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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

October 13, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

October 13, 2015, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter    © Kim Willis
http://www.examiner.com/country-living-in-detroit/kimberley-willis


Hi Gardeners

The color show begins.
Well I think the season is winding up for us gardeners.  We had our first frost Saturday morning and I think there will be more in the next few days. The frost was light and patchy but it was obvious that it did some damage.  Most of us are a little relieved that the season is ending but sad too.  There are still things to be done until the ground freezes but that time is coming all too soon when we will be curled up inside looking at garden catalogs.

I had big plans to renovate two garden beds this fall but it may now have to wait until spring because we decided to paint the house when our moving around in the front will be the least damaging to the plants there.  The big ostrich ferns have mostly died down, the lilies and other things can be trimmed down and getting a ladder up against the house will be easier than in the spring.  I guess it just depends on the weather which projects will get completed.

Saturday after the frost I picked one of the watermelons still in the garden.  It weighed about 10 pounds and was a yellow fleshed melon.  Very nice.  There are still two good sized melons in there – I left them even though the vines wilted in some places from the frost.  I am hoping they will ripen a bit more- but they might not make it.  I am still digging carrots.

The frost was light enough that it only blackened the dahlia foliage a bit and the blooms still look good.  The morning glories were wilted on top but they continued to open flowers from the lower part of the vines.  The next good chance for a frost or maybe even a freeze looks like this Friday night- Saturday morning again.

Frost and your garden

It may not have happened to your garden yet but the time is coming quickly.  Mid October is the usual time for first frost throughout most of southern Lower Michigan, zones 5 and 6. Last year frost came much earlier.

 Frost can happen when the nights are still and clear and the temperature dips below 40 degrees. The dew point must be the same as the air temperature or below it for frost to happen.   A frost usually happens slightly above 32 degrees and a freeze happens when the temps fall below that.  Frosts are often classified as hard or light depending on how much ice forms on plants.

Some people may get their first frost weeks before others living nearby.   Low areas tend to get frost first because cold air flows downhill.  Gardens in cities generally get frost later than those gardens in suburban and rural areas because the pavement and buildings tend to hold heat.  After you have gardened  a year or two on your site you will probably know if you are in a frost “pocket”.    You will know that when the forecast calls for clear, cold nights you should take steps to harvest crops or protect them from frost.
Frost damage

Many plants are able to withstand a light frost without suffering much damage.  Plants that have been outside all summer and gradually acclimated to colder nights take frost better than plants as they first go outside in the spring.  Every gardener should have a roll of spun row cover for protecting plants at the beginning and end of the season.  Old sheets, newspapers, paper bags  etc., can also be used to cover plants at night when frost is likely, and buy a few more days of bloom or time to ripen crops.   If you use plastic sheeting it should not touch the plants but be held off them with some kind of supports.

Make sure you remove covers as soon as the sun is out in the morning or you may cook your plants. Sometimes that first frost is followed by many days of nice weather and protected plants can continue growing.  If you don’t want to cover plants and a frost is predicted, it’s time to harvest crops like tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, sweet corn, melons and summer squash.

Tomatoes that have started to ripen will continue to do so if they are picked.  Peppers will too.  Tomatoes that are nearly ripe can be set in a sunny window to finish ripening but the greener ones should be kept out of direct sunlight and stored in a single layer. My grandmother always wrapped each green tomato in newspaper and had tomatoes ripening until Thanksgiving.  Check them often and throw out any rotting ones at once. 

The vines of winter squash and pumpkins will be killed by a frost but the fruit will safely sit in the field a while longer.  A freeze, however, will turn them to mush.   Most fruit like apples and pears should be picked before a hard freeze.  Grapes can be damaged by frost and they should be covered if the fruit isn’t ripe enough to pick.

Zinnias, morning glories, dahlias and many other flowers will be killed by a frost.    Pick them and make huge, glorious, end of season bouquets to share with others.  Other flowers like mums, pansies and asters will continue to bloom.  Even some roses, petunias and marigolds will survive a light frost and continue to bloom.   The foliage of cannas, glads, callas and dahlias will be killed by frost but you can wait to  dig the corms or tubers until just before a hard  freeze occurs and store them inside until next year. 

Houseplants and very tender tropical plants, like bananas, should be moved inside before the first frost even occurs.   When the nights are falling below 50 degrees on a regular basis it’s time to move them back inside.  Check them for bugs and other unwanted creatures before bringing them inside.

If you have almost hardy potted plants, those hardy to a zone or two above yours,( rosemary, some lavenders, some figs, jasmine, gardenias are examples), which you want to protect you can do two things.  You can leave them outside until cold weather has caused them to go dormant, sometimes losing their leaves, and then before a big snow or very low temperatures bring the pots inside to a cool, ( just above freezing) , dimly lit area to store.  If you want to keep the plants growing slowly all winter bring them in a bit earlier and give them a bit warmer conditions, 45 -50 degrees, and good light.  Some plants actually need that period of colder weather to bloom.   Some of these plants store better dormant rather than in a growing state too.  You need to research the varieties hardiness and whether it needs a dormant period.


Hellebores

An old garden favorite that had fallen out of favor has made a return to garden popularity. Hellebores have been grown in gardens for thousands of years but modern gardeners had until recently passed them over for more exotic things.  New hybrids of Christmas and Lenten Rose, as Hellebores are commonly called, have sparked great interest in gardeners.  

Hellebore.  Wikimedia commons
Hellebores come in a wide range of colors and are one of the few flowering plants that grow in shady conditions.  They are hardy, fairly easy to grow and deer resistant.  New vigorous hybrids have larger flowers over a longer time period in early spring. Hellebores make an excellent evergreen groundcover under trees and in other shady areas.

There are a number of species of hellebores that are native to the mountainous, wooded regions of Southern and central Europe and the Balkans. When modern plant breeders begin to hybridize the species they provided gardeners with a variety of interesting colors and even double flowered hellebores, which sparked new interest in growing the plant.

Steeped in the murky mist of medicinal and magical, used in poisoning along with hemlock and other deadly herbs, the white flowered Christmas rose was often found in old cottage gardens.  In the mild wintered climates of southern Europe the plant bloomed near Christmas, when little else bloomed.  It was called the Lenten Rose in colder climates where it bloomed later.  Here in zone 5 Hellebores bloom in early spring.

Hellebore Habits

Hellebores are hardy from zone 4-9.   They are evergreen, retaining their leaves until a new set grows in the spring.  The thick leathery leaves are compound, with 7-9 leaflets of glossy green.  The roots are rhizomes and they spread slowly to form clumps of hellebores 15-18 inches in height. 

Hellebores flowers are interesting.  What we perceive as flower petals are actually sepals.  The true flower petals are in the center and they are modified to form little cups that hold nectar to attract pollinators.  The sepals often retain a greenish tinge to the back but the part of the sepal we call the flower now comes in colors from deep plum to white.  Some of the sepal/petals can be spotted or edged in another color.

The flowers are 2-3 inches wide, lightly cupped and nodding.  They often stay on the plant for a month.  An established plant with good conditions produces dozens of flowers. After the flowers fade attractive seed pods are left, unless you remove them to prevent invasion by seedlings.

Hellebore culture

Hellebores are plants from the edges of deciduous woodlands.  They like shade in the summer but sun in the winter and early spring before the trees leaf out.  They like rich, organic soil, like that in forests covered with decaying leaves.   They prefer slightly alkaline soil.  Gardeners can reconstruct these conditions by planting Hellebores under deciduous trees or in lightly shaded areas and working plenty of organic matter into the soil.

Hellebores dislike being moved once planted into the garden so make your site choice a good one.  They will spread slowly from rhizomes and by seed to from large clumps.  It may take a year or two before hellebores reach their full potential in your garden after planting.

Gardeners can also transplant new seedlings when they first pop up.  It will take 2-3 years before they bloom.  Hellebores don’t do well with division of the clumps; they will often sulk for a few years before blooming again if divided.

Hellebores do not need fertilization but they do need to be watered when conditions are dry.  It is especially important to keep Hellebores moist while they are getting established. They do appreciate additions of organic matter such as chopped leaves from time to time.

While the leaves are evergreen, they can look pretty bad in early spring.  As soon as you see new leaves emerging in the spring you can cut off the old foliage.

Choosing Varieties

Hellebores are propagated by seed.  The seed of the new hybrid varieties does not come true to color, so if you want a specific color you must purchase a plant that has already bloomed so the bloom color is known.  That is also true of double flowered forms, they do not come true from seed.  The true Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger, which has white flowers, and some other species will come true from seed.

Hellebores are often sold as color mixes or strains, and the plants you buy will have a variety of colors.  Good strains are ‘Double Queen ‘™ and ‘Heronswood Doubles’ with double flowers in many colors, ‘Royal Heritage’™  and ‘Brandywine’ are mixtures of single flowers in many colors.

Some individual Hellebores of note are; ‘Goldfinch’, a light golden flower, ‘Walhelivor’ which has leaves with silver veining and red flower stems, white flowers, ‘Mrs Betty Ranicar’, pure white double flowered and ‘Blue Lady’ which has deep purple blue flowers.

Caution

All parts of the hellebore plant are poisonous, but the roots are extremely so.  While once used in herbal remedies, it is not recommended you experiment with it.   Many accidental or deliberate overdoses resulting in death are recorded in history.

 Deer and other animals will not eat the plants.   Some people get an allergic reaction when handling the plants so gloves should be used.

Wild Grapes

In Michigan wild grapes are often spotted in the fall, when they are loaded with small purple, sour grapes. Birds and small animals feast on the bounty and there are seldom any left for the winter. Humans sometimes collect the small but perfectly edible grapes to make jelly, juice and wine.

Wild grapes can be used just like garden grapes.
Grapes are native to several parts of the world. North America has several species of native grapes, the most common in Michigan being the Fox grape, Vitus labrusca or Frost Grape, Vitus vulpina. Both have 3 lobed leaves, the Fox grape has more rounded lobes and the Frost grape has a more deeply serrated edge. Both grapes have leaves that are lighter and somewhat fuzzy on the underside.

Grapes form vines that climb into trees and may climb to the very top- 60 feet or more of a large tree. They also cover thickets and fences. Grapes climb by using tendrils, small modified stems that wrap around things like a green wire. Wild grapes should be removed from landscape trees as they can overwhelm them and cause stunting or death. Grapes develop woody stems as they age and some very old vines may have stems a foot or more wide. The bark on older stems is composed of shaggy, loose strips. Wild grapes are very long-lived, with vines living to be a 100 or more years old.

Grapes flower in early summer and the small greenish white flower clusters have a pleasant aroma. Clusters of small green fruit develop that ripen into blue- black or purple-red grapes. Wild grapes are said to be sweeter after a frost, but many are gone long before that. Grapes can be found growing in the sun or shade, in many kinds of soil.

Grape leaves are used in cooking and the vines are used in many types of crafts. For craft use pull the vines out to long lengths before cutting them.  Then let the vines dry a bit in a sunny place until the leaves fall off.  Grapes are also used medicinally- (not for just wine!)- as a laxative, and for liver and kidney problems. Grape leaves have been used on wounds to stop bleeding. Oil can be pressed from grape seed, but it takes an awful lot of grape seeds to make a little oil.

Knowing When Nuts Are Ripe

There’s a lot of gleaning and harvesting to be done right now.  If nuts are something you have access to here are some tips to know when to harvest and how to store them.

Pecan and hickory nuts are nearly ripe when the outer husk turns brown and splits.  Gather the nuts and spread them in a thin layer in a warm dry place for about 2 weeks.  Make sure that the nuts are protected from hungry animals.  After 2 weeks, peel off the husk and crack the nut shell.  Remove the meat from the shell.  If the nut meat snaps easily the nut is ripe and dry enough to store.  Pecan and Hickory nuts can be stored in the shell or the meats can be removed and stored in dry clean containers. 

Black walnuts in the husk.
Walnuts, Black or English, are nearly ready when the husk turns black.  Collect the nuts and store in a warm dry place for about a month.  Remove the husks using gloves as they stain the hands. Crack open the nut shell and check the nut meat.  Ripe meats are firm and white.  Some people put the walnuts on a driveway and run over them with a car to remove the hulls and crack the shells.  This will stain the driveway.  Others have used old washers that have a bucket of sand put in them with the nuts.  Agitating will then remove the husks.  Never do this with your good washer!    

Almonds are seldom grown by homeowners, but they are ripe when the husk splits open and reveals the nut.  Crack a shell and see if the nut meat snaps easily.  If not let the nuts dry longer.

Nuts will stay fresh tasting longer if refrigerated or frozen.  Make sure containers are closed tightly as the nuts will pick up flavors of things stored near them.

Preparing and preserving pumpkin

Pumpkin spice latte? Bah humbug- try the real thing. Preserve some pumpkins so you can have pumpkin spice anything you want.

Its fall and pumpkins are available locally.  Most of the pumpkins on the market are going to be turned into Jack O’ Lanterns but there are some good recipes that utilize pumpkins and they are not all pie recipes.  Pumpkin is used in a variety of dishes from soups to desserts.  It’s tasty and good for you too.  Why not turn some of the pumpkins you grew or bought at the market into some delightful dishes?

While pie type pumpkins are best for cooking, any pumpkin can be cooked. This article will give you the scoop on cooking, caning and freezing fresh pumpkins.  Winter squashes can also be cooked, canned and frozen exactly like pumpkin.

Preparing pumpkin
How chickens prepare pumpkin.

Here’s how to prepare a pumpkin for fresh use in a recipe. 

Select ripe, firm pumpkins.  Do not use pumpkins that have been frosted or frozen. Wash the pumpkin well under clean, running water.

Cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out the stringy goop and seeds in the center of the pumpkin.  Save the seeds for roasting if you want.

Scrape the inner side of the pumpkin with the blade of a spoon until all the stringy matter is gone.

Cut the pumpkin into 1 inch chunks unless you are roasting or grilling it.  In those cases cut it into 3-4 inch chunks.

Stand each chunk on end and slice off the rind or skin with a sharp knife.  There is a color change between the hard rind and the fleshy part.  Discard the rind.

Proceed with your recipe directions or see cooking tips below.

Cooking fresh pumpkin

There are two main ways to cook a fresh pumpkin.  You can place chunks of prepared pumpkin flesh in a pan with enough water to cover them and cook on low heat until it is softened. Drain off the cooking water.  For most recipes you will then mash the pumpkin with a potato masher, blender or even a spoon.  In some soup recipes the pumpkin chunks will be cooked in other fluids.

You can also bake or grill larger pumpkin pieces.  Lightly spray the grill or a cookie sheet with olive oil or a butter spray. Place the pumpkin pieces on it.  Bake at 325º or grill on medium heat until the pumpkin is softened.  Occasionally halved or quartered cleaned pumpkins are baked.  Consult your recipe but generally baked and grilled pumpkin is also mashed or pureed.

Canning pumpkin

Make sure you have some canned pumpkin on hand.
Credit- wikimedia commons
The easiest way to have cooked pumpkin on hand for recipes is to can it.  This allows you the convenience of having cooked pumpkin for recipes throughout the year.  You will need a pressure canner to can pumpkin.  Water bath canning is not safe.  When you can pumpkin at home you are making good use of a local and seasonal food source.

You need to can pumpkin chunks as it is not safe to can mashed pumpkin. Mashed pumpkin in the jar is too dense to allow proper heating to prevent bacterial growth.  Leave the mashing to when you open the can to use it.  It will be soft and easy to mash.  Also add spices just before using the pumpkin for best flavor.

You will need 18-20 pounds of whole pumpkin to can 7 quarts of pumpkin.

Clean and prepare pumpkin as outlined in the beginning of the article.

Clean 7 quart jars, rims and lids in hot water and keep warm.

Place the pumpkin chunks in a large pot and add water to cover them. 

Bring the pot to a boil and then boil for 3 minutes.  The pieces should still feel firm. Save the cooking water and keep it hot.

With tongs remove chunks of pumpkin and pack your jars with them to 1 inch from the top.  Do not mash the pumpkin.

Ladle the hot, saved cooking water over the pumpkin pieces, leave one inch of space at the top.

Run a bubble stick through the jars to remove bubbles, wipe the rim and add the lid and screw band.

Place the jars in a pressure canner and process for 90 minutes.  Set pressure on a dial gauge at 11 pounds at up to 2,000 feet altitude, 2000-4000 feet at 12 pounds, 4000-6000 at 13 pounds and above 6000 feet altitude at 14 pounds.  For weighted gauges set them at 10 pounds up to 2000 feet altitude and 15 pounds above 2,000 feet altitude.

Remove jars and allow them to cool.  Check seals and label before storage.

Freezing pumpkin

You can freeze chunks of pumpkin that have been blanched and finish cooking them later or you can cook, mash and season pumpkin before freezing.  To blanch pumpkin cut it into chunks, and place the chunks in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Drain the pumpkin pieces and freeze in freezer bags or containers.

To freeze mashed pumpkin cook the pumpkin as described earlier in the article.  Mash the pumpkin and put it in freezer bags or containers to freeze.  You can season the pumpkin before freezing but not seasoning it allows you more flexibility later when you use it.

Now that you have some canned or frozen pumpkin to work with you can experiment with all of the great pumpkin recipes and surprise someone you love.

Check those furnace filters- you are going to want the heat this week.

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.

Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share?  Post them here by emailing me.
Four inch pots of spider plant (house plant) absolutely free.  If you want one contact me, (Kim)
An interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook

Here’s a seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/875574275841637/

Here’s a facebook page link for gardeners in the Lapeer area


Here’s a link to classes being offered at Campbell’s Greenhouse, 4077 Burnside Road, North Branch.  Now open.

Here’s a link to classes and events at Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor
Here’s a link to programs being offered at English Gardens, several locations in Michigan.

Here’s a link to classes at Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy and Shelby Twsp. MI, and now combined with Goldner Walsh in Pontiac MI.

Here’s a link to classes and events at Bordines, Rochester Hills, Grand Blanc, Clarkston and Brighton locations

Here’s a link to events at the Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Road Ann Arbor, Michigan  | Phone 734-997-1553 |
http://www.lesliesnc.org/

Here’s a link to events at Hidden Lake Gardens, 6214 Monroe Rd, Tipton, MI

Here’s a link to all the nature programs being offered at Seven Ponds Nature center in Dryden, Michigan. http://www.sevenponds.org/education/progs/springprograms/

Here’s a link to events and classes at Fredrick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids Mi
http://www.meijergardens.org/learn/ (888) 957-1580, (616) 957-1580



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.
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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