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June 2009
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 Renee at the White House
Renee's Garden was part of the Congressional Club's
annual First Lady's Luncheon honoring Michelle Obama at the Washington
Hilton last month.
This gala annual event, attended by Congressional, Supreme Court and
Administration spouses as well as guests from around the country had a
theme of "Forever Green", and event co-chair, Betty Ann Tanner, wife of
the senator from Tennessee, invited me to contribute our seeds for
attendees. Individual packets of our Farmers Market lettuce and Pesto
Basil were part of the beautiful gift bags given every attendee.
Best of all, I was invited to the VIP reception before
the affair and had the thrill and honor of meeting Michelle Obama in
person. I was also able to make a personal selection of our seeds to
give to Michelle. I expect they will become part of the new White
House garden. Michelle was everything I expected --
vibrant, graceful, clearly engaged and enjoying what she is doing. When you speak with her, you have her full attention and feel like you
are the only person in the room. The luncheon itself was really
fabulous. I was seated at a table quite close to the First
Lady and other honorees, so I got to watch her "up close and personal"
as she gave a very insightful speech on community service.
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It's Not Too Late to Plant from Seed
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"Junior" Sunflowers
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Don't be overwhelmed by a sense of being too late to plant by
some arbitrary date. Many summer producers will grow even more quickly from seed
planted when the soil is well warmed up and teeming with life. June is a
fine time to start a second crop of
beans, squash, chard, carrots and basil to have ready for another bounteous late summer harvest.
Annuals planted earlier like sunflowers, cosmos and zinnias that
usually burn out by late summer can be sown again now. This way, you'll have a
marvelous second flush of bloom and can cut armfuls for late summer bouquets.
Read Renee's article "What to Plant in June/July" for more ideas and information.
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"Jewel-Toned" Beets
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Mini Napa Cabbage
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In the Trial Garden:
Baby Cabbages,
Purple Pak Choi, and Italian Oak Leaf Lettuce
We have babies in the cabbage patch this month: baby cabbage that is-
several varieties of mini Napa cabbage from Japan and Taiwan and a mini
round cabbage. These plants take up half the space of regular cabbages
and the mature heads are a perfect size to serve two adults. We've also
chosen the best growing Purple Pak Choi from a few different seed
producers. It resembles Renee's "Green Fortune" with thick, tender
stalks but the leaves are a lovely and antioxidant-rich purple shade. We
plan to grow the two colors together this fall to see of they are
compatible as a mixed packet of purple and green Pak Choi to add in the
future.
We have also been harvesting large beautiful heads of "Garden Fern" Oak
Leaf Lettuce, a lovely Italian heirloom selection whose lance- like
leaves are incredibly long and indented, giving them a delicate and lacy
appearance like a forest fern. We're now going to test its heat
tolerance and summer weather and will grow it again this fall.
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Pixie Cabbage
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Purple Pak Choi
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Cerbiatta Lettuce
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Renee
in the News:
Renee provides a wealth of information for beginning gardeners in
Joanne Camas's article for Epicuirous,
Vegetable Gardens: How to Grow Your Own Veggies, and the
Best Recipes for Each.
Renee was the keynote speaker Williamsburg, VA Annual
Garden Symposium, where she spoke on "What's New from Seed": and "Heirlooms
and Hybrids- What's Best for the Home Gardeners". Other speakers included
Felder Rushing and Prince Charles's gardener David Howard.
Renee was also the featured speaker for the National Conference
of Men's Gardening Clubs in Santa Rosa, CA., and at a fundraiser for the Fellows
Riverside gardens in Youngstown OH, where she spoke on "Gourmet Gardening".
Renee's Garden Seeds was a sponsor of the "Spring Fling", First
Annual Conference of Garden Bloggers held in Chicago.
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Come
Visit Often!
 Please visit our
website to view all of our monthly feature
articles and online catalog. Ordering is quick, easy and
secure. We look forward to hearing from you.
Best Wishes,
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Renee's Garden Seeds, 6116 Hwy 9, Felton, CA 95018
customerservice@reneesgarden.com
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