Hi
Gardeners
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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