November 25, 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

Have a great Thanksgiving.

This will be a short and sweet newsletter as I know most of you are busy with Thanksgiving plans, as I am.  I hope you have your power today after the wild and wicked winds. According to the news this is the seventh catastrophic power outage event this year- a record. Our lights blinked several times and I filled all the water buckets and got out the flashlights for the second time in a week.  (We prepared Saturday for the freezing rain.) But our power stayed on thankfully.  It’s snowing now.  It’s been a rough fall – let’s hope the weather gives us a break for the rest of the winter.  But we do have one thing to be thankful for this week- we didn’t get the snow Buffalo got last week!

I found a big leopard frog in the water dish of my bantam chickens last night.  I didn’t want the chickens or cats to eat him when I dumped him out of the bowl so I tossed him over the fence into a pile of leaves.  I hope he burrowed into the leaves before the temperature dropped too much.  I also saw several dead skunks on the road – just like in the spring when they come out of hibernation.  I think the animals are confused about this weather.

How my pet turkeys spend Thanksgiving.

Sunday I took advantage of the mild weather and cut some evergreen branches to stick into the soil of the planter boxes on the deck.  I will not be decorating them however, until after Thanksgiving.  I am going to try and do something different this year and decorate them naturally, with the red berries of nightshade or maybe some bittersweet.

Check the houseplants

I have noticed that the houseplants are starting to require more water as the heat is on more in the house and the humidity is lower.  Set up some kind of reminder to yourself to check the pots through the busy holiday season and water plants before they wilt.  Do not fertilize houseplants at this time.

You may also want to move some tender plants so their leaves don’t touch cold windows.  Adding some artificial light, even for plants in windows can help through the long dismal and gray winter.  I use CFL grow lights with reflectors that are energy efficient and cost little to operate.  I clip the reflectors on a shelf or window ledge and aim it toward the plants.  You can put these close to the plants for best results because they don’t give off much heat.   I turn them on when it’s cloudy and gray (nearly every day now) and leave them on for several hours after dark. 

Optimal lighting and watering of houseplants helps keep houseplants healthy and nice looking through the winter.

Researchers choose best tomatoes for growing organically

If you haven’t noticed organic produce is a money maker for many farmers and researchers are starting to help them improve their harvests by evaluating varieties gr own under organic practices and producing new varieties.  The Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia evaluated many varieties of tomatoes grown with organic methods and published their results recently. 

The researchers evaluated both hybrid and open pollinated varieties.  Most of the tomatoes had red colored fruit with the exception of two “pink” varieties.  The results showed that two F1 hybrids had the greatest yields under organic conditions, a variety called HSX 8115H and 'Celebrity',  a often recommended disease resistant variety home gardeners can easily find. 

All open pollinated varieties had much less yield than hybrid tomatoes with the OP variety 'Costoluto Fiorentino', having the highest yield.   Keep in mind that researchers did not evaluate taste in this trial, which is personal anyway.  And the tomatoes were grown in the south; however the tomato variety Celebrity has been evaluated in many different growing areas and always does well.  I have grown Celebrity myself, and it is pretty disease resistant and productive here but I find the flavor bland.

New varieties of disease resistant Dogwoods to be released.

Dogwoods are great small trees for home landscapes.  They have beautiful flowers in the spring, nice fall color and the peeling, attractive bark on the small trees adds winter interest to the garden.  However many dogwoods have a susceptibility to dogwood anthracnose and powdery mildew and quickly morph into straggly dying messes.  Hybrids of Cornus kousa and Cornus florida seem to be more vigorous and disease resistant but few are on the market, with 'Appalachian Spring' being the most disease resistant of dogwoods now marketed.

Dogwood at Gettysburg.  Flickr.com

University of Tennessee horticulturists have been working with Cornus (Dogwoods) to develop disease resistant, beautiful hybrid varieties for home landscapes and out of 400 varieties in the trial they have selected 3 outstanding Dogwoods that will soon be available in nurseries.   These varieties are 'Empire', 'Pam's Mountain Bouquet' and 'Red Steeple'. 

'Pam's Mountain Bouquet' may be available this spring.  It’s a spreading crown form with a profuse display of flowers in spring and great disease resistance. Look for ‘Empire’ and ‘Red Steeple’,( a red foliaged variety), soon.

Decorating with live plants for the holidays

Combine your love of gardening with holiday decorating by using live potted plants as part of the decorations.  You can use nice potted plants that you have around the house or use holiday decorating as an excuse to buy more exotic house plants.   Potted plants also make great office decorations and gifts. 

Many stores feature gift plants such as mums, poinsettias and Christmas cacti around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays but these aren’t the only plants that can be used as decorations.  With a little imagination a beautiful plant can become the center focus of holiday decorating and remain after the holidays to lift the spirits all through winter.

Almost any green plant can be made festive by adding a brightly colored pot, a bow or even tiny decorations.  For Thanksgiving you’ll want to decorate with harvest colors but after Thanksgiving the same plant can be re-decorated with Christmas colors, and the palette of colors used at Christmas has expanded in recent years from red and green to many other color combinations.

Common houseplants like Boston Ivy, palms, ribbon plant, ferns, philodendron, spider plants, Norfolk Island Pine and Jade plants make excellent decorations in pretty pots with ribbons.   Pots of the herb rosemary make excellent holiday plants, fragrant when brushed.  Sometimes you can find them sheared into a Christmas tree shape. 

Frosty fern

A less common plant called Frosty Fern is available only near the holidays.  This lovely plant looks like the tips of its fronds are frosted white.  Frosty Fern, Selaginiela Krausianna Variegatus is actually a club moss, a fern relative.  It tolerates the low light that decorative plants are often subjected to and looks lovely in a red pot.  Rabbits Foot fern is also a good decorating choice.

Other great choices for exotic potted plant decorations include blooming orchids, gardenias, tropical hibiscus, and potted citrus or pomegranate trees.  Miniature roses can often be found in stores.  These tiny roses can bloom all winter in a sunny window.

Check any store that sells houseplants for an endless variety that could become holiday decorations or gifts.  The nursery that sold you plants in the summer may sell houseplants and exotic tropicals in winter.

For Thanksgiving some artificial pumpkins or even small, real gourds could be added to the pot.  You can hollow out a small pumpkin and insert a plant in its pot.  A large wicker basket with several green plants inserted then surrounded by mixed nuts in the shell, or bittersweet sprays, or artificial leaves in bright colors would be pretty.

For Christmas add artificial birds, or put tiny elves in the pot. Spray a few twisted branches with fake snow and insert in the pot. Try setting the potted plant in a bowl that’s larger than the pot and filling the bowl with glass Christmas ornaments.  Insert a smaller pot into a clear glass vase or jar and totally surround the pot with tiny glass ornaments or even beads in your color scheme. Plastic confetti, tinsel, or plastic ribbon shreds could also fill the clear container.  There is glittery plastic snow that you scatter on Christmas displays that could fill a container or even dust the top of a pot.

A clever party favor would be to glue a small wood square on the bottom of large glass Christmas balls to make them sit upright. Then remove the top of the ball which is usually a piece of metal held in place with tiny spring wires.  Fill the ball with water and insert starter plants such as a small spider plant, which will grow in water for a while.

Wrap pots in colored foil and tie with a bow.  Or use gift bags with the plant peeking out the top.  Plants will need to be watered so if the item you wrap the plant in could be damaged by water, put the pot in a plastic bag or waterproof container first.

Take good care of your green decoration and it will survive the holiday.  Try to place the decoration in good light or keep it only a few days in poor light situations.  Water the pots when they are dry.  Keep them out of cold drafts.  Keep brown leaves pulled off and browned tips of leaves trimmed off.

Don’t us lights or heavy ornaments on green plants.   Keep them away from candles and fireplaces or anything that gives off excessive heat.  Don’t use spray on flocking or “snow” on live plants.  When the holidays are over remove fancy coverings and place the plant where it gets the proper lighting for its needs.

Forget the difficult to save poinsettias and use plants meant to survive in the house for holiday decorating.  You’ll love the results.

Quick holiday appetizers from canned biscuits

If you have canned biscuits on hand you have the makings for several nice appetizers.  Grease a muffin pan and push each biscuit into a shell, (cup) shape.  Bake until golden brown.  Then add fillings to each muffin cup.  Fillings could be ground beef cooked like sloppy joes, spicy ground sausage and nacho cheese, ground beef with mushroom gravy, diced cooked chicken or turkey with some cooked peas and gravy - like tiny pot pies, ground beef with taco seasoning and taco cheese, baked beans and thin hotdog slices, scrambled eggs with peppers and cheese, even cooked veggies with a cheese sauce.

Or you can flatten biscuit dough on a greased cookie sheet.  Add cooked meats and cheeses to the center of each, fold over the dough, crimp the edges, brush with melted butter and bake for delicious appetizers.

Canned biscuits can make some sweet treats too.  Turn the biscuits into shells like above and fill with pudding, pie filling, fruit and cheese, or melted chocolate, caramel and nuts.   Canned biscuits or crescent rolls can also be flattened on a greased cookie sheet, spread with melted butter, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and crushed nuts and baked until brown.  Cut into small pieces and serve.

Making Tipsy Sweet Potato Casserole

Want a different take on sweet potatoes this Thanksgiving? This is a delightful mashed sweet potato dish that won’t make you tipsy at all, the alcohol cooks away.

Sweet potatoes are always boiled or steamed before peeling to keep them from turning black and make it easier to peel them. A shortcut to peeling is to place the sweet potatoes in a covered microwave safe bowl with a couple of tablespoons of water.  Microwave on medium high for about 5 minutes, or until the peel slips off easily. You can start with canned or frozen and thawed sweet potatoes and avoid the peeling all together.

Ingredients

8 large sweet potatoes

1/2 tsp salt

5 tbsp. butter or margarine

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1/3 cup cream or milk

2 tbsp. sherry

Boil the sweet potatoes in their skins with the salt in a large pot until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and peel them.  (If you are using canned or frozen cooked sweet potatoes skip this step.  Some frozen sweet potatoes may need cooking.)

Place the potatoes, cream, sugar, and sherry in a large bowl. Whip the potatoes on medium speed with an electric mixer.

Spray a large oven safe casserole dish with cooking spray and place the whipped potatoes in it. Bake in a 350 degree F. (180 C)  oven for about 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

I am thankful for my large and supportive family and wonderful husband and I am so thankful that I live in a beautiful, safe, peaceful area, where I can have my animals and gardens.   What are you thankful for?

Have a great thanksgiving.

Kim Willis

 “He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero

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.  Also free 5 male Muscovy ducks, young, mostly black feathered.    Excellent eating, less greasy than other duck- taste like beef.  Or great for decorating your pond.     Kimwillis151@gmail.com

A Note to readers- Garden classes will be less frequent during the next few months.

MSU offered a variety of on line seminars for those who were interested in beginning farming topics of various types.  Some of those are now available free to watch at the address below.  Gardeners may be interested in topics like organic pest control.  Get the list of topics and links here.

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/msu_extension_beginning_farmer_webinar_series_continues_online

New- Capital Area Master Gardeners - Mixing It Up Garden symposium - January 31, 2015, 8:15-4 pm. MSU Plant and Soil Sciences Building ,1066 Bogue Street East Lansing, MI.

This symposium features a variety of garden classes to lighten the winter blahs.  Registration fee includes lunch.  A garden marketplace will be available for shoppers. Fees are $35 for local club members, $45 for other Master Gardeners, $55 for all others. 

To get a description of classes and register online go to: https://mgacac.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/brochure2014_11-14.pdf

Michigan Great Lakes Expo December 9-11, 2014- Devos Place Conference Center/ Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, Michigan

This annual conference is for fruit and vegetable growers and the greenhouse industry but it is open to anyone who wishes to attend and there are numerous educational classes, several bus tours, lots of educational booths and more than 400 vendors.  Many home gardeners enjoy attending as well as those contemplating or operating a farm market, greenhouse or nursery business.

Pre-registering for the event by Nov. 20 will save you about $20 per person.  It’s $75 for the 3 day admission with several discounts also being available for spouses, employees, members of certain groups etc.  It will be $95 if you pay at the door.  Children under 18 are free.  There is also a one day admission for Thursday, Dec 11 of $40.  Admission includes all educational sessions and exhibits but does not include bus tours and the various luncheons and dinners. 

You can get the brochure describing the educational events and tours plus more information and register on line at this link: http://www.glexpo.com/images/2014/GL_Expo_Brochure.pdf

You can also call 734-677-0503 for more information.

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.

Don't forget to check here for more good information

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

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

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

November 18, 2014 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.

Hi Gardeners

Ligularia seedheads in November

Winter is making a statement today.  Its bitter cold, but we just had a little dusting of snow. There may be more tonight I guess.  In a few days however, we are supposed to be back in the 40’s, I can’t wait.  But it’s supposed to rain and there’s nothing more dismal than a cold November rain.  I’m sure glad I finally got those back ordered muscari bulbs planted last week.

Our pond is completely frozen over and the ducks have come back to the barn.  The bird feeders have been swarming with birds.  There seems to be an abundance of purple house finches this year. The squirrels are fighting and rolling nuts around in our attic, out of the cold.

I succumbed to plant pity last week and brought in the potted mum that was blooming on my deck.  The flowers were limp and brown from cold.  I deadheaded the brown blooms and noticed lots of tiny buds still intact.  So I watered the plant and set it in the porch window inside.  It perked right up and some flowers have already popped out.  I am wondering how long I can keep it blooming. My frozen porch pumpkins went into the chicken coops, where the birds devoured them. 

Making Houseplants Interesting

When I was managing the garden shop at Kmart in the 70’s houseplants were hugely popular and everyone wanted them.  We had a 30 foot “island” aisle with three levels of plants.  Overhead was a large rack where dozens of hanging baskets dangled.   Large plants filled display ends throughout the store.  There were 3 aisles of pots, potting soil and macramé hangers.

Diplodia

We had weekly plant deliveries, some straight from southern greenhouses and little snakes and frogs often accompanied them.  It took us an hour every morning to water the plants.  But houseplants were a money maker, with high mark-ups so how the display looked mattered and we pinched, tidied and watered every day.  We went through pallets of potting soil every week.  I had always had houseplants, even as a young girl but now my house bulged with my “finds” on the job.

My house today has plants in every window.  I rarely leave those tender perennials most people grow as annuals outside to perish in the cold. I take apart containers at summers end to salvage what I can.  I still look over today’s much more restrained houseplant selections in stores for new finds.   I am constantly shifting and re-arranging plants to make room for just one more.

Do you have houseplants?  Gardeners should never be without them.  In our area of the country there’s not much gardening to do from November to April, unless you consider looking at seed catalogs gardening.  But you don’t have to live without plants.  Even if you keep your home cool, you don’t have sunny windows or forget to water them sometimes you can find houseplants to suit the conditions.

Houseplants have a lot to offer besides the fun of growing them.  They clean the air of noxious fumes and floating particles.  They raise the humidity in the home in winter.  They produce oxygen.  Studies have shown that rooms with plants feel more inviting to people, and have a calming effect.  Sick people report less pain in rooms with plants and recover faster.  Homes that are for sale sell better when attractive plants are added to the rooms.

Echeveria Topsy Turvy

If you think houseplants are boring spider plants, (I personally like spider plants), scrawny ivies and bare stemmed rubber trees you haven’t explored the houseplant possibilities quite enough.  Do you long for certain conifers that aren’t hardy in your planting zone?  Many small and slow growing evergreens can actually become great houseplants in the winter and good patio plants in the summer.  Evergreen perennials such as tender lavenders, rosemary, sweet bay, lemon verbena, small thymes, lantana, mints, small tiarellas and heucheras, violas and violets, citrus trees and figs can find places in the home in winter.

Even lovers of ornamental grasses can grow some as houseplants.  Small grasses like ‘Bunny ‘ grasses, and blue fescue, carex, sedges and clumps of bamboo will thrive in a sunny window.  Many garden sedums, even hens and chicks will do well inside.  And there is a wealth of exotic succulents on the market and many make excellent houseplants.

Pond enthusiasts can also garden indoors.  Set up containers with tropical water lilies, water hyacinths, calla lilies, and other interesting water plants.  There are beautiful ferns other than the well-known Boston fern that do well indoors.  There are ivies and vines, including small bougainvillea’s, inexpensive orchids, beautiful gingers, sweet scented jasmines, passionflowers, mandevillas, cane type begonias, rex begonias, exotic cacti and stone plants, streptocarpus,

Easy to grow moth orchid

carnivorous beauties and so many more unusual and exciting plants. 

And of course there are all the old standby houseplants, parlor palms, weeping figs, African violets, jade plants, philodendrons, Norfolk Pines, prayer plants, pothos, and so on, which with proper care, can look quite stunning too.

When warm weather comes many houseplants can take a vacation outside, they can become part of planters and garden beds, and provide interest on porches and patios.  This will help you have more time to care for the outside gardens.

If this has perked your interest a bit in houseplants or you already know and love many houseplants then you may want to read the book below.

Book review-The Unexpected Houseplant –220 extraordinary choices for every spot in your home by Tovah Martin- 2012 ($3.03 amazon/kindle e-book until the end of the month)

This is a delightful read, not just a care primer for houseplants.  The author talks about her love for houseplants and all plants, her experiences with them, her charming older home and even her cat.  Ms. Martin has written numerous popular garden books and is a frequent article writer for popular garden magazines.

You may not find your houseplant in this book, many of the plants Martin describes are the unusual and eclectic houseplants, some of which I mentioned above.  The more common houseplants are left to other authors to worry over.  But when she’s through discussing her choices, you’ll want to run out and try to find some of them. 

Staghorn fern.

She talks about the plant’s needs, how to display them, what type of container to grow them in, and many other things woven into a narrative story beginning from the best fall houseplants through summer and permanent houseplant residents.  Martin is an organic grower, so there are no plants discussed that require intensive pest control, although she lists what pests and problems a plant may have.  There is a summary of care requirements at the end of each section. And there’s a section devoted to houseplants that Martin doesn’t recommend.

This may not be the book for you if you are looking for basic houseplant care.  But if you are looking for houseplant inspiration this is it. When you get done reading this book you’ll know there is no excuse not to have houseplants.  I bought the kindle version; it’s on sale now for $3.03 until the end of the month.  Of course this version only has black and white photos.  The hard bound version has beautiful color photos but it will set you back a bit more money.  This book would make an excellent Christmas present for any gardener.

Thousand Cankers disease of black walnuts

I have a love-hate relationship with black walnut trees.  On one hand they provide shade, nice lumber and food for wildlife.  On the other hand they are messy, invasive, and their roots discourage many plants from growing near them.  But I certainly do not want them to go the way the ash trees did, we simply cannot afford to lose another common forest and yard tree.

Thousand Cankers disease (Geosmithia morbidai) is a fungal disease that is actually native to this continent.  So is the tiny beetle that carries it, the Walnut Twig beetle,( Pityophthorus juglandis,).  Somehow, in the last decade or so, the disease that once was only a minor problem to walnut trees, evolved to become a deadly killer.  So far researchers have not found a way to control the fungus or the beetle.

Thousand Cankers disease is now known to be in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington,  where its rapidly killing trees.  Michigan, as well as Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wyoming and Montana, have put quarantines in effect that ban walnut trees or walnut wood from entering the state.

Since the disease is now on the west coast, east coast and mid-south there’s little doubt it will continue to spread.  One has only to look at the Emerald Ash Borer and how it has spread.  Emerald Ash borers kill trees directly by feeding on the trees phloem.  The tiny Walnut Twig beetle larvae wouldn’t kill the tree- it’s the fungal disease that they carry that does that.  And Walnut twig beetles are spread the same way Emerald Ash Borers are spread, in firewood, lumber and on nursery stock.  Both the larvae and beetle can overwinter.

The Walnut Twig beetle is very tiny, about the size of an i in this sentence and reddish brown.  The larvae are also small, white and C shaped.  They feed just below the bark in small circular or roughly oblong patches.  As they feed they disperse the fungal disease spores, which infect the wounded area and turn the patch grayish black. If the bark is peeled off an infected area the circular dark patches can be seen.  The fungus clogs the phloem and xylem tubes that transport food and water in the tree. 

Symptoms of tree decline/death are the same as for Emerald Ash Borer infection.  The tree yellows and wilts, branches die and the canopy thins, water shoots appear at the tree base, eventually the whole tree dies.  You can see pictures and read more here: http://www.thousandcankers.com/

This disease infects all kinds of walnuts, including butternuts.  English walnuts seem to have some resistance to the disease however.   There is no treatment suggested at this time.  The disease doesn’t move through the trees cellular system but each patch of beetle larvae feeding and infecting the tree with the fungus destroys more of the trees ability to move water and food through the tree.  Insecticides for the beetles have been tried but research has shown little improvement in the course of the disease from this.

The best offense at this point is to not move walnut wood and to not buy walnuts or transplant walnuts from other states.  If you think you have Thousand Cankers disease on a walnut near you call the MDARD Customer Service Center (800) 292-3939 or email: DNR-Forestry@michigan.gov  or email: MDA-Info@michigan.gov

Can Pot help cure brain tumors?

New research done at St George University, London and published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics journal found that cannabinoids (THC and CBD), when given with radiation treatment significantly improved the shrinkage of brain tumors in animals over those just given radiation treatments.  Some tumors disappeared completely.  Human trials are going to begin soon.  Brain tumors are very hard to treat in humans and the treatments with marijuana compounds are very promising with few side effects attributed to the cannabinoids.

Deep Fried Green Beans

I know they aren’t being grown locally now but if you are craving something different that’s low calorie, high in vitamins and low carb to boot try some deep fried green beans.  I don’t normally like green beans nor does my husband but we both liked these.  I hear they are the trend at fancy restaurants but they are easy to fix.

Start with about a half pound of clean, dry fresh green beans with the ends removed.  Beat an egg white in a good sized bowl, add the beans and toss them until they are coated.  Next add a couple tablespoons of powdered parmesan cheese with rosemary and garlic, a tablespoon of coconut or almond flour, ( or use unbleached wheat flour)  a little onion powder, some black pepper and seasoned salt to taste.  Toss the beans in the mixture until they are well coated and seasonings distributed.

Heat some healthy oil (not soybean, corn or canola, these aren’t good for you!) or some lard to about 350 degrees in a deep pan or fryer.  Add the beans in small batches and stir a bit to separate them. Don’t crowd them in the pan.  Fry until the outside is golden and crispy, ( about like potato fries) remove and drain on paper towels.  Eat while warm- yummy.

Forcing bulbs

It may be a little late to find the bulbs but it’s not too late to plant bulbs for indoor forcing if you find some on sale in the garden shops or you have some bulbs you didn’t get in the ground this fall.  Paper white narcissus, a yellow narcissus known as Sol D’Or and some hyacinths are probably still available for forcing.  Paper whites and the yellow equivalent don’t need a cold period to bloom. Some catalogs may also sell pre-chilled bulbs for late fall and winter potting.

Any kind of spring blooming bulb can be forced, from tiny crocus and snowdrops to stately tulips and alliums. Fragrant  species are very nice to include if you can.  If you are potting the bulbs in November you won’t get flowers until February and March, but that will still be earlier than they bloom outside for most bulbs and it will bring a burst of spring inside just when you need it most.  If you found pre-chilled bulbs for sale you may get flowers earlier.

What to plant them in

Tulip bulbs forced in water.
 Credit:whatcomflowers.net

Paper white and other narcissus and some hyacinths can be forced in water.  You use cute little vases with a constricted middle designed for this purpose or you fill a container with rocks, glass beads or marbles, put water in the bottom inch or two and partially bury the bulbs in the rocks or other substances. You want just the base of the bulb in water, submerged bulbs will rot.  You can start paper whites just about any time in the fall and winter and expect blooms in about 6 weeks.

Most bulbs, however, do best in potting medium.  This is a soilless mix you buy rather than using garden soil. Since you’ll need to move the pots around and good drainage is a must, a good lightweight potting mix is essential.  Shallow pots are best but they should be deep enough so the bulbs can be lightly covered with the potting medium and still have at least 2 inches of medium below them.  The containers should have good drainage. 

Part of the beauty of spring bulbs indoors can be the pot they are in so you may want to choose attractive containers, maybe in colors that will complement the flowers that will bloom in the pot.  Plastic hanging baskets are good bulb planters and could be painted in pretty colors.  Clay pots can also be painted with acrylic craft paints.  Even cheap plastic mixing bowls from the dollar store can work for bulbs.  You can add drainage holes by heating a fork to red hot on your stove and then pushing it through the bottom of the bowl in several places.

The planting and chilling process.

Except for paper whites and a few designated forcing hyacinths, or bulbs that have been pre-chilled, the bulbs you plant for inside bloom must go through a chilling period before they will flower.  Here’s the planting and chilling process.

Moisten the potting medium, add some to the container, and arrange the bulbs on top.  Fill the container so that the bulbs can be just barely covered with planting medium and still leave an inch or so of space from the top of the medium to the pot edge so that you can water the pot without a mess.

To make the prettiest showing put bulbs close together.  Bulbs with large foliage like tulips need a little more room in the pot but bulbs with narrow foliage like crocus can be planted with only a bit of a gap between them.  Plant bulbs with the pointed end up.  Arrange any tulip bulbs so that the flatter side of the bulb faces toward the pot wall.  The leaves will then droop over the pot sides and the blooms will be concentrated in the center of the pot.

Once you have arranged the bulbs fill up the pot with moistened potting medium. Remember to leave space below the pot rim for water.

Some people recommend pots of various bulb species or layering small early bulbs over larger later bulbs.  In my experience these don’t work as well as keeping species separate.  Mixing the colors of course is fine.  Pots of blue and white muscari or peach and yellow tulips for example are quite wonderful.  You can always exchange pots that have finished blooming with ones that are just beginning.

Once pots are planted they need their chilling period. If they don’t get this flowers won’t form. The ideal chilling temperatures are between 30-40 degrees F.  You can achieve this by putting the pots in an unheated garage or chilly basement or in a refrigerator.  If you are going to use the frig don’t store fruit in it since the ethylene they give off can disrupt flower formation.  A cooler or insulated box on the patio or deck might work. You can stack the pots. One person I know uses a window well for the basement window and covers it with a board.  She brings the pots in through the window.  Some people dig a trench outside, put the pots in it and cover them with straw but you may have a hard time retrieving the pots in January. 

You are trying to prevent the potted bulbs from getting too cold too.  Bulbs planted in the ground are somewhat insulated because they are planted deeper and have more soil around them.  When bulbs in pots are subjected to periods of time below 25 degrees they often die.

Pots need to be kept barely moist while chilling.  Check your pots every other week and add a little barely warm water if they seem very dry. When a pot is too dry it feels very light and the potting medium may draw away from the pot sides. If the soil seems soggy, check to see if the drainage is obstructed and don’t water.  Very wet pots cause the bulbs to rot.

Different plant species require different cooling times to form flowers.  Crocus and grape hyacinths require about 9 weeks of chilling, snowdrops require 15 weeks, species tulips that bloom really early in the garden require about 10 weeks, other tulips require 12-16 weeks.  The later they bloom outside the more chilling weeks they require.  Daffodils and narcissus need about 12 weeks.  Hyacinths need 12-15 weeks. Iris reticulate and alliums may need 15 weeks.

When the chilling period is over wake the plants gently by moving them to a cool area of 50-60 degrees, in indirect light.  Water the pots with warm water.  After a week move them to a sunny spot above 60 degrees. Keep the pots moist but not soggy.  Most will be sprouting by then and will bloom in 2-3 weeks.

If you want to prolong bloom or have a specific time you want bulbs to bloom you can safely leave bulbs to chill longer.  If you have lots of chilled pots stagger the times you wake up the plants.

What to do after bloom

Many people discard bulbs after they bloom and some bulbs won’t do well no matter what you do after they have been forced anyway.  But if you can’t stand to discard the bulbs some will survive with care.  It doesn’t hurt to try.

After blooms have died cut the whole bloom stalk off.  Keep the pot with the foliage in a brightly lit spot, give it some liquid fertilizer or a sprinkle of slow release granular, but don’t overdo the fertilizer.  Keep the pot moist.  As soon as the ground thaws the bulbs can be planted outside, the sooner the better.  Choose a spot that’s proper for the bulb species as far as light and soil conditions. They won’t bloom again this year of course, but with luck you may get blooms the following spring.

Paper whites, the golden narcissus used for forcing and hyacinths forced in water won’t do well outside and should just be thrown out.  Don’t try to save bulbs for forcing again in their pots.  This almost never works.

Spring bulbs blooming in the window sill make a snowy February or March day bearable.  And forcing bulbs is a great winter project for young gardeners.  If you have spring blooming bulbs consider forcing some this winter.

Bundle up, put on the soup pot and grab some coco

Kim Willis

 “He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero

More Information

Indian pipes: Oddities of the plant world

Indian pipes are a plant lacking chlorophyll that hitchhike with native Michigan trees like oaks.

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Rebecca Finneran, Michigan State University Extension

When is a mushroom not a mushroom? The answer is when it is a “ghost plant.” The Michigan State University Extension lawn and garden hotline (1-888-678-3464) receives questions about many gardening subjects. Some of the oddest questions are stimulated by a quiet walk in the woods or park where people encounter plants of the weirdest kind.

Indian or Ghost Pipes.  Credit: commons.wikimedia.org

One of the things that define a plant is that it can make its own food. The green pigment in the plant parts, primarily leaves, contains a substance known as chlorophyll that appears green. Chlorophyll contained in organelles known as “plastids” in the leaf is synonymous with life on earth – the chemical equation for photosynthesis is the source (byproduct) of the oxygen we breathe.

So when you come upon an odd collection of white-stemmed “plants,” one might ask is it really a plant, or am I in OZ? The answer may surprise you. Commonly known as Indian pipes, ghost plant and oddly enough, corpse plant, Monotropa uniflora are kind of an anomaly in the plant kingdom. Completely lacking chlorophyll, this plant makes life happen by “networking” with fungi relatives known as mycorrhizae and the roots of plants (trees) that are conducting photosynthesis. In short, these plants optimize their root relationship with the fungi that are uniquely connected to and fed by the green plant. Brilliant!

The short-in-stature plant features a single bloom on a single stem that has tiny leaves that are all white. Aptly named, M. uniflora is a relative of the common blueberry (Ericacea family), which has a very similar shaped bloom. It can actually grow in the darkest area of a woodlot since it needs no sunlight to survive. I usually find this plant growing in the root zone of oak woodlots, but it is also commonly found under maples.

You might think this is sort of cheating the system, but some sources claim that the hijacking of nutrients through a third party is not an offence to the tree that is busy making the food. Most of the literature cites that the trees don’t even notice since the mycorrhizae fungi are actually beneficial to them. It’s like the distant third cousins living in the apartment next door who drive a Ferrari and look really cool, but don’t ask for much. Huh – wish I could do that!

As it turns out, this is only one of about 3,000 non-photosynthetic plants in the world. Who would have thought? So, on your next walk through the woodlot, watch for this strange adaptation of nature and just enjoy it!

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.  Also free 5 male Muscovy ducks, young, mostly black feathered.    Excellent eating, less greasy than other duck- taste like beef.  Or great for decorating your pond.     Kimwillis151@gmail.com

A Note to readers- Garden classes will be less frequent during the next few months.

MSU offered a variety of on line seminars for those who were interested in beginning farming topics of various types.  Some of those are now available free to watch at the address below.  Gardeners may be interested in topics like organic pest control.  Get the list of topics and links here.

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/msu_extension_beginning_farmer_webinar_series_continues_online

Michigan Great Lakes Expo December 9-11, 2014- Devos Place Conference Center/ Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, Michigan

This annual conference is for fruit and vegetable growers and the greenhouse industry but it is open to anyone who wishes to attend and there are numerous educational classes, several bus tours, lots of educational booths and more than 400 vendors.  Many home gardeners enjoy attending as well as those contemplating or operating a farm market, greenhouse or nursery business.

Pre-registering for the event by Nov. 20 will save you about $20 per person.  It’s $75 for the 3 day admission with several discounts also being available for spouses, employees, members of certain groups etc.  It will be $95 if you pay at the door.  Children under 18 are free.  There is also a one day admission for Thursday, Dec 11 of $40.  Admission includes all educational sessions and exhibits but does not include bus tours and the various luncheons and dinners. 

You can get the brochure describing the educational events and tours plus more information and register on line at this link: http://www.glexpo.com/images/2014/GL_Expo_Brochure.pdf

You can also call 734-677-0503 for more information.

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.

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

November 11, 2014 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.

Hi Gardeners

It will be a different scene in a few days.

Everyone is holding their breath waiting for the “polar vortex”.  I am not afraid.  We make weather a lot more scary than we need to any more.  Of course we make everything more scary now.  I am not looking forward to the cold by any stretch of the imagination.  But even though it looks like it will be quite cold for 10 days or so we could still get Indian Summer after that.  Let’s hope anyway.  I do feel sorry for those in the UP who got dumped on though.

This cold spell is running real close to the weather last year.  On Nov. 11 last year it turned really cold and we woke to snow on the grass.   But on Nov. 17 it was nearly 70 degrees and we had a tornado watch.  By the 23^rd temps dipped into the teens overnight and we had an inch or so of snow.  We also had snow on Thanksgiving.

The ground will be frozen soon though and if you have any bulbs sitting around waiting to be planted better get them done between rain showers. If you have any bulbs to still be dug out of the garden like dahlias, better do it today.  Fill up the bird feeders before the cold.  Get those lawn chairs put up.

Sugar Harvest

Last year some of the farmlands around us were sold to a large agribusiness. (The trucks say xxx family farms but the types and number of machines and employees say big agribusiness.) For the first time in many years sugar beets were planted on most of the acreage around us, maybe because of the cold wet spring.  This was no real problem until harvest time rolled around.

Picking up sugar beets in the field.  en.wikimedia.org

About 2 weeks ago sugar beet harvest began around us. Until past midnight every single day,  several times an hour,  the huge double tandem gravel trailer type trucks rumbled down the road, shaking the house, shining their headlights into the house at night, tearing up the newly surfaced gravel road.  After dark the headlights of the harvesting equipment bounced across the fields like the glowing eyes of giant beasts.

Here’s how sugar beets are harvested, I sat on the deck and watched the process for a while some days.  First a mowing type machine cuts off the beet tops and leaves them lying in the field.  Then another machine comes through, it digs up the beets and twirls them around in a big hamster wheel sort of thing to get the soil off, and dumps them on the ground.  Then a tractor ( all green John Deeres for this company) pulls a machine across the beets, sucking them up and spitting them through a tall pipe into a  bright red wagon ( Merry Christmas) being pulled by another tractor following alongside the first.

When the dump wagon is full the tractor chugs it down to the waiting gravel hauler type trucks, the red wagon is lifted by hydraulics and the beets dumped over the sides of the big truck.  When the big trailers are full they take off and another takes it place.  On some days the big trucks went into the edge of the field to wait. They are too heavy to go far into the fields. On days when we had some rain they waited in the road and this caused traffic to back up when they blocked the road to dump the red wagons.

Sugar beet harvest.  Credit: Michigan Farm Bureau.

The big trucks were probably going to Caro, the closest place I know of where beets are accepted for processing.  That’s a 40 minute or so round trip, then some time for dumping the load, so probably a trip per hour.  Usually beets are dumped in huge mountains on some paved area near a processing facility.  It seemed the trips were pretty well timed so that when one hauler was filled another was there to take its place. 

As I mentioned the trucks went from first light in the morning to after midnight.  Maybe they had the drivers on shifts but I doubt it.  These drivers were probably exempted by some agricultural clause from having to rest after so many hours driving the big rigs.  Some of the drivers also seemed to think that being agriculturally involved meant they didn’t have to stop for the stop sign at the corner and they just blew through it at 35-40 miles an hour. The trucks must not be required to have the loads covered either.  The deer will love the beets along the road.  Keep this in mind when you are driving in the thumb during sugar beet harvest.

This agricultural business harvested about 300 acres of beets a half mile east of us and about 200 acres across from us.  It took all week.  In contrast the 200 acres was planted in corn last year and it took less than a day to harvest it.  I am really glad that sugar beets need to be rotated and we won’t have that intensive harvest next year in those fields. 

To justify all that expensive equipment and manpower sugar beets must be pretty profitable.  Supposedly there is an overabundance of sugar beets this year, too many to process and some farmers will be paid to leave the beets in the field.  Isn’t that grand?  The highest average tonnage per acre ever is 29.22, the projected tonnage per acre this year is at least 30 tons per acre.

Sugar beets can’t be harvested when it’s too warm as they rot in storage and after sitting in piles through the winter some beets that have frozen are unusable so it’s a race to process the beets.  Michigan factories have the capabilities to process slightly less than 5 million tons of beets. 

So how is sugar actually made?

A hundred years ago sugar beet processing was widely spread across Michigan and sugar beets were grown all over the state.  Now most of the sugar beet production and processing facilities are located in the Thumb-Saginaw Valley area.  Besides Michigan sugar beets are grown and processed in northern Ohio, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska, Colorado and central California.

In Michigan there are sugar beet processors in Caro, Bay City, Sebewaing, Croswell and Carrollton. Processing starts at the beginning of beet harvest – usually beginning in late September and runs through February.  It runs 24 hours a day every day of the week until the supply of beets are gone. About 4 thousand tons of beets are processed each day at each facility.    Here’s a rough idea of what happens at the Caro facility- (Michigan Sugar Company).

 

Sugar beets ready to harvest. Credit: Hugh Venables
Geograph.org.uk

First the beets are dumped into water “flumes”.  The beets float and rocks and other debris are separated out.  The rocks collected from the flumes are sold to landscapers and road construction companies, some 60 tons of rocks are removed daily. Then the beets go into the beet washers, which scrub off the dirt.  Scrubbers have magnets that collect any metal that may have entered with the beets.

From the scrubbers beets go on conveyors to the slicers, which slice them into thin slices that look like waffle cut fries, and are called cossettes.  The slices go into diffusors filled with hot water where they are squeezed and pressed to extract the sugar from the beet slices.  The pulp that’s left is separated off and a sweet but watery liquid is left behind.  The pulp is dried and sold as animal feed.

At this point the raw sugar “juice” still has impurities so it is pumped into tanks called “olivers” where lime is added and the mix is carbonated with carbon dioxide.  Impurities bind to the lime and form a mushy cake, which is separated from the remaining juice.  The lime is collected in ponds outside and – you guessed it- sold in the spring as agricultural lime.

The purified sugar juice goes into pressurized distillers which evaporate off the water at a low boil, the juice running from one tank to the next until the mixture gets to a thick syrup stage called massecite and begins to crystallize.  At this point the thick syrup is carefully monitored by workers with computerized equipment and at just the right stage it’s sent to centrifugals, which spin the liquid at high speeds, drying and collecting the sugar crystals that form and draining off molasses, the part that doesn’t crystallize.  Yep- this by-product is sold too.

When the sugar crystals are dried they are pure white.  Beet sugar doesn’t produce the brown sugar used in baking, that comes from cane sugar.  The sugar is packaged and it’s done.  From the beets entering the flues to finished sugar takes about 5 hours. Each sugar beet produces about 3 teaspoons of finished sugar.  There’s 270-290 pounds of sugar produced from each ton of beets. 

Michigan produces about a billion pounds of sugar each year.  A billion pounds- but despite that we still import sugar into the state each year.  It’s not that Michigan residents eat more sugar than that but Michigan has several large food companies that produce cereal and other goods that require a lot of sugar.

Can you make your own sugar from sugar beets? 

Yes you can although it isn’t actually easy and your sugar production won’t be as efficient as a factory.  You could use any beets for sugar but if you use red beets you won’t get as much sugar and what you make will be pink.   Sugar beet seed can be bought from several seed companies that sell seed for gardeners. Richters and Bakers Creek sell sugar beet seeds ( and probably other companies too).  The beets are easy to grow, just like table beets and can weigh several pounds when harvested.

Remember that each beet will produce just a couple of teaspoons of sugar in the best conditions.  You can get some directions for home sugar production here https://www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=InfoSheets/d1340.html

Growing Chrysanthemums, Novembers flower

Beautiful mums. Credit: wikimedia commons

Think about how many holidays where you see mums offered for sale. At Easter there are white, yellow and pink mums, at Halloween and Thanksgiving there are gorgeous fall colors, at Christmas perky red and white mums.  Florists would be lost without chrysanthemums; they are grown by the millions for potted plants or cut flower arrangements. Because growers have learned to manipulate the light and temperature needs of mums they are available in bloom all year round.

Potted mums are some of the best plants for removing indoor air pollution so indulge in them when they are offered for sale.  But many people who receive potted mums as gifts and then plant them out in the garden are disappointed when they don’t do well.  There are hundreds of chrysanthemum varieties though, that will do well in the garden and award you with wonderful fall color. In this article we are discussing the hardy mums you plant in the garden.

Gardeners buy chrysanthemums in the fall to pop into beds where annuals have fizzled or have been killed by frost.  They are very affordable and create a vibrant look in the late fall garden. There is nothing wrong with using mums as annuals, and not worrying if they will survive the winter. Even if the tag says hardy mum, many of the mums you buy in full bloom in the fall will not survive winter and bloom next year. 

If you want to give it a try, however, plant the potted mums directly into the soil as soon as you can. Keep them watered well until the ground freezes. When the flowers are done trim the stems to about half their length and mulch the plants heavily.  In the spring remove the mulch when the weather warms very carefully.  Don’t remove the dead stems until you see a flush of new green growth at the stem base.  Then carefully cut off dead stems, don’t yank at the stem.  It’s very easy to dislodge the new growth with the old stems.

Growing hardy Chrysanthemums

The best way to have mums in the garden is to plant hardy varieties developed for the garden. When you are choosing chrysanthemums for the garden buy them in the garden center or from a garden catalog, not the florist shop.  And buy them in the spring, when you are buying other perennials for the garden.   Florist mums need more short days to produce flowers and may not have time to bloom in the north before freezing weather sets in.

Chrysanthemums are hardy from zone 5 to 9.  There are some varieties that survive in zone 4 but have difficulty blooming because the season is short.  Zone 4 gardeners should plant mums in a protected spot.

The leaves on a mum plant vary by variety from a long oval to leaves with several lobes.  The leaves and stems have a distinctive smell when crushed.   Plant size varies from a 1 foot mound to tall varieties 3 foot tall or more.   Flowers are also extremely variable from tiny pom-pom types to huge fluffy “football” mums.  Some flowers have quill-like petals and some mums have a single daisy like flower.  Chrysanthemum flowers come in every color except true blue.   Mums begin blooming in late summer and may bloom until a hard freeze.

While mums can be started from seed the most common way mums are sold is as rooted cuttings. When well cared for even a small rooted cutting purchased in the spring can produce a nice sized, blooming plant in the fall.   Spring planted mums have a good survival rate compared to mums that are in full bloom and planted in the garden in the fall.   Those mums are being asked to produce a new root system while supporting all those blooms.

Chrysanthemums should be planted in full sun. Spring planted mums should have some slow release fertilizer worked into the soil when planting and another application of fertilizer in mid-summer. Mums should be kept well watered, as they have shallow roots, but they will quickly die if the soil doesn‘t drain well. Be careful when working around mum plants as the shallow roots are easily damaged.               

Chrysanthemum variety"Dance".  Credit en.wikipedia.org

Most garden mums need to be pinched to produce stocky plants with more flowers.  Pinching simply means taking your fingers and nipping off the growing ends of branches. You need to take off only the tip of the branch. Pinch the plants back at least twice before July 4, but don’t pinch after that or you will remove buds.  Some modern mum varieties don’t require much pinching to stay compact.  If you don’t pinch you will still get flowers but they may be smaller and less numerous and the plant stems may be more inclined to flop over. Tall, older varieties of mums may still need staking when they are in bloom, even after pinching.  

Chrysanthemums bloom when the nights are longer than the days and night temperatures are cool. Don’t plant mums where they get a lot of light at night, such as under security or streetlights or they may not bloom well.

In the fall dead blooms can be removed for neatness but leave the dead stems until spring.  The plants survive winter better if the stems are left.  When you see new growth in the spring you can carefully cut down the old stems.  Light mulch in the winter is good, but remove it in the early spring, as too much moisture around the crown will rot the plant.

Large clumps of mums should be divided every other year or so.  In the early spring dig up the whole clump of plants and carefully divide into sections before re-planting.  Plant mums about 18 inches apart.

Aphids are sometimes a pest of mums.  They cause distorted, curling yellowish leaves.  Spray the plants with a good hard stream of insecticidal soap twice a week until they are gone.

Some mum varieties

There are hundreds of named varieties of chrysanthemums on the market.  Remember to check for hardiness. Mums also vary in bloom time, to extend garden color gardeners should look for both early and late bloomers. Check the spread and height of the variety to see if it fits your garden area too.

If you want tiny button type mums, try ‘Childs Play’ which is yellow or ‘Pretty Penny’ which is copper.   In the large single flowered types, ‘Clara Curtis’ which is a soft pink, is an old favorite.  If you want a large, quilled petal mum try ‘Matchsticks’ which is a blend of red and gold or ‘Carousel’ which is lavender.  In the medium sized cushion or bushel basket type mum, try ‘Ruby Mound’ which is scarlet red or ‘Starlight’ which is white or ‘Curtis Rice’, which is soft rose.   For big, fluffy football type mums try ‘Stadium Queen’ which is reddish bronze, or ‘Cheerleader’, which is amber gold.

Every perennial garden should have some Chrysanthemums to extend color well into fall.  Mums fit into every type of garden from Japanese, to formal to cottage gardens.  Plant extra mum plants so that you can cut big bunches for flower arrangements too.  And once you establish mum plants in your garden they will be there for many years and are sure to be some of your favorite plants.

Making apple juice

Apples and cider are abundant right now. If you like apple juice you can make your own juice and can it for the winter.   It’s a good way to spend a gloomy cold afternoon and makes the house smell great.

There are two main ways to make apple juice.  The easiest way is to start with cold pressed apple cider from a cider mill.  This method gives you less control over the juice as you did not select the apples.  It will also be more expensive. You may be able to find cider made from organic apples but chances are the apples will be conventionally grown.  Cold pressed commercial cider will probably be pasteurized but you will still need to heat and can the final product for storage.

To make apple juice from cider simply let your cider sit in the refrigerator undisturbed for 2 days.  Then carefully pour off the clearer fluid from the top of the jugs, leaving as much sediment as you can behind.  Strain that clearer juice through a colander lined with cheese cloth or a coffee filter.  Each gallon of cider will give you about 3 quarts of strained juice.

Put your strained juice into a pan and bring to boiling.  Boil one minute. Then pour hot juice into sterilized jars to a 1/4 inch from the top, add lids and screw bands and process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes for pint or quart sized jars.

Making heat processed apple juice

If you want the most control over the apple juice contents or have an abundance of home raised apples to use this is a good method to make juice.  Cooking the apples a little makes them yield more juice and you won’t need a mechanical press. 

Wash the apples and then chop them in chunks.  There is no need to peel or core them.  In a large pot combine 1 cup of water for every 3 cups of chopped apples.  Cover the pot and let the apples simmer for about 25 minutes or until they are soft.   Pour off excess water.  You will then need to mash or puree the apples.  You can do that in the pot by hand or with an electric beater.  Or you can put small amounts at a time in a food processor. 

Pour the apple puree through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and collect the juice.   If you have a lot of puree you can put it in an old thin pillowcase and suspend that over a collection pot.  You can buy what is called a jelly bag for that purpose but it isn’t very large.

Do not press or squeeze the puree through the strainer.  Let it drip slowly for several hours.  Take your collected juice and bring it to a boil, boil 1 minute, pour into sterilized canning jars to a 1/4 inch from the rim, add lids and process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes for both quarts and pints.

If you like sweetened apple juice, add sugar to your taste preferences at the stage where you boil the juice just prior to filling the jars.  A suggestion is a 1/2 cup sugar to every 3 cups of juice. Do not use artificial sweeteners as they will turn bitter during heating.

Drying Gourds

Fall is a wonderful time to think ahead and dry some gourds for winter craft projects.  You may have grown gourds in your garden, but if you didn’t, gourds are often found at farm markets in the fall.  Gourds come in all sizes and colors.  The small, colorful ones require little more than drying to turn then into decorations, but the larger plain ones can be painted and cut and turned into several crafty items, including bird houses.

Pick your decorative gourds before a hard freeze. You can leave them in the garden until then; it is really better for them to dry in the vine.  Light frosts are fine, they will continue to dry after them, but freezing may turn them black or mushy.

Let the gourds dry in a sunny location a few hours.  Then brush off all surface dirt. Mix a solution of 1 part household bleach to 3 parts water and use this solution to dip rags or paper towels in and clean the gourds surface. Then allow to air dry. This helps prevent mold.  You could also use some of the handy “wet wipes” with bleach to clean the gourds.  

Then dry the gourds in a warm, dark place with good air circulation, until you can hear the seeds rattle inside.    The drying process takes from 2-4 months depending on the gourd and the conditions of the drying area.  You cannot hurry gourds by drying them in the oven or microwave unfortunately.  

Don’t worry if you want the gourds for a fall display this year.  They can continue to dry where they are displayed as long as they are not subjected to freezing or moisture and aren’t piled too deeply.  If you have gourds layered in a basket for example, you may want to rotate them from time to time.  Gourds that you intend to keep for a long time can be sprayed with craft sealing finishes, varnish or wax after they are thoroughly dry.

If you are using larger gourds for crafts wait until they are completely dry and you can hear those seeds rattling before cutting them or painting them.  A drill with a small bit is good for starting holes. Gentle use of a saw or drill is required to keep the gourd from shattering.  If you are making a bird house or something with a large opening, shake the seeds out.

Gourds can be painted with any acrylic craft paint.  If they will be outside they should be covered with a waterproof sealer after the paint dries. Gourds that are to be left in a natural color should be sprayed with a sealer also.  If the bird houses are just decorations use black paint to fake a hole.  If they are for actual use as bird houses research what size hole the bird species you want to attract likes in a house and use that size hole.

Painted gourds can also have holes cut in them and small plastic containers set inside to hold flower arrangements, candy or small snacks.   Make a child’s rattle by drilling a small hole and inserting small jingle bells or beads, then seal the hole with a bit of putty and paint over it.   Children enjoy decorating gourds with paint and small glue on decorations such as macaroni shaped as letters, brightly colored beans and seeds and feathers.

It’s Veterans Day.  Thank one for his or her service today.

Kim Willis

 “He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero

More Information

A day in the life of the permanently grinning Blanding’s Turtle, a Michigan protected species

A greater understanding of species’ habitat needs points to the importance of keeping the shoreline natural as a way to promote healthy populations of fish and wildlife species and a healthy ecosystem.

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Bindu Bhakta, Michigan State University Extension

Blanding's turtle laying eggs.  commons.wikimedia.org

Shoreline areas, on land and into the water, provide critical habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife species. Developed shorelines in which natural shoreline vegetation has been removed and replaced to the water’s edge with turf grass or a seawall, may be unable to fully support fish and wildlife species due to habitat destruction and declines in fish and wildlife populations. Such changes can have potential impacts on the health of a lake ecosystem.

One species that depends on a natural shoreline is the Blanding’s turtle, a medium-sized turtle with a hard-to-miss long bright yellow chin and throat, and a very long neck. Its head is relatively flat with a short, round snout and a notched upper jaw, which give it the appearance of a permanent grin. It has a dome-shaped carapace (top shell) that is usually smooth and black with yellowish spots and streaks. The plastron (underside of shell) is yellow with a dark blotch at the outer corner of each scute, or scale.

With regard to habitat, Blanding’s turtle prefers areas with clean, shallow waters with abundant aquatic vegetation and soft muddy bottoms over firm substrates. It is found in and around ponds, marshes, swamps, and lake inlets and coves. They are sometimes found in rivers. They occupy terrestrial habitats during mating and nesting seasons as well as in the fall. Nesting sites are typically located in uplands adjacent to wetland habitats in sunny areas with moist but well-drained sandy or loamy soil. When suitable nesting habitat is not available, the turtle will settle for lawns, gardens, plowed fields, gravel road, etc.

According to the Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) abstract for Blandings’ turtle, the primary threat to Blanding’s turtle is habitat loss, degradation and alteration. Furthermore, the most critical conservation need identified for Blanding’s turtle is the protection and management of suitable wetland and nesting habitat.

What impacts does a developed shoreline have on species that depend on these areas for some part of their lifecycle? Here are several examples of how the Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) may be impacted:

Seawalls and even rock rip rap can disrupt/break the natural transition between the water and land. Blanding’s turtle and other species of turtles, frogs and other animals need to travel between water and land to feed, rest, and nest. Such a vertical or semi-vertical barrier can block or obstruct access to necessary habitats for feeding and reproduction  by making it difficult if not impossible for them to move between land and water. 

Many species of fish and wildlife are unable to thrive along sandy swimming beaches or on mowed lawns. Rather, they prefer areas in the water that contain native aquatic plants, bottom materials and natural debris, and trees and shrubs which provide shoreline cover. At night, Blanding’s turtle are also found in or under aquatic vegetation. In addition, when shallow water habitats start to dry up in the summer and fall, some will migrate to another body of water while others enter a state of dormancy or inactivity during hot or dry weather on land by burrowing under roots, mud or plant debris.

Removal of “unsightly” fallen trees and shrubs (also called course woody habitat). The Blanding’s turtle has specific requirement for downed woody debris as part of their habitat needed to both sun themselves. When shoreline shrubs and fallen trees are removed from the water’s edge, important turtle habitat is eliminated.  For more ideas on how you can help Blanding’s turtle, visit the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership web site for specific ideas on restoring natural shorelines to encourage Blanding’s turtles to frequent shoreline areas.

MNFI’s Rare Species Explorer is a database containing information on Michigan’s 723 rare plants and animals. MFNI also has a large list of species and community abstracts. To find out more about data, programs, services, and educational resources available, visit the MNFI website.

 “Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region” by James H. Harding is a comprehensive resource on Amphibians and reptiles in Michigan and is available from the University of Michigan Press.  Also visit the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Michigan Turtles web site for additional information.

For more information on supporting fish and wildlife species on your inland lake shoreline, consult these additional resources:

Michigan State University Extension Bulletin E-3145, Natural Shoreline Landscapes on Michigan’s Inland Lakes: Guidebook for Property Owners available from Shop MSU

Landscaping for Water Quality Booklet

The Water’s Edge

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

MSU offered a variety of on line seminars for those who were interested in beginning farming topics of various types.  Some of those are now available free to watch at the address below.  Gardeners may be interested in topics like organic pest control.  Get the list of topics and links here.

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/msu_extension_beginning_farmer_webinar_series_continues_online

New- Michigan Great Lakes Expo December 9-11, 2014- Devos Place Conference Center/ Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, Michigan

This annual conference is for fruit and vegetable growers and the greenhouse industry but it is open to anyone who wishes to attend and there are numerous educational classes, several bus tours, lots of educational booths and more than 400 vendors.  Many home gardeners enjoy attending as well as those contemplating or operating a farm market, greenhouse or nursery business.

Pre-registering for the event by Nov. 20 will save you about $20 per person.  It’s $75 for the 3 day admission with several discounts also being available for spouses, employees, members of certain groups etc.  It will be $95 if you pay at the door.  Children under 18 are free.  There is also a one day admission for Thursday, Dec 11 of $40.  Admission includes all educational sessions and exhibits but does not include bus tours and the various luncheons and dinners. 

You can get the brochure describing the educational events and tours plus more information and register on line at this link: http://www.glexpo.com/images/2014/GL_Expo_Brochure.pdf

You can also call 734-677-0503 for more information.

Holiday Indoor or Outdoor Greens Arrangement Workshop, Sat, November 15, At Telly's: 10am Troy, and  1pm, Pontiac

Create indoor table decor, a hand-crafted gift, or an outdoor arrangement. Bring clippers. $5, plus cost of materials Register: 248-689-8735.

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.

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