Park Seed Garden Journal

I recently sent an email to the Park Seed customer service department asking for interesting or frequent customer questions. When I get a good one, I’ll dig the resident experts for the best answer. We’ll call it the Park Seed Blog Question of the Day! (imagine a booming voice with an echo) and I will post them for everyone to enjoy.

Here’s our first Park Seed Blog Question of the Day! (again-booming with the echo)
“Do you have a list of edible flowers?”

Apparently conventional fruits and vegetables aren’t hittin’ the spot for these garden gourmets.I took this one the Park Seed senior staff horticulturists. His answer was… drum roll, please…“Yes.” Then he gave me the list. I’ve pasted it below. Mmm… rose pudding. I hope you enjoyed our Park Seed Blog Question of the Day! (you get the picture.)
[Disclaimer: don't give me a hard time if I don't post a Park Seed Blog Question of the Day! (yadda, yadda...) everyday- Park Seed Blog Question of the Every Other Day or So! just doesn't have the same ring to it.]

Edible Flowers
         The following flowers are edible and can be used in a variety
         of food preparations.  Always make sure to use freshly col-
         lected flowers from plants that have not been sprayed with
         insecticides or fungicides.  Do not use flowers from a
         florist or flowers collected along the roadside since they
         may contain pesticides or lead from car exhausts.  Never
         experiment with other flowers since some like Foxglove,
         Azalea, and Clematis are poisonous when eaten.
         Harvest flowers and buds in early morning after the dew has
         dried.  Store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with
         a damp paper towel in the bottom.  Use only glass, enamel,
         ceramic, or plastic containers and wooden spoons or spatulas
         when cooking them.  Trim away all stems as close to the
         flowers or buds as possible and remove the white tips on rose
         petals since they are bitter.  When using flowers in salads,
         add them after the dressing.
              Flower                               Use
         Anise Hyssop                 Tea, marinade, Chinese dishes
         Apple blossoms               Salads
         Bellis (English Daisy)       Slightly bitter.  Salads
         Black Locust (Robinia)       Fritters
         Borage                       Cucumber flavor.  Potato salad,
                                      cottage cheese, tossed salad,
                                      cream cheese, potato soup, fruit
                                      salad, cake, and canape decora-
                                      tion, frozen in ice cubes added
                                      to summer drinks
         Calendula (Pot Marigold)     Adds subtle flavor and golden
                                      color to soups, salads, bis-
                                      cuits, rice, & egg dishes
         Carnation                    Soups, stews, sauces, salads,
                                      stuffed peppers, marmalade,
                                      butter, pickled
         Cercis (Redbud)              Salads, pickles, fritters
                                      Buds pickled
         Chamomile                    Tea, salads
         Chives                       Mild onion flavor for vege-
                                      tables, omelets, cream
                                      cheese, salads
         Chrysanthemum                Slightly bitter.  Salads, soups
         Cinnamon Basil               Fruit salad, chutney, sweet and
                                      sour dishes, marinades for
                                      chicken or ribs
         Cornflower                   Salads
         Cress                        Salads
         Dandelion buds               Omelets, salads, marinated,
                                      pickled
         Daylily                      Oriental stir fry, boiled and
                                      buttered, battered and fried            
         Dill                         Pickles
         Elder (Sambucus)             Cheesecake, fritters, candied,
                                      pancakes, muffins
         Fragipani (Plumeria)         Stuffed with corn meal or melted
                                      cheese
         Garlic Chives                Mild garlic flavor
         Geranium                     Mildly sweet
         Hollyhock                    Buds in salads and omelets;
                                      flowers in sandwiches
         Hosta                        Salads
         Jasmine (jasminum
                  polyanthum)         Salads
         Lavender                     Salads, teas
         Lilac                        Salads
         Lemon blossoms               Salads, teas
         Marigold                     Used fresh or dried.  Chowders,
                                      salads, rice dishes, broths,
                                      custards, cookies, muffins,
                                      sandwiches, pickled
         Mignonette                   Dry, crush, mix with salt,
                                      veal, and lamb dishes
         Mimosa                       Salads
         Mints (except pennyroyal)    Teas, salads, vegetables
         Nasturtium                   Light, peppery flavor; salads
                                      stews, soups, sandwiches,
                                      omelets, seafood, cheese
                                      spreads; pickled buds
         Orange blossoms              Salads, teas
         Pansy & Johnny Jump Up       Vegetable and fruit salads,
                                      candied cake decorations
         Petunia                      Sweet flavor
         Pineapple Sage               Teas, salads
         Plum blossoms                Salads
         Primrose (Primula vulgaris   Candied cake decorations,
                   & veris)           salads
         Red Clover                   Salads, spinach, turnips and
                                      greens, with butter on toast
         Red Bergamot (Monarda)       Mellow mint-citrus flavor,
                                      fruit salads, vegetables, tea
         Rosemary                     Slightly bitter; soups, meat
                                      dishes, vinegars, butter, or
                                      cream cheese
         Rose - all but especially    Fresh or dried; cakes, puddings,
                Gallicas and Damasks  honey, syrup, vinegar, candied,
                                      salads, sandwiches
         Safflower                    Provide color and flavor as a
                                      substitute for Saffron; soup
                                      stock, rice
         Sage                         Cold salads
         Salsify buds                 Omelets, marinated, salads, pickled
         Scarlet Runner Beans         Salads
         Squash blossoms              Stuffed, fritters, omelets
         Sugar Snap Peas              Salads
         Sweet Acacia (A. farnesiana) Candied or in ice cream
         Sweet Cicely                 Syrups, sweets
         Verbena                      Dry, crush, mix with salt;
                                      veal and lamb dishes
         Violets (Viola odorata)      Salads, sauces, fritters,
                                      custards, candied, cakes,
                                      sandwiches

Cheers,
Thomas

tandrews@parkseed.com

Whether it is a beautiful flower garden or a lush vegetable garden, when growing from seed we all have to suffer the same delicate instant when the potentially fruitful pay-off hinges on the energy packed into a tiny, humble seed.

During orientation for Park Seed’s newest recruits one of our staff horticulturists gives a tour of the facility. Being one who spent the better part of the college experience in one lab or another, my favorite part of the tour was the Park Seed Research and Development department, especially the seed lab. There is one person whose sole job for about 20 years has been to continuously cycle through every lot of seeds in stock, testing germination rates. The lab has these incubators that can mimic just about any climate conditions, matching humidity and temperature. This allows them to ensure that the seeds will germinate effectively everywhere in the country. Unfortunately, when you and I are in our homes we don’t have the benefit of this fancy technology. With a little research, care, and attention our seedlings will do just as well.

There are thousands of different plants that grow from seed with hundreds of various and sometimes extreme conditions necessary for germination. There are trees and wildflowers in California that will stay dormant for decades until a wildfire with the temperature high enough to breach their tough seed coat brings them out of dormancy. There are temperate trees and shrubs that require the months of cold and wet conditions of winter, before they will break dormancy. These extremes can be synthesized, but luckily, most of the seeds you purchase will not need that much coaxing.

Usually all you need is the right temperature, the right amount of light, the right amount of oxygen, and water. Water is the key to germinating any seed. Once moisture breaches the seed coat and touches the embryo, enzymes are triggered to begin the growing process. Some plants, like sweet peas and sunflowers, have really hard shells and may need some help getting that moisture. You could chip the seed coat with a sharp knife or you could soak the seed for 24 hours. Both processes allow the necessary moisture to reach the embryo. The soaking method also leaches out chemicals which may be keeping the seed in dormancy; when the seed swells, remove it from the water and plant it immediately.

Since there are so many different kinds of seeds, there are very few universal tips, but I have found a few that will fit most cases. First, make sure your seeds are stored properly in the off-season; keep them cool and dry. Second, make sure your seedlings are spaced out evenly. Park Seed sells a few seed starters with individual cells that allow your plants the perfect amount of space; I am actually buying Park Seed’s Bio-Dome from our garden center before I go home today, no lie. Next, make sure you read the seed packet! Your seeds will come with instructions about how much light they need, the optimal temperature range for germination, the correct amount of moisture, and any unique care information. While your seedlings are growing, make sure you turn them so that they receive even sunlight and grow up straight and strong. Lastly, when moving your babies to their new home in the great outdoors, don’t just toss them to the wolves. Set them in partial shade near your garden for a day or two before actually planting them to reduce the risk of shock.

Good luck this spring!

Hello, I’m Thomas.
Other than a few guest experts, the voice in your head will be my own, at least for a while. It may not be quite as pleasant as Nadia’s, but hopefully it will grow on you.

This blog has been in the hands of eager, but very busy people who were unable to give it the attention it required, people who already have many irons in the fire. So I adopted it. Nadia kind of explained who I am in her last post- I’m new, finding my place here. I am only an amateur gardener myself, but there are people here who are the best in the business. They are way too busy to make blogging a part of their daily routine. If all goes as planned, I will be able to pick their brains for that oh-so-valuable wisdom that only comes from years of dedication and experience. With all of the information flowing through this place it will my job to discern what will be relevant and pass it on.

The essence of a weblog is discussion- all future posts, starting with this one, will be open for comments and track-backs. I am no expert and I am not the voice of Park Seed. Any opinions I seem to have are my own, unless you happen to agree. I am not able to resolve individual customer service issues, and I ask that you please post comments relevant to the particular blog entries. Email all individual Park Seed customer service questions to our customer contact department at info@Parkcs.com.

From now on, I will try to post a few times a week. I will focus on company news, gardening tips, and hopefully I’ll be able to transcribe a few expert interviews.

Keep in touch,
Thomas

tandrews@parkseed.com

The following was written by a Customer Service Trainee:

The Raised Garden:

Nothing growing in your yard? Put a new one on top of it.

By Thomas Andrews

I was recently helping a certain relative build a raised flower bed to run parallel to the top deck of the pier at his lake house. Seeing as this relative happens to be my father, who seems to think for some reason that he is breaths away from the grave even though he has more hair on top of his head than I do and a tan like a seasoned surfer, "helping" means I did all the digging, lifting, and bending while he stood over me holding his back and complaining about how slowly I was moving. He loves raised gardens; his yard is one giant hill tiered-out like the steps of a Tibetan temple.

Raised gardens seem to pervade discussion in garden blogs lately, or maybe I have just been drawn to them because I am thinking of building one for myself. When it comes to having a successful garden, especially in undesirable conditions, raised beds are an old trick, but an effective one. They function just like an over-sized flower pot; you control exactly what goes in and how it goes in. If your yard has a drainage problem, weak soil, or burrowing pests, your garden doesn’t have to. Furthermore, the final product dramatically changes the layout of your yard, adding impressive depth and character to a flat lawn.

Raised gardens can be constructed out of just about anything, my great-great grandmother used to have a giant tractor tire filled with flowers out in front of her little house, and it worked, not that I’m surprised. I believe that woman could have planted beans in a pot of boiling water and gotten a sprout. Most people use wooden planks, railroad ties, castle stone or landscape timbers. I personally prefer the railroad ties because there is very little actual construction involved and they are fairly inexpensive, usually around ten dollars each. There are raised flower bed "no-tools-needed" kits, which are perfect for those incapable of strenuous physical labor, but they do limit your creativity somewhat and can be quite pricey.

Construction is simple, just like making a children’s sand box. The depth will be the trickiest part, but you can’t really make it too deep (just keep in mind that you are going to have to fill this with soil). However, if you make it too shallow, the soil will dry out too fast and will need constant watering, so shoot for at least twelve inches. You may want to make it deeper depending on which plants you are using and personal aesthetic intentions. It’s a good idea to lay some landscaping fabric or screen in the bottom to keep out critters and unwanted growth. Second, add about an inch or two each of sand and gravel for drainage. Now fill with your soil of choice; if you are planning a large project you may want to order it to be delivered in bulk, especially if your vehicle is not really equipped for carrying dirt. My dad is a contractor and gets the stuff wholesale, so I got to spend all afternoon toting 64 quart sacs of soil, I don’t recommend it. To complete the project, just plant your vegetables or flowers and enjoy your new and improved garden.

WOW!!! I could not believe how wonderful this is. The Customer Service Trainer asked his class for a sample of their creative writing to do in-house writing for emails. We were not expecting anything along this level!! Informative, true, and fun!

Flabbergasted,

Nadia

nadiavanderhall@gmail.com

http://www.allthewebsites.org