Seeds from Italy News
Vol 9, #1 July 2009

THE NEWSLETTER IS BEST READ ON LINE. THE PHOTOGRAPHS MENTIONED BELOW ARE IN THE ONLINE VERSION. IF YOU WANT TO READ ON LINE, GO TO:

http://growitalian.com/newsletter_july2009.htm

We publish four times a year (usually) and include information on all aspects of Italian vegetables, herbs and flowers: selecting, growing, harvesting and storing and cooking. We would be happy to receive and if space permits, publish your experiences in these areas.

If you have a friend who is interested in all things Italian (at least for vegetables, herbs & flowers, please feel free to forward this to them.

1. Privacy Policy
2. March Newsletter Gone Missing
3. Germination Problems
4. Building a Larger Hoophouse
5. Growing Tip. A technique to grow winter squash for folks with limited space
6. Arugula & bean soup from another happy customer
7. Garlic is on the Way for Fall Planting

8. Unsubscribe from the newsletter.

1. Privacy Policy. A number of people on their order forms asked me not to sell or divulge their personal information: address, telephone numbers, email addresses, etc. I want everyone to understand that I take privacy very seriously. I never disclose any customer information to anyone under any circumstances. I have been bothered by too many telemarketers, received too much junk email to do that to anyone else. I don't even keep credit card numbers: a number of customers who reordered and told me to use their credit card number on file were surprised when I told them I do not keep them on my computer, nor do I have access to them from the credit card authorizing service.

2. Sorry about the March newsletter. It never happened. Usually what I do is write the March newsletter in December since things are so crazy from January through April that I never have time to do it. Well this year, things got really busy by the beginning of December and I never did have time to do it in December. When I finally did have some time, my web writing software went crazy and was destroying things; I had to get someone else to do the updates and that took a while. Sorry about that. Next year I will try and do it even earlier and get up to speed on the new software.

3. Germination Problems. There were some problems with a couple of varieties this year. The agretti seed was no good. I heard from a couple of growers who planted it early that the seed was not germinating. Contacted Franchi and they said that it had passed germ tests in September (when they test most of their new seed) but they would retest it. It did not germ for them in February so I pulled it. Sorry for all of you who bought agretti. You can either have a free replacement next year, a refund or a credit toward something else. Also, I am thinking there is something wrong with the red salad bowl lettuce. I had a couple of complaints and the batch I tested myself did not germ particularly well. This lettuce is all marked 2009/2010. If you experience any problems, let me know either now or when you order next for a credit, refund, replacement, etc.

4. Building a larger hoophouse.

I have a little hoophouse (7 x 12 or so) that I primarily use for starting transplants in the spring. I have tried growing in it, but it is not really big enough and worst of all, it is shaded by some tall trees when the black locusts leaf out in early June. So, for some time I have been thinking of a bigger one in a better location and finally got going on it in late October 2008. The goal was to have a hoophouse large enough to grow some serious tomatoes and peppers in and also one that I could use to extend the season for salad fixings. For years I have had a problem with tomato foliar disease and the only way to prevent it (other than spraying year round) is to keep water from splashing soil up on the plants. The only way to do that is to grow inside. As for peppers, I have a plague of pepper maggots every year (there is a little golden fly that loves to lay its eggs in peppers, especially hot peppers. So, the idea was to build a hoophouse that (1) was high enough for me to grow tomatoes (2) set up so I could open it up in the heat of the summer but still be able to use screens to keep out the pepper fly (3) use to extend the season. That dictated the design.

Picking a location. In my case, picking the right site was easy. I was somewhat limited in locations (my wife did not want to be able to see it from the deck at the back of the house, so I found the most level spot in the garden which was out of sight of the deck, and that was the location.) Level is relative in my garden and there was a 14" difference from one side to another. Nevertheless, it worked. However, if you have a level spot, use it. It makes things a lot easier.

Tools needed. Hammer, level, combination square, screwdriver (battery powered one is almost essential) and a saw (skil saw preferably) and it is really nice if you happen to have a table saw for cutting battens, although you can get around this. You also need a big hammer (3 or 5 pound), a hacksaw with a decent metal blade (sawzall with a really good metal cutting blade is even better).

Laying out the structure. I used 2 x 6 pressure treated lumber for the foundation/ground frame. I was tempted to use untreated wood, but decided I wanted this to last and these days the chemicals they use to treat wood are not as nasty as in the past.(untreated wood will probably last five or six years). I decided on 10 foot width so that I had two good sized beds with a walkway in the middle. Length was the length of that particular section of the garden (22 feet). For the long lengths of the frame, I used a four foot long length of 2 x 6 to nail the two long lengths (12' & 10') together. I nailed the frame together, squared it up (measure both diagonals & when they are the same length, your frame is square) and leveled it (use old bricks, pieces of wood, or whatever to temporarily level it). Once it is temporarily level, cut some pieces of 1 1/4 steel pipe to length. [you need to drive them at least a foot into the ground so you need at least 12" + however much you need to get from ground level to more or less the top of your 2 x 6" frame. In some places, my frame was 13" above ground level while in other areas it was buried a couple of inches below ground level. Anyway, drive in your metal pipe in and fasten it to the frame with a 1 1/4 inch (or whatever diameter pipe you have) metal clamp. Put your posts every three feet or so. Don't skimp. These will prevent your frame and green house from going airborne during the next fifty mile an hour wind you have. This is what the frame looks like after I have driven in the stakes to hold the frame on the ground.

After you are done with everything, recheck for level. If ok, begin to fill in with soil; in an ideal world, you would have the soil level a few inches above the bottom of the frame. Since this would have required me to wheelbarrow in more than a few cubic yards of soil, I sort of leveled it. I used some old scrap pine to keep the soil in the structure and also keep the cold air out. Sort of level will be good enough.

NOTE ON HARDWARE MENTIONED THROUGHOUT THIS PIECE. If you hunt around, you can find a lot of the items you need for free. For example, some of the things I came up with by keeping my eyes on the metal pile at my local transfer station [the new name for the old town dump] were lots of 1 1/4 inch pipe; this is the size they use for chain link fences and there are always some in the metal pile. I found lots of 1 1/4 inch pipe clamps (I once found a box with a hundred or so of them along with five or six pounds of screws. I found storm windows; I found a 36" wide storm door brand new still in the packaging [I was annoyed because someone had taken the hardware package and I had to buy a door handle]; I found a 36" wide screen door. I found five or six large pieces of plexiglass. All of these gems are incorporated into the new hoophouse.

The walls. I put a 3 1/2 foot high perimeter wall around the entire frame. While you do not have to do this (you could just fasten the hoops directly to the frame), there were two reasons why I did this. First, I used 20' pvc pipe (1 1/4 inches) for hoops. If I attached them directly to the frame, I would not have had enough height to grow tomatoes or to put in a regular door (I could have got maybe 80" at the peak). The other reason was that during the summer I wanted to raise up the sides for ventilation, but I needed to screen it to keep out the dreaded pepper flies. I needed something to attach my screening (note: screen also came from the transfer station. Everytime I saw an old sliding door screen in the metal pile, I took out the screen and brought it home. I have enough screening to do both sides and the triangles at the ends). So I made up a perimeter wall from regular 2 x 4 inch lumber, four feet on center.

End walls and attaching the hoops. I figured the height of my end walls by figuring out how much space I would need to put in an 84" high storm door (I also double checked it by temporarily installing one of the hoops to make sure it was high enough; I also double checked that my greenhouse plastic was wide enough to cover the entire structure; it was. NOTE. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP. DO NOT SKIP THIS. I built the end walls hig enough so that I could use my storm door, the storm windows I found, etc. While I took great care to make sure the door & window openings were straight & true, I was not so concerned with the side bracing and the rafters in the middle. [Long ago I knew how to figure the length & angle of a rafter, but that knowledge is gone forever. I just measured & 'guestimated the angle. Did fairly well I think. Afterall, the building inspector is not going to have a look at it.

Here is a photo to the complete frame.

Installing the hoops and the greenhouse plastic. I used 1 1/4 pvc pipe for the hoops. It is sturdy, relatively easy to bend, and inexpensive. The hoops cost about $7.50 each; you have to get them at a plumbing supply store since the big box stores only sell ten foot lengths. I put one every four feet (except for the last one which was six feet since the length of the house was 22 feet and a little bit. First I built a ridge for the greenhouse out of lengths of 2 x 4 lumber nailed together to make a 4 x 4. I attached them to the end walls, leveled everything & then put a pair of rafters in the middle of the structure. This was (1) help keep the ridge from bending and (2) prevent the perimeter walls from bending in or out. I also attached poles from them to the end walls so I can string tomato plants. I then attached the pvc hoops to one side of the greenhouse with two pipe clamps, bent them over the ridge and attached to the perimeter wall on the other side. Made sure all the hoops were lined up correctly and attached them also to the ridge with a single pipe clamp. I then covered all the pipe clamps with a piece of rubber (pieces of old inner tube) or some plastic so as to prevent the greenhouse plastic from having direct contact with the metal of the clamps; I did the same with any sharp wood edges from the framing. I cut the greenhouse plastic four feet longer than the length of the greenhouse so I could overlap some onto the end walls. Attached the plastic using wood battens (I have a table saw so I cut a bunch of 1" pine I had into 1" wide battens. Made sure the plastic was even all around, screwed the battens over the plastic into the bottom frame on one side. Went over to the other side and snugged up the plastic and did the same. Overlapped the plastic onto the end walls and held it in place with more battens. Installed my doors & windows (the screen door got a piece of plastic over the screen for the winter) and filled in the triangle windows in the front with left over pieces of plastic. Greenhouse is pretty much done.

Greenhouse finished:

Snow came early this past winter and I finished it just about in time for the first snowstorm.

Note on Greenhouse coverings. You can use rolls of plastic you buy in the big box stores, but the problem is that they are not UV treated. They will not last a single summer in the full sun. It is much more cost effective to buy UV treated greenhouse film at a greenhouse supply store. I got mine at Griffin Greenhouse Supplies who are all over the east coast down into Virginia, but there are lots of places that sell this kind of stuff. I bought a 24 x 100 foot roll of three mil plastic this past spring and I think it cost $120 or so (including freight). I used it on my little hoophouse, the new one & I still have enough plastic to do each of them again and then some. You can get heavier plastic (4 mil or 6 mil), but this seems to do fine.

Come summer what I am going to do is roll the plastic up, install the screening on the side walls and the triangle windows on the front & back & that should give it plenty of ventilation. You really do need to consider ventilation; these will get really hot without plenty of it. You can easily get away with a 25 foot long structure without having to use a fan to ventilate.

So what did it cost. Lumber, nails (5 lbs) and screws (2 lbs) cost somewhere on the order of $180. I had the plastic already but then I did buy it, so figure another $100. If I bought the storm doors and the screen door and a few storm windows, it would have been another $160 or so. If I did not have a bunch of rough pine hanging around, it would have cost another $40 or so for them. All, for the size of the structure, it is fairly reasonable, especially if you utilize all that is free for the having at your local town dump (transfer station). In terms of time, I probably have 30 hours in it. That does not include six or seven hours hauling dirt around the garden.

What am I going to do with it. I will sow some lettuce mix and valeriana (mache) in January. It should come up during the next warm spell and I should be picking greens in late March. I will probably do some spinach in March and maybe some other cold hardy things like arugula. Maybe early parsley. Instead of putting transplants (pepper, celery, onion, tomato etc out in late April, what I will do is start some tomatoes early and plant them in the ground in late April, four weeks earlier than I can put them outside. I can plant some peppers several weeks earlier and utilize what space is left for some early beets & chard, maybe even early beans. In the fall I should be able to keep tomatoes going another three weeks after the first frost (the hoophouse will protect plants down to 28-29F) and I should be able to plant another fall crop of greens. It will be fun to play around with.

5. Growing Tip. A technique to grow winter squash for folks with limited space. David LaRose, writes: "Dear Bill; Thanks for the quick order. I have been growing for a while and this year I planted Butternut seeds and a lot of others such as melons cucumber up on fence or any other vertical object, I really had good luck with the butternut though a 2 x 2 wood post sunk in the ground 1 1/2 ' -2' deep appr. planted the seeds in hill at base around the post & as it grew kept tying it up with twine and wrapping the vines in and out & around so the blossoms really got exposed so the bees could easily get to them, but as they finally reached the 6' height I had to run a twine horizontally to another post 6' away, ended up with 9 Butternuts, no need to support them the vine were very good, also the flower garden was right next to it also helped, as for the water melons I planted some in the garden up also and but the canteloupe did the best they loved the heat from the house ( 4 good ones ) supported those fruit as developed with slings made from plastic milk jugs, cut into a x with hole punched in each end of the x and twine tied to that then to the frame above the fruit this serves a lot of other things too but did those on a bamboo sticks made into a cross hatch idea. Cucumbers were plentiful. Just a idea to share.
> Thanks David

6. Arugula & bean soup from another happy customer. This is from Irwin Kraus. I enjoyed arugula and pole beans from your seeds this year – will be expanding my garden a bit in 2009 so you will see another order from me before spring. Here is a recipe that I developed using your arugula. The cannellini beans are from cans – but next year I will try to grow them too!

Regards,
Irwin Kraus
(half Sicilian in spite of the name)

Tuscan White Bean and Arugula Soup

Cold weather is always the best time to make a warm, deeply comforting soup. This one blends the earthy taste of beans with the peppery accent of mature arugula. Arugula is not broadly available (although I grow it in my garden, the long winter months leave me bereft of the lovely stuff). But the beauty of this soup is that any hearty green can be substituted for the arugula: spinach, kale, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, or even broccoli rabe. A little hot pepper, fresh rosemary, and bay lend an added kick of spice. The olive oil in the preparation and the parmesan cheese for serving give it an extra, smooth boost. Serve with good dry red wine and freshly sliced rough peasant bread. A meal fit for royalty!

This recipe may be made with a pound of dried cannellini beans soaked overnight, but for the busy cook, canned beans are quite OK.

Ingredients:

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 large green pepper, seeded and diced

¼ tsp. hot red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dry, but fresh is best!)

1 bay leaf

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

4 unpeeled medium carrots, scrubbed and sliced ½”

48 oz. low-sodium, low-fat chicken broth

3 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained

4 cups Arugula, washed and coarsely chopped

Salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste

Freshly grated Parmesano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Fresh lemon, sliced in eighths for serving

Method:

In a large soup pot, sauté the onions, green pepper, and spices (red pepper, rosemary, bay leaf) in olive oil until the onions are browned. Add the garlic and cook another minute until softened.

Put in the carrots, stir and cook for just a few moments, then add the chicken broth and beans. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until carrots are crispy-tender.

Add arugula and stir – simmer another 10 minutes until the arugula stems and leaves are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste (but remember that the broth, beans, and cheese will provide plenty of salt).

Serve with freshly grated Parmesano-reggiano cheese and a spritz of lemon juice in each bowl.

Buon appetito!

7. GARLIC FOR FALL PLANTING. Garlic for fall planting is on the way. You can order them now on line or by telephone at 781 721 5904. I will have the following available:

Rosso di Sulmona. This is a red hardneck from Abruzzo. Excellent flavor. Will grow in zone 5 for sure, (I have grown it here in Massachusetts) so it is hardy. Cloves are small to medium size, 10-15 or so per bulb. Available in half pound or one pound sizes (prices are $9.45 and $18.45) plus shipping. This is some red sulmona grown in Winchester, MA, year before last:

Music. Large hardneck, six or so large cloves per bulb. Very cold hardy. White/red. Excellent taste. Large scapes. One of the most popular of the named varieties. Grown in Finger Lakes version of New York State. Available in half pound and one pound sizes. (Prices are: $8.95 and $ 16.95) This also is a photo of some winchester grown garlic.

White from Piacenza. Softneck garlic from Piacenza. Very large cloves, excellent flavor.Will work well from zone six on up. Perfect for California. Will grow in zone five with the right kind of winter (early & continuous snow cover, no freezing & thawing of the ground). (Available in half pound or one pound sizes (prices are $9.45 and $18.45) plus shipping. This is the Franchi photograph. I guess I never took a photo of the stuff I grew here. \

Viola Francese. Softneck garlic grown all over SW France and NW Italy. Large purple/white cloves, excellent flavor. Very limited quantity, so order this one early. Photo is courtesy of a customer in California. Best for warmer areas, but will work in the north through zone six. It is a crapshoot to grow it successfully in zone five. Available in half pound or one pound sizes (prices are $9.95 and $18.95) plus shipping.

Hardneck garlic mix. One half pound of music and rosso abruzzo. Price is $10.35

Softneck garlic mix. One half pound of bianco piacenza and viola francese. $10.45

9. Unsubscribe from the newsletter. . If you received this newsletter and you do not want to be on the subscription list, just click on the unsubscribe link below. http://www.growitalian.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi?f=list&l=GrowItalian

Good growing. As always, may your garden be woodchuck and deer free. Also, for those of you who have squirrels get in your attic, may you have a couple of red tailed hawks patrol your yard. Additionally, may you not have mice in your seed storage area. The traps came out today. Looks like I lost twenty or thirty packs of zucchini seed.

Bill McKay