A couple years ago I started to occasionally inoculate my peas with rhizobia bacteria before planting. I noticed that when I inoculated, my plants were definitely healthier and had heavier yields then when I did not inoculate. A lot of gardeners never inoculate their peas, which is fine, but I thought I’d explain what it is, how you can apply it to your seeds, and why you might want to bother with it in the first place.

Peas belong to the legume family, which also includes beans, favas, and lentils (as well as clover, wisteria and a host of other plants). Legumes have a special relationship with rhizobia bacteria. These tiny microorganisms act like little nitrogen factories. They form nodes on the roots of legumes and convert nitrogen in the air (which plants don’t have access to) and fix it into the soil in a form that the legumes can use. In return, the legumes provide the bacteria with essential carbohydrates and minerals. Rhizobia bacteria live in most soils, but inoculating the peas with rhizobia bacteria improves node formation on their roots and nitrogen fixation rates.

To inoculate peas, start by soaking them in water. This helps soften up the seed coat, which makes the seeds germinate faster once they are in the soil. I’ve had better germination rates soaking the seeds for about two to four hours, rather than overnight. My (unscientific) theory on this is that leaving the peas to soak overnight allows them to imbibe too much water.

Different strains of rhizobia bacteria exist, so be sure to purchase a packet of inoculant that is formulated for garden peas (Pisum sativum). Most well-stocked nurseries carry incoulant and it can also be ordered online from seed catalogs and Peaceful Valley Farm Supply.

Pour a few tablespoons of the inoculant into a resealable plastic bag. Drain the water off the peas and place the damp pea seeds into the bag with the inoculant.

Zip the bag shut and give the peas a good shake to cover them with the darkly colored inoculant. Then, plant the inoculated peas out into the garden. I like to space mine close together, about 1 inch apart, and then thin the plants to two inches apart when they are six inches tall. Just be sure not to toss those thinnings—they make the most fabulous salad greens!

Let me introduce my latest crush: ‘Austrian Yellow Leaf’ lettuce. Pretty chartreuse coloring, ruffly leaves, a sweet flavor, and moderate heat tolerance. She really is a Southern Belle. In the garden I’m coupling her up with ‘Rouge d’Hiver’, a tall, dark, and handsome heirloom romaine. They’ll really make quite the pair, don’t you think?

I bought seedlings for both at Seattle Tilth’s plant sale last weekend, but you can find seed for ‘Australian Yellow Leaf’ at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and seed for ‘Rouge d’Hiver’ at Botanical Interests.

Strawberry pots are urn-shaped containers with wide mouths at the top and pockets on the side. The pots are great for growing fruit in small spaces, especially in balcony and patio gardens. I always plant two or three strawberry plants in the top of the pot and a single plant in each pocket, but there is another way. Strawberries produce runners—long offshoots with baby plants at their tips—that root easily. So you can simply plant a few strawberry plants in the top of the pot and leave the pockets empty. When the plants up top produce runners, guide them down into the pockets and pin the baby plant to the soil with a hair pin. Once the baby plants root, cut the stems connecting them to their mother plants off. Voila! You have a bunch of new strawberry plants and a full strawberry pot.

I always use the first planting method because you get the most berries in the least amount of time, but the second option is less expensive and kind of fun. If you want to snack on strawberries all summer it is a good idea to choose ‘Tristar’ or another everbearing strawberry variety rather than a June-bearing variety that produces a concentrated crop in early summer.

Strawberry pots are typically made of unglazed terracotta, which is not the best material choice because the porous terracotta dries out quickly and wicks moisture away from the soil. This makes it difficult to keep the plants well-watered, which is a problem because inconsistent soil moisture leads to poor fruit set. One way to get around this issue is to put a gravel channel in the center of the pot (you can find step-by-step directions for doing that here). Choosing a glazed ceramic container also helps, because they hold water in better than unglazed terracotta ones. I’m particularly fond of the new strawberry pots at Crate & Barrel ($39.95) because the berries contrast so nicely with the bright green glaze. Just one word of caution—these pots don’t have a drainage hole, so you’ll need to drill one before planting.

I firmly believe that caramelized onions make almost any savory food taste better. You really can’t go wrong with onions cooked into a near jam-like state. I smear caramelized onions over toast, scatter them across puff pastry tarts and bake them into frittatas. They would totally be a staple ingredient in my kitchen, if only they didn’t take so long to make.

For this month’s Tigress Can Jam I had to can something with alliums in it. I could have used shallots, garlic, leeks, or chives, but when I came across a recipe for a caramelized onion relish that could be canned, I was sold. Yesterday, in under an hour, I made a batch of the relish, spooned it into jars, and popped them into a hot water bath. Now I have caramelized onions on demand!  I can spread them on a grilled cheese sandwich, stir them into soup, or put a little mound on a slice of apple with a sliver of white cheddar whenever I like. And that is a very good thing.

Caramelized Red Onion Relish

Adapted from Small Batch Preserving: Over 300 Delicious Recipes by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard

I just happened to have a sprig of wonderfully fragrant, fresh bay leaves on hand, so I added them into the recipe along with a few sprigs of thyme. The herbs really complement the sweetness of the onions and the astringency of the wine.

Ingredients:

2 large red onions, peeled and very thinly sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup dry red wine (I used a Shiraz)

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 fresh bay leaves (optional)

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/8 teaspoon each)

Instructions:

Stir the onions and brown sugar together in a large, heavy bottomed enamel pot. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until the onions are very soft and deep brown in color (about 25 minutes). If the onions stick while cooking, stir in 1/4 cup of water and stir vigorously, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add the wine, vinegar, and herbs. Turn the heat to high and bring the onions to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove the relish from the heat, pick out the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Pack the relish into hot half pint jars, seal, and process for 10 minutes.

For step-by-step information on the canning process, please refer to the Small-Batch Preserving book or Well Preserved by Mary Ann Dragan. When canning low acid foods like onions it is especially important to use the right amount of acid  (vinegar, lemon juice, wine) and process the jars for the recommended time.

On Sunday I’m planning on planting a whole bunch of vegetables, including ‘Ruby Streaks’ mustard greens (my full planting list is at the bottom of this post). But before the gardening commences, I’m going to be talking about gardening and shopping for plants. Starting things off at 9:30 on Saturday morning I will be at Molbak’s nursery in Woodinville sharing my plan for a super salad season. I’m going to discuss how to prepare the soil for salad crops, the basics behind succession planting, and information about some of my favorite salad greens. Then, I’m off to University Village in Seattle for the Village Green Event, where I will be talking about how to grow and cook with spring herbs. This super fun talk will include demonstrations on drying and freezing herbs and making compound butter and vinaigrette, plus information on sowing and growing cilantro, chives, parsley, dill, and chervil. You can find all the details for both these events, including directions, on my Events page.

Seattle Tilth is also hosting their first annual Cool Season Crops Plant Sale (their regular plant sale will also be held the first weekend in May). I’m shopping the pre-sale on Friday and am planning on buying seedlings of ‘Green Sprouting Calabrese’ broccoli, ‘Early Snowball’ cauliflower, ‘Perfection’ fennel, savoy cabbage, ‘Giant Musselburg’ leeks, ‘Wong Bok’ Napa Cabbage, ‘Tatsoi’, and ‘Prize Choy’ pak choy.

I also have a ton of seed and will be sowing the following crops this weekend.

Root Crops

‘Easter Egg II’ and ‘French Breakfast’ radish

‘Bulls Blood’, ‘Chioggia’, and ‘Golden’ beets

‘Red Samurai’, ‘Bolero’ and ‘Yellowstone’ carrots

Shallots

‘Walla Walla’ sweet onions

‘Ozette potatoes’

Legumes

‘Golden Edible Podded’ peas

‘Super Sugar Snap’ peas

‘Tom Thumb’ dwarf snap pea (in containers)

‘Wando’ English peas

‘Broad Windsor’ fava beans

Greens

‘Sylvetta’ arugula

‘Olympia’ spinach

‘Flashy Trout’s Back’ lettuce

Bibb lettuce

‘Drunken Woman Frizzy Headed’ lettuce (yes, that is really its name)

Herbs

‘Fernleaf’ Dill

‘Santo’ Cilantro

‘Survivor’ Parsley

I’m also going to (hopefully!) get some strawberries and raspberries into the ground. Hooray! Let the weekend begin.

(click here for information on the 2011 class).

I have been wanting to teach a comprehensive, hands-on gardening class for a very long time, so I am super excited to announce that Chef Matthew Dillon and I will be offering The Kitchen Garden Series this summer at The Corson Building. The seven-month long course is designed to bring food full circle—from setting a seed into the soil to sitting down to a meal made with vegetables grown and harvested outside the kitchen door.

Each class will begin with wine, snacks, and a lesson in the garden. I will emphasize organic growing techniques and practical strategies for maximizing production in small, urban spaces. I’m really excited to help class participants explore the amazing diversity of foods that gardeners have access to, including fennel pollen, pea tendrils, garlic scapes. I’m also going to concentrate on how to harvest crops at different stages of growth and ways to maximize the flavor and quality of homegrown vegetables. Every session will have a special area of focus, and salad and herb gardening, growing warm season vegetables, succession planting, soil care, and planning a winter garden will all be covered.

Following the gardening lesson, we will move into the kitchen where a light meal will be served and Matt will take the reins. Central to each cooking class will be the idea of thrift—using all the edible parts of a plant and preserving the harvest.  In addition to teaching how to cook out of the garden, Matt wants to concentrate on pantry and/or larder items (canning, drying and preserving methods), as well as making products like yogurt and crème fraîche that can enhance seasonal eating. The final class in October will be a harvest celebration and focus on preserving and canning.

Both Matt and I are inspired by the writings of food lover and gardener, Angelo Pellegrini, and we will weave his advice and wisdom into our lessons.  If you’re interested in participating in The Kitchen Garden Series, here are all the details:

Where: The Corson Building, 5609 Corson Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98108 (Georgetown Neighborhood)

When: The Kitchen Garden Series begins Wednesday, April 14 and meets once a month on Wednesdays (May 12, June 16, July 7, August 11, and September 8 with the final installment taking place on Saturday, October 9. All classes run from 6pm to 9pm.

Registration: Class size is limited to 15 students and attendees should be prepared to get dirty in the garden. Cost of the series is $400 per person and includes free admission to The Corson Buildings annual Cider Press in October.  A deposit of $100 is required to reserve a space with the balance of $300 due at the first class.  To register, email info@thecorsonbuilding.com or call (206) 762- 3330.

“Without a kitchen garden—that plot of land on which one grows herbs, vegetables, and some fruit—it is not possible to produce decent and savory food for the dinner table.”

~ Angelo Pellegrini, The Food-Lovers Garden

Image by Marie Moreau and Gaetan Coulaud

I love the idea of using pots of lettuces and herbs as centerpieces on patio tables, but this wonderful table-potagère from Les Ateliers-Ouverts (via Bloesm) really elevates the whole concept of growing salad in containers. Fashioned out of sustainably harvested wood and a stainless steel trough, the table is wheelchair accessible and deep enough to grow lettuces, herbs, radishes, beets, and even little round carrots like ‘Parmex’. It would be the perfect addition to an outdoor kitchen area or a rooftop deck.

Unfortunately, I could not find a U.S. source for the table, but I did dig up printable plans for a DIY salad table online. Jon Traunfeld, a county extension specialist in Maryland, designed a salad table that is basically a wooden box with a mesh bottom set on legs. Traunfeld’s table is more utilitarian than the table-potagère, but it is easy-to-build and can be made deep enough to grow bush cucumbers, peppers, and small determinate-type tomatoes like ‘Principe Borghese’. He also designed a portable salad box that I wrote about in Organic Gardening a few years ago. The salad box looks adorable when filled with greens and I think it would be a fun hostess gift!

Gardening Gone Wild hosts a monthly photo contest, Picture This. March’s theme is Awakening. I chose to enter this photo because it captures two arugula seedlings that have just sprouted—they almost look like they have awoken from a long winter’s nap. These little plants appeared in my garden with hardly any work on my part. In fall, I always allow arugula to flower and set seed. The tiny self-sown seeds lay in wait over the winter and then germinate in spring all on their own, often giving me a very early crop. Finding self-sown vegetable seedlings is one of my favorite things about gardening because it reminds me that I play only a small role in making my garden grow!

Since we bought our house four years ago, Jon and I have slowly chipped away at the massive amount of lawn in our yard. This past weekend we took out a 700 square foot chunk of grass that looked particularly horrible in our backyard. The idea was to install a path between our house and the garage/alleyway, create more vegetable garden space for me, and build a little woodland garden in the side yard. We are also going to install a screen to hide our ramshackle chicken coop.  All things proceeded smoothly until we realized that the north side of our yard is about six inches taller than than the south side. This is bad news for our gravel path, which slices right through the slope.

After briefly considering the idea of digging out the extra earth, we settled on building a mini wall to hold back the soil and create a level terrace for the vegetable beds. For the wall we need a material that is affordable, attractive, and long lasting. We rejected wood (it rots too fast), landscaping bricks (too ugly), and stone (too expensive) and have decided to build a gabion wall.

Image via Nate Cormier

A gabion is basically a wire mesh basket filled with something heavy, usually stones, but recycled concrete, gravel, and even wine bottles have been used.

Images via Gabion-Mesh.com and RO/LU

Gabions are popping up in gardens as benches, retaining walls, screens, and stone pillars.

Image via Edinburgh Architecture

My friend Chris from FreshDigs gave me a hot tip that Second Use (a store in South Seattle that sells reclaimed materials) has hundreds of old locker baskets from Nathan Hale High School. They are the perfect size (11 inches by 13 inches) for repurposing as a gabion, but at ten dollars a pop, I’m not sure I can afford 32 two of them. So, unhandy me is going to attempt to make my own baskets out of welded wire mesh. Wish me luck! If you want more ideas, Studio G has an awesome roundup of gabions used in gardens across the globe.

The problem with so many edible plants is they are just so green. Dark green. It makes for a pretty boring color palette in the kitchen garden. I like to liven things up with vegetables like ‘Ruby Streaks’ mustard and scarlet runner beans, but I’m always on the hunt for edible plants with more color.

Enter ‘Golden Alexandria’ strawberry. A gorgeous, runnerless alpine strawberry that will be playing a starring role in a new bed I built last weekend. I’m planning on planting several ‘Golden Alexandria’ plants along a berm with a mix of basils (‘Lettuce Leaf’, ‘Genovese’, ‘Ararat’, ‘Mrs. Burns Lemon’, and ‘Purple Ruffle’s) in the mid-ground, and a row of pole beans trellised on black bamboo behind.  ’Golden Alexandria’ supposedly produces sweet, small berries all season and grows well in light shade, too, which is good news for all of you with sun-challenged gardens!

I first spotted this strawberry at Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco last March. Regretfully, I did not buy any plants to bring home and by the time this spring rolled around I couldn’t remember the name. Luckily, Clarke de Mornay, Flora Grubb’s vegetable expert, knew exactly which plant I was talking about! I haven’t been able to find any ‘Golden Alexandria’ plants in Seattle, so I’m mail ordering from Annie’s Annuals nursery.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a package of ‘Tom Thumb’ peas. This edible podded pea is an heirloom and grows on dwarf, 18-inch tall vines that do not really need any support. I’m planting them in containers, but I’m also growing ‘Wando’, a great English shelling pea and snow peas, both of which will need a trellis. Last year I grew my peas up my fence trellis, but there are a ton of ways to trellis peas. I did a little searching online to see what other gardeners are up to and pulled together a roundup of my favorites.

The very first trellis I came across was this sturdy cedar trellis on Sequim Daily Photo. I love how these trellises really make use of the vertical space in small raised beds. You could easily grow baby greens between the rows of peas and plant cucumbers on the trellis when the peas finished up in June.

Renee from Wolfie and the Sneak stapled chicken wire onto an old wooden window frame. Such a clever way to recycle in the garden! And cute, too.

Another awesome recycled material idea comes from Patti at New World Geek. She bought a bunch Cat-5 wire from a Re-Store and used it to make trellises! She built two trellises for about a dollar each and still has several hundred feet of wire left.

This colorful geometric design comes courtesy of Just Fine Design Build. The cool off-set design allows you to grow two rows of peas in the space of one and the trellis is pretty enough for a front yard. I bet you could use that Cat-5 in place of twine!

At This Old House they have an easy-to-follow guide for building a container trellis out of tree trimmings. They have sweet peas growing up it, but this trellis would also support edible peas. I think it would look especially pretty to sow some climbing nasturtium seed in the pot as well, because the nasturtiums would begin to bloom when the sweet peas started to fade.

Here are two trellises I’ve grown peas on in the past. Jon built the A-frame trellis for me and peas and cucumbers easily scramble up the wire panels. If I was building it again, I’d use chicken wire instead of 1/4 inch hardware cloth. I also love to build bamboo trellises. For this one I made decorative panels at the bottom of the trellis out of round and U-shaped bamboo. Peas don’t grow well up bamboo—they need something to grab on to—so I strung twine onto the trellis to create a climbing surface. In 2008, I grew a vining pea that reached nearly to the top of the 7-foot tall trellis by the end of June.

I live in a 786 square foot house that has no basement, only one and a half closets, and a lot of books. There is no place to set up an extensive seed starting operation. So, ever since we moved in, I’ve resorted to buying seedlings for all my warm season crops and direct sowing everything else. But this year I decided I wanted to start just a few of my own seedlings. I went to IKEA, bought an IVAR shelving unit, and set about converting it into a seed-starting station. Once the seed-starting season is over, we’ll use the shelving until to store garden supplies in our garage. Below you’ll find step-by-step instructions for building the station, plus some modifications I’d make if I was building this again (and had a bit more space).

To get started you’ll need the following equipment:

* 1 bookcase with adjustable shelves, plus an open back and sides (such as an IKEA IVAR shelving unit. Mine is 30 inches x 12 inches x 48 inches)

* 2 22-inch under-cabinet florescent lights

* 4 7/8″ hooks

* 6 feet of small-link chain, such as #16 single jack chain, cut into 18-inch pieces

* 4 3/16″ by 1 1/2″ eyebolts and matching wing nuts

* 4 1″ S-shaped hooks

* Extension cord

* Automatic light timer

Step One

Start by modifying the light fixtures so you can hang them from the bookcase. Remove the light cover and bulb from the fixture. There should be two screw holes or slots in the base of the fixture. Insect one eyebolt into each hole, make sure the eye is on the outside of the fixture and the bolt is on the inside.

You don’t want the bolt to interfere with the lightbulb. So, place a wing nut on the bolt and screw it down a few times, making sure that the end of the bolt does not extend past the wing nut’s “wings”. Before you replace the lightbulb, pull the eyebolt through the hole until the wing nut is flush with the top of the fixture on the inside. This will mimic the position of the eyebolt when it is hanging and allow you to double check the clearance of the bulb. Put the lightbulb back into the fixture. If the bulb will not fit, unscrew the wing nut a few turns and try again. If bulb clearance is still an issue, use a standard nut and a thin washer instead of a wing nut to secure the bolt. Once the bulb is in place, replace the light cover. Repeat this process with the second fixture.

Step Two

Now it is time to screw hooks into the bookcase so you can hang the light fixtures inside the case. This is easiest if you remove the top shelf from the bookcase. You want the fixtures to be centered in the bookcase and the hooks to be exactly above the bolts in the fixture. For a standard IVAR shelf (32 5/8″ by 11 3/4″), start in the upper right hand corner. Measure in 8 inches from the short side of the shelf and 3 or 4 inches (depending on your light fixture and where the bolts are) from the long side. Mark with a pencil and then screw a cup hook into place. Repeat at each corner. Once all the hooks are installed, place the shelf back into the bookcase. Note: The goal here is for the lights to be centered in the shelf and evenly spaced. If your shelf or light fixture is a different size, simply adjust the hook placement accordingly.

Step Three

Hang a piece of chain from each hook. Attach an S-shaped hook to the bottom of each piece of chain. To hang the lights, hook, the S-shaped hook through the eyebolts. Plug the light fixtures into an extension cord and then plug the extension cord into an automatic light timer. Set the light timer to be on for 16 hours and off for 8 hours during the night (this ensures your seedlings get exactly the right amount of light).

Notes:

* I think this seed-starting station would work best with a shop light fixture that has two bulbs in it. That way you would only have to fiddle with one fixture. I used two fixtures that are designed to be screwed in under cabinets because I couldn’t find a 2-bulb shop light fixture that would fit in my shelf and plug in (most of them were direct wire). 2-bulb fixtures that plug in are commonly available in a four foot length, so if you have the space, I’d definitely buy a bigger shelf and use that type of light fixture instead. Or, I’ve been told you can easily attach a plug to direct wire fixtures if you have some basic electrical skills (which I don’t have).

* I chose to have chains that were a little longer than I needed for flexibility. You could get away with 14-inch long chains.

* Most seed-starting trays are 21 inches long. Keep in mind with this set-up seedlings planted on the outer rim of the tray might not get enough light, because the bulbs in the fixtures are only 17 inches (even though the fixtures are 22 inches long).

* You could also hang lights from the middle shelf if you wanted to start more seedlings.