Welcome back to another episode of Lost In The Farmers
Market or LITFM 10-10-10 for all you radio station enthusiasts out there. This
week we’re going to break with the topic set for the month of August briefly to
talk about the “sparklitis” outbreak in Fayetteville North Carolina. As you may
know “Sparklitis” is a common affliction of those of the shopping persuasion,
and there is no known cure. However by sating the “Sparklitis” urge with
something completely exotic is just about the only way to cause the condition
to go into remission. We at LITFM are working with both the CDC and USDA to
distribute “Sparklitis” fighting items to slow the spread of this extremely
communicable affliction. How we
at LITFM
are involved in combating this affliction will be covered in the second half of
this episode and keep in mind this is a Photo-heavy episode so mind your
internet connections this episode will be like digital penicillin for the
fighting of the “Sparklitis”.
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| The pros of August, suddenly all the peppers get that
turbo-growth spurt and bam! peppers everywhere! |
Now first off as you know it’s August and that poses its own
set of problems and the first of such is the yearly cycle of larval critters.
In late spring the cabbage moths are the problem, and in the dead heat of
summer you get the good, bad and ugly. The good is that by now there’s no doubt
the ladybug and praying mantises are out and about and chances are you’ve seen
one or both. The test gardens have a very persistent population of leaf-footed
bugs, and Wheel bugs both of which are aggressive predators of other insects.
In terms of bad one could say that the larvae of the black swallow tail
butterflies are a best in that they eat any and all members of the carrot
family but prefer fennel and parsley. If you planted enough however there
should be enough for both you and them and so it’s relative. As for the ugly
you get what we have here in the picture below.
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| Exhibit A: Insidious insect invasion and subsequent sacking
of solanum! |
Fortunately I caught the culprit and detained him, he was
entirely unrepentant about the damages caused and proceeded to defecate all
over his cell. In fact this vile creature decided to try and ruin his mug shot
by defecating several times as we tried to snap his picture.
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| Exhibit B: Caught in the act with stolen piece of Solanum,
attempted to eat evidence before picture could be taken. |
“What we’ve got here
is failure to communicate, some men you just can’t reach so you get what we had
here last week. Which is the way he wants it…well he gets it!”
Yes this is a Tomato horn worm and constitutes the “ugly” catergory
as a whole for the tough month of August. This creature’s scientific name is Manduca quinquemaculata an it’s the
larvae of the Five-spotted hawkmoth which explains their enormous size and how
they just seem to appear. The adults of this species lay their eggs on the
target plant at night and eggs take between two and eight days to hatch. As any
gardener knows from there it’s just days before a tiny little caterpillar
becomes something as big as a man’s thumb. This specimen was all that at 4”
though when the picture was taken he was defensively curling up a little.
I might note that using black lights is an easy way to spot
these critters at night but also scouting for suddenly stumpy stems is another
way. I spotted this one because I
noticed a section of missing leaves. The tomato will absolutely recover and the
perpetrator was put in “wet storage” That is immersed in 90% isopropyl rubbing
alcohol for preservation. Why the stronger rubbing alcohol? It tends to keep
the original colors of the preserve insect and there is very little suffering,
though admittedly the suffering isn’t so much what I’m concerned with.
With that said this is the time of the year the hawkmoths
are in flight so keep a close eye out for the horn worms as they will attack any
member of the nightshade family. The plant targets of preference include
Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Tobacco, Potatoes and moonflowers. The Larvae are
vulnerable to any direct application insecticide and thus are easily picked off
once spotted though it may be wise to do damage control checks as part of your
routine to prevent incursions. But somehow I suspect your all waiting for the
second half and so let’s get with the digital “sparklitis”
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| Peperomia obtusifolia
‘varigata’ – Variegated Desert Privet |
The desert privets are the definitive poster child for the
widely varied peperomia family and may be the most cultivated member of the
family. The desert privet makes for an easy low-maintenance house plants that
only require occasional water low amounts of fertilizer and as much light as
you can provide. They do not tolerate temperatures below 30 degrees without
protection but do prefer a soil with moderate organic matter that drains well.
This variety is variegated which makes it good in use as a means to brighten up
a corner near a window or as a temporary accent.
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| Peperomia hybrid -
Huntington Hybrid Peperomia |
The Huntington Hybrid peperomia is one of those odd plants
that seems to have never made it into major cultivation. Perhaps it’s the fact
that this one will keep growing straight up unless encouraged to branch by the
pruning of its apical tip. Either way it is a bit more sensitive to constantly
wet soil so it has to be treated more like a cactus in regards to watering
needs. Otherwise it is a unique peperomia to add to a collection.
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| Peperomia
verticilliata – Rotary Peperomia |
The Rotary peperomia has been offered at the booth several
times and this time we have used an image of what the mature plant looks like
with time. In deed it produces little offsets like a aloe once mature allowing
it to form a uniquely shaped semi-shrubby form with time. Honestly this one is
a little more moisture sensitive than the desert privet but also a lot more
responsive to fertilizers. Rotary is an odd plant for the gardener who has it
all.
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| Aloe ‘Quicksilver’ x. ‘Rare Flare’ – Silver Ridge Aloe |
They’re back for another go in the August market. I sold a
number of these last year in 3” pots and they sold out but you folks wanted
more and here they are in limited supply. Rare flare is more of a visual and
texture plant but it does bloom when it reaches a certain size and those blooms
are typical pink-red aloe blooms. I can
personally say I’ve seen humming birds go for the blooms on this plant and it
is also fair to say this aloe requires little fuss even being able to survive
for a while without irrigation.
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| Aloe vera x Gasteria
verrucosa ‘Radiance’ – Radiance Gasteraloe |
When I first encountered the mother plant these came from I
said “What an Aloe!” Indeed, this is an
aloe hybrid that throws all the normal expectations of aloe out the window.
Radiance prefers bright light as a house plant or partial-full sun as a
summertime outdoor plant. The soil mix used with this one should contain decent
organic matter but be able to drain rapidly to avoid root rot. I also should
note that when watering this one care should be taken to avoid getting the
crown wet. The best use for this plant is as an exotic accent since its lower
parts and near the central crown of the plant are white or pale pink-green
while the leaf tips are dark green and textured. This lighter coloration seems
to fade towards the top like the bubbles in a fizzy beverage which adds
additional appeal to the plant.
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| Aloe vera ‘ Blue’
– Blue Medicinal Aloe |
Amazingly just when you thought medicinal aloe could not get
any better, along comes ‘blue’ which is a more blue colored version of normal
medicinal aloe. In use it is identical to the normal medicinal aloe except that
in household cultivation it’s got a differing coloration. The general rue with any aloe is to water
only when dry and to avoid getting the plant’s crown wet to avoid incidences of
root and crown rot. Blue fortunately is identical in care needs to plain
medicinal aloe and with time it will get rather large and produce offsets.
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| Aloe nobilis
‘Gator’ – Gator Aloe |
To clarify the name “Aloe
nobilis” isn’t actually a recognized plant name yet. It seems it’s the
generalized name for any cross between A.
perfoliata (Mitre Aloe) and A.
brevifolia (short leaved aloe). As far as aloes go this one is still
medicinal but the leaves yield less gel but are more readily adapted to hot dry
arid conditions and poor soils. As a house plant it stands out as an dark green
alternative to a number of non-succulent house plants with similar grassy or
strap-leaved foliage. The teeth along the leaves margins are fairly rigid
though but not as deadly as a true cactus. I suspect the name gator came about
due to the resemblance of the leaves to an alligator’s tail.
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| Aloe dorotheae – Sunset Aloe |
Introduced last August at the booth in very limited numbers
the Sunset Aloe makes its grand return for those of you who missed it. Sunset
aloe is almost extinct in its native range because of over collecting; the
locals use it in the same way we used Aloe vera. Unfortunately due to its slow
growth rate sunset aloe is not the best choice for first aid treatment of burns
however its ability to turn brilliant red-orange in bright sun is well worth it
being used as a specimen potted plant in the summer garden and as a permanent
item in your winter house plant collection.
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| Aloe deltoideodantes – Checkerboard Aloe |
I introduced this plant to the area last year as part of Last
August’s sale and it’s back. Due to a lack of a common name I nicknamed this
aloe ‘checkerboard’ because the white patches on the leaves are almost
perfectly square and appear in a semi-grid formation. As far as house plants go
this aloe does not tolerate wet soil but will withstand neglect and some cold.
I do recommend occasional fertilizer, repotting every few years and avoiding
exposure to frost.
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| Aloe glauca – Blue
Aloe |
The A. glauca
group are actually the true blue aloes and are not to be confused with the blue
medicinal aloe which is A. barbadensis/vera. Although used commonly in skin
softening and rejuvenating cosmetics blue aloe does have use in treating burns
but has slightly differing effects than true medicinal aloe. As a house plant its
care is identical to Aloe vera and it also can be put outside for the summer.
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| Aloe hybrid ‘Blizzard’ |
Blizzard is a hybrid of undetermined parentage that has striking
white foliage with an attractive flower as the picture indicates. As noted in
other entries Aloe flowers are attractive to humming birds and butterflies and
it tends to occur in early to mid-summer. This aloe seems to tolerate more
moisture than some but has no real cold tolerance. As a house plant I would
treat it more like a cactus and water only as needed and cut back on fertilizer
during the winter months, bright light is a must.
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| Aloe x Gasteria ‘Night
Sky’ |
Night Sky is a striking aloe that seems to have some
Gasteria parentage due to the textured and impossibly dark green leaves. No
information searches have confirmed the parentage or the nature of if the
variety is protected so we gave it the name Night sky due to its dark
green-almost black leaves. Thus far it’s proven to not be tolerate of having
constantly wet roots but otherwise seems to be temperature insensitive. I have
not tested this plant’s frost tolerance however and presume it to be limited at
about 25-30 degrees Fahrenheit. Even so this is a real show stopper especially
if it were to be placed inside a light colored decorative vase or pot.
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| Haworthia coarcata
‘Black Dragon’ – Black Dragon Haworthia |
The Haworthias are relatives of the aloe and Ox-Tongue
families as such they are relatively easy to care for as far as succulents
go. I believe I bought the mother plant
for this one at a Home Despot back around 2005 as part of a cactus and
succulent display. It at the time was just an assorted succulent and it took
some time to identify its precise species but then it threw a curveball. The
mother plant exhibited a very dark green coloration that was almost black and
its leaves showed a spiraling pattern with extremely rigid leaves that
resembled scales. No other pictured member of the group featured this trait so,
I ascertained it was a mutation and named it “Black dragon”.
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| Punica granatum
‘Nana’ – Dwarf Pomegranate |
I did indeed hint these would be returning and guess what;
here they come. In the august season just to increase the “sparklitis” effect I
am happy to present dwarf pomegranates that are mature enough o produce fruit
despite being in 6” pots. For note pomegranates are deciduous perennials in our
climate and need full sun to do their best in the land scape. I recommend
planting them in soil that is heavily enriched with composted manure or
well-aged compost and then applying a 1-2” layer of mulch.
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| Ficus carica
‘Chicago Hardy’ – Chicago Hardy Fig |
I told you these would return also and here they are in big
6” pots and like the pomegranates above they are 100% GMO free and organic!
Figs are one of the most easily grown deciduous fruiting shrubs in the
sustainable gardener’s arsenal. I might add this variety is the most cold
tolerant fig you can buy and it forms the nicest shrub possible completely
hiding whatever you want to hide during the warm seasons with ease.
I realize this has been a long post but we must move onto
the closing, and in doing that I present the market materials list. As you may
know the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market occurs every Wednesday from 2:00 pm to
6:00 pm and on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Fayetteville
Transportation Museum. The museum is located at 325 Franklin Street in downtown
Fayetteville and on the weekend parking enforcement takes the day off so
there’s plenty of parking with no need to feed the meters. Moving right along here we have this week’s
plant list.
Southward Skies: A
northern guide to southern Gardening
This is the second
edition of my book, which was published using data compiled from several years
of test garden operations. It’s written to aid gardeners of all skill levels in
successful garden methods that are targeted for the south east but had proven
to be a valued resource for gardens across the eastern coast. It’s certainly a
good gift for that gardener you know or for yourself if you’d like to have a
reliable field guide. The book costs $25.00
and we do take checks for this item, you can even have it signed.
Fruiting Shrubs
2x Fig, Chicago Hardy, 6” pot ($12.00)
2x Pomegranate, Dwarf, 6” pot ($12.00)
Herbs
4x Basil, Genovese, 3.5” pot ($3.00)
4x Artemesia, 3.5” pot ($3.00)
1x Fennel, Black, 7” pot ($5.00)
1x Oregano, 3.5” pot ($3.00)
4x Rosemary, 3.5” pot ($3.00)
1x Sage, 3.5” pot ($3.00)
2x Thyme, 3.5” pot ($3.00)
4x Toothache Plant 3.5” pot ($3.00)
Ornamental:
4x Baloon Flower, White 3.5” pot ($3.00)
4x Nicotina, Flowering Tobacco, 3.5” pot ($3.00)
4x Rudbeckia, Irish Eyes, 3.5” pot ($3.00)
4x Rudbeckia, Golden, 3.5” pot ($3.00)
House Plants:
2x Peperomia hybrid, Huntington BHG - 3.5” pot ($3.00)
2x Peperomia obtusifolia, Varigated Desert Privet - 3.5” pot ($5.00)
1x Peperomia verticilliata, Rotary Peperomia - 6.0" pot (6.00)
2x Aloe dorotheae, Sunset Aloe - 4.0" pot (6.00)
2x Aloe deltoideodantes, Checkerboard Aloe - 4.0" pot ($6.00)
2x Aloe glauca, Blue Aloe - 4.0" pot ($6.00)
2x Aloe hybrid, 'Blizzard' Aloe - 4.0" pot ($6.00)
2x Aloe nobilis
‘Gator’, 3.5” pot ($5.00)
2x Aloe vera
‘Blue’, Blue Medicinal Aloe - 3.5” pot ($5.00)
2x Aloe x Gasteria, 'Night Sky' Aloe - 6.0" pot ($6.00)
2x Aloe vera x Gasteria verrucosa, 'Radiance Aloe' 4.0" pot ($8.00)
Coming Soon:
Black Dragon Haworthia
Silver Ridge Aloe
Perennial Aloe (zones 7-11!!)
Heart-Leaf Philodendron
-And whatever other crazy stuff happens to have rooted at the HQ and looks really cool!
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| Also coming soon, Christmas cactus! |
