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Edition 2.53 Plant Depot Garden News December 30th, 2004

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Quotation of the Week:

"I appreciate the misunderstanding I have had with Nature over my perennial border. I think it is a flower garden; she thinks it is a meadow lacking grass, and tries to correct the error. "
— Sara Stein


Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

We wish you all a safe, happy and prosperous New Year.


Roses Love Alfalfa


Alfalfa. Isn't that the stuff that gets made into hay and is fed to livestock?

Turns out that's only part of the story. Alfalfa can also be a big boon to gardeners - by making their roses happier and healthier.

It's a crop with a long history. Because of acid soils and high humidity along the Atlantic seaboard, early colonists couldn't grow alfalfa well and nearly abandoned it. But it came west with the Gold Rush and flourished, and today the crop has become so popular in California that it is known in many agricultural circles as the "Queen of the Forages."

Besides being praised in agriculture, alfalfa has become a hit in horticulture, too, particularly in rosedom. As a mulch for garden roses, it does far more than retard weeds.

As it disintegrates, alfalfa yields an alcohol, triacontanol, to which roses take a particular shine. When it reaches their roots, roses act as though they've been aching for a stiff drink and manifest their appreciation with basal breaks, rosarian lingo for new growth emanating from the bud union (the landmark created by budding hybrid roses onto rootstock).

Rosarians live for basal breaks; they're the ticket for increased vigor and better production. An annual mulching with alfalfa nearly guarantees such spirited developments.



Recipe of the Week: Winter Vegetable Soup

What You'll Need:

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 strips smoked bacon, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups cubed, peeled acorn squash
  • 2 cups diced, peeled red potato
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrot
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 can (28 ounce) whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
  • 2 cans (14-1/2 ounce) chicken broth
  • 1 can (15-1/2 ounce) navy beans or other small white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups chopped kale

Step by Step:

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add bacon and saute for 3 minutes.

Add onion and garlic; saute for 3 minutes.

Add squash and next 6 ingredients (potato through thyme), stirring to combine; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add tomatoes; cook 2 minutes.

Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 8 minutes.
Add kale; simmer 5 minutes.

Add beans, simmer 4 minutes or until potato and kale are tender.

Yield: 4 servings



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