Planting for pizzas — and butterflies
PIZZA GARDEN
Placement: Choose a tilled spot in full sun with good soil and drainage. To shape the garden like a pizza: Place a stake upright in the ground. Tie a three-and-a-half-foot piece of string to the stake and, holding the string taut, walk around the stake, marking the border. Divide the circle into six equal wedges (You can double-up plants in one wedge.). Keep the herbs in three of the wedges and put vegetables in the rest, alternating the two.
Pizza plants:
• Oregano. Plant two or three plants. This is a perennial that can be used fresh or dried.
• Tomatoes. Sauce or Roma tomatoes are commonly used in pizza, but any kind of tomato will work.
• Peppers. Classic bell peppers are great on pizza, but a mixture of sweet and hot peppers (such as jalapenos) will add zip to your sauce. Plant one or two peppers depending on your taste.
• Basil. This is an annual with many varieties. Sweet basil grows well. Plant two or three.
• Parsley. This is a biennial herb that reseeds itself. Plant two or three.
• Onions. Select red, white or yellow. Plant up to 30 onion sets in a wedge. These will be among the earliest plants ready for harvest.
• Garlic. Plant as you would onion.
Tips:
• Plant your garden after Mother’s Day to lessen the chance of frost damage.
• If you’re a garden novice, head to a nursery and begin your garden with plants. Next year, try growing them from seeds.
Source: Kathy Rohrbaugh, York County Penn State master gardener
Fresh pizza 1/4 cup olive oil 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped 6 cloves garlic, chopped 2-3 pounds of fresh tomatoes Basil, small handful Parsley, small handful with bottom stem removed Salt and pepper to taste Freshly grated cheese (Pecorino Romano or Regianno Parmeggiano) Mozzarella cheese, shredded Bell or hot peppers, sliced (If desired, sauté rings in olive oil until crisp-tender. Put these aside to top off the pizza.) Premade pizza crustBlanch tomatoes in boiling water, then plunge in cold water. Peel under a stream of cold water and remove seeds. In a large bowl, use your hands to crush tomatoes.
In a deep, heavy saucepan, add olive oil and heat to medium. Add onions and half the garlic. Simmer until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and bring up to a low boil. Simmer for about 30-45 minutes.
Keep stirring from the center of the pan; it will burn if you use a too lightweight pan.
Taste test frequently to see if tomatoes are well-cooked. Then add parsley, basil and remaining garlic. Cook for another three to five minutes. Spread on pizza crust.
Top pizza with cheese and pepper slices.
BUTTERFLY GARDEN
Placement: Find a sunny area with some shelter, such as alongside a house or shed. A nice-sized butterfly garden would be 10 feet wide by 20 feet long.
Butterfly plants: The garden should bloom from April until October, so plant a mix of annuals and perennials. Native plants work best, since area butterflies have evolved with these plants. Butterflies prefer flat, open petals or clusters of tubular blooms.
• Spring plants: lilacs, violets, zinnias.
• Summer plants: Echinacea, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susans, monarda (beebalm), daisies, blazing star, sweetspire shrub. (Butterfly bush lives up to its name, but it can be invasive.)
Caterpillar plants: Before you can have butterflies, you need to have caterpillars. Each species of caterpillar only eats from one host plant, and butterflies will only lay eggs on their host plant.
• Spice bush for Spicebush Swallowtails.
• Any variety of milkweed for Monarchs.
• Prickly ash for Giant Swallowtails.
• Carrots, parsley or dill for Eastern Black Swallowtails
• Cabbage for Cabbage Whites.
• Clover or alfalfa for Sulfur butterflies.
Source: Vi Stailey, York County Penn State master gardener
Tips: • Don’t make the mistake of killing off “worms”; they’re probably baby caterpillars. • Don’t use any herbicides or pesticides. • Cluster plants. Butterflies don’t see well, so flower patches will help them find your garden. • Add a shallow mud puddle to your garden for butterflies to drink.
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