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Tag : Harvesting History Seeds

Home » Tagged "Harvesting History Seeds" (Page 5)

  • Coreopsis (Calliopsis)

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Coreopsis (Calliopsis) - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Coreopsis which was once known as Calliopsis and is sometimes known as Tickseed is a member of the Aster family. The plants are true native Americans being indigenous to the prairies and woodlands of North and Central America and Mexico. This is one of the many plants, named and described, by the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. Plants identified by Lewis and Clark were sent back to the Bernard McMahon Nurseries in Philadelphia. The nurseries were charged with making the seed or plants available to the American public which they did. By 1851, when Joseph Breck wrote his book, The Flower Garden, the plant was well known. Breck writes, "Calliopsis tinctoria - var. atropurpurea. - Dyeing Calliopsis,

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  • Cleome

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Cleome 
- A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Cleomes are part of a large family of robust annuals and shrubs which are indigenous to tropical and subtropical areas worldwide. Only a few of the annuals are commonly cultivated. It is believed that the plant from which Cleome Rose Queen was developed came originally from the West Indies and was introduced into the United States in 1817. The Latin name of this plant was Capparidaceae Hassleriana. The plant gained almost immediate popularity because of the extraordinary blossoms it produced on top of the nearly 4-5 foot stems. They were a curiosity and they definitely looked curious. In his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, Joseph Breck wrote, "This is an elegant tribe of plants and very curious in their

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  • Chinese Lantern

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Chinese Lantern - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions The Chinese Lantern plant is a perennial which belongs to a family of more than 80 different species including the edible Ground Cherry and Tomatillo. This plant has been a favorite of Easterners and Westerners for centuries and is indigenous from southeastern Europe to Japan. Many gardeners now consider this plant to be an aggressive, invasive weed, but for others the vibrant orange husk which  develops in early autumn to protect the inedible, cherry-like fruit, when dried, produces one of the most unusual dried ornamentals available. Cut the stems in September and tie them into small bunches. Let dry in a cool area away from direct sunlight. This plant is purely ornamental. It is not edible like its

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  • Chrysanthemum Painted Daisy and Court Jester

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Chrysanthemum Painted Daisy and Court Jester - 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions The Court Jester is a variety of Painted Daisy which is a member of the abundant Chrysanthemum family. Painted Daisies are annuals. It has been said that few flowers are more highly valued or widely grown than chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums originated in China. Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, Confucius wrote about the flower. In 386 AD, chrysanthemums reached Japan via Korea, but the Japanese initially showed little interest in the flower. About 250 years after it was first introduced into Japan breeding programs with the flower began. The Chinese-Korean flowers were crossed with wild Japanese species with attractive results. Near the end of the 8th century, the chrysanthemum became the

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  • The Caulifower

    Mar 01, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Caulifower Cauliflower is nearly identical to broccoli. The only differences are the colors and characteristics of the head. Cauliflowers are generally white, but there are purple, green, and yellow varieties. Also, cauliflowers do not develop smaller heads or side shoots once the main head has been harvested. The cauliflower is thought to have been cultivated 2000 years ago in the Eastern Mediterranean. By the 1300s, the vegetable was known in southern Europe, and by the 1400s, it was popular in northern Europe. In the United States, cauliflower did not become popular until the 1800s. In a 1848 seed catalogue it was written, “The Cauliflower is one of the most delicate and curious of the whole brassica tribe; the flower-buds forming a close, firm cluster or head, white and

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  • The Carrot

    Mar 01, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Carrot The carrot grows wild throughout the Mediterranean and as far east as the Orient. The region around Afghanistan may have been where the first carrots originated and grew in shades of purple, red, or white. Yellow carrots were first recorded in Turkey in the 900’s. However, it was not until the 1600’s that the Dutch in Holland developed the first orange carrot. In the United States, there appears to have been little interest in the root-like vegetable. The 1848 Landreth catalogue only lists four carrots, two of which are for table use and the other two are suggested as feedstock for animals. The French became passionate about the orange vegetable and in the second half of the 19th century, the famous French seedhouse, Vilmorin-Andrieux, initiated

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  • The Cabbage

    Mar 01, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Cabbage In 1848, it was written, “The cabbage tribe is, of all the classes of cultivated vegetables, the most ancient, as well as the most extensive. The Brassica oleracea being extremely liable to sport or run into varieties or monstrosities, has in the course of time, become the parent of a numerous race of culinary productions, so various in their habit and appearance that to many it may not appear a little extravagant to refer them to the same origin.” In a few short phrases, it captured the essential essence of this incredible family of vegetables. The cabbage family, which includes broccoli, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, kohlrabi, turnips, and rutabaga, is one of the most ancient vegetable families known to man. The ability of brassica to

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  • The Bean and the Cowpea

    Mar 01, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Bean and the Cowpea Bean cultivation can be traced to the earliest vestiges of human civilization. Beans may have been the first vegetables that mankind learned to cultivate. Fava beans have been found in Neolithic excavations in Switzerland. Chickpeas, favas, and lentils have been found in Egyptian tombs, and the Chinese started growing soybeans around 1500 BC. However, many of the beans that we are familiar with today, like the common or kidney, lima, and runner bean, came from the Americas and were not introduced to Europe until the time of Christopher Columbus. The oldest archaeological evidence of common beans in the New World comes from Tehuacan, Mexico, and has been radiocarbon dated to 7000 BC. A 1848 seed catalogue featured 18 different varieties of beans

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  • How to grow Asparagus

    Mar 01, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    How to grow Asparagus Asparagus has been a popular vegetable since ancient times. Roman chefs valued asparagus so highly that they dehydrated the stalks and kept them on hand throughout the year. Author Benjamin Watson wrote in his book, Heirloom Vegetables, that “One of emperor Augustus’s favorite sayings was…’Do it quicker than you can cook asparagus’,” referring to the Romans’ skill for handling this vegetable. Asparagus was also valued for medicinal applications. It was believed that an asparagus and oil liniment would prevent bee stings. For centuries, agriculturalists thought that there was only one variety of asparagus and that differences were attributed to individual growing environments. Eventually, this proved to be untrue, but it does point out the importance of local growing conditions for asparagus crops. Asparagus grows

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  • How to grow an Artichoke

    Mar 01, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    How to grow an Artichoke The artichoke is one of the most curious plants you will ever encounter. It is actually a perennial herb from the thistle group. Scientifically, it belongs to the Asteraceae family, which includes all asters. Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. As an edible vegetable, the artichoke was first developed in Sicily, Italy, though there is mention of it in both Greek and Roman literature as early as 77 AD. It is known that the North African Moors cultivated the plant near Granada, Spain, around 800 AD and that the artichoke was introduced to England in the mid-1500s, however it was not well received. The Spanish brought the first artichokes to America when they introduced them to California in

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