusiastic and welcoming to our veggies, be they “old standbys” or exotic newcomers. As the reporter notes, Flower Sprouts grow in a stalk like Brussels Sprout, but the “sprouts” remain open, forming small curly leaves like Kale. And, they’re a lovely deep green and purple. Many of us are excited for them to be ready to harvest but we hope you will come visit them in our Garden first.

The Many Uses of Garden Fabric, or Row Cover

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Garden fabric, aka row cover or floating row cover, can be very handy to have on hand in your garden, as it can serve many purposes! 

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Garden fabric can . . .

     *  slow evaporation from a plant and its surrounding soil

     *  act as a thermal barrier, protecting plants from the cold and the wind

     *  help to shade the plants, protecting them from overheating

     *  prevent insect damage, by keeping munching insects away from the plants

     *  stop birds and other critters from helping themselves to your harvest

     *  control pollination, in case you want to try very specific cross-pollination experiments

Available in different thicknesses, the heavier garden fabrics are better in the colder months (for heat retention), while the lighter fabrics are a much better choice when the weather gets hot. 

Also, remember that many vegetable and fruit crops require cross-pollination and, since the fabric will limit access to the plants’ flowers, pollination must be done by hand, or the fabric must be removed for an hour or two each day to allow pollinators to do their job.  Once pollination has taken place, the row cover may be left in place to protect the maturing crops.

In some cases, garden fabric should be cut into strips, and the strips wrapped around the stems of plants to protect them from boring-type insects.  E.g., most types of squash are susceptible to attack by the squash vine borer (SVB).  As the name states, the SVB (in its large caterpillar form) bores its way into the main stem of squash plants, and then eats its way through the stem, usually until the plant wilts and dies.  This attack may be prevented with a garden fabric wrapping of the stem.  The best time to apply garden fabric in this manner is before a seedling is put in the ground.  Start wrapping the stem about an inch below ground level, and wrap it all the way to the top, avoiding the side branches as you go.  As the plant grows, more fabric may be added, and the fabric already in place may need to be loosened to avoid restricting growth of the stem.  In this way, the stem is protected from vine borers, but the entire plant does not have to be covered, thereby using much less fabric.

For more info on this very versatile tool, see:  www.gardeners.com/Row-Covers/5111,default,pg.html

Stars for the Bees

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A newcomer this year to our herb garden is unexpectedly boisterous and intriguing: The herb borage joined one of our two herb beds at the end of April, when we redug and redesigned them. It’s already a hearty bush, about three feet tall and right now in heavy bloom. Known also as "starflower", its blooms appear on the plant in both blue and pink versions–apparently younger and older flowers. The honey bees are enjoying the plant immensely; the plant is known for producing good honey, and we’re always happy to see pollinators in the garden. We’re just learning about borage, since it isn’t commonly found in North American herb gardens. It’s a probable native of North Africa that has spread across Europe, Asia Minor, the Mediterranean, and South America. Borage is apparently easy to grow from seed, but we acquired our plant from Mahoney’s; it’s an annual that is said to reseed itself easily, so we won’t need to shop for it next year.

We might have made more of the plant’s role in companion planting, had we known: it repels tomato hornworms if planted with tomatoes–and cabbage worms when planted with brassicas (hurray!). The plant debris is also a helpful mulch; it contains high levels of calcium and potassium which help the setting of fruit for all fruits and vegetables.

The whole plant is edible, the leaves having a cucumber flavor (I can vouch for that, though the fuzziness of the leaves is a little odd on the tongue), the blooms somewhat honey-sweet; the flower is often used to decorate desserts as it is one of very few truly blue-colored edible substances. It can be used both as a fresh vegetable (in salads and soups) and as a dried herb (in tea).

Beyond its kitchen garden uses, the plant’s seed oil is a rich source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid found chiefly in vegetable oils. This fatty acid is found as a dietary supplement said to treat inflammation and auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Finally, borage is a traditional garnish in the Pimms Cup cocktail, the expected beverage at your neighborhood polo match or Wimbledon.

A quality we will not test, though it would have been timely on the 4th, is due to the plant containing nitrate of potash; when burned, the plant throws sparks with a tiny explosive sound.

Sources:

Grieve, M. (Maud) (1931). Borage. In A Modern Herbal. Retrieved from http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/borage66.html

Klein, Carol (2009, January 23). Star Turn. Retrieved July 9, 2012, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/24/carol-klein-borage

Borage. (2012, June 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved23:31, July 9, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Borage&oldid=499739160

Biocontrol of Cucumber Beetle Larvae (an organic solution)

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A living organism that can be used to control pests and/or diseases is called a “biocontrol.”  The following web sites all sell (or have a list of sellers of) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, a parasitic nematode (microscopic worm), that enters and destroys the larvae of the cucumber beetle.  It is effective against some other larvae, as well.

1.  http://greenmethods.com/site/shop/buy-bugs/3/
2.  http://www.fertilizeronline.com/nematodes.php
3.  http://www.bugladyconsulting.com/Suppliers%20of%20beneficial%20insects.htm

And for more info on insect parasitic (i.e., “beneficial”) nematodes:  http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/nematodes/

Buying beneficial nematodes can be a bit pricey, especially for a smaller-sized garden, so you may want to try buying them and sharing the expense with other gardening neighbors, (which is always a good idea, anyway, since this helps to eliminate the pest from your entire neighborhood, not just your yard !), or you may want to try a different, less expensive solution first, e.g., the Burpee cucumber beetle trap.  However, these nematodes will eliminate some other pests besides the cucumber beetle, while the traps (I believe) are very target insect-specific.

Note:  Nematodes and other treatments that control the Striped Cucumber Beetle are equally effective against the Spotted Cucumber Beetle.

Spotted Cucumber Beetle (adult)

 [See journal entry, below, for more info regarding the Cucumber Beetle.]