Category Zone 4 Gardening

It’s the middle of January,the temperatures are in the mid 20’s and the ground is covered in snow. But inside the greenhouse the temperatures are in the mid 70’s and the floor is covered in bits of leaves and other fallen items.

We have been busy with the holidays and other work but it is time to get things moving in the greenhouse.
Last weekend we picked every last dead leaf and weed out of the plants and generally cleaned things up. The next day we took a trip down to Watson Greenhouse in LaFayette NY and they were doing the same think!

It is important to keep litter to a minimum as it harbors pests and disease. Things can pile up over the fall and winter especially because October, November and December are such slow times and the plants requirements for light, heat and water are at a minimum.

We took out at least 6 buckets of junk and piled them on the “pile” where we put junk. Normally we blaze a path to the pile with the snow blower but this year we did not intend to keep the greenhouse warm for the winter so it was overlooked. However with the mild weather and good sun we decided to turn the temperature way down and hope for the best.

So far things are going fine and the days are getting longer while the sun is climbing higher.
Next … tuning up the plants.

In our zone 4 area a frost advisory is nothing to be taken lightly.

Covering plants for frost advisory is a necessary task in zone 4 gardening.

The other day, a week ago, a fellow stopped by to buy some tomato plants and said he was going to be planting them right away. When I questioned the decision he went on about the cycles of the moon and something about the timing of the new moon. I did not argue with him, sold him the plants and away he went.

Since that day we have had a hard freeze and several frosts. So much for the phase of the moon.
We always rely on the national weather forecast as our guide. It seems the scientists have come a long way from counting the rings on caterpillars.

We have found the best covers against frost for tender plants to be bed sheets or other fabric. The sheets can be bought for 25 cents each at rummage and garage sales. Sheets do not need to be weighted down like plastic. A big problem with using plastic is the tendency for heat to build up in the morning. Strong sunlight can raise the temperature under cover to the point where the plants are burned.

For the past 2 weeks the North Country sky, ponds, lakes and corn fields have been full of geese. These are the Canadian geese that fly south in the fall and return north in the spring. Seems like when the ground and water is open they tend to hang around but this year with the cold and moderate snow cover they headed further south. The noisy flocks are sometimes hundreds strong and they can cover 180 degrees of the horizon.

At night they bed down near water or often in vacant corn fields, picking up the remnants of last seasons corn crop. They also pick the freshly spread manure. Cow manure is no more than parcialy digested hay and grain and the birds have a good meal picking up the parts the cows didn’t use.
Another good sign is the ice is finally melting off the mill pond. At this writing the water is just beginning to show through.

And the cherry on the top is the nice warm and dry weather we have been having. The absents of rain has allowed the ground to dry up as it thaws and that means no muddy path to the greenhouse. Even the hole in front of the greenhouse door is dry. Last fall we removed the pavers from in front of the door so that when the frost heaves them we can still get the door open.

This week we are finishing up the geraniums and started about 500 tomatoes for the cooperative extension bucket gardens. We use ” Early Girl” which is a determinate variety that are perfect for containers. We start them right in 6 packs, 8 packs to a flat to save time and trouble form transplanting them from bulk flats. The seeds are gently buried about 1/4 inch deep, watered and covered with clear plastic wrap. We check them every day and uncover them as soon as they begin to poke their heads out of the mix.

So the rest of this week we will finish the geraniums and start the marigolds. We start them just like the tomatoes, in the packs. If one plant fails to germinate we just pull one from another pack. In the past we would plant many seeds in one bulk flat, then transplant them into 6 packs when they sprouted. This is time consuming and tedious work so last year we planted directly into the 6 packs with good results. As I remember the old bulk method was a result of not having enough space for starting seeds but now that we have greenhouse space that problem no longer exists.

A quick look at the weather shows at least 6 days of 40 to 50 degree weather with sun so it looks like our luck is holding. The only problem is we can not leave a hose out at night because it would freeze, so we must drag it in every night. This would not be a problem but for the fact that the hose is 150 feet long and fairly heavy. Maybe we could just try leaving it out once…

The lupins soaked overnight in water to soften the outer seed coat. In fact some of the seeds came completely out of their skins. We ended up with a flat of 36 each yellow, violet blue and Russel mixed. There were enough left over to fill another flat of misc.

This year we are using the 2 inch jiffy pots filled with regular ProMix. These are the same pots we are using for the zinnias and the fancy lettuce. We bought a huge box of more than 5000 so we are trying to find good uses for them. By using these pots we hope to avoid problems with shock in transplanting. When the seedlings are ready to pot up we can just set them in the new containers, or directly into the ground.

We also started about 12 flats of safari marigolds. These are smaller and make a nice little compact plant. This year we are planting them directly into the 6 packs. In the past we have started the seeds in starting flats and then transplanted them into the 6 packs. The trouble is we end up spending too much time re-planting them. It is much easier to use good seed and if one cell is empty we will just pull one from another to fill them up.
If we have any partial packs we can just pot them up in 3 inch pots and hand them out to budding gardeners.

All of the first level benches are full and we have one raised bench full on the sun side. Phyllis dug the planks out of the snow and we will probably put a raised bench together tomorrow to accommodate the zinnias I plan on starting. For the life of me I can not figure out what possessed me to put the planks where they would be buried in snow. Not only that but the cinder blocks we use to set them on are also buried.

Phyllis went around this morning with the pyola oil and sprayed for bugs. I was only able to fine one critter but there may be more hiding. Now that we are on a regular 7 day spray schedule they are few and far between. One of the problems of keeping the greenhouse warm in the winter is the bugs, and especially because we bring plants in from the herb garden.

The pyola oil is nothing more than emulsified canola oil with a small bit of pyrithium. I was reading that we could probably make our own by adding just a little bit of dish soap to canola oil. The soap will allow the oil to mix with water. Then we could add the pyrithium when we make it at about 5% per batch.

The pyola works great but it costs about $25.00 per quart and a quart only lasts 5 or 6 weeks. However it’s can be a small price to pay to avoid having the state inspector find mealy bugs.
Since we began the regular spraying there has been no sign of aphids or any flies except for a few fungus gnats.

Anyway things are looking up and we look forward to getting back out there tomorrow.

Now that the end of February is here we can begin to look to the spring with earnest.
Most seeds for annuals and vegetables call for starting 6 to 8 weeks before the date of the last frost. Anyone who has lived in Northern New York for more than a few years probably knows that we can get a frost until Memorial Day, which falls on the 25th of May this year, 2009. The actual date can vary due to changing weather but we use the end of may for our planting rule of thumb.

But this is just a guideline. If we want the plants to be large and vigorous we need to start them earlier. For example we started the begonias in the beginning of January, which if the truth be known is a bit late.

This week we started the wave petunias. They are a bit slow to start but we want to be sure they will fill a basket by Mothers Day. And since we use organic methods we do not spray growth inhibitors on the petunias. Growth inhibiting chemicals stunt the upward growth which makes the plants bushy. We prefer to pinch the plants to make them bush out.

For example we have a number of Martha Washington Geraniums that we will use to decorate in window boxes and more we will sell. Once the starts are on the way the plants will try to send out blossoms. We want the plant energy to go into root and leaf development so we pick the blooms off. In cases where we the plants are missing tags we allow a few blossoms but once they are tagged we pick the blossom buds as soon as they appear, and it really seems to help.

Our other tasks this week included transplanting the tomatoes and lettuce plants that were started a few weeks ago. We use 6 by 8 plastic flats for starting small numbers of plants, like 4 to 6 tomatoes of a few lettuces plants.

6 by 8’s are 6 packs, 8 in a flat for a total of 48 cells. If we are growing to sell we usually use open flats to start as many seeds at once, 150 or more, but it makes more since to use the individual 6 packs to start smaller numbers.

We also took orders from the Jefferson and Lewis County Cooperative Extensions for tomato plants. We grow and donate plants and this year it looks like we will be growing up to 200 tomatoes for the bucket gardens. They use a determinate bush type tomato like an early girl. We want to start them early so they are good and bush for transplanting when the time comes. I think we will try and find some deeper growing packs to give the roots more room since we will be starting them early. This way when the plants are distributed they will be well on the way to producing tomatoes.

We really like this sunny weather, even if its cold outside, the sun keeps the plants warm and dry, free from mold and disease. The only draw back is we can not spray for bugs in sunny weather. We use an organic spray called Pyola which is a emulsified canola oil and natural pyrithium. The emulsified oil can burn plants when used in strong sunlight so we may wait a few days to spray when the weather is more overcast.

There is doubt that the month of January has been one of the coldest in recent memory. I know. We can gauge it by the size of the crack in the kitchen wall that appears when the foundation heaves. The wider the crack the colder the temperature. Of course I have to shake my head when I look at it.

We tried hard to make walls perfectly plumb and straight. Little did we know the foundation does not extend to the proper depth that would be below the frost line. The only way to fix the problem is to dig the foundation down and pour new walls under the existing ones. It’s a job but I have been involved in just such a project before. Once while working as a mason tender we had to dig up a house, by hand, and replace the foundation walls.

So when we get these warm spells where the temps go above freezing, thoughts turn to getting the seeds together for this spring. Never mind that the weather has turned cold again and snow is falling again. Spring will be here, and soon.

Our seeds are kept in 2 places, the small refrigerator in the studio and a 5 gallon pail that we carry back and fourth to the greenhouse. Some of the seeds we buy are fairly expensive so we store them cool in the small refrigerator, along with various candy and treats we keep handy for the help. The less expensive seeds are packed into a white pail with a tight fitting top.

The seeds are more or less segregated as to herbs, annual flowers, perennial flowers, vegetables and so on. Zip lock bags keep the bundles of seed packets from getting wet from spilled water or condensation.
The trouble is we don’t seem to be able to throw the seeds out when they expire. And they do expire. We found this out the other day when the spinach we planted 2 weeks ago failed to germinate. The seeds looked fine. I swear. The package was sealed and looked like new, but the seeds did not germinate.

After some quick investigation it was determined that the seeds were packaged for 1997. So we now have a new rule. Seeds more than a few years old should be tested to determine if they are any good. A cheep and easy way to do this is take a few seeds, six or so, and fold them into a dampish paper towel. Put the whole thing into a plastic bag so that it does not dry out.

Using the seed packet as a guide, wait for the germination period to expire. It’s ok to peek in the mean time but leave them in there for a few more days than suggested. And keep them somewhat warm, not cooked, but maybe near a source of warm air. If they germinate transplant them into some pots and let them grow.
If the test fails to produce a majority of plants, ditch the pack.

This is really important for seeds that sell off the shelves quickly. It is a real drag to run out of seeds only to find there are no more available. And this year we are paying close attention to the variety of plants we start.

In the past we have spent considerable time and money pursuing seeds and plants that were somewhat fancy and interesting but had no real value unless they were sold. For example if we grow more pepper plants than we can sell we just plant the extras and freeze the surplus but there’s no eating annual flowers and try to pay the bills with marigolds. Perennials can usually be kept over for the next year but the annuals take up a lot of space in the greenhouse so the trial plantings and extraneous plants take up room that could be used for growing food crops.

At any rate I have a feeling that the market for nonessential plants will be nonexistent. This year we are going for plants and crops we enjoy but are some what costly to buy. This includes tomatoes and peppers for eating fresh and to sell or freeze. We will also be including some winter squash like butternut, long island cheese, and maybe pumpkins.

In the mean time here are some Martha Washington geraniums blooms. They all look the same and there is no telling which kind they are until they bloom, and then we can mark them. So far we have 5 different colors but I think there are more.

Why not mark them in the fall? That …. would spoil the surprise!

Watering plants in winter is an important task in our zone 4 climate.
We heat our houses in the winter and when you add in the cold dry air that equals a tough environment for plants and people for that matter.

For us people it is easy to tell when the air is too dry … chapped lips, scratchy skin and dry nasal passages all tell us when the air is dry. And it’s relativity easy for us to have another glass of water or grab the lip balm or skin lotion. But for plants it may not always be obvious. After all the effect of chapped lips is felt every time we open our mouth or lick our lips but how often do we check the plants.

One thinking that can make things easier for people and plants is a humidifier. Humidifiers add moisture to the air in the form of mist, steam, and by evaporation aided by a fan. Using a humidifier would probably be a good idea, but like everything else in life, there are many opinions on which one is best. All we can say is read up on them and ask those who use one how they feel About the type they use.
Just keeping pans of water on the heat registers will add moisture to the air and in the old days there was a pot of water on the back of the stove to do the same duty.

Water vapor in the air can make a big difference in how well plants do. Try putting a few plants on the window sill over a kitchen sink and you will see how much better they do compared to plants left in dryer areas. Of course the plants right in plain sight and within easy access to water are bound to do well.
Plants respirate or breath through tiny holes in the bottom of the leaves. During the day the plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen and at night they use a little oxygen and give off carbon dioxide and water vapor. So even when they are taking in water vapor they are giving off the water that is drawn up from the roots to the leaves.

Naturally some plants will like it dryer than others. Today we re-potted some geraniums that were unceremoniously pulled up by the roots and crammed into plastic bags, last fall. Geraniums are succulent plants and related to cactus and like cactus the geraniums can go a long time with just a little water. On the other hand you may have plants that need watering twice a week. Ad to that some days will be dryer than others depending on the weather.

A good way to make sure all the plants are happy is to go around at least twice a week and look at each plant. Dig a finger into the soil to see how dry the plant is . Most house and garden plants want to be a little moist but check your varieties to be sure. Remember that water requirements will vary with the plants life cycle. New planting and seedlings do not want to dry out, but as soon as the true leaves develop the watering can be cut back a little.

When watering try to use room temperature water that does not have chemicals or pollutants. Leaving the water out lets chemicals line chlorine to dissipate. If you are on your own well with no chlorine you should have your water checked frequently but leave it out for the plants anyway. Water containing chemicals like benzine will damage or kill your plants so make sure your source is pure.

One trick to keep both you and your plants hydrated is to set the pots in shallow trays filled with small aquarium stones and keep water in the trays. The water will evaporate and help keep the plants and the house hydrated.

Care of house grown plants in northern latitudes during winter can be tricky. There are several challenges that must be met on a regular basis. Light and indoor plant care in winter is most important.

The first is the lack of sunlight. In the winter the sun is lower in the sky and the days are much longer than in the summer. For example during winter months the sun comes up about 7:00 am and goes down before 5:00 pm while in the summer the sun comes up at 5:30 am and can stay up until almost 9:00 pm. So during winter it is important to keep plants in areas that receive the most sun.

A southern window is a good choice especially over a kitchen sink. This way the plants get extra humidity and sun at the same time. One trick that can help is to place a sheet of white card stock on the dark side of the plant to reflect extra light to the back side of the plant. Aluminum foil could also be used. Be sure to rotate the plants from time to time to even out the light, otherwise the plants may grow toward the window and become lop sided. Just make sure the window is not too awful cold.

In addition to the sunny window it may be necessary to add to the light. One way to do this is with fluorescent lights. There are a few sizes available including 2 foot and 4 foot fixtures. Your individual needs and space restraints will determine which size you need. Hang them on chains that can be adjusted to keep the lights just above the tops of the plants. If the fixture is too high the plants may grow “leggy” trying to reach the light.

Another source of light could be a high pressure sodium light. There are smaller sodium lights available as garage or outdoor lights. While these are not well suited for indoor use they may work well in a greenhouse setting.

If you have more plants than windows or auxiliary lights you can still add extra light by rotating the plants into the light on a regular basis.
Lastly there are some plants that will do well with out extra light. Be sure to choose these for the “shady” parts of the house. Certain ferns are a good choice and philodendron will do well in the darker corners or northern windows.

Tomorrow … about watering.

When the temperature falls below 0 degrees F, we can have a problem with ice build up on greenhouse door can be a real problem. The moisture from the warm moist air inside the greenhouse tends to condense on the thin aluminum skin of the door and door frame.

This makes it hard to open the door and even harder to get the door to close. For now we point the heater toward the door for an hour or so while we go about our business. This keeps the door clean and in good shape.

Last year we attached a layer of insulation on the bottom of the door and that worked for a while but the real trouble is the type of door we use. It’s an aluminum combination storm door that is meant to be used in addition to a regular wooden or steel door.

The best solution to this problem would be to use a heavy insulated door during the winter months. The walls hardly ever get frost because both ends are insulated on the inside with 2 inch foam insulation.
The only other place we get frost is on the steel louvers and this can be a problem, especially when the sun is very bright in February.

During the night the cold air outside causes the ice to form on the inside of the louvers and they freeze shut. Then when the temperature goes up in the day the motors are stressed trying to open the frozen louvers. The best we can do is to keep the fan set at a high temperature and keep the louvers coated with WD40 to help keep the water and ice from attaching to the metal.