Category Zone 4 Gardening

This time of year our mail box is chock full of seed catalog. Every year we get more and more so we thought it would be fun to highlight some of the more interesting, useful and unusual ones, so here is our seed catalog review.

The other day we received a catalog that we have not seen before. It is R.H. Shumway’s Illustrated Garden Guide. The first thing we noticed was the size. Not the thickness, this catalog is 10 inches wide and 13 1/2 inches tall. For you metric types that’s about 14 furlongs by half a hogs head.

The catalog is profusely illustrated in black and white, much like the wall street journal and there is a photo of the old boy him self with the caption, ” The American Pioneer Seedsman”.

The “Guide” is more of a catalog with the usual items and a few odd balls like cranberry plants. But just because it calls its self a guide doesn’t make it so. In order for a catalog to be a guide there should be some growing tips and information. Although this catalog has a feel like a farmers almanac, there is non of the sage advice we were hoping for.

We went to the website and were more disappointed. It is so bad we will not put a link here but if you try you should be able to figure it out. Any site that has images that claim, “no image” needs work.
I think they have a good idea but poor execution. We would give this catalog a 2 on a scale from 1 to 10.

This year has been funny in that we have had some snow cover since November. Funny in that for the past few years the winter has been relatively dry. When we do not get much snow fall the ground tends to free faster than when there is cover.

And in spite of the fact that we have had snow, the temperatures have been above 0 degrees Fahrenheit. This combination of warm relatively warm temperatures and snow cover means the ground has not total frozen.

As a matter of fact Phyllis was able to pull the paver blocks up from in-front of the greenhouse door with no problem. We have 4 – 18″ square blocks in front of the door to the greenhouse so that a mud hole does not form in wet weather. Normally they would be frozen to the earth and we would need to pry them up with a crowbar. As a matter of fact in past winters the ground would heave by now, from being frozen, to the point where the pavers make it impossible to fully open the door.

One problem is the stone around the green houses is not frozen so when we run the snow-blower around the outside it tends to pick up some of the gravel. It really is no problem for the snow blower but if a lot is removed we will have to replenish it.

This year is not shaping up to be much of a zone 4 climate, more like zone 6 or 7 !
The warmer weather and cover may allow us to have a good wintering for the perennial garden plants. We put them up in gallon pots and winter them over in 2 beds which measure 5′ by 20′ each. The beds are made from 2″ by 12″ larch and we fill them up with next years perennial plants.

The beds are situated so they stay in the shade until late spring so the sun does not have a chance to melt the covering snow. These plants usually come through stronger and are ready for the garden in late spring until fall.

In the spring the sun get up to a point to where the beds are in full sun from the end of March until October which is perfect for wintering. We only hope the voles stay away.

One of the challenges for zone 4 gardening is dealing with the effects the cold weather has on the plants. Not the ones in the greenhouse but the ones in the beds. Winter Greenhouse and Garden Chores are a necessary job in the gardening business.

When we have a good amount of snow, as we do this year, the plants are insulated from the cold. A good cover of snow will dampen the effects from a cold snap, and by cold we mean in the neighborhood of twenty below zero of lower. All the perennials we have in the permanent gardens are suppose to be hearty to at least 30 below but when the ground is bare all bets are off. So at least we are covered for now.

The other plants we are concerned with are the perennial stock in the raised beds. These are last years starts put up in one gallon pots. One of 3 things will happen to these plants,
They will survive all assaults and we will have a nice crop for spring sales.

The cold will kill a certain number of them and we will need to start from scratch.
The voles will eat the roots, killing some of the plants.
The good news is with the snow cover the pots will be protected from cold and freeze thaw that can kill the plants.

The bad news is the snow cover provides a hiding place for the voles. Last year we tried to use straw to bed the gallon pots but the seed in the straw fed the voles. They gathered the seeds and buried it in many of the pots. While they were there they ate many of the plant root systems. This year we have decided to forgo the straw and let the show do the work. We shall see in the spring.

One thing is for certain. We will be starting a number of popular perennials this year, to cover ourselves in-case the plants die or are eaten and also to provide a new stock for the 2009 season. It pays to plan ahead.

The weather men were all excited as the forecast of a snow storm blared from the TV, radio and Internet. You would have thought that we had never seen snow before. Shoot I can remember Decembers when we got over 100 inches of snow. When we were kids there was always plenty of snow. And nobody had snow-blowers. My parents shoveled the snow by hand.

But every winter we endure the first heavy snow of the season just like we have been doing for many years.

I can remember one winter they were shoveling out the drive and we were on a snow bank looking down on the top of the car.
Anyway I digress. I really like blowing snow so today we went out and did everything including around the greenhouse. I really don’t know if it is important but I like to keep the snow off the plastic if I can.

It really shows the insulating properties of the double layer plastic when there can be snow and ice on the top and its 75 comfortable degrees inside.

We have gravel beds around the outside of the greenhouse where the summer plant racks sit. This way we do not need to worry about trimming weeds under the plant benches. We made them by securing 1 inch by 4 inch larch boards in the ground using 2 foot lengths of 1/2 inch conduit. The board are parallel to the sides of the greenhouse and 3 feet out. Then we put landscape fabric down and then pea gravel on top of that. It is the same 1/2 inch gravel that serves as the floor of the greenhouse.

The original design was to make the benches just wide enough to cover the gravel so the snow blower wold not pick it up when going around the outside. Unfortunately there is not enough room for the snow blower to keep a safe distance from the plastic. If we were to contact the wiggle wire the snow blower could rip the plastic and I don’t even want to think about changing it in the winter. I am not sure the mending tape would work either.

At any rate we plowed a nice wide path to the greenhouse and a 4 foot swath all around. After all its winter and we never know when we will get a real snow storm.

The snow is finally here and the days are getting shorter. We are fast approaching the shortest day of the year know as the winter solstice. The shortage of light is thought to cause depression in many people.

It is also thought that bright light can help to alleviate the effects of a long winters night, but as it turns out there is a bit more to it than just bright light. Apparently the timing of the light is important. An article at Web MD points to studies that indicate the best time for bright light is in the morning.
It seems this will help to reset our internal clocks, thus helping us cope with the effects of light deprivation.

This may explain the euphoric feeling when working in the greenhouse during a bright winter morning. I used to think it had something to do with the extra oxygen that the plants start producing in the morning. If the temperature is below 80 degrees in side the vents do not function so all the extra oxygen is trapped in the greenhouse.

I think it would be fun to test the concentration to see if I am right.
Anyway now it seems that the light may have something to do about it as well.

Much has been written about the pros and cons of the big box stores and their garden sections. More con than pro.
The box stores may not be the best place for garden needs due to the lack of training and education for the workers.
But there is a really good reason to stop in often and that is clearance sales to take advantage of seasonal gardening deals.

Years ago, not that many really, I worked for a large hardware store. This was before the day of the chain style corner hardware store. This store carried hardware, tools, paint, kitchen supplies, farm supplies, gardening, appliances and on and on. The company had 3 large warehouses in which to store the stock as they were regional distributors for many popular lines.

Many items such as garden hose, bicycles, ice skates, shot guns and so on we sold seasonally according to the market. So in the fall any garden hose was put into storage for next season and ice skates that were left over from last season were brought out of storage. Naturally new stock was ordered in anticipation of the coming season but the point is the left over stock was not sold off at clearance. Why would the owners loose money on the investment if they could save the stock for next year.

Now a days the formula is vastly different. The stores have very little storage space and they do not tie it up with overstock. Usually the stock arrives from a central warehouse or distributor and is immediately placed on the floor for sale.
This is where the clearance deals come in to play.

It is not uncommon to find many perfectly good items at drastically reduced prices. For example we were in a blue big box store recently and they were liquidating some 8’ tropical palm trees. Being that we are in a cold climate they would die right away if left out doors so they would not be good for the garden, but if you had a large enough space you could buy one for $2.00. Originally about $60.00
Of more interest to us were the giant terra cotta pots. The ones that will hold a small tree. Originally $70.00 we bought 3 for $25.00. They are really big and heavy but they will hold an elephant ear or cedar tree nicely. And we can store them until spring.

Another item usually found are box wood or other small shrubs that can be dug in for the winter. Just be sure to check the gardening zone chart. It is not uncommon for these stores to stock plants and shrubs out of zone so know your plants or read the label. Never the less, a nice canna can be kept indoors in a sunny window and it will bloom all winter long, or just save the bulb for next spring.

Watch for whole lines that may be sold off. We were able to buy a boat load of wire plant hanger baskets complete with coco liners for $1.00 each just because the store was switching to a new distributor. They needed the space for the new stock so the handing baskets were sold off cheap and quick.

Find out when your local stores place the specials out. Some of the stores around our area put the stuff out Saturday morning but many deals can be found Friday as the stock is put out in advance of the Saturday crowd.

And don’t be afraid to ask for an additional price reduction, especially if you have noticed the item on clearance for a number of days.
Good hunting and happy gardening !

Now that the temperature is falling below freezing at night we need to bring in all the ceramic pottery.
This includes all terra cotta pots, glazed ceramic pots and any other pots or crockery that might break when left out.

There seems to be a misconception about freezing and breaking pots. We make terra cotta bird houses and feeders and we leave them out all year with no damage. But if we were to leave a terra cotta pot with dirt out the pot would probably break.

The reason the pots break is they are filled with soil which holds moisture and when the moisture freezes it expands and the pots break. The bird feeders have no place for the water or soil to collect and the shape is such that even if there were wet bird feed in the feeder it could not break.

Smaller pots are emptied into a wheel barrow and the collected soil is removed to one of the compost piles. The same goes for most of the larger pots, the only difference is they take much longer to empty . We use some of the bigger pots for elephant ears and we take the bulbs in for planting next year along with the cannas.

The pots are cleaned out with clorox to kill bio organisms and they are stored for next season. We have quite a collection of pots and it would be a waste to let them break.

It’s getting to that time of year when we have frost warnings. Last night and the night before were such cases. We have learned through hard lessons to err on the side of caution when it comes to a frost.
Frost occur when the temperature falls below freezing, usually at night. The frost is sometimes evident in the early morning light as a white “frosty” covering on the grass and other vegetation. This is not to be confused with a hard freeze. A hard freeze will cause damage to plants left anywhere outside, even of covered.

Tender plants such as impatiens, geraniums, and tropicals like the elephants ears, Boston ferns and vegetables like tomatoes and peppers are susceptible to frost damage. The freezing air causes leaf damage as the cells rupture when frozen. If you have ever left a can of soda in the refrigerator you will know what happens. The liquid expands when frozen and with the case of plants the cell membrane is damage and the cell dies.

Since the annual plants get their energy from the leaves the plants die.
Perennial plants, on the other hand store their energy in the roots so they may die off this year, they will come back next year. Perennial plants do not need to be covered.

Plants in containers can be moved to a spot where they will be under cover such as a porch or under an awning. Other plants such as those in large containers or planted directly in the ground need to be covered up where they are.

Materials used to cover the plants include newspaper, plastic, plastic bags, sheets or other material that can be loosely laid over the plants. If the wind is blowing its a good idea to use a covering that can be tied down but since many frosts occur on still nights this usually is not necessary.

The plants will probably need to be uncovered in the morning as the sun on plastic can cause the temperature to spike causing damage from heat. It’s a delicate balance between a quick frost and temperatures in the 80 or better but that is one of the challenges with growing in zone 4.

Every year by the end of August our temperatures start the turn back to cooler. Even the angle of the sun tells us that fall is just about here.

Another sure sign is the condition of the flowers in the garden. The sun and heat loving perennials like the daisies and black eyed Susan’s are just about spent. This year we have the added effect of the pronounced drought of the past 2 months.

This morning we assessed a garden for a customer. The main planting was creeping phlox but the blooms had long since gone and what foliage that was left was beginning to turn brown. The round garden measures about 8 feet in diameter and was situated directly beneath and around a medium small 10 inch maple tree.

The first thought that came to mind was the tree should not have mulch piled so far up on the trunk. I will never understand why people insist on building a pile of mulch against the parts of a tree which are supposed to be exposed to the air. This practice can invite disease in the bark, not to mention it makes a hiding and breeding place for destructive insect. In fact it was a near by nursery who had constructed the garden in the first place. A nursery man should know better!

But that thought aside, I came to look at the plants and recommend a plan for the fall. The phlox covered 75 percent of the area with intermittent bare spots showing weather red mulch and a bit of black landscape fabric showing through.

My first recommendation was to start watering the phlox. The garden was very dry owing to our local drought and a spotty watering regime. A garden that is sheltered under a tree, as this one was, will not get much rain when we have light showers and its deprived any dew that might form at night as well. A week or 2 of regular watering will bring the phlox back and help prepare it for the cold dry winter ahead.

My next suggestion was to use the bare spots for seasonal planting. For example since we are heading into fall and much cooler weather the homeowners could plant some mums right in 1 gallon pots. As log as they are watered they will do fine in the pots. When winter inevitably comes the mums can be bunkered with a bit more mulch and left in the ground. Then in the spring the mums can be taken up, clipped back and held over for next fall. If for texture and variety some kale can be added as well.

Other cool weather plants such as marigolds, violas and pansy’s can also be planted in the fall. These flowers are often thought of as spring planting but they are really just cool weather plants. As a matter of fact we had violas growing in December last year, and this is zone 4.

After the mums are taken up in the spring the holes can be planted with marigolds, violas, or pansy’s for the spring. The phlox will be blooming very early and should hold the color until at least June after which time warm weather plants like geraniums and portulaca can be added to the mix.

By changing the plantings for the season they can cultivate their green thumbs and enjoy a wider variety of flowers.

Now that summers on the way out we make plans for the fall.

Autumn is a perfect time of year to take care of all the work we put off due to lack of time during the busy summer. And who wants to work when it is hot and sticky.

The best way to make use of the time left before the snow flies is to make a game plan and prioritize. See what wants to be done and weigh it against what needs to get done. For example bringing in the tender plants will need to be done before frost is on the pumpkin while stacking pots and putting benches away can wait until the last minute.

We must remain mindful of the perennial stocks needs this time of year when the weather can be cool but dry. The cool weather can lull us into a false impression that the plants are fine because the temperature is not hot. In our case the plants in the beds need to be watered until the frost hits.

One chore that must not wait too long is making the greenhouse ready for plants that will be wintered over. This means making sure the plants that will be brought in are pest free and those already in the greenhouse are too. Keeping plants in a year round greenhouse can be a chore especially when we are using organic pest control.

The key is to find a good product and we use pyola. When we use it in a regular schedule it controls all the pests including fungus gnats, white flies, aphids and mealy bugs. The sad part is this product also will kill beneficial insects but we find the insects did not work in our case.

In any case we want to make sure everything is in order so we are not faced with a mad dash some night when the temperature is dipping into the teens.