Kim's Weekly Garden Newsletter, October 8, 2013

October 8, 2013 - Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

http://www.examiner.com/country-living-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

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 18^th, 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.