Five things to do in the garden this week:
Fruit. If you are thinking of planting a grape vine, consider the Sweet Sapphire variety. Bred in California, this grape is ideal for our area. Also called finger grapes, the fruit is cylindrical, up to two inches long, seedless, and deep purple to black. The flavor is sweet and the texture is crisp, with a snapping sensation when you bite into them. Find this grape variety at Etsy.com.
Vegetables. October is over, but you can still plant beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, cauliflower, garlic, kale, onions, oregano, parsley, peas, parsnips, potatoes, radishes, rosemary, thyme, and turnips. Plant from seeds or rooted starts in plastic cells. There are many unusual vegetable varieties that are introduced each year. For a glimpse of them, go to seedsavers.org or territorialseed.com.
Herbs. Chocolate mint (Mentha x piperita ‘Chocolate’) has foliage with a fragrance of chocolate-covered mints. Its seeds, however, are sterile, so if you find seeds of chocolate mint for sale — and you will find them everywhere — they will not grow into authentic chocolate mint, and their flavor will be weaker than advertised. The only way to be sure chocolate mint is what you are getting is to acquire a cloned plant taken as a cutting from true chocolate mint. Such plants are widely available on the Internet. Chocolate mint culture is similar to that of other mints, and it will grow in shady exposures. However, the more sun it gets, the more pronounced its chocolate flavor will be. Due to its tendency towards rampant growth, container culture is recommended.
Flowers. Fairy crassula (Crassula multicava) is among my favorite ground covers, especially for difficult-to-plant areas in half-day sun to shady exposures. It is called fairy or mosquito crassula because of its delicate pinkish-white flowers that hover over the foliage in winter and early spring. It grows quickly but is neither invasive nor thatch-building and it is easily propagated, representing a permanent source of ground cover where your budget for new plants is limited. At any time of the year, detach stem pieces with a few accompanying leaves, stick them in empty garden spots, and watch them spread. This ground cover consistently thrives where nothing else will grow, including under pines and eucalypts, and where dense tree roots have compacted the earth.
Indoor Plants. Chinese evergreens (Aglaonema spp.) are impressive plants with lush, opulent foliage and many are variegated in some fashion, often with white markings. However, varieties whose leaves show off white, red, or pink patterns will require a brighter exposure than more traditional, low-light Chinese evergreens.