November 2012

Planters Punchlines 

Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield 

November/December 2012 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

HOLIDAY PARTY TIME! (In lieu of Nov/Dec Meetings) 

The annual club Holiday Party will be held on 

Monday December 3, 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. 

@ the Solomon Welles House, in Wethersfield. 

Catered Food, Drink, Fellowship, and 

Entertainment by the Wethersfield High School Choraleers. 

 Spouses/guests are cordially invited. $15.00 per person 

($30.00 per couple). 

RSVP to President Tony Sanders at 860.529.3257 

by Sunday November 18. 

WESTON ROSE GARDEN “WINTER OVER” 

Saturday November 17 @ 8:00 a.m. 

 Branches will be trimmed, and piled next to the driveway (town will pick up), and compost placed around the bushes. BYO pruners & work gloves please.

 Compostable Matter 

By Jim Meehan 

Young Robert Brassica’s family – seven siblings and two parents – was so poor they could barely afford to heat their home or feed themselves. Their dire situation became even worse in the drought-ridden year of 1694 when the sun baked and the locusts ate what few crops were able to struggle their way to life through the hard, cracking soil.

How poor were they? A lump of combustible black rock consisting mainly of carbonized plant  in their Christmas stocking was the most prized gift of all. And Robert’s father Jacob – charged with the responsibility of getting eight pieces of anthracite or bituminous (one for each of his offspring) – had neither the funds nor the facility to come up with even one.

He had instead put all of his time and resources into developing a hybrid vegetable – a cross between a turnip and a cabbage – which he hoped would revolutionize the local farming industry and bring him fame and fortune. But what he got instead was – according to his fellow plantsmen: “The ugliest vegetable I’ve ever seen” or “What happens when broccoli and cabbage get married”, or (from one of his more futuristic friends) “A cross between an octopus and a space capsule.”

He was even too embarrassed to show his produce to his family. Now Christmas Eve was at hand and he had naught to stuff stockings with but dozens of these pale green ugly roots with pathetic green leaves. But he had no choice.

And the next morning he faced the onslaught of verbal abuse from the younger Brassicas, and especially the outspoken Robert, for which he had spent the entire night tossing and turning – and preparing his answer.

“W.T.F?”, said Robert as he stared uncomprehendingly at his apparently useless and possibly hostile present.

Jacob looked at him with a smile and said, as confidently as he possibly could, “It’s a piece of Kohl Robby!”

How do I create a low maintenance winter garden in colder zones? 

http://faq.gardenweb.com 

(Only read this essay if gardening is your passion and you want to continue gardening to the "bitter end.")

When I began serious gardening at the age of 23, I was as strong as a peasant woman. On week-ends I could garden for 10 to 12 hours with nary a sore muscle or aching joint. Before and after work on week days I would even put in an hour or two of hard work with no sore bones. But once I hit the age of 50, things began to creak, moan and pain me. At the age of 52 I got a bad case of vertigo which lasted two weeks. I was bedridden with this for one week, flat on my back.

This is when it dawned on me, "Since I am not that super woman of age 23 how would I take care of my extensive garden if some physical problem really limits me in working in my garden?" I was especially thinking of this physical problem called "aging." I am now, way over 50, (older than Martha Stewart) and feel like 101,sometimes. I do not want to be one of those older gardeners who whine and lament: "I cannot work in my garden any more. It is too much for me. I can't bend, dig, weed, trim or plant like I did years ago. I do not have the stamina and energy. I get too sore working in the garden. My garden looks a mess. I must remove most of the plants and go back to just grass. Annuals are too much work. Perennials need too much cutting back and separating. Are my gardening days over? And finally, should I sell my property and move."

Truthfully, all of the above statements are a reality for most older gardeners. Our bones do hurt us. Our bodies do slow down. We can not do what we did 30 years ago. So what are we to do? If gardening makes you happy and you do not wish to give it up, Plan for your older gardening days. How do you plan for your older gardening days? You do this by planning and planting a garden that looks beautiful in the Winter. These two can go hand in hand. This article is mainly written for gardeners in the Northeast U.S., zones 5-6-7-8.

Planting a garden to look beautiful in three seasons and also in the winter means you must plant flowering shrubs, conifers, evergreen trees and deciduous trees that look especially good in the winter. It might be their bark, shape or color. Your winter garden should invite you to want to be in it even though the weather is cold or snowy. You must have enough interest and structure in your garden that it beckons to you to want to sit, walk around, and even putter in it even though the garden is dormant. This is very possible and the way I planned my garden. Let me tell you about my philosophy of winter gardening which is also my philosophy of gardening now that I am much older than 23.

Structure Evergreen structure is the most important aspect of a winter garden. Look at your own garden. When your annuals and perennials die down, do you have "nothing?" I inwardly cry when I view a totally annual or perennial garden. It is so short lived for the amount of work involved. Why couldn't they have also planted evergreen shrubs in this garden for structure in the winter? The number of wonderful miniature and small conifers is legion. They look wonderful for four seasons of the year and get better with age. Get a good garden book and look up conifer shrubs to get ideas or talk with a horticulturist and pick his/her brain for his favorite choices. Plant many of them in every bed. In the winter, this is what you will be enjoying.

Annual Flower Beds - Forget them. They demand too much work for 'me ol' bones'. Not only must you replant annuals each year but that bed becomes a nothing in the winter. Number one on my out list are annual beds. Do I plant annuals anymore? Truthfully? Yes, I do plant a few but not like I did years ago. I especially do not use them as borders because they disappear in winter and I do not use them much as fillers, for the same reason. If I do need an annual plant, I usually resort to the larger flowering New Guinea impatiens or similar plants. Easy in - easy out.

Perennial Flower Beds- I love it when gardeners say, " I only plant perennial flowers " 'cause they are no work". To develop a beautiful perennial flower bed can be labor intensive. My greatest frustration in gardening was my perennial beds which are no more. Do I plant perennials? Yes, but not a whole bed. Most of my perennials are planted with conifers and shrubs and they are the type that you do not cut flat in the winter , but rather are left for the snow to do its magic. Which perennials give you the most for your time invested? Lilies, daylilies, all spring bulbs daisys, rudbeckia, goats beard, peonies, tree peonies, vitex, hostas, hydrangeas, etc. You know what works best for you.

Cut down on hard jobs such dividing or removing overgrown plants- round up young, willing and able budding gardeners and encourage them to help themselves to your hostas or ostrich ferns or whatever plant is taking over your beds. I have even put a small sign in the front of my house - FREE -HOSTAS, FERNS,+FLOWERS. One morning a little boy came to my door with a big wagon and said "my mommy wants hostas, thank you." He returned home with a polite note from me stating that is was a "dig your own deal". She did return with him and they filled the wagon.

Weeding- You can minimize weeding by planting thickly and using the filler plant ,i.e. hostas. Buy the newer varieties of this wonderful plant. Get rid of the old common variegated ones. They are feasts for slugs.

Mulching- I do not mulch as much as I did years ago. Even though mulching cuts down on weeding, it is a lot of back breaking work. Decide for yourself how much you can do. If I am having a special party at my home I might bring in a dozen bags of mulch and place it in the beds I want to pretty up. If I am having a really big event, I hire some one to mulch my beds. Saves your ol' bones.

 Edging - Around each bed I plant Korean boxwood (all my English boxwood died). There may be as many as 30 to 40 surrounding each bed. Do you know how beautiful boxwood make each bed in the winter when most gardens are bare? Boxwoods add structure and look great with snow on them. Actually my boxwood hedges look great in all the seasons as they neatly frame my overflowing flowering shrubs, conifers, and flowers.

Where boxwood hedges are too heavy or another effect is needed, I use Liriope as a hedge. Variegated and Green Liriope are my latest love. They are as tough as nails, slugs shun them, they grow fuller each year, their texture is fine and desirable, and they are evergreen most of the time. They even look good in the winter until a prolong freeze hits them. Liriope only need cutting down with a serrated knife in March or April. I have even gotten rid of my common hostas which I used to use as borders. In a good wet year as was the year 2000, the slugs feasted on the hostas and by the end of August everyone's hostas looked like Queen Ann's lace.

Around most beds I edge with bricks laid flat and even with the ground so the lawn mower wheel can easily mow over them. This brick framing makes it easier for me because I do not have to dig to edge my bed each Spring. In the winter I sweep the bricks and that neatens them and In the early summer I simply remove any stray overflowing grass. I have noticed that if the edging of your beds look tidy, your beds look cared for.

Verticle interest- Arbors of vines add height, vertical interest, and are fun to walk under. Do not remove the dry vines in the winter. The snow lands on them and they become a structure so different from what they looked like in the summer. An alluring snow tunnel. One of my long nine foot arbors is planted with two weeping evergreen atlas cedars. The weeping effect in winter is like icicles. Also in each bed plant a strong verticle structural plant. Something pyramidal. Usually in my beds it is a Hinoki, tall cypress, tall juniper, strong chubby yew, or Alberta spruce.

Air conditioning - I never wanted central air-conditioning because I was told that you will never want to work outside anymore. I found out this is not true. I garden more since my " Air " was installed. How so? I know that if I work outside in 90+ degrees and am really sweltering, I only have to drag myself inside, have an ice tea, sit down for awhile to cool off, and I am fit to go outside for another hour or more. There were very few hot summer days that I did not garden at all. On those days it was because the humidity was 90+, the gnats were bad, the mosquitoes were in full force, or it was pouring rain.

Flowering Shrubs- Use flowering shrubs such as evergreen and deciduous azaleas, enkianthus, crape myrtle, viburnums, rhodes, andromadas, vitex, and many butterfly bushes. Don't only plant azaleas in your front garden but fill your back garden with tons of them. It is a spectacular effect in the Spring and even in the Winter with snow on them. So what if they don't flower in the Summer or Fall. Neither do daylilies bloom in the Spring or winter.

Small trees - On the ends of some beds I have been planting a small deciduous tree that will give me dappled shade as I walk through the paths. I do not like to walk through a garden that is in full sun. These trees though, will not give me heavy shade. If they do begin to give me heavy shade, I raise their hems, thin out selective branches, or remove wide arms. I am a little concerned about my limber pine because each spring, even though I cut the new growth in half, the tree is getting too tall to do this without a tall ladder. I think I planted too large a tree in a garden bed.

Trees - Almost all the trees in my garden are flowering ones. What more can you ask for? Remember, these trees not only give you flowers and dapple shade in the summer and spring but also add interest in the fall and winter with snow upon their branches. Good choices are: weeping cherry, kwanzan cherry, styrax, franklinia, southern magnolias, soulangiana magnolia, crape myrtles, dogwoods, acer palmatum, acer grisium and all unusual maples, stewartia, sweet bay magnolia, fringe tree, golden raintree, sourwood, vitex trees, holly trees, and my favorite non-flowering trees; china fir, limber pine, umbrella pine, dragon's eye pine, and stately soaring dawn redwood.

Clean-up -I now do not clean out my beds and lawn in the Fall or Spring. I hire Someone to do that. You can not do everything. A crew of five men came this November, right before Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to see these strong able guys rake and neaten all my beds and paths. They reminded me of my ol' husband when he was 30-40 years old and strong as they are now. They were finished in one day and it only cost me $400.00.How pleasant it was this winter to walk in my garden each day and see neaten beds instead of looking at all the work I would have cleaning up in the Spring. My husband loved it too. The date today is November 10th, 2001, in Eastern Pennsylvania and many of my large deciduous trees have already dropped their colorful leaves and all my flowers are gone. Even my sugar maples are bare. But, I still do have 14 acer palmatum dissectums in full leaf. - brilliant red, yellow and orange, three shagbark maples ( acer grisium), are brilliant red. My 10 oakleaf hydrangeas, 'Snow Queen' are glorious mottled shades with all the leaves still on and all the large flowers still on. My enkiantus are brilliant red and all my azaleas have leaves that look great. Some are maroon and yellow in color. The foliage of the mentioned trees and plants seem to me to keep their bright and colorful leaves the longest. There is nothing in this Fall garden that I must coddle or give much attention to. Everything returns.

 I garden on 2 acres of land that used to be only grass with large trees around the perimeter. Over the past 30 years of gardening on this property, I have put in at least thirty beds of all shapes and sizes. I did not make these beds all at once. Each year I added one or two. Was my garden planned on paper and systematically implemented? No. Like Topsy," it just growed". In each bed I plant one acer palmatum, a group of pink or lavender azaleas, a vitex, a butterfly bush for height, a hinoki or unusual conifer shrub or two, and always a tall impressive pyramidal evergreen conifer for dramatic interest.

With my Fall garden all cleaned and gussied up, all winter long I can leisurely putter around, snip here and there and enjoy myself. And you must have large garden benches placed around your garden. I have five sturdy ones placed in far reaches of the garden. This is especially important in the winter when one may not really want to be outside and be uncomfortable.

Bundled up in winter coat, hat, gloves and with a hot cup of coffee in one hand and snippers in the other hand, the benches at the far ends of the garden are a nice destination where I can sit and enjoy my Winter Garden. This is different from what one often reads, "winter is the time to sit by your fireplace with garden catalogues in hand and "dream green". Each day that it is possible, I stroll and snip around the beds and sit on each of the benches and take in the view. My three cats also follow me and sit with me on the benches. Lulu Cat, usually snuggles in my furry coat lapels. This September I got a Maltese puppy, Cocoa-Mulch, who is now part of my entourage. Having a puppy this winter ensured that I would be outside five or six times a day. What is more fun than being in your garden with your cats and dogs? And husband? A husband to whom you can point out all the garden warts and things you want him to help you with come early spring.

Nothing do I love more than lying across my bed looking out of my upstairs window at the full green winter garden below. Even without a snow covering there are large spaces of lush green pachysandra carpeting the ground. My two red brick terraces and a brown stoned courtyard also make for pretty carpeting.

Nothing do I love more than sitting or walking in the early morning garden during or after a snow fall - Coat over bathrobe, rubber boots on, fortified with that hot mug of coffee and my "beasts".......Aah...... Do not garden for only three seasons of beauty. Also make an interesting WINTER GARDEN.

Harry’s invented a new spray to kill the aphids on his rose bushes. 

His formula kills the roses and the aphids starve to death. 

How to Grow Paperwhites and Amaryllis 

 By Matt Kerske, eHow.com 

Presenter Hello again, everybody. This is Matt with Gardens of Babylon, here today to talk to you a little bit about paperwhites and amaryllis. Now, it's November in Nashville, and right about this time, we start getting a lot of requests here down at the store for these types of holiday plants, second only I'd say to poinsettias, which come in here shortly. But, paperwhites and amaryllis have been very popular around the holiday season for quite some time. And today, we're going to just talk a little bit about how to select the bulb, and how to kind of grow them just to make sure you have a nice full, healthy plant. And, they're blooms are just amazing when they're all finished up. So, to begin with, as far as amaryllis and paperwhites, your typical paperwhite bulb will be about two inches in diameter.

When you're at the store selecting them, you just want to make sure that all of them are nice and firm, kind of like picking out a good piece of fruit. You just don't want to make sure anything's mushy. That just means part of it's dead, or all of it's dead. But, just a nice firm structure to it. Amaryllis bulbs will come in different sizes. The bigger the bulb, the more bloom stalks it will have, and the bigger the plant. But, amaryllis and paperwhites, just key things you want to remember is, just good firm density size, and it'll just get you off to a really good start.

Now, as far as potting up, in the world of paperwhites, like houseplants, they like good drainage. You don't want to put your paperwhite, or your amaryllis in any kind of too heavy a soil. You just want to make sure your soil has good drainage. You can start out kind of two different ways really, I've seen it done, and is done well. You can use a potting soil mixture, a houseplant potting soil mixture, maybe with a little bit of sand mixed up in it, maybe about 25 percent sand to about 75 percent potting soil, just to make sure there's good drainage. Or, you can also put it in a closed pot with stones.

Stones, obviously, are wonderful for drainage. But, the thing with stones is, you just want to make sure that you do not have a hole in the bottom of your pot, because that water will just run out, and there's no moisture retention with stones. With soil, you can have a hole in the bottom of your pot, the soil will retain the moisture, and the plant will be, you know, just given the right amount of moisture. But, with rocks, you just want to make sure you don't have any holes in the bottom of that pot. And also, with stones, you want to make sure when you water, you're not letting a whole bunch of water sit in that pot, or else you can kind of rot out that bulb. But, you can just watch your moisture with the rocks. But, it's a really classy way of potting up, it's really unusual. All different types of stones are fine, river pebbles, to glass beads, whatever the case may be, is also fine.

Once you make a decision on your potting mix, just go ahead and fill up almost to about a half inch from the top of your pot, and get your bulbs planted on into the soil. It's suggested to leave maybe about a half an inch of the top of that bulb, either a paperwhite or amaryllis. Maybe with an amaryllis, you might be able to leave more about an inch from that crown. You don't want to sink that whole entire bulb deep down into that soil, because you can run into problems like crown rot or root rot when it's planted too deep. But, just to be on the safe side, you can go ahead and let the crowns exist above the soil just like that, that's totally fine. Most of your healthy paperwhites that you buy should already kind of be semi-sprouted. That means they're off, and ready to get started once immediately you put them in the soil. But, get them planted, water them in really well. And then, you'll really want to try to find kind of a bright area for growing these. If you put them in too much of a shady area, they're really just going to grow really tall. They're going to stretch out for that sunlight, they're going to get kind of leggy. And, a lot of times, they just kind of fall over, and the bloom on them really isn't all that great. So, you really want to make sure the more light that you're giving them during the growing phases, the smaller, the more compact, the dark rich green they're going to be, and the flower's going to stand nice up and erect on that plant. So, that's really the main thing you want to be considering.

And also, treat it like a houseplant. When you have soil, you kind of want to make sure that soil dries just a little bit in between waterings. You don't always want to be watering heavily once every day or two, or else you're going to go ahead and surely rot out that bulb. But, just go ahead and feel that soil. When it's semi-moist, or a little bit dry, to the touch, go ahead and just water it in really well. A lot of people might, kind of the improper way of watering, is to feel it, if it needs water, maybe add about a half a cup, or just ind of spritz it with water. It's not enough. With watering, once it's dry, it's really best to go ahead and saturate that whole pot, let a little bit of water drain out the bottom, and then you're set. And then, you don't have to worry about it for a week, two weeks, all depending on your conditions. But, you want to just make sure you have a nice, mildly moist, potting soil to get your plants off. Once again, this is Matt, with Gardens of Babylon. For more information on growing these, or other houseplants, check out www.GardensofBabylon.com. Have a great day.

Did you hear about the successful bonsai tree grower? 

He got so good he ended up looking for a house with a smaller garden. 

Horti-Culture Corner 

"If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener." 

- J. C. Raulston 

Is all this snow good for your garden? 

by Sandi Duncan www.farmersalmanac.com/blog 

Ever hear the weather lore: “Year of snow, crops will grow”?

Think about it this way:

Sub zero temperatures mean that snowfall is much lighter because there isn’t much water vapor in the air When temperatures are closer to 32 degrees Fahrenheit snowfall can be heavy and wet.

Years ago many farmers decided that if there was a snowy winter, temperatures wouldn’t be that cold, so the planting season could start earlier in the year.

They also thought there would be more water from the snow melt to help seeds sprout and seedlings grow.

Thus, the proverb Year of Snow Crops.

Maybe thinking about this weather lore will help give you the patience to get through this long, snowy winter, and help you get a jump start on your garden.

Snow Cover Is Good For Your Home Garden 

by Todd Heft on bigblogofgardening.com 

Snow has a remarkable insulating effect. It protects dormant perennials, bulbs, and plant crowns from freezing and thawing cycles and thus keeps plants from dying over the winter. If the snow wasn’t covering many of your plants, their cells would be exposed to freezing temperatures and when they thawed, the plants would die.

 Snow also insulates the soil and protects it from a deep freeze, which could damage the root systems of trees and shrubs. Without the snow, soil would be allowed to freeze and when warming temperatures arrived, soil or frost heave would occur, which can snap root systems and dry out plants. dogwood tree after snow storm

Downside of early snowfall is snow collecting in tree tops, the weight from which snaps tree limbs

 Of course, snow has its downside to garden plants as well. After a snow, you should always clear the white stuff from bushes and trees that might be damaged from the weight. I experienced this one year after a particularly hard winter when snow falling off of my roof smashed the branches of a bush apart, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the bush. Fortunately, I roped the bush up in the spring and it grew to hide the hole. Winter Drought

Did you know that your plants can experience a drought in the winter? Inspect the bushes and other plants under the eaves of your house. If snow doesn’t fall there, take some snow and fill it in around the base of the bush or plant to insulate the crown and root and to provide moisture as the snow melts. That’s called snow mulching. Don’t go overboard and pack too much around it, because you want to make sure that the melting snow easily drains away when the thaw comes.

Please note that you should avoid using snow from the edge of your driveway, street, or sidewalks for snow mulching, as it may be contaminated with chemicals intended for melting ice, which are very high in salt content and can quickly kill almost any plant.

October 2012

Planters Punchlines

Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield

October 2012

Next Meeting - Monday October 22th  @ 7:00 p.m.

     

Our speaker for October 22nd will be Bill Yule of the Connecticut River Museum in Essex.  Bill will talk about his work at the museum (including emcee of the Eagle Watch boat tours) and share his hobby – stalking and photographing wild mushrooms.

Mark Your Calendar:

Holiday Party @ the Solomon Welles House on Monday December 3rd

Compostable Matter

By Jim Meehan

     

The best tools are the simplest ones.

      

 This is especially true for the implements of gardening – an activity that has, at most, four components – planting, watering, pruning and harvesting – (the last two of which are optional, or at least not applicable to all situations).

       

Few devices are more basic than the shovel – or its Mini-Me clone the trowel.  So basic in fact that when I asked the Internet “what are the parts of a shovel?”, it told me that the answer did not exist.  Who’d of thought I could stump a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies with a simple question about dumb tool that you stick into the ground?  Clearly Bill Gates and the other geeks need to get their hands dirty.

      

 (Speaking of which – a brief political aside if I may.  Should we really be entrusting the running of our government to anyone who has never planted their own flower or mowed their own lawn?  And not just as a photo-op.  I don’t think so.)

      

 My Sunbeam kitchen timer just interrupted my writing to remind me it was time to move my yard sprinkler.  We are planting a new lawn to replace the grass that was immolated by the 26 hour-a-day sunburn that now afflicts the part of our yard once protected from harmful UV rays by three storm-damaged trees we had removed.  The new seeds need water in order to germinate.  I was hoping to give just enough H2O to make them feel wanted, which I could easily (and enjoyably) do by schlepping around the area with my trusty watering cans.  Apparently the seeds are needier than that.  So I am forced to use my hose and sprinkler for daily 25-minute showers.

       

This admittedly is more effective.  But it’s not really gardening.

       

Gardening is soaking the dehydrated roots of water-loving plants individually, by hand and on foot, with a watering can.  Currently I have three – two green plastic one and one silver galvanized – that I use on a regular basis to provide liquid sustenance to the potted annuals that Marsha created and the two or three perennials that seem distressed by the inconsistent rain pattern that has afflicted our weather this summer.

       

I leave the portable spouted pots on the edge of one of our perennial gardens – the one closest to our rain barrel and the end of our backyard hose – filled to the top and ready to go with sun-warmed gallons of what once was called Adam’s ale.  It usually takes three pailfuls to make my regular rounds.   But I do not use each one in sequence and then fill them all later.  Instead I use one, then put it under the opened rain barrel spigot.  While pail number 1 is being replenished I grab pail number 2 and continue my next set of rounds with the goal of completing them just as number 1 is being topped off.  At which point I swap 2 for 1 and head off for round number 3.  (For those who care, I alternate which container is number 1, etc. so none of them feel neglected.)

       

After I have finished the plants feel refreshed and so do I.  That’s not the way I feel when I use my lawn sprinkler.

       

Anything that you can do while you are doing something else, you are not really doing.

           

     

Pumpkinology 101

http://www.pumpkinfresh.com/facts.htm

Below is an abundance of fun information about pumpkins; History of the Jack O'Lantern, Pumpkin Facts, even some World Record Pumpkins, along with some unique pumpkin photos.  Enjoy!

History of the Jack O'Lantern

The Irish brought the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern to America. But, the original Jack O'Lantern was not a pumpkin. The Jack O'Lantern legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History. As the story goes, Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil himself. One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree. Once the Devil climbed up the apple tree, Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. The Devil was then unable to get down the tree. Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the Devil down.

       

Many years later, when Jack finally died, he went to the pearly gates of Heaven and was told by Saint Peter that he was too mean and too cruel and had led a miserable and worthless life on earth. He was not allowed to enter heaven. He then went down to Hell and the Devil. The Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter Hell. Now Jack was scared and had nowhere to go but to wander about forever in the darkness between heaven and hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave as there was no light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell to help him light his way. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed out Turnip, one of his favorite foods which he always carried around with him whenever he could steal one. For that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went with his "Jack O'Lantern".

      

 On all Hallow's eve, the Irish hollowed out Turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. They placed a light in them to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away. These were the original Jack O'Lanterns.

Did you know that a pumpkin is really a squash?

Yes, it is!  It's a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers.

Did you know that pumpkins are grown all over the world?

Yes, in fact six of the seven continents can grow pumpkins!  Antarctica is the only continent that they won't grow in.  Pumpkins even grow in Alaska!

Did you know that the "pumpkin capital" of the world is Morton, Illinois?

Yes, this self proclaimed pumpkin capital is where you'll find the home of the Libby corporation's pumpkin industry.

And did you know that the Irish brought this tradition of pumpkin carving to America?

The tradition originally started with the carving of turnips. When the Irish immigrated to the U.S., they found pumpkins a plenty and they were much easier to carve for their ancient holiday.

Pumpkin Fun Facts:

* Pumpkins originated in Central America.

* The name pumpkin originated from "pepon" – the Greek word for "large melon."

* Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A.

* Pumpkins are fruit.

* Pumpkin flowers are edible.

* Pumpkin seeds can be roasted as a snack.

* Pumpkins are used to make soups, pies and breads.

* Pumpkins are used for feed for animals.

* Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.

* The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.

* In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.

* Colonists sliced off pumpkin tips; removed seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie.

* Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

* The largest "official" pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,340 pounds.

* The largest "unofficial" pumpkin ever grown weighed 1'458 pounds, but was not awarded due to damage.

* The Connecticut field variety is the traditional American pumpkin.

* Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

* Eighty percent of the pumpkins supply in the United States is available in October.

* Native Americans flattened strips of pumpkins, dried them and made mats.

* Native Americans called pumpkins "isqoutm, or isquotersquash."

* Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.

Much debate over what to do with dead leaves

by Susan Harris - http://homesteadgardens.wordpress.com

It all started when an article called “Leaf it Be!” was distributed via email list to gardeners around Metro DC.   In it, the author comes to the rescue of dead leaves, saying they’re ”an important part of the ecosystem, a natural fertilizer.  When did they become our enemy?”  And she’s right – dead leaves, when left in the garden, hold water, neutralize acid, and slowly release nutrients.  They’re a valuable resource that we can all agree don’t belong in some landfill.

       

But figuring out exactly WHAT to do with dead leaves turns out to be no easy thing.   ‘Leaf it Be!” and a bunch of animated email group responses to it got me interested in the answer(s).

      

 In Borders and around Trees and Shrubs

       

More and more we’re being urged to leave dead leaves in place in the garden, and clearly in some situations it’s a fine idea.  But not for all, including my own garden with its abundance of mature oaks.  Like most everything in nature, it depends.  In this case, you have to ask:

       

How many leaves are we talking about?

       

How kind of leaves – the big oak leaves that prevent water from penetrating the soil, or thin elm leaves that don’t smother plants?

       

And will the leaves be covering a groundcover you’d rather not kill?   

       

What everyone DOES agree on is that putting chopped dead leaves in borders and around trees and shrubs is fine.  Actually, it’s terrific – because chopped leaves do all those great things that leaves do, without doing any harm.  It enjoys all the benefits we’ve come to know and love in any good organic mulch, which is what chopped leaves become.  For about chopped-leaf mulch, check the Illinois Extension Service. 

       

On Lawn

       

Apparently NO one is suggesting that whole leaves be allowed to sit on and eventually smother the lawn.    (Don’t believe me?)  But it’s also true that lots of experts are now advising chopping up the leaves that drop on lawn - by mowing over them – and leaving them in place to serve as a source of organic matter for the soil and some nutrients for the turfgrass.  Chopped leaves are known to increase microbial activity in the soil. 

       

But wait; some brand new research proves that chopped leaves not only add organic matter and nutrients – they suppress weeds!

       

Anywhere in the Garden

       

With all this discussion of leaves being left in the garden, an email from Ed Brandt to the email group got everyone’s attention because he’s a big shot in the regional office of the EPA.  He quoted from the Tick Management Handbook by Kirby Stafford, which repeatedly recommends removing leaves.  It wasn’t clear if that included chopped leaves, so we need a bit of clarification there, Ed.

       

On Hard Surfaces

       

For obvious safety purposes, dead leaves should be removed early and often from surfaces people walk on.   And certainly all wood surfaces benefit from having the leaves removed to prevent rotting. 

Making and Using Leaf Mold

By Colleen Vanderlinden, About.com Guide

     

Leaf mold is an excellent, free soil amendment. It is easy to make, simple to use, and has a huge impact on soil health.

       

What is Leaf Mold?  Leaf mold is the result of letting leaves sit and decompose over time. It is dark brown to black, has a pleasant earthy aroma and a crumbly texture, much like compost. In fact, leaf mold is just that: composted leaves. Instead of adding a bunch of organic matter to a pile, you just use leaves.

       

Benefits of Leaf Mold

       

You may be wondering why you shouldn't just make compost. Why bother making a separate pile just for leaves? The answer is that while compost is wonderful for improving soil texture and fertility, leaf mold is far superior as a soil amendment. It doesn't provide much in the way of nutrition, so you will still need to add compost or other organic fertilizers to increase fertility. Leaf mold is essentially a soil conditioner. It increases the water retention of soils. According to some university studies, the addition of leaf mold increased water retention in soils by over 50%. Leaf mold also improves soil structure and provides a fantastic habitat for soil life, including earthworms and beneficial bacteria.

       

How to Make Leaf Mold

       

There are two popular ways to make leaf mold, and both are ridiculously simple. The one thing you'll need to keep in mind is that leaf mold doesn't happen overnight. Leaves are basically all carbon, which takes a lot longer to break down than nitrogen-rich materials such as grass clippings. The decomposition process for leaves takes at least six to twelve months. The good news is that it's basically six to twelve months with very little work on the gardener's part.

       

The first method of making leaf mold consists of either piling your leaves in a corner of the yard or into a wood or wire bin. The pile or bin should be at least three feet wide and tall. Pile up your leaves, and thoroughly dampen the entire pile. Let it sit, checking the moisture level occasionally during dry periods and adding water if necessary.

       

The second method of making leaf mold requires a large plastic garbage bag. Fill the bag with leaves and moisten them. Seal the bag and then cut some holes or slits in the bag for air flow. Let it sit. Check the bag every month or two for moisture, and add water if the leaves are dry.

       

After six months to a year, you will have finished leaf mold. Impatient? There are a couple of things you can do to speed up the process:

       

Before adding leaves to your pile or bag, run over them a couple of times with your lawn mower. Smaller pieces will decompose more quickly.

       

Use a shovel or garden fork to turn your leaf pile every few weeks. If you are using the plastic bag method, just turn it over or give it a firm shake. This will introduce air into the process, which speeds decomposition.

       

If you are using the pile or bin method, cover your pile with a plastic tarp. This will keep the leaves more consistently moist and warm

      

 How to Use Leaf Mold

       

Leaf mold has several uses in the garden. You can dig or till it into garden beds to improve soil structure and water retention. You can use it as mulch in perennial beds or vegetable gardens. It's also fabulous in containers, due to its water retaining abilities.

      

 Leaf mold is simple, free, and effective. If you're lucky enough to have a tree or two (or ten) on your property, you've got everything you need to make great garden soil.

Did You Know? Fun Facts in the Garden

By Toni Leland (http://davesgarden.com)

     

Fall is here and quickly on its way out in many parts of the country. Gardens are slipping gently into winter slumber. What's a gardening nut to do? Enjoy the brief respite with some fun facts.

     

DID YOU KNOW?

     

Dragonflies can fly up to 20 miles per hour!   They also hover and fly backwards. These insect-devouring hunters should be a welcome sight in any garden, consuming gnats, midges, beetles, moths, and mosquitoes. More than 400 dragonfly and damselfly species inhabit North America.

       

The average caterpillar has 4,000 muscles, and 248 in its head alone! Caterpillars are the larval stage of moths and butterflies in the order Lepidoptera. Over 180,000 species fall into this classification.

        

Planting just 3 shade trees around your home can save between $100 and $250 per year in energy costs! Best choices for aiding inside temperature are deciduous trees, which shade the house from the sun in summer, but allow the sun to penetrate during winter. Evergreens are a good choice for blocking cold northern winds.

       

 Ancient Egyptian laborers ate onions to give them strength while building the pyramids!

       

The Allium genus is one of the largest plant genera in the world, with over 1,250 species. Onions are also one of the oldest vegetables used as a food source. Historical citations list onions as a leading ingredient for infertility, impotence, headache, hair loss, and in muscle liniments.

        

You can tell the temperature outside by listening to a cricket! Count the number of chirps in 15 seconds, then add 37. The sum will be the approximation of temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. The male cricket does most of the singing by rubbing his wings together, usually to attract a female, but often to sound an alert when danger is near.

       

Figs were the first domesticated crop in the Near East about 11,400 years ago! Archaeologists found carbonized figs in a village north of ancient Jericho, and compared the fruits to modern specimens. Through this comparison, they determined that the fruits had been intentionally propagated. 3

       

The world's largest flower measures up to 3 feet across and weighs close to 15 pounds!  Rafflesia arnoldii grows in the rainforests of Indonesia. It is a parasitic plant which uses a host plant to gather water and nutrients. Though beautiful to behold, the bloom has an odor similar to that of rotting meat.

       

The annoying Asian Lady Beetle is a beneficial insect! Though not welcome inside the house, these predators consume large quantities of aphids and scale insects, and are responsible for benefiting the pecan industry by controlling the pecan aphid.

        

A pair of doves can produce up to 5 or 6 broods a year! Generally, the female lays a clutch of 2 eggs. The nest is never left unattended; the male sits on the nest from mid-morning until late afternoon, then the female takes over for the night.

       

Variegated Dogwood Most variegated plants are actually mutations! Chlorophyll is the green pigment needed for photosynthesis. In variegated leaves, the cells that are genetically unable to produce this pigment appear white; some pigments in the mutated cells can produce pink or yellow. These interesting and attractive plants are prized by most gardeners, and highly cultivated by nurseries. A variegated plant will grow more slowly because of its reduced ability to produce food energy.

        

Some plants bloom at night to attract night-flying pollinators! Ever sit out at dusk and suddenly notice a heavenly scent on the air? Chances are, you or your neighbors have one or more of the common night-blooming species such as Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana alata), Moonflower (Ipomoea alba), or Angel's Trumpet (Datura inoxia). Petunias bloom during the day, but release their scent at night. August Hosta (Hosta plantaginea) fills the evening air with heavy perfume, and the Lemon lily (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus) and Citron Lily (Hemerocallis citrina) release a crisp, refreshing scent. Shrubs that are known for night scent are the Ear-leaved Umbrella Tree (Magnolia fraseri) and Sweet Bay (Magnolia virginiana).

      Horti-Culture Corner

     

      The fallen leaves that jewel the ground,

      They know the art of dying,

      And leave with joy their glad gold hearts,

      In the scarlet shadows lying.

     

      The Incredible String Band – “October Song”

Worm Watch (Part 1)

While other creatures are winging and swimming south as you read this, underground worm activity is also at a peak. Surprised? Fall and spring are a worm's favorite seasons! Dark, cool, and moist. That's how worms like it. Believe it or not, worms are responsible for eating many of the fallen leaves and debris that result from autumn season. They hang around because there's good stuff to eat, and they like the cool temps and moist conditions fall brings.

      Strange Garden Tool of the Month

      http://webecoist.momtastic.com

      

 DiviShovel Modern Gardening Tools by Jo Sumin

     

Small space gardeners – and those who hate toting around a lot of heavy garden tools – always appreciate compact designs that don’t take up a lot of room. The DiviShovel 4-in-1 garden tool by Jo Sumin packs two shovels, a hoe and a broom into one lightweight package that has a shoulder strap for easy carrying.

     

Worm Watch Part 2

 http://www.learner.org

     

When temperatures drop or soils get too warm or dry, worms know what to do. If it starts getting chilly, many kinds of worms tunnel deep into the soil before it freezes. Worms "migrate" downward, burrowing deeper to get past the frost. Sometimes they dig six feet deep! There they stay in their burrows, prisoners below soil frozen hard as rock and topped by ice and snow. They coil into a slime-coated ball and go into a sleep-like state called estivation, which is similar to hibernation for bears. (The mucous, or slime, keeps the worms from drying out.) Worms will survive in frozen or dry soils by estivation until conditions improve.

Not all kinds of earthworms make that downward journey to survive winter. Some kinds of earthworms lay their eggs in cocoons safe in the soil to hatch when conditions are right. Then they settle under leaf litter on top of the soil, where winter's cold makes them freeze and die.

September 2012

Planters Punchlines

Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield

September 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garden Club Kicks off 2011-12 Season

Monday Sept. 24 @ 7:00 p.m. Pitkin Community Center

“Honey Bees” @ Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield September Meeting

Mark Creighton, Connecticut’s Apiary Inspector and an urban beekeeper, will discuss honey bees, honey bee health, urban beekeeping and more at the September Meeting of the Men's Garden Club of Wethersfield on Monday September 24 @ 7:00 pm in the Pitkin Community Center, 30 Greenfield Street Wethersfield, CT.  Mark knows all about what is required to keep bees in Connecticut and why these rules are in place, and is a firm believer that urban gardens and beekeeping are great ways to counter the problem of monocultures.  Open to the public – bring a prospective member!

2012-2013 Club Officers

President:  Tony Sanders            
Vice President:   John Swingen Jr.

Secretary: Fred Odell               
Treasurer: Richard Prentice

Please welcome new club members James Sulzen and Peter Griswold. 

       

Compostable Matter 

By Jim Meehan

     

It started as a joke – influenced by a little laziness.  A volunteer “flower” (more likely a weed – a real one – not one of those cutesy “just plants growing in the wrong place” type of weed but an invasive, unwanted, ugly invader) appeared in the midst of my border-defining arborvitae.

       

I could hear the voice of Paul McCartney singing in my head:

       

“Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

There will be an answer, let it be.”

       

So I did. 

       

It had the large, floppy, green leaves of perhaps a skunk cabbage (not desirable but okay) or perhaps (in my dreams) rhubarb.  I could already taste the bittersweet sauce to be harvested. 

       

It was neither.

       

The plant grew taller and taller – each level like the one below with three or four long-stemmed, elephant eared leaves.  Walkers passing by our property stopped to talk and express if not admiration at least curiosity.  At around eight feet tall, golf ball-sized, purple hued thistles showed up at the ends of the branches.

       

And small animals in our hometown began to disappear.

       

Initially I didn’t make the connection.  Then I remembered the movie “Little Shop of Horrors” about Seymour a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant (“Audrey II) that starts out sweet and innocent but quickly morphs into a genormous carnivore that feeds on human flesh and blood.

       

Marsha and I don’t have any pets in the normal sense of the word – but we do feel a certain responsibility for the birds, squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks that pass through our habitat.  I took a rough count and thought that the population looked a little depleted.

       

It seemed a little silly but then again, why take any chances?  It is almost autumn, and we have already gotten more enjoyment this year out of the thistle than from any of our planned plantings.  It’s all horticulturally downhill from here.

       

I armed myself with my Japanese pruning saw and waded into the surrounding cedar brush.  There was a brief struggle and I thought that I heard a plaintive moan as I severed the two-inch stalk from its firmly imbedded root.  My tee shirt was littered with prickly balls, including two that found their way onto the inside and poked into my flesh as I bent down to dismember my fallen foe.

      

 As I stood over my opponent’s corpse I felt a wave of pride and relief.   Then I remembered the ending of the movie wherein Audrey II is similarly destroyed.  (Actually it was immolated, but our town doesn’t allow such things.)  The camera focuses on a distant part of Seymour’s lawn where a miniature Audrey III with a big S.E.G. is popping up through the soil.

       

I probably should do something about that remaining root.   On the other hand some of the neighborhood cats can be really annoying.

     

How to Remove Daisy Seeds

By M.H. Dyer, eHow Contributor – ehow.com

With its bright white petals and sunny yellow centers, Shasta daisy (Chrysanthemum maximum) is a familiar annual, but the Shasta daisy is only one of several different daisy varieties. Other familiar types of daisies include the African daisy, ox-eyed daisy, Michaelmas daisy and gloriosa daisy. Because the seeds are easily found in the center of each daisy flower, harvesting the seeds at the end of the blooming season is a simple matter and a good starter project for beginning seed collectors.

Difficulty:

    Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

    Red yarn

    Netting or paper sack

    Large tray

    Paper packet

 1 Leave a few daisy blooms on the plants at the end of the midsummer blooming season. Tie a piece of red yarn on the stem of the healthiest bloom, as big, healthy blooms net the best seeds.

        
2 Watch for the daisy flowers to shrivel and wilt at the end of the season. When the daisy petals drop, the seedhead remains on the stem. Allow the daisy seedhead to remain on the stem and dry naturally as long as possible, but don't wait too long. The seedhead will ripen and will gradually open and spill the seed on the ground. To prevent loss of seeds, wrap a piece of netting or a paper sack around the bloom.

        
3 Snip the dry seedhead from the plant. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a large tray, then place the tray in a shady, wind-free place for at least one week. It's critical that the daisy seeds are completely dry, as green seeds that sprout in storage may rot or mold. The dry seeds will be hard and brittle and may be brown or black, depending on the variety.

        
4 Pour the dry daisy seeds into a small paper packet, such as a paper bag or paper envelope. Note the date of harvest and the variety and color of the daisy on the outside of the packet. Alternatively, store daisy seeds in a glass jar, but don't store the seeds in plastic, as plastic may collect moisture and allow the seeds to rot.

        
5 Store the daisy seeds in a dark, cool spot until spring.

Gardening Q & A: Beneficial Insects and more

Master gardener Paul James answers gardening questions from viewers about dragonflies, organic products, poison ivy and more. (hgtv.com)

Q. Are dragonflies considered beneficial insects?

A. Dragonflies are extremely beneficial, and so are their smaller cousins, the damselflies. Sadly, however, both exist for a short 24 hours in the adult stage, but during that time they devour all kinds of critters, especially mosquitoes. And who doesn't enjoy watching them dart about in their quick, zigzag flying patterns?

Q. What's the most beneficial insect?

A. Frankly, I'm not aware of any research that actually answers that question. I suppose it may be lady beetles, but wasps also destroy a good many pests in the garden. However, if I could modify your question to what's the most beneficial arthropod--the group (phylum) that includes insects and arachnids — then the answer would be simple: Spiders are the unsung heroes in the garden. And their numbers are staggering. In fact, in only one acre, there can be as many as two million spiders.

So please don't destroy spiders. Instead, encourage them by mulching your garden beds and by avoiding the use of all garden chemicals, both synthetic and organic. Of course, you'll want to steer clear of poisonous spiders, and there are only two poisonous spiders in the U.S., the black widow and brown recluse and they rarely inhabit cultivated areas.

Q. Why do you call organic products chemicals?

A. Organic products are often referred to as chemicals because they are. Decades ago, the founders of the organic gardening movement sought to distinguish between synthetic products and manmade chemicals with those made from all-natural ingredients by calling the former "chemicals" and the latter "organics," but that's silly. The fact is that all gardening products — from pesticides and fertilizers to herbicides, regardless of how they're made or the ingredients they contain — are derived from chemicals. And that's why I refer to them as such.

Q. What's the difference between an herb and a spice?

A. Generally speaking, the herb comes from the leafy portion of the plant, while a spice comes from the bark or the seeds. However, some plants have dual personalities. Take dill for instance. The herb comes from the leafy portion. But later on, the plant produces seeds that can be used as spice.

Q. If exposed to poison ivy or poison oak sap, what should I do?

A. First, wash the affected area really well with a very strong soap, or use one of the relatively new commercial formulations made specifically to dissolve the sap of poison oak and poison ivy. If that's not possible, then wash the area with a solution made from two tablespoons vinegar and one cup of water or a 50-50 solution of alcohol and water. Remember to wash with cold water because hot water will open the pores of the skin and allow the sap to enter more easily. Chances are that you'll still develop the familiar and annoying rash. But if you react quickly, it will be less severe.

Q. What is piperonyl butoxide, and why is it found in so many organic insecticides?

A. Piperonyl butoxide, or PBO, is derived from sesame and it's used as a synergist in many different all-natural insecticides. Synergists don't have any insecticidal effects of their own, but they do enhance the overall insecticidal effects of many all-natural insecticides — in particular pyrethrine, rotenone and citrus oil derivatives. However, PBO is somewhat controversial because of fears it may affect the human nervous system. As a result, its use is typically not allowed on food crops that are certified to be organically grown.

Q. Which state has the greatest native plant diversity?

A. That's a very interesting question, and I had to do a fair amount of research to come up with an answer. But California takes the prize with a whopping 5,889 native plant species, followed by Texas with 4,663. And the state with the least amount of native plant diversity is North Dakota.

Horti-Culture Corner

The Wasp

by Ogden Nash

The wasp and all his numerous family

I look upon as a major calamity.

He throws open his nest with prodigality,

But I distrust his waspitality.

World\’s Largest Tomato

How To Grow The Biggest Tomatoes In Town in 6 Easy Steps - TomatoCasual.comBy Michelle Fabio

Ever look at some of your larger tomatoes and wonder if they’d be in the running for the Guinness Book of World Records?

       

Well unless they’re over 7 pounds, 12 ounces–yes folks, that’s a good-sized newborn baby–you’re out of luck.

       

Gordon Graham of Edmond, Oklahoma, holds the honor of growing the world’s largest tomato, which he harvested from his backyard greenhouse back in 1986.

       

Graham grew it on the theory that if he kept letting the plant get bigger, it’d be strong enough to hold, you guessed it, a big tomato.

       

And the theory paid off, although not before a storm blew over the entire 12-14 foot vine into his cantaloupes. He gave up on the tomato plant, but the future world’s largest tomato had other ideas and just kept growing on its own until one day, it came time to free it from the vine.

       

In fact, the entire plant became record-setting when it grew to 53 feet and 6 inches, the longest tomato vine ever grown.

       

Graham was honored for his efforts by Miracle-Gro, who presented him with an identical in size, weight, and shape epoxy replica of his perishable feat; he jokes that it’s great fun traveling through airports with it, as it never ceases to confound personnel.

      

 Not surprisingly, he also became the man to beat in Miracle-Gro’s $100,000 tomato-growing contest, but the closest competitors didn’t even come within a pound of Graham’s formidable fruit; the contest has since been discontinued, so now your only hope is to leap right into the hallowed halls of Guinness.

Best of luck!

Tomato Facts: Fun Information and Trivia

http://www.tomatodirt.com

Have fun! Enjoy these tomato facts and bits of interesting tomato trivia. You’ll get the dirt on who grows tomatoes, eating tomatoes – even tomato festivals.

American habits. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans eat between 22- 24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year. (More than half of those munchies are ketchup and tomato sauce.)

       

Popularity. The tomato is America’s fourth most popular fresh-market vegetable behind potatoes, lettuce, and onions.

       

Increasing popularity. Americans have increased their tomato consumption 30% over the last 20 years (mostly in processed forms such as sauce, paste, and salsa).

       

Toxic? While tomatoes are perfectly safe and healthy to eat, their leaves are actually toxic!

How will you take your tomatoes? As of 2007, Americans spend more on salsa than tomato ketchup.

       

Processed tomatoes. Americans consume three-fourths of their tomatoes in processed form.  Fun tomato facts about growers

shovel and tomato sprout

       

The average Joe. 93% American gardening households grow tomatoes.

       

Fresh tomatoes. Fresh-market tomatoes are grown in all 50 states.

      

 Biggest worldwide producers. The largest worldwide producer of tomatoes is China, followed by USA, Turkey, India and Egypt.

      

 Biggest U.S. producer – processed tomatoes. California produces 96% of the tomatoes processed in the U.S.

       

Biggest U.S. producer – fresh tomatoes. Florida is the number one producer of fresh market tomatoes (except in 2008).

Fun tomato facts: names

       

How it all began. Tomatoes are thought to originate in Peru. The name comes from the Aztec “xitomatl,” which means “plump thing with a navel”.

       

Love and paradise. When the tomato was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, The French called it “the apple of love.” The Germans called it “the apple of paradise.”

      

 For the wolves? The scientific term for the common tomato is lycopersicon lycopersicum, which mean “wolf peach.”

       

Fun tomato facts: even the tomato has “family issues”

       

How many kinds? The U.S. Department of Agriculture says there are 25,000 tomato varieties. Other sources cap the number of types of tomatoes at 10,000. (Either way, that’s a lot.)

       

Tomato cousins. Tomato is a cousin of the eggplant, red pepper, ground cherry, potato, and the highly toxic belladonna (a herbaceous perennial, also known as the nightshade or solanaccae, that has historically been used as both a medicine and poison).

Tomato headliners

       

Heaviest tomato. The heaviest tomato on record weighed in at 3.51 kg (7 pounds 12 ounces). A “delicious” variety, it was grown grown by Gordon Graham of Edmond, Oklahoma in 1986. Gordon sliced the tomato to make sandwiches for 21 family members.

       

Largest plant. The largest tomato plant (a “Sungold” variety), recorded in 2000, reached 19.8 meters (65 feet) in length and was grown by Nutriculture Ltd. of Mawdesley, Lancashire, UK.

      

 Biggest tomato tree. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest tomato tree grows at Walt Disney World Resort’s experimental greenhouse and yields a harvest of more than 32,000 tomatoes and weighs 1,151.84 pounds (522 kg). The plant was discovered in Beijing, China, by Yong Huang, Epcot's manager of agricultural science, who took its seeds and grew them in the experimental greenhouse. Today, the plant produces thousands of golf ball-sized tomatoes that are served at Walt Disney World's restaurants, and can be seen by tourists riding the "Living With the Land" boat ride at the Epcot Center.

       

Official veggie and official fruit. The tomato serves as both the official state vegetable and the official state fruit of Arkansas, in honor of the South Arkansas Vine Ripe Pink Tomato, sometimes known as “Bradley Pink.”

       

Official state beverage. Tomato juice is the official state beverage of Ohio.

       

Under consideration:. A proposal to the NJ State Assembly in 2008 requested that the tomato be adopted as the state’s official state vegetable, but to date the bid has not been passed.      Fun facts about tomato festivals

       

Messiest. La Tomatina (B?nol, Valencia, Spain), held annually on the last Wednesday in August, attracts tens of thousands of visitors. The highlight is the tomato fight, in which 30,000+ participants throw an estimated 150,000 overripe tomatoes (100 metric tons) at each other.

       

Most tastings. TomatoFest (Carmel, CA), coined as “America’s Favorite Tomato Festival,” was launched in 1991 and features 350 heirloom tomato variety tastings.

       

Fast-growing. Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival (Arkansas) was founded in 1954 as a one-day event and now grown to a week-long celebration with dozens of activities from contests to pageants to entertainment, attracting more than 30,000 visitors.

       

Popularity. At least 19 states hold tomato festivals. Find a tomato festival near you.

Make the Most of Herbs by Harvesting and Preserving

http://20minutegarden.com/

       

Herb gardens are a fun way to ease into gardening. Most herbs are undemanding and hardy; for the most part, herbs will grow in poor soil, do well in sun and partly sunny spots, and don’t mind the dry or hot weather that often comes our way. They are thrivers and survivors, often neglected because they are just too easy to get along with.

       

My experience with herbs is that, being so easy to plant and grow, they can be underappreciated. Sometimes herbs are planted, in part because they are “useful” plants, but then forgotten about and not put to any use.

      

 Take our lavender, for example. We have several healthy plants around the garden, and we have continued to add plants to our garden because we like lavender.

       

One minor triumph in a season of irregular (for many reasons) gardening is that I’ve have been harvesting lavender flowers. The best time to harvest lavender is before the buds open, and I usually remember that when the plants are in full bloom. I’ve done better than that this year. A half a dozen nice bundles of lavender are drying even as I write.

       

Harvesting herbs gives a gardener the chance to enjoy the benefits of the plants, but it also is good for the plants themselves. Many herbs such as thyme, oregano, and basil will get “bushier” following a trim or pruning and make for a second harvest later in the season. Most herbs are at their peak just before flowering, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to the plant’s life cycle.

       

The best time to harvest herbs is in the morning after the dew has dried but before the full sun is on the plant. Wash the stalks gently under cold water and dry on towels or paper towels.

      

Preserving herbs is a simple and straightforward process. Herbs can be dried by being hung in bunches tied with string. Put them in a dry, well-circulating area out of direct sunlight. Another method of drying herbs is placing them on cookie sheets in the oven on a low temperature of less than 180F for 2 to 4 hours.

Some people like drying herbs in the microwave. This isn’t a method I use, but it is supposed to work fine for small batches of herbs. Place a single layer of clean, dry leaves between two paper towels and microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes. Let the leaves cool and test. If they are not brittle enough to crumble easily, microwave them for another 30 seconds.

       

Some herbs, like mint or basil, may darken if dried in sunlight. To avoid that problem, place clean, dried herbs inside a paper bag and hang in a well-ventilated area to dry. It works surprisingly well, and the paper bag makes collecting the leaves as you remove them much easier.

      

 Herbs can also be frozen. Coarsely chop clean herbs and place them in a water-filled ice cube tray. Freeze solid and then place the herb ice cubes in freezer bags.

      

 When drying herbs, make sure that the herbs are completely dry before storing in air-tight containers. I like to use pint jars or recycle herb jars or other small jars to store and enjoy my garden herbs all year long.