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Tuesday, March 14, 2017

March 14, 2017, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter


Hi Gardeners

Morning Glories
Well it’s back to winter here.  The ground is lightly covered in snow today (about 2 inches) and it’s cold. Right now we have near white out conditions but it’s not supposed to last long.  Birds are mobbing the feeder again.  We had hurricane strength winds here last week for many hours and many trees are down all over.  I foolishly tried to make a trip to the store and had to dodge falling trees and make many detours around those down across the roads.  It was a mistake I will not be making again. We were fortunate not to lose power but have had phone and internet problems since the storm.  In fact I don’t know if I’ll get this posted on line today (Tuesday) or not.

I am feeling really bad for those of you who are getting blizzard conditions either yesterday or today.  I know in many places the spring flowers are already blooming and are now covered in snow.  Just before the snow I noticed color in the buds of crocus by the front deck.  They are now snow covered but the crocus will probably survive.  Some spring flowers survive a light covering of snow but if they are smashed down it’s a different story.

Things like magnolias and cherry trees in bloom will probably have the blooms wrecked but don’t worry, the trees should survive.  Unless you have hurricane strength winds.

We actually have two dead poplar trees I would have liked the wind to take down.  They are hard to reach with equipment because of where they are located and we old folk are no longer able to do the chainsaw thing.  One lost some large limbs but the trees are still standing.  Once they are on the ground we can cut them up and they won’t damage much if they fall down now.  But of course they withstood the wind.

Looking at my weather records for the last five years I see it’s not unusual for us to have snow storms this time in March.  However last year I had the earliest crocus in bloom at this date and the turkey vultures were back.  Turkey vultures are a sure sign of spring to me.  We have a large resident summer flock that roost in our woods.  For the last few years they have been back around March 12.  I hope it’s not a sign because I haven’t seen any yet.  Maybe they got blown off track.

On the bright side it’s supposed to be in the high 40’s in a few days and this will melt.  And I have an amaryllis in bloom inside.




What is the biggest mistake(s) people make when starting seeds? 

They start too many seeds too soon.  That’s two mistakes, I know, but commonly those two things are combined by enthusiastic beginners. And here’s another big mistake, people think they will always save money if they start plants from seed.  So there are 3 important things to consider before you buy those seeds.

When
When should you start seeds, indoors and out in the garden? This varies widely between plant species and the gardening zone you live in.  Seed packets and good garden catalogs will give you helpful advice.  All plant species have optimum conditions for seed germination and growth. So there’s no one answer fits all.   
Recycle to start seeds

You don’t want to start plants too early inside. Plants started inside too soon often get spindly and unhealthy. Stunted growth may affect plants permanently. If your seeds are germinated too early in less than ideal conditions they may never reach their full potential as plants and may actually take longer to mature or begin producing than plants planted later in the right conditions.  Some plants suffer more from transplant shock if they are too large when moved outside.

Even when planting seeds outside in the ground you need to be cautious. Seeds may not germinate if the soil is too cold or too warm and seedlings that emerge at the wrong time may be killed.  Hot, dry weather at planting time can prevent germination.  As with seeds started inside a bad start may affect plants all their life.

So how do you decide the time is right? One thing you should know is your last expected frost date.  Your County extension office can often give you this information or another experienced gardener in your planting area may know.  Knowing this estimated date can help you make a lot of important decisions.  Seed catalogs and references often use your last frost date in directions for starting seeds.  For example they may say: “start inside 8 weeks before your last frost.”

This last frost date is an average-it works well for planting inside early but you will need to consider the actual weather when getting ready to plant seeds outside or move plants outside.  Check the long range forecast for the period in which you are considering planting.  You may also want to observe how nature is progressing in your area.  This is called phenology and refers to the fact that soil temperatures, the amount of heat the area has received so far and day length are all corresponding to certain changes in plant growth and insect emergence.  Gardeners can use these indicators for helping to plan planting times. 

Lilacs are a good indicator plant.  In most years lilacs just beginning to show color means you are about 2 weeks from last frost.  When the lilacs are in full bloom frosts are generally over.  The size of oak leaves is another.  Generally when they are fully emerged but still small frosts are over.  Phenology is not exact, and nature can be fooled by unusual weather so check references and the weather report too.

Now you need to know more about what your plants prefer.  Some plants actually like cool soil.  Lettuce and peas are two such crops.  Peas can be started outside as soon as the soil has thawed. Lettuce and kale can be started outside a month before the last expected frost. Grass seed can also be sown when the soil has barely thawed.  You could sow seeds of violas and pansies as the soil was thawing but you wouldn’t have flowers before the end of spring.  Viola and pansy plants, even flowering plants, can be planted outside a month before last frost.

Root crops should be started where they are to grow. They don’t transplant well.  Beets, turnips and radishes can be planted earlier outside, a month before the last frost.  Carrots are best planted around the time of the last frost.  Onions are trickier.  Plant sets (small bulbs) when you plant radishes outside.  Onion seed should be started inside 10-12 weeks before the last frost to have decent sized transplants.  These are a “root” crop that can be transplanted fairly easily.  Transplants can go out a couple weeks before last frost.

Most warmth loving vegetable garden plants; tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, as examples, can’t be planted outside until after danger of frost have passed.  Most of these can be started inside 6-8 weeks before the last frost and will give you good results.  However if you have a heated greenhouse and plant them in generous sized pots they could be started a month sooner. It’s wise to get most vegetable plants in the ground before they start blooming unless they have large pots, and green house conditions.

Vining crops such as cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and so on should only be started inside a month before your last expected frost date. They do not transplant well when larger. Or start them in the ground when the soil is good and warm, a week or two after the last frost date.

Some seeds like corn and beans should be planted outside where they are to grow in warm soil, after the last frost.  If you start these inside they should be just barely sprouted before they are moved outside, so start them about 2 weeks before the last frost.  Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, should be started inside about 6 weeks before the last frost.


Flowers have various times for optimum inside starting.  Things like geraniums, impatiens and petunias that take a long time to begin blooming should be started inside 12-14 weeks before the last frost.  Annuals that grow quickly from seed like zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, nasturtiums, sunflowers and so on can be planted inside 6 weeks before last frost or planted outside after danger of frost has passed.  Or they can be planted in the place they are to grow after the last frost. 


Perennials and bi-annuals have various starting dates for inside and outside conditions.  Consult the seed package.  Remember these plants may not bloom the first year they are planted.  Sometimes these plants are best started in late summer and some will bloom the following year.

How many

Unless you have a big heated greenhouse or live in a warm tropic climate, how much space you have for starting seeds inside should be considered before you buy all those seeds.  All seedlings need bright light, warmth and enough space to grow without impeding good airflow around them.  South facing windowsills only give you so much space.  Other window sills don’t provide enough light for many species. Grow lights can help, but how many can you afford to buy and operate and where will you set these grow stations up?

Seed catalogs open gardeners to a wide realm of possibilities- so many things to try at what seems like reasonable prices.  New gardeners almost always buy more seeds than they need.  They can’t decide on what heirloom tomatoes to try so they buy 10 varieties of tomato seeds and then wow- look at all the different kinds of peppers- so they buy 6-7 varieties and 3 kinds of green beans and 4 kinds of carrots and okra- well we don’t like it but it will be fun to try growing it, and shouldn’t we plant some marigolds around the garden? Ok, 3 varieties of marigolds and what about sunflowers? Ok, 5 types of sunflowers and some herb seeds. 

If that person only started 2 or 3 seeds from each packet, for example, and stored the rest, that might work.  But that’s not how most new gardeners think.  They think why not start the whole package?  Maybe some won’t grow.  Maybe I can give some away.  Or I have plenty of space to make a garden so 100 tomato plants are no problem. 

The amount of seeds you start indoors should always depend on how much space you have that fits the seedlings needs.  You also need to consider the space you will have for adult plants in the garden. There is no sense starting many more plants than you’ll need, and no sense in growing seedlings in conditions that will make them weak and spindly or die early.

And just because a seed packet has 100 seeds doesn’t mean you need to plant all the seeds. That’s an important thing to remember even when you are planting seeds directly in the ground.  You don’t need to use them all up!  Most seeds can be saved for another year or you can share them with someone.

I have seen so many new gardeners get in way over their heads the first gardening season.  This often leads to discouragement because the work is far more than they planned. It can lead to big messy weedy gardens with rotting produce on the ground.  It’s better to start small and enlarge the garden each year as you gain experience.  You can always try more new varieties next year. 

See this chart for ideas of how much to plant- at the right side of the blog or click https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/chart-of-how-many-vegetablefruits.html


So decide in advance how many plants you want and how many you have space to grow before you start those seeds.  Consult references on how many plants you’ll need for specific purposes, like how many tomato plants your family might need for fresh eating or how many zinnia plants should be planted in a 10 foot row.  And look at those indoor spaces where you’ll start seeds and see what you actually can grow.

Start a few more seeds indoors than you think you’ll need to account for early deaths but don’t feel you have to grow the 30 seeds in the packet if you need 5 plants.  Instead plant 8-10 seeds and choose the healthiest 5 seedlings that develop.  When planting outside, space seeds in rows according to the directions on the packet, or look up how to space that species.  If you find you have a half packet of seeds left don’t go back and add them to the row, “just in case”.

For small, fine seeds directly sown in the garden or even inside, you are probably going to get more seedlings growing in the space that you need or that is good for the seedlings.  You can transplant the extras in some cases or pull or cut off excess seedlings. Transplanting tiny seedlings is tedious and delicate work. You can try it, but cutting all seedlings but one off at the ground in a cell compartment or pot is easiest.  If you don’t give plants the room they need to grow you’ll have unhealthy plants and you won’t get the results or harvest you want.


Is growing from seed always cheaper?

Sometimes the amount of plants you want/need in the garden will exceed your space limits for starting them from seed.  Then you’ll need to make the decision of which plants to start from seed and which to buy as plants.

It’s fun to think you can grow all kinds of plants from seed, but it might not be as economical as you think.  After purchasing the seeds you’ll need to buy seed starting soil, (always recommended), and if you don’t re-cycle things for seed starting you’ll need to purchase some kind of containers for growing seeds.  Then you may need grow lights and fixtures, shelfing and so on to complete the project.  It can get pretty expensive.  If expense isn’t a problem don’t worry, have fun.

However if you do have a budget here are some things to consider.  Comparison shop for seeds, different places sell the same seed for different prices.  Buy smaller packages if you don’t need many plants.  Combine seed orders with other gardeners to save money on seeds and shipping costs. 

Sometimes buying plants actually can save you money and time.  Consider the gardener who decides they want 6 tomato plants, each a different variety. They can buy 6 packets of seed for about $2 each and a bag of seed starting soil at around $8.  We have a total, without buying planting containers or grow lights of $20.  If that gardener went to a good nursery and bought 6 different tomato varieties, each one in a 4 inch pot, at around $2 each they would spend $12.  If they bought cell packs of each tomato variety (a cell pack has 4-6 smaller plants) they would probably spend less for more plants.  The plants could be shared- and you could split the cost with other gardeners.  When I do this I generally use the plants at a plant swap meet.

Of course you can’t always find the variety of a plant that you want in a nursery, so you’ll need to start seeds or cuttings.  You control the growing conditions, pesticide use and fertilizer used on your seedlings. And if you want a hundred marigolds you might be better off starting them from seed.  But consider that flats of some plants – somewhere between 48-72 plants- can cost less than $15 and factor in the time spent in growing the plants and paying for things like grow lights and a higher electric bill and it still may make more sense moneywise to buy plants.

And let’s just face the fact.  Nursery grown plants are often stockier and healthier than home grown plants babied along on a south window sill or under grow lights.  They’ve been planted at the proper time, thinned if needed, watered correctly and grown in a greenhouse environment with all the light they need.  Sometimes homegrown plants, especially of experienced gardeners with greenhouses, will be the equal of those plants, but many times they are not.

When you only want a small vegetable garden or just a single geranium for the porch or a few pansies for a porch box it’s sensible to just go to a nursery and purchase plants.

I am not trying to discourage anyone from growing seeds.  It’s a fun thing to do and everyone should try their hand at it.  But do your homework, know what the seedlings need, when to plant them and how many to plant.

There is more about seeds and seed starting on the page called Seeds to the right of this blog. http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/seeds-germination.html


Clove Currant- Ribes odoratum alternately  Ribes aureum var. villosum.

Clove Currant
When I moved into my house in Pontiac there was a rangy shrub by the back door growing in a very narrow spot between the sidewalk and the foundation.  It was a shrub I was unfamiliar with and I cut it back severely, I probably would have removed it but much of the root system was under cement.  Come the next spring I was glad I hadn’t.  (See, give new landscapes a year to surprise you.)  In April when the forsythia bloomed the shrub bloomed too, rich golden flowers that filled the air with a spicy, clove-vanilla scent for weeks.  I was charmed by it but it took several months to find a name for the plant.  (There was no internet then and I had to rely on local experts.)  I was pretty sure it was in the Ribes family but no one knew what species.  I eventually found the plants species name in a “wildflower” guide.

We transplanted a sucker from it to my mom’s yard, where it still is today.  I brought a piece of it to my new garden here although it didn’t “take” and I had to get another start of it some years later from my mother.  My plant is now well established.

Clove currants are shrubs native to North Eastern North America and south and west to Missouri.  Despite the craze for native plants, this one somehow doesn’t get planted as often as it should.  It may be because it is thought to be an alternative host for White Pine Blister Rust, a serious pine disease.  I have read alternate ideas about this, with some experts believing it is unlikely or less likely to transfer White Pine Blister Rust to pines, unlike some other currants.  It does occur naturally in the same habitats as White Pine.

Our farm has white pine and there are many white pines in the area but White Pine Blister Rust doesn’t seem to be a problem here.  I have decided that because the plant is native and the disease is not prevalent here I will continue to grow Clove Currant.  You may want to check with local tree experts or your County Extension before you plant Clove Currants on your property.

About the plant

Clove currants are hardy in planting zones 2-8.  They will grow in almost any soil, and in sun or in light or partial shade.  The clove currant is slightly more drought tolerant than other currants but does best with regular moisture.  Other common names include Golden Currant and Buffalo Currant.

The clove currant is covered in tiny golden yellow, trumpet shaped flowers in spring about the time forsythia blooms. Unlike forsythia the clove currant flowers smell delightful, with that spicy clove-vanilla scent and they perfume the spring air far from the plant.  They are attractive to spring butterflies and bees.

If Clove Currant flowers get pollinated they turn into round black berries that ripen in the fall.  They can be eaten fresh or turned into jams and jellies.  They have a sweet pleasant flavor, similar to other currants. Native Americans used them in pemmican.  Birds love them.

There is controversy as to whether Clove currant is self-pollenating or not.  My bush in Pontiac was loaded with berries each fall.  However I have never had berries develop on my plant here on the farm.  My mother has berries in some years and none in others.   I would suggest that those who want fruit plant several plants.  Other types of currants may be able to pollinate the plant also.

The leaves of clove currant are medium green to sometimes blue green.  They have three lobes, which in turn have several scallops, or lobes of their own.  The stems are thorn-less, the plant is multi-stemmed and gets 8-10 feet high in good conditions.  When left to grow naturally it’s an open, rather rangy plant but it responds well to pruning, which can make it denser and more compact and will control height.  Plants turn golden yellow in fall.

Pruning yearly in the fall is said to improve the next year’s fruit production.  If fruit production is the goal keep the oldest, heaviest stems pruned out- probably 3rd or 4th year stems and leave the younger stems.

Clove Currant will sucker, but it’s not as invasive as some suckering plants.  Suckers can be dug up and planted elsewhere or cut down.  The plant will start fairly easily from cuttings or seeds also.  There is one cultivar or domesticated variety that I know of, and that’s ‘Crandall’ which dates to 1888.  It can be sometimes be found in garden catalogs.  Usually unnamed plants are for sale by native plant nurseries.

If you like native plants the Clove Currant would be excellent in the back of native gardens or at the edges of woodlands.  It can make a nice informal hedge if pruned regularly.  It has edible berries, which many people find attractive and is a good plant for pollinators and birds.  I think the plant deserves more attention than it gets.

Growing carrots

I consider carrots an intermediate gardening crop because while not difficult to grow many new gardeners fail miserably with them.  There are two reasons for that, failure to thin them enough and letting them get overgrown with weeds.  That said, carrots can be grown by nearly anyone and your soil is not a big factor.  There are carrot varieties that can grow in heavy soils.  Carrots are nutritious, tasty, and they store well.  They can be canned or frozen for preservation too.

Carrots are an old European crop but they haven’t always been orange.  The orange color turned up only a few hundred years ago.  Originally domestic carrot roots were white, like their wild ancestors.  Now carrots also come in yellow, red and purple varieties.



Carrots are a biannual plant.  The first year they develop a good tap root and a feathery mass of bright green leaves.  We generally harvest them at this point, but if we left them to grow the second year they would develop a flower stalk with a lacy white flower.  The flower is similar to carrot’s wild cousin, Queen Anne’s Lace.  The flowers would soon curl up into a bird’s nest form with masses of tiny tan, striped seeds.  The seeds smell delightfully like carrots.

Carrot varieties
There are hundreds of carrot varieties.  Here are some suggested ones. For orange table carrots, long and slender roots: ‘Sugarsnax’, ‘Napa’, ‘Kuroda Appelsina’, ‘Tendersweet’, ‘Scarlet Nantes’.  If you have clay soil try these short or round varieties ‘Danvers Half Long’, ‘Fire Wedge’, ‘Oxheart’, ‘Atlas’ and ‘Rondo’.  For purple carrots try ‘Purple Haze’, Purplesnax’  or ‘Deep Purple’.  For red carrots try ‘Red Samurai’ or ‘Nutri-Red’.  For yellow carrots try ‘Yellowstone’ or ‘Yellowbunch’.  For a new hybrid white carrot try ‘White Satin’.  Many places carry a blend of seeds of various colors often called ‘Rainbow’.

Baby carrots can be any carrots pulled when they are still young and small.  The commercial baby carrots are actually odd shaped or broken carrots that are put into a machine that grinds them into fairly uniform, small pieces.  You’ll notice they don’t have any “peel”.   But there is some carrot varieties sold as baby carrot types.  They stay small and tender even at maturity.  ‘Mokum’, ‘Mignon’ and ‘Adelaide are some varieties.

Planting carrots

Carrots prefer loose sandy but richly organic soil.  Best soil pH is 6.0 -7.0. They will grow in heavier clay soils with good drainage but they will often have forked roots or have other odd root shapes.  Gardeners with heavy soil should choose carrot varieties that have short stocky roots or ball shaped roots instead of the long, cylindrical roots of commercial carrots.  They taste the same.

Carrots can be planted soil temperature reaches about 45 degrees.  This will usually be a few weeks before your last expected frost date. Optimum soil temps for germination are around 60 degrees, so consider waiting just a bit later into spring.  When soil temperatures get too hot – above 85 degrees germination will be poor.

Carrots should be planted where they are to grow.  They can be transplanted when very small, but this is impractical.  The seeds are very small and it’s hard to get them spaced evenly in a row.  You can buy seed tapes or carrot seed in pelleted form to make spacing easier.

Make sure the soil in the carrot bed has been well loosened by digging or tilling, to at least 8 inches deep.  Rake smooth and make sure it has no big clumps or rocks.  Work in an application of slow release fertilizer for vegetable gardens according to label directions.  Make a furrow about an inch deep and space the seeds along it.  Try to get them about a ½ inch apart.  Rows should be 12-18 inches apart.  If you are square foot planting without rows simply make a bunch of holes an inch apart and an inch deep.

Cover the carrot seed lightly only about half the depth of the furrow/hole.  Many people use sifted compost or soil or vermiculite for this covering so the seedlings can break through easily.  Moisten the soil gently so as not to wash the seeds around.  Expect germination in 6-21 days depending on soil and air temperature.  If it’s dry water the rows to keep the soil moist. 

If you decide to use seed tape lay it in the furrow and then drench it well with water.  Cover all of the tape ¼ to ½ inch deep and make sure it stays covered until the carrots germinate.  Exposed seed tape can wick water away from seeds and could result in poor germination.  If exposed pieces are caught by the wind the whole tape could be dislodged.

When the carrots have several leaves and are 2-3 inches high fill in the furrow or holes if they are still visible.  After the carrots have several more leaves and are 4-6 inches high you can hill up soil from the space between rows around them.  In square foot beds you could add an inch or so of sifted compost.

If you did a good job of spacing you can thin out every other carrot while they are tiny but big enough to give you a couple of sweet bites.  If you didn’t do a great job of spacing you may have to do several thinning operations until the carrots are about 2 inches apart.  Simply grasp the fronds and pull out the seedlings, the root should come out.  I have seen some people try and transplant these pulled plants but it’s usually not very successful.

If carrots are not thinned you won’t get a healthy crop. The roots won’t develop properly and you will get mostly top growth.

The other important thing to insure a good crop is to keep carrots weeded.  Carrots don’t compete well with weeds.  I like row planting with carrots because it’s easier to run a hoe or trowel down the rows and then follow up with a little hand weeding between plants.  You can mulch carrots to control weeds but wait until they are at least 3-4 inches high.

Carrots like consistent, even watering and don’t do well in drought unless watered.  If conditions are hot and dry and you don’t get rain for a week, give the carrot patch a good soaking.  It’s also good to water the day before you harvest a lot of carrots you want to preserve or store.  They will then be firm and crisp and last longer in storage without wilting.

If you worked some fertilizer into the soil or you have had a soil test and  your soil is pretty fertile you won’t need to fertilize the carrot crop.  Do rotate the place you plant carrots after 2 years.  Too much fertilizer can cause more top growth than root development.  Manure applied too close to planting is said to cause hairy roots.

Carrots are fairly easy to grow organically for home gardeners. Usually home gardeners have few problems with pests or diseases of carrots.  In some areas of the country carrot flies will lay eggs on the soil near carrots that will hatch into tiny maggots that feed on carrot roots.  If you have had this problem cover your carrot rows with floating row cover, anchored at the sides to prevent fly entry.

Harvesting Carrots

Depending on variety carrots will be mature anywhere from 65-90 days after you plant them.  Of course carrots can be pulled and eaten anytime they are big enough for your taste.   I suggest home gardeners actually harvest carrots frequently when they are big enough to eat, pulling just enough for your current needs.  Near the first hard freeze you can pull any remaining carrots for canning, freezing or storage.

Although you hear of people simply mulching carrots heavily and then leaving them in the ground through winter, to harvest as needed, this method leaves much to be desired.  First it may be hard to harvest any of them if you get lots of snow.  Animals may find them before you do, mice and voles eat them underground and deer dig them up.  And it’s inconvenient and you will probably harvest and eat less of them than if you had stored them inside or preserved them.

When you harvest carrots you simply pull or dig them from the ground.  You can sometimes see from the top of the root sticking slightly above ground how big a carrot is; otherwise you pull a few test carrots.  When I harvest carrots I bring a small hand trowel with me and loosen the soil in the row next to them.  That way I get fewer carrots broken off or pulling the tops off without the root.  If you need lots of carrots for canning or freezing or want one harvest use a shovel and dig down on both sides before lifting the carrots. 

Try to get all the carrots out of the ground in the fall.  Carrots left over winter will sprout again in the spring, but once they do the carrot root will be woody and not very edible.  The plant will shortly go to flower and produce seeds, after which it will die.  Of course if you want carrot seeds this is what you will need to do.  Remember that seeds from hybrid plants will rarely produce any plants like the parent.

After they are dug or pulled shake off the dirt.  Leave the tops on if you are going to eat them in a few days.  Tops are also left on carrots that are sold at farmers markets. Carrots stored in “root cellar” conditions usually have the tops left on.  Trim the leaves back to a few inches if you are going to refrigerate the carrots for a few weeks. You can wash any carrots going into the refrigerator and of course before you eat them you’ll wash them. 

Carrots store best just above freezing- 34 degrees F and in high humidity (95%).  If held in these conditions carrots will store at least a couple of months.  In the refrigerator crisper it helps to wrap carrots loosely in plastic.  They’ll store for a couple weeks.

Carrots can be canned or frozen for longer preservation.  See the page at the right side of the blog called Fruit and Vegetable Canning for directions.

People sometimes plant the tops you cut off carrots before preparing them to eat.  The tops will grow but you will not get another carrot type root.  It makes a pretty plant for a bit then it tries to go to flower and set seed, after which it will die. 

Carrots are a good crop to interest small children in gardening and eating vegetables. They are also a nutritious and versatile crop. Beginning gardeners can get a good harvest if they just remember to thin them out and keep them weeded and watered.  If you are an experienced gardener and haven’t tried growing carrots why not give it a shot?

Shamrocks, four leaved clovers and oxalis

If you are traveling through the stores just before St. Patrick’s Day you are almost certain to find potted plants of “shamrocks” for sale.  Some may have 3 leaflets others four.  Many are purple with pretty pink flowers. These are actually Oxalis and while they make pretty houseplants they are not the true shamrock of Irish legend.  See how to care for them at the end of this article.

In Irish culture true shamrocks are worn in the labels of coats or on the hat on St Paddy’s Day through the drinking and parades. Then they are put into the last drink of the day, there is a toast,  the drink is downed and the shamrock thrown over the left shoulder for luck.  This is called drowning the shamrock.  Others believe that the shamrocks three leaves were taught by St. Patrick to be symbols of the Holy Trinity although there is no proof that he ever used them to illustrate a sermon.


An ornamental clover 4-Luck Red-Green
Since 1952 it has been a tradition for the Irish Prime minister to present the President of the United States with a bowl of shamrocks in a fancy Waterford crystal bowl on St. Patrick’s Day. (It’s unclear whether that custom will be performed this year.) Unfortunately security protocol demands that the shamrocks immediately be destroyed after the ceremony and photo taking. The crystal bowls have various fates- President Reagan used one for jelly beans.

The shamrock also appears on Montreal, Canada’s flag as a symbol of one of the four major ethic groups which made up the city’s population when it was founded.  It’s hard to think of Montreal as being part Irish, but it’s nice that all immigrants were honored.  Almost everywhere the shamrock is seen as a symbol of good luck.  Shamrocks usually have 3 leaflets, although they are sometimes portrayed with 4 leaflets.

But what plant family do true shamrocks belong to?  In the late 1800’s a debate raged among botanists in Europe and America over this very important question.  Some believed firmly that shamrocks were wood sorrel or Oxalis and others that they were of the clover or Trifolium family.  Both plants grow well in Ireland.  A clever botanist by the name of Nathaniel Colgan carried out a survey in 1893 by asking residents of Ireland to send him pressed samples of the plant they considered a shamrock.  The survey found that the Irish overwhelmingly chose a clover, either Trifolium dubium (Lesser or Hops clover) or Trifolium repens (White Clover) although a few wood sorrel leaves arrived also.

So what about 4-leaf clovers being a symbol of good luck? (Actually we should say 4 lobed clover leaf as the 4 parts are actually leaflets or sections of one leaf.)  If you ever need to keep a bunch of kids occupied for a while tell them a 4 leaf clover is good luck and send them to look for one on the nearest patch of ground.  If there is any clover nearby- either white or red clover- they may actually find one, although the odds are about 1 in 10,000 leaves.  Some adults search diligently for four leaved clovers too, and some make a hobby of collecting them.  The largest collection of 4 leaf clovers as of 2007 was that of Edward Martin Sr. from Cooper Landing, Alaska, with 111,060 four-leaf clovers.  Clover can also have more than 4 leaflets.  The largest number of leaflets ever found on a clover leaf was 56.

The clover leaf with 4 leaflets instead of 3 is a rather common mutation and it can be inherited.  In fact there are varieties of white clover that have been developed that will have a high proportion of leaves with 4 or more leaflets. These are grown to make those lucky charms with a real 4 leafed clover inside. There is a purple leaved variety, T. repens 'Purpurascens Quadrifolium' and a green-leaved variety called T. repens 'Quadrifolium'.

Several white clovers have actually been developed as ornamental groundcovers, although they don’t seem to have caught on well, probably because clover has a tendency to become invasive.   Four white clover cultivars, ‘Frosty Morning’, ‘Patchwork Quilt’, ‘Irish Mist’ and ‘Pistachio Ice Cream’ were developed at The University of Georgia and released in 2008.  The clovers ‘Dragons Blood’, (a spot of crimson on each leaf) and ‘Dark Dancer’ (dark purple) have been on the market for a while.  White clover is considered to be an annual or short lived perennial but it reseeds itself easily.  The above varieties are all clovers with 3 leaflets in majority.

Another clover that’s been adapted for ornamental use is being widely featured in garden catalogs.  It is Trifolium rubens, variety ‘Red Feather’.  The familiar clover leaves are fuzzy silvery green and the plant puts out flowers on tall stems about a foot high that begin as silver buds and end as long lasting crimson flowers.  The flowers are very attractive to butterflies and bees as well as to the eye.  Grow in full sun to partial shade. The plant is hardy to at least zone 5.

What about caring for that Shamrock houseplant?

Those pretty oxalis purchased in stores for Saint Patrick’s Day can make a great houseplant.  Usually they are purple with pink flowers although there are other colors. ‘Iron Cross’ (Oxalis tetraphylla) is a four leaved oxalis, green with purple cross markings and pink flowers.  Oxalis vulcanicola- ‘Molten Lava’ has orange foliage with yellow flowers.  Oxalis adenophylla ‘Silver Shamrock’ has silver gray foliage with  light pink flowers.  It’s said to be hardy to zone 6.   There are other varieties for plant collectors too.
 
Oxalis
While wood sorrel species are common throughout most of the world the species used as “shamrocks” are usually tender perennials, and won’t survive outside in a cold winter.  Keep them in a bright window and keep them moist but not over watered to the soggy point.  A light fertilization once a month with a fertilizer for flowering plants will keep oxalis blooming for long periods of time, although they will take occasional breaks from blooming.  Well cared for plants will become larger and live for several years. The tender Oxalis can make great container plants outside during the frost free months.

Amish Onion Fry Patties

I like these for something different to serve with a meal.  They taste a lot like an onion ring and are easier to make. Use them instead of French fries with a burger or with a fish fry.  They are also excellent with a nice steak or pork chops. If you are making corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day maybe you could add these.

I like this with sweet onion such as Vidalia but any onions will do. You can use a food processor to finely chop them. When I don’t have stored onions to use up I buy frozen chopped onion. Thaw and drain well before using.  If you use sweet onions you can skip the sugar, you can skip it even if you use regular cooking onions although in this case I think it improves the taste.

Many people spice these up with paprika, hot sauce, horse radish or other things.  I like to add a little garlic powder.  But if you add too much heat you’ll lose the onion flavor.  A little bit of chopped green onion or chives adds a bit of color.

If you don’t have cornmeal, don’t worry about skipping it.  It just adds a bit of texture.

Ingredients


1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
¾ cup half and half or milk
2 ½ cups finely chopped onions (about 2 medium onions). Thaw frozen onions.
oil for frying (no soy oil please)

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well.  The batter  should be thick, if it runs off a spoon, add a little more flour. 
Heat about a half inch of oil in a pan to about 350 degrees.  (If you drop a bit of the batter in the oil it should sizzle immediately.)

Use only about a tablespoon of batter for each cake.  Place it in the hot oil carefully, so you don’t get spattered.

Fry the patty until its brown on one side, flip it and flatten the patty with the spatula.  Then fry until the other side is golden brown.  If you make pancakes this is quite similar.

Fry only a few patties at a time.  You may need to add a bit more oil toward the end of frying process.

Place patties on a paper towel lined dish to absorb excess grease as you remove them from the pan and serve warm.

You can freeze these and heat them up with the microwave too.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, don’t drink too much green beer!

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

© Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used without permission.

And So On….
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