Blackberries

My daughter said I ought to start reposting on The Garden Doc blog.  Sorry for the hiatus but major changes have occurred in my life.  Now things have settled down.

Three years ago I purchased one plant of Doyle's thornless blackberry plants.  Two of my brothers both made purchases earlier and raved about them.  So I bought a plant, planted it along a garden fence that is supposed to keep out deer and watched.  It sprouted a small cane the first year and I thought great, next year a larger cane will emerge.  The second year, nothing.  I searched and couldn't find it.  I racked it up to another idea plant that couldn't make it through the Wisconsin winter.

Last winter was a mild winter.  It only went below zero a couple of times and never got below -10 degrees F.  This spring another shoot emerged through the raspberries I have allowed in the area and continued to grow up, then curved over along the fence with a final length of about 10 feet.  This is a healthy cane.

After not seeing anything for a year, what happened?  Maybe the roots were just taking their sweet time getting established.  Maybe the colder winter two years ago killed off the cane and the plant struggled to maintain a root system.  Maybe there was a cane last year and I didn't notice it.  My eye sight is good but not like it used to be.  Anyway, I now have one very nice vine that if it overwinters will flower and provide some nice berries.

My thoughts now are, will it winter kill.  The only way to know is wait until next spring.  I could try to help it overwinter by laying it on the ground and covering it to try and keep it warm.  I won't do that.  I am of the opinion that if it is going to grow in WI it will have to be tough.

Happy Gardening,

The Garden Doc

Musings of a Weird Spring

Things never cease changing. I hope I didn't lose followers with my month hiatus.

March was very warm and several plant species started blossoming early. The result is most likely many frozen flowers meaning much fruit will be lost. I had early blossoms forming on apple and pear trees and starting to open late March to early April. Some are still opening. My honey crisp apple still has some blossoms and has had for a month. The University of Minnesota has been highly successful finding apple varieties that have fruit even in the cold harsh Northern Great Plains environment. The first blossoms were a month ago. Some froze but the later ones will probably bear fruit. We had 23 degrees when the pear tree bloomed. The tender flower parts, the stigma, style, ovary, pistals and stamens just can't tolerate much frost.

A tree which doesn't know whether to leaf out or flower. 

The apple flower stages are bud, pink, popcorn, bloom and post bloom. Apple buds withstand frost into the low 20 degrees. The pink stage survives temperatures in the mid to high 20's and open apple blossoms will freeze at about 30 to 31 degrees. This all depends on whether the cold temperatures hugged the ground or were higher up, and was there wind to kept the temperatures stirred up. Also, was the tree in a protected area. Apples produce the flower buds starting in July the previous year. Other fruits like berries form the blossoms in the spring just before they open.

Two methods may be bred into apples to help insure survival of apple fruit. One is to spread the opening of blossoms over a longer time or find varieties that have the blooms open later in the year when chance of frost is low. During April while the early blossoms were forming and opening we had three periods of time with temperatures into the mid to low twenties. Hopefully there will be some apples and pears. Our usual bloom time is about the second or third week of May.

Lilacs usually bloom in late May for Memorial day. This year many froze and a few odd survivibg lilac flowers are opening now. One of the odd items are my raspberries. One cane leafed out early and has flowers ready to open. Others of the same variety have just beginning green buds to start leaves. Why does nature have such a diversity within species? I guess survival of the fittest and this is how evolution truly works.

A lavendar plant loved by bees

My beehives are up and humming along with flowers to forage on for nectar and pollen. The current main flower is the dandelion. Four years ago, I lost all my hives. The winter lasted with snow finally leaving my back yard the middle of April. When I could finally get to my hives to check I tried to order new bee colonies. All bee colonies were sold out. This year there were flowers opening for bees to forage in late March. I would like to have had new colonies in March.

Why I keep bees - I love the sweetnes of honey

A Christmas tree grower has spent many nights watering his young tender trees to warm them and kept them from freezing or the new growth from freezing. If the new growth all freezes on a Christmas tree, it just doesn't grow much that year. The frost had some new trees laying flat on the ground but they didn't freeze. Even though Spring is early, we need to remember our frost free day is usually in May. In my area it is May 24. Life can be tough in nature, we have to be tougher.

One last note for pie cherry lovers. Michigan estimates that the pie cherry growing area has 80% loss of blossoms due to frost. Somehow, the canners will find some cherries for cherry pie filling. This occurred about 20 years ago and they started using black sweet cherries for pies.

The Garden Doc

Container Gardening

Making container gardens is both art and science. The art is creating the various looks and the science is growing and keeping the plants alive. These are a few of the pictures from an open air mall in Walnut Creek, California.


A bright colorful flower group.


A simple flower pot with beautiful color.


The pots have plants that are growing taller.


Now the plants in the pots are turning into animals.


A two tier floral and foliage display.


A large planter with plants formed as a snake.


A nice variety of colorful flowers.


My personal choice of color and floral variety from two pots side by side.

Maybe the above pictures will stimulate your creative ideas. If you see or grow your own interesting pot gardens, please share. All of the photos shown are actual size taken with a Blackberry Bold phone camera.

Happy Gardening,
The Garden Doc

Effects of an Early Warm Spring

A Fruit Tree with almost open blossoms

Monday March 25 was the first night in over two weeks that the temperature was below freezing. A news reporter stated that well over 1000 high temperature records have been broken the past two weeks. Fruit trees are in bloom or past bloom in much of the USA at least 6 weeks ahead of normal. A paper article from MN stated apple growers were struggling to get protective apple sprays on to prevent apple scab a month earlier than normal. A local home depot store had plants out side for sale.

A nursery employee and I were discussing the effects of early spring and she said the Minneapolis soil temperature was 55 degrees F. For lawns this means crabgrass is germinating. To prevent crabgrass use a good crabgrass preventer now. This is probably the best piece of lawn advice you will have if you have crabgrass. A good application will give about 100% control. However, since the application is going down about a month early, it may mean the preventive action will run out before the season runs out and you may have late emerging crabgrass this August. If you normally get 4 months control and you apply in March, it runs out in July. Crabgrass will emerge and mature in a very short time in late summer.
Forsythia indicates crabgrass is germinating.

Most plants, insects, weeds, and some diseases emerge and mature based on growing degree days, GDD. It is calculation based on how warm the day gets above a minimum temperature and each daily amount is added throughout the season. This works well in most areas. Whitney Cranshaw from Colorado State University stated “Shortly after I moved here I tried to see how well some previously proposed models worked, particularly with clearwing borers (lilac/ash borer) and pine needle scale. They did not appear to work very well at all and my thinking was that the high sunlight in our state skews GDD estimates.” In other words, bright sunlight may warm things and speed up development above what GDD would indicate.
A plum tree in bloom

The downside of very early springs is. Fruit blossoms emerge and get frozen. There is a listing of how well developed the fruit can be and how low of temperature the blossom can withstand. When the blossom bunch is tight and not really loose it can withstand down to mid to low twenties. When the blossom is opened, it freezes at about 30 degrees F. Daffodil plants can withstand a hard freeze but the blooms will freeze. Red beet plants in the garden have had enough time to have germinated and emerged. Newly emerged seedlings freeze at 28 to 30 degrees F. If it can get to the 4 leaf stage they will withstand a hard frost. The maple syrup industry was devastated this year with about 1/3 the normal harvest.

Insects may start emerging and then a hard frost kills them off. This can result in a lower number of insects to start the warm summer weather. If they emerge and there is no hard freeze it could mean a summer of bad insect problems. What generally happens is insects that fly in from the south arrive much earlier than normal. The first plants that emerge may take the brunt of early insect damage when normally they would not be bothered. Little black flea beetles will have time to develop into a bad problem before some vegetable garden crops are emerged. They may cause a real problem for early vegetables. Flea beetles will transmit Stewarts Wilt to sweet corn. This is not normally much of problem but this year could be the year when it is a problem.

Regardless of the weather now, it can change. Remember the frost free day doesn’t change from year to year regardless of the type of spring weather. A comment on a global warning article said warm winters usually mean a cool summer, that is why we call it an average temperature.

Best of Luck this very early spring,

The Garden Doc

Potatoes

Monday March 19 I planted potatoes in North Central Wisconsin. The temperatures have been setting record highs for several days and no freezing weather is in the forecast. If the weather stays warm I will harvest the first new potatoes in early June. March 17 is the earliest I ever planted potatoes when I lived in Ohio. The chance of these potatoes being nipped by frost is high but if the potatoes get nipped with frost they will recover but the yield may be less. I may have to cover the plants. Our frost free day is May 22.

My mother read an article advertizing a potato planting system using their particular tubs filled with potting soil. As the potatoes produced tubers, you could reach into the soft soil, possibly straw on top, and harvest what you need. Two years ago a friend from West Virginia bought some potatoes sold for seed to plant in pots. Later that year she said one plant had produced 28 edible potatoes and she was still harvesting. She couldn’t believe the productive potential of one small potato seed piece.

Another friend asked about growing potatoes in straw. Check out these web sites.
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/VegFruit/potatoes.htm
http://www.vegetable-gardening-online.com/growing-potatoes-in-straw.html

Growing potatoes in straw will work. Remember that the seed potato piece needs to be on the soil so the roots penetrate the soil to get nutrients and water. Two years ago all of the potatoes I harvested were not used. A few were stored in a box in the basement where temperatures remains somewhat cool and it is dark. At potato harvest time in late September I retrieved the box with the potatoes. The potatoes had grown vines and growing off the vines were a few small potatoes. One of the potatoes was the size of ping pong ball. The variety was Yukon Gold and the daughter potato had perfectly smooth skin. All the vine and little potatoes formed from carbohydrates, nutrients and moisture in the parent tuber.

Remember to choose good certified seed potatoes. From experience with side by side rows, potatoes from good seed grew much better, produced much higher quality, and yielded much more than the row planted from low quality seed saved from the year before.

Here are potatoes I am familiar with and can recommend:
Reds – Norland, Pontiac (Norland has smoother skin and shallower eyes)
Whites – Kennebec, Katahdin, Shepody, Snowden
Russets – Burbank, Norkotah, they are mostly all good.
Yellow flesh - Yukon Gold, Yukon Gem
Specialty potatoes - Many fingerlings and specialty colored potatoes

For a list and description go to this web site:
http://potatoes.wsu.edu/varieties/vars-all.htm
Thanks Washington State University

The seed potatoes you mostly end up with will be what the garden center or store you get the seed from offers. You can plant potatoes from the grocery store but they may have been treated with a sprout inhibitor that will delay and slow growth.

A last thought; the best mashed potatoes I have ever eaten were from a combination of Russet, Yukon Gold, and Red Norland potatoes. The flavor was well rounded and complete with a varietal mixture.

The Garden Doc

Maple Syrup

Making maple syrup has always been a dream ever since learning about it in grade school.  While visiting a hardware store I found a little book about making maple syrup with the taps used to extract the sap from maple trees.  The book and a few taps are now mine.  I hope I have sugar maples!

Last Saturday seemed like the perfect day to start.  Following the instructions in the book, I got my portable drill, attached a ½ inch bit and scooted out to my maple trees.  The book said use a 7/16 inch drill, but I only had a ½ inch drill.  I doubt the tree knows the difference.  Following the directions, I drilled a hole slightly upwards into the trunk.  The tap was inserted with ease and a little tap-tap with a rubber mallet secured it.  The tap comes with a little hook to hang the bucket but being in the modern era, I attached a clear plastic hose and ran the sap into a clean 5 gallon bucket. 

The inserted tap.  If you look carefully you can see a drop of sap.

As soon as the drilling and tapping was complete little drips of clear liquid started seeping out of the taps.

The modern hose and bucket system.  Would you believe there was snow when the tree was tapped.

The best maple syrup weather is warm sunny days and cold nights.  Saturday was a warm sunny day and as the next few days rolled along the days got warmer and the nights never really got cold.  Most of the temperatures this week have been in the high 60’s to 70’s.   Despite the lack of ideal weather, one week later I had about two gallons of sap.  Most of it was obtained on Saturday and Sunday, day one and two.

One week later is boil down day.  It takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.   My 2 gallons of sap should make a little less than a cup of pure maple syrup.  The straight sap has no taste.  After losing 50% of the water it starts to have a slightly sweet taste.  After 75% evaporation it tasted like a sweetened drink.  At 1 cup, maple syrup was the result.

My scant 1 cup of maple syrup still warm in the jar

Check out this blog.  http://www.windymeadowsfarm.blogspot.com/

The March 1 post, with pictures, describes a visit to an actual maple syrup shed with a large evaporator.

Maple syrup houses always use wood fires for evaporation, because it is inexpensive, and stainless steel evaporation pans.  My hobby operation, or experiment, used the kitchen stove and a stainless steel pan.  I could have jerry-rigged something else but the stove was sitting there calling for its use and made it simple.   The cost of electricity for evaporation was probably sky high but who is counting for one cup of pure home made maple syrup.

Should be pancakes tomorrow.

The Garden Doc

To Mulch or not to Mulch

A major lawn herbicide was taken off the market eight to ten years ago because compost made with lawn clippings caused damage to plants the compost was applied around.  A specific herbicide sprayed on the lawns survived the heat and microbial process of composting.  A subsequent study found lawn clippings used as mulch after common lawn herbicides were applied damaged several vegetables.  Clippings from treated lawns caused damage for a few weeks after the herbicide application.  The bottom line is, “use caution” if you make pesticide applications to lawns then use the grass clippings for garden mulch.   

When planting beds, whether flower or vegetable, consider mulch for both aesthetics and weed control.  Below is a short discussion of different mulch or weed barriers.

Landscape fabrics – These are great for long term use in perennial plant beds or as removable weed mats in vegetable and ornamental gardens.  They are quite costly but last for years.  If in permanent landscape, bury under rocks or wood mulch and cut holes where plants will be planted.  Water and nutrients will filter through the mat but weeds won’t grow through the mat.  A few weeds may grow through the transplant hole and eventually enough dirt and weeds seeds will be present to grow a few weeds on top of the mat.  They are usually black on not very pretty.

Red plastic mulch

Plastic mulch – Plastic mulch works well in seasonal gardens, especially in vegetables.  They mainly keep weeds out but also can keep soils moist, and heat the soil for quicker growth in cold climates.  Water doesn’t penetrate plastic mulch so it must soak in from underneath the edges or have a water line under the plastic.  Clear, black, or colored plastic all work.  Weeds will grow under clear plastic but not colored or black plastic.  The aesthetic value is very low if using in ornamental beds.  Plastic is inexpensive.

Properly transplanting and mulching of a tree

Wood, Straw, Pine bark nuggets, Pine straw (needles) – These work similarly with the only variable being the texture and color.  Basically any vegetative material would work if it didn’t overload the soil with excess nutrients.  Most mulch is applied more for the aesthetics and then provides the weeds control.  In times past it was applied for weed control then when the mulches were visually appealing in the landscape the purpose shifted.  The problem with most mulch is it gets applied way to thick.  The worst is when it is mounded around tree trunks.  Many over mulched trees will eventually die. Organic mulch should be one to 2 inches thick and not cover the root flare on trees or lower the soil line on perennials and annuals.  These mulches have been shown to provide 80+ percent weed control when an inch thick.  A product of herbicide impregnated mulch now is on the consumer market for homeowner use.  It works and definitely should not be over applied. Tender transplants may not grow in around herbicide treated mulch. 
Grass clipping do work as mulch.  They have some nutritive value, but usually during the next year.  They can provide weed control just like any other mulch for weed control.  Some people have used odd materials such as cardboard.  Weeds rarely push through items like cardboard but it isn't very pretty.

Years ago a local scout troop I was associated with got the contract to supply mulch to several local church houses.  The troop was able to sufficiently fund its activities for two years with one day of several folks working hard.  A wood products company about a mile from my house has a major seasonal business of providing colored mulches bulk to homeowners who pick up one small pickup load for $30.  His mulch comes in two or three shades of red to brown, black, blue and who knows.  Blue wasn’t the most popular color but eventually disappeared.

The mulch business is big business.



Avoid volcano mulching trees