October 21,
2014 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.
Hi Gardeners
.JPG) |
| Soybean field that will be harvested soon. |
All these gray and gloomy days are hard to get used to aren’t
they? I miss my sunny evenings in the garden
already. I am still hearing red winged
black birds and robins and last night coming back from the barn at dusk
mosquitoes were still flitting around. Right now out my office window I can see
buzzards soaring in the gray sky. So it’s
not winter yet and I hear we are supposed to have a sunny weekend.
The grass is still green and growing. I don’t think we ever had brown grass this
summer nor did a week go by without needing to mow. My fences are hanging with the red berries of
woody nightshade. I was not vigilant in
keeping the vines pruned down and I will have a mess next spring getting them
out of the fence. But they do look pretty when it snows.
After some plants are killed by frost you often get some
surprises. Under a big Scotch pine in
the yard we have a ground cover of ferns and lilies of the valley. As those died down I finally found where the “yard”
chickens had been laying their eggs, there was easily 50 eggs in a huge pile
under the tree.
Every time we had a dry day I have been out planting
bulbs. I am caught up now and only have
the back ordered bulbs to plant should they ever arrive. I always love to see the new bulbs in the
spring.
I have been examining my garden beds and thinking about what
did and didn’t grow well this year. For
example I have an older pink shrub rose called Kathleen and a Pink Knockout
rose in the same location and neither did very well this year, they both
defoliated from blackspot quite early in summer and are just now recovering. Yet my Sunny Knock Out and a rose called
Carefree Celebration which are just 30 feet away did quite well all summer and
are still blooming. Location or variety?
The lovely petunias I was so proud of early in the season
did not do well from August on. They
too, seemed to suffer from more fungal woes than usual. My dahlias however, grew and bloomed
fantastically. Hostas did well this
season, but my heuchera were a disappointment.
My hardy mums were smaller and spindly this year. I think that was from poor winter conditions.
In the spring I will be digging out tons of garden phlox,
variety David, and its purple sport or throwback. They have completely taken over a long
perennial bed I have in the center of the yard.
I have decided to pull out all the smaller perennials from that bed,
except the phlox, and replace them with shrubby perennials like viburnums and
hydrangeas. I have a new spot for the
perennials I remove from there. Those
are some of my ambitious plans – what are yours?
It’s
not too early to start thinking of next year’s garden
As winter grows near and frost has withered some of the
garden it’s time to do a walk-through of the garden and take some notes. You
think you will remember what your garden needs to make it look better in just
the few months to spring, but trust me you won’t remember everything.
Do you need to move some plants to a better location or
so that they have more room? Make a
note. In the spring when the plants are
young and small you may forget just how crowded or unhappy looking they are by
mid-summer. If the plants weren’t doing
well because they didn’t have the right light or soil conditions can you
identify a place where they might do better?
Write it down. It’s probably too
late in the fall now to move most plants but you can be ready early next spring. You may decide some plants need to be dug and
taken to a plant swap next spring.
If you have a spot that didn’t look good this year
write down ideas on what you can do to improve that area next year. It’s easy to forget that something was wrong
early in spring when everything looks new and promising. Maybe you need to prune woody plants, add
some color or texture to a perennial bed, remove deteriorating decorative
items, add a bench, add new mulch to paths, fill in bare spots or paint a
fence. Think big. Is there a spot for a new bed or a new garden
feature such as a pond?
In the vegetable garden write down where crops grew so
you can rotate your crops to new spots next spring. If plant tags remain or you know the names of
certain plant varieties you may want to note which did well and which did not.
 |
| Fall garden. |
It really helps to take pictures of your garden and
yard several times throughout the growing season. Take pictures of everything, not just the
pretty spots. You don’t have to show the
ugly spots to anyone but they will help you make decisions for new purchases
this winter as you review your notes from your fall tour. And the photos may help you remember just
where certain things are and how much space they consumed when mature when you
go to plant in the spring.
If you had garden failures this year don’t blame
yourself or agonize over mistakes.
Spring is coming and with it a fresh start. Next year’s garden can always be better, especially
if you take time to reflect on the past garden season as it draws to a close.
Eating
fish may be healthy for you but not the environment
You hear it all the time- eat more fish, it’s good for
you. And despite the cost people around
the world are eating more fish- too much fish, it turns out. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Center for a
Livable Future are warning various health organizations promoting increased
consumption of fish that the world has reached and maybe overreached its limit
on what fish can be taken from the wild before causing the extinction of many
species. And farmed fish are causing
major environmental damage.
About half of the world’s consumption of fish now comes
from farmed fish. But fish farms are
major polluters of water and the farmed fish are filled with antibiotics and
other medications that are also being released into the environment. Fish farmers also harvest smaller wild fish
that aren’t used for human consumption to feed farmed fish. This deletes the food supply for the
remaining wild fish populations.
Fish farms are often dirty enough that the harvested
fish can be a health hazard to consumers and the conditions of workers on fish
farms in many countries are deplorable. Both
wild harvested and farmed fish often contain high levels of mercury and other chemicals
which make their consumption by children and pregnant women risky. You may actually be damaging your health
instead of benefitting it when you consume fish.
There are some sustainable, environmentally friendly
fish farms around the world but the vast majority of fish farms at this time
don’t fall into this category. Researchers are asking that the
recommendations by nutritionists to eat more fish be dropped. While fish can still be a part of a healthy
diet we must recognize that when we consume fish we are damaging the
environment and possibly causing the extinction of numerous fish species. And the farmed fish we consume may be filling
us with antibiotics and other chemicals that just shouldn’t be part of a
healthy diet.
Organic
bedbug control
Bedbugs are a nasty, hard to exterminate problem. The chemicals used to kill bedbugs are strong
and toxic, which has resulted in a number of “organic” or “natural” products
being produced for consumers who worry about pesticide exposure. Researchers at Rutgers University decided to
scientifically test several products on the market to see if they were really
effective.
These natural bedbug products are generally made from
essential oils from plants. They usually
contain one or more of these active ingredients: geraniol, rosemary oil, mint
oil, cinnamon oil, peppermint oil, eugenol, clove oil, lemongrass oil, sodium
lauryl sulfate, 2-Phenethyl propionate, potassium sorbate, and sodium chloride.
Researchers tested 11 commercial products but found
only one, EcoRaider, which contains 1%
geraniol, 1% cedar extract, and 2% sodium lauryl sulfate that killed 90 % of
nymph or young bedbugs and 87% of bedbug eggs.
Another product Bed Bug Patrol, which consists of 0.003% clove oil, 1%
peppermint oil, and 1.3% sodium lauryl sulfate, also killed 90 % of bedbug nymphs
but was not effective on bedbug eggs.
The research found that the inactive ingredients, the “spreaders and
stickers”, were as important as the active ingredients in creating an effective
product.
Researchers cautioned that these products were tested
in lab conditions and when used in a home with its many cracks and crevices the
effectiveness of the products would probably be reduced. Research in the field will soon be conducted.
Mow,
don’t blow
Nature is leaving you a valuable present right now but
many of you are probably wasting that treasure.
The falling leaves are full of valuable minerals collected by the trees
all summer. When you allow them to
decompose where they fall, they return those nutrients to the soil while also
providing an excellent helping of organic material to increase water retention
and aeration of the soil.
Its convention, not necessity that keeps people raking
and blowing leaves instead of leaving them alone as nature intends. Instead of thinking about leaves as being a
beautiful, natural blanket of fertilizer and comfort for the plants and soil,
we feel that we must expose the grass beneath the leaves to its summer look by
raking or blowing the leaves away. And what would happen if a flower bed collected
a covering of leaves or a fence corner caused a pile up of blowing leaves? Certainly not the disaster some people worry
about.
 |
| Beautiful fertilizer on the ground. |
Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. If leaves on the lawn bother you too much take
your lawn mower and run through them, chopping them into small pieces and distributing
them more evenly. (This works best when the leaves are dry.) The chopped pieces
will soon disappear into the burrows of earthworms or by decay. If you mulch leaves into your lawn you don’t
need to add a fall fertilizer to the lawn.
Leaves are fine to leave in flower beds. If you want to remove leaves from walks, gutters,
decks and driveways which don’t need fertilization and conditioning, rake them
up and dump them in the vegetable garden, on flower beds or into a compost
pile. Don’t waste a valuable resource by
placing them in plastic bags and sending them to the landfill.
The leaf blower is a noisy, environmentally unfriendly
machine. They use gas, emit fumes, and annoy neighbors while damaging your
hearing. Good gardeners don’t need leaf
blowers or want them. Some gardeners
worry about leaves “smothering” the grass or other plants, but that just doesn’t
happen often in nature. If in spring you
think a mat of leaves is preventing plants from growing or keeping the soil too
cold and wet you can gently remove the mats from around the plants. If leaves still cover the lawn in the spring,
bring out the mower and chop them up.
Stop thinking of leaves as messy and ugly. Thank nature
for being so resourceful in recycling precious soil nutrients. Work with nature instead of against it. All it takes is a change of attitude. Sell your leaf blower and buy more plants.
What
were this year’s top new annual flowers?
Every year MSU’s horticulture department grows many new
annual plants submitted to them by nurseries.
They rate the plants and publish their results so homeowners can see
what new annual plants did well in Michigan conditions. You can look at the list and the staff’s
comments at this site:
Using
fresh sage in cooking
If you haven’t harvested
your sage it’s time to do so. Sage can
be dried for winter cooking or used fresh.
If you didn’t grow sage in the garden- why not? Well, you can always buy
some at the farmers market. Here are
some ways to use sage just as it comes from the garden.
 |
| Sage plant with flowers. |
A new, trendy treat is fried sage leaves. You can batter the leaves or fry them without
batter. Choose larger sage leaves and
remove them from the stems. Wash and dry
the leaves. Heat some cooking oil to about 350 degrees. If you want to batter the sage leaves make a
thin batter of water and flour with seasonings like garlic powder, pepper and
salt. Dip the leaves and quickly add them
to the hot oil. To fry sage leaves
without batter, add leaves to hot oil.
Let the leaves lightly brown on one side, then flip them and brown the
other. This will only take a minute or
so. Work in small batches and don’t
crowd the pan. Remove them to paper
towels to drain and eat them hot. You can sprinkle the hot fried leaves with
powdered parmesan cheese or use them with a dip also.
Fresh sage leaves can be added to butter in a frying
pan and heated just enough to lightly brown the butter. The leaves are then strained out and the
flavored butter is used in soups, sauces or to baste meat.
Here’s how to make an interesting orange sage marinade.
Blend together 1/4 cup unsweetened orange juice, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1
tablespoon minced fresh sage, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4
teaspoon pepper and 1/2 cup Dijon mustard in a large bowl. Marinade up to 3 pounds of boneless chicken
or pork pieces in the mix for 1-3 hours (in the refrigerator) before grilling
or broiling them.
You can use fresh sage to season baked chicken or other
poultry. Lightly coat a whole chicken or
chicken pieces with oil or melted butter. Sprinkle on chopped fresh sage,
rosemary and marjoram with salt and pepper to suit your taste before baking the
chicken.
Here’s a recipe for a fresh sage dip. Combine 1- 8 oz. package of cream cheese, 1/3
cup sour cream, 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1
tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves, and 2
tablespoons fresh chopped celery leaves in a food processor and blend until
smooth. Place in a bowl and refrigerate 5-8 hours to blend flavors. Serve at
room temperature.
This
week’s weed – Buttercups
There are three kinds of common Buttercups,(
Ranunculus), in Michigan, bulbous, creeping and tall. The plants are similar and most people will
not be able to make a distinction among them.
They occur in sunny, overgrown fields and roadsides. Bulbous buttercup has a rosette of leaves
around a bulb like base. Tall buttercups
lack the thickened base and creeping buttercups form a prostrate plant. All are perennial.
The leaves of buttercups form a clump at the base of
the plant. They are divided into 3
parts, each part is also lobed. The 2
bottom divisions occur opposite each other with the third part toward the top,
joined by a short stem. The stems of the leaves are hairy. A few leaves are found widely spaced on the
long flower stalks that develop. All
parts of the buttercup are toxic to livestock, but animals seldom choose to eat
them. Once dried, as in hay, they are no
longer toxic.
 |
| Creeping buttercups ( leaves aren't showing). |
The stems of tall buttercup flowers may reach 3 feet
high, both of the other buttercups have shorter flowering stems.
The shiny, golden yellow flowers draw the eye but don’t
pick them. Buttercups can cause blisters
on human skin from their sap. There are
5-7 petals which are broad at the tip and narrow to a wedge at the center. There is a cluster of yellow stamens and
pistils in the center of each flower, which when jiggled by the wind, allow the
plant to pollinate itself, which is a somewhat primitive reproduction strategy
for a plant with showy flowers.
Buttercups bloom from April to July in Michigan.
Bulbous butter cups have 5 sepals at the bottom of the
flower that curve away from the flower base.
The other types have sepals that do not curve. Creeping buttercups have the largest flowers
at about an inch to 1½ inches wide; the others have flowers from 1/2 inch to
3/4 inch wide.
Creeping buttercups form new plants as they creep along
the ground and they also reproduce through seeds as do the other two. The seeds are produced in great number. They are hard brown, flattened ovals with a
distinctive hook on one end.
Love
the leaves, leave them lay.
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
More Information
Saving
plant seeds for next season
Many
gardeners contemplate saving some seeds from vegetables or flowers for planting
next season. Is it a good or bad idea? Consider all the information before
gathering those first seeds.
Posted
on October 9, 2014 by Gretchen Voyle, Michigan State University Extension
If you are considering saving vegetable or flower seeds for
next season, the first important step is to know if your plants are hybrids.
Saving seed packages or tags from plants can give you that information. It is
never a good idea to save seeds from hybrid plants unless you are not concerned
with the quality of your future plants.
A hybrid is created by crossing two closely related plants.
Neither Mom nor Pop was fantastic, but the cross gives a plant with exceptional
qualities that the parents did not possess. The problem is that the seeds from
the hybrid revert back to one of the parents or are a scramble of genetic material
that is most likely not going to be desirable. The chance of having a plant as
good as the one you currently have is remote.
If you want to save vegetable seeds, you want seeds that
were open pollinated. That means they were pollinated by insects, wind or other
natural ways.
Light frosts will probably not affect seed quality. Heavy
frosts could damage seeds if they were not ripe at the time of freezing. Seed
pods should dry naturally on the plant and the seed head should be brown as
well as the contents. Seeds that are green or yellow are unripe. Often, they do
not grow next season.
The only time that rule of brown and dry does not apply is
if we’re talking about weed seeds. They attained their weed status by being
able to put up with the most adverse conditions.
When picking the seed heads from plants, remove the seeds
from the pod or whatever is enclosing the seeds. This allows them to dry more.
Dampness is the enemy of seeds. The seeds could either mold or begin to grow
and neither event is wanted. Spread seeds in one layer in an open container.
The seeds will dry more indoors in the presence of warm, dry air.
Store your dry seeds in a paper envelope or paper bag. Avoid
plastic because it can trap moisture. If the seeds mold, they are very likely
dead. Store your seed packs at room temperature with air circulating. Label the
envelopes so you know what you have.
In the spring, plant as you would regularly. Unless you are
experienced at collecting and storing seeds, you may not want to just use your
stored seeds if a food crop is important. Mark your rows and compare between
what you have gathered and what you purchased. Be a smart gardener and compare
the crops.
Michigan State University Extension warns there are several
things to consider when dealing with open pollinated seeds. Some vegetable
garden seeds could be a problem if another closely related vegetable is growing
nearby. Examples would be those in the cucurbit family like squash growing near
gourds. The swapped pollen could create a mystery squash-gourd combination that
is useless. Another example would be corn. Sweet corn growing near popcorn,
Indian corn or field corn could give a bizarre mix-and-match ear that is
inedible.
The last opportunity to collect seeds is right now, so
consider these tips when collecting some seeds for next year’s garden.
This article was published by Michigan State University
Extension.
Events, classes and other offerings
Please let me know if there is any event or class that
you would like to share with other gardeners.
These events are primarily in Michigan but if you are a reader from
outside of Michigan and want to post an event I’ll be glad to do it.
Master Gardeners if you belong to an association that
approves your hours please check with that association before assuming a class
or work day will count as credit.
Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or
share? Post them here by emailing me.
I have several free roosters, bantam and full sized if anyone
is interested. Young, healthy. 3 month old muscovy mostly black ducklings
for sale $5. Kimwillis151@gmail.com
Rare & Unusual Plants Mon, October 27, 7pm. First United Methodist Church 1589 W
Maple Rd, Birmingham, MI
Sponsored
by Metro Detroit Hosta Society and presented by Don Rawson. For more
information contact Hgold2843@comcast.net
Michigan Bee keepers Association
Fall Conference
October24-25, 2014, Holiday Inn Gateway Center, 5353 Gateway Centre, Flint,
Michigan
For those
interested in beekeeping and pollination services, the Michigan Beekeepers
Association is putting on their annual Fall Conference Oct. 24-25, 2014. This
two-day event features workshops, a trade show, honey-judging contest, and
keynote speaker David Hackenberg. Hackenberg is a premier beekeeper,
pollinator-health advocate and speaker from Pennsylvania. In addition to having
served as the president of the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association, the American
Beekeeping Federation and as member of the National Honey Board, Hackenberg is
the current chairman of the Honey Bee Health Advisory Board.
On both
days, Michigan State University Extension specialist Walter Pett and MSU
researcher Zachary Huang will be teaching how to identify and manage foul
brood. On Friday, Oct. 24, Huang will also demonstrate how bees see differently
from other animals and how this affects their pollination behavior.
Folks can pre-register online at a reduced cost or on
site at full cost. Having a current 2014 MBA membership reduces the cost as
well. Check your membership status and see below for the scale of registration
fees. To pre-register:
Note: Pre-registration will close Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014.
Registration fees
Pre-Registered
MBA Member, 2-Day:
$20
MBA Member, 1-Day:
$10
Non-Member, 2-Day:
$40
Non-Member, 1-Day:
$20
Spouse/Guest, 2-Day:
$10
Spouse/Guest, 1-Day:
$5
Paid At-the-Door
MBA Member, 2-Day:
$25
MBA Member, 1-Day:
$15
Non-Member, 2-Day: $45
Non-Member, 1-Day:
$25
Spouse/Guest, 2-day:
$15
Spouse/Guest, 1-Day:
$10
Volunteers are always needed and welcomed. Please
contact Steve Tilmann, MBA Treasurer, at treasurer@mba-bees.org to volunteer.
Garbage
to Garden, October 21, 2014, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. MSU Extension, 21885
Dunham Rd. Ste. 12, Clinton Twp., MI
This program is for community garden leaders and
program planners, school garden leaders, urban farmers who are currently
composting or would like to compost at their garden site and may be considering
expanding to accept additional organic food waste from participating gardeners
and local food establishments.
Agenda:
9 a.m.—12 p.m. Mid-scale Composting in your community
garden
12—1 p.m. Lunch and Case study—conversations with community
garden leaders
1—5 p.m. Michigan Master Composter Train the Trainer
Cost: $75 (includes registration, all materials and
lunch)
Gardening
for Bees & Other Pollinators Fri, October 24, 10-11:30 am
480 S Adams Rd, Meadow Brook Hall, Oakland University, Rochester, MI
Sponsored by Meadow Brook Garden Club. Prof. Rufus
Isaacs speaks on the current status of honey & bumble bees. $5 fee. For more info. Call 248‑364‑6210.
Composting
with Red Worms, November 6, 2014, 6:30 - 8 p.m. MSU
Extension Office, 21885 Dunham Rd., Clinton Twp., MI
Macomb MSU Extension is presenting “Composting with Red
Worms” on Thursday, November 6, 2014 at the Macomb MSU Extension Office, 21885
Dunham Rd., Clinton Twp., 48036 (Use Entrance E at the rear of the building).
Join us from 6:30-8 p.m. for a free presentation on worm composting. Learn how
to use worms to compost your food scraps. Master Composter volunteer Sarah
DeDonatis will cover everything from the type of worms to use to the
construction, care and maintenance of the worm bins.
Contact: Mary Gerstenberger, gerste10@anr.msu.edu,
586-469-6085
Please register in advance by calling 586-469-6440.
Prairie
Seed Collecting, Sunday, November 2, 1:00 pm, Seven
Ponds Nature Center 3854 Crawford Rd, Dryden, Phone:(810)
796-3200
Come out to our tall grass prairie to learn all about
the prairie and its plants while collecting seeds for your own yard or garden.
Bring some paper bags and a bucket if you plan on collecting seeds. $3
admission for non-members.
Skeleton
Trees, Sunday, November 30, 2:00 pm, Seven Ponds Nature Center 3854 Crawford Rd,
Dryden, Phone:(810) 796-3200
Now that most of the trees are bare let’s see if we can
figure out which tree is which during this nature walk. $3
admission for non-members.
Cottage
to Commercial: Ingredients for a successful food business- Several locations
and dates
Michigan State University Extension and MSU Product
Center Educators will conduct four food business planning classes September
through November in Berrien, Muskegon, Ingham and Kent County, Michigan
locations.
The two-hour session addresses basic food processing,
regulatory requirements, business development resources, and related topics.
The program targets individuals who are interested in starting a licensed,
commercial food business.
The Kent County session is scheduled for 10 a.m. - 12
p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014 at Kent County MSU Extension 775 Ball Ave. N.E.,
Grand Rapids, MI 49503. The fee is $20 per person, and registration is
available online through Nov. 4, 2014.
The MSU Product Center helps aspiring entrepreneurs and
existing businesses to develop and launch new product and service ideas into
food, agriculture, bioenergy and natural resources markets. A statewide network
of Innovation Counselors is available to counsel individuals interested in
starting related business ventures. Last year the MSU Product Center assisted
647 clients with business planning.
Those who are unable to attend one of the offerings are
invited to request counseling with a field- based MSU Product Center innovation
counselor at www.productcenter.msu.edu , or by phone at 517-432-8750 This
article was published by Michigan State University Extension.
Grow
it! Cook it! Eat it! Workshop, Nov. 12. MSU
Extension Ingham County Lansing Office and MSU Extension – Livingston County
Learn how to grow, store and prepare a variety of fresh
vegetables by attending one or all of these mid-Michigan workshops.
Posted
on August 12, 2014 by Diane Brown, Michigan State University Extension
Home vegetable gardening is once again popular. In
addition to vegetables you grow yourself, a bounty of beautiful produce awaits
at farmer’s markets and from community supported agriculture (CSAs). But do you
know the best varieties to select for your home garden? Do you know how to tell
when a vegetable is ready to harvest, or what to look for at the market? How to
store them? How to cook them? Get answers to these questions and more during a
series of three Grow it! Cook it! Eat it! workshops from Michigan State
University Extension designed to help you make the most of fresh garden
vegetables. Cost: $20 for one session/$50 for all three.
Nov. 12, 2014, 6-8 p.m. Pumpkins and Their Kin – winter
squash and pumpkins Location: MSU Extension Ingham County Lansing Office, 5303
S. Cedar St., Lansing, MI 48911
Register online for these exciting workshops, and save
$10 over individual workshop pricing when you register early for all three
events. Contact the Ingham County MSU Extension office at 517-676-7207 for more
information.
Newsletter
information
If you would
like to pass along a notice about an educational event or a volunteer
opportunity please send me an email before Tuesday of each week and I will
print it. Also if you have a comment or opinion you’d like to share, send it to
me. Please state that you want to have the item published in my weekly notes.
You must give your full name and what you say must be polite and not attack any
individual. I am very open to ideas and opinions that don’t match mine but I do
reserve the right to publish what I want.
Once again the
opinions in this newsletter are mine and I do not represent any organization or
business. I do not make any income from this newsletter. I write this because I
love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my
research each week. It keeps me engaged with local people and horticulture.
It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If at any time you don’t wish to
receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to
receive these emails have them send their email address to me. KimWillis151@gmail.com
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