Aspabroc plants go broccoli wild
Still performing magic in the vegetable garden is a happily puzzling row of six Aspabroc plants. Transplanted early last summer, they began producing tender mini-broccoli florets in August. After that, they did not stop producing except for a brief lull during the freezing, snowy weather around Christmas.
Finally, as the overwintered purple sprouting broccoli plants (Red Spear, West Coast Seeds) began producing in April I stopped picking the Aspabroc and let the florets open into bloom. The row quickly formed a tight mass of yellow — blooms to feed the bees once the wind and incessant rainfall gave way to more bee-friendly weather.
Soon there will be kale flowers on the overwintered plants — another favourite food source for the bees that disperse pollen to make our gardens more fruitful.
Aspabroc is the best summer sprouting broccoli I’ve grown so far. I usually sow twice, once early in the year for spring transplants and again in late spring for early summer transplants and a late summer and fall harvest. For some reason that second planting last year overwintered and kept on yielding its tasty shoots.
Aspabroc is available from West Coast Seeds, who call it a "broccolini" and describe the florets as having an asparaguslike stem. Hence the name.
May. For gardeners, this is truly a merry month. Sweet scents of lilac and the first roses drift in the air, rhododendrons create great colour splashes, and there are spring salad greens to savour along with the first juicy, sun-warmed strawberries.
May is a time to focus on your particular garden delights. For salad lovers that means planting a variety of lettuces and complementary greens such as chervil, kale, arugula and lacy mizuna.
Primroses are a West Coast spring specialty. Look for clumps that have grown broad. Separate them into sections for replanting once they have finished flowering.
Relish the newly produced rhubarb, perhaps in a pie with an opulent meringue topping.
One of my best-loved edibles is the pea crop, planted in two four-metre double rows on wire fencing. A simple way to give the planting a boost is to cultivate alongside the rows with a pronged cultivator to add to the air supply of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria on the pea roots. As the vines begin to flower I'll cultivate lightly again and spread compost alongside the rows.
Garden centres in May add to the general merriment with their bright displays of hanging basket flowers, flowering shrubs in bloom, fragrant herbs, and special gift plants for Mother’s Day. Stroll through the displays to seek out treasures to enhance the pleasures of your garden.
GARDEN EVENTS
Gordon Head meeting. The Gordon Head Garden Club will meet on Monday, May 7, at 7 p.m. in Gordon Head United Church, 4201 Tyndall Ave. in Saanich. Beth Close from Applied Bio-nomics will present Biological Insect Control at a Residential Level. Visitors welcome free of charge.
Qualicum meeting. The Qualicum Beach Garden Club will meet on Tuesday, May 8, at 7 p.m. in the Q.B. Civic Centre on Jones St. Diana Walker will present The German Texan Botanist Plant Hunter Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer. Guest drop-in fee is $3.
Nanaimo meeting. The Nanaimo Horticultural Society will meet on Wednesday, May 9, at 7 p.m. in Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 595 Townsite Rd. A panel will answer gardening questions and there will be a parlour show with judging of mid- to latespring flowers. Information at 250-758-6783.
Plant identification. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. In Saanich, is offering the next session of Plant Identification and Culture, an ongoing, monthly course (can be joined at any time) on Saturday, May 12, 1 to 4 p.m. In each session Diane Pierce introduces 25 new plants, with descriptions, preferred growing conditions, landscape uses and maintenance. Cost to HCP members per session is $35, others $45. Cost for 12 sessions: members $350, others $450. To register, call 250-479-6162. hcp.ca.
North Island tour. The North Island Rhododendron Society will host its Annual Mother's Day Garden Tour in the Comox and East Courtenay area on Sunday, May 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets at $10 include a map locating the six gardens and a rhododendron raffle ticket. Garden owners will be on hand to answer questions. Ticket outlets: Anderton Nursery, Blue Heron Books in Comox, Knapp’s Plantland, Home and Garden Gate, Willow Point Market, Campbell River Garden Centre.