Eggplant

The eggplant flowers kept falling off without getting anywhere near fruiting though the plant was flourishing beautifully. What to do? I decided I needed to become a bee. In other words, I needed to pollinate the flowers myself. (Please, people, I will not tolerate smarmy risque jokes on this blog - this is very, very serious stuff.)

I took a soft-haired - say, a #0 or #1 watercolor brush and swirled it around the pistil and the stamen inside the flower. I did this every morning in each flower on the plant. Each time, I made sure that I've got some pollen from the anther (the one with the yellow powder) of the stamen transferred to the stigma or the top of the pistil.

Finally, I could tell that all this was working, because the faded flowers did not just fall off the plant like they did before. Not only did they not drop, but the receptacle and the peduncle started to thicken and before long - ah! the shiny purple bulb of what the English call the aubergine started peeking out from under the green skirt of the sepals.

For a refresher course on primary school botany, here is a drawing showing The Parts of a Flower, or in higher fallutin' terms:

Plant Morphology

The Parts of a Flower

Peduncle: The stalk of a flower. Receptacle: The part of a flower stalk where the parts of the flower are attached. Sepal: The outer parts of the flower (often green and leaf-like) that enclose a developing bud. Petal: The parts of a flower that are often conspicuously colored. Stamen: The pollen producing part of a flower, usually with a slender filament supporting the anther. Anther: The part of the stamen where pollen is produced. Pistil: The ovule producing part of a flower. The ovary often supports a long style, topped by a stigma. The mature ovary is a fruit, and the mature ovule is a seed. Stigma: The part of the pistil where pollen germinates. Ovary: The enlarged basal portion of the pistil where ovules are produced.

The Purple Pods of the Hyacinth Bean

Dolichos lablab

The hyacinth bean, or lablab vine, is beautiful and easy to grow. The odorless sweetpea-like flowers range from light pink through fuschia and magenta to dark lavender. Young leaves may start out purple-veined, turning a dark greenish blue; in some varieties, the entire leaf will remain a bronzy purple. In Brooklyn, zones 7 and colder, it is not hardy. It will die back with the first frost. But save the seeds, and you will never be without it in the garden.

The beans are said to be edible, though I've been told they exude every particular aspect of the bean when consumed and digested. They also lose that gorgeous purple color when cooked, and bean up the house. So I've never ventured.

Send me a note if you wish seeds, and we'll see what we can do.

Where to order seeds

Sis,

I've posted a photo of some greens that were sowed in a pot late this summer for your visual delectation, and to encourage your venture.

At this time of the year, a lot of the stores pull their seed packets off the racks, or have sold out. But the mail ( and online, as well, of course) order houses are in business all year, and welcome the trade. Indeed, the sales for this year's stock are probably heating up just about now.

Park Seeds, www.parkseed.com, has a good selection and is reasonably priced. The British seed company, Thompson and Morgan has an American operation, www.tmseeds.com has an even larger selection, though pricier. If you are looking for specifically organic seeds, Johnny's Select Seeds, www.johnnyseeds.com is a good source.

There are many many sites where you can get seeds, a google search will yield you a trove. However, I understand you are looking for timesaving guidance. So, there you go.

Sally

More from Sis Hurster...

Thanks for answering me right away, Sally. Now you've got me all fired up, and I'm just about to go online and order up some seeds for spinach, kale, chard, lettuce, and other greens (though I'm afraid arugula isn't to my taste). Can you recommend the best website for this purpose?

Thanks in advance,

Sis

Sep 17, 2008 5:28:00 PM

Sally answers...

My dear Sis Hurster

Yes, indeed, mid-September is way way too late to plant the vegetables you mention. But all may not be lost. There are some cool-weather greens that you may consider planting even now. Spinach, arugula (no political jokes now,) kale, swiss chard, even lettuce, and a host of Asian (what used to be called Oriental) greens can withstand low temperatures, with protection, down to 20 degrees!

As for the general hints you ask about, here are some ground rules: You want your soil to be well worked, rich in organic matter such as compost (the more worms the better.) Find a sunny spot in your garden, you can even interplant your veggie greens with your flowers, but you will need sun. You can sow seeds right into the ground, in rows or in whatever pattern you wish. Follow the instructions on the seed packet for thinning and care.

There you are, voila! In a few weeks, you will have veggies for salads and soups.

Next spring, you can plant your carrots, melons, zucchinis, tomatoes, etc. These may prove a wee bit more complicated, but nothing you cannot tackle, Sis. So write me again in the late winter or early spring, and we can chew the cud over planting the fruiting vegetables.

Have fun!

Sally

Sis Hurster asks...

Dear Sally,

I've always enjoyed growing flowering plants, but lately I've started feeling a strong urge to add vegetables to my garden. Since it's now mid-September, I know that it's too late for this season, but I've been dreaming of harvesting zucchinis and melons and tomatoes and carrots and suchlike next year. Can you give me any general hints on starting a vegetable garden? Your help would really be appreciated!

Sep 16, 2008 9:28:00 PM

INVITATION

This blog is being launched to take your gardening and horticultural questions. This, and my companion blog, A-Gitate, or A Garden Is The Answer To Everything, aim to engage the community at large in the idea that the garden - the earth cultivated with thought and beauty - will and can, in these fraught times, sustain and provide us with much.

So I invite one and all to send in your gardening questions in the comments section below. But remember: Gardening is not just about gardens, because the garden yields more earth (compost,) more plants, food, flowers, bugs and critters, and so much more. In the activity of gardening, we can hope to live a sustainable lifestyle. We cannot all be farmers, but we can garden, even if it's in a tin can sitting on a basement window sill. So questions about practically everything - cooking, eating, reading, writing, living - will be entertained, I don't promise that I can answer all questions, but every attempt will be made to answer and give advice to sincere and valid inquiries. (They will be moderated, of course.)