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posted April 12, 2006
Letter from Riverdale Meadow Community Garden
A letter from park friend Kyla Dixon-Muir, Feb.14 2006:
Now that all of the plots are opened at Riverdale Meadow Community Garden, and many of the basic details (like water & wheelbarrows) are sorted out, I've (finally) been able to turn my attention to some of the neglected perennial plants.
This winter I studied currants and asparagus.
We have one red and one black currant bush in the garden, each of which desperately needed pruning. Optimist/fool that I am, I brought home all of the sticks which I pruned off (well, actually I shared some with Monique, in the CALC Greenhouse...) We treated them to some rooting hormone, and stuck them all in pots of dirt, and now we both seem to be getting fabulous results. I have already promised half a dozen pots to other community gardens (I have 20 pots in my bedroom windowsill), but if all goes well I may have a pair for you this spring, too, if you're interested...
Currant bushes are very easy to maintain, and produce fruit for about 15 years. The leaves are good for tea, too, and the plants (black especially) are considered quite medicinal.
If I do experience some die-off this season, Jutta, know that for next spring I can most certainly promise you all the cuttings you want -- if you're interested, that is.
Cuttings are to be taken in winter, after the plants have been put to sleep by the cold. I tried both ways this winter, taking some cuttings before we had much frost, and some in the last week of December. Those that had experienced the cold have already begun producing leaves, while those which were not stratified -- while they have rooted -- are just beginning to swell their buds now.
In the meantime, on the subject of asparagus:
I planted some crowns in the spring of 03, and this year am finally looking forward to being able to harvest some spears. One of my plants turns out to be female, and in fall 05 produced berries. Researching how to produce plants from seed was a challenge, as this seems to be a big-agriculture crop, but a Master Gardener did come through with a few details, and now I have a windowsill full of babies.