|
A rose by any other name... just might be a peach tree! Many popular fruit and nut trees are members of the rose family (Rosaceae). Apples and pears are in the rose family. So are the stone fruits, such as apricots, cherries, and nectarines. Almonds are stone fruits, too. But which of these trees will grow and produce more quickly?  Young fig trees can be prolific. (Kate Russell) Before you decide on a fast-growing fruit or nut tree, you need to know your USDA Hardiness Zone and how many chill hours your yard receives. We are all familiar with the buds and leaves of spring, the prolific growth of summer, and the harvest of autumn. But fruit and nut trees and shrubs (and strawberries!) are working through winter, too. Colder winter temperatures are part of their natural lifecycles. What are chill hours? Chill hours are an accumulation of temperatures between 32°F and 45°F. Somehow, plants keep track of this information. I have no idea how. But chill hours are so critical that there is a network of stations nationwide to measure them. In this temperature range, the growth-inhibiting hormone responsible for dormancy begins to break down, allowing trees and shrubs to produce the buds that ultimately become the leaves and flowers of spring. Temperatures above 60°F can reverse chilling accumulations. If not enough chill hours occur, flowers and buds will not form properly, and you might not get any fruit. Inadequate chill hours can also extend bloom time, making delicate buds and flowers vulnerable to diseases like fire blight and brown rot. Universities work with the USDA to provide valuable information to farmers and orchardists. You can access this information online and over the phone to identify the chilling hours in your area. You may have to estimate your chill hours, depending on where you live and how far you are from the nearest recording station. Do not trust your local box store to sell you the right one. Do your homework.  Sun-warmed nectarines are a summer treat! (Kate Russell) What about grocery store tree seeds? If you plant the pit or seed from a grocery store stone fruit, you are unlikely to get offspring that looks, behaves, or tastes the way the first fruit did. That is because most bare-root fruit and nut trees available today are hardy rootstock grafted onto a productive, flavorful fruit producer. Scions and cuttings from adventitious roots can create clones. Super fruit trees! One variety of grafted trees, in particular, boasts 40 different types of stone fruit on the same trees! Sam Van Aken creates these Trees of 40 Fruit. To me, they are botanical masterpieces. You can find similar stone fruit trees, with four or five types of fruit, available in garden centers and catalogs. There are also citrus trees with oranges, lemons, and limes. These trees grow fast and are a great way to use a small space.  Orange trees are very productive! (Kate Russell) How to plant bare root trees Most bare root stock trees are two or three years old. Install bare root trees early in the growing season when temperatures are above 45°F. Choose a site that can accommodate a tree’s full size and provide plenty of full sun and good air circulation. Before planting, be sure to get your soil tested by a lab before adding any other amendments. Too many nutrients can be worse than not enough. Lab-based soil tests cost about the same as a large bag of fertilizer and provide a wealth of information. Many universities offer this service. When ready to plant, dig a hole that allows the roots to spread horizontally. The hole should be shallow enough that the graft union (where the rootstock joins the scion) is at least 2” above soil level. You should be able to see a slight flare of the trunk at the base. Planting too deeply is one of the easiest ways to kill them, though it may take a few years. Add soil around the roots and water thoroughly rather than tamping it down. Pressing down on the soil damages delicate root hairs needed by the tree to absorb water and nutrients. Watering, or mudding in, your tree removes air pockets that can dry roots out before they ever get a chance to grow while providing the water needed to recover from the planting ordeal. The early months It is a good idea to install tree supports for your young tree. Whitewash the trunk and exposed branches each spring with one part white, interior latex paint, and one part water to prevent sunburn damage. Mulch around your new tree, keeping the mulch several inches away from the tree trunk, and water regularly until the root system has become established. Remove the supports at that time. Remove all blossoms for the first two or three years to encourage root development. I know it is hard, but you will thank me later. Seasonal fruit and nut tree care While each species has its own needs, we can make some generalizations about seasonal fruit tree care. These practices keep your trees structurally sound and productive while reducing pest and disease problems. Pruning is best done in winter after all the leaves have fallen. The only exceptions to late-season pruning are apricots and cherries because they are susceptible to Eutypa dieback. Prune these trees during the warm, dry season. For all your other fruit and nut trees, this schedule of care should keep them healthy:
 Abundant apples from the backyard (Kate Russell) So, which trees grow more quickly?
In this case, it ends up that size does matter. Full-sized trees (15-20’) live 50 years and produce the most fruit, but they can take 20 years to reach maximum production. Semi-dwarf trees (12-15’) live for 15–25 years and need 5–8 years to start producing harvestable crops. Dwarf trees (10-12’) live 15–25 years but can produce fruit in only 3-5 years. You can prune any of these trees to make them smaller. You can also grow dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit and nut trees in large containers. Fruit and nut trees are investments in your landscape. You will not have a harvest the first year. And not in the second year, either. But in the long run, fruit and nut trees can produce an annual bounty that goes on for decades. Your best bet for a fast-growing fruit tree is a dwarf, grafted tree that can provide your family with bountiful harvests for many years! Can you grow food at home and still let your yard run wild? The answer is yes. Mostly. I say mostly because there are different forms of running wild. If weeds, invasives, pets, pests, and pestilence run rampant in your landscape, none of it will be worth eating.  Your yard can provide a surprising harvest (Kate Russell)
 Artichoke plants are dramatic, productive, amd mostly maintenance-free (Kate Russell) These steps will reduce your workload while providing abundant fresh and delicious homegrown food.
Put your feet up and enjoy the wild! We all know that sunlight changes across a landscape throughout the day and over the seasons, but there's something exceptional about the light of predawn.
If you’re an early riser like me, you already know about this special time. The air feels softer, sounds are muted, and everything smells fresh and clean. Unless it’s fire season, of course. But even then, the smokiness adds depth to the predawn air. Before the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a few minutes in the garden can do wonders for your morale. Just grab a cup of coffee or tea and slowly walk through your garden. You’ll be surprised at how much you see when there aren’t as many distractions pulling at your attention. You may want to bring a small notepad with you. In the predawn quiet, you can still see everything, but the air is cool and the world is quiet. You may be surprised to notice slugs and snails in a raised strawberry patch that you thought they didn’t know about. You may finally see how birds are getting into your tree cage to poke holes in your apricots. Of course, you may also be treated with rare delights, such as finches and wrens snagging bits of sunflower leaf, hummingbirds catching gnats over a birdbath, or a singing thrush. Most of these sights and sounds are lost on us during the day, behind traffic, work, and family. Even if you’re not an early riser, give yourself a treat some morning and get up before the sun crosses the horizon. You’ll be amazed at what you see and hear. And you may find that the magic of an early morning in the garden stays with you throughout the day. May Day.
There are plenty of strawberry flowers which is funny since I never managed to grow them successfully in California. Here, on my Seattle balcony, they’re growing like crazy. The local insects seem to be doing a decent job of pollinating. Even so, I touch each flower with a tiny paintbrush every couple of days, just in case. I’m hoping that my supplemental hand-pollinating will improve the quality of pollination since that results in better quality fruit.  Strawberry plants in bloom (Kate Russell) My apple tree is taking its time getting settled. I’m a little worried about it, though there is one active bud. Trees are in it for the long haul, so I must be patient. The blackberry cutting I took a while back doesn’t seem to have taken root, so I’ll have to try again on that one. Luckily, there are plenty of blackberry canes in Seattle.  Grafted apple tree starting to bud (Kate Russell) Despite being limited to just a balcony, I now have chives, cilantro, lettuce, parsley, and spinach outdoors, and my indoor stevia is thriving. It still amazes me how sweet those leaves are. Soon, it’ll be time to plant basil and tomatoes, though all of my plants will be heading indoors because we have another move on the horizon. It should be interesting.
What's growing in your May Day garden? With today being the first day of spring, I thought I would tell you about my balcony orchard. When most of us think of orchards, we probably picture acres and acres of commercially cultivated fruit or nut trees, irrigated with massive pipe systems and managed from the seat of a tractor. In my old yard, I had several fruit and nut trees. I suppose that qualifies as an orchard, too. But now I live in a downtown Seattle apartment with a balcony, so my definition had to change a bit.  Apple tree and strawberry pot on Seattle balcony (Kate Russell) My balcony orchard currently consists of one tree. I bought it from Online Orchards. It’s a dwarf apple tree, but it has four different types of apple grafted onto the central stalk. That’s a good thing because most apple trees are not self-pollinating. This means they usually need a neighboring apple tree to produce fruit. I don’t think my balcony can handle two apple trees. I could be wrong. Anyway, with four different varieties on one tree, pollinators will be able to move pollen from one variety to another. Fruit should appear in a couple of years. My balcony apple tree should produce Cortland, Gravenstein, Red Jonathan, and Winesap apples. Each branch started out as a scion that was grafted onto a horizontal shoot.
My apple tree may look like nothing more than a stick right now, but I hope to see lots of leafy stems and blossoms this time next year. Of course, I will have to remove all those pretty blossoms to encourage further root development the first time they appear. That’s okay, though. I should get 15 to 20 years of blossoms and fruit from my balcony tree if I take good care of it.
This particular tree is growing in a large self-watering container. It doesn’t actually water itself, so the name is misleading. If you aren’t familiar with these pots, they have a reservoir in the bottom topped with a grate. Potting soil goes on top of the grate. Eventually, plant roots will go through the grate to access the water. This helps avoid rotted roots and fungal disease. Over-watering is a common problem with containerized plants. As for the rest of my balcony garden, the strawberry plants I got for free through freecycle seem to be thriving, but I’m not so sure about the blackberry cutting I took last week while out walking the dogs. Time will tell. It always does. Native plants are those that have evolved over thousands of years to grow where you are. They tend to be low-maintenance and naturally resistant to local pests and diseases. They are also part of an intricate web of interactions between insects, microorganisms, mammals, reptiles, and all the other life forms that ought to be living where you do.  Currant flowers (Kate Russell) Except that, very often, they’ve been pushed out by lawns, streets, and construction plant deals. We can’t yet expect the companies who build our homes to consider native plants. Maybe someday. Until that day comes, it is up to us to help return at least part of our landscapes to their natural state. How to start adding natives I started the process by allowing my lawn to become a meadow. This was after reading Linda King’s guest post, Gardening With Nature. The results were nothing short of delightful. First, nearly all the work was eliminated. Once my meadow was established, I didn’t have to water, weed, mow, or aerate it. I could just sit back and enjoy watching the butterflies, birds, and other critters who were attracted to my new offering. Second, creating a meadow in my landscape let me see my space with a new perspective. Instead of an artificial collection of lines, colors, and textures, my garden design looked more natural and relaxed while still providing plenty of fresh groceries. For one thing, I added native currants and hazelnuts to my tomatoes and basil, which provided food for me, and my wildlife neighbors.  My meadow felt far more relaxing than a traditional lawn. (Kate Russell) Native plant resources Luckily for all of us, there are a growing number of native plant societies around the world. These organizations offer tons of information about the plants that should be where we are. In most cases, all you have to do is conduct an online search for your local group and then enter your zip code. From there, you are given a list of all the flowering plants, ground covers, shrubs, trees, and vines that are native to your region. For example, having moved to Seattle, I searched online for “Seattle native plants”. I got 18 million results, including the Washington Native Plant Society and three native plant sellers. That was just on the first page. What I’m trying to say is that the resources are there for the taking. All you have to do is look. Choosing your native plants Once you’ve tracked down some resources, the fun begins. For me, plant selection is something akin to looking at toy catalogs as a kid just before Christmas. The possibilities were limitless and exciting. Of course, being significantly older now, I know that there are limits, such as sun exposure and soil health, but it’s still exciting. Even if you simply add one native plant to your landscape, you will help reverse some of the damage done in the past. Add one native plant each year, or each season, and you will end up with a lovely landscape that appeals to a surprising number and variety of butterflies and other visitors. What about those free plants? If you buy native plants, I urge you to look for certified pest- and disease-free plants. And put them into quarantine before adding them to your landscape. Those simple precautions can save you from years of trouble. But what if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on native plants but want to do your part? In most cases, those plants are already in your neighborhood, struggling to survive amidst the concrete and traffic. Armed with a list of desirable native plants, a trowel, a few resealable plastic bags or containers, and a cooler, head out into your neighborhood to see what’s available nearby. You may also want to keep these tools handy in the trunk of your car, just in case. If you happen to see a plant you really want, but it is in someone’s yard, knock on the door and ask for a cutting. You may be surprised at how many people will say yes. You may also discover a friend with mutual interests. If they say no, well, move on and continue your search elsewhere. Never take a plant from someone’s property without asking. [Someone once stole my entire almond crop. It was heartbreaking.] If you can’t find what you’re looking for in your immediate neighborhood, look on a map and see if there are any green belts or wild areas nearby. These are often safe harbors for many wild native plants, but there are some very important rules about taking plants from the wild:
Other sources for free plants include county government, local plant clubs, sites such as PlantSwap.org, and social media groups dedicated to responsible gardening. I was walking my dogs the other day and collected a piece of wild blackberry cane.  Blackberries thrive in Seattle! (Kate Russell) The possibilities are still nearly endless…
I lived in a 31-foot RV for nearly five years, and I traveled a lot. Sometimes I lived in the north, sometimes in the south. I've lived west and east and everywhere in between. I've driven all the major highways and more little back roads than I could ever recall, and I garden  A potted blueberry bush lived on my passenger seat and other plants were moved around a lot. Being on the road all the time made it hard to develop roots of my own. It's pretty hard on a garden, too. But every winter, long about February or March, when those seed catalogs start showing up, I simply couldn't help myself. The thought of fresh, flavorful tomatoes, crisp green and purple bush beans, and endless supplies of scallions and garlic danced through my head, and I was smitten.
I think my garden provided the roots and the foundation I couldn’t get any other way at that time in my life. Thousands of miles from friends and family, my life was spread across North America, my garden was my home. Wherever I happened to place my pots and planters, the act of planting, weeding, and harvesting my crops kept me sane and well-fed, both physically and emotionally. There's something so basic, to me, about gardening. It was and is sustenance and therapy. Early each growing season, I pulled my garden from its bins under my RV and started the cycle anew. The smell of fresh earth, rich with nutrients and potential, I saw and felt my own possibilities. Compost was added, very much the way I took my daily vitamin, ensuring that the necessary materials were available for building and maintaining a healthy life. Dirty fingernails and facial smudges never deterred me from my task. Neat little paper packets of future crops would lie on my table as I decided what would go where this time around. How deep, how tall, how much sunlight, how much water, compatibility, and competition, they are the stuff of life that ground me to the realities we all experience. Gardening is the parallel by which I run my life. Decisions must be made, options selected and others put aside. The first green shoots look so vulnerable as I tend and protect them from marauding snails, squirrels, and foraging birds. I don't blame them for wanting what they want, any more than I blame people for their needs or their short-sightedness. It simply requires my attention and dedication, as do all the important things. The shoots became stems and I would search under rocks and debris for worms to import into my pots. Occasional weeds would be watched for just as dishonest and dangerous people must be avoided and removed from our daily routines. New leaves and young stems strive and reach for the sun as their roots spread down and out, gathering all that they need. In the same way, I must make time for sun and water and enough space to grow, to create my stories and my life. Eventually, flower buds emerge, leaves spread and my stories are written and submitted to publishers around the globe, with hopes for both to receive the pollination they need to continue. Tiny green tomatoes develop under drying flowers; thin bean strands push buds away to claim their rightful place. Flat garlic and tubular onion stems spike upwards, hiding all their efforts deep within the soil, a gastronomical iceberg. I was tempted to fry up some green tomatoes but I had to be patient as my crop was limited to portable pots and window boxes. Life is full of decisions about immediate and long-term gratification. Self-control and delayed gratification are valuable skills whether gardening or simply living. My garden feeds me and fulfills me. It tethers me to the natural cycles of growth and death, seasonal changes, and truisms. Every year presents different conditions, different problems, and different rewards. Growth and harvest come in many forms, and I will forever let my garden teach me. I have a T-shirt emblazoned with, “Gardening is cheaper than therapy, and you get tomatoes.” In these days of reiterating Covid viruses, time spent in the garden gives you far more than just tomatoes.  Masked woman holding seedling (Max Pixel) Public Domain The truth is that we’re all tired of living with Covid. We’re tired of the interruptions, inconveniences, and lack of social contact, tired of the masks and social conflicts. Amidst our pandemic fatigue, it has become easy to forget that this disease continues to be a life-threatening ordeal for many because of illness or medical therapies. Healthy individuals seem to forget that their lack of a mask or vaccine can mean a death sentence for the rest of us. As of this morning, friends and families of more than 5.6 million people are mourning the loss of their loved one to Covid. See how we are these days? We rant, we withdraw, we divide and shun. And spending time in a garden or working with plants is a big help during those times. Gardening slows your pace You can’t rush an artichoke plant. You can’t hurry thyme. They will grow as they do and all you can do is nurture them and watch. As you look closely at your plants, at the soil, you may start to see details you never knew were there, and some of your stress will slip away. Many years ago, I owned a private school called Children’s Academy. Our slogan was, “Where K-12 learning is fun!” And it was. One activity we did each year was the Red Yarn Circle. Each student was given a clipboard with a large sheet of high-quality drawing paper, a freshly sharpened pencil with a good eraser, and a 3-foot section of fat, red yard. They were told to select a spot of their choice on the school’s 3-acre property, create a circle with their red yard on the ground, and draw whatever they saw within that circle. It was common for new students to groan when they heard this assignment. “There’s nothing there!” They would protest. But I would insist, and they would begin. Being made to stop, look closely, and think about (or draw) what you see can take you into an entirely new world. Battles are still being fought, but they are between beetles, not nations. Bits of shale become bejeweled boulders. Your perspective shifts, and things that were upsetting fade away. Gardening helps you achieve the same sense of tranquility and perspective. If you let it.  Young boy planting tomatoes (Steph Gray) CC BY-SA 2.0 Working the soil improves mood Some therapies are more effective when combined with medication. Gardening has its own chemical benefits. One soil microorganism in particular, Mycobacterium vaccae, improves mood. This microorganism is absorbed through tiny cuts in our skin and inhaled on dust particles as we garden. Once inside our bodies, these microorganisms cause a chemical reaction similar to the effects of Prozac. [Note: If you are having an especially difficult time dealing with life these days, call 800-273-8255 for help.] Gardening helps you focus You probably don’t watch the news or follow social media while in the garden. The sheer volume of information faced by people today is enough to send anyone to the madhouse. The human psyche can only handle so many conflicts. Working in the garden lets much of that slip away. Instead of thinking about global problems that you have no control over, you focus on the here and now. What’s causing a misshapen leaf or stem? What might be feeding on your squash? You may notice the asparagus has begun to send up delicious shoots. It’s a much healthier perspective, in my opinion. I believe that, as you notice the needs of your plants, you are probably more likely to notice your own needs as well. Did you remember your hat or sunscreen? Are you staying hydrated? Eat a fresh, sun-ripened cherry tomato. You know. The important stuff. And this isn’t just my opinion.  Sun-ripened yellow cherry tomatoes rarely make it into the house. (Kate Russell) Scientific research Over the past few years, a significant body of evidence has demonstrated that gardening provides a wealth of benefits. Not only does gardening help you lose weight and put you back in sync with natural cycles, but research also demonstrates that gardening reduces depression and anxiety while improving “life satisfaction, quality of life, and sense of community.” [Gardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis, Masashi Soga, et al]  Relaxing on the patio after working in the garden is good for the soul. (Kate Russell) If you feel your mental reserves have been used up, head to the garden or pamper your potted plants. They really will help you feel better.
Plus, you get tomatoes! Some plants handle winter better than others, while others can’t handle the cold at all. And winter in central Florida is a whole lot different from winter in central Wyoming. Brrr! How plants protect themselves from cold weather is pretty fascinating. And you may be surprised at the number of plants that can withstand the cold.  Me and my snowman! How plants react to cold Most vegetable plants react badly to freezing temperatures. The moisture held within each plant cell expands as it freezes and those cells rupture.  Water expands inside plants as they freeze. (Kate Russell) From the outside, we see blackened leaves and stems that indicate decomposition has begun. But there are degrees of cold. And the conditions that exist before temperatures drop to freezing matter, as well. Degrees of cold Just as water droplets will condense on your glass of summer iced tea, plant surfaces also collect dew on their surface. When temperatures drop below 36°F, that dew becomes frost. Frost can be light (28°F-32°F) or hard (below 28°F). As temperatures drop, some winter-hardy plants protect themselves by producing more sugars. This is why cabbages and many other crops are sweeter after a light frost. The sugar lowers the freezing temperature of the water held within, making the plants more cold-tolerant. [I just read an article about how sugar beets are being used as road deicers instead of salt as a method of protecting the environment while keeping our winter roads safer.]  Frost sweetens cabbages (Kate Russell) The condition of the plants before freezing also makes a difference. Plants grown in warm temperatures that are suddenly exposed to a hard frost will usually die. Those same plants, exposed to gradual cooling over time, can tolerate surprisingly low temperatures.  Frost won't stop this broccoli seedling. (Kate Russell) Plants that tolerate cold Many plants that grow from bulbs and corms can withstand bitter temperatures. Tucked away safely in the soil, saffron crocus plants often send up green shoots before the snow even melts. What these plants can’t tolerate is excess moisture. Cold, wet plants tend to rot in the ground. Before cold weather hits, you will want to harvest everything that will be ruined by frost. Common garden plants that are damaged by a light frost include: While these plants are often made sweeter with a light frost: *Winter hardy lettuces are planted close together and are often called "winter density" lettuces. And these plants can tolerate a hard frost:
Did you know that greens such as kale and spinach with savoyed, curled, or textured leaves are more cold-tolerant than smooth-leaved varieties? Now you know.  Arugula is surprisingly frost-tolerant. (Kate Russell) Most of your fruit and nut trees will produce bigger and better harvests because of the cold as they collect chill hours throughout the winter.
Protect your garden from winter cold by giving it a blanket of aged manure and compost or a layer of straw mulch. All those tiny air pockets will act as a cold buffer. And be sure to drain those garden hoses and drip irrigation systems. You can protect frost-sensitive plants by covering them with a tarp, sheet, or umbrella. Just make sure that the cover doesn’t touch the plant or it won’t work. You can always extend your growing season and protect frost-sensitive plants with hoophouses, row covers, and cold frames. How cold do your winters get? Your USDA Hardiness Zone can answer that question. From the outside, gardening looks pretty tame. Plants don’t race around. They don’t seem to attack. It’s just greenery, water, and soil, right? The truth is, if you garden regularly, some amazing things are bound to happen.
It’s not just the plant oddities that appear. Many of us have come across twinned tomatoes, dancing carrots, and fasciated stems, but gardens are full of surprises. These are just a few of mine.
Mobile molds I never gave mold much thought before gardening, other than to make sure it never took up residence in my bathroom. I knew that mold could spread, but it never occurred to me that some molds, specifically slime molds, can move across areas intact. The dog vomit slime mold pictured below did just that. On the first day, it was a bright yellow blob above and to the left of a seashell. On the second day, my slime mold had changed color and started to engulf said seashell. I certainly didn’t expect that!
Glowing bananas and bursting stems Because of my time in the garden, pruning and harvesting, I was able to see, firsthand, what happens to a stem when the water inside freezes.  Water inside a stem expands as it freezes. I was surprised to learn that the sugary brown spots on ripe bananas glow when illuminated with a blacklight. You can use one of those penlights that tell you if a dollar bill is counterfeit.  Ripe bananas glow under a blacklight. Intriguing insects Baby praying mantis, napping bees, and ambling grubs can all be surprise discoveries if you take the time to look for them.
Even watching a simple grub walking can surprise you. Other garden visitors I was happy to discover that I had several lizards-in-residence. Where they decided to hide was interesting, to say the least. Hawk rescue I caged my fruit and nut trees to protect against bird, squirrel, and rat damage. Sometimes, small birds would still find their way into the tree cages. Once, a Cooper’s hawk managed to get in. I must assume he was trying to get at the songbird since the figs probably didn't appeal to him. I used my old wildlife rehabilitator skills to capture and release the magnificent bird properly. The songbird escaped on its own.  This Cooper's hawk continued to visit my garden but stayed away from the tree cages. In the end, the closer you look, the more you see. And gardening never ceases to amaze and surprise me.
What has surprised you in the garden? We’ve all had them. Moments when we realize that irreversible damage to a plant (or many plants) has occurred. Sometimes we can save them, and sometimes we can’t. Let’s look at some of the more common plant catastrophes and what can be done about them. Then I’ll share my plant catastrophe story. I’ll give you a hint: it has something to do with fish.  Fallen container plant (publicdomainvector.org) Public Domain Most plant catastrophes occur when plants are grown in containers, though not always. These disasters can occur suddenly or slowly over time. Crashing to the ground Potted plants are known to fall. A gust of wind, an exuberant pet, or a stray elbow can tip the scales of balance, sending a plant crashing to the ground. Containers are usually lost in these scenarios. Luckily, most plants can survive a fall. Discard the broken pottery, or you can save the pieces to cover the drainage hole in other containers. [Note: do not add a layer of shards, rocks, or gravel to the bottom of a planting container. This wastes space better dedicated to soil. A shard over the hole simply reduces soil loss.] You may want to spread out a couple of sheets of newspaper before you begin. Gently collect your fallen plant and place it on the newspaper. Then you can sweep up the soil and debris, placing it on the newspaper, as well. This is an excellent opportunity to examine the roots of your fallen plant for signs of pests and disease. You may also find that your plant has become root bound. In that cases, you can either trim back the roots or provide it with a larger pot. If pests or diseases are present, you may want to shake off any soil and toss that soil in the trash. Wash the root system under running water. Remove any damaged or diseased roots before repotting. And remember, rather than tamping the soil down when planting, which only damages valuable root hairs, mud in your plant with water. Drowning One of the most common causes of plant disasters is overwatering. It’s an honest mistake. The top of the soil looks dry. We want to care for our plants, so we water them. And then we water them again. And again. They start wilting, so we water them some more. [Plants can wilt because of too much or too little water.] What we don’t always realize is that the soil’s macropores and micropores can hold a lot of water. Those spaces are also supposed to hold air but the air is pushed out when too much water is present. Overwatering not only drowns and suffocates our plants, but it sets the stage for several fungal diseases and invites fungus gnats. More on insects below. The easiest solution to overwatering is to let plants dry out more often, provide good drainage, and invest in an inexpensive moisture meter. Underwatering On the flip side, failing to water a plant can certainly lead to disaster. Without water, plants cannot perform photosynthesis or remain upright for long. Put plant watering on a regular schedule that keeps the soil moist enough, but not too much. Again, a moisture meter is helpful. And if you know you are going to be away for a while, avoid the DIY idea of using diaper crystals to moisten your plants. It’s a bad idea. One easy self-watering idea is to place a water bottle next to the plant and lay a thin strip of cloth, paper towel, or yarn from the bottom of the water bottle to the planting soil. The soil will draw the water up the strip for as long as water is available. Insect invasions Stray stink bugs and aphid clusters are common when working with plants, but sometimes they can get out of control. This is especially true for indoor plants where pests are protected from their natural predators. Here is a list of the most common indoor pest invaders and the ways to manage them.
Many insect invasions can be thwarted by placing new plants into quarantine when they first arrive.  Sticky sheets collect pests (Kate Russell) My plant catastrophe
There was a time, many years ago, when my apartment was filled to overflowing with plants. It was lovely and I took great pride in their good health. I also had a fish tank. Every so often, I would treat my fish with brine shrimp. I would scoop the brine shrimp up with a net and deposit them in the tank. Their tiny legs would flutter in unison, caterpillar-like, as they tried escaping my fish, but they never got away. On one occasion, I must’ve gotten a bad batch of brine shrimp. When I went to feed my fish, all the brine shrimp were dead. My young adult brain said, “Well, there are lots of nutrients in those brine shrimp, so I’ll give them to my plants.” I proceeded to pour the brine shrimp into each and every one of my beautiful, beloved plants. In a very short time, I saw firsthand what happens when you use brine (saltwater) to water your plants. Most of them died. I didn’t know, at the time, that I could have saved more of those plants by removing them from their soil, washing the roots, and placing them into containers of fresh water. Live and learn, eh? What’s your plant catastrophe story? I learned my love of gardening as a child. It all started with a clear plastic cup, a black sponge, and four hard, dry corn seeds. When I was very young, my mother bought us educational toys. Living in rural Upstate New York before laptops existed and while televisions were still rare, these toys were a real treat. In the early 1960s, children spent nearly all day, every day playing outside. The rule was, “Come home when the street lights go on.” Those were good times. But the arrival of a package from Creative Playthings was always very exciting. A cup in a box This particular shipment was to affect me all of my life. It was nothing more than a clear plastic cup, a black sponge that fit neatly inside the cup, four hard, dry corn kernels, and a piece of paper with instructions and a place to document what I observed. I was four years old. The instructions told me to insert the sponge into the cup, which was easy enough. Then I was to slide the kernels of corn between the cup and the sponge, taking care to make sure that each kernel was pointing in a different direction. This was a little more difficult and required some patience on my part, but I recall feeling that it was important that I do this thing correctly. Nearly 60 years later, I can still feel and see the experience of pushing and prodding those seeds into position. Just add water Once my seeds were in place, all I had to do was add water and wait. Every day I checked on my seeds. Every day I checked to make sure the sponge was moist but not soggy. At first, nothing happened. I diligently noted this lack of activity on my record sheet. I’m sure I felt the same frustration and worry that I still feel at times toward slow-to-germinate seeds. But then, things started happening. The magic of germination My child-sized fingers knew how hard and pointy those corn seeds had been. To see tiny roots and shoots emerge was nothing less than miraculous. No matter which way the kernels had been turned, those first roots always knew to go down, while the first shoots always found a way to move upward, even if it took some twisting and turning. Every day, I drew pictures of what my corn seeds-turned-seedlings looked like. Eventually, we planted them outside, but I don’t think they did very well. [Corn needs to be planted in clusters that allow for wind pollination.] It didn’t matter. I was hooked. It amazed me. It still does.  Corn seedlings (J.G. Davis, Bugwood.org) CC BY 3.0 US My first gardening experience is with me still. It taught me patience, nurturing, and good record-keeping. It left me with a sense of awe about the growing process.
What was your first gardening experience? Why do I garden? It’s a question I’ve asked myself many times. I’ve also wondered why so many people do not garden. I can’t speak to that one, but I can certainly share what I enjoy about caring for plants.  Giant purple cauliflowers make me smile! Gardening is my art After many years in the Nevada desert at Burning Man, I have come to learn that everyone is creative. There are no exceptions. Some people are more connected to their art than others, but there are no uncreative people. Gardening gives me an outlet for my creativity.  Gardening lets me be creative in many ways. I look at a space and see where it could be made better, more productive, or nicer to look at. Sometimes that means adding plants and other times it means taking them away. The tabula rasa of a traditional lawn provides the canvas for a massive artichoke plant that disappears each July, a slow and steady pairing of pineapple guava and dwarf pomegranate, each with their spring blossoms and fruitful harvests. A simple backyard of lawn and shrubs can be transformed into a miniature forest of fruit and nut trees, raised beds, and a surprising amount of delicious homegrown food. That is my art. Of course, plants are always growing and changing, so what worked before might not work later on. That’s okay. I believe that the transitory nature of plants is one of the appeals of gardening.
In the garden, things are always changing. And sometimes, things don’t work out. Not enough sun, too much water, compacted soil, many things can go wrong but that’s okay, too. There’s always next year. And the year after that. Gardening gives me a chance to learn from my mistakes and try new things. Gardening is good for me Gardening is good for me physically and mentally. Working the soil improves mood. So does being outside and surrounded by nature. The bending, lifting, digging and carrying that come with gardening help me stay active and strong. I think the regular reminder of the importance of water to plant life reminds me to stay hydrated, as well. All that vitamin D is good, too, as long as I remember to wear a hat and sunscreen. Gardening reminds me that things worth having always take time, effort, and patience. And nurturing all those plants feels good, and they never criticize or judge me. Gardening builds community Gifts to friends, family, and neighbors from the home garden strengthen those bonds. Talking about gardening successes and failures brings us closer together. Sharing a harvest with those less fortunate eases everyone’s burdens. We are a social, tribal species and we are at our best when we work together toward common goals. The modern world doesn’t offer as many opportunities for that sort of work. Many people spend much of each day looking at a computer screen during the day and a TV screen at night. Gardening helps us stay connected.  Gardening can lead to some surprising encounters. Gardening is good for the world Foods shipped from around the world are costly in many ways, even when they are cheaper than locally grown produce. Plants grown for storage and shipping are often less flavorful than those grown at home. And all the fossil fuels used to ship and transport those fruits and vegetables can’t be good for the air we breathe. Gardening puts me in control, sort of To be honest, one of the things I love about gardening is the sense of control it gives me. I can prune a tree into any shape I want. I can plant a row of rainbow-colored flowers if I so choose. I can try every type of radish in existence if I feel so inclined. In a world that grows ever more complicated and confusing with too many features and not enough reliable functionalities, gardening provides me with a sense of being in control, even if that feeling is fleeting and mostly inaccurate.  Gardening just feels good! When I garden, I eat better, sleep better, and feel better. Gardening makes me a better version of myself.
Why do you garden? While your butternut squash may be stored for a year, strawberries seem to go bad before your very eyes. The way you store your harvest can extend its usefulness and reduce waste.  Harvest time! Peak of freshness We prefer harvesting and enjoying the fruits of our labor at their peak of freshness and sweetness. This is why my little yellow cherry tomatoes and groundcherries rarely make it into the house. Of course, if we ate everything as soon as it ripened, we wouldn’t have anything left for later, and we’d probably have a stomachache. Temperature, humidity, and time are the major factors determining freshness when it comes to fruits and vegetables. For any harvest that isn’t eaten right away, there are several things you can do to help maintain flavor and quality. Location, location, location Where fruits and vegetables are stored makes a big difference in how long they stay fresh. Some produce belongs on your countertop and some need a dry, cool, dark place. Other fruits and vegetables will stay their best in the crisper drawer, while others are best stored on a refrigerator shelf. We’ll get to the particulars in a moment. Packaging Another freshness factor revolves around the packaging materials used. This has a lot to do with ethylene gas. Ethylene gas is the chemical responsible for ripening, and some fruits produce more than others, while others are very sensitive to the ethylene produced by their neighbors. Apples, bananas, celery, and onions produce a lot of ethylene gas and should be stored away from other fruits and vegetables. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, green beans, and unripe bananas are very ethylene-sensitive and require protection. You may want to consider designating one crisper drawer for non-ethylene-sensitive produce, such as berries and citrus. That protection normally comes in the form of plastic bags and reusable containers. One of my new faves when it comes to food storage is beeswax wraps. They are cloth dipped in beeswax. They work better than I expected, and they’re good for the environment. Other containers include paper bags and damp paper towels, depending on the crop. The best way to keep celery fresh is to wrap it in a paper towel and then aluminum foil. Contrary to what you might expect, it is better if you do not wash produce before storing it. While you certainly want to brush off any soil or debris, it is better to hold off on washing until you are ready to use it. Any residual water sets the stage for rot, so be sure to dry anything you have to wash before storing. You can also extend the life of your cilantro and asparagus by storing them upright in the fridge with the cut ends in water. And remove carrot, radish, and other leafy tops before storing. Temperature matters People used ice to keep food from going bad for a very long time. The first refrigerator was built in 1834. Crisper drawers were invented one year later. Crisper drawers work by maintaining higher humidity levels than are found in the rest of the refrigerator. Most crisper drawers have closeable vents. When the vent is shut, humidity is higher. This is ideal for your leafy greens. When that vent is open, humidity levels drop. This is better for things like apples and pears. Having the vent open also releases some of the ethylene gas that speeds ripening. Perishable food is best stored at 37°F to 41°F (3°C to 5°C). These cooler temperatures reduce bacterial growth, thereby slowing rot and decomposition. That’s why refrigerators are such a good idea. But your fridge’s temperatures vary. Refrigerators have a variety of temperature zones. The front of the top shelf and the meat drawer are the coldest, making them the best places for your eggs, butter, and meat. Your apples will last the longest if stored on the back of the top shelf. The back of the middle shelf is colder than the front, making it a good place for leftovers, while the front of the middle shelf is ideal for melons and beans. The back of the bottom shelf is also a good long-term storage spot, but the front of this shelf is often the warmest part of your fridge, making it ideal for corn, mushrooms, and other cold-sensitive produce. As for the door, higher means warmer, and lower means colder.  Long-term storage Before your harvest starts to shrivel or rot, decide which items need long-term storage. You can slice, blanch, and freeze summer squash. While it tends to break down with cooking, it still makes excellent additions to soups and stews long after the summer sun has left your garden.  Summer squash ready for freezing (Kate Russell) Herbs can be dried. And if you end up with too many grapes, you can always hang clusters in a corner of your kitchen, or loose on a steamer until they turn into raisins. It really works.  Cardamom orange marmalade Canning, drying, and pickling are other long-term storage options. And be sure to check with friends, neighbors, and local charities to see if they could use some of your abundant harvest.
Finally, remember the adage: when in doubt, throw it out. Or add it to the compost pile. Back when I was young and lacking enough sense to research facts before spouting Old Wives Tales, I used to tell everyone that plants grown around classical music would thrive while their twins, who had been exposed to heavy metal, would wither and die. It’s simply not true.
What is true is far more fascinating. The sound of silence We expect plants to be quiet. We’re not surprised when a seedling silently reaches for the sun. [Corn and bamboo can be exceptions to that quiet.] No matter how closely we listen, we cannot hear roots as they reach deep into the soil. You can track down videos and products that translate these biological processes of plants into sounds and music, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Today’s topic is about the perception and production of actual sounds. Responding to sounds Somehow, without brains, ears, eyes, noses, or nervous systems, plants can perceive, respond to, and communicate visual cues, aromas, gravity, and sounds to other plants. [Did you know that even bacteria communicate with one another through sound vibrations? I didn’t either.] Many plants respond to the sound of caterpillars and other herbivores feeding by producing protective chemicals. Sound waves have also been shown to increase growth rates within some plants. One study found that sound wave treatments of 125 and 250 Hz increased drought tolerance in rice (Jeong, et al 2008). Detecting certain frequencies can also cause plants to produce growth hormones and protect themselves against microbial pathogens. Plant bioacoustics The technical term for a plant’s ability to perceive and produce sounds is ‘plant bioacoustics’. They can produce sounds in the 10–240 Hz range, as well as ultrasonic acoustic emissions (UAE) within 20–300 kHz. [We hear sounds in the 20 to 20,000 Hz range.] The sound frequencies plants produce vary, depending on the cause behind the need to communicate. These sounds are produced in the xylem, where water and bubbles of air are moved around. Scientists believe that plants produce sounds by manipulating these bubbles, something my fellow barbershop chorus friends will appreciate. In the plant world, this bubbling is called cavitation. It ends up that plants really do “scream” when they are damaged. Did you know that tomato plants stressed by drought produce an average of 35 sounds each hour? The same plants produce 11 sounds an hour when stressed by stem damage. And those sounds are different, in both volume and frequency, depending on the cause and the species of the affected plant. Apparently, drought stress is grounds for louder communication. Social interactions We know that plants can detect neighboring plants by touch. We also know that they use chemical messaging to orchestrate exchanges with soil microorganisms, trading sugars produced through photosynthesis for specific nutrients. Trees and other plants recognize family members and create social networks. If you had the proper equipment, and many mammals and insects do, you’d be able to hear those tomato plants from up to 16 feet away. It’s much noisier in my garden than I ever realized. And it’s happening underground, too. Root signaling It ends up that it takes very little energy to send sound waves through the soil. When root cells are damaged, plants generate sounds that can be detected by neighboring plants, warning them that danger may be at hand. Plants also produce sounds in the 100–300 Hz range that tell their neighbors where good food and water can be found. Your pea plant roots are actively listening for the sound of water in the soil. Buzz pollination Some insects use sound vibrations to make plants release their pollen. This is called buzz pollination or sonication. You can test this with a tuning fork. Depending on the plant species, sound waves between 40 to 1000 Hz cause flowers to expel small doses of pollen into the air. Other flowers detect the frequencies of certain bee wingbeats and respond by producing nectar that contains more sugar. We still don’t know how plants perceive sound. But researchers are currently exploring ways of using sound waves to help plants be more productive while protecting them from insect feeding. One study used sound to increase tomato crops by 13%. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could keep aphids, stink bugs, and weeds away while encouraging bigger, sweeter tomatoes? It just might happen. They are also exploring ways of use sound to reduce ethylene production so that produce is less likely to rot on the way to market. Can plants hear? They sure can. Does talking to them make them grow better? It just might. Watching my 4-month-old grandson delight in standing in his new walker, I am reminded that there are no “overnight successes” or “quick fixes” in the real world. Babies take months to learn how to stand and walk. Gardens take years to fulfill their creators’ dreams. Every success we experience, be it in our professions, health and fitness, or in the garden, all happen because of baby steps taken over and over again.  Growing is a series of baby steps (OpenClipart-Vectors) Pixabay Little steps add up In 2016, my son and I walked across Spain. That was a one-month, 500-mile walk. It was a wonderful experience, and not just because I got to do it with him. Learning first-hand that taking one step after another, no matter how casually, will eventually add up to something significantly bigger. Your garden and landscape work the same way.  Our walk across Spain (Kate Russell) Plans, passions, and reality Most gardeners, especially those new to gardening, would love to have that picture-perfect, trouble-free, highly productive piece of earth seen in movies and magazines. The reality is, elegant botanical gardens have dozens of professional gardeners and countless volunteers who work every day to create those masterpieces. For us home gardeners, getting help like that is nearly impossible. It’s hard enough to find someone to help dispose of an old couch. [And many of those magazine garden, plant, and flower pictures are photoshopped.]  Butchart’s Sunken Garden took a team of professionals 12 years to create (w4nn3s) CC BY-SA 3.0 But you can take your passion for gardening and your ideals and get them moving in the right direction by identifying and performing short-term goals regularly and consistently. Baby steps. Say you want a lush, productive blueberry hedge? Start by identifying the best location. Clear away the weeds. Top-dress the area with aged manure and compost. Protect the space with mulch. Conduct research about the best varieties for your microclimate. Eventually, you will install your blueberry plants. And, after a few years and regular care, your blueberry hedge will become a reality. It won’t happen overnight, but those baby steps can and will get you there. Little doesn’t mean insignificant Unless we’re talking about diamonds (and babies), small things are often seen as less-than. The truth is, it’s the little things, done repeatedly, that create practically every success. None of us is perfectly fit two months after our New Year's’ resolutions are made. But try adding squats while your microwave is running, or 10 little jumping jacks each time you use the bathroom and see just how much these tiny acts of fitness add up over time. The trick is making these baby steps easy enough to do that there’s no desire to avoid them. Trying to rid your yard of every weed in a single day is a Herculean task that may make you throw up your hands in despair and quit gardening altogether. Weeding your garden on a regular rotation will never get rid of all your weeds (nothing can do that short of Agent Oranging the neighborhood). What it will do is ensure that you are checking on each area of your garden regularly and removing most of the weeds. Over time, the weeds will be less of a problem and you won’t experience burn-out.
“Natural is better.” “Natural is safer.” These words are easy to say and they sound good, but they can be very wrong. You can’t assume that just because something is natural means it is safe.  Apple seeds contain cyanide (pxfuel) Public Domain Natural pesticides can be just as deadly as chemical concoctions. Mushrooms may be natural and organic, but some of them can kill you. Even the seeds and skins of some of our common foods can cause illness or death when eaten to excess. Chemical warfare may be banned in the human world (and with good reason), but plants regularly employ chemicals to defend against insect and herbivore feeding and in response the injury and environmental stresses. Some of the chemicals they use can hurt us, too. Today we are looking at some of the natural toxins growing in our gardens and lurking in our crisper drawers. Apples, barley, and stone fruits The seeds of apples and the pits of stone fruits contain cyanogenic glycoside. When plants feel they are being attacked, they remove the sugar molecule from these compounds, converting them into hydrogen cyanide. Barley, flax, and sorghum do the same thing. Raw cassava (tapioca) and bamboo shoots also contain hydrogen cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide is a blood agent that halts cellular respiration. It will kill you if you eat too much. Cereals, dried fruits, nuts, and spices Have you ever nibbled raw cookie dough? I have. And I’ve heard that I shouldn’t. I always thought that was because of the raw eggs, but it ends up that bird poop residue is the real reason. Another problem with this food group is more serious than a short-term belly ache. Cereals, dried fruits, nuts, and spices can harbor certain molds, called mycotoxins, that can cause severe illness. Long-term exposure, while rare, can cause immune deficiency and some cancers. Herbs, honey, and sunflowers Herbs, honey, and members of the sunflower family all contain something called pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Milk, eggs, and cereal grains also contain these chemicals, which are known to cause liver damage. Borage leaf, coltsfoot, and comfrey contain particularly high levels of this natural toxin. Remember, the damage is in the dose.  Borage leaves contain toxins (Kate Russell) Kidney beans Raw kidney beans are dangerous. There, I’ve said it. I didn’t even know it until I wrote this post. It ends up that all raw beans contain chemicals called lectins. Lectins can cause severe digestive upset. Raw kidney beans contain more lectins than other beans. Low and slow cooking may be great for that pot roast, but those temperatures may not be high enough to destroy lectins, so be sure to crank up the heat for at least part of your bean cooking regime. Mushrooms Some people can forage safely for mushrooms and others cannot. I’m in the latter group. Because some mushroom species can kill you, I opt for the grocery store. Unlike some other toxins, those found in mushrooms are not destroyed by cooking. Parsnips Parsnips have a chemical arsenal of their own. When they feel threatened, they produce chemicals known as furocoumarins. These chemicals can cause stomachache and skin rashes. To avoid these problems, peel your parsnips and discard any damaged bits. And pour the cooking water down the drain, rather than adding it to your soup stock. By the way, carrots, parsley, celery root, and citrus contain furocoumarins, too. Potatoes We’ve all seen it. Just under the brown skin of a potato, you see green. These green areas occur when a potato is sprouting and when the plant feels stressed. Along with that green tinge are chemicals known as glycoalkaloids. All members of the nightshade family contain these chemicals. Mostly found in the leaves, glycoalkaloids can give you a bad belly ache. They can also kill you. Be sure to remove any green or damaged bits before cooking your potatoes. If they taste bitter, toss them in the trash. .jpg) Green-tinged potatoes (Rasbak) CC BY-SA 3.0 Rhubarb
I’m only including rhubarb because everyone seems to have heard how toxic their leaves are. They do contain oxalic acid. It’s also true that oxalic acid can cause cramps and interfere with breathing and heartbeats. It can also cause coma and death, but you’d have to eat a profound amount of rhubarb leaves to have a problem. Sweet potatoes Sweet potatoes can produce toxins used in defense against injury, insect feeding, and other stresses. One of these toxins, ipomeamarone, makes your sweet potatoes taste bitter. It can also kill you, so don’t eat bitter-tasting sweet potatoes and always cut out and discard damaged areas. Zucchini Bitter-tasting zucchinis may contain chemicals known as cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins cause something called “toxic squash syndrome”. Symptoms of this condition include severe digestive upset followed by hair loss, weeks after the fact. How weird is that? With all these potential toxins in our food, what’s a gardener to do? First of all, recognize that you would have to eat an awful lot of most of these plants to cause any real harm. Second, keeping your plants healthy with proper fertilizing, irrigation, and pest and disease control reduces their need for self-defense. You can protect yourself and your family by discarding any produce that is badly damaged or moldy and cooking your food properly. The plants you see on TV and in magazines always look perfect, but real life is seldom like that. Plants rarely have perfectly rounded shapes or masses of fruit and flowers wherever you look. In real life, plants often have one side that looks and performs better. Things are uneven. Movie star plants (and their human counterparts) look the way they do because they are frequently airbrushed and staged by professionals. Imperfections are perfectly normal in the plant (and human) world. Failing to thrive is something else altogether.  Improper conditions can really mess with your harvest (Kate Russell) Failure to thrive is not a disease. It is a symptom. And most of us have seen it happen in our gardens or patios. Scraggly stems, too few leaves, little or no fruit or flowers, and overall weakness are all signs of failing to thrive. You can help your plant return to good health once you know the cause. Failure to thrive is usually an environmental or biological issue. Biological causes of failure to thrive Some plants are born weak. It can be because the seed was old, or germination occurred too early in the season while temperatures were too cold. In both cases, the seedling had to put out more energy than it could afford, too early in its growth, and may never recover fully. Other biological causes of failure to thrive include diseases and improper planting.  Being rootbound makes growing difficult (Kate Russell) You can prevent many problems with these tips:
Environmental causes behind a failure to thrive Plants cannot leave their environment, so they deal with wherever they are. Several environmental conditions keep plants from thriving:
 Black aphids on bolting spinach (Kate Russell)  Pea plant infected with Fusarium wilt (Kate Russell) Drastic measures
In some cases, you have to take more drastic measures. After all your other treatments and corrections have failed, it is time to dig up or unpot your plants and get to the root of the problem. You will want to work over a tarp or a large container. Either dig up your problem plant or remove it from its container. Shake the soil from the roots and wash them. Root washing is an excellent way to see what is going on underground. Prune out any damaged, mushy, broken, or infected roots. Set the root ball in a bucket of water and examine the soil. Look for signs of insect pupae, grubs, root maggots, root weevils, wireworms, cutworms, and other soil-dwelling pests. Smell the soil. Does it smell rich and earthy? Or does it smell funky, like old gym socks? Healthy soil contains earthworms and zillions of microorganisms. And it smells like good earth. Less-than-ideal soil smells like something rotten. If that’s the case, toss it in the trash and give your patient some fresh potting soil. Until your plant is thriving, if possible, keep it in a container in a protected location during its recovery.
Global agriculture or local gardens Whether we are talking about pandemics in the global food supply or epidemics in neighborhood home gardens, the spread of disease affects us all. Finding cures and treating sick plants takes time, costs money, and reduces crop size. Farmers and home gardeners can work to prevent these problems (easier) or deal with the consequences (harder). Plant pandemics are increasing in frequency and effect because of rising temperatures, global trade, pathogen spillover, and evolution. Rising temperatures Temperatures are rising around the world. Many pests that act as disease vectors used to die in winter. Warmer winters mean more disease-carrying pests are attacking plants, and pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, are more active. And they are expanding their territories. Changing storm patterns, drought occurrence, and other conditions also weaken plants and favor diseases. Monitoring plants regularly for signs of trouble can help nip those problems in the bud. Global trade Travel along the Silk Road 2,000 years ago brought untold wealth and riches to the far reaches of the globe. It also furthered the development of science, literature, and medicine. And it increased the spread of diseases, such as intestinal parasites, the Black Death (bubonic plague), smallpox, and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). Modern global trade has had similar effects on our gardens.  Silk Road routes (Wikiality) CC BY-SA 3.0 A single pest, virus, bacteria, or other plant problem can catch a ride on a shipment of produce, furniture, or dollar store doo-dad bound for your neighborhood. Before you know it, you’re up against something new. Some of those new problems can be devastating. And many countries are forced, through poverty, to ignore trade restrictions regarding pests, diseases, and chemical use. As a result, low-priced produce often comes at a higher long-term cost.
Pathogen spillover In some cases, the carriers of diseases develop a taste for something new. Expanding food preferences are becoming more common as we craft new varieties of plants that tolerate non-traditional temperature ranges. As crops are grown in new areas, pests and diseases that favor those crops follow. Once established, those pests and diseases often develop a taste for the local flora, spilling over into these local crops. Also, where one plant disease may be tolerable, multiple diseases are often devastating. Disease evolution One thing I learned while studying for the Master Gardener’s exam was that pathogens push plants to develop better defenses. It’s one of Nietzsche’s “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” situations. Plants that die are removed from the gene pool, leaving more resistant specimens to reproduce. Of course, we don’t want anything to kill our herbs, tomatoes, or fruit trees. We want them to grow and thrive and produce. Like everything else, diseases evolve. A simple mutation can change everything. Insects and microorganisms evolve much faster than plants (or us). Sometimes a plant disease can have a mild effect for several years and suddenly mutate and become devastating. Common plant epidemics Monoculture and the increasing demand for food have led to the rise of several plant pandemics. These are some of the most common plant pandemics that you probably never heard about in the news:
These are only a few of the plant pandemics currently happening. Like Covid-19, many of the carriers of these diseases can be asymptomatic, which means they look perfectly healthy. But adding them to your landscape can cause years of headaches and work. Disease vectors You can reduce the risk of plant diseases causing problems in your garden by monitoring insect movements in your region. Many insects carry diseases. Knowing which insects are coming your way can help you be better prepared. The Big Bug Hunt is a good tool I’ve used to see what’s coming. I’m sure there are others, but the Big Bug Hunt has the added benefit of providing photos and identification tools. These other tips can help break the chain of plant epidemics and pandemics:
Finally, learn more about the relationships between the plants you are growing and the pests that threaten them. Did you know that green peach aphids hide and spend their winters on stone fruit trees and can then carry potato leafroll to your potatoes in spring? Now you know. Remember, the more you know, the better equipped you are to halt the spread of these and other plant diseases. We may not be able to vaccinate our garden plants to protect them (yet), but there are other things we can do. There are many reasons to grow your own food: flavor and freshness usually top the list. Pesticides are another reason.  Apple in bone hand (ulleo) Pixabay Pros and cons of pesticides Pesticides can make quick work of pests that damage our plants or carry plant diseases. They can also spread to unintended locations, contaminate groundwater, and interfere with the delicate balance of countless, often beneficial, life forms. How much is too much? How can we know these chemicals were used responsibly by growers halfway around the world? It’s tricky. Healthy produce Fresh produce is supposed to be good for us. We are urged to eat at least five servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. But can all the pesticides and other chemicals used in commercial agriculture be washed off? The answer is no. In many cases, pesticides are systemic, which means they are absorbed by plants. How many otherwise healthy fruits and veggies contain high levels of pesticides? The list may surprise you.  Garden harvest (congerdesign) Pixabay Environmental Working Group The Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes a list of the twelve U.S. crops most contaminated with pesticides. The ‘Dirty Dozen’ are often sprayed with chemicals banned in the European Union. Did you know that peppers are sprayed with 115 different pesticides? Or that spinach often contains twice as much pesticide residue, by weight, than any other crop tested by the EWG? According to the EWG’s 2023 Dirty Dozen, these crops are the worst when it comes to pesticides:
I use this information to help me decide what I will grow at home. Store-bought strawberries rarely taste as good as they look anyway, so homegrown or certified organic are the way I go. Spinach, kale, collards, and mustard greens are easy to grow and can be allowed to go seed, providing years of edible good health. While fruit trees take time to get started, they are a good investment in your landscape, and many of them can be grown in large containers. Tomatoes and peppers are regulars on my list of plants to grow, though celery has given me some trouble. I’m not completely opposed to pesticide use. It certainly has its place. There are billions of mouths to feed, and pests feel no remorse about wiping out crops. Instead of applying broad-spectrum pesticides, we can use hand-picking, sticky barriers, and other cultural practices to manage many pests.  Black aphids on bolting spinach (Kate Russell) The good news On the flip side, the EWG also publishes a list of produce available in stores that score lowest on residual pesticides. This annual list is called the Clean Fifteen, and here is the 2023 list:  Wax beans (Kate Russell) The three plants I have found to be naturally pest-free have been almonds, apples, and bush beans. My three worst pest-prone plants have been Swiss chard, tomatoes, and pole beans, always with aphids.
Growing food at home, you have more control over what goes into your body. Moving from a house in San Jose, California, to an apartment in downtown Seattle, Washington brought many changes to this gardener’s life. Raised beds, fruit and nut trees, and many of my larger plants had to be left behind. Potted herbs came along, and they seem to be enjoying balcony life. But temperatures are dropping. It was time to learn more about my new USDA Hardiness Zone. What I learned surprised me.  Seattle tree badly sunburned (Kate Russell) Normal changes It’s not unusual to discover that a new location has a different set of conditions related to gardening. The weather is certainly different. I went from a scorching hot, drought-prone climate to cool, overcast skies and a lot more greenery. The soil situation is very different. My heavy clay made better with wood chips must now be replaced with bagged potting soil. Instead of a compost pile for plant food, I will be using store-bought fertilizers. I’m sure there will be new pests and diseases to contend with, but I haven’t run into them yet. The biggest surprise for me, and one that affects all gardeners, was the change in Hardiness Zone. USDA Hardiness Zones The USDA Hardiness Zone map divides the U.S. into zones based on average winter low temperatures. Understanding these zones helps gardeners select plants that will thrive. The 1990 map, which I have been using for years, told me that my San Jose garden was in zone 8. The more recent 2012 map says it’s in zone 9. The same shift is true of Seattle. The older map puts Seattle in zone 7, while the newer map says 8. More on that in a moment. Each zone is divided into 10°F increments. That means temperatures, as far as gardening goes, have risen profoundly in recent years. Before you panic, you need to know that some of those changes are due to better science and improved measurements. But temperatures are changing. Temperatures are critical in determining what will grow well and what will struggle in your garden. Global zone issues Back to Seattle. This past summer, there was a week with temperatures around 110°F. For anyone familiar with Seattle weather, you will know that this is unheard of. As we drove along I-5 to our new home, we could see the damage caused by those temperatures. Trees exposed to the afternoon sun were badly bronzed. Extensive sunburn damage can be seen everywhere. These plants were not able to protect themselves against the unusual heat. Many trees will die as a result.  Seattle trees shaded by buildings were protected from sunburn (Kate Russell) This type of damage is occurring in food production around the world, too. An article published by Science Daily tells us that fully one-third of the world’s food crops are at risk because of climate change. Master Gardeners, farmers, and researchers around the world are trying to find out what works and what doesn’t under these new conditions.
What changes, if any, have you seen in your garden over the past few years? Have temperature changes altered what and how you grow? How does one go from an expansive suburban yard with raised beds, bees, and hens in California to a 2-bedroom apartment in downtown Seattle?  My new garden space (Kate Russell) It was difficult to walk away from an imminent harvest of almonds, apples, figs, squash, and tomatoes, but family is more important, and it was time. I did manage to can some tomatoes before packing day, however!  Canned red and yellow tomatoes (Kate Russell) Sounds of nature I do miss the sounds of the hens and the sight of bees busily going to and fro, but Seattle isn’t without its’ sights and sounds of nature. Instead of egg songs, I hear the cry of seagulls and cawing crows. Pigeons are common, but not on my 7th-floor balcony. I have seen various bees and mayflies. And I am not without a garden.  Herbs and succulents were my first choice for an apartment garden (Kate Russell) Choosing apartment plants
Choosing which plants to bring and which to leave behind took some thought. Aside from physically moving the plants, I had to decide how much space to dedicate to them. Herbs were my first choice. The chives, oregano, peppermint, stevia, summer savory, and thyme came with me. I transplanted all my saffron crocus bulbs into various pots of succulents. And I brought my strawberry pot planted with groundcherries. Next year, I may make room for some tomatoes or squash. I have to finish unpacking first. Apartment gardening Apartment gardening poses some unique challenges and opportunities. As always, light and temperature are critical factors. Living in a corner unit in a southwest-facing building, we get plenty of light. Since we have a balcony, I can give my plants access to pollinators. Water conservation isn’t the same in Seattle as in California, but I still use the dregs from my dogs’ water bowl to water my plants. I figure the bits of dog food and who knows what else might help feed my apartment plants. Without a compost pile, I’ll have to rethink how I feed them. (The plants, not the dogs.) If you’ve gardened in an apartment, what advice do you have for me, the New Kid on the block? I started raising bees in 2018 with a swarm I bought from a local beekeeper. The bees seemed to love my yard filled with borage, rosemary, and salvia flowers. In season, there were also tomato, squash, melon, and fruit and nut tree blossoms, along with the occasional flowering beets, cabbage, lettuce, and Swiss chard. But then, in 2020, they all disappeared. One day they were there, flying busily in and out of the hive, and the next day they were simply gone. It wasn’t a sickness, because there would have been dead bees in the bottom of the hive. There were no bees in the hive. And there had been no swarm leaving the hive. They left behind 40 pounds of honey and no explanation of why they didn’t return. This is colony collapse disorder and no one understands why it happens. My mentor lost half his hives the same season. The only thing you can do in this case is to replace the bees. Since other beekeepers in my area had all lost bees, there were no swarms available. That meant buying bees from a breeder. It also means the bees get shipped to your house. In a box. They don’t like it and they are very verbal about their mood. The UPS guy was very happy to be rid of my box of angry bees. Before I tell you about the adventure and errors of releasing those bees, let me tell you that there are several varieties of honey bees. Many of us remember the warnings of the 1970s about dangerous Africanized bees. Most, but not all, of those reports were exaggerated. That situation actually occurred because some scientists were purposely breeding more aggressive bees in Brazil and some of those hybrid bees escaped. Being more aggressive, they take over colonies they find, murdering the queen and setting up shop. Here’s a brief summary of the major honey bee varieties:
My new bees are a relatively new variety. They are called Saskatraz bees and they are from Saskatchewan Canada. Saskatraz bees were bred to be tidy, gentle, and productive. Being tidy means their hive will be kept clean of varroa mites and tracheal mites. Being gentle makes them a lot easier to work with and being productive is kind of the whole point. Now back to my box of bees. I had looked online, watched some how-to videos, and figured I had a good bead on how to do this. I was wrong.
My sources said to remove the plastic plate that covered the feeder jar, which was filled with a sugary gel. [Sort of like the bagged peanuts you get on an airplane.] Supposedly, the queen would be in a cage (she was) that I should remove carefully while quickly putting the plastic plate back in position. But I couldn’t find the queen or her cage. For some bizarre reason, my brain told me it was probably attached to the feeder jar. (It wasn’t) So, I dumped the bees into the hive, banging the box several times against the hive wall to knock most of them out of the box. They didn’t seem terribly upset, which was surprising. There was one bee who gave a few angry ZZZZZZZZs around my head but didn’t pursue the attack.  Comb filled with honey {Kate Russell) I was feeling stressed because I knew I needed to find the queen. Her cage wasn’t with the feeder jar. Her cage would either have a candy plug, which the bees could eat through, or a cork, which meant she would be trapped. I had to find her. The reason queens are shipped in tiny cages is because they just met the other bees and they do not recognize her yet. If she was released into the colony right away, they would kill her. It takes a few days for her pheromones to work their way into the colony’s psyche. Once it has, they will sacrifice themselves without hesitation to protect her. For the time being, I needed to protect her from them. And I needed to find her. Part of my mind knew I had to stick my arm into the hive and fish around for the queen cage which, I assumed, had fallen to the bottom of the hive. I was hoping there was another solution, so I walked back to the garage, unzipped my bee suit hood, and called my mentor. He told me what I had to do, so I hung up and (mostly) zipped back up before returning to the hive. At this point, the hive is uncovered, filled with travel-weary bees, and topped with the inverted shipping box. This is not going nearly as smoothly as I had hoped, but I was grateful the bees weren’t trying to kill me. I picked up the shipping crate and started to reach down when I noticed the queen cage right where everyone said it would be, tucked up under the top of the shipping box. It was smaller than I had expected. I have no idea why I thought it would be larger or more obvious. Bees are pretty small. Even the queens. I brushed the bees off as well as I could, attached the queen cage to the hive, and replaced all but one of the frames. As I was putting the cover back on the hive, I felt something crawling around on the back of my neck. I hoped it was not a bee and walked back toward the garage. As I walked across my lawn, there was one bee flying alongside, scolding me. And there was another bee, inside my bee suit, crawling around on the back of my neck. I hadn’t zipped my suit up as carefully as I should have after talking on the phone. Oops. Meanwhile, my escort had turned back to the hive. When I was a little girl in Upstate New York, I had long hair. For some reason, bees always managed to get caught in my hair and sting the hell out of my neck. It was difficult to not tense up, knowing there was a bee inside my suit but she wasn’t being aggressive. In fact, it almost felt as though she was walking around, saying to herself that she must be in the wrong room, and wondering where she might fight a door, or someone to ask for directions. Now, getting tense or scared are two of the worst things you can do around bees, next to flailing at them. So, I followed her non-aggressive lead, unzipped the hood of my bee suit, and flipped it back. It took her a moment to realize she could see the sky, she walked a few more steps and then flew off, hopefully back to the hive. That was it. My bees were installed. Of course, I would have to return a few days later to release the queen. I hoped I did a better job of that when the time came. And come it did. Bees wait for no man (or beekeeper). When I opened the hive, suited up and smoker in hand, I was amazed at how much comb had already been put in place. There was so much comb that I had to squish some of it together to add the final frame. My mentor had warned me about not letting the queen fly away when she is released. It happens. I arranged the covers over most of the hive to close it quickly once she was free. I gave the hive a puff of smoke, pointed the opening of her cage downward, and pulled the plug.
 Freshly installed bees (Kate Russell) It is good to be a beekeeper. Long live the queen.
February always feels like a tipping point, a moment of transition in my California garden. It's too cold and wet to actually go outside and do very much. Walking around on my wet clay soil will only compound ongoing compacted soil problems. Working with wet leaves would only increase the chance of spreading the fungal diseases I know are lurking. So I must wait.
I have finished my dormant pruning and treated my trees with fixed copper. This week I will whitewash the trunks and exposed branches, replace sticky barriers, weed around my trees, and take some mostly aged compost from the chicken run to mulch around the trees. I won't need to do much else for the trees until it's time to feed them in March and thin fruit as it comes in. I want to make sure that this year I get the best crops possible.  Nectarine tree ready for spring. Note: growing peas up netting is a bad idea. (Kate Russell) Another aspect of my new beginnings in the garden will be making better choices based on what has worked in the past. It's too easy to get caught up in seed catalogs and marketing promises. Each yard is too unique for those generalized claims to be useful. On the contrary, they often make us feel dissatisfied and inadequate when our gardens don't turn out looking like images in magazines. For me, I know that the scorching summer heat of my fully exposed yard will make some plants very happy and others will bolt the moment they see daylight. There's no sense wasting water, time, and real estate on unsuitable plants. I have one raised bed in the back corner of my yard that I have struggled with every year. The squirrels dig it up. I forget to water it. Life is hard for plants back there, so they don't thrive. Last year I moved my potato bed back there. I added aged compost, a few onion sets, and then covered the whole thing with netted panels. The squirrels were not pleased, but I wanted to give the whole thing some time to rest. Over the holidays, I received a lovely card that included some native flower seeds, so I sprinkled them over the potato bed. My hope is that the native flowers will reseed themselves each year, adding color that will remind me to water. And potatoes have a way of carrying on no matter what I do or don't do. And if you've never had fresh potatoes, you're really missing out.  Each planting space has its own needs and characteristics. (Kate Russell) By looking at each growing space as having a new beginning, I can do a better job of making sure it has everything it needs to grow well. I guess the same is true for us, eh? We all need the right amounts of food, plenty of water, enough sunlight, and a gentle environment in which to grow.
May you thrive in this new year. Shorter days. Colder nights. Wet soil. These are times of rest, for gardeners and their plants. As our plants pull inward, shriveling their tops, harboring resources in roots, and producing little or nothing, it is easy to believe there isn't anything happening. But that wouldn’t be true.  Frozen plants in winter (Waltteri Paulaharju) Pixabay Just as hens stop laying in winter, our plants are recovering from the demands of summer production. Our plants are collecting chill hours, orchestrating hormones, and ridding themselves of unwanted, outgrown bits. And they are resting. Rest is just as valid as labor. Without rest, hens die, tempers flare, and plants falter. Taking cues from our garden, we are reminded that winter is a good time to curl up with a book, a seed catalog, or a pad of paper and a pencil. To think, rather than to do. By resting and thinking about what worked and what didn’t in the previous year, we can learn from our mistakes. We can do better next time.
Sometimes it is difficult to get rid of things we do not love or use. We have been conditioned by a multi-billion dollar marketing machine to buy and have as much as we can afford and more. But we don’t have to do that. We can look to our plants to see the ease with which deciduous trees drop last summer’s leaves. After putting every ounce of energy into producing fruit and nuts, our trees let the fruits of that labor fall to the ground (or our harvest baskets) without a second thought. Maybe we could learn something from that. Last night, my husband and I watched AlphaGo, a documentary about a computer playing Go against world champions. Mostly, the computer won, which was a big deal. What we found most interesting was that the computer didn’t try to demolish its opponents. It simply strove to win by enough. Our plants live much the same way. They are greedy for sunlight and water and nutrients, but they rarely take more than they need. (There are exceptions.) How much stuff do we really need? Winter is a good time to shed our own excesses. And there are plenty of people in need, who could really use what we have just laying around. Pull inward and reevaluate your own resources, rather than trying to force plants into unseasonable contortions. Winter is a good time to note what you like about your garden or landscape, too. Is there a nice balance of colors or textures or shapes? Which crops or flowers seem to always do well in your yard? By noticing what you like, what does well, you will be more likely to build on those attributes come spring.  Winter rest (Jill Wellington) Pixabay Our winter landscapes are good reminders that we need respite and quiet, too.
Stay on your path, give yourself time, and savor the season. |
AuthorKate Russell, writer, gardener, and so much more.  Archives
January 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed