Sunday, May 26, 2013

Planting japanese indigo Väritattaren istuttamista


Tavallisesti istutan väritattaren vasta kesäkuussa, samaan aikaan kuin kesäkurpitsan ja muut hallanarat vihannekset, mutta nyt säätiedotus lupaa ensi ja seuraavaksi viikoksi niin lämmintä, että otin riskin ja aloin istuttaa väritattaria ulos jo tänään. Samalla saan tilaa kasvihuoneeseenkin. Toivottavasti ennusteet pitävät paikkansa eikä halloja tulisi enää.

Puutarhassani minulla ei ole mitään isoa peltoa käytettävissä, vaan hyötykasvipenkit ovat hajallaan perennojen ja muun puutarhan väleissä. Kasvihuoneen seinustalle mahtui yksi laatikollinen taimia, loput pääsevät ns. varamaalle, josta vähitellen otan pois perennojen ja pionien taimet pois ja muutan sen kokonaan värikasvien käyttöön. Ainakin tämmöinen olisi tarkoitus.
Seinustan penkki oli muokattu jo toukokuun alussa, ja siihen oli lisätty lantakompostia, minkä jälkeen olin peittänyt penkin lehti- ja ruohosilpulla. Nyt istuttaminen oli helppoa ja maa sopivan kosteaa katteen alla, vaikka täällä ei ole satanut juuri lainkaan koko toukokuussa.

IN ENGLISH
Usually I start to plant tender vegetable plants and japanese indigo plants outside in June, when it is certain that there are no frosts any more, but now the 10 day weather forecast gives such promising high temperatures, that I took a risk and started to plant my japanese indigo outside today. So then I also get more room to plant things inside the greenhouse, too.

In my garden I don't have a big open field, instead I have several smaller beds and perennials growing around. By my greenhouse, I have one bed and I planted there some of the japanese indigo plants. Most of them are going to be planted this year in my so called spare beds, where I have had perennial plants and peony seedlings, which I have now moved away to their proper place, and it will become a place only for dye plants. At least that is the plan.
The bed by the greenhouse was turned in early May, and we added then horse manure compost, and after that I covered the bed with dry leaf and grass clippings and it was ready and waiting for the plants. Now planting was easy and the soil was just the right moisture under the mulch even though we haven't had hardly any rain in all May.



Väritattaren taimet ovat kyllä jo ihan sopivan kokoisia istutukseen ja niillä oli hyvä juuret paakuissa.
Varamaan maa laitettiin kuntoon taimia varten vasta tänään, joten siellä ei ole vielä katetta maan pinnalla.

IN ENGLISH
Japanese indigo plants were big enough for transplanting, and they had good roots.
The spare beds were prepared for planting today, so there is no mulch yet.


Vielä jäi istutettavaa huomiseksi (alkoi sataa), yhteensä laitan nyt n 170 tainta väritatarta ja sitten elo- ja syyskuulla pääsen värjäämään sinistä ensi talven varalle. Eihän se ole kovin paljoa, mutta toivottavasti riittää, koska väritatar on niin satoisa ja antaa paljon väriä.
Peitin istutetut taimet kasvuharsolla, joka saa olla niiden päällä juhannukseen saakka, ja myöhemmin ensi viikolla katan taimien välit ruohosilpulla.

IN ENGLISH
I have still planting to do tomorrow (it started to rain), I have total of about 170 plants of japanese indigo this year. Not very much, but I hope enough for the blue dyeings in August and September for the blue yarn I need for the winter, japanese indigo is such a good plant for indigo. 
The plants are covered by horticultural fleece now and I will mulch them with grass clippings later.


Istutin muutaman isoimman taimen myös kasvihuoneeseen, viiniköynnäksen alle, ja toivon näiden ehtivän tehdä kukkia kasvihuoneessa, jotta sitten saisin niistä siemeniä syksyllä.

IN ENGLISH
I also planted the biggest plants inside the greenhouse, under my grapewine, and I hope that these plants will start to flower earlier and I would get seeds from them in the autumn.

14 comments:

  1. leena, i envy you your beautiful indigo plants, this year i got very sick right at the time i should have planted my seeds! i may try direct seeding a small plot once i get well and the cold we're having passes. but it won't be what i'd planned! good to have an update on your dyeing and gardening, i love reading about it!

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  2. Hi Velma, thank you:)
    I hope you are getting better soon. One of the best things about gardening is that there is always the next year, and there is always the promise in the seeds. If not this year, then the next.
    Take care of yourself.

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  3. Wow! 170 plants seems like a lot to me! I only have a little city garden so I am limited. This year I have just a dozen Japanese indigos because I will be away during the summer. I'm hoping to just get seeds for next year if I don't get a chance to dye with them this time. As you say, there's always next year!

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  4. Upeita taimia, odotan jo innolla miten väritattaren taimet viihtyvät Itä-Hämeessä:))

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  5. enjoyed your post about your indigo plants.
    I was really impressed with the root mass of the plant you show in the picture.

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  6. Thank you Mary and Louisa. 170 may seem a lot, but wish I had room for even more:) Now I hope for a warm summer, so that they would grow well and produce lots of blue.

    Kiitos Ilona, kyllä uskon, että ne viihtyvät sullakin:)

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  7. Hi Leena

    I bought some seeds from your japanese indigo but sadly they do not grow. So its nice to see that you have more success :)
    Hope for better weather for you and your plants.

    Regards,Anne

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  8. Hi Anne,
    I'm so sorry to hear that:(.
    Did they not germinate or did something else happen? For me these seeds germinated ok in warm, 20C, and I have kept these plants in warm until now when I planted them outside. The early spring was so cold here. Japanese indigo needs much more warm than woad

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  9. I think they did not germinate - I saw no seedlings but perhaps they will come if it will be a little bit warmer. And if not - I would order some seeds for the next year in autum if its possible :)

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  10. How bad:(
    Anne, if I get new seeds from my plants this autumn, I will send you new ones. Remind me if I forget!

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  11. Hi Lena
    Do you still have some seeds for me?
    Kind regards, Anne

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  12. I have written you an email, did you get it?

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  13. No Leena, sorry - please write me at spinning-anne(at)gmx(dot)de

    LG Anne

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