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Gourd - Luffa
The Gourd Luffa Chinese Okra, Cee Gwa, Sze Qwa, 'Luffa aegyptiaca' is simple and easy to grow. Grow your own sponge! The Luffa Gourd can also be cooked and eaten like summer squash! What a useful vegetable, and fun for the whole family. Grow your own sponge for exfoliating and clearing your skin, scrubbing dishes, and cleaning the barbeque grill. When the gourds are harvested between 4 and 6 inches long, they are a sweet, tasty vegetable that can be stir-fried, sauteed, or cooked with meats just as you would zucchini squash or okra. Mature gourd seeds can be roasted, and young flowers and foliage can be cooked as a green. Plant in the spring,1 to 2 weeks after the last average frost date and when soil temperatures have risen above 60 degrees. Place the gourds in full sun. The soil must be well drained and have lots of organic material. When using the gourds for a sponge, harvest when they turn brown, feel light and rattle with loose seeds. ... additional information
Sweet Pea - In the Pink The Sweet Pea In the Pink, 'Lathyrus odoratus', is a designer blend of warm shades of pink and highlights of salmon, almond, cerise and mauve. SweetPeas have 1 to 2 inch flowers that are romantically fragrant and are wonderful cut flowers in bunches. In the Pink generally bloom for 3 to 5 weeks. A key element in successful growing of the Sweet Pea In the Pink is very early planting. The In the Pink prefers deep, rich, fertile soil. Use lots of peat or compost for early spring planting. Plant this sweet pea in full sun, but in a cool a spot as possible. Position them away from winds and rotate locations from year to year to prevent sweet pea pests. In warm climates, plant in October through January for spring bloom. They are used for cut flowers, ground cover, and wall coverings if given the proper support. |
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