In the South, they know a thing or two about staying cool and creating magical gardens.  Atlanta fencing contractors have been building iron fences around gardens for years. Local carpenters have added to the architecture of the South by building whimsical garden houses and arbors. Wouldn’t you like to create some shade in your garden? You can create a shady outdoor living area by taking a cue from the South: Build an arbor; put up a decorative fence. It’s a fun project that can be done in a weekend.

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•Take cuttings of many herbs, including the sage and thyme you
are cutting back after flowering. Use non-flowering shoots for propagating.

•Thin dill seedlings to 10in apart. I cut the flower heads to
use in vases but leave a few to set seed.

•To prolong the life of parsley, cut off the flowers in their
second year. I leave a few heads for seed.

• Layer low-growing branches of mature sage and rosemary to
produce new plants.

• Cut back the shoot tips of young sage plants (i.e. in their
first year) to encourage bushier growth.

• Cut lemon verbena and fruit-flavoured sages, like
blackcurrant, pineapple and tangerine, to use their leaves for summery
recipes.

• Take stem cuttings from two-year-old lavenders.

• Cut off most of the flower heads of lovage as they appear,
leaving just one or two to seed. I grow an 8ft run of lovage on the south
side of my greenhouse, which provides useful shade. When the leaves start to
yellow, I cut them right down to encourage new, green shoots.

Judith Hann is president of The Herb Society and runs courses on growing and
cooking with herbs (hannsherbs.co.uk
and herbsociety.org.uk)

By now, if you’ve been maintaining a vegetable garden throughout the summer, it’s about time to harvest some of the fruits of your labor.

If you aren’t a seasoned gardener, then it’s safe to say you’ve got some questions about picking and even storing your bounty.

When should I pick my veggies?

Picking, and how you pick, depends on what you are growing.

Here is the short list of the how and when:

Tomatoes:

Tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes it can be hard to tell if they are ripe enough to pick if you don’t know what to look for.

It’s good to find out before you plant what their grow life can be, and what they will look like when they are ready to be picked. Large slicer tomatoes will take longer to ripen on the vine, and some heirloom varieties take even longer than Better Boys or Beefsteak tomatoes.

If you think your tomato is ready to be picked, test the ripest-looking one by giving it a gentle twist. If it pulls easily from the vine, it is ready.

Keep tomatoes in a cool place, outside of the refrigerator. They will last up to a week, that is, if you can keep from eating them.

If your plants are still fruiting up until frost time, go ahead and pick everything, even the green ones, about a week before the frost. You can wrap them individually in newspaper or store in paper bags to aid in ripening.

Or you can make fried green tomatoes!

Herbs:

Once your herbs have gotten about 12” tall, you can start by cutting or pinching them back frequently to encourage more production. This keeps them from blooming.

Keeping your plants from blooming is a good way to keep the flavor consistent, and extra herbs can be dried for future use or shared with friends.

Basil is a heat-loving plant, so it will thrive during the hotter months of the summer. This means you will need to cut it back constantly to keep it from flowering.

You can keep cut basil in water for up to a week in the kitchen for use. If you have an abundance of it, try mixing it in with some fresh flower arrangements or making a big batch of pesto you can freeze for later.

Lettuces and greens:

Lettuces and greens are cool weather plants, although they can grow in the heat, depending on the variety. It’s best to pick them before they bolt, which means before they develop a flower stalk that can make the flavor turn bitter.

Start by cutting the largest leaves first, and then come back later for smaller leaves that are younger and more tender. Lettuces and greens are referred as “cut and come again” plants because they keep growing as you harvest.

It’s best to use scissors for harvesting them, and cut only what you plan on eating immediately – a day or so if possible.

To keep your lettuces and greens going throughout the season, plant seeds every two or three weeks, and you’ll have lettuce enough until it gets too hot to grow. Try placing the plants in partial shade to keep plants from bolting in extreme heat.

You can start sowing seeds again once it cools down, and into the fall growing season.

There is no way to store lettuce or greens for the whole winter, but placing them in an aerated container with a paper towel in the fridge can help you keep them for a few days if need be.

Peppers:

Depending on the variety, peppers are ready to pick when they are green. The longer on the vine, the more their color can change – red, yellow, purple, etc.

Leaving them longer will deepen their flavor, but can aid them in loosing their crispness.

It’s true. The longer you leave a hot pepper on the vine, the hotter it gets. Depending on variety and how hot you want your peppers is when you’ll harvest them.

It’s easy to store peppers, and they will last a good while sitting in a cool place on your counter. If you want peppers throughout the winter months, you can dry them or you can chop and parboil them and then freeze for later use.

Cucumbers:

Cucumbers can really be picked in any stage, depending on how you plan to use them. If you want small ones for pickling, don’t hesitate to pick them when they are 3-4” in size. Smaller cucumbers are more tender. They will also have a less bitter taste to their skin and way less seeds which makes them perfect for pickling.

Don’t let their size get out of control, however, because they will begin to become dry and have a wood-like texture. This means they will not be good for eating and would be better served raw right into the compost.

For longer life, pickling is the way to go. Look for my end of the summer pickling article for more on preserving your veggies in August.

Short-term, cukes will last for about a week in the refrigerator. I find the best way to store them is on the top shelf in a small bowl where they don’t collect too much moisture.

The best thing you can do for harvesting is to inspect your garden every day for ripened fruits and veggies, ones that might begin over-ripening or even rotting and glean those from your plants.

If you don’t have your own garden, no worries. These ideas

Community members are invited to attend the “A Walk in the Garden” educational series.

The program is a series of gardening classes led by Anoka County master gardener volunteers. It discusses gardening tips using University of Minnesota-based information.

The next class takes place tonight and will discuss “Gardens of the Night.”

Classes are free but require registration by calling 763-755-1280. They take place from 7-8 p.m. at the Bunker Hills Activities Center in Andover.

Here are other upcoming classes:
Aug. 8: Garden Scene Investigators: Exploring the Creepy Crawlies in the Garden
Aug. 22: Gardening to Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies

The calla lilies (Zantedeschia) featuring colorful flowers are a must for any garden. The sturdy, spotted white leaves add lovely charm even when they’re out of flower, but it’s the brilliant, vase-shaped spathe blooms that give these plants an irresistible tropical flair. Look for incredible hybrids potted up at your local nursery.

“Flame” is one of the hardiest with blossoms that emerge yellow then turn fiery orangish-red. “Mango” features unique variegated orange and red flowers. The spathes on “Edge of Night” are such a rich, dark purple, they may appear black at times.

These hybrids don’t always survive harsh winters, so it’s best to dig the bulbs in fall or grow them in pots in order to overwinter them in an unheated garage.

Unlike the callas with the white flowers which prefer semi-shade, these colorful ones require full sun in order to bloom well. They do best in well-drained soil, and appreciate regular watering and feeding, especially if you’re growing them in a pot.

If you decide to take your chances (as I usually do) and leave them outside during winter, the bulbs usually survive if they’re planted where there is exceptional drainage and you mulch heavily in the fall with a cover of evergreen fern fronds.

You’ll know you were successful when leaves begin to emerge in mid-May, and the magnificent flower display begins again in early to mid-July.

Beware the

bronze birch borer

The bronze birch borer has been a longtime pest of birch trees in Eastern Washington; unfortunately, it’s becoming a serious problem on the west side of the mountains as well. Symptoms begin with yellowing stunted foliage in the upper canopy, followed by branch dieback. Severe infestations usually result in the death of the tree.

The adult is a narrow bronze beetle that can grow to a half-inch long, but the damage is caused by the larvae feeding inside the tree. All birch trees are susceptible to this pest, but it’s the popular white barked ones, European weeping birch (Betula pendula) and the Himalayan birch (B. jacquemontii) that are often attacked.

If you have birch trees, try to keep them healthy. Vigorous trees are less attractive to the beetles and are usually able to fend off attacks, while weak, stressed trees release chemicals that attract the beetle.

To stay healthy, birch trees require well-drained soil and protection from hot afternoon sun. Mulch over the root zone and water deeply once per week in hot weather.

If your birch tree becomes infested, it could mean that the tree is not happy in its environment and perhaps it’s time to visit the nursery to pick out a new type of tree.

Keep your broccoli producing

Broccoli is an easy vegetable to grow, and it’s delicious and incredibly good for you. The first trick to keep them producing well is to make sure they aren’t too crowded.

Remove weeds regularly, and even if you have to remove a plant or two, thin to allow at least 14 inches between individual plants.

Broccoli has a big appetite so feed every four weeks by working in organic vegetable food around the plants and water as often as needed to keep the soil evenly moist.

Harvesting the main head is tricky. You want to wait until it sizes up, but for the best flavor you need to pick it while it is still green and has not begun to turn yellow. Cut the head off at a 45-degree angle at the base of the flower stalk. That will encourage side shoots to grow from below the cut.

Side shoots won’t be as big as the main head, but they’ll be equally delicious.

Ciscoe Morris: ciscoe@ciscoe.com; “Gardening with Ciscoe” airs at 10 a.m. Saturdays on KING 5.

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1. Today will be sunny, with a high near 80 degrees, according to the National Weather service.

2. The Wednesday Farmers Market is in Hingham Square today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

3.  Debbie and Friends will be showing at the South Shore Conservatory today at 10 a.m. Tickets for Wednesday morning family concerts are $15 adult and $5 children may be purchased online HERE or at the door the day of the performance.

4.  Today, Derby Street customers are invited to the Serenity Garden to learn gardening tips.  The event is from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., located behind Barnes Noble.

5. There will be a drum circle for children and their families tonight from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hingham Library. A Drum Circle is a highly interactive group of people who play drums and percussion instruments together to create in-the-moment music.

During prolonged, dry conditions garden plants, trees, shrubs and lawns may suffer temporary or permanent damage. Lack of water can lead to stunted growth, increased disease/insect susceptibility and increased susceptibility to winter injury. Plants may eventually die unless supplemental water is provided.

Plants draw moisture from the soil to grow and then release water from stems and leaves via transpiration. Plants begin to wilt and suffer when the transpiration rate exceeds water uptake. Water is also lost by evaporation from the soil surface.

The general rule of thumb is that most plants in our area need 1 inch of water per week. If the weather does not cooperate, gardeners need to supplement by watering. Water plants slowly and deeply at least once each week during very hot, dry weather. This allows water to penetrate deeper which encourages deeper roots making plants more resistant to drought. Lawns and bedding plants (annuals) should be watered to at least 6 inches deep. Perennials, shrubs and trees should be watered to at least 12 inches deep. Try watering in the early morning so less water is lost to evaporation. Overhead sprinklers may lose over half the water to evaporation, so use manual watering, soaker hoses or drip irrigation when possible.

If water is restricted or in short supply you need to prioritize which plants get watered. Determine which plants are most susceptible to water stress. High on your watering list should be plants that are valuable in terms of replacement cost or prominence in the landscape. Newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials; newly seeded lawns; plants on sandy soils or in windy sites and vegetables should be given high priority.

After the first month, newly planted trees need a weekly soaking of approximately 10 gallons of water. Smaller trees and shrubs may require less water, but the entire root ball should be thoroughly moistened. If dry weather continues, keep watering newly planted deciduous trees and shrubs until fall (leaf drop). Continue watering evergreens until the soil freezes.

Even established trees and shrubs will benefit from watering during periods of drought. They can go two to three weeks between watering. Established trees should not be watered at the base of the trunk but at the drip line where their absorbing roots are. Thoroughly moisten the soil to a depth of 12 inches out to and beyond the drip line if possible.

When growing vegetables, adequate water during the growing season is directly related to quality and yields. Depending on the species, vegetables have critical times when they really need water. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi and cauliflower need consistent moisture during their entire life span, especially during head or root development. Beans use a lot of water; up to a half inch of water per day, especially when they are blooming and setting fruit. Leaves may look grayish if water stressed. Corn needs water most during tasseling, silking and ear development. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant need water most during flowering and fruiting, however water fluctuations can cause blossom end rot (black area on fruit bottom).

Control weeds around shrubs, vegetables and flowers. Weeds will rob your garden plants of water and nutrients. However, if you hoe or cultivate your garden to control the weeds, continually disturbing the soil can make it dry out faster. Rather than rototilling you may have to cut weeds off at the soil surface or use herbicides until the dry weather subsides.

The best way to protect ornamental plants during dry periods is by using mulch. Mulching minimizes evaporation of water from the soil surface, reducing irrigation needs by about 50 percent. Use organic mulches to a depth of 1 to 3 inches. Keep mulch away from tree trunks and off the top of perennials. Vegetable gardens can also benefit from mulch.

Avoid pruning when plants are stressed and not growing as they are unable to heal wounds quickly. Pruning may stimulate growth which requires more water. Avoid using fertilizers or pesticides. Fertilizers can damage root systems under droughty conditions and pesticides may burn plant foliage.

If water is not available, allow lawns to go dormant. Avoid light, frequent watering which encourages shallow rooting. Lawn grass will usually begin growing again once conditions improve. Do not mow grass when it is dormant and not growing. Even when growing, set the mower height at 3 inches high. High mown grass develops deeper root systems that are better able to tolerate dry conditions. Leave grass clippings to act as mulch and recycle nutrients as well as some moisture.

If you do lose some plants this summer consider replacing them with those that are drought tolerant. Using the right plant in the right place will increase your chances for success. Whenever possible, add organic matter to your soil. This will improve the water-holding capacity during dry weather and promote good drainage during wet weather.

During a severe drought, all landscape watering may be prohibited in your town so follow any restrictions. Proper lawn management and use of drought tolerant plants may help your landscape survive dry conditions.

Resources for this article include: University of Maryland, University of Vermont, Kansas State University, and Colorado State University

Need more gardening information? Contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension Genesee County Master Gardeners for assistance. They may be reached by calling 585-343-3040, ext. 127, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until noon; or stop in at our office at 420 East Main St., Batavia. They may also be contacted via e-mail at: geneseemg@hotmail.com. Visit our CCE web site at http://genesee.shutterfly.com/. “Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County provides equal program and employment opportunities.”

CCE of Genesee County will be offering Master Gardener Training on Wednesday evenings, Sept. 5 through Nov. 14 from 5:45 to 9 p.m., plus Saturday, Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sessions will be held at the Extension office at 420 East Main St., Batavia. Registration by Aug. 22 is required. The fee for the class is $225 per person. Class size is limited. For an application or to register contact Brandie Schultz at 585-343-3040, ext. 101.

Because of record-setting heat and prevailing drought conditions throughout much of the Chicago metro area, many local gardeners have been called upon to establish MASH unit-like priority lists. What plants get water and TLC? What plants are left to fend for themselves?

Why not ask the experts? Heather Green, an arborist with The Village of Oak Lawn, and Heather Blackmore, a master gardener with the University of Illinois extension service, agree the first thing you need to do is let your lawn go dormant.

“You can allow your grass to go dormant and it will do so on its own without any rainfall or irrigation after about six weeks,” Blackmore said. “It will turn brown. Most lawns look pretty crispy, pretty burned out this summer. By the seventh week, you can apply some water.

“But the key is to offer water sparingly. Give the grass a quarter-inch every couple of weeks—just enough to keep it alive. But you don’t want to bring it out of that dormant state. It’s not going to green up in this heat anyway. Let it do that on its own as the cooler weather arrives come fall.”

Tips for Surviving the Drought

1. Prioritize. Trees and shrubs should get most of your attention in these drought conditions, particularly  immature trees and recent plantings. Green suggested thinking of the problem this way: Trees are the most costly plants in your yard to replace. And they can provide energy-saving relief by throwing large cooling shadows over the rooftops of your home.

2. Water smartly. A general rule of thumb is to apply one-inch of water per week for lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Avoid over-watering. Most mature trees and shrubs can be watered every two weeks.

And know this: When watering trees, focus your watering on the tree’s natural drip line—at the point of the canopy. Green suggests asking yourself this question: Where does rain drip off the leaves?

“People want to water at the base of the tree’s trunk,” Blackmore said. “That’s not where trees take in water, not where the roots are located.”

Green said most tree roots are found spread in a circular pattern around the trunk within 15-18 inches of the ground surface.

3. Slow and steady wins the watering race. If possible, use a sprinkler or soaking hose to circle trees and shrubs throughout your watering cycle. Let them run for 30-60 minutes at a time.

“You want to make sure that it’s slow and at a low rate,” Green said. “You want the water to sink in and go deep. If you’re out there watering with a hose, moving it back and forth, that’s not enough, not it all. It needs to be out there for a half hour at a really slow trickle.

“You could put fire hose pressure out there, but it’s just going to go across the top, into the sidewalks, into the street, which is not going to do you any good. You need gravity to help you bring the water down. The way to do that is do it slowly.”

4. Test your soil. Dig up some dirt and check to see whether it’s moist or crumbly. Take an ordinary screwdriver and use it as a tool to measure how effectively you’ve watered around a tree. Press the screwdriver into the ground. If it goes in easily, the ground is moist. If not, then it’s still too hard and too dry and you need to apply more water. Measure how much you’ve watered.

“This can be done by using a rain gauge,” Blackmore said. “You can get one at any of the big-box stores. They’re not expensive. Shut your water off when the gauge shows you’ve reached that one-inch mark or that target mark. Move your sprinkler to the next area.”

5. Timing is everything. Water during the early-morning hours. This helps prevent the onset of disease and lessens the likelihood of evaporation. Watering during the heat of day is a waste your time, energy and natural resources.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that,” Blackmore said. “You’re paying for it to do nothing. You’re sending that water into the atmosphere.”

 

 

Eating like an Obama sounds like it would be a tall order, but in fact, you don’t need a presidential plot to reap the benefits of home growing, just the principals behind it. Sure, the Obamas have the vast expanse of the White House grounds to plant their garden, but with a few key elements, even a balcony can have you eating first-rate produce. Are you ready to join the green thumb party and dine like the first family?

We don’t all live in a massive house, teeming full of staff members to look after our every whim as we take care of a nation, but many of us are trying to be healthier by making changes to our diets. The White House Kitchen Garden was born out of that simple thought — a mother looking to find a way to help her family eat better.

The 1100 square-f00t White House Kitchen Garden is the first garden on the grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden during World War II.  Although a rooftop vegetable garden was planted during the Clinton administration, and remained during the Bush administration, the current garden is large enough to feed the First Family and heads of state as well, often producing such a large harvest that leftover fruits and veggies are donated to local soup kitchens. Extra produce isn’t the only thing they’re giving away though, honey from the beehives on the grounds is a common Obama gift. (Do you think the queen bee is a democrat too?)

The White House Garden is more than just a source of nutrition, it is also a source of history. It is not historic just because of its notable location, but also because some of the seeds used for the current crops are from Thomas Jefferson’s Monitcello garden, as seen in this documentary about the story of the garden. Jefferson was one of the first to start seasonal growing (the precursor to eating local — before they had a choice). The principal behind seasonal eating, is to eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods, get more money directly to farmers, and enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables.

Growing your own food is not only a good way to teach the principles of healthy eating and appreciation of the land, it’s also a good way to spend time together, get exercise and save some money.

Lucky children enrolled in local schools can schedule a tour of the White House Kitchen Garden first hand. If you aren’t lucky enough to live close by, (or you’ve already passed the age limit), the First Lady also offers a downloadable checklist to help grow your own garden through Let’s Move, with helpful tips about when and where to plant your crops no matter what size space you have to work with. Here are a few of her tips:

1. Location Location Location

According to the USDA’s People’s Garden Initiative, a good gardening space receives at least six hours of sunlight per day and has a conveniently located water source. (If you’re like me, that means a well placed window box on the balcony.)

2. The Dirt on Dirt

Your soil quality will determine the health of your crops and the design of your garden (i.e., using raised beds vs. planting directly in the soil) so be sure to test your soil and get the necessary additives, if needed, before planting. KitchenGardeners.org offers some virtual hand holding through the gardening process and some inspiring tips.

3. Plant Placement

It’s important to map out the design of your garden before planting, not just for aesthetics, but to ensure each plant has enough access to sunlight and/or shade, as well as room to grow. Not sure about going full tilt? It’s okay to start small, because there’s always room to grow.

4. Mikey Likes It

When choosing your crops, it’s important to consider your tastes in addition to the practical and environmental concerns. Simply put, don’t grow it if you don’t like it. Planning a menu from the ground up will also help you reap the most reward from your crops (pick items that will work together in meals), and don’t forget herbs and spices!

5. It’s Getting Hot in Here

Keep in mind that some crops do better in cold seasons and others in warm. You might be able to get whatever you want in grocery store aisles year-round, but your rows of crops are only going to grow according to weather, so plan for it.

What can you expect to plant when?  Cool weather crops like peas, lettuce, broccoli, collards, radishes, and onions are planted in early spring and fall, while warm weather crops like beans, melons, cucumbers, peanuts, peppers and tomatoes are planted in late spring or summer. For a full list of what is growing at the White House Garden, go to The WHO Farm website.

For more tips from the First Lady herself, check out her book, American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America, which includes advice on how to start gardens and ideas to get children to like healthy foods and find more opportunities for exercise. Proceeds from the book will go to the National Park Foundation.

Whether you chose to plant your goodies in a community garden, a window box or a plot befitting of the White House, the personal, ecological and financial benefits of having your own garden are undeniable. Eat better, live better.

Reading the list of health benefits from the goodies in the White House Garden reads like Obamacare 101. The rows of crops are packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants, collagen-producing vitamins (I don’t know about you, but I’d rather get mine from a berry than a syringe), and nutrients that improve vision, skin, brain function, immunity, digestion, and bone and tooth strength, that will help keep the First Family looking young and healthy no matter how much stress they are under. All that, and it tastes good too!

Main photo credit: Angela N./Flickr

Graphic credit: TheWHOFarm.org

Last week’s column was about weeds that grow, produce seed and die in one year — annual weeds. Control measures include prevention of seed production and removal of plants, usually by hand or hoe. A thick layer of mulch is another control tool, limiting the amount of light available to the seed and suppressing weed seed germination.

Perennial weeds — plants that die back in winter then re-sprout in the spring — are harder to control. Prevention of seed production is vital with these weeds as well, but thanks to their extensive root systems, hand removal is ineffective. Hoeing or digging might get the leafy top, but the part of the root that remains in the soil simply regenerates new stems and leaves and continues to grow.

For gardeners, one of the most familiar and frustrating perennial weeds is bindweed. It can sprawl across the ground or twine its way to the top of a lilac bush. It’s hard to imagine that this little vine with its cute pink or white bell-shaped flowers can have a root system that extends to a depth of 20 feet. With all the reserves in a root system that size, it’s no wonder tugging at it has virtually no affect. To make matters worse, the seeds can remain viable for up to 50 years.

Canada thistle is another perennial with impressive roots. Thanks to a sprawling root system that can grow 18 feet in a single season, this perennial forms colonies of spiny weeds. As with bindweed, the shoots and leaves generate food that goes into reserve in the root system.

For both of these plants and other perennial weeds, persistent removal of any shoots or leaves might eventually tax the root system into starvation. It is a long, tedious process and requires vigilance on the part of gardeners. When a quicker fix is needed, post-emergent herbicides are often used for control.

Choosing the right herbicide for the job and applying it at a time when it will be most effective is determined by the life cycle of the plant. A contact herbicide that only kills the part of the plant that it touches is useful for annual weeds if applied before they go to seed. To kill the root system of a perennial plant, a systemic herbicide that moves from the leaves down to the roots is a better choice. Systemic herbicides often contain glyphosate (sold under the name Round-Up and others) or 2,4-D. To be effective they must be applied when the plant is actively growing and has adequate water to move the chemicals within the tissues.

No matter what herbicide you choose, always be sure to read and follow directions.

Colorado State University Extension in the City and County of Broomfield provides unbiased, research-based information about 4-H youth development, family and consumer issues, gardening, horticulture and natural resources. As part of a nationwide system, Extension brings the research and resources of the university to the community. The Broomfield County Extension office is at 1 DesCombes Drive, Broomfield, 80020. For information, call 720-887-2286.