Alliums, Umbellifers

and CucurbitsWeek 4

AlliumsAmaryllidaceae

Grown since prehistoric times

Over 400 species, many grown only for flowers

Odor caused by sulfur compounds in the leaves and bulbs

Onions Allium cepa

Originated in Iran or Pakistan

Seeds found in Egyptian tombs dating to 3200BC

Evidence in Greek and Roman literature dating to 4000B.C

Bulb formation categorised by day length

Short-day varieties (12-13 hours)

Long day varieties (14.5-15 hours)

Bulbing is actually a response to length of nights

Aggregatum group divide vegetatively – e.g. Shallots, multiplier onions, potato onions

Biennial Onions

Proliferum Group includes top-setting types (Egyptian & Tree Onions)

Bulb Onions Yellow, brown, white or red

Flavour can be affected by soil and growing conditions

Open site, thoroughly dug, manured several months before planting

Sensitive to acidity

Long-growing season essential

Summer onions: Sow or plant early spring, lift in autumn, keeps until mid-spring the following year

Over-wintering, sow autumn, harvest early-mid summer, use japanese types or overwintering types (sturon)

Sets & Seeds

Seeds: suitable for all cultivars, less prone to bolting, flexible sowing times

More labour intensive, longer growing season, susceptible to disease and pests (onion fly)

Sets: easier to grow, less prone to diases, avoid onion fly attacks, headstart, better chance of maturing

Limited availability of cvs, expensive,

Cultivation Plant firm, small sets (up to 2cm circumference), large sets more

prone to bolting. Heat-treated sets must not be planted too early.

Push sets into soil so tips are at or just below surface, can be disturbed by birds, replace with trowel (don’t just push them in as it damaged roots)

Space about 15cm apart each way, 18-20cm for over-wintering, or 8-10cm apart in rows 30cm apart

Water at first but do not overwater later

Keep weed-free until established

Surplus sets can be grown for spring onions

Pests & Diseases Onion fly, small maggots. Grow under fine nets

Mildew: no organic remedies, rotate crops and harvest carefully

Harvesting & Storage Wait until foliage starts to die and tops bend over (don’t

bend tops over yourself – increases storage rot)

Can be lifted and dried outside on soil or on boxes if weather suits, or dry indoors or in greenhouses.

Store in well-ventilated frost-free sheds

Suspend bulbs in plaits or on tray

ShallotsAllium cepa

Very sweet flavour, store for up to 9 months

Usually grown from sets (seed produces single bulb), ideal size 1cm circumference

Planted 18cm apart each way, or 15cm in rows 23cm apart

Plant early-mid winter in mild areas, some cvs only suitable for late spring planting

Push set in soil to half its depths or in shallow drill, firm soil around set

Replant carefully if uprooted by birds

Mulch between rows

Lift clumps whole, harvest and store as bulb onions, small ones can be kept for following season

GarlicAllium sativum

Vegetatively propagated from separate cloves, 1cm diameter ideal

Up to 30cm high

Light, well-drained soil, moderate fertility, avoid fresh manure or boggy soil

Responds to potash

Most strains require low temperature to bulb (best planted in autumn)

Plant cloves 2cm deep

Plant 15cm apart for high yields, or 7.5-10cm apart in rows 25-30cm apart

Cultivation & Storage

Garlic can be lifted when leaves start to turn yellow

Don’t let bulbs separate or sprout

Handle carefully as bruising will reduce storage ability

Dry outside for 7-10 days in breezy conditions

Store in bunches or plaits as onions

Keep 6-12 months, can be planted following season

Home-saved strains may adapt to local climate

Garlic will keep for 6-8 months when stored in the dark at 35-40C

Perennial Alliums

Allium schoenoprasumRocambole – Serpent Garlic)

Egyptian onion

Tree onion

Welsh onion

LeeksAllium ampeloprasum

Includes elephant garlic

Very resistant to freezing temperatures

Resistant to disease

Open site, fertile, well-cultivated. Manured previous autumn

May reduce clubroot infection in brassicas (fibrous, extensive root system)

Cultivation Can be grown in situ, but seed-bed or modules are

preferable

Sow 1-2cm deep indoors, above 7C

Plant leeks when 20cm tall, size is influenced by spacing – 23cm apart each way, or 15cm apart in rows 30cm apart.

Can be intercropped with lettuce or winter salads

Water gently until plants are established

Leeks normally planted in holes to increase blanched stem

15 – 20cm deep, drop leek in, water gently, soil falls in naturally

Stems can also be earthed up

Harvest as required, stand over-winter

Umbelliferae/Apiaceae

Umbrella-shaped flowers

Over 200 species

CarrotsDaucus carota First cultivated in Europe around 10th century

High in provitamin A

Anthocyanin pigment in red, purple and black varieties

Range from 2” – 36” length

Earlies (12 – 18 weeks), short/round roots “Paris Market” type, more suitable for heavy or shallow soils

Used fresh, some Nantes also store, Amsterdam

Maincrops (18 – 24 weeks), larger, longer, bulk dries more slowly, suitable for winter storage

Chantennay cvs good flavour, Berlicum later maturing, Autumn King, tapered, high yield, needs light soil and long season

Cultivation

Sheltered for earlies, open site for maincrop

Light, fertile, deep, stone-free, well-drained

Cannot penetrate in heavy clay/compacted soil

Needs fine seedbed, not in weedy ground

Dig in compost several months before, not freshly manured (caused forking)

Earlies:

Round, Amsterdam or Nantes, minimum 5C, seeds germinate 3X faster at 10C

Can be sown early under plastic or fleece

Only round cvs can be sown in modules

Cultivation of maincrops

Any maincrop CVs, mid-spring to mid-summer

Drills 15cm apart

Susceptible to weed competition

Mulch between rows

Water very little, reduces root size. Dry periods can cause roots to split

Pests & Diseases

Carrot Fly Fly lays eggs at base of plants, tiny maggots tunnel into roots

Foliage fades, roots don’t store well

Low-flying flies, grow carrots within 60cm – 2’ high barriers, in boxes raised off the ground, or underneath fleeces

Caution when cow parsley is in flower

Sow early and late in season to avoid worst attacks

Sow thinly as thinning plants attracts flies

Thin in evening or still conditions,

Cut thinnings with scissors, bury in compost heap

Water and firm after thinning

Aim to lift early carrots by early autumn and maincrops by mid-Autumn

Harvesting & Storage

Pull roots out carefully (check diameter

Water soil beforehand if dry

Some can be stored in ground, some varieties frost sensitive

Clamps:

Make a clamp against an outside wall,

5-7cm layer of straw, coarse sand or ashes, pile carrots ontop to height of 2’, cover with 20cm of straw and 15cm of soil

ParsnipsPastinaca sativa

Very hardy

Bulbous, wedge-shaped types and long bayonet types

Deep, light, stone-free, well drained soil

Preferably manured for previous crop

Experiments have shown that growing on freshly manured soil does not necessarily cause fanged roots

Cultivation

Long growing season

Use fresh seed (1 year viability)

Sow in situ, theoretically from late winter to late spring, usually better to wait till March/April, can be sown under cloches

Prepare fine-tilth seedbed, germination is sown

Can be inter-sown with radish to mark rows

Small types in rows 20cm apart, thin to 5 – 10cm apart

Large types in rows 30cm apart, thin to 13 – 20cm apart

Mulch between rows

Can be sown with annual flowers

No need to water unless very dry

Canker: crowns crack and invaded by fungi,.

Most likely in highly fertile soil

Sow late and use resistant varieties

Celery fly: blistered leaves, pick off and destroy leaves

Carrot fly: Not as damaging as with carrots

Harvesting & Use

Best left in soil during winter, frost improves flavour.

Foliage dies down completely so should be marked

Can be covered with straw to make for easier lifting

Can be lifted and heeled in like leeks

Leaving plants to grow to seed can be very beneficial to biodiversity

Chervil Skirret Peruvian Carrot

Celery CeleriacHamburg Parsley

ParsleyPetroselinum crispum

Biennial

Up to 2’, any moist soil

Partial to full shade

Harvest regularly to encourage fresh growth

Very rich in iron, iodine and magnesium

itamins A, B and C

Detoxifying effect, used for rheumatism

Mild painkiller

Insect repellant

P. crispum crispum - curly

P. crispum neapolitanum Danert – Flat/Italian

LovageLevisticum officinale

Semi-shade to full sun, any soil

Grows up to 6’ X 3’

Edible leaves, stems and roots

Useful for digestive and respiratory problems

Mild painkiller (menstrual cramps)

Good companion plant, improving flavour and health of nearby plants

CorianderCoriandrum sativum

Annual 1’X1’

Can be grown through winter, needs moist soil (but not continually moist)

Easily runs to seed

Beneficial for digestive problems and nervous tension

Seeds can be narcotic

Essential oil is antiseptic and fungicidal

Helps repel aphids and carrot root fly

Grows well with dill and chervil, not with fennel

DillAnethum graveolens

Compact annual

Moderately rich soil, full sun

Extensive culinary use

Medicinal use dates back 2000 years

Digestive problems

Good for cough, cold & flu

Insecticide

Good companion for corn and cabbages

Inhibits the growth of carrots

Bee attractant

FennelFoeniculum vulgare

Perennial, up to 1.5m

Most soils, sunny dry position

Extensive culinary use

Seeds are most medicinally active

Digestive complaints

Mouthwash

Allelopathic – inhibits the growth of nearby plants

Attracts beneficial insects

Florence FennelFoeniculum vulgare azoricum

Perennial, up to 1.5m

Any moist, well drained soil

Strong aniseed flavour

SweetcornZea mays 6’ tall

Normal “sugary”: traditional sweetcorn, sugars convert to starch very quickly once harvested. Easy to grow

Sugary-enhanced: Selected for extra sweetness, sugar converts more slowlty, does not need to be isolated from other varieties

Super-sweet/shrunken gene: Very sweet types, should be isolated from other corn types

Tendersweet: Combined type, no need to isolate

Baby-corn/mini-corn: miniature immature cobs, eat 10cm long, raw/stir fried

Popcorn: small cobs/kernals, easily grown

Cultivation Long frost-free conditions.

About 90 days growing tyime

Delay sowing until soil is 18C, or raise in modules

Grow in groups/blocks at least 4 rows deep to assist pollination

Use fresh seed

Isolate from bi-coloured/polenta types

2.5-4cm deep in modules/3” pot, 1 seed per module

Don’t let plants get stunted

Can be sown outside once soil is not soggy

Coverw ith jam jars or under polythene film or fleece

Space 36cm apart in rows 60cm apart, can be intercropped with plants

Harvesting

Kernals ripe when pale yellow

Silks turn dark brown

Pull back sheath, burst kernal with fingernail

Watery – unripe, milky – ripe, doughy – overripe

Eat as soon as possible

Squashes & Pumpkins

Courgettes & Marrows

Cucumbers

Permaculture Ethics

Earth care, People Care, Fair share

“ Ethics is nothing else than reverence for life. “

“Let me give you a definition of ethics: It is good to maintain and further life, it is bad to damage and destroy life.

~ Albert Schweitzer