Decorating the Garden Path

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Giant Vegetables

Many gardeners enjoy the competition of growing the largest vegetables and flowers - giant vegetables and flowers. It is truly amazing how large some of these giants will grow. I’m not talking about that baseball bat zucchini that hid out under the leaves. I’m talking about 100 pound cabbages and pumpkins that gain 25 pounds in a day. These giants take planning and care.

To seriously compete with the seasoned giant vegetable growers, you’ll need to put considerable effort into your soil, your choice of site and your gardening technique. But to get you started having some fun growing giant sized vegetables, here are 5 easy steps toward success. Choose the Right Seed

This is the most important step, because some varieties simply grow larger than others. Serious giant growers will often seek out rare seeds to grow. You can start your own giant lineage by selecting a promising variety, like Atlantic Giant Pumpkin or Old Colossus Heirloom Tomato and then saving the seeds from your largest fruits for planting next year. (This only works with open-pollinated varieties, so steer clear of hybrids if you plan to save seeds.)

You may have to do some research on varieties that dependably grow into giants, but the name usually gives it away, like Russian Mammoth Sunflower, that grows upwards of 17 feet tall. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Cabbage: Northern Giant Cabbage (100 lbs.) Carrot: Japanese Imperial Long Carrot (12+ inches long) Cucumber: Mammoth Zeppelin Cucumber (16 pounds) Gourd: Giant Long Gourd (120 Inches) Onion: Kelsae Sweet Giant Onion (One held the world record at over 15 lbs.) Pepper: Super Heavyweight Hybrid Pepper (? pound each) Pumpkin: Atlantic Giant Pumpkin (400 to over 1000 pounds) or Squash: Show King Giant Green Squash (400+ pounds) Sunflower: Grey Stripe Giant Sunflower (2 foot heads) Tomato: Old Colossus Heirloom Tomato (2+ pounds) Watermelon: Carolina Cross (Giant) Watermelon (200 pounds)

If you’ve had success growing a giant vegetable or flower, let us know what it was.

Give Them a Healthy Start

Beef up the soil your plants will be growing in before you even plant. Spread some manure or compost the fall prior planting. If you’re serious about competing, you should have a complete soil test done and replenish any nutrients and micro-nutrients that might be lacking.

Giant vegetables tend to grow in quick spurts, so they need lots of food. Slow acting organic fertilizers added at planting time will ensure that the food is there when the plant needs it. It will also make for a healthier soil and less pest problems.

And know what type of fertilizer your plant needs. If you’re growing the plant for the fruit, like pumpkins and tomatoes, you’ll want a fertilizer that’s high in potassium and phosphorous, the last two numbers on the package. If you’re growing a leafy vegetable, like cabbage, you’ll want a higher nitrogen number.

Water

Giant vegetables won’t be as tolerant of sporadic watering as the common garden vegetable would be - and even the common vegetable is touchy about not getting its one-inch per week. You have to provide regular deep waterings or your fruits will either languish or split. I recommend using drip irrigation on a timer that compensates for rain, so there are no slip-ups. Because as much as your plants need regular water, they don’t want to sit in wet soil.

Thin to Just the Best Fruits

The more fruits on your plants, the smaller they will be. If they have to compete for nutrients, they’re never going to be giants. So prune or pinch out all but about three of the largest, healthiest looking fruits. Later in the season, you might want to thin down to just one, but keep a couple of extras at the beginning for insurance.

Don’t worry about too much foliage. The foliage is what will be feeding the fruits and helping them grow larger.

Keep Close Watch for Problems

Pests, diseases and cultural problems can move in quickly and ruin an entire crop, especially when there are only a handful of fruits to begin with. Check your plants daily and correct any problems immediately. Try and remove problems by hand, since using chemicals can disrupt the plant too. Hopefully since you’ve given your plants every advantage, problems will be few.

Now comes the hard part. You have to be patient. Look but don’t touch. Too much fussing with your plants is as bad as too little. Let them do what they do and just enjoy watching them grow.

If you find yourself addicted to growing giant vegetables, talk with the competitors at your local county fair. Some will be coy, but many are very open and generous with their knowledge. They’ll know who has the best seed and will be happy to discuss technique with you. There may even be a regional Giant Vegetable Growers organization in your area.

For a humorous, but very informative peek into growing giant pumpkins, I recommend the book Backyard Giants - The Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever, by Susan Warren. Ms. Warren follows competitors through an entire growing season and gives us plenty of tips along the way.

3rd Place Winner - Applicious

Scotty: Nannyannie lives in Ireland and when I think of Ireland I think of shamrocks rather than apples, but just look at these flawless specimens. Wow. That's as good as apples can get.

Marie: Anne has had a busy summer. "I've eaten all my peas, my lettuce too.....my strawberries are ripening at maybe 6 per day :) and are delicious , if a tad small, my spindly tomato plant is still producing tiny delicious tomatoes, my apples are bigger and better than ever before. Very tasty too. I still have to harvest my potatoes....if there are any underneath all the foliage. :)"

Well, I garden in an area known for its apples, but my own trees aren't even close to this perfection. I agree with Scotty, flawless!

Congratulations, Nannyannie!

Wildflower Gardening

Have you secretly been considering turning your high maintenance mixed border into a wildflower garden? It can be hard to resist when seed companies are out there promoting their instant wildflower gardens in a can, sack or roll. I spoke with a handful of gardeners who gave wildflower meadows a try. Their efforts to date have not met with much success.

Many gardeners naively believe you can simply scatter some seeds and wind up with a self-sowing meadow of bluebells and lacecaps. In truth, starting a wildflower garden is often more work than putting in a perennial border and it is not necessarily self-perpetuating.

If these plants are truly wild, (weeds, to most highway maintenance crews), why must they be coddled and coaxed out of the ground?

According to my local Extension office, wildflowers are species of flowers that have shown themselves to be hardy and self-reproducing, with little attention form the gardener. Although they will grow wild or on their own, they are not necessarily native plants. Wildflower gardens are considered a low cost alternative to high maintenance gardening. Many wildflowers prefer poor soil and neglect, making them ideal for tough to maintain areas of your property. My wildflower garden got little attention, so where did I go wrong? Even a wild look requires some planning and effort. The good news is that most of the effort is in getting it started. Chose a site with full to partial sun. If you want the plants to sustain themselves, you had better give them conditions they find agreeable. Weed control is paramount. Weeds are a successful wildflower garden's biggest threat. Of course, only you can determine what is a weed and what is a wildflower, but for the sake of simplicity I would suggest you start your garden with a clean palette and remove all existing vegetation. There are three proven methods of doing this. Weed or remove sod by hand. If you are starting with a small area or if you are planting where healthy grass is growing, this may be your best option. Solarization is a good way to kill all vegetation, including most seeds. Mow the area to be planted as low as your lawn mower will allow. Water the area well and then cover securely with clear plastic sheeting, leaving it there to bake in the sun for 6 - 8 weeks. This method relies on cooperation from the weather and you will probably still want to remove the dead vegetation before reseeding. Spraying a broad spectrum herbicide will kill everything within a few weeks. Be careful with herbicides. They don’t discriminate in what they kill and can accidentally drift on a breeze and wipe out garden plants. Again, you will probably want to remove the dead vegetation before reseeding. Till the soil shallowly to a depth of about 3 inches, once the existing vegetation is removed. You don't want to uncover and encourage more weeds. In fact, you may want to respray with the herbicide at this point to kill any weed seeds that may have surfaced. Rake and level the soil, leaving the grooves left from raking to help hold the seeds and give them contact with the soil. Packaged seed mixes will tell you how large an area they cover. In general, use 4 pounds of seed per acre or 4 oz. per 2,500 sq. ft. Most wildflower seeds are very small. Mixing some sand in with the seed mixture will make it easier to spread evenly. Broadcast evenly throughout the area to be planted. Rake lightly again after spreading the seed. Water the whole area and keep the seeds moist until they are a few inches tall. A light mulching with straw, peat or compost will help retain moisture and keep the birds from eating the meadow. It’s much like starting grass seed. Germination should occur in 10 - 21 days and your first blooms should reward you in 5-6 weeks. Some Wildflower Tips to Get You Started

Persian Shield

It is easy to see how Strobilanthes (pronounced (stroh-bih-LAN-theez) got its common name of Persian Shield. Its most striking feature is its colorful leaves, which have an iridescence that gives them an almost metallic look. Persian Shield is a native of Myanmar, formerly called Burma, not Persia. Strobilanthes is a sub-shrub that is evergreen in hot climates. It is also a very popular houseplant because it tends to bloom during winter.Persian Shield planted in partial shade will pick up the light and reflect it back off its leaves. It makes a striking border plant, particularly when paired with soft gray greens or chartreuse.

In USDA Zone 10 and higher, Persian Shield can get quite bushy and makes a wonderful focal point. It may even over-winter some years in cooler climates.

Even when grown as an annual, Strobilanthes make an eye-catching addition to borders and containers. Bring a plant or two indoors, and grow as houseplants through the winter.

Soil: Strobilanthes grows well in the neutral range of soil pH and can handle anything from about 5.5 through to 7.5.

Planting:You can start Persian Shield from seed or cuttings. Seeds require somewhat warm conditions ( 55–64 degrees F. (13–18 C.) to germinate.

Plants can easily be started by softwood cuttings, but some bottom heat will keep them from rotting before they establish roots. Spring and early summer are the best times to take cuttings.

Persian Shield prefers moist soil and some shade during the hottest parts of the summer. The less water it gets, the more shade it will need. Cold water may spot the leaves.

Since Persian Shield is grown for its foliage and the flowers are not particularly showy, many gardeners like to pinch back the leaves, to create a fuller plant. If left to grow on its own, it can get tall, leggy and floppy.

The exception would be immediately after flowering. The leaves may look sad at this point, but that is because the plant has gone dormant for the remainder of the winter. Resist the temptation to pinch at this point, to avoid disturbing dormancy. Resume pinching when the plant starts growin in earnest, in the spring.

If grown in rich soil with plenty of moisture, Persian Shield should only need light feeding at the start of the season and again about mid-way through the summer.

Growing Stobilanthes as a House Plant: Indoors, Persian Shield needs bright light, to keep its color, and temperatures above 60? F (15.6?C). Make sure it has humid conditions. Dry air will cause the leaves to dry and drop. Misting daily is recommended, but be sure to use soft water. Chlorine will damage the leaves.

Aphids and Whiteflies can become pests, especially when the plants are drought stressed.

Strobilanthes is not usually susceptible to fungus disease or other problems with the foliage, except water stress.

Winter Mulching

Winter Mulching in Cold Climate Gardens

In areas that experience freezing temperatures, winter mulching differs from mulching during the growing season. We mulch our gardens in the spring to suppress weeds, retain moisture and feed and warm the soil. While we may spread a layer of soil conditioning compost or manure in the fall, the primary reason for winter mulching is to protect our plants from the harsh conditions of winter freezes, thaws and winds.

The main idea behind winter mulching is to keep the ground frozen by shielding it from the warmth of the sun. A steady temperature will keep the plant in dormancy and prevent it from triggering new growth during a brief warm spell. Tender, new growth too soon will just result in more winter die back. Mulching now will also help conserve whatever water is in the soil, so hopefully you’ve been keeping your garden beds watered right up until the hard frost. Any loose, insulating material will do. Keep in mind that you’ll need to remove the mulch in the spring, or at least rake it aside. So choose a material that’s easy to handle. Shredded mulch, straw, pine needles or shredded leaves are all easy to remove or easy to work into the soil. If your ground doesn’t freeze until after Christmas, you can use the cut boughs of your Christmas tree as a mulch covering. These are nice because they’re so easy to remove in the spring. The easiest mulch is snow cover. Snow is a great insulator and protector of plants. Some plants will simply collapse onto themselves and act as self-mulches. Chrysanthemums survive best if allowed to do this. Protect Crowns & Surface Roots: (Especially newly planted plants) Mulching to protect most perennial plants is done after the first hard or killing frost. A hard frost is usually defined as temperature drop to below 25 degrees F., but you’ll know it when you see the last of the hardy annuals crumbled and brown in the morning. At this point, your perennials should be well into dormancy and mulching around them won’t encourage tender new growth. Go ahead and spread a 2-4" layer of mulch around the base of the plants.

Grafted plants, like hybrid tea roses, benefit from being mulched more heavily. These are usually mulched with compost or soil and are actually buried to just over the graft union. You can pile the soil up around the stems or you can use some wire fencing and fill with compost.

Prevent Dessication: Some shrubs that are evergreen or somewhat evergreen, like rhododendrons and viburnums, can become desiccated by harsh winds. You can protect the branches and buds by wrapping them with burlap or by spraying on an anti-desiccant, like Wilt-Pruf. (Anti-desiccants are handy to have around. You can prolong the life of your Christmas tree with a spray. They’re also good for coating carved pumpkins.) If you choose to wrap your shrubs, make certain there is space between the branches and the burlap or the burlap will freeze onto the branches and cause its own problem. You can also fill the space between the shrub and burlap with leaves, for additional insulation.

Woody plants don’t require as much protection as herbaceous perennials. However, a 2 - 4" layer of shredded bark mulch or compost does help conserve the ground moisture. Just be sure not to pile it around the base of the plants. Keep it several inches from the stems or you’ll invite rodents, like voles and mice, who like the cover of mulch while munching on bark. Mulching up against the stems also holds too much moisture against the plant, providing ideal conditions for diseases to take hold.

Prevent Heaving: When the ground repeatedly freezes and thaws, it expands and contracts. When a plant is sitting in ground that expands and contracts, its roots get loosened from where they are anchored under ground and the plant eventually gets pushed up through the surface of the soil, exposing its crown and roots to freezing temperatures and drying winds, which brings us right back to Reason to Winter Mulch #1. Again, you would wait until the top of the plant has died back and the ground has frozen, before applying a layer of mulch. Prevent Erosion: (Especially important for fallow gardens, like vegetable gardens during winter.) Mulching unplanted garden beds can be done at any time in the fall. Ideally, you would plant a winter cover crop and let it sit until you till it under in the spring. If you choose not to plant a cover crop, it would still be beneficial to spread a layer of compost, manure or shredded leaves. I like to use my fenced in vegetable garden as a corral for my shredded leaves. They mulch the vegetable garden all winter and in the spring, I spread them as mulch in my flower beds. The rule of thumb is to remove winter mulch in the spring, when all danger of a hard frost is past. That’s sometimes very hard to judge, as anyone who’s experienced an Easter snowstorm can attest. However when the ground starts to thaw and the smell of mud is in the air, it’s time to start raking and removing the mulch so that the ground can warm and new growth won’t be inhibited.

Growing Caladiums

Caladiums are tropical plants that are grown for their spectacularly colorful foliage. Although tropical, they grow fast enough to be enjoyed during the summer in cooler climates and all year long as houseplants. Shade and humidity lovers, Caladiums dazzle in shade gardens with their large, pointed arrow-shaped leaves splashed with shades of green, white, cream, pink and red.

A Word of Caution: Caladiums can be a skin irritant and are poisonous if ingested.

You can purchase Caladiums already in leaf or you can start with the less expensive tubers. Tubers purchased from a nursery will have a knobby appearance. Each knob is actually an eye that will produce a leaf. Sometimes the tubers are a bit desiccated and the knobs are hard to spot, but they should re-hydrate and sprout. Fresh tubers ordered from growers will sprout the fastest.

It can be confusing determining which end of the tuber is up, because the roots grow from the same side as the leaves. Trust the tuber to know what to do, and bury it about 2 inches deep with the knobs facing up.

When pottinng, start them in a damp peat/soil mix. Caladiums like a slightly acid soil (5.5 - 6.2). Once they sprout, move into indirect light.

To start caladiums indoors for outdoor planting, pot them up about 4 - 6 weeks before your last frost date. Wait until the soil warms to plant outdoors. Peat pots will make transplanting easier on the plants.

Winter Care in Cold Zones: If grown outdoors in a cold climate, they can be considered annuals or you will need to dig and store the tubers over winter. Do not wait for them to be hit by frost.

Division: You can divide your Caladium tubers in the spring, to create more plants. Cut the tuber into sections that each contain at least one eye or knob and pot or plant as normal.

Houseplant Care: When growing Caladiums as houseplants, water whenever the soil feels dry and feed monthly. Begin watering less in autumn, as plants naturally stop growing.

Problems: Although Caladiums are carefree growers, they can be subject to the following problems if growing conditions are not ideal: tuber rot (especially if planted outdoors in cold, wet soil), Southern blight, leaf spot and root-knot nematodes. Indoor Plants: aphids and spider mites.