Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

Giant Pumpkin Kings

The Peaceful Valley store was graced by the presence of California’s Champion Giant Pumpkin Growers recently. Hailing from Napa Valley, four World Famous growers, Gary Miller, Leonardo Urena, Pete Glasier, and Jose Ceja came to purchase our products for this years’ endeavor. It was so fun to talk with these down to earth, easy going guys! Since they are in (friendly) competition with each other, I think they all came in together to keep an eye on each other (keep your enemies close and your friends closer!). Gary Miller was so kind as to let me pick his brain about growing a Giant, here are some of his tips (don’t worry-he said it’s okay for me to share):

• Prepare the seed by putting it in water with a fish bubbler and Maxicrop kelp. Aerate 4 hours.
*  Sprout the seed in warmth and light (he uses a cooler with a 10 Watt bulb in it).
* Before the tap root begins to bend, plant out (sometime around May 1 in Napa).
* Soil should be prepared with a rich compost such as Arctic Humus, as well as Kelp Meal and Earthworm Castings.
* As the stem grows, provide support because it grows up then down and will be thick and heavy.
* Allow 12 feet from the base of the plant to the pumpkin so that there are plenty of leaves to photosynthesize food for the fruit.
* From the pumpkin, the vine can continue about 15 feet.
* Allow side branches to grow from the main vine, but cut off any other branching coming off of the side branches.
* Cut off any other blossoms before the flower opens, hand pollinate the flower to keep.
* As the pumpkin begins to grow, put sand under it as well as Agribon so the tissue isn’t damaged.

There are a lot more tips and tricks about growing a giant – www.bigpumpkins.com is a fun website to go to.

I belong to a CSA, which means every week I get a box of the freshest veggies possible… from just down the road. Every year I find myself subconsciously competing with my CSA farmer… and I must admit I always lose. He always has tomatoes and peppers sooner, his lettuce and cabbage heads up better than mine, in short his thumb is just plain greener. And this year I’ve decided to be alright with that, I’ve decided to grow all the other things I like to eat that I never get from my CSA. Now this idea may seem elementary, but to me it’s a revelation.

For those of you who are not hip to CSA membership here’s a quick overview; A farmer near you grows a diverse yet practical variety of veggies, usually on a small amount of acreage (1-5 acres). You join the CSA (community supported agriculture) and pay for a box of veggies a week. It’s kind of a subscription to fresh local food. Usually $15-$40 a week paid in advance or in two or three payments. The idea is that by paying in advance you give the farmers the money they need to get off to a good start. In return you not only get the freshest veggies possible, you also get to”know your grower” which is a rare thing these days. For a more detailed explanation of CSA here is what Wikipedia has to say.

So this year I will grow some unusual greens; Double Purple Orach, Purslane, Miners Lettuce, Italienischer and Regal Spinach. Most of which I have no idea what they will taste like. Even though my CSA has tons of tomatoes, I’m still going to grow my own, mostly sauce tomatoes for canning, you can never have too many tomatoes in my opinion. The same goes for onions and garlic, in my house we eat so much of these it’s a surprise our friends can stand our breath. In addition I plan to grow pickling cucumbers, some specialty squashes like flying saucer and portofino. I also acquired a few giant pumpkin seeds from a winning giant pumpkin (800+ lbs) and I can’t wait to see what comes of that! Herbs are still on the plan this year, dill (for the pickles), cilantro, basil and parsley, and thyme. Shelling peas will be a new addition to my garden and so will the beautiful scarlet runner beans I picked up at a seed swap. Also in the plan this year are berries of the straw, blue and rasp varieties. The blueberries will be the only new item on the menu and even though I just put them in the ground yesterday… my mouth waters already.

My garden plan for this year started out as a supplement to my CSA, giving me the veggies I would not see in my weekly box. It quickly became more about exploring new kinds of vegetables. And while I realize that my garden this year will barely scratch the surface of the vast realm of vegetable variety… I’ve got to start somewhere… and my garden seems like the right place.

What’s in your garden this year?