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