Colin McCrate's Blog, page 21

Lessons from the Farm: Making Friends With Your Weeds

All photos by Hilary Dahl 

By Skip Mackintosh, Farm Manager at the Seattle Urban Farm Co. Urban Fringe Farm

At Seattle Urban Farm Co., we are all about creating highly productive urban landscapes, and we don't often have the luxury of allowing large swaths landscapes to be given over to weeds, but we don't want to dismiss the benefits they can provide. Weeds can be a good thing. It's seems a little counter intuitive as a gardener/farmer to say, but in a lot of ways they really are. Over the past year I started working on our certified organic Urban Fringe Farm in Woodinville. I thought it would be interesting to bring the farm experience back to the backyard by sharing some of what I've learned. The weeds on our farm have been nothing short of challenging to tame, but as I began to study the enemy, I started to realize they are just the opposite of an enemy. 

Weeds contribute in a number of ways to the success of a diverse, self-sustaining and productive garden. When dealing with any weed, control is key to deterring garden headaches. Make sure to pay close attention to your weeds. When they flower, that means they're getting ready to put out their seeds. You don't want to encourage copious amounts of seeds to scatter across your garden. Weed seeds will find their way in no matter what you do, so cut back or use edible parts of your weeds before they reach this stage of growth. By turning the weeds into your soil you're adding organic matter. Organic matter promotes nutrient and moisture retention and helps bring or keep worms in the garden. Some weeds also replenish nutrients and have the ability to discourage pests and disease. If you do turn your garden weeds into your soil, be sure you give the plant matter 8-10 weeks to decompose before planting. 

Here is a short incomplete list of edible and beneficial weeds common at our farm and in the Seattle area. 

This list is intended as a reference and not as a guide to eating uncommon plants. Some forgeable edibles can cause health problems even if they are deemed edible. Always consult an expert in plant science and a physician if you are thinking about eating unfamiliar foods. 

Clover - Establishes nitrogen in the soil, a key ingredient in maintaining healthy vegetable crops. It also acts as a ground cover to suppress and control other weeds. 

Dandelion - Dandelions are companions for tomatoes and some grains. They also attract honeybees, our illustrious pollinators. They draw up nutrients from deep within the soil so our crops can benefit from nutrients hidden farther below the surface. Additionally, all of its parts are edible. A good source of potassium and vitamins A and C. The roots can be dried and used for tea or roasted as a coffee substitute. 

Wild Mustard - Releases naturally occurring bio-toxic compounds. When incorporated into the soil at the right time it acts as an organic fumigant for a number of pests and diseases. Seeds and leaves are edible. It also attracts ladybugs and traps various pests, including aphids. 

Wild Vetch - Another nitrogen fixer, like clover. Vetch also acts as a ground cover that can harbor beneficial beetles. 

Chickweed - Raw leaves are edible but can prevent important nutrient uptake if eaten in excess. Excellent ground cover. 

Lamb's quarter (Pigweed) - Leaves and shoots are edible. It also prevents erosion and deters leaf miners.

Wood Sorrel - An edible clover-like ground cover. Wood Sorrel has a sour citrus taste and is high in vitamin C. As with most edible weeds, eating in excess is not a good idea, but they sure do taste good as a snack on a hot day. 

Pineapple weed - Similar to Chamomile, Pineapple weed has an edible flower. The plant can be turned into a powder to help prevent meat from spoiling and to keep flys away. 

Plantain - Like Pigweed, young Plantain leaves are edible and their seeds are best used for grinding up to make flour. You can also eat leaves finely chopped and cooked to remove fibers. 

Thistle - The roots are best when roasted or boiled. Stems are edible after removing the prickles and are best for eating after boiling. 

With all of the great things my garden is already growing, I'm not a big weed eater, but I love knowing that there are so many possibilities for food and natural remedies in our everyday world. My takeaway from this concept is this: Weeds that encourage pollinators and beneficial predators in the garden are okay by me. But even if they don't attract the good things and we have to get rid of them more frequently, continuously adding free organic matter and feeding the worms is equally as great. Sometimes it just takes a new perspective to see the good right in front of you.

At SUFCo, Skip is the Farm Manager at SUFCo's Urban Fringe Farm. During the fall and winter months, he is part of our skilled installation team and spends most of his time building urban farms all around the Seattle area. In 2012 Skip worked on a small mixed organic vegetable farm in Oakville, WA.  This experience served as a crash course in all aspects of small scale farming in Western Washington and was a springboard into his position as an installation crew member.

Our Design Team is Growing

Planting Plan by Craig Skipton

For every project, SUFCo brings together an expert team. We match the skills and talents of our flexible teams with the dreams of our clients.

SUFCo is excited to announce that we are now working with a new site designer Craig Skipton. 

During his 12-year career as a landscape architect, Craig has worked on a variety of projects and project types. Most recently Craig worked on the design and build of Heyday Farm on Bainbridge Island—a 30-acre working farm on three separate properties. In this work he applied his passion for local food, love of technology, tendency to be highly organized and background in design, project management, soil science and ecosystems. One of his core roles in the start-up process of the farm was to lead the infrastructure design, installation and maintenance that included site drainage, raised-bed gardens, rain gardens and swales.

Listening carefully, creating an engaging design process and empowering people to be creative are ways Craig likes to facilitate the realization of ideas into built works. Craig typically focuses on ways to create productive and easy-to-care-for landscapes while streamlining, reducing or minimizing maintenance by design. 

Craig is also an avid beekeeper, including rearing queens; father of two kids; husband; runner; fly fisher; and has been known to, on occasion, dig up a mess of razor clams.

In the end, elegant design solutions that lead to ecologically sound, organized, and productive systems excite Craig. We are excited to welcome him to the team!

2016 Northwest Flower & Garden Show

Brad and Colin will be leading three educational seminars at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show this year! If you're in Seattle and are interested in the topics listed below, we'd love to see you there! Both speakers love to answers questions, so these talks are a great opportunity to chat with garden experts and other folks in the gardening community.  If you wont be able to make to the seminars, we will be posting the information presented in the seminars here, once the show is over!

TOO MANY ZUCCHINI: PROFESSIONAL PLANTING CALENDARS FOR HOME GARDENERS

Many people struggle with the vegetable gardening problem of planting too much at one time, then being overwhelmed when everything is ready at once. Learn how professional vegetable growers use a planting calendar to produce a consistent supply of produce every week, how to assess your produce needs, determine how much to plant, and how to schedule your plantings to ensure a consistent supply of fresh produce. Imagine eating a fresh salad from your garden year round!

Wednesday, Feb 17 at 10:00 am / Hood Room / Book signing to follow

GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLE STARTS AT HOME

Ever wanted to try your hand at growing your own vegetable starts from seed? Growing your own transplants is extremely rewarding and allows you to try new varieties that may not be available at the local nursery….but it can be more complicated than you think! Before you get started, learn how to avoid common pitfalls that beset many well intentioned home nursery managers. We’ll discuss germination and potting media, providing adequate light, watering techniques, and organic fertilization in your nursery.

Thursday, Feb 18 at 12:30 pm / Hood Room  / Book signing to follow

GARDEN 101: YOUR BEST EDIBLE GARDEN / SEASON EXTENSION FOR HOME VEGETABLE GROWERS

Edible gardening has become a huge priority for health conscious gardeners. But how can you make the most of your edibles, and grow them so they look beautiful with your current landscape? You will gain a bushel of tips and insights from these three acclaimed experts in edible gardening: Brad Halm, Craig LeHoullier andCharlie Nardozzi will help you extend the growing season, integrate your edibles within your existing garden to maximize your space, and help you attain that rarest of edible produce: perfectly grown tomatoes!

Sunday, Feb 21 at 2:15 pm / Rainier Room / Book signing to follow

Favorite Varieties of 2015

Before summer becomes a distant memory, take a few minutes to jot down your favorite vegetable varieties from 2015! We try new varieties every year, but come spring, it's nice to know you've also ordered the tried and true seeds that you can count on. Here's a list of our stand-out varieties from this past season. 

Beets

Chioggia Guardsmark: The smooth, medium-height tops are all green with pink-striped stems and roots. We found that this variety germinated extremely well this year.

Cylindria: 5" long , 2" diameter beets are easy to cut into uniform slices for cooking or canning with little waste. For all you reluctant plant thinners out there, this is the beet for you! These are also a great variety if you’re a little tight on space. If direct seeded, the beets will still need to be thinned to at least 2” apart, but they can grow a little closer together than varieties with rounder roots.

Broccoli

Bay Meadows: We just can’t say enough about the variety. It performs extremely well under stressful conditions from both spring, and summer plantings and produces beautiful, large, blue-green, well-domed heads. (1)

Cabbage

Melissa Savoy: This was the most dependable cabbage variety we grew this year. A gorgeous savoy, with 2–5 lb light green heads surrounded by attractive dark blue-green waxy wrapper leaves. (2)

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Carrots

Nelson: Reliable and widely adapted. A favorite for early sowing and harvest during warm and hot weather, when growing sweet carrots is most difficult. Produces cylindrical, uniform roots. (3)

Cauliflower

Bishop: A vigorous variety that’s well suited for summer and fall crops. (If you saw our Instagram post featuring the 10lb cauliflower Farmer Ethan grew, this is the variety!)

Eggplant

Calliope: This charming variety produces small, oval asian style eggplant. The fruit can be harvested when it reaches 2-4” in length, making it the perfect variety for areas will shorter, cooler summers. (4)

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Cucumbers

Suyo: A sweet-flavored, tender skinned, ribbed fruit growing up to 15" long. We have found that this variety is the most resistant to disease and tends to produce the most abundant crop out of all the varieties we have grown.

Winter Squash

Black Forest: These dark green, flat-round fruits are of the kabocha type, but a bit smaller, averaging 3-4 lb. The deep orange flesh is medium dry and sweet, perfect for cubing and adding it to miso soup. Avg. yield: 4-5 fruits/plant.

Green Beans

Provider Bush: Provider can be planted earlier than other beans because it germinates well in cool soils. Compact plants are easy to grow and adaptable to diverse soil and climate conditions. Produces 5 1/2" fleshy, straight, round pod green beans. High resistance to powdery mildew. (5)

Fortex Pole: Fortex produces extra long, round pods. Early and very productive, the beans may be picked at 7" in length for extra slender, "filet" beans.

Onions

Patterson: Medium-large, yellow bulbs with dark yellow skin and thin necks that dry quickly. This variety stores extremely well.

Ailsa Craig: Yellow-skinned, round bulbs of the Spanish onion type. Grow well in milder climates and can produce giant heads. Suitable for short-term storage. (6)

Rossa Lunga di Tropea: Traditionally gr.5own in Mediterranean Italy and France, this variety produces tall elongated red bulbs that are full of flavor but do not store well.

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Peppers

Padrone: Named after the town where they originated. Harvest Padron peppers when they are 1-1 1/2" long. About 1 out of 20 fruits will be hot, and the rest mild. Expect multiple harvests off of each plant. (7)

Joes Long Cayanne: Bright red fruits are excellent for homemade hot sauce and dry well. The plants are very prolific. (8)

Potatoes

Ozette Fingerling: It is believed that the Ozette was brought directly from South America to Neah Bay Washington by Spanish Explorers in 1791. The Ozette is one of the tastiest of all fingerlings. Classic in appearance with pale gold skin and creamy yellow flesh.

Radish

French Breakfast Radish: 3-4" long, slender with a white tip, tapered to a point. Can be grown all season long. Harvest promptly at maturity to avoid pithiness.

Misato Rose: Produces 3-4 inch roots. Skin runs from light pink to green with bright pink flesh that is sweet, spicy and flavorful. This variety is quick to bolt but we have had lots of luck sowing in late summer and growing as a fall-harvested crop.

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Best of luck planning your 2016 garden! For more garden planning inspiration, check out our new book High-Yield Vegetable Gardening: Grow More of What You Want in the Space You Have, no available for pre-order on Amazon.

Our New Book: High-Yield Vegetable Gardening: Grow More of What You Want in the Space You Have

In High-Yield Vegetable Gardening, Colin and Brad show you how you can make your food garden much more productive, no matter how big or small it is. You'll learn their secrets for preparing the soil, selecting and rotating your crops, and mapping out a specific customized plan to make the most of your space and your growing season. Packed with the charts, tables, schedules, and worksheets you need -- as well as record-keeping pages so you can repeat your successes next year -- this book is an essential tool for the serious gardener.

2015 King County Small Business Awards

We’re excited to announce that we were awarded the 2015 King County Rural Small Business of the Year Award. We feel honored and humbled to be a part of the local small business community and would like to give a shout out to the other nominees in our category:

Bybee Farms | North Bend | FinalistKeep It Simple Farm | Redmond | FinalistSun Island Farm | Vashon | Finalist

The rural economy is an important link to the urban area and provides opportunities for residents to both live and work in the rural area. The King County Strategic Plan supports rural economic development that maintains the character of the rural area. This award recognizes the small business that has achieved excellence in one of the traditional rural industry clusters - agriculture, forestry, equine, home-based, or other.

The 5th annual King County Executive's Small Business Awards were held on Oct. 13, recognizing the achievements and accomplishments of small businesses throughout King County.  

It was wonderful to meet with such energetic and inspiring small business owners and we hope this recognition helps us reach a broader audience and continue to pursue our mission.  Thanks everyone!

Taproot Issue 15 :: Folk

Digging in My Heals

Colin wrote a lovely piece for Taproot Magazine's recent issue: Folk. The article is about the experiences that inspired him to start Seattle Urban Farm Company and his vision for the future of urban agriculture.

Here's a short excerpt from the article: 

"...Urban farming has many benefits: it helps encourage people to eat a healthier diet, creates spaces for neighbors to build relationships, and helps people relax at the end of a hectic workday.  However, I believe one of its most important roles is to bond the experiences of urbanites and farmers more closely together...I hope that the software developer who tenderly cares for her small backyard plot will choose to shop at the Farmer’s Market for the food she cannot grow.  That, after struggling to produce a half-dozen golden beets in his raised beds, the lawyer will be impressed by the quality of produce on the farmer’s stand and will graciously pay “top dollar” at the market rather than shopping around for a cheaper price.  I believe that urban farming is already helping to elevate the discourse on agricultural issues and that it will continue to create new opportunities for conversations about food production."

 

Taproot is a quarterly magazine celebrating food, farm, family and craft through writing, photography and the arts, both fine and domestic.

Fall Plant Palette: Late Summer Planting Inspiration

Fall Annual Plant Palette: 

Fall is a great opportunity to prioritize planting vegetables that may take a back seat during the summer season. Here are 12 of our favorite annual vegetables that can be planted now to create your beautiful and productive fall garden!

Broccoli 
Bay Meadows* and Arcadia
// Frost tolerant and will overwinter in mild climates. Overwintered crop may produce florets in early spring. Must be transplanted into gardens by mid-September in the Pacific Northwest.

Claytonia 
Claytonia*
// Hardiest of the winter salad greens, can tolerate moderate frost and can be grown all winter in mild regions.

Chard 
Bright Lights* and Fordhook
// Cold tolerant to about 20° F. Can survive the winter and produce new growth in early spring. 

 

Cilantro 
Calypso*
// Cilantro is a hardy fall crop but is not frost tolerant. If temperatures dip into the 30's, the leaves will start to loose their color, flavor and texture.

Garlic 
HARDNECK: Red Razan, Georgian Fire, and Chesnok Red SOFTNECK: Polish White, French Pink
// All varieties grow best after prolonged exposure to cold temperatures.

Kale 
Lacinato*
// All varieties are frost tolerant. This photo is of Lacinato kale during a hard winter frost. The leaves may droop during a frost but they will retain their flavor and texture.

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Lettuce 
Nancy butterhead, Winter Density romaine*, Rhazes red gem. 
// Considered a "cool weather crop", lettuce grows very well in the fall but will not withstand frost. Harvest uncovered plantings before temperatures dip below 35° F. 
 

Scallions 
Evergreen Hardy White*
// Scallions are extremely cold hardy and will easily overwinter in climates where temperatures dip below 10° F. 

Mustards 
Green Frills*, Green Wave, Ruby Streaks
// All varieties are frost tolerant 

 

 

Spinach 
Bloomsdale and Regiment*
// All varieties do very well in cold weather and can tolerate temperatures as low as 20° F.

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Radish 
French Breakfast, Misato Rose*, French Breakfast, Round Black Spanish, Cherriette
// Frost tolerant. Misato Rose and Round Black Spanish are "winter" varieties which means they grow slowly and are quick to bolt, therefor preferring fall growing conditions. 

Turnips 
Hakurai * and Purple Top White Globe
// Many people say that turnip flavor actually improves with a frost. If temperatures drop in the low teens, top leaves. 

* Variety shown in photo

For more fall planting inspiration and techniques, see:

OVERWINTERING: CROPS THAT CAN WITHSTAND THE COLD AND HOW TO HELP THEM THRIVELAST CALL FOR PLANTING

Cut Back Your Herbs

This time of year many perennial herbs are flowering or just about to flower.  It is important to cut back perennial herbs because the stems that flower will soon die and turn woody.  If you look closely at a healthy flowering perennial herb plant, you will notice that there is new growth pushing up from the base of the plant.  By cutting back the old growth you are making room for those new shoots! 

Ideally, you want to cut back your herbs before they flower, but many of us like to enjoy the colorful display that most perennial herb flowers provide and cutting them after they have flowered is just fine.

Each herb has different requirements as to how much of the plant should be cut back.  For example: oregano should be cut back almost to the ground, but lavender and sage only needs a gentle trimming to remove the flowers. Keep reading for a list of common perennial herbs and accompanying notes on care and storage.  

Below: Flowering oregano and a pruned lavender plant next to an unpruned plant. 

Woody Perennials:

Bay, Laurus nobilis: Great large, evergreen edible plant.  Can be grown as a full sized tree (20-30’) or pruned to stay small, even grown in a container.  Can be sensitive to hard frosts, so plant in a protected location if possible or bring into shelter during winter. Prune as needed and dry leaves for long-term storage. 

Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia:  Culinary English varieties are available (Provence).  Cut when flower buds just begin to open. Cut back about 1/3rd of the plant each season when in bloom or just after bloom to keep in shape over time. I usually cut back to where the tall flowering stems emerge from the softer foliage. 

Oregano, Origanum vulgare: Best culinary types are Italian and Greek.  Also consider adding Golden Oregano for more color. Important to harvest before flowering for best leaves.  Flowering stalks will turn woody and leggy. Cut plant back down to 1-3 inches above ground after flowering. New growth will emerge from the base of the plant. Takes on more flavor as it dries.   

Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis: Best culinary variety is Tuscan Blue, but it can be damaged or killed in colder winters (especially young plants).  A more cold tolerant type is Arp, but is not as tasty or as attractive as Tuscan Blue.  Add in prostrate rosemary on borders and in rockeries.  Cut as needed.  

Sage, Salvia officinalis: Most vigorous and best for cooking is common garden sage.  Other types are less cold hardy and tend to have more pest/disease issues.  Cut back each season to keep in shape.  Use leaves fresh or dried.

Thyme, Thymus vulgaris: Best tasting are English and lemon thyme.  Cut back each season before blooming for best leaves.  Can die over winter if cut back too late in fall or too early in spring.  Dry inside for long-term storage. 

Soft Perennials:

Chives, Allium schoenoprasum: One of the easiest herbs to grow.  Can be cut back as many times as you like.  Flowers and stems can be eaten fresh.  

Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare: Difficult to control, invasive perennial.  You may already have it!  Can be grown in a container or consider growing annual fennel bulb for similar flavor. Perennial fennel can be cut all the way down to the ground at any point during the season.

Hyssop, Agastache foeniculum: Anise hyssop has beautiful flowers (pink or blue or purple).  Attracts beneficial insects.  Leaves and flowers are edible and have unique taste (mint/sage/licorice).  Cut as needed during summer, cut back to 1" above soil in fall. 

Lovage, Levisticum officinale: Easy to grow, vigorous.  Tall plant.  Use leaves in soups or salads.  Taste is similar to celery.  

Mint, Mentha species: Many varieties to choose from.  Notorious for escaping and taking over garden spaces.  Plant in a container or bury a bottomless container into the garden to help contain.  Can be cut all the way back (down to about 1-2" above soil) several times per season.  Use fresh or bring inside to dry for long term storage.

Below: Healthy, trimmed perennial herbs and flowers. 

Upcoming Event: 2015 Seattle Design Festival

The Seattle Design Festival celebrates the ways design makes life better. Community members, city officials, citizen-experts, and designers all come together at workshops, performances, tours, exhibitions, talks, films, gatherings and more to exchange ideas.

Seattle Design Festival 2015: Design for Equity explores how design can contribute to a more equitable society. From buildings that everyone can access and move through, to apps that enable civic participation by people in every location and language, to cities where we can all afford to live – design is a vehicle of innovation. Design for Equity invites us to create a future in which everyone in our society – from every background, ability, race, age, gender, location or economic status – can access the same opportunities and outcomes, both now and in the future.

Join us at the following events:

Saturday, September 12- Sunday, September 13:
Block Party- Into the Streets!

The 4th annual Seattle Design Festival Block Party is a two-day street fair celebrating Seattle’s diverse design community hosted on Occidental Ave S in Pioneer Square.  This fun outdoor event serves as the kickoff to the two week Seattle Design Festival and is an opportunity for the design community to come together in a public space.  Large scale design installations, performances and design activities will take place throughout each day.  The installations are designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, sizes, and abilities.  

Our SKY HIGH SALVAGE Stacking Tower Garden will be exhibited during this event as part of at a design/build competition hosted by Architects Without Borders.  For the competition we created low-cost replicable garden beds that can be easily assembled for use in a variety of locations! 

Friday, September 18:
PARK(ing) Day, when metered parking spots will be transformed into parklets. Stop by our parklet, which will be located right outside Bastille Cafe & Bar, and say hi!

PARK(ing) Day happens once a year, on the third Friday in September, and is an opportunity for Seattleites to temporarily turn on-street parking spaces into public places. This international event raises awareness about the importance of a walkable, livable, healthy city and helps people re-think how our streets can be used.