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Caraway seeds taste similar to anise or licorice and caraway plants are easy to grow. Did you know that the entire caraway plant is edible? Read on!  Caraway fruits (Public Domain) Frequently used in rye bread, goulash, havarti cheese, and Irish soda bread, this cousin to carrots and dill has lovely umbrella-shaped flowers that attract many beneficial insects, such as hoverflies and parasitic wasps. Caraway description The caraway seed is actually a type of dried fruit, called an achene. Feathery leaves, strong stems, and small pink or white flowers make caraway (Carum carvi) both attractive and useful. Plants can reach 24-30” in height, though they only reach 8” or so their first year. As a member of the carrot family, caraway plants can look similar to poison hemlock, so make sure you know how to tell them apart. How caraway grows Caraway, like parsley and many other umbellifers, is a biennial plant. This means it uses its first year to develop a root system and become established. In its second year, flower production takes place and seeds are produced. Some varieties are grown as annuals, and one type of caraway is a perennial plant. Caraway plants prefer warm, sunny locations, good drainage, and nutrient-rich soil. Commonly grown in Europe and Western Asia, caraway plants prefer cool temperate zones and a soil pH of 6.5 to 7.0, and can be grown in Hardiness Zones 3-11. While they prefer full sun, caraway plants can handle partial shade.  Caraway plants (Jerzy Opiola, CC BY-SA 4.0) How to grow caraway
Caraway seeds should be planted 1/4” to 1/2” deep in spring or fall, directly in the soil. As is common with plants that feature a taproot, caraway does not transplant well. Plants should be thinned so they are 8-12” apart. Caraway is a slow grower, so you may want to intercrop with something faster to reduce weeds and to act as a nurse crop for your caraway. Water plants well during their first year, but avoid getting the leaves wet. Soaker hoses are an excellent tool for irrigating caraway. While caraway has very few pest or disease problems, it is a good idea to leave some distance between them and other members of the carrot family. If grown as a biennial, cut plants back in the fall. They will regrow, bigger than ever, in spring. If grown as an annual, be sure to start a new crop in succession, for a continuous harvest. Harvesting caraway Since all parts of the caraway plant are edible, you can use young leaves and stems in salads, soups, and stews. When seeds have turned brown, remove the flower head and hang it upside-down in a pillowcase until dry. Then you can simply rub the head between your hands to dislodge the caraway achenes. After seeds are produced and harvested, you can dig up the root and treat it the same way you would any other root vegetable. Try adding some caraway to your foodscape this fall! Cow parsnips are not related to the root vegetable known as parsnips, but you can eat them, if you are careful.  Nine-foot tall cow parsnips in Alaska (Beeblebrox) CC BY-SA 4.0 Cow parsnip description True to its Latin name, Heracleum maximum, these are very large herbaceous plants. Reaching over 9’ in height, all parts of cow parsnip are big. Lobed leaves can be 16” across and the typical umbel-shaped flowers of the carrot family are also large, averaging 8” across. These flowers are white and the outer flowers are often larger than the inner flowers. Stems are succulent and sturdy.
Uses for cow parsnip Peeled flower stems have been used as food for a very long time. Tasting similar to celery, cow parsnip is also known as Indian celery or Indian rhubarb. The reason for peeling those stems is because the outer layers contain phototoxins that can irritate or burn your skin. Traditionally, infusions of the flowers were used to repel flies and mosquitoes. Before you start rubbing yourself with cow parsnip, be sure to take a closer look. If you see reddish or purplish spots on the stems, and serrated leaves, look out! You have discovered giant hogweed, a far more potent version.
Now, I am not talking about the discrete round blisters of sunburn fame. These are huge, swollen, ugly, painful burns that can leave black or purple scars for years to come. I won’t share photos here, but you can track them down yourself if you need convincing.
This dangerous sap is found on coarse white hairs (trichomes) on stems. It can cause third-degree burns serious enough to land you in the hospital or a burn unit. Giant hogweed has found its way to northern U.S. states. If you see it, report it to your local County Extension Office. Another toxic plant commonly mistaken for cow parsnip is poison hemlock, also with purple marks on the stem. Bottom line: when in doubt, don’t. Since cow parsnip, giant hogweed, and poison hemlock can all hurt you, to one degree or another, it is a good idea to be cautious and wear protective clothing whenever you might be around them. Cumin’s pungent aroma has made it a popular spice since ancient times. Kept on Egyptian tables the way we use salt and pepper, cumin is said to provide many different health benefits, though there is zero scientific proof for any of those claims, There are still plenty of other good reasons for growing your own cumin.  Cumin plants (Pixabay) Cumin’s umbrella-shaped flowers make it easy to identify as a member of the parsley family. Other common garden Umbellifers, or Apiaceae, include carrots, celery, dill, parsnips, and fennel. Like other umbellifers, cumin flowers attract many beneficial insects, such as hoverflies and pollinators. Native to the Middle East, cumin (Cuminum cyminum) grows best in hot, dry regions and is very drought tolerant. It takes 3 to 4 months of hot weather to reach maturity. If temperatures drop, leaves will turn purple. If it gets really cold, cumin is very susceptible to frost damage. The cumin plant Cumin seeds look a lot like caraway seeds, being oblong with ridges. Those ridges are oil glands. Cumin plants grow 12 to 20 inches tall, with attractive, feathery leaves. Cumin seeds are contained in dried fruits called achenes.  Cumin seed (Sanjay Acharya) CC BY-SA 3.0 How to grow cumin
If you have the heat, you can grow cumin. Seeds should be planted 1/4 deep and spaced 8” apart. These plants are very delicate when they first germinate and do not perform well in heavy clay soil. They prefer loose, sandy soil with good drainage, which makes them an excellent choice for raised beds. The ideal pH is 6.8 to 8.3. Cumin pests and diseases Aphids, mites, thrips, tobacco caterpillars, cutworms, cigarette beetles, drugstore beetles, and nots for cumin. Diseases that may strike your cumin plants include Fusarium wilt, blight, powdery mildew, and damping off disease. Cumin seeds are frequently included in birdseed mixes, so this plant has spread globally. Once established, this annual plant readily self-seeds an area. Ajwain may be an unfamiliar word, but the ajwain plant carries an herbal punch reminiscent of many more familiar spices and herbs.  Ajwain flower head (Bames24) CC BY-SA 3.0 Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi) is an annual that hails from India, North Africa, and the Middle East. Also known as ajowan, bishop’s weed, carom seeds, or ajowan caraway, ajwain is an umbellifer, along with carrots, dill, and celery. People have been eating ajwain leaves and fruit for a very long time, but many Americans are unfamiliar with this attractive edible.  Ajwain schizocarps (Sanjay Acharya) CC BY-SA 3.0 Ajwain fruit If you were to look at a handful of ajwain fruit, you would swear they were seeds. Actually, they are schizocarps. Carrots, parsnips, cheeseweeds, and hibiscus all produce schizocarps. Schizocarps are tiny dried fruits that surround seeds. Ajwain flavor Ajwain is an overachiever, when it comes to flavor. It is described as being similar to oregano and anise, with strong overtones of thyme. Apparently, these fruits are quite pungent - a little goes a long way. Because they are so strong, they are rarely used raw. In most cases, the schizocarps are dry-roasted or fried in clarified butter, before being added to curries or sprinkled over bread. The leaves are used in chutneys.  Ajwain flowers and leaves (Isabel14) Public Domain How to grow ajwain
Ajwain is generally grown from seeds, though you can use cuttings. To grow from seed, plant 1/4-inch deep in rich, potting soil, or scatter on top of the soil. Use a mister to water, to avoid washing all the seeds into a corner of the pot. Mist daily for a week or two, until germination occurs. Once the first true leaves emerge, you can transplant the seedling into a larger container. [I couldn't find any free images of ajwain plants, so you will have to wait until mine get started...] To propagate ajwain from cuttings, take stems that are a few inches long and remove all but the upper two sets of leaves. Bury the stem in potting soil, with the leaves exposed ands water regularly. Before you know it, new roots will emerge. Ajwain’s feather-like leaves grow on many branched stems, creating a lovely container plant. Because it is so pungent, most insects are not interested in ajwain plants. Ajwain prefers partial sun or partial shade. Full sun can be too much for these plants. And keeping the soil moist but not soggy will keep these plants healthy and productive. If you happen to have a tummy ache, ajwain seeds can help relieve some of that discomfort. Lovage tastes like a cross between parsley and celery, but it can grow to over 8 feet tall!
How to grow lovage You can start lovage seeds indoors, 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost date, or outside any time the soil has warmed to at least 60°F. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep and keep the soil moist until seedlings are several inches tall.  Lovage flowers (H. Zell) CC BY-SA 3.0 Lovage grows best in full sun to partial shade and it needs soil with plenty of organic matter. You can help your lovage plant thrive by top dressing the planting area ahead of time with aged compost. As the growing season nears the end, you can allow flowers to produce seeds for future crops. In cold regions, the root is dug up and stored where it will be protected from freezing until the next spring.
Lovage has very few pest or disease problems. Leaf miners can cause cosmetic damage, but that’s about it. Because of its rugged demeanor and its celery-like flavor, lovage is an excellent addition to foodscapes in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9.
Before we begin, let me clarify that we are talking about anise (Pimpinella anisum L. – anise burnet saxifrage), and not star anise (Illicium verum). Anise and star anise are not related. They do, however, both contain anethole, an oil that gives them their strong flavors. In each case, people often mistake the fruits from these plants for seeds. Tiny anise and star anise fruits are schizocarps. A schizocarp is a type of fruit that splits in half when dried. The two halves of a schizocarp are called mericarps. Star anise has a distinctive star-shaped fruit, while anise fruit is oblong.
Anise plants Anise plants are herbaceous annuals that start out as bright green mounds. Then, feathery leaves shoot skyward, much like fennel. Being umbellifers, these cousins of carrots, dill, and celery have flowers that are large, flat clusters of tiny flowers that pollinators and other beneficial insects love. Plants can reach 3 feet in height.  Anise bush in a field (Fastily) CC BY-SA 3.0 How to grow anise Being native to the eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia, anise is a warm weather, full sun crop. It prefers loose soil with good drainage, and a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.7, so it is better suited to raised beds in the Bay Area, unless you have improved your soil structure with plenty of aged compost. These plants have a taproot, so they do not transplant well. They can be grown in containers, as long as the pot is at least 8 inches deep and wide. Seeds should be planted 1/4-inch deep, at least two weeks after the last frost date. Thin plants to 12 inches apart. [Unless you really like anise, your family will probably only need one plant.] Regular irrigation is important, but an occasional top dressing is the only feeding these plants need. Anise pests and disease Larva of the wormwood pug, a small brown moth, will feed on anise foliage, but that’s about it. The oils that give anise its delicious flavor are the same components that most pests find offensive. Anise plants also have no major disease issues. Harvesting anise Anise leaves can be harvested as needed. Seed heads should be snipped while green and hung upside down in a warm, dark, dry location until they are completely dry.  Anise seed head (anaterate) Pixabay Celery is a kitchen staple that you may (or may not) be able to grow in your home garden. I say “may not” because it has thwarted me the few times I have tried it. Not that the plants didn’t grow, they grew quite well, through the cooler months, but they grew outward, rather than upward, and the flavor was very strong. Before we learn from what I did wrong, let’s learn the truth about this challenging crop.  Celery A misrepresented edible Celery plants have been misrepresented in elementary schools across the country for decades. The part we eat is not a stem, and the stringy bits that get caught in your teeth are not all plant veins. The familiar stalks, which are so well suited to dips and fillings, are actually the plant’s petioles, or leaf stems. Some of the differences between a stem and a petiole are:
 Celery petioles wrap around a central axis Some of the indigestible strings of celery fame are vascular tissue, This is why, if you place a celery stalk in a glass of dyed water, you can see the dye move up, through the xylem. [Kids love this stuff!] The other stringy bits, however, are living structural components, called collenchyma. The tissues that make up the collenchyma are able to absorb water and behave much like a stiff gel, to hold the plant upright. The celery plant Celery (Apium graveolens) got its name from the Latin for ‘aromatic bee favorite’. As an umbellifer, celery is cousin to carrots, fennel, cumin, caraway, celeriac, parsnips, dill, parsley, anise, and poison hemlock. Celery flowers attract many pollinators and other beneficial insects, such as hoverflies. There are actually three different types of celery, each grown for a distinct crop: petioles, leaves, or roots. The celery plant originated in marshland - very unlike my former dry California summers, and only slightly moist winters.  Celery flowers (bluesnap) Pixabay How celery grows
Celery is a cool weather plant. It grows best when temperatures are 55 to 70°F. Grown in summer, it will bolt, or go to seed. This is fine, if you want to harvest celery seed for your spice cabinet. It is also a good way to end up with celery plants throughout your foodscape. Once a celery plant has gone to seed, the petioles will become very tough. [You can still use them to make soup stock, however.] Celery plants can tolerate light frost, but not consecutive frosts. Celery is a biennial, grown as an annual. How to grow celery While you can start a new celery plant from the base of a store bought celery, you need to be aware that those plants are certified safe to eat, but they are not certified safe to grow. Installing a store bought celery plant in your garden may be fine, and it may introduce a destructive virus or bacteria that may take years to overcome. It’s your call. Of course, you can always delegate those store bought celeries to indoor containers… Celery is grown from seed. Seeds should be started 8 to 10 weeks before your area’s last frost date. You can also direct sow seeds in late summer for a winter crop. In either case, seeds should be planted 1/4-inch deep. Some growers recommend soaking seeds overnight prior to planting, to speed germination. Be sure to harden off your seedlings before planting them outside. Seedlings should be spaced 10 to 12 inches apart in the garden, containers, or raised beds, once they are 6 inches tall. If you have a particularly bright window, celery can be grown on a windowsill. Celery needs lots of sun and it is a heavy feeder. You can protect and feed plants as they grow by top dressing around the plants with aged compost. Once petioles begin to emerge, you need to tie them together, to force them to grow upright. Celery needs least one inch of water a week to grow those crispy petioles. And they should be fed every 10 to 14 days. As the plants grow, gently build up soil around the plants, keeping the leaves exposed. This blanches, or etiolates, the stalks, by blocking light from reaching the chlorophyll, making them turn pale green to white. This also help prevent bitterness. You can get a similar effect by wrapping plants with straw, heavy fabric, or cardboard tubes, the same way you would with cardoons, to halt photosynthesis. Be cautious when watering, after you have set up your planting method. Water that sits on leaves and stems can lead to rot and other problems. Celery pests and diseases Celery is susceptible to aster yellows, bacterial leafspot, Phytophthora tentaculata, blights, mosaic virus, fusarium wilt, pink rot, and crater rot. Aphids, armyworms, earwigs, leafminers, lygus bugs, carrot rust flies, nematodes, whiteflies, treehoppers, cutworms, and voles will all take a bite out of your celery plants. You can sprinkle your celery plants with diatomaceous earth, to reduce many of the pests. Celery trivia Like peanuts, celery is known to cause allergic reactions in some people. Contrary to popular wishful thinking, eating celery is not a 'negative calorie' experience. Digesting that celery stalk does not use up more energy than it provides. Finally, did you know that celery flowers and leaves were used as garlands for King Tut’s tomb, some 3,300 years ago? I didn’t, either. Umbellifers are aromatic plants with umbrella-shaped flowers. Commonly referred to as the carrot, celery, or parsley family, Umbelliferae (or Apiaceae) plants are one of the largest families of flowering plants. Many of them are edible, and some of them can kill you. Edible or deadly, it is the flowers that make umbellifers easy to recognize. Umbellifer flowers Umbellifer flowers are called umbels. Umbels are clusters of simple or compound flowers that grow from a central point. The overall flower arrangement can be flat-topped or nearly spherical.  Carrot flower In addition to the flowers, umbellifers tend to share other characteristics. These include hollow, ribbed stems, divided leaves, long, sheathed petioles (leaf stems), and two-sided, flat seeds. There are exceptions. Umbellifer plants: the bad guys While all plants use a variety of chemicals in photosynthesis, reproduction, and growth, umbellifers produce another set of chemicals that can be aromatic (good) or toxic (bad). These chemicals are believed to be used by the plants as defense mechanisms. Here, in North America, we have two dangerous forms of umbellifer: poisonous hemlock and water hemlock. Poisonous hemlock (Conium maculatum) is easy to identify, once you know what to look for. It has leaves that look like parsley, seeds that look like anise, and a root that looks like a parsnip. The telltale sign is purple or reddish young stems and older stems splotched or streaked with red or purple, usually on the lower half of the stem. This plant can kill you the same way it killed Socrates. Water hemlock (Cicuta spp.) can also be fatal. In fact, water hemlock is the most poisonous plant in North America. According to the U.S. Forest service, “The leaflets of Cicuta can be distinguished from similar, non-toxic species in the parsley family (Apiaceae or Umbelliferae) by having veins that fork at their tips, with one branch ending at the tip of the leaflet and the other in the V-shaped sinus between adjacent leaflet lobes.”
These plants should be removed whenever they are found in the garden, and be sure to wear protective clothing! Umbellifer plants: the good guys Umbellifers tend to be highly aromatic plants and many of them are a regular part of our diet:
Growing umbellifers
Most umbellifers prefer cool weather, which makes them excellent late fall, winter, and early spring crops in hot, sunny regions. Planting in winter, and again in early autumn, can produce two crops a year. These seeds tend to be very tiny and should be planted 1/2-inch deep. Pests and diseases vary by species, so you will have to look up individual plants to learn more. Benefits of umbellifers In addition to being delicious and nutritious, umbellifers provide other benefits. Many pollinators and other beneficial insects are attracted to their flowers. Apparently, umbellifer flowers are easy to find, and they make easy landing and launching pads. Plus, they provide pollen, nectar, and a good hiding place, depending on which insect you are talking about. Many beneficial insects drink the nectar of umbellifer flowers, while their offspring, in larval form, feed on many common garden pests, including hornworms. Parsnips look like white carrots, well, because they are related! Cousin to carrots, parsley, celery, and other umbels, parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are native to Eurasia and have been cultivated since ancient times. In fact, parsnips were used as a sweetener before sugar cane made its way to Europe!  Parsnips (Lebensmittelfotos) Pixabay Parsnips are a cool weather crop in Mediterranean climates. Parsnips can be planted in September, and then again in February, March, and April in our region. If you live in a different area, simply check with your local Cooperative Extension Office for your best planting times. Parsnip plant description Parsnips leaves look almost like ferns, with pinnate (branched), toothed edges (margins). Parsnips are grown as annuals, but if you let a few of them go to seed, these biennials can start spreading edible roots in many areas of your foodscape. [Once they start that process, you won’t want to eat them - they get quite woody.] Second year plants can grow 5 feet tall, but your first year parsnip will be significantly shorter, at only 18 to 24 inches. Yellow, umbrella-shaped flowers grow into tiny ‘fruits’ called schizocarps. [How’s that for a fun garden word?] How to grow parsnips Parsnips, like other root crops, need loose soil. This makes them well suited to raised beds and container gardening. If you are planting parsnips in heavy clay soil, you will want to break up the soil down 18 inches and dig in 3 or 4 inches of aged compost. If you don’t, you will end up with forked and otherwise deformed roots prone to disease. Parsnip seeds should be planted 1/2 inch deep, with a heavy dose of patience. Parsnips seeds are slow to germinate and the plants take up to 4 months to reach harvestable size, but they are worth the wait! These sweet roots lend themselves to seasonings such as ginger and nutmeg, as well as more savory dishes, such as soups and stews. Parsnips can be grown in full sun or partial shade. They prefer slightly acidic soil, so you may need to make some pH adjustments. Seedlings should be thinned to stand 3 to 6 inches apart and be sure to eliminate all competition from weeds.  Flowering parsnip, second year (Skogkatten) CC BY-SA 4.0 Parsnips pests and diseases
I had a difficult time tracking down parsnip pests and diseases on the West Coast. Other regions had plenty to say, but my guess is that that region is not conducive to growing parsnips commercially, so it gets less attention. Being more than a little determined, I am going to try growing them anyway! It is my guess that, being a close cousin to carrots and parsley, parsnips will probably have many similar problems. These include armyworms, cabbage loopers, and aphids. Fusarium wilt, powdery mildew, bacterial leaf spot, and alternaria leaf blight may also occur. Other regions mention how celery fly larvae may tunnel into parsnip leaves, much like leaf miners. These pests can harm young plants, so remove infested leaves if you see them. I also found plenty of warnings about carrot flies. Carrot fly larvae are likely to attack parsnip roots, providing points of entry for canker and other fungal diseases. These pests are attracted to the smell of bruised plant tissue, so be gentle to your parsnips! According to Wikipedia, parsnip canker is a real problem when growing this crop. Parsnip canker shows itself as orange-brown or black areas on the crown and shoulders. Also, the roots will crack. This condition is more likely to occur when seeds are planted in cold, wet ground that is too alkaline. It sounds, to me, that poor drainage is a parsnip’s worst enemy. On the upside, many moth and butterfly larval forms use the flowers and undeveloped seeds of second year parsnips as a major food source. So, allowing a few parsnip plants to complete their lifecycle not only gives you free parsnip seeds and plants, it also adds biodiversity to your landscape and provides food for many beneficial insects! Harvesting parsnips Like many other root crops, parsnips taste sweeter after they’ve experienced a little frost. Since our ground is not likely to freeze, we don’t need to worry about getting our parsnip harvest out of the ground before it does. Other regions are not so lucky. Before you harvest your parsnips, however, be sure to wear gloves. Parsnips may be good sources of folic acid, potassium, fiber, and vitamins C and K, but they also have a powerful self-defense mechanism. Parsnip sap is toxic. If your skin is exposed to sunlight after handling parsnip leaves and stems, you are likely to get a rash. So, wear gloves. Give these sweet root crops a try this winter and let us know what you think! Carrots are not just for bunnies! Healthy, delicious, and more colorful than ever, you can grow carrots that are white, purple, red, and yellow, along with the familiar bright orange.  Carrots (klimkin) Pixabay) Carrots are related to fennel, celery, cilantro, dill, cumin, and parsley, all members of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family. These plants all have umbrella-shaped flower clusters that attract many beneficial insects. Carrots are biennial plants grown primarily for their taproots (the tops and seeds are edible, too). How carrots grow Carrot flowers change their gender as they develop. This means that a single umbel, or flower cluster, will contain both male and female umbellets at the same time, with the older female flowers on the outer edges, with male stamens closer to the center. After fertilization is complete, the umbel starts to curl upward, creating a bird nest shape. If allowed to grow through a winter and experience vernalization, your carrot plants will produce seeds for yet another crop. Selective harvesting can make your carrot patch a perennial food source.  Purple carrots (ghostwor1d) Pixabay Why grow carrots?
True to their ancestral home of modern day Iran and Afghanistan, carrots prefer growing in sandy soil. My heavy compacted clay is probably the worst soil for growing carrots. Plus, carrots are not exactly the most expensive produce in the grocery store. So, why bother? For the same reason we are compelled to grow our own tomatoes, peas, berries, potatoes, and more ~ it tastes better, we have more control over what goes into our food, and we reduce our carbon footprint. Carrot body & color types Carrot varieties are categorized by both color and shape. Carrots are classified as Eastern or Western, based primarily by color. Our common orange carrots are Western, while the more colorful yellow, purple, and crimson varieties are Eastern. Both Eastern and Western color types are then divided up by shape:
The shorter, stubbier, blocky shapes perform best in shallow soil (or containers), while the longer, slender growth carrots need more depth to grow well. How to grow carrots Carrots take 90 to 120 days to mature, depending on the variety. Carrots prefer full sun and cooler temperatures, but they can be grown in partial shade. While our clay soil is not the best thing for carrots, our alkaline pH is. Carrots prefer a pH range of 6.3 to 6.8. Carrots do not compete well with rocks and stones, so they are better suited in our area to raised beds. Carrot seeds are really tiny and can be difficult to space properly. One way to get around this is to stir together some carrot seeds, radish seeds, and some light soil or sand. Sprinkle this mixture over the planting area. The radishes will grow far more quickly than the carrots, creating automatic succession planting. It will also create space for the carrots. Once they emerge, carrot seedlings should initially be thinned to one inch apart. As you begin to see which plants are thriving, thin again to 4 inch spacing by cutting off the plants to be removed at soil level. This avoids disturbing the roots of remaining plants. Be sure to compost or dispose of these cuttings, rather than leaving them on the soil, to avoid attracting carrot pests. Carrot pests & diseases Being a root vegetable, most carrot pests are underground. Vegetable weevils, root knot nematodes, wireworms, flea beetles, and root maggots can damage your crop. Alternaria leaf blight has been known to wipe out entire crops. Being underground, these pests are generally not impacted by the use of pesticides. You can see a full list of common carrot pests and diseases on the UC IPM page on carrots. Carrot trivia - Carrots, combined with turnips, are in the Top Ten of important global vegetable crops, with 45% being grown in China. Only 3% of the world’s carrot and turnip production is domestic. - Unwashed carrots can be stored for several months in layers of sand, or a 50/50 mix of sand and sawdust. - Adding manure to carrot beds can cause split taproots. - According to Wikipedia, “The roots contain high quantities of alpha- and beta-carotene, and are a good source of vitamin K and vitamin B6, but the belief that eating carrots improves night vision is a myth put forward by the British in World War II to mislead the enemy about their military capabilities.” - This last one just a theory of my own. The Latin name for carrots is Daucus carota sativus. Daucus carota sounds an awful lot like ‘Doc’ and ‘carrot’ to me. Switch them around and I hear, “What’s up, Doc?” Coincidence? Maybe. But, maybe not… Give carrots a try in your yard or on your balcony and let us know what you think in the comments section! Dill’s delicate fronds and distinct aroma make it a useful addition to your landscape.  Dill seeds and fronds (milesz) Pixabay Dill (Anethum graveolens) is an herb that is related to celery and is known for elevating pickled cucumbers, asparagus, garlic, and green beans to new heights. Did you know that dill oil, extracted from seeds, stems, and leaves, is used to make soap?  Dill (H. Zell) CC BY-SA 3.0 How dill grows Dill can reach a height of 2 to 4 feet, making it only slightly smaller than fennel, which has a similar feathery growth. Dill’s leaves are wider and more firm than fennel’s. Flowers are white or yellow umbels (think umbrella) that attract many beneficial insects. Dill seeds look like tiny brownish-gray orange slices. Once dill begins producing seeds, leaf production is over and the plant will soon die. Worry not, dear gardeners! Dill reseeds itself so easily that you are nearly assured of a new crop from seeds that fall to the ground. To collect seeds for kitchen use or future crops, remove seed heads and hang upside down over a bowl or in a pillow case. Seeds will fall when they are mature and the flower head can be added to the compost pile to feed next year’s generation!  Dill plants (H. Zell) CC BY-SA 3.0 How to grow dill
Dill is a biennial that is normally grown as an annual. Dill does not transplant well, so site selection is your first step. Dill prefers lots of sun, though partial shade can be tolerated. Shadier sites will result in less bushy plants. You can easily grow dill in a container that is at least 12 inches deep. This will make room for dill’s taproot. (‘Fernleaf’ is a dwarf variety best suited for containers.) Seeds should be planted 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep and the soil keep moist until seedlings emerge. Seedlings should be thinned to 12 inches apart. Once plants are established, the soil should be allowed to dry out between waterings. Side dressing plants with aged compost during the growing season will provide important nutrients. (Side dressing simply means dumping an amendment around a plant and watering it.) Dill pests and diseases Dill has very few pests, thanks to the volatile oils that give it its flavor. Tomato hornworms and parsley caterpillars may be seen and can be handpicked. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or insecticidal soap can be used to treat severe infestations. Dill is relatively disease-free. Harvesting dill So many dishes will be enhanced by dill leaves, simply snip off what you need. You can also dry dill leaves for later use by placing cut leaves between cloth napkins or paper towels, laid on top of nonmetallic screens, and storing in an airtight container. Dill leaves can also be frozen. You can keep harvested leaves fresh by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and refrigerating them for up to a week in a sealable container. Growing dill for yourself is easy and rewarding! Give it a try! Once you plant this cousin to carrots, you will have a year-round food source. Fennel looks pretty in a landscape, too! Fennel description Large feathery fronds wave in the breeze, with yellow umbel-shaped flowers. The bulbous base looks like a rounded, closely packed celery. This perennial herb can grow quite large, up to 5 feet tall, depending on the variety. In colder climates, fennel is grown as a biennial.
Fennel as food
Milder than anise, all parts of the fennel plant are edible:
Fennel as medicine Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) also has medicinal uses. Fennel seeds contain volatile oils that stimulate mucus production in the digestive tract, providing temporary relief from digestive upset, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, Celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Fennel also reduces nausea and is said to ward off the effects of hangover (though I’m not sure about that one). In Medieval times, fennel was eaten as an appetite suppressant. Fennel in the garden Fennel attracts a wide variety of beneficial insects, including hoverflies, ladybugs, lacewings, bees, and syrphid flies. If larger varieties of fennel are selected, they make a nice landscape anchor. How to grow fennel Fennel can be started in spring or fall. It prefers sunny locations and is often seen growing wild alongside freeways. Fennel grows so easily from seed that wild fennel has become invasive in many areas. Seedlings should be placed 8 to 12 inches apart, depending on the variety. Young fennel plants require regular watering in summer, but I generally wait to water mature plants until they start to wilt without any noticeable ill effects. As the bulbs grow, bank a little dirt around them. This keeps them white and helps them to stay tender. When your fennel bulbs reach tennis ball size, use a sharp knife to cut away the roots, leaving them in the soil for beneficial soil microorganisms. Fennel tends to bolt, or go to seed, when the roots are disturbed. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it will mean more new plants. If the roots are not overly disturbed, they will put out new bulbs. Viola! Perpetual food either way! Find a sunny spot in your yard or use a large container to add fennel to your edible landscape! Parsley - it’s not just for restaurants any more. As a kid, I always turned a suspicious eye toward that sprig of greenery on my plate. My mother urged me to try it, so I did. Unfortunately, my young taste buds were not impressed. The mildly bitter bite of parsley was not my idea of delicious until many years later. Now that my taste buds are older and wiser, the refreshing tang of parsley adds a bright balance between flavors, cleanses the palette, and spices things up. If that weren’t reason enough to add parsley to a landscape, parsley packs one heck of a nutritional punch and, hey, it looks nice in the garden!  Parsley growing in the top of a rain barrel Parsley is a central Mediterranean plant. Parsley makes an excellent shade garden or container plant. You can even grow it on your kitchen window sill for easy access and nice color if you have strong enough sunlight.
Parsley is related to celeriac and celery, which explains its Latin name (Petroselinum crispum), which means ‘rock celery’, but it’s a heck of a lot easier to grow than celery. Parsley prefers well-drained soil that is kept moist, but my plants seem to grow under just about any conditions. Research has shown that parsley also repels asparagus beetles, making it a good companion to asparagus and tomato plants. Growing parsley does require some patience if you are starting from seed. Seeds should be planted 1/2 inch deep, 6 inches apart, and they can take 4 to 6 weeks to germinate. Germination rates are pretty high, so growing parsley from seed is the most cost effective method. While you’re at it, plant some extras and give young plants to family and friends as gifts! In tropical areas, flat-leafed and curly parsley are grown as annual herbs. In more temperate regions like ours, parsley is biennial. Biennial plants take two years to go from seed to seed, but some of my parsley plants keep on growing for another year or so. In addition to leaf parsley, there is a variety called Hamburg root parsley (P. crispum radicosum). Root parsley is grown for the taproot, which looks, cooks, and eats like a white carrot. (I may have to try that!) Parsley plants allowed to go to seed provide habitat, pollen, and nectar to honey bees and many other beneficial insets, some swallowtail butterflies, and even goldfinches.You will probably also end up with many free, randomly placed parsley plants next year! If flavor and looks weren’t reason enough to grow your own parsley, the CDC says it’s a nutritional gold mine. They ranked parsley at #8 as a food that reduces chronic diseases, such as cancer, coronary disease, and osteoporosis. To learn more, check out the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s nutritional analysis website that allows you to look up the nutritional value of pretty much any food. Just 10 sprigs of parsley provides 22% of the RDA for Vitamin C and 200% of Vitamin K. It’s pretty. It’s durable. It’s good for you. And it tastes good. Where’s your parsley planted? Popular for its crisp, refreshing stalks, celery is a grocery staple in most homes. A specific variety of celery, however, is grown for its roots, rather than the stalks. This variety is called celeriac.  Celeriac (DocteurCosmos) CC BY-SA 3.0 Celeriac description
Also known as celery knob, celery root, knob celery, and turnip rooted celery, celeriac (Apium graveolens var. rapaceum) tastes like a cross between celery and parsley. (Celery, parsley, and celeriac are all members of the carrot family.) Botanically, celeriac is a biennial, but it is grown as an annual. Biennial plants generally live for two years, going to seed in the second year before dying. Celeriac is very popular in Europe, stores in the refrigerator for months, and is an excellent addition to soups, stews, salads and purées. How to grow celeriac Celeriac is easier to grow than celery, but it does have a tendency to bolt in hot weather. It grows best in in USDA growing zones 7 and higher. In our hot, dry region, celeriac is an excellent winter crop that is best started in late summer or early fall. Celeriac seeds are more likely to germinate if they are soaked overnight before planting. Seeds should be started indoors or in a protected area. Plant seeds no more than 1/8” deep and keep the soil moist until germination occurs by covering the soil with burlap, seed cloth, or vermiculite. Watering from the bottom of the container is preferable to avoid fungal problems. Germination should occur in 21 days. When seedlings are 2-2 ½” tall, transplant them to a sunny location. Plants should be placed 6 to 24 inches apart. Celeriac is shallow-rooted, so use straw or other mulch around the plants to stabilize soil temperatures and reduce weed competition. The ancestor of celery and parsley was found in marshy areas, so keeping the soil moist and nutrient-rich with compost will improve crop size and flavor. Feeding young plants with fish emulsion every couple of weeks is an excellent way to make sure that they have all the nutrients they need. Lateral leaf shoots should be removed and the root shoulders should stay covered with soil to maintain tenderness. The large root (hypocotyl) is usually harvested when it is baseball to softball size. Ideally, this is after a light frost, which converts some of the starch into sugar. Before eating celeriac, the brown outer husk is removed, similarly to jicama. |
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