Poison Ivy - Leaves of Three, Let it be...

Our garden has few patches of poison ivy growing along and up the chain-link fence on the west side of the garden, between the garden and the school.  This weed is a potential allergen - leaves, stems, and roots all contains an oil capable of causing severe allergic dermatitis. Not everyone is allergic; moreover, allergies change over time. I used to romp in poison ivy as a child without getting a rash. I got poison ivy for the first time when I was in my 20s; now, I get it from my dogs when they brush up against it.  The last time I got poison ivy, in late July, I had blisters.    

The Park Service does not remove native weeds, such as poison ivy, because they enrich the habitat by providing food for wildlife. They will, however, cut back poison ivy, as they did in our garden, when it become hazardous for people. If you are any where near as allergic to poison ivy as I am, you really wish they would just spray it with herbicide, but they don't and they won't.and they are the landlord.  The best advice I can give is to learn to identify it, and avoid it.  There's an old saying,"leaves of three, let it be," Poison ivy leaves are shiny in the spring and scarlet in the fall.  

Poison ivy: leaves of three, let it be...

If you must work in poison ivy, wear long sleaves, long pants, closed toe shoes, and gloves.  Wash all of your clothing immediately.  I you touch it, wash thoroughly with Technu, a special product that removes the poison ivy oils from your skin.  It this doesn't work, and you get a rash, you can use a special astringent containing Aluminum sulfate to dry out the rash. This is sold under the tradename Dombrom, but CVS also carries a generic version.  

Remember, leaves of three, let it be! 

Weeds: If you can't beat them, eat them...

I hate weeds, especially those that spring up out of nowhere and smother my tender garden vegetables....my seedbeds just getting started; my transplanted tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Darn those weeds!  They compete with my garden plants for nutrients, sunlight, and water....This is not a good thing.

There can, however, be a good side to weeds. Some of them are edible.  This is something I learned as a child, when my father would take me foraging.  He referred often to a book by Eull Gibbons, Hunting the Wild Asparagus, published before I was born.  He would say often of weeds...."If you can't beat them, eat them!" and that's what we proceeded to do. However, some of the weeds that he gathered proved to be too much trouble, like pokeweed, or Poke.  It had to be boiled at least twice to remove the toxins so that it was safe to eat.  Only the tender young greens were edible. Other parts of the plants were poisonous, including the bright purple berries.  Even as a child, eating Poke seemed to be a bad idea.  I mention this because one has to be very careful when choosing to forage weeds or anything else.  Identification is key. You really do need to know your plants, and know what you know and what you don't. That said, some of our "weeds" are pretty tasty.        

A few weeks ago, I gave a workshop on edible weeds for the Neighborhood Farm Initiative's Open House.  I talked about three very safe and delicious greens that are prolific in the Mamie D. Lee Community garden.  These are considered weeds mostly because they are growing in the wrong spot. Some of our gardeners actually grow amaranth in their plots, and one can find lambsquarters and purslane for sale in farmers markets.  I guided workshop participants in identifying and gathering these greens, and then using them to make a delicious salad! 
Happy gardening, and weeding!

-Christina Scheltema    

Hope for Spring

In this bitter cold, I am thinking more about my garden, counting the days until the ground will thaw and I can play in the dirt once again. In the meantime, I am consoling myself with seed catalogues, which offer hope for spring.

Every year, the catalogues begin arriving in my mailbox before Thanksgiving.  Somehow they know that I’m an avid gardener, and that the coming winter cold will have me hoping for and dreaming of spring. The seed sellers know that I need a diversion from the holiday festivities, and that my green thumb will start itching in January.  

I must admit that I have great fun leafing through the catalogues and my leisure, looking at the new varieties and contemplating which old favorites I will grow again this year.  Jimmy Nardello and Yummy peppers are on my list, as are Juliette and Golden Jubilee tomatoes. I’m trying a new tomato variety this year – Genuwine – a cross between Brandywine and Costoluto Genovese - from Totally Tomatoes.  I will grow Ping Tung Long Asian eggplants, and Bride, a white variety I grew some time ago.  After growing Tokyo Cross turnips last fall, I will try Shogoin turnips this spring. These are two lovely Asian turnips, producing plump, tender white roots, ranging from the size of large marbles to golf balls. I also plan to grow a variety of spring greens – Swiss chard in many colors, red mustard, and two types of kale.  

My order from Pinetree Garden Seeds arrived last week, keeping hope alive. In the next week or two, I will start my winter greens indoors, in a special spot in my basement.  That’s a topic for another blog.

    

It’s time to order seeds, if you haven’t already done so. You can grow vegetables by seed that you could never purchase in a garden center or plant sale - unless you plan to spend all of your gardening time running from sale to sale. You may discover some favorite varieties.  If you are a seasoned gardener, please let us know what you like to grow...