Connecticut Garden Journal

If you've ever been to a Japanese restaurant, chances are you've seen or eaten edamame. Edamame is a selection of soybeans that are harvested young when the green seeds fill out the pod similar to peas. You eat the seeds and the flavor is buttery and delicious. You can buy frozen edamame at grocery stores, but the flavor of fresh edamame is better.

If you can grow bush beans, you can grow edamame. Edamame thrives in warm soil so now is a great time to plant. We grow ours on a raised beds amended with compost. Edamame is a legume so it fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere into a food it can use. The soil should be well drained and loose since cold, heavy soils can cause the seeds to rot.

'Envy' is a quick maturing variety, but my go to variety is 'Midori Giant'. This variety has large pods with 3 seeds per pod. Space plants about 4- to 6-inches apart. Watch for slugs when the plants are young. Control them by hand picking the mollusks or spreading an organic bait that contains iron phosphate.

Harvest when the pods fill out and are plump, but before the pods turn yellow. We often just steam the pods in salty water and eat them as a snack. But they're also great cooked with other vegetables, in potato salads, and as a topping on summer salads.

We companion plant kale between our edamame rows, so that once the edamame is harvested we chop down the plants and leave them as mulch around the kale. The kale thrives as a fall veggie.

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Now that the lilacs and other spring flowering shrubs have finished flowering, it's time to prune. Many gardeners delay pruning until later in summer, or even next spring, but that's wrong. Pruning late will remove the flower buds for next year's show. After spring flowering shrubs, such as lilacs, forsythia, rhododendrons, weigela, nineback and bridal wreath spirea have finished blooming, you have about 4- to 6-weeks to prune before flowers form for next year.

These shrubs don't have to be pruned every year unless they're growing too large. Then you have a few options. You can remove some of the new growth down to a height you want. If you don't take off too much new growth, the plants will still flower next year. Doing this pruning yearly is a good way to keep a tall and wide growing shrub, such as lilac, from getting too large. Of course, if planted in a yard or location where it can grow to its maximum size, your shrubs will be magnificent when in flower.

The other method is to severely prune the shrub to reduce the size and lower where the flowers are forming. This drastic cutting, sometimes to only a few feet tall, will result in no flowers for a few years until the shrub recovers, but will create a smaller, more manageable plant. Another way of approaching a tall lilac, for example, is to prune one third of the stems each year for 3 years. This will stimulate new shoots or suckers to grow that will eventually flower while reducing the height and still getting some flowers each year.

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With summer here, it's time to experiment with some unusual, warm weather loving vegetables. One unique veggie I've tried growing for a few years now is peanuts. These nuts taste even better than store bought ones when grown in your garden.

Peanuts are commonly grow in warmer climates, such as the Southeast, where well-drained soil, heat and humidity provide the perfect conditions for these ground nuts. But peanuts are native to South America and can grow in a variety of climates, including New England, with a little coaxing.

Peanuts are legumes and have a unique way of making nuts. The bushy, pea-like plants have small yellow flowers that are easy to miss. These flowers get pollinated and form a peg or stem that drills into the soil around the plant. It's at the end of this peg in the soil where the peanut forms.

Peanuts need at least 100 days of warmth, sun and moisture to form a crop. Look for quicker maturing varieties, such as 'Tennessee Red Valencia' and 'Schronce's Black' Spanish type, to grow. Plant in full sun on loose soil, amended with compost and organic fertilizer. Plant now hoping that by late August you'll get peanuts forming before the night time temperatures dip into the 40Fs and peanuts stop growing.

I've grown peanuts on an elevated raised bed to enhance the warmth and protect the nuts from mice. It worked, but last summer was cloudy and cool so I only got a handful of peanuts. This year I'm trying again in a new, unheated greenhouse where I hope the extra warmth will lead to extra peanuts.

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Most vegetable gardeners are familiar with the benefits of growing veggies vertically. Certainly we know peas and pole beans love to climb. Tall varieties of peas, such as 'Tall Telephone' and 'Sugar Snap', climb up a trellis or fence with ease. Pole beans like to wrap around a pole or support as they grow.

But there are other veggies that can also be grown vertically to save space and reduce disease and insect damage. Some summer squash, zucchini and winter squash varieties can be trained to grow up. Old summer squash varieties, such as 'Yellow Crookneck', and new zucchini varieties, such as 'Incredible Escalator', can be attached with Velcro brand plant ties to a fence and trained to stay off the ground. This gives you better yields on cleaner fruits. Even small-sized, winter squash varieties, such as 'Delicata' and 'Climbing Honey Nut' butternut, can also be grown this way. You can even construct a hog wire fence tunnel to grow heavier, vining, winter squash beauties.

The vining Italian summer squash, 'Trombocino', is one of my personal favorites. This vine grows quickly up a fence, covering it with squash leaves. Come mid summer the fruits form and can grow very long. But they're best eaten when less than 3 feet long. The long, thin, neck is seedless and ends with a bulb on the bottom. It has dense flesh and a nutty flavor.

If you want to try some exotic fruits, bitter melon or squash is an Indian vegetable I grow. It produces warty, green skinned fruits with a slight bitter flavor. It also grows quickly up a fence or trellis.

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As the weather warms, I'm starting to think about basil. It's a bit early to plant basil, but it is a good time to shop for plants and seeds of some of the more unusual basil varieties.

While we all know and love 'Genovese' basil, there are many other flavors to basil. One of our favorites is 'Thai' basil. The thicker leaves hold up well at high heat in Asian recipes and it has a sweet, anise-like flavor. The plant has attractive purple leaf veins and flowers, too. A cross between 'Genovese' and 'Thai' basil is 'Christmas' basil. This plant has the ornamental qualities of 'Thai' basil with a holiday scent of pine and fruity spices. 'Lemon' basil and 'Lime' basil have smaller leaves with a strong citrus smell. 'Holy' basil is also know as Tulsi. It's used in Indian cooking and medicines. It has a strong, spicy taste.

For color in the basil patch, 'Cardinal' basil hales from Israel and has showy, large, red flowers. 'Dark Opal' and 'Purple' basil have deeper colored leaves with a strong, clove-like flavor.

All basils grow best in full sun on well-drained, compost amended soil or in containers. Wait until the soil really warms, maybe until Memorial Day, to plant these exotic basils. There's no rush because basil loves hot weather. Keep the plants well watered. Unless you're growing basil for the ornamental flowers, snip off the blooms when they form to send more energy into leaf production. To harvest, strip off branches of basil leaves back to the main trunk or stem. This encourages more new branch growth with bigger leaves.

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One of the recent trends to help pollinators thrive is called “No Mow May.” The idea is to not mow your lawn in May and let the weeds, which may be wildflowers, too, sprout up and bloom. This will provide pollinators with the pollen and nectar they need. Since lawns make up 40 million acres of our landscape, this could really make a difference.

Although I want to help pollinators, too, I'm not a big proponent of “No Mow May.” Certainly May is a busy month for pollinators and they need all the help they can get. While many lawns have non-grass weeds in them, those weeds may not have the best flowers for pollinators.

Also, what happens after May 31st? If everyone goes back to mowing their lawns as they usually do, all that potential pollinator food is lost.

For an everlasting, positive benefit to our pollinators I would rather see homeowners dedicate a patch of their yard to wildflowers. It may be a small area on the side yard or in the back yard that doesn't get used much anyway. Ideally, it would be in full sun to grow the most variety of pollinator plants. Prepare this area like a garden bed, and seed pollinator friendly annuals, biennials and perennials. Once established, your pollinator garden should thrive on its own and only need a mowing in late fall to prevent woody plants from invading.

Also, over seed your lawn with white clover and mow at least 3 inches tall to not cut off the clover flowers. This will provide another great source of food for pollinators.

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With all the bulbs and spring ephemerals blooming right now, it's hard to think of flowers for late summer. But now is the time to plan for that quieter period when fewer flowers are blooming.

One of the most versatile flowers to grow for summer and fall color is the dahlia. Dahlias hail from the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. Europeans brought them to that continent and eventually they found their way to North America. Dahlias are hardy in zones 7 and above. Although they might overwinter in warmer parts of the state, its still good to dig and store them each winter.

While you can grow dahlias from seed, for immediate satisfaction, purchase tubers. Plant in early- to mid-May in most parts of the state once the soil temperatures reach 60 degrees. Plant dahlias in full sun on well-drained soil. They do like a consistently cool, moist soil so add compost and keep a hose handy for watering. Plant 4- to 6-inches deep and lay the tuber flat with the growth point or “eye” facing upward. Either stake and tie the plants as they grow or plant them close to other tall perennials, such as peonies and baptisia, and let the dahlias use them for support. Pinch the plant when it's 1 foot tall to promote bushiness and more flowers.

Select varieties based on their color and flower shape. The flower sizes can be 2- to 10-inches in diameter and the shapes include cactus, pom pom, peony, orchid and singles. I particularly like the purple and bi-color flower varieties and ones, such as 'Mystic Illusion', with dark purple foliage color. 

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On April 22nd we'll be celebrating the 54th annual Earth Day. While it's great to participate in Earth Day activities, why not make some changes to how we garden to support life on this planet better. I have some suggestions.

 Gardeners use a lot of plastic pots. Most of these plastic pots cannot be recycled and end up in the landfill. Instead of throwing out the pots, reuse them. As long as the pots are not broken, clean them well in spring with a 10% bleach solution for planting. For larger pots you don't need, ask your local garden center if they can reuse or recycle the pots. The less new plastic we purchase and use, the better for the planet.

 Create a mini meadow in your yard. Many gardeners want to help pollinators, but don't have the space or desire to turn their whole lawn into a pollinator garden. A solution is to find a small patch of your yard that isn't used much and create a mini meadow. 

Create a seed bed as you would for a vegetable garden, and plant wildflower seeds now. You'll grow a colorful mix of annuals and perennials that pollinators will love. Mow the meadow once in late fall.

Reduce the use of all pesticides by using row covers, micro mesh covers, traps, and companion planting in your gardens. Even organic pesticides can cause harm to beneficial insects.

Share your knowledge and time with some community gardening projects. Schools, churches, and libraries are some of the places that have gardens where you can help others grow food and flowers for all to enjoy.

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Many gardeners grow Brassica family veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale. I also like to experiment with two other Brassicas: kohlrabi and rapini.

Kohlrabi looks a bit like a space satellite. It's low growing and forms an edible, handball sized, swollen stem near the soil surface. That's the part you eat. It was discovered in the 16th century and is popular in Europe. The classic varieties, such as 'Quickstar', are green. I like growing the purple colored, 'Kohlibri' and the white skinned, 'Beas'. There are some varieties, such as 'Superschmelz', that can grow 14 inches across. That's a lot of kohlrabi to eat! The flavor of kohlrabi is like a slightly sweet turnip and I eat it raw in dips or roast it with root crops. Plant now and stagger your plantings or you'll get lots of kohlrabi all maturing at once. Once harvested the plant is destroyed.

Another unusual Brassica is broccoli raab or rapini. This leafy vegetable hails from the Mediterranean region and from China. The name means “little turnip” in Italian. Like kohlrabi, it's related to turnips, but has a small, broccoli-like head and the leaves and small stems are cooked and eaten as well. The flavor can be slightly bitter, and very robust. I like it steamed, roasted, grilled and sauteed. It's great with pasta or with potatoes.

Rapini grows best in cool temperatures, so now is the time to start growing it. It only takes 45 days after seeding to harvest the young plants. Thin plants to 8 inches apart and harvest before the flowers bolt for the mildest flavor.

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I've just about finished my winter pruning. Blueberries, crabapples, apples and other fruit trees are done. Now it's time to start on my hydrangeas.

Pruning hydrangeas can be confusing to home gardeners because when you prune varies depending on the type of hydrangea you're growing. That's the first step. Try to remember, or look into your garden notes, the name of your hydrangea. Don't worry if you can't find it, though. Another method to determine what hydrangea you have is when it blooms. If your hydrangea blooms in late spring or early summer, it's most likely a Hydrangea macrophylla or big leaf, often blue, hydrangea, an oakleaf hydrangea or a climbing hydrangea. These bloom from flower buds set last summer and fall. The time to prune them is after flowering this summer. If you prune too late in summer or fall you can remove flower buds for next year.

Generally, these types of hydrangeas don't need lots of pruning. Prune to deadhead and remove dead, diseased and broken branches and crossing branches. If you have a repeat blooming blue or pink big leaf hydrangea, such as the 'Endless Summer' types, prune those after the first flush of flowers.

If your hydrangeas bloom in mid summer to fall, you probably have Hydrangea arborescens or Hydrangea paniculata. The arborescens and panicle hydrangeas have big white, often turning to burgundy color, blooms that can last into winter. These hydrangeas bloom on new growth from this spring, so to stimulate more new growth, prune now. You can prune these hydrangeas to a basic skeleton structure of main branches and they still will flower.

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