Dear Helen: When starting up stored begonia tubers, is it necessary to place them in both light and warmth?
S.L
Dear S.L.: Moderate warmth is helpful to initiate root growth. Light is necessary only once top growth begins. I store my begonia tubers covered in coarse vermiculite in a shallow box kept in a storeroom off the carport. When I bring them into the house, usually in early March, I uncover the tubers but keep them nestled into the vermiculite and spray-misted until pink nubs of growth show at the tubers鈥� upper surfaces. Then I pot them, covering the tops only barely, and place the pots in bright indirect light (or under plant lights) in cool room temperatures for stocky growth.
听
Dear Helen: I was surprised that you have mentioned harvesting radicchio this winter. My plants were ruined in an early winter frost. How did yours survive?
L.G.
Dear L.G.: Other gardeners have told me their radicchio plantings turned to mush in frosty weather this winter. Because I鈥檝e had that happen before, I covered my planting as significantly low temperatures arrived at the end of November and early in December, and again at the end of December.
I used three layers of old floating row cover that I keep on hand for the purpose. One grower at a local farm told me that he used just one layer and that proved insufficient to protect his crop.
听
Dear Helen: Can you tell me why my amaryllis bulb always produces just one or two leaves that grow big and then flop over? This disappointing performance has repeated itself this winter.
S.M.
Dear S.M.: You want to encourage a decent amount of strong foliage on a post-bloom amaryllis bulb. Those leaves work to help nourish and mature the bulb for another round of flowers.
Large, flopping leaves can be the result of any one (or more) of a number of factors: not enough light, too much water, temperatures that are too high. Fertilizing with a high-nitrogen plant food can sometimes cause the same problem.
My Red Lion bulb has produced its best foliage ever this winter at the family room glass doors, which face south. Next to the glass, temperatures stay cool.
I鈥檓 fairly miserly with the water, and I鈥檝e fertilized twice with a dilute seaweed fertilizer solution. Seaweed fertilizer is rich in trace minerals and most seaweed products are well balanced among the major nutrients.
The leaves on my plant are sturdy, pleasingly graceful, and a beautiful deep green.
Dear Helen: I鈥檝e been looking everywhere for seeds of Gem squash. Do you know of a source?
C.B.
Dear C.B.: This squash, so popular in South Africa, has disappeared in recent years from all the catalogues I commonly use. In January I noticed a pile of them at a farmers鈥� market vendor鈥檚 table. The grower told me he gets the seeds now from a friend in South Africa.
There are still some Canadian sources listed on The Canadian Seed Catalogue Index at seeds.ca. One source from that list is Greta鈥檚 Organic Gardens, 399 River Road, Gloucester, Ont., K1V 1C9. seeds-organic.com
Gem produces small, round, smooth-skinned, dark green fruits on trailing vines. They can be used as summer squash or left to mature as winter squash. The flesh is creamy-textured and flavourful.
Rolet is a hybrid Gem type squash, more compact than Gem. It, too, is no longer listed in seed sources I commonly use and it鈥檚 not on the index at seeds.ca.
I鈥檒l include this question in a column, just in case another reader can lead us to sources.
GARDEN EVENTS
Dahlia meeting. The Victoria Dahlia Society will meet on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Wellesley retirement home, 2800听Blanshard St. The entrance is on Market St. The evening鈥檚 program will be about 鈥渨aking up鈥� dahlia tubers.
Seedy in Courtenay. The Comox Valley Growers and Seed Savers are hosting Seedy Saturday this weekend, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Filberg Centre in downtown Courtenay. The event鈥檚 focus is titled 鈥淧reparing for Climate Change" with the aim of increasing the numbers of people growing food and saving seeds. As well as a seed exchange and numerous vendors and displays, there will be talks on transforming lawns into food gardens, soil and natural pest controls plus a panel of experts answering questions.
