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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

August 8, 2017, Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter


Hi Gardeners

Tiger swallowtail on tithonia
I’ve been out in the garden picking blackberries and hopefully have enough for cobbler tonight.  We’ve been eating sweet corn from the garden and I’ve made my first quart of refrigerator dill pickles.  We’ve got a pumpkin turning orange, that’s kind of scary. 

My brugsmansia finally has buds. The peace lily that’s summering outside is blooming. The coral drops I planted in a pot also have buds; I am waiting to see what they actually look like when they bloom as they are a new plant for me.  The tithonia is blooming abundantly (tithonia article below), and it’s attracting tiger swallowtail butterflies like crazy.  I actually saw my first monarch butterfly this year on the tithonia. Just one and I haven’t seen it since; hopefully it found all the milkweed around here and laid some eggs. The zinnias are also attractive to butterflies. 

The groundnut vine is blooming; it has interesting chocolate colored flowers.  The Japanese lanterns are beginning to bloom; I’m growing them and the Love in a Mist for dried flower arrangements.   Woodland nicotiana has started blooming, it self-seeds and has come up in a number of flower pots I had outside last year.  I even transplanted some out of the little greenhouse last week where it had come up in pots I thought were empty.

I whacked most of the Golden Glow rudbeckia down because I couldn’t stand it’s floppy mess and I’m pretty tolerant of messy garden plants.  As I was cutting it the bees were still trying to get to the flowers so I put all the flowers in a bucket and set them on the deck.  Then Gizzy and I could sit and watch the bees and hummingbird moths visiting them.

As a gardener you learn something new all the time.  I actually wasn’t aware that peppermint flowers smelled like peppermint.  I know when you brush the plants and bruise leaves you smell peppermint, but today I was sitting near some blooming peppermint and noticed the smell. I pecked a flower and yep- peppermint smell. Most mint flowers are attractive to bees and if you are trying to help pollinators it’s good to tolerate some of the mints in your garden even if they can be a bit invasive.

I’m getting plenty of catalogs for spring blooming bulbs right now.  I am really tempted by those catalogs but I am running out of room unless I want to start some new beds and I am running out of time and energy to care for any more beds.  I’ll have to be really selective in what I buy.  If you want more tulips and daffodils and other interesting spring bloomers now is the time to buy them, when the selection is good and sales are going on.
The flopping Golden Glow had to go.

Cross Pollination and deformed fruit myths

Every year about this time people begin showing odd fruits and vegetables to others and asking what happened.  It may be that the fruit looked misshaped or was a color the grower didn’t expect or maybe it didn’t look like what they thought they planted.  But almost invariably someone will respond and say the odd fruit/vegetable was because of cross pollination.

Technically that may be so – but the cross pollination happened the year before and the odd plant grew from seeds resulting from that cross pollination the previous year.  It did not happen in the gardeners plot this year.  With one exception common garden plants do not show a change in their fruit due to cross pollination in the year the cross pollination occurs. 

If two types of tomatoes are next to each other in your garden and they happen to cross pollinate, let’s say a cherry tomato and a beef steak type, the fruit the plants produce this year (the part of the tomato we eat is a fruit) will look like cherry tomatoes on one plant and beefsteak on the other, they won’t change the looks of their fruit because they had sex.  But if you planted the seeds from one of those tomatoes having crazy sex this year, let’s say from the cherry tomato, the fruit that grows on those plants next year could be very different from the typical cherry tomato.


So unless you are going to be saving seeds for planting next year it doesn’t matter if you plant various types of tomatoes, peppers, squash and so on next to each other.  This year’s fruit should look exactly like the variety you planted and if it doesn’t something besides cross pollination occurred.  We’ll get to that in a minute.  Cross pollination does not affect leafy plant parts or roots either, in the current year plants. 

The one exception to the changes in this year’s fruit coming from cross pollination in the same year is in sweet corn.  If you plant yellow kernel corn varieties next to white kernel corn varieties this year’s corn ears may have both colors of corn kernels on each cob.  Cross pollination in corn may also affect the flavor of this year’s corn.  Field corn, popcorn, or ornamental corn varieties pollinating sweet corn will leave the sweet corn tougher and tasting less sweet.

In addition some hybrid types of corn need to be kept from cross pollination with other corn, even other sweet corn, if the true flavor of the hybrid is to be achieved.  Varieties with se, syn, sh2, or SSW after the variety name need to be isolated from other types of sweet corn, or field and ornamental corn.

So what does happen when you get a deformed or odd looking fruit?

A number of things can cause changes in fruit as it develops.  Sometimes weather conditions, mechanical injury, insects feeding, plant diseases, or pesticide exposure can result in fruits looking odd.  There may have been a true mutation in the genes of the seed that produced the plant.  There may have been undetected cross breeding the previous year, resulting in seeds that were hybrid and the fruit from plants grown from those seeds have mixed genetic traits.   

Sometimes insufficient pollination will cause deformed fruit.  Some plants require a certain number of pollen grains to land on the female stigma and be successful in fertilizing eggs in the ovary before fruit begins developing.  When only 4 pollen grains land on the stigma instead of the optimum 5 grains as an example, fruit may sometimes begin developing but will be lopsided or not formed perfectly.  It would not matter though whether the pollen grains came from a different variety as long as they could fertilize egg cells.  

In the vast majority of cases, with the exception of pesticide exposure or possibly radiation exposure, the odd fruits would be edible. (Remember anything with seeds is a fruit.)  In many cases not all the fruit on a plant will be affected, and the problem is a temporary one.  Enjoy the oddball, take pictures but don’t worry too much.

Many times when a gardener gets a fruit he or she wasn’t expecting it’s because the seed variety or seedling wasn’t properly labeled.  How many times have you seen people shopping in greenhouses removing plant tags from the cell packs seedlings are growing in?  They don’t always get put back in the same place.  Sometimes the greenhouse/nursery accidently mislabeled them.  Sometimes a stray seed from one variety gets mixed in with another variety.  If you saved the seed yourself, you may have mixed up the varieties, or back to cross pollination- your plants last year may have bred with other plants and the seeds have a combination of the traits.

People don’t always read the description of seeds or plants they are choosing carefully.  I remember a gentleman bringing in a white colored eggplant fruit to my office and he was so excited to have found a new variety.  But when I explained to him that there were varieties of white eggplant on the market and we discussed it, we figured out that he had planted a variety with white fruit, not the typical purple.  He was unaware that eggplant fruits came in various colors.

It’s easy for gardeners and nursery employees to mix up plants with similar leaves, like squash, gourds, and pumpkins.  Inexperienced gardeners who aren’t familiar with plants can even mix up things like beans and cucumbers or tomatoes and peppers, by forgetting where they planted what or by buying mislabeled plants and not recognizing it.

Sometimes the plant is performing exactly as the variety should but the gardener has harvested the fruit at the wrong time.  I have had many people complaining to me that their “green” pepper was actually red or purple.  Bell peppers are generally picked when they are young and still green.  If they are allowed to mature the fruit color changes to red, yellow, orange, purple or other colors depending on variety.  And if you want red bell peppers and are only seeing green, just be patient, the color will change, hopefully to red.

Generally cucumbers turn yellow or reddish when they are completely mature, which is not when most people prefer to eat them and not what you see in the grocery.  Muskmelon starts out with smooth green fruit that develops the brown netting near maturity.  Pumpkins start out green and mature to orange, (or other colors).

When it comes to flowers, a change in color may be caused by weather conditions, soil conditions, flower age or plant age.   Some plants have slightly different looking flowers the first year they bloom from what the flowers will look like in following years.  Other types of plants also have flower color changes as flowers age.

Usually cross pollination does not affect flowers, although in some plants any form of pollination may cause a subtle color change in the flowers.  Pink apple blossoms turn very pale pink or white after pollination for example.  White is less attractive to bees, keeping them focused on the pink ones that still need pollination.

Many times when someone thinks a flower has changed color from the previous year or even from earlier in the season it’s because the flower is from a different plant.  Many plants reseed in the same location and the seeds can produce plants with different colored flowers.   When a rose or other grafted plant seems to have a flower color change it’s often because the grafted part has died and the plant is producing flowers from the root portion.  And then of course, there’s always memory problems, and I confess, that’s why I take pictures and keep records.

In short- the type of fruit, flowers, roots or vegetative parts a plant has this year (with the exception of corn and maybe a few other uncommon plants), has nothing to do with who it is sharing pollen with.  When a beagle mates with a poodle you don’t expect it to start growing long curly hair.  Any genetic phenotypes (looks) the plant has this year will not be changed by it having sex.

Good reasons to keep weeding the garden

When it’s hot and plants are mature enough to compete well with weeds, gardeners sometimes give up on weeding.  Besides the fact that weeds shade garden plants and compete for water and nutrients, there is another reason to keep weeds out of the garden. Some weeds also bring disease and harmful insects into the garden.

Lambsquarters
Common lambsquarters, pigweed and nightshade all get some of the fungal diseases that tomatoes and potatoes get.  These are extremely common weeds in home gardens.  They can serve as a source of infection for early and late blight and also septoria leaf spot.  Nightshade is a perennial and some fungal diseases may over winter in its living tissue.  (Petunias, while not a weed, can also carry some tomato-potato diseases.  Don’t plant them near those crops.)
Dandelions and wild carrots or Queen Anne’s Lace, growing near garden carrots may be a source of “aster yellows” a disease that infects garden carrots.  They are spread to carrots by an insect called a leafhopper that feeds on both types of plants.

Many viral diseases are spread by aphids, leafhoppers and beetles feeding on infected weeds and then moving to related garden plants.  Tobacco mosaic virus of tomatoes and peppers, cucumber mosaic virus and powdery mildew are some diseases that can be spread by insects from weeds to garden plants.  Pests like the tomato hornworm may begin feeding on nightshade and then move to tomatoes.

Other weeds that are important to remove from your garden to help control disease and insects are;  prickly lettuce, sowthistles, Canadian goldenrod, ragweed, shepards purse, purslane, yellow rocket, dayflower, deadnettle, teasel, heal all, chickweed and bur cucumber.
Redroot pigweed

If you grow raspberries or blackberries in the garden all wild brambles should be removed for 100 feet around your plot.  They serve as a reservoir for rust and other diseases.

Despite a trend to naturalize gardens to sustain beneficial insects, you must carefully choose which of those “natural plants” you allow to grow in or close to your garden.  You are more likely to end with a problem rather than a natural solution if you chose the wrong plants. 

Tithonia

If you want a plant that attracts butterflies try some tithonia or Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia).  These stately plants are a magnet for butterflies and other pollinators and also look great in the border.  They are large plants, easily 6 feet or more tall and 2-3 feet wide so make sure you leave plenty of room for them.

Tithonia is related to the sunflower and is native to Mexico and Central America.  It’s an annual plant so it can be grown in almost any garden although since it’s a late season bloomer northern gardeners may want to start it inside 6-8 weeks before the last frost.  ( In frost free areas tithonia is a short lived perennial.)

The leaves of tithonia are oval to triangular in shape, rough feeling, with hairs on the backside.  Some leaves may be lobed, and the leaves have a serrated edge.  The plant makes thick stalks with several branches.  In moderately fertile soils, with full sun and on the dry side the plants generally support themselves.  In wetter, very fertile soil some staking may be needed.

Tithonia
The flowers of tithonia are daisy like and normally bright, flaming orange, although yellow varieties exist. (Tithonia diversifolia has yellow flowers and is sometimes found in catalogs.) They are about 5 inches across and have a raised center clump of yellow stamens.  They begin blooming in mid-summer and bloom until frost.  Tithonia seeds look like small sunflower seeds and are enjoyed by birds.

Tithonia seeds are easy to start and in many areas plants are hard to come by so gardeners will probably need to start them from seed.  You can start them where they are to grow or start them inside in pots 6-8 weeks before your last frost is expected.  Plant tithonia seeds or plants outside after the danger of frost has passed.  Thin plants to at least 2 feet apart – they grow quickly and become quite large.

Tithonia will grow in almost any soil, as long as it’s well drained.  They will tolerate partial shade in the south but bloom best everywhere in full sun.  They will tolerate dry conditions quite well.  Fertilization is seldom needed and plants that are fertilized or grown in very rich soil tend to be floppy and have fewer flowers.

Few insect or disease problems are noted in tithonia although Japanese beetles and slugs sometimes bother them.  Keep plants dead headed to prolong bloom.

Herbal and other uses of tithonia

Besides drawing butterflies and looking beautiful tithonia makes a good cut flower.  In Mexico the plants are fed to rabbits and goats.  There are no known human food uses and the taste of the plant is said to be very bitter.  Dried stems are used as fuel. Tithonia can be grown as a living fence and is said to be a good cover crop to improve soil.

Indigenous uses for the plant include a malaria treatment from leaf extracts.  Modern medical studies found that plant extracts killed 50-75% of malaria parasites in the blood.  Also an essential oil made from the leaves did have some effect on repelling mosquitoes.

An 80% ethanol extract of the leaves was found in one clinical study to lower blood glucose.  Leaf extracts were also found to have antibacterial properties.

Folk remedies for tithonia also include it’s use on wounds to reduce swelling and pain from inflammation, for constipation, stomach pain and indigestion and for sore throats.

Caution:  the reason tithonia extracts have not been widely used in modern medicines is that chemicals in the plant have been found to damage the liver and kidneys even in moderate doses.  Leave experimenting with this plant to experts.

What to do if your dog gets sprayed by a skunk

Skunks do not like dogs.  While a skunk may give a human a pass if they don’t bother it, a dog will almost certainly provoke an unpleasant reaction from a skunk.  Skunks are found throughout the United States, in the city as well as the suburbs and country.  If not scared they are pretty harmless critters, with only a whiff of odor to show they are near.  But surprise or scare a skunk and you will regret it for a long time.

When a dog gets sprayed by a skunk it’s a pretty unpleasant experience, both for them and their owners.  Your immediate response to a skunk sprayed dog will probably be to run far away, but if you love your dog you’ll want to help it and it will probably run after you anyway.  So here’s what to do to get your dog smelling like a dog again.

It’s rare that a dog that’s skunk sprayed will be able to sneak by you.  If the smell isn’t immediately overwhelming the dogs howling and crying will probably let you know what’s happened.  The first thing you’ll want to do is confine the dog somewhere it can’t rub and roll on furniture and rugs.  You’ll probably want to make this an outside place.   The yard, the garage, the barn or a shed or as a last resort the basement are suggested.  And you’ll want to cover your nose while you do it.  Then you will probably want to put on some old clothes before you deal with the dog.

As quickly as possible you should check the dog’s eyes.  Many times the skunk spray will get in a dogs eyes and it’s extremely painful.  The dog’s eyes will be red and watery and he or she will probably be pawing at them.  Try to wash the eyes out with plain, barely warm water.  You could also use eye drops for humans (or dogs), if it doesn’t contain a prescription medicine.  The dog may be agitated and in pain so be careful you don’t get bit.  Dogs rarely go blind from skunk spray but they are in pain.

Next you will want to mix up this solution.
        1 quart of warm water
        1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide ( found at any drug store)
        1 cup of baking soda
        2-3 tablespoons of liquid soap.  This can be dish or liquid hand soup or even shampoo.

Mix all of this in a bucket just before you plant to use it.  Don’t store it in anything that’s capped or sealed or you’ll get an explosion.  You’ll probably want to buy enough supplies to make several batches, especially if the dog is large.  Don’t make the solution stronger or you may irritate the dog’s skin too much or cause its hair to bleach out.

Massage your mixture into the dog’s coat, making sure to get the belly, tail, legs, anywhere the spray may have landed.  Cover the dog’s eyes as you work the solution into the head and ears.  Do not get this solution in the dog’s eyes!  Let the solution sit in the dogs fur for about 5 minutes, then rinse it out with warm water.  You’ll probably want do a second wash with the solution, especially if the dog has long dense fur.  Make sure to thoroughly rinse the solution out of the dog’s coat.  Throw out unused solution, it doesn’t save well.

This solution is slightly irritating to the dog’s skin but it won’t change the color of the fur.  You might want to follow with a cream rinse for dogs to smooth the fur.  In cold weather you’ll want to wash the dog and let it dry in a warm spot or at least use a hair dryer to get the coat dry.  You may notice a slight smell in the next few weeks whenever the dog gets wet.  You can do a follow up wash in a week or so with the solution or just use a deodorant shampoo for dogs.

Don’t waste your time washing a skunk sprayed dog with tomato juice, it doesn’t really work.  If you get sprayed along with the dog you can use this solution to wash yourself also but be very careful using it on clothing, furniture or other items as it may discolor them.  Try a small area first if you are desperate.

Avoiding skunks in the future

If you let your dog roam the countryside freely there’s a good chance it will have at least one encounter with a skunk.  If your dog gets sprayed by a skunk it may avoid all skunks and even things that look like skunks in the future but some dogs never learn.  If your dog gets sprayed more than once you’ll need to watch him or her carefully when they are outside.

Skunks are usually active at night, but dogs can and do find their resting spots in the daytime and will get sprayed in retaliation.  Skunks don’t truly hibernate but spend most of the cold weather sleeping in a snug den.  They may come out during warm spells to eat and mate in early spring. They are more active in late fall and early spring and since the days are shorter at this time there is more of a chance that your dog will be out and about when they are.

Healthy skunks do not attack dogs or other animals.  They may not seem overly concerned about you if you are without a dog but they will generally move away from you.  Any skunk that seems aggressive without being cornered or provoked may have rabies, particularly if it is out in the daytime.  You should avoid them and keep pets away.  Call your local animal control and report it.

Make sure dogs always have up to date rabies shots.  Usually a dog doesn’t get too close to a skunk before it gets sprayed and the spray sends it running.  But some dogs will catch the skunk and if it is diseased that can be a big problem.  If your dog actually catches and/or kills the skunk talk to a vet about any treatment the dog may need.

If you have seen skunks in your yard it’s a good idea to keep dogs from exploring under porches and sheds and in deep brush areas where skunks may hide.  Don’t leave pet food out at night to attract skunks and the mice they like to feed on.  Don’t set live traps for skunks unless you are brave enough to transport the animal to a safe release point.  Let a professional do it.

While skunks may do some damage to lawns looking for grubs they are a generally a beneficial animal, eating harmful insects and mice.  Leave them alone and they will leave you alone.

Ways to cook and preserve sweet corn.


My favorite way to cook sweet corn is to put some water on the stove in a large pot, go to the garden and pick and husk the corn and place it in the pot as the water begins to boil.  Add a cup of milk and some butter to the pot, how much butter is up to you, I add about 2 tablespoons.  Cover and cook the corn at a slow boil for 5-7 minutes depending on the size of the ears.  You’ll be amazed how the milk brings out the flavor of the corn.  Of course if you can’t handle any dairy you can use plain water.

You can remove much of the thick, dark green husks on the corn, leaving some of the light green- white husk attached.  Gently pull that down and remove as much of the silk on the cob as you can.  Then smooth the thin husk back over the corn.  Soak the ears in the husk in salty water for 10 minutes or so, then remove and let them drain.  The ears can then be put on the grill, on low heat, and cooked about 10 minutes, rotating the side against the grill frequently.  The ears in light husks can also be placed in the microwave for a few minutes.

Canning corn

If you have an abundance of sweet corn you can preserve it by canning.  You’ll need to cut the kernels from the cob.  You can buy hand held gadgets that help you cut the corn off the cob or you can just use a sharp knife. For food safety, corn needs to be canned in a pressure canner.

Some types of corn will brown during the canning process.  This is more likely to happen with super sweet varieties and corn that’s still quite immature.  Use your most mature corn for canning.  The browning doesn’t affect the flavor or keeping quality, it’s a cosmetic problem.  Some varieties of sweet corn are better for canning than others, if you intend to can a lot of corn look in seed descriptions for good canning varieties.

You’ll need about 20 pounds of corn in the husk to fill 8-9 pint size jars.  A pint is about the right size jar for a small family.  Gather 9 clean pint jars and new lids, a large pot and a large bowl and some non-iodized salt such as kosher or canning salt.

Here’s the process:

Husk the corn, remove the silk and trim off bad areas.

Get a large pot of water boiling.  Put a few ears in the pot and leave for 3 minutes. Remove and cut corn from the cob into a large bowl.  Repeat until you have cut the corn from all the cobs.

Measure out how many cups of cut corn you have and place it in a large pot.  For every 4 cups of corn add one cup of water to the pot.  Bring the pot to a boil, turn down to simmer and simmer 5 minutes.  Turn off heat.

Put a ½ teaspoon of salt in each jar.  Ladle corn and water into each jar to 1 inch from the rim.  Don’t can jars that you can’t fill, you can use the leftover corn up by eating it that day.  Swirl a butter knife or bubble stick through each jar to remove bubbles. Wipe the rim and put on the lid.

Put your filled jars in a pressure canner.  Make sure you read and follow the directions that come with your canner but here’s a brief description of the process.  For a dial gauge canner set the dial at 11 pounds for 0-2000 feet in altitude, 12 pounds for 2001-4,000 feet, 13 pounds for 4001-6,000 feet and 14 pounds above that.  For a weighted gauge pressure canner use 10 pounds for 0-2,000 feet in altitude and 15 pounds above that.  Process all pints of corn in the pressure canner for 55 minutes. (Note: you need to know what altitude your location is for proper canning.  You can ask your local county Extension office or the altitude is usually given when you choose a location on a National Weather Service forecast map.)

Follow your canners directions for cooling time, and then remove jars, label and store.

Freezing corn

You must blanch (cook) the husked ears for 3 minutes in boiling water before freezing whole kernels.  Remove from heat, cut corn off the cobs, package in freezer containers or bags and then freeze. 

Whole ears of corn can be frozen at home but the flavor of the cob often comes through.  Boil husked corn ears for 7-11 minutes, depending on the diameter of the cob.  Make it 7 minutes for 1 ¼ inch diameter, up to 11 minutes for 1 ¾ inch diameter. Remove with tongs and plunge ears into a bowl of ice water as quickly as possible.  The quicker the corn cools the less likely the cob flavor will come through.  Add ice to the water frequently.   Pat the corn dry before packaging to freeze.

Corn and pepper relish

Another way to preserve fresh corn is to pickle it as in this recipe.  This recipe only needs a water bath canner as it contains acid in the vinegar. You’ll need the canner plus 5 clean pint jars and lids.  The jars should be kept totally covered in a pot of simmering water until ready to be filled.

Ingredients

8 cups of corn kernels cut from the cob
3 cups vinegar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 cup of finely chopped sweet peppers, use green and red for pretty relish
3 cups of finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons canning salt
1 tablespoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon red pepper

Put a couple tablespoons of the vinegar in a bowl and add the mustard, stir to make a smooth paste.  Put the rest of the vinegar, sugar and mustard paste in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and mustard. 

Add the corn, peppers, onions and spices to the pot.  Cover the pot and boil gently for 15 minutes.   The mixture will be thickened.

Remove pint jars from the hot water and drain.  Ladle the hot corn mixture into them to ½ inch from the jar rim.

Swirl a knife or stick through jars to remove bubbles.  Wipe the rims and add the lids. 

Place jars in water bath canner and process for 15 minutes for 0-1,000 feet in altitude, 20 minutes for 1001-6,000 feet,  25 minutes for altitudes above that.

Cool, label jars and store.


Blackberry cobbler here I come


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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