October 8, 2013 - Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter
These weekly garden notes are
written by Kim Willis, unless another author is noted, and the opinions
expressed in these notes are her opinions and do not represent any other
individual, group or organizations opinions.
Hello Gardeners
We had some welcome rain
and the hot muggy days are probably behind us.
I finished bringing in the houseplants, potting up the geraniums I
wanted to save. We have good chances for
light frost this week. I suspect that
around the full moon this month, the 18th, we will have a hard frost
or freeze. That’s the average time for a
killing frost in this area and I always say that in spring and fall frosts and
freezes occur around the full moons.
I am through covering
anything. The dahlias are still
beautiful but I am ready for the season to end.
After frost kills the tops I’ll dig them, the cannas, and the glads. I have had a wonderful garden season, one of
the best in years. We are still getting
tomatoes too.
Speaking of dahlias I
have heard that dahlias are increasing in popularity again and there will be a
short supply of some varieties, especially heritage ones, next year. You can order the tubers now in many places
such as Old House Gardens and you will be first in line in the spring. Or you may want to remind yourself to order
early in the spring to get a good selection.
I have been harvesting
and processing lots of apples. I broke down and bought one of those hand
cranked peeler, corer, slicers for apples and I love it. (There are some apple recipes below under
apple bites.) I have seen apples falling
on the roads from roadside trees all over.
There is one down the road with big, nice looking apples and I told my
husband that I ought to go pick up those apples. But that was before I started picking and
processing our apples. I think I will
have plenty without going looking for them.
Tips for planting fall bulbs
My fall bulbs have been
arriving and I have started the process of planting them. (If you haven’t ordered yours you should do
that today.) My eyes in the catalog are
always bigger than my desire to plant in the fall is, but I work up the energy
to get it done by reminding myself how great they will look in the spring.
Here are some fall bulb
and rhizome planting tips. Always plant
lily bulbs and the tubers or rhizomes of things like peonies as quickly after
you get them as you can. These do not
store well and every day you wait decreases the chance you’ll have success with
them. Lily bulbs found in packages in
stores usually don’t perform as well as those that were dug and shipped
directly to you from a mail order source.
If you are prioritizing,
next plant the smaller bulbs, like crocus and snowdrops. They bloom early so they need to get started
early. They also have the tendency to
dry out in storage. Hyacinths, daffodils,
and narcissus should be next, with tulips last.
Tulips actually like cooler soil.
While bulbs can be planted until the soil freezes they often do not do
as well as those planted earlier.
If you cannot plant your
bulbs promptly store them in a cool dark place.
The refrigerator crisper drawer is fine or even the refrigerator in a
brown paper bag. Moisten them occasionally
in storage but don’t get them too wet.
If they develop mold put them on newspapers in a dry dark area for a day
or two.
If you look outside one
morning and snow is on the ground don’t despair. Plant the bulbs in a good potting soil mix in
containers and keep the containers cool, back in the frig or on an unheated
porch or garage. The ideal temperature
is between 30 and 40 degrees. Water lightly every couple weeks. After 8-10 weeks of cold the pots can be
brought into a warmer, sunny place and they will probably bloom for you. Plant the bulbs outside in the early
spring. They may or may not bloom the
next season but at least you had them this spring.
Choose the right spot to
plant bulbs and rhizomes. Almost all
bulbs like well-drained soil. Never
plant bulbs where water stands in early spring.
Most bulbs also like to be planted in sunny locations. However small bulbs that bloom early can
often be planted where the shade of deciduous trees will be later in summer, as
most of their growth will be done before the trees cast much shade. A few bulbs and rhizomes do like partly
shaded locations, Lily of the valley, trout lilies, trillium, some true lilies
are examples, so do some research and make sure you are giving the plants the
location they need.
Peonies are usually planted in the fall. |
Most bulbs should be
planted about three times as deep as their height, but there are exceptions to
this rule. Read package directions or
look up the plant requirements if you are uncertain. Peonies are planted very shallowly with the
eye or bud on the root just below the soil level. In general plants with rhizomes or tubers
instead of bulbs will be planted less deeply.
( Rhizomes look like stems with buds and have roots attached.)
If you aren’t good at
estimating depth in inches use a trowel that’s marked with inches or mark a
small piece of wood with inch measurements and use that to guide you. Don’t add thick mulch after planting as this
may impede the bulbs emergence. A light
mulch of 2 inches or less is ok and helps disguise the planting area from
animals. If thick layers of leaves blow
over planted bulbs remove some of the matted leaves in spring so that bulbs don’t
struggle to emerge.
Plant bulbs with the
pointed end of the bulb up. If you can’t
find a pointed end, look for a round scar on the bulb. This is where roots were last year and it
goes down in the hole. Rhizomes should
have budded areas on top if you look closely.
Try not to remove any
papery covering bulbs have, but don’t worry if some of it falls off. Don’t
separate the scales- or sections – that lily bulbs have and don’t try to divide
daffodils with double or triple “noses”.
Yes, experts propagate bulbs that way but it isn’t as easy as it seems and
your best bet is to plant the bulbs as they came. A little mold on bulbs that still feel firm
will not harm them. Mushy or rotted
looking bulbs should be discarded.
Don’t use fertilizer or
bone meal in the bottom of your hole.
Bone meal should not be used at all.
Old books suggest it and some new references just copy that but in our
times bone meal is steamed and processed for safety and little is left in the
way of nutrients. It also attracts some animals, which dig up your bulbs
looking for it. Using a general purpose
fertilizer is fine, but mix it with the soil you are back filling with or sprinkle it on the soil surface, don’t dump
it in the hole. This can burn roots.
Arrange your bulbs in a
staggered way, not in straight lines for a more natural look. Small groups of the same color or type of
bulb look better than single bulbs. Once
again package directions will tell you how far apart to space bulbs. Generally large bulbs should be about 6
inches apart, small bulbs 2-3 inches. Plants
that will be large as adults, such as peonies need considerably more room. Peonies need to be at least 6 feet apart.
Mark the spots where you
planted bulbs with labels so you know where they are. Some fall planted bulbs and rhizomes are slow
to emerge in the spring and you don’t want to damage them or plant over them.
If you have trouble with
animals digging up bulbs you can lay a piece of wire over the planted area
until the ground is frozen. Make sure
you remove it early in the spring if you don’t remove it in the fall. A piece of wood lattice, with 2 inch holes
can be placed on the ground and the bulbs planted through the holes. This discourages widespread digging, such as
from pets, which really aren’t after the bulb to eat.
Moles do not eat bulbs,
but their tunnels attract other animals which do and their tunneling can sink
bulbs too deep to emerge. If you have
lots of moles you can plant bulbs in pots, which you sink in the ground to
their rim. Narcissus, daffodil, and allium bulbs are not eaten by animals,
although they can be dug out of the ground and left to die.
When bulbs just begin to
emerge in the spring a small amount of slow release granular fertilizer sprinkled
on the soil around them, especially if you can do it just before a spring rain,
will improve their vigor and size. And
if spring is dry make sure to water your bulbs.
Remember that you will
need to leave bulb foliage to dry up before you remove it if you want the bulbs
to return well the next year. Planting
bulbs where later emerging perennial foliage will hide the dying bulb foliage
is a good plan. I like to plant bulbs
among hosta, ferns and daylilies. Oriental
and other tall lilies do well planted with ferns or daylilies as an understory;
they won’t bloom until later in the season but they like their feet in the
shade. Just leave a small clear area over each bulb, don’t plant directly on
top of the bulb.
African tree found to be an effective pain
killer
Imagine the researchers
surprise when they found that a native remedy plant they were testing had the
exact same chemical make up as a synthetic painkiller- Tramadol- already on the
market. The small African shrub Nauclea latifolia (also known as the pin
cushion tree) has the power to relieve pain and fever. The medicinal part is the root bark, which
has a 0.4% to 3.9% concentration of the active chemicals, which is high for a
natural substance. This is the first
time researchers have ever found a natural chemical compound that was identical
to a previously known synthetized one.
African people have long
used the roots from the shrubs for many medicinal uses. Three different research labs have confirmed
the chemical properties of the shrub to make sure the first research wasn’t
contaminated. There are 10 species of
the shrub and researchers are now busy testing all the species to see if there
are differences in the potency of the active chemicals. The discovery may open up a new crop for
Africa and it underscores how little we know about natural remedies.
What’s at the farm markets
Most farmers markets
continue operations at least through this month. Apples of course should be abundant and pears
and grapes are also on the market.
Pumpkins and gourds of all types will be filling displays. Cabbage and kale, carrots, onions, potatoes, rutabaga
and turnips should be available. Fall
crops of leaf and romaine lettuce are on sale. Some farmers may be offering popcorn. Bananas are not a Michigan crop and when you
see someone selling them or citrus they may be selling other crops that weren’t
grown locally too.
Apple
Bites
Two new varieties of apples may be on the market in
limited quantities this year, look for them to be more abundant in 2015 or
so. Farmers began planting “SnapDragon”
and “RubyFrost” in 2011. These are both
similar to HoneyCrisp in that they are crisp and juicy with just the right
amount of sweetness. They are both mid
to late season apples.
Grand Gala apples are huge-some of the biggest apples on
the market. They were discovered and developed
from a branch of a regular Gala apple tree.
Scientists have recently discovered that while they have the same number
of cells as regular apples, each apple cell is larger and the cells don’t split
in cell replication. They do add more
copies of their DNA but it all stays in the same cell making the cells
larger. The core size remains the same
as other Gala’s, so all the enlargement is edible.
There are few Grand Galas in stores because they have an
irregular shape, but orchards that cater to roadside stands and you-picks are
growing them. If you like impressing
people with large fruit this variety may be for you.
When schools offer whole apples at lunch counters kids
often take them, but there will be a lot of them thrown in the trash
uneaten. Researchers found that when the
apples were sliced though, more students choose the apples and 70% more of the
apples were eaten. Many schools have
added an apple slicer at the counter that splits fresh apples into 6 pieces. (Pre-sliced and treated apples are much more
expensive.)
Students told researchers they didn’t like whole apples
because they had braces or missing teeth that made biting them hard or because
they thought they looked funny biting into whole apples.
Here’s a good fall recipe for apples. Peel, core, and slice apples thinly. Spray a cooking sheet with pan spray, I like
butter flavored, and lay the slices on the pan, then lightly spray the apples
with the pan spray. Dust the sprayed
slices with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees until
lightly browned and crispy- maybe 10 minutes- keep a close eye on them so they
don’t burn.
ARS-USDA Photo |
Easy crock pot apple butter. Before peanut butter came on the scene almost
every home had apple butter. Here’s how
to make some that you can flavor as you wish.
Peel, core and slice apples. Fill
a crockpot to the top with slices, (they cook down a lot). Do not add any water!
Turn the crockpot on high and let the apples
cook for an hour or so, until you can see some juice has built up. Then add brown sugar- the amount will vary –
but about 1 cup of brown sugar for 4-6 cups of apple slices. Also add spices, traditionally apple butter
uses cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice but you can vary this as to what
you like. Go light on the spices, you
can adjust it later.
Stir the sugar and spices in with a spoon and cover the
crockpot back up and let it cook. Check
every so often, giving it a stir and mashing up the fruit. After
2 hours prop the lid of the crockpot with a couple toothpicks so steam can
escape and help the apple butter thicken. As the apple butter thickens, stir
more frequently so it doesn’t scorch, this may be as often as every 5 minutes. As
the butter gets thicker taste it and adjust the sugar and spices as needed,
stirring in each addition well. When the
butter will mound on a spoon it’s done. The time will vary but I usually have a good
batch in about 4 hours.
Store the apple butter in the refrigerator or you can
freeze part of it. You can also can
apple butter in a water bath canner for storage.
Make your house smell great and cook some apples this
week
Kim
Garden as though you will live forever. William Kent
More Information
How to Grow Apples- an overview
By Kim Willis
ARS-USDA Photo |
While apple trees will grow happily across the United
States, it is not quite as easy to get good fruit in all areas. Apple trees need a certain number of chilling
days, days where the temperature is below 45 degrees, to set flowers, and a
long enough season to ripen the fruit.
In Michigan we have hundreds of varieties to choose from but those in
warmer and colder regions have a much more limited selection.
Apples have another trait that makes fruit production
tricky. They do not pollinate themselves
and even two trees of the same type, such as two Red Delicious apples, will not
pollinate each other. If apple flowers don’t get pollinated you don’t get
fruit. Apple trees depend on bees to
move pollen from a tree not closely related to them and that blooms at the same
time, to their flowers.
Sometimes a crabapple or wild apple tree nearby can
furnish the necessary pollen but homeowners should expect to plant at least two
different varieties of apple trees if they want fruit. Most catalogs will
suggest compatible pollinators. The fruit of the apple is not affected by the
tree that pollinates it. Granny Smith
apples will look and taste like Granny Smith apples, even though they are
pollinated by a Red Delicious.
Selecting
varieties
In Michigan zones 4-6, there are hundreds of apples
varieties to choose from. McIntosh. Jonathan, Red and Golden Delicious, Granny
Smith, HoneyCrisp, Ida Red, Gala, Paula Red, Cortland, Rome, and Gingergold are
some popular ones. If you are a
homeowner who would like to avoid the use of chemical sprays some pest and
disease resistant apples include Enterprise, GoldRush, JonaFree, Liberty and Pristine. There are also hundreds of heritage or
antique varieties but some of them are not very disease resistant and they can
be hard to find.
Don’t choose two varieties that are closely related. For example Jonafree is a disease resistant
form of Jonathan and they won’t pollinate each other. You should also sample different types of
apples and see what flavors and textures you like before selecting trees. Here’s a tip.
Golden Delicious apples will pollinate most other types of apples.
Gardeners should start with grafted apple trees that are
a year or two old. Apples can be started
from seed but because of their pollination habits they do not come true from
seed. Seed grown plants take a long time
to produce their first set of fruit- up to ten years- and then the fruit may
not be very good.
In a grafted tree, pieces of desirable apple trees are
grafted onto apple root stocks, which are specially grown for hardiness and
vigor. They also control the size of the
tree. A healthy one or two year old tree
is preferable for planting. These will
bear fruit in 2-3 years if they are a semi-dwarf variety. They may look like a slender twig but will
transplant better than older, heavier plants.
Homeowners can get apple trees in three sizes, standard,
semi-dwarf and dwarf. Unless your space
is very limited homeowners should choose semi-dwarf trees. Semi-dwarf trees are still small enough to
take care of easily and still produce a decent fruit crop. Semi-dwarf trees grow to about 12-15 feet
high and need to be spaced about 10 foot apart. They bear fruit faster than
standard trees which grow 20 feet or more and need to be spaced 15-20 foot
apart.
Standard trees may be cheaper to purchase but they are
harder to prune and harvest and will require a longer wait before you get
fruit.
Dwarf trees usually grow to about 8 feet, but are fragile
when loaded with fruit and often need to be staked. The amount of fruit they give is less than
other trees. They can be trained to grow
on a trellis or along a wall or fence where space is very limited, but fruit
production will be low.
Apple
tree care
Apple trees transplant well when they are dormant and are
often sold bare-root in the spring. They
can be planted as soon as the ground is unfrozen. Potted apple trees are also sold. They can be planted at any time as long as
you keep them well watered.
Apple trees need to be planted in full sun, in a well-drained
area. If water stands in an area after a
rain it is not a good place for apple trees.
They will grow in a wide range of soil types but of course loose fertile
soil with lots of organic matter would suit them best.
Do not plant apple trees in low areas, where a late frost
is more likely to injure flowers. You
don’t want the trees too close to the house because they will need to be
sprayed and fallen apples can be quite messy at times and attract insects. But if you live in areas where deer are a
problem you will want to keep your apple trees fairly close to the house and
away from natural hiding places such as tree lines.
Apple trees will need to be watered in dry climates or
during droughts. Fertilize your apple tree each spring as the
leaf buds green up by using a fruit tree fertilizer as the label directs or
sprinkling a half pound of 5-10-10 around the tree. Protect the trunks of apple
trees with a ring of small mesh wire to keep animals from gnawing on the trunks
in winter.
If you want perfect fruit you’ll need to follow a fruit
tree spray schedule. There are many new
organic products on the market that may be safer than conventional
pesticides. You can also opt for no
sprays and in some years you will get decent apples but in other years your
apples may be wormy or otherwise impaired.
Apples also need to be pruned correctly to maintain optimum
tree health and a good crop of apples. This is done in late winter when the
trees are dormant. You’ll need to study
some good pruning diagrams or take a class to learn how to correctly prune
apple trees. Basically though you want to open up the tree center, space branches
at least 18 inches apart, shorten very long lateral branches and keep the
height of the tree to a good workable height for you. Remove branches that cross each other, grow
straight upward, are damaged or are too low on the trunk. Suckers that come out of the ground should be
promptly cut off, as soon as you notice them.
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