Tuesday, August 29, 2017

August 29, 2017, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

Hi Gardeners

Yesterday around midday I was looking at the cloudy sky and grumbling about the lack of rain with the clouds as I drove to town to pick up a few things.  We’ve been getting a lot of clouds without any rain benefit lately. But by the time I was coming out of the store the rain and thunder was beginning.

As I drove up to the house I could see the plants turning their thirsty mouths up into the rain and stretching their arms up to greet the showers.  By 7 pm when I went out to feed the chickens and after 3 inches of hard rain, the plants were drooping, cold and soggy and trying to hide under each other, (metaphorically speaking of course.)   After a dry August we got most of our total rainfall for the month in a few hours.  (Nothing like Texas of course, but still a lot in a short time.)

We ended up with 3.5 inches as of this morning and light rain has been happening on and off today.  I won’t have to worry about watering plants for a few days.

For any gardener who is experiencing the hardships of hurricane Harvey and its flooding please don’t think I am equating my measly 3.5 inches of rain with your problems.  I can’t imagine the amounts of water you have gotten and how it would feel to be a gardener with a garden underwater or destroyed.  I’m hoping you, your loved ones and your garden will soon see brighter and better days.  Stay strong and have hope.

The toad lilies, (trycirtis) and sweet autumn clematis are beginning to bloom.  Although a little battered the dahlias, zinnias, tithonia, marigolds and other annuals are going strong.  Morning glories are taking over as my efforts to battle them have faded.  The autumn blooming sedums are also starting to bloom.  Ligularia, hosta, phlox, rudbeckia, buddleia, rose of Sharon, anemone, mums and lavender are still blooming.

I am harvesting so many tomatoes that I am donating bags full to a food bank in town.  I only have 4 plants but they are outdoing themselves.  I made some tomato sauce to freeze but decided not to can any this year.  The plants are starting to look bad from septoria blight but still churning out tomatoes.  My cucumbers may be getting downy mildew, I don’t like how they are looking.  If so, my cuke harvest is almost over.  I am getting lots of peppers, what we don’t eat, I chop and freeze.  More cabbage is ready to harvest.   I am still picking blackberries, making cobbler and freezing some.  

The birds are finally slowing down on the consumption of suet and jelly but I have to fill the hummingbird feeders every other day.  They won’t be here much longer so I enjoy watching them while I can. 

This weekend we got to watch a wagon train and large trail ride go by our house on Saturday and Sunday. The riders had a great weekend to show off their horses.  I miss the horses I used to have but I don’t miss the work and expense involved with keeping them.  It’s nice to have a horse farm right across the road so I can watch horses without worrying about them.

It’s so sad to think that summers almost over.  I’m still waiting for a few plants to bloom so I hope we have a few more warm weeks, but it’s starting to feel like fall.  Fall can be a nice season though, especially after the mosquitoes are gone.  I like it almost as well as spring.



Preparing to move the plants back inside

If you had your houseplants outside for a summer vacation and you are in zone 6 or lower it’s time to start thinking about preparing to bring them back inside.  I usually bring my houseplants back inside in late September, but there have been years when I have had to bring them inside much earlier.

Most houseplants need to be brought inside when nights are regularly falling into the 40’s or when frost is predicted.  Gardeners must watch weather reports carefully and try to look a little farther into the future to see when the weather will dictate that summer vacation is over for the plants.  It’s always a good thing to have a few days to plan the big move.  Some of you may be eager to move the plants back inside and for you weather won’t determine your decision.

There have been years when I have covered plants outside when frost is supposed to be a one night thing and temperatures are supposed to warm right back up.  (You can cover plants with old sheets or boxes or buckets but don’t use plastic that rests directly on foliage.)  But if an extended period of cold is predicted it’s time to start the exodus.  There’s always a blend of experience and some gambling involved when deciding when it’s the right time.  Erring on the side of caution is wise.  You can move the most delicate and/or expensive inside first and wait on others too.

Some half hardy perennial plants, like geraniums and rosemary, will be able to stand colder temperatures and even light frost.  Any plant that’s perennial and marginally hardy to your zone can usually be left a bit longer. Tender bulbs in pots can be left until frost kills the tops and then the pots moved inside for storage.  Moving some potted plants closer to the house may keep them warmer and outside longer.

Once you have a target date gather the saucers and plant stands.  Clean the windows and order the grow light bulbs.  And there are other chores that will need to be done in preparation.  Clean off dirty pots before moving them.  If pots are setting directly on the ground lift them to break any roots that may have grown out drainage holes into the ground.  If vines have climbed onto outside objects you’ll need to unwind them or cut them back. If plants have grown considerably or you’ve added a lot of new ones you’ll want to do some measuring and planning inside.  These things can be done days or weeks before the move.
Heading inside soon.

Some plants may have grown so big that you’ll want to re-pot them.  It’s easier to do outside but since plants probably won’t grow too much inside over winter you can wait until spring for re-potting most things.  But if the pot is cracked or you feel you must re-pot do it a few weeks before the move inside if possible.  That way the plant isn’t adjusting to too many changes at once.

Check plants carefully for insect pests before bringing them inside. Once inside pests can multiply and spread quickly. Often a few pests outside may not be very noticeable and pests also lay eggs that will hatch inside.  I use a systemic insecticide on most of my plants a few days before I plan to bring them in. Systemic pesticides move through plant tissues, protecting them for a long time. You may want to skip insecticide on plants that are still flowering and attracting bees or hummers. Treat them later inside.  But non-flowering plants should be fine to treat.  Don’t treat any plant you might consume, such as rosemary or other herbs you bring inside.

I know many people are against pesticides but houseplants that are treated in the fall won’t kill pollinators and spraying or drenching outside a few days before bringing plants inside keeps pesticides out of indoor air.  Your pets would need to eat a lot of treated plant matter to be affected by the pesticides that are used correctly.  You’ll have a much easier time keeping pests like scale and aphids controlled when you use pesticides. If you don’t use a pesticide examine plants frequently once inside so you can quickly remove pests by hand.

Check your pots for animal hitchhikers too.  Look for tree frogs and small snakes in foliage and frogs, toads, snakes and mice hidden in soil.  Be suspicious of any pot that looks like drainage holes have been enlarged by chewing or pots that have obvious tunnels in the soil.  You’ll want to dump the soil in those pots and repot those plants before you bring them inside.

Stop fertilizing most houseplants now.  An exception might be any flowering plant that will continue blooming through winter.  Examples of those are tropical hibiscus, abutilon, African violets, and streptocarpus.   Plants that normally bloom in late fall or winter, like Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti should continue to be fertilized until bloom has finished.

Once the plants are inside and cleaning your air, expect some of them to start dropping leaves. Many plants react to different light levels by shedding old leaves and growing new.  If limbs still seem springy and you can see new little buds the plant is probably ok.  You may need to water less often or more often than you did outside, so test soil before watering.  Don’t be afraid to prune plants that have grown too tall or wide either.

At my house moving the plants back inside is an undertaking that can take a whole day or several hours for several days, and a lot of juggling plants around to fit the available space.  It requires a hand cart to move big pots and leaves me with sore muscles for several days.  But I wouldn’t be without my winter jungle and neither should you.  Next week I’ll discuss saving some plants you didn’t suspect would make good houseplants or that could be wintered over for next year.

Eating acorns

There are a number of species of Oaks that are native to North America and there are species of oaks throughout much of the world.   The seeds of oaks, called acorns, have always been important to humans and animals as food.  Other parts of the oak from leaves to roots were also part of folk medicine and food.  Oaks are long lived, majestic trees and were often sacred trees to various indigenous people on this continent and others. 


Oaks may have some acorns every year but every other year or in some cases every few years, oaks will produce abundantly.  For our bur oak tree this is a heavy “mast” or acorn year.  Mast is a general term for nuts and acorns produced in a forest.  Often when acorns are produced heavily other trees like black walnuts, beech and hickories will also produce heavily.  This gives wildlife an abundant winter food supply and leads to a rise in survival rates and more young produced the following spring.

The reason that forest trees seem to synchronize their heavy years of production is probably due to weather when the trees are flowering.  Most nut producing trees are wind pollinated.  When the weather is warm and windy during flowering more flowers will be pollinated and produce nuts. 

Bur Oak acorns

As far as oaks go, each tree has a different tasting acorn. The white oak was the preferred species of oak to gather acorns from in the Eastern US and certain trees had better tasting acorns than others. These better trees were marked and remembered by native people from year to year.

Acorns are gathered when they fall and stored for winter use. Underground caches of acorns stored by Native Americans have been found that date back 3,000 years. To prepare acorns the outer shell is removed and the inner meat is first leached in several changes of water to remove tannins that would make the taste bitter.  The acorn meat is then dried and ground and pounded into flour. The work is labor intensive but this flour is quite nutritious, high in protein and fat.

Native Americans and the early colonists used acorn flour to make flat cakes cooked over the fire, in soups and stews and they mixed it with fat and dried berries to make the survival or travel food called pemmican.  Acorn flour was often used to extend wheat or corn flour.

Acorns are also an important feed for hogs. Colonists herded hogs into oak forests in the fall to fatten them and collected acorns for winter feeding.  Birds, squirrels, even deer and bears eat acorns avidly.  Our oak tree sheds acorns into the road, where they are cracked by passing cars.  Crows and other birds swarm to the roadside to eat the acorn meats. Crows and squirrels also bury whole acorns for storage, and then forget many of them, which helps trees reproduce.  After a heavy mast year there will be many tree seedlings in the spring.

Most humans in the US today do not need acorns to survive.  If you want to gather some acorns and try your hand at making flour and products from that flour just for the experience do try a small amount.  But natural food sources for birds and other wildlife are becoming less available and it would be an ecologically sound practice to leave most acorns for the wildlife.   It is especially important not to gather large quantities of acorns and then not use them.  This is a waste of valuable resources.  Not only will wildlife populations suffer but there will be fewer new trees produced.  Be a friend to nature and leave the acorns for wildlife.

Cleome

Cleome hassleriana, the common garden cleome, is native to southern South America.  It’s been grown in gardens for centuries and while it’s an annual plant, once you have it in your garden it generally re-seeds itself and returns year after year.  In my garden it comes up in pots of bulbs I store over winter because seed has fallen into them the previous summer.  I have even had the plants come up in houseplants that summered outside.  By late spring some of the plants were blooming inside.

Cleome is often called spider flower or spider plant.  This tall and graceful flower looks good in masses at the back of flower beds.  It lends an airy elegance to large pots also.  There are now dwarf varieties for pots and front of the border uses.  The foliage is attractive and a conversation starter because it’s often mistaken for marijuana.

Cleome leaves consist of 5-7 leaflets arranged palmately (like the fingers on your hand).  The leaves are sticky and there is a thorn at the base of each leaf stalk.  The foliage however interesting looking, has a pungent smell reminiscent of cat urine.  It’s only notable if you brush or crush the foliage and you won’t smell it if you are just admiring the tall, beautiful flowers. Stalks are sturdy and may reach 5 feet high.

Cleome flowers are arranged in circular clusters at the top of the plants and sometimes on side branches. The flowers have 4 oval petals attached to a center disk by a stem, giving them a fluttery, airy look.   Each flower has a long slender stamens sticking out like cat whiskers which accounts for the spider name for some reason. Personally I never saw the resemblance to a spider. Cleome comes in white, lavender, purple and pink shades.  Plants will grow taller and continue to bloom from mid- summer to frost. 

Cleome flowers are attractive to bees and hummingbirds.  Some say the flowers have a sweet scent; others describe it as musky, although I think if it’s there it’s very subtle. The flowers turn into long, narrow pods filled with tiny black seeds. When the pod is ripe the seeds are scattered widely.  If you don’t want cleome all over the garden you’ll want to keep the flowers cut off as they fade.  Birds are said to eat the seeds, although I don’t think they would be a preferred food.

There are numerous varieties of cleome on the marketplace.  You can now get seed of one color, which years ago wasn’t possible.  The ‘Queen’ series has several separate color forms.  ‘Senorita Rosalita’ is a variety said to have scentless foliage and no thorns. It goes not produce seeds.  The ‘Sparkler’ series are cleomes that are compact and only 2-3 feet tall.

Growing cleome

Cleome prefers full sun but will survive and even bloom a little in partial shade.  It’s not fussy about soil and will grow in just about any soil as long as it’s well drained. Light fertilization will produce more blooms but isn’t necessary.  Cleome does appreciate regular watering, but can survive short dry periods.



Sow cleome seeds where they are to grow after the soil has warmed – about 2 weeks before your last predicted frost. Or start plants inside 4-6 weeks before the last frost.   You can fall sow the seeds also, that’s what nature does.  Simply sprinkle the seeds where you want them to grow and let winter rain and snow plant them for you. Most garden centers also carry started plants.  Cleome shoots up quickly and in good soil can get 5 feet high.  The plants begin blooming about 6 weeks after they sprout and will bloom continuously until frost. 

Cleome plants are prolific seeders and from one planting of cleome you may have plants for many years, without having to plant them again!  Plants that come up from seed shed the previous year may not have the same flower color as the parent plants but diversity is good.  If you don’t want them to re-seed themselves you can cut the narrow seed pods off as they form.  Don’t cut the bloom stalk as the plant keeps getting taller and putting out more flowers at the top.

Deer and rabbits generally leave cleome alone.  The plant rarely has problems with insects. Aphids occasionally attack plants, usually stressed ones.  Plants will occasionally get powdery mildew, but it’s not as noticeable or disfiguring as in other types of plants.  Rust fungus is sometimes observed on cleome. In some warmer climates the plant could become invasive and even some northern gardeners complain about the prolific reseeding the plant does.

Other uses of cleome

Cleome hassleriana is considered to be non-toxic to people and animals.  It is not considered to be an edible plant or despite its resemblance to one, a smoking plant.  It has no known herbal uses, when you see a reference to cleome in certain herbals it refers to other species of the plant, some native to North America and some to Africa.

Despite having no edible or herbal uses cleome is an excellent garden subject with uses in formal and informal gardens.  Some plants are meant to be admired for their beauty and usefulness to other species like bees and butterflies, rather than as food and medicine for humans. Consider some cleome for your garden and enjoy its graceful beauty.


Emergency preparedness- for plants and you

Yes, I know this is an odd topic for a garden blog but the events of the last week with hurricane Harvey and flooding hitting Texas and so many once again unprepared makes me want to offer advice.  I’ve written about emergency preparedness on other sites and in my book- Complete Idiots Guide to Country Living- so the topic isn’t new to me.

Every area of the country is different and has different emergencies to plan for but all emergencies are best handled by being prepared.  You should know what emergencies are more likely in your area but plan for anything.  I’m talking about natural disasters mainly, although most emergency preparedness tips are helpful when man made calamities happen also.

People should realize that in disaster situations you are likely to be on your own for several days before help will reach you. This is especially true in rural areas.  If you decide not to evacuate when an evacuation is recommended don’t be complaining about the lack of immediate help after a disaster because you misjudged the severity of the event and now need help.  I understand that people want to stay and protect what they own, but you put the lives of rescuers in jeopardy as well as your own. 

If you are told to shelter in place, take shelter; don’t go driving around to look, party, or to gather emergency supplies.  Your supplies should be in place already. You should stay off the roads unless it’s absolutely an emergency.  And do not drive into water unless you know the depth of it and know your car can pass through it.

Since Katrina each county is supposed to have emergency plans that include pets and livestock, so staying to care for them is less of an issue. If you have pets and livestock know here your county’s emergency shelters for animals are and plan on what you’ll do to get pets and livestock to safety before an emergency happens.

If you must leave livestock and pets behind in emergencies like floods and fires at least turn them loose.   They may be able to save themselves that way.  It’s horrible when pets are left in cages to drown or animals are trapped in barns to burn up.

Emergency preparedness supplies for people and pets

Each family member should have an emergency evacuation kit, sometimes called a “go bag” and each family should have a sheltering in place emergency kit.  The emergency evacuation kit should have a change of clothes that are lightweight and comfortable, a pair of socks, 1 gallon of water,(add more if you can carry it),  enough food for 3 days that doesn’t require water or cooking to prepare, a flashlight, hand sanitizer, a lighter or matches, a 3 day supply of any vital medications, a small amount of toilet paper, a plastic rain poncho or small plastic tarp, and several zip close plastic bags in various sizes ( many uses for these)  and a small amount of cash.  

A small first aid kit with band aids, the type of over the counter pain reliever you prefer, anti-diarrhea medication and allergy medication you use should be included.  Nice things to add are, non-breakable cup, spoon and fork,  sample size toothpaste and brush, shampoo, a small hairbrush or comb and writing materials.  Sample or travel sizes of items work best.


For an infant evacuation you need to add additional clothes, diapers, and formula plus cleaning supplies like wet wipes to the kit.  You could leave out flashlights and fire starters.  A small blanket is nice to add.

When you evacuate your home bring or wear clothing suitable for any weather you may encounter in the next few days.  Remember weather can change dramatically and is often much cooler at night. If each family member can bring a blanket or sleeping bag as they leave it would be ideal.  Some people wrap the evacuation kit inside a rolled sleeping bag.

When you evacuate always bring personal ID with you and such things as passports, green cards etc.  Make sure they are in waterproof containers and secured on your person.  You may want to have ID bracelets or “dog tags” made for small children to wear.  Pets and livestock you are taking with you should also have ID.  Bring important phone numbers with you- they may not be accessible on your phone if cell service is disrupted.

Since everyone depends on their phones now you may want to have a solar power battery charger, or a charger that runs on your car battery or one of the special back up batteries that are sold and put them in your emergency kits.  Start rationing your use of the phone as soon as an emergency is declared as back up chargers may take a lot of time to charge a phone.  Remember that in many emergencies cell phones may not be in service. Don’t make unnecessary calls because lines will be jammed.  If water is involved in your emergency, such as a flood, try to put your phone into something waterproof, such as zip lock plastic bags.

Family members should all agree beforehand where they will leave a message if you get separated during an emergency. Don’t count on cell phones working.  Plan to call a certain relative or friend some distance away on land lines or devise some other system.  If you have a working cell phone or computer a social media site may work as a message site.  Another suggestion is to pick a business some distance away

You may also want to have a small battery powered radio and extra batteries in your emergency bags.  There are also radios that work by hand cranking them.  This is for hearing emergency information not listening to your favorite tunes.

Your “sheltering in place” kits need one gallon of water per person per day for 14 gays preferably.  Add 1/2 gallon per average sized pet per day, more if the pet is large.  Food for sheltering in place should cover the family’s needs for 2 weeks.  It should be dry, canned or packaged food that doesn’t require refrigeration. The best stored foods don’t require much water to prepare or cook.   If you keep a full freezer you can store less of other foods since in an emergency you can eat that food in the freezer. Soap, toilet paper, toothpaste and other personal needs should be provided for a 2 week period.  Don’t forget diapers and formula or baby food if you have infants.  

A good first aid kit should be in the home.  Always try to keep a 2 week supply of vital medications on hand if you can.  If you need a medical device/supply such as oxygen or a cpap machine plan for what you will do if power goes out or if you need to evacuate suddenly.  There are portable oxygen tanks that don’t use electricity but they carry a limited amount and can be dangerous in some emergencies. 

Homes with handicapped people and people dependent on electricity for powering medical devices have a special need to plan carefully for all types of emergencies.  You should plan to evacuate as soon as a disaster is imminent and have some ideas of where you will go when you leave.  The best plan may be to go to a hospital out of the immediate area.  Know in advance where hospital facilities in other areas you would be likely to travel to are located.

Also remember to store emergency pet food and livestock feed, about a two week supply. For those with large animals, if you don’t have a pond or other water source on the property, keep one or more back up stock tanks on hand to fill with water when an emergency is imminent for any livestock you have and fill up any tanks that are in use.

Rotate your emergency food supplies and water.  Replace water every six months and use and replace food every 6 months to a year, depending on the product. Store the evacuation and sheltering in place kits where everyone knows where they are, but where young children won’t get in and open and eat, or play with stored items.

Emergency preparedness for plants

However much we love our plants the safety of people and pets should always come before any concerns for plants.  But depending on the type of emergency there may be things you can do to save outside plants in pots and houseplants.  Landscape plants are pretty much at the mercy of nature.  In some cases you can take some plants with you if you evacuate but remember not to leave them closed up in a car or truck sitting in the sun when you reach your destination.

If wind, heavy rain and hail will be the concern moving any outside plants in containers inside a building or even your car should be helpful.  Small rooms and closets may provide the best shelter inside. Even putting plants under sturdy tables inside could save them.

Tornadoes and hurricanes may require basement shelter for plants from wind but remember basements are most prone to flood damage. Plants can survive flooding if they don’t get swept away or covered in water more than a day or two.  If a flood threatens you can move plants to the highest spot possible. That may be inside, in an attic.  You may be able to suspend things from sturdy trees or rafters.  (In floods some trees will be washed away.)

If that won’t do the trick put plants in netting, cages, or anything that can be tethered to something so they at least won’t float away.  Put them inside a closet or inside a closed shower stall.  Small plants could be put inside sealed plastic bags or containers and tethered in some manner.

If you are evacuating because of fire move outside plants inside, place them in the bathtub full of water or in sinks, garbage cans, or tubs of water. Small rooms that can be closed up or basements are safest.  Smoke and carbon dioxide won’t kill plants, but heat and direct fire might.  If you are near a pond or other body of water plants could be put in a boat or raft and floated on the water.

I don’t know if emergency shelters would take plants but one could ask- in advance if possible.  If you have a valuable plant collection you might contact nurseries or greenhouses some distance from you and ask if you could rent space there if there was a need and time to evacuate your plants.  You want them some distance away because they would be less likely to be affected by the same emergency.  A friend or relative’s home could also be a safe haven for your plants if it’s out of the emergency zone.  This should be done before an emergency threatens.

Gardens can be rebuilt, plants can be purchased again.  Don’t risk your life to save plants.

Simple blackberry cobbler

We’ve been eating blackberries most of the month.  One of my husband’s favorite ways to eat them is in a simple blackberry cobbler.  If you have blackberries or can get them at the farmers market here’s a way to enjoy them.  Remember you can freeze blackberries for treats in the winter.

You’ll need a 9” square or round pan for this recipe and a bowl for mixing.  It will make at least 6 servings unless you really like cobbler.  I like to serve it with vanilla ice cream on top.

Ingredients

4 cups blackberries, washed
1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups flour
½ cup butter melted
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 -3 tablespoons cream, milk or water (I use cream)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put the blackberries in your 9” pan.  Add 1 cup of sugar and toss with a spoon until sugar is mixed into berries well.

Put the flour, remaining sugar, salt and melted butter into a bowl and mix with a fork until a crumbly mixture forms.

Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until you get what looks like pie dough.  You may not need all of the cream. 

Drop small spoons of dough on the top of the blackberries in the pan.  Try to spread it evenly.

Bake at 400 degrees F until the berries are bubbling and the top of the dough is lightly browned, 25 -30 minutes.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Wishing comfort, healing and better times for those gardeners affected by hurricane Harvey.

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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