September 2011 - Design For Generations 2.0Design For Generations 2.0

29 Sep

Paw Paw Fruit

Jack Carman, FASLA Horticultural Therapy 0 0

This is paw paw season. The fruit is native to the US and grows wild in the eastern half of the country. It can be found along river banks and other areas in the wild. However, it is becoming more common. The paw paw fruit is being grown commercially and can be found in some famers markets. It has a tropical mango-like flavor and can be used in a variety of ways, from fruit smoothies, pies, ice cream to even beer.. The good news is that you can grow this fruit in your garden. The paw paw tree (Asimina triloba) is a small tree that prefers well-drained soil. It has large leaves and fruit and is considered an understory tree. It has few pests that bother the tree so it can be considered a low maintenance tree. It is best to buy container grown trees because the plant does not transplant well as a bare root methods. This is a tree to grow in your yard. Because the fruit ripens quickly, it has a short shelf life. Growing the fruit in your yard makes it easy to harvest and eat when it ripens. The season is typically from Sept. to Oct. The paw paw fruit will definitely help create conversation and it should be a tree to consider adding to the garden.

13 Sep

GARDENING – CLOSER TO WHERE WE LIVE

Jack Carman, FASLA Community Gardens 0 0

Reading an article in the paper yesterday made me think about how we have been expanding our vegetable gardens and reducing the size of the lawn. The article talks about how residential developments are being planned around working farms. Well, how about re-thinking your yard to consider the whole area as a garden?!? Why limit the tomatoes and chives to the vegetable garden? Why not mix the vegetables and herbs in with the traditional shrub plantings. How about adding more fruit trees in with the other ornamental plantings. Pots, planters and raised beds are all opportunities for expanding our gardening talents and vegetable crop yield. This is a great time to get started. Garden centers are having end of the season sales. Plant prices are reduced and there is still a good variety of plants to choose from. You can still plant vegetables and have a crop to harvest this fall. We just planted beans and spinach and they are starting to come up. This generates interest and definitely adds to the conversation. There are other great ideas for thinking outside of the (garden) box in the Wall Street Journal article “An Apple Tree Grows in Suburbia” by Stephanie Simon http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903392904576510492421141056.html?mod=ITP_thejournalreport_0