Much Ado About Alfalfa Sprouts

Recently, the media has been reporting about people becoming ill from eating raw Alfalfa sprouts. Rest assured that all of our sprouting seeds are certified pathogen free. They have been rigorously tested for salmonella, E. coli & Listeria.

Growing your own gives you the added benefit of knowing where your food is coming from & how it is being handled. An important tip when growing sprouts is to make sure you rinse them every day.

Growing a Green Roof

photo courtesy of National Geographic Magazine

For city dwellers, there's little access to soil (and space) for flowers, veggies, herbs, etc. So what's a city gardener to do? They reach for the sky!

In my mailbox last week was a copy of National Geographic Magazine's May issue . They profile 'green roofs' which are not really a new concept in Europe. For instance in Basel, Switzerland green roofs are mandatory on all new flat roofs. However, the green roof movement is gaining strength here in the states. Not only do they add some color to the canvas of a city, they are beneficial by reducing heating & cooling costs as well as giving animals a place to call home.

The photo gallery includes some really beautiful and different styles of green roofs. My personal favorite is this converted bus shelter in San Francisco. Sure beats looking at advertisements while waiting for your morning bus, don't you think?

photo courtesy of National Geographic Magazine

Our Fresh Garden Salsa Recipe

Fresh Garden Salsa
from the kitchen of Thompson & Morgan

• 3 medium beefy tomatoes, chopped fine. You can use Supersteak or Country Taste
  
• 1/2 cup scallions with tops, sliced fine
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup tomatillo, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup hot pepper, chopped. You could use our Black Pearl or Jalapeno Summer Heat peppers.
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
  
• 2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped Cilantro
• 1 teaspoon fresh, minced Garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir all the ingredients together and let sit several hours for the flavors to infuse with each other. Serve cold with crispy taco chips. Will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

For an exciting tropical twist, add 1/4 cup diced mango or peaches.

Broccoli Sprouts in the News

A recent study by the American Association for Cancer Research showed that 3 day old broccoli sprouts may prevent stomach cancer by defeating Helicobacter pylori infections. Click here to read more about their results.

Just another reason to start sprouting!

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We've partnered with QVC to offer their viewers our quality English seeds !
Click here to view these exclusive collections available now.

• Bright n Cheery
• Pink Romance
• Fragrant Garden
• Cutting & Drying
• Flower Container Garden

Planting Bulbs - Q&A with Susan

We had a comment posted earlier this week from Serene on growing bulbs in Zone 4, specifically in Idaho. I asked our horticulturist Susan for some tips. There are general instructions for tulips are below, with two links that are all about bulbs in Idaho.

Tulips prefer a sandy, well-drained soil in full sun. If your soil is heavy, add compost and peat moss or plant in a raised bed, which will help the soil dry out and will also help raise the temperature of the soil. Plant after the soil has cooled to 60 degrees F (or lower) at 6 inches deep--usually late fall. Cultivate the soil to a depth of one foot and work in some bulb fertilizer. Set the bulbs pointed-end-up about 4 to 6 inches deep (check planting instructions on the package to be sure). In cold winter areas, the planting area can be mulched with 4 to 6 inches of straw or hay for extra protection once the top several inches of soil have been frozen. Tulips flower best the first spring after planting, so many gardeners replant tulips each fall, treating them as annuals. The small-flowered species tulips are an exception. These tulips will naturalize and flower as perennials for many years. Fertilizing all tulips once or twice a year, in fall or early spring, will encourage them to flower well for several years.

Tulips are generally hardy in zones 3 to 7. In warmer areas, tulips would need to be artificially chilled (refrigerate them for 8 weeks at 40 to 45 degrees F) before planting in late fall. Check with your local cooperative extension for advice on the best time to plant.

For our gardening friends in Idaho : Here are some bulbs that are appropriate to Idaho along with planting instructions specific to the state provided by the University of Idaho Extension program.