Franklin County (PA) Master Gardeners

MG Videos Part 4 - Winter Sowing with Karen Brown

2012-02-10T13:06:00.001-05:00

Master Gardener Karen Brown continues our collaboration with the Public Opinion with a video covering the topic of Winter Sowing.

Chestnuts and Woodlots

2012-02-09T13:47:00.001-05:00

Master Gardener Lionel Lemery discusses Chestnuts and Woodlots at Master Gardener Nancy and Larry Miller's property off Warm Spring Road:

Update February 10th - News article from today's Public Opinion can be read here. That link will only be viable for a week or so. Here is a small excerpt:

Six years ago, Lionel Lemery, retired U.S. forester, set out to fulfill Larry Miller's dream of restoring 34 wooded acres in Hamilton Township.

"I love wood," said Miller, a founder of the Cumberland Valley Wood Turners. "I wanted to keep (the woodlot) somewhat pristine and keep it as natural as possible. Wood is a renewable resource, but you have to renew it on a regular basis."

The wooded oasis hugs a tiny tributary of the Conococheague Creek on the valley floor - past the $200,000 new homes and just over the crest of cropland. Mature hickory trees surround a three-acre pond noisy with Canada geese.

Woodpeckers rap on old snaps. Lemery said he's seen a bald eagle, an osprey, deer, turkeys and foxes. Bluebirds nest in the bird boxes he set out. Tires, trash, a migrant camp, utility poles and invasive plants were removed. More than 700 trees of 26 species, including American chestnut, were planted. Old timber was logged.

"Our hope is eventually to make it available to the public for walking and watching wildlife, maybe catch-and-release (fishing)," Miller said. "It takes a while to educate the public with what you're doing. We're trying to make it available in a gradual way so people will come to appreciate what's there. It's a long way to get it to where we want it to be."

2012 Perennial of the Year - Brunnera Macrophylla 'Jack Frost'

2012-02-08T16:40:00.000-05:00

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' - Jill Hudock Garden

Every year, the Perennial Plant Association names a plant Perennial of the Year. For 2012 the plant is Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'. Also called Siberian bugloss, Brunnera macrophylla forms a low-growing clump, reaching 18 inches tall and wide. Brunneras have lovely small blue spring flowers that look like forget-me-nots, hence another common name, False Forget Me Not. The cultivar 'Jack Frost' is particularly notable for its striking silver leaves and contrasting dark green veins and leaf edge, giving it season-long interest.

According to Dr. Leonard Perry of the University of Vermont,

...this cultivar was found early one morning 1999 in a flat of the cultivar 'Langtrees' at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, MI. Looking at the leaves they were reminded of the story of Jack Frost, hence the name. It really made its debut in 2002, being featured on the front of Walters (wholesale) catalog.

In Bloom with a White Bleeding Heart - Jill Hudock Garden

Brunneras prefer shade, but will tolerate morning sun. The rough, hairy leaves are resistant to insects, disease, rabbits, and deer browse. Just an excellent plant for your shade garden.

Cindy Stead Specimen

The Perennial Plant Association selects a different perennial plant each year to promote throughout the nursery and gardening industry. Members of the PPA are invited to nominate plants based on several criteria, including low maintenance requirements, adaptability to a wide range of climates, pest and disease resistance, wide availability, multiple seasons of interest in the garden and ease of propagation. A PPA committee then narrows the field to 3-4 choices from which the members cast their votes.

It's Groundhog Day!

2012-02-02T13:52:00.009-05:00

Woodchuck (groundhog) from Purdue University
Photo by: Lesley Mattuchio, http://www.treknature.com/

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for me to like this holiday, given my gardener’s instinctual antipathy toward the bristly rodent, but I do. I like the fact that it represents a turning point toward Winter’s end. Sure, we’re still apt to get some last gasps of cold, bad, weather, but I always get the feeling this time of year that we’re on a downward slope toward Spring renewal, and I get warm fuzzies from the fact that, even in the worst case, if Phil sees his shadow, we only have six more weeks to go. So, here are some links, factoids, and other fun stuff celebrating the day.

Here’s a Website dedicated to Pennsylvania’s own, Punxsutawney Phil.

From Cornell, some factoids:

Woodchuck and groundhog are common terms for the same animal, the rodent with the scientific name of Marmota monax. Most closely related to squirrels, woodchucks actually can climb trees and also swim.
Celestially speaking, Groundhog Day on Feb. 2 is a "cross-quarter" day, about halfway between the winter solstice in December and the vernal equinox in March, and is celebrated in some cultures as the midpoint of winter. It's not far from the time many groundhogs end their hibernation anyway, around the second week of February.
Groundhogs go into profound hibernation, greatly reducing their metabolic rate, and their body temperature drops to just a few degrees above ambient temperature. Because their hibernaculum, the deepest portion of the burrow where they hibernate, is below frost line, that produces a body temperature as low as 39-40 degrees F.
The groundhog's internal clock is believed to be affected by annual changes in the amount of daylight. Hormonal responses to cyclic changes in production of melatonin, a sleep-related hormone, are thought by some to be the signal to wake up.

From the Missouri Folklore Society we learn:

Groundhog's Day is a secularization of Candlmas, a Christian feast of the middle ages which in turn baptized such pre-Christian observances of the returning sun as Imbolc. Since the winter solstice, by Candlemas, the sun has gained one whole hour. In the Catholic tradition, Candlemas commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem, and is named after the candlelight procession which precedes the mass. Candles are also blessed on this day.
The American traditions for this day come to us mainly by way of Germany. In the Black Forest the spinning wheel would now be put aside: "Lichtmess, Spinnen vergess, bei Tag zu Nacht ess" (Candlemas, forget spinning, eat supper by daylight).
Sunny weather in early February is a bad omen for the arrival of Spring and German sayings abound: "Wenn's an Lichtmess stürmt und schneit, ist der Frühling nicht mehr weit; ist es aber klar und hell, kommt der Lenz noch nicht so schnell" (When it storms and snows on Candlemas Day, Spring is not far away; if it's bright and clear, Spring is not yet near).
The groundhog forecast is based on a German tradition brought to Pennsylvania in 1887. "Wenn der Bär zu Lichtmess seinen Schatten sieht, so kriecht er wieder auf sechs Wochen ins Loch" (When the bear sees his shadow at Candlemas, he will crawl back into his hole for another six weeks.) The bear has been replaced by the badger (Dachs) or hedgehog (Igel) and in the U.S. by the groundhog.

More at the link. From this site, we learn

The name Punxsutawney comes from the Indian name for the location "ponksad-uteney" which means "the town of the sandflies." The name woodchuck comes from the Indian legend of "Wojak, the groundhog" considered by them to be their ancestral grandfather.

And a special link for the summer interns at Wilson's Fulton Farm.

Enjoy the day. And by the way, he saw his shadow.

Update 4:50p.m.: Some folks have a different point of view, of course:

Winter Harvesting

2012-02-01T13:46:00.001-05:00

Parsnips and Carrots from MG Mary Crooks' Garden

Master Gardener Mary Crooks sends these pictures from digging in the soil this morning. Writes Mary,

"I like root veggies best roasted with a little olive oil and greek oregano, keep it simple. BTW, the carrots are sweeter than the same variety I grew last summer, still good raw."

Parsnips and Carrots from MG Mary Crooks' Garden

All America Selections for 2012

2012-01-25T15:08:00.001-05:00

From the Kansas State University Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Website (a place where I get lots of ideas for the weekly newscolumn and blog posts - Bob Kessler introduced me to them before he left), here is a summary of the 2012 All America Selection Winners.

All-America Selections tests and introduces new flowers and vegetables each year that have done well in trials across North America. This year there were two flower winners, one bedding plant winner and two vegetable winners. Descriptions and images below are taken directly from All-America Selection materials.

For more detailed information including how to grow, go to the AAS site, or click on the individual entries below.

Ornamental Pepper 'Black Olive', 2012 AAS Flower Award Winner

The AAS Judges said this entry was a standout, especially in the southern gardens where heat was a major presence during the 2011 trials. All season long this beauty kept its upright habit with nicely draping leaves and dark purple/black fruit which appeared in small clusters along the stems. As summer progresses, the fruits mature to red giving a beautiful contrast against the dark purple foliage and bright purple flowers. Retailers and growers can sell this multi-use ornamental as a 20” border plant, a great color splash for containers or as a cut flower in mixed bouquets.

Salvia 'Summer Jewel Pink', 2012 AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner

Sister to earlier AAS Winner Salvia 'Summer Jewel Red', this dwarf sized, compact plant has a prolific bloom count throughout the growing season. As a bonus, the blooms appear almost two weeks earlier than other pink salvias used as comparisons. And of course, the hummingbirds love pink, just as much as they do red! Commercial growers will appreciate the earliness, excellent pack performance and uniformity.

Pepper 'Cayennetta', 2012 AAS Vegetable Award Winner

‘Cayennetta' is an excellent tasting, mildly spicy pepper that is very easy to grow, even for novice gardeners. This 3 to 4-inch chili pepper yielded bigger fruits from a very well branched upright plant that required no staking which would make it perfect for a container or patio planter. Unique to this variety is that it has good cold tolerance as well as dense foliage cover to protect the fruits from sun scorch and it handled extreme heat very well. This pepper is an all-around good choice no matter where you're gardening. Market growers will benefit from the heavy yield and prolific fruit set from each plant. Everyone will love the excellent pepper flavor that outshone all the comparison varieties.

Watermelon 'Faerie' F1, 2012 AAS Vegetable Award Winner

'Faerie' is a non-traditional watermelon in that it has a creamy yellow rind with thin stripes yet still yields sweet pink-red flesh with a high sugar content and crisp texture. Home gardeners will like growing something unique in their garden and the fact that the vines are vigorous yet spread only to 11' means it takes up less space in the garden. Each 7-8” fruit weighs only four to six pounds making it a perfect family size melon. Professional growers will appreciate the disease and insect tolerance as well as the prolific fruit set that starts early and continues throughout the season.

Vinca 'Jams 'N Jellies Blackberry' 2012 AAS Flower Award Winner

Extremely unique, velvety deep purple with white eye flower color will add excitment to summer gardens. This superb accent plant that will work beautifully in Americana color schemes and in combination with blue, pink, white or lavender. In some settings, the flower petals appear almost black, making this color a designer's delight. Easy to grow plants have excellent tolerance to drought and heat. Mature plants will reach 10-14 inches tall making them a perfect medium height divider. The 2-inch flowers are complimented by deep green shiny leaves creating a rich background for the richly dark flowers.

Garden Grown Chili

2012-01-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

Simmering Away

The cold, snowy weather today inspired me to make up a batch of chili. Simple enough recipe from an old crockpot cookbook, but adapted using stuff I grew this summer:

2 pounds Ground Beef
2 Cups Chopped Onions
4 Cloves Garlic
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt and Pepper, or more to Taste
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 Quarts Canned Tomatoes
1 Pound Dried Beans (about 2 cups)

Onions and Garlic, Dried Hot Peppers (Cayenne, Hinkel Hatz, Fish), Paprika made from dried Zavory Peppers, (A Penn State-developed variety) Greek Oregano (had to push aside the snow to get to it), some of the dried beans (German Red Lima, Lazy Housewife, and Spelt, and some store bought red kidney beans) and of course, Tomatoes all were grown in my 2011 garden and preserved for just this kind of use.

Onions, Garlic, Spice Mixture and Tomatoes

Prep the beans (soak over night, or boil for 2 minutes - allow to soak in the hot water, covered, for 2 hours, drain and rinse, cook for 1 hour in 6 cups fresh water), Brown the ground beef, saute the onions and garlic, add the spice mixture, and add the prepared beans to a crock pot, or dutch oven. Cook, covered, for another couple of hours.

Chopped Parsley and Greek Oregano

Red Zeppelin Onion, and Last of my Yummy Sweet Bell Peppers for Topping

Final Serving

One of these years, I'm going to be organized enough to enter the Chili Cookoff at the Chambersburg Ice Fest.

Seed Catalogs - Tomatoes for 2012

2012-01-21T19:36:00.024-05:00

I've been planning to do a vegetable seed catalog post for a few weeks, but neglected to get a round tuit. Now as I check the blog list to the right, I find that others have done a great job, so I'm going to link to them instead. The University of Maryland's GrowitEatit Blog has been running a series that you can read here. Dr. Leonard Perry of the University of Vermont has an article about the information in seed catalogs, and how to read/decipher them. I will share with you one that I only recently became familiar with, specializing in breeding new, and sharing others' weird and wonderful heirloom and open pollinated tomatoes. Wild Boar Farms has been around for over 10 years now, so I have no excuse for not knowing about them. From their "About" page:

The goal at Wild Boar Farms is to create the most amazing tomato varieties there are. Using heirloom genetics and mutations as a foundation, I Have been fortunate to discover and then improve on some very remarkable tomatoes. The main focus is on bi-color and striped varieties with extreme flavor and facinating looks. It's a hard business but appreciative customers drive me on.

-Bradley Gates.

I was introduced to these guys by a local grower in Greencastle, who sent a selection of seeds to Steve for us to try at Tomato Day. Minimally, we'll be starting them for sale at the plant sale. All are open pollinated, which means you'll be able to save the seed of any you grow for your 2013 season. Here are the ones originally obtained from Wild Boar Farms that I'll be recommending to Steve to include in our trial:

Pork Chop

Pork Chop - Most "yellow" tomatoes are actually orange. This is a true yellow, starts off yellow with green stripes which ripen to gold. Mid season, 75-85 days. indet. regular leaf. medium size slightly flattened beefsteaks. Great sweet tomato flavor with hints of citrus. Best yellow I have ever had.

Beauty King

Beauty King - By far the best looking and tasting red yellow bi-color I have tried. Mid to late, 75-90 days. Indet. regular leaf. 12-20 oz. fruit. Good to very good production. Large stunning red yellow bi-color, yellow with flashy red stripes(not blotches). Interior is yellow with bright red streaks, very meaty. Very good sweet tomato flavor. Cross between a Big Rainbow and Green Zebra.

Berkeley Tie Dye

Berkeley Tie Dye - Warning, high acid content may cause flashbacks. This tomato blows me and alot of my customers away. A favorite to many of my chefs. Mid-late to late, 75-90 days. indet. regular leaf plants. 8-16 oz. Fair to good production. Green fruit with yellow and red stripes. Interior is a true tri-color. Creamy green flesh infused with various shades of red and yellow. Each of these colors has a different flavor resulting in a spicey, sweet, tart tomato with good acid all in one fruit. Originated from one plant 500 ,F-2 Beauty King.

Pink Boar

Pink Boar - Looks like a port wine colored Green Zebra. Striking looks,outrageous flavor that is sweet, rich and juicy. Early to mid-season. 70-80 days. indet. regular leaf. 2-4 oz. with good to great production. Aggressive grower. Port wine color with metalic silver green stripes. Dark colored flesh is juicy and very good rich and sweet flavor. Originally from Black and Brown Boar.

Another one on the list from the Greencastle grower from Solana Seeds:

Arbuznyi

Arbuznyi -Stunning tomato showing a unique pattern of lines similar to watermelons, hence the name Arbuznyi (watermelon in Russian). Beautiful dark red-brownish fruits with green shoulders. Click thumbnails for details. Medium to large, beefsteak-style, flattened and slightly ribbed. Delicious, tender flesh. Sweet, aromatic flavor. Early, one of the first in 2007. Productive. 65-75 days. Medium size plants (1 m). Rare russian variety.

Here's a new one that intrigued me from Territorial Seeds:

Indigo Rose

Indigo Rose - 80 days. Unlike any tomato that we have seen! Indigo Rose is the first high-anthocyanin tomato commercially available anywhere in the world. The high amount of anthocyanin (a naturally occurring pigment that has been shown to fight disease in humans) creates quite a vibrant indigo, almost blue skin on the 2 inch, round fruit. The purple coloring occurs on the portion of the fruit that is exposed to light, while the shaded portion starts out green and turns deep red when mature. Inside, the flesh reveals the same rouge tone with a superbly balanced, multi-faceted tomatoey flavor. The indeterminate plants have an open habit and are very vigorous producers. Bred at Oregon State University.

Lots of other bloggers and garden writers are talking tomatoes. Here's Dr. Lee Reich's list, and Adrian Higgins at the Washington Post discovers the Rutgers Jersey Tomato effort, with old time hybrids Ramapo and Moreton.

Steve also asked me to write up something about heirloom tomatoes for a Fact Sheet he's producing (I get a byline - Woo Hoo!). He had to edit it down a lot (I can get wordy and wax a little too poetic about tomatoes), but here's the whole director's cut version:

Heirloom Tomatoes - The simplest definition of an heirloom tomato is an open pollinated (OP) variety with a known history and provenance that goes back generations. Immigrants to America in the 19th and early 20th century would bring seed from their home country under their home country growing conditions and plant them here wherever they settled. Year to year, they would save seed from their best fruits and slowly build a variety with fixed characteristics for their growing conditions. Over time, a reputation would be built that made the variety famous for some characteristic like, shape, color, size, and of course flavor. German Johnson, Amish Paste, Brandywine, Striped German and Riesentraube are Pennsylvania/Ohio examples of tomatoes introduced to a wider market in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s, whose original source of seed came from family, or regional plots that had been growing them for generations.

Another way that an heirloom can be introduced to the market is by growers in other countries sharing their own varieties with their own provenance. The early Czech variety Stupice is an example, which was introduced in 1976 by a Czech grower who shared some of his seed with a seed producer here in the U.S. during the early days of the organic growing movement, and it caught on.

Still another way to gain heirloom status is to have a colorful story behind the creation of the variety. Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter is a good example. “Charlie” owned a radiator business in the 1930’s. He also was an amateur tomato breeder. He self selected fruits from a couple different large beefsteak varieties (German Johnson is one of the progenitors) and came up with a fixed set of characteristics that were large, meaty, and productive. He marketed them to the public at $1.00 per plant (very high during the Depression) with the pitch that one plant would feed a whole family. He used the proceeds of this side business to pay off his mortgage, hence Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter.

Other introductions that are open-pollinated, but the result of deliberate breeding are not technically heirlooms, but are often marketed as such. Green Zebra, a tomato bred by Tom Wagner of Washington State, was introduced in 1982 and usually appears in the heirloom section of most seed catalogs.

Nowadays, new introductions of recently bred open pollinated varieties are made yearly, and there is an active effort by some seed companies to travel the world and find varieties for new introductions.

So what’s behind the enthusiasm of many people for heirloom varieties? One reason is that you can save seed and continue the old practice and not have to purchase seed every year. Since tomatoes are self fertile, you can rely on open pollinated varieties to produce seed that will grow with the same characteristics of the previous generation. That differs from hybrid varieties that are deliberately and scientifically selected for certain characteristics from different parent lines under controlled conditions. The hybrid tomato grown will perform as advertised, with desirable characteristics like perfect shape, even ripening, earliness, bushy habit, disease resistance, and heavier yield. Those characteristics can be important for the home grower, especially the disease resistance and potentially the higher yield, if you’re only growing a few plants. However, until recently, the important characteristics that hybridizers focused on often came at the expense of flavor. In addition, seed saved from that hybrid tomato, were you to plant it the following season, could have characteristics more in tune with its grandparents, not the intended specific cross of the first generation, so the grower becomes reliant on the seed producer each year. Finally, the presumed consumer preference for a standard round red tomato, also meant that old tomato varieties that were oddly shaped, green when ripe, multicolored or striped also went out of favor, so it came as something of a surprise to people a generation or two removed from the farm, to learn that not all tomatoes are red or yellow and round. They can be ribbed, ox-heart shaped, green, black, orange, elongate, pear-shaped, striped and multi-colored. Re-discovering their unique colors and shapes also fueled the renewed interest.

With all that as background, and with the caveat that flavor is a very subjective metric, here are some of the varieties that I grow every year and will continue to grow, based on something about them that was initially intriguing, but won an annual place in my garden using flavor as the primary criteria to keep them around and at the top of their category.

Stupice - TomatoFest

Early variety – Stupice (pronounced STOO-PEECH-Ka) – A Czech variety, with smallish (larger than a golf ball) sized fruit. They are the first ripe fruits in my garden each year, around 55-60 days. Potato leaf variety. Very juicy, excellent for fresh eating. Some tendency toward green shoulders (unripe parts at the stem end). Full, complex tart/sweet tomato flavor. No other variety, hybrid or heirloom, in the under 60 day category has come close to beating Stupice for flavor. They will also continue to produce all season long, with a short hiatus during the hottest part of the summer, but pick up again as the temperature cools.

Arkansas Traveler - TomatoFest

Old Brooks - TomatoFest

Round Red – mid season. Arkansas Traveler. Introduced in 1971 by Joe McFerran of the University of Arkansas. Just under baseball-sized pink fruit, good yield, good flavor more sweet than tart. Good yields. Good, standard tomato that will still set fruits in hotter weather. In the 2011 Franklin County taste test, Old Brooks, a red variety did very well also, so I will be growing it again this year to compare. It’s a mid-season, baseball sized red with good yields.

Lucky Cross - Tomato Fest

Pineapple - TomatoFest

Striped German - TomatoFest

Bicolor – these are tomatoes that are beefsteak sized, mostly yellow, but with red streaks throughout the flesh. Flavor is milder, on the fruity side, and they are absolutely gorgeous sliced for a platter. For best yield, Pineapple is number one. For large size (up to 2 pounds), Striped German would be my pick, and a recent introduction called Lucky Cross, while low yielding, has won taste tests for a more complex flavor. These are all later season varieties ripening in 85-90 days. I’ll alternate year to year on these, not having any one crowd out the others.

Orange Russian 117 - TomatoFest

I should also mention Orange Russian 117 in this category. A unique, bicolor oxheart shape – late season, but among the last producers with good flavor well into late September and early October when most varieties have stopped producing, or the shorter days affect the flavor you’re expecting.

Mortgage Lifter - TomatoFest

Red or Pink Beefsteak – Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine, and Marianna’s Peace. I’ve included Brandywine because of its marvelous flavor, but it’s a rather finicky variety. Potato leaf, very late (90-110 days), low yield, and susceptible to disease, which can make for a very disappointing season if it’s the only variety in your garden. Its flavor is excellent, mildly sweet, but complex tomato flavor. Large, softball sized irregular shaped fruit with a dark pink color.

Brandywine - TomatoFest

An alternative, similar tasting variety is Marianna’s Peace, which has better yields and disease resistance, but a little smaller. I will always grow a Brandywine, even if I only get a dozen fruits all season from 3 plants. I don’t share too many of them, though. Mortgage Lifter lives up to its reputation as a large, red, beefsteak, perfect for summer slicing on hamburgers. Juicy, good yields and good old fashioned red/pink tomato taste.

Marianna's Peace - TomatoFest

Cherokee Purple - TomatoFest

Blacks – Two varieties top my list. Black Krim and Cherokee Purple. Both are baseball sized, early to mid season, very thin skinned, and very dark, brick red colored skin and flesh. The flavor is best described as smoky or salty. Both have similar growing times (70-75 days) and may peter out as the season progresses, reducing total yields.

Black Krim - TomatoFest

Green Zebra - TomatoFest

Aunt Ruby German Green
TomatoFest

Green – two varieties – Aunt Ruby German Green and Green Zebra. If your flavor buds tend more toward tart than sweet, then these are the varieties to try. Green Zebra is a 75 day mid season variety, good continuous yields, with an unusual darker green stripe on the skin. The ripe flesh is a bright, almost chartreuse color. Size-wise, larger than a golf ball, smaller than a tennis ball. Aunt Ruby German Green is a larger, not quite beefsteak, but more baseball sized fruit that has a slight pink blush at the blossom end that signals when it’s ripe. It’s my personal overall favorite for flavor, although again, like Brandywine, finicky, low yielding, and prone to disease. Another one that I don’t share much. More tart than sweet, but very complex tomatoey goodness.

Dr. Wyche Yellow
TomatoFest

Yellow – Dr. Wyche Yellow. Large Beefsteak late season (85-90 day). Although there is a sense that yellow tomatoes are less acidic than the other varieties, it’s mostly a myth. The pH range for all varieties is pretty small, but yellow tomatoes do tend to have milder flavor, which probably led to the myth. Dr. Wyche is an exception to the “mild” reputation. Rich, robust, tomato flavor in a large yellow beefsteak.

Orange Strawberry - TomatoFest

Orange Strawberry is an oxheart shaped tomato, very meaty with few seeds and a bright orange color. Large fruits, easily a pound or more. Also late season, but unique flavor, on the fruity side. Like all oxhearts, the leaves are wispy and prone to curl. This is not a disease or a fixable condition, but a characteristic prevalent in the variety.

Black Cherry - TomatoFest

Cherry – fresh eating, small fruits. I share lots of these because they all produce well, and since I like the different colors, I have tons more than I can eat. They make excellent, full flavored tomato juice, which is where the extras go. Generally, cherries are more sweet than tart. I alternate yearly with two black varieties Black Cherry and Chocolate Cherry, similar in taste to each other – a sweeter tasting version of the Black slicers above.

Chocolate Cherry - Territorial

Chocolate Cherry is slightly larger than Black Cherry.

Dr. Carolyn - TomatoFest

A pale yellow variety Dr. Carolyn is a little more tart and tastes more like a regular tomato than most cherries.

Riesentraube - TomatoFest

For a regular red cherry, the one with the best reputation for sweetness is Matt’s Wild Cherry, but I like the very old heirloom Riesentraube – German for “little bunch of grapes”. It takes a little longer to ripen than the others, but nice, not too sweet punch. The fruits are slightly elongated with a little nipple on the blossom end which adds something. Sun Gold is not an heirloom, but always has a place in my garden.

Amish Paste - TomatoFest

Pittman Valley Plum - TomatoFest

Plum/Paste – these are varieties that have characteristics that make them good for canning and cooking. Meatier flesh, thicker walls, not too juicy, so sauces will be thicker. The skins peel easily for processing. All have high yields and a relatively small stem end.

Amish Paste and Pittman Valley Plum are tops in this category. Amish Paste is wider, whereas Pittman Valley Plum has the shape of a short bull’s horn. A special mention in this category is the Italian heirloom, Principe Borghese. The best tomato for drying. In southern Italy, whole plants are hung to dry in the sun. It’s the original “Sun Dried Tomato.”

Principe Borghese - TomatoFest

In the 2011 Tomato Day Taste Trials, the public rated it fourth, behind three hybrid grape varieties. It’s larger than grape varieties, but smaller than Roma plum varieties, and like the Riesentraube cherry, has a pointed nipple at the blossom end.

All these tomatoes are widely available from seed suppliers, including, but not limited to PineTree Garden, Totally Tomatoes, Baker Creek Seeds, Territorial Seeds, Tomato Grower’s Supply, Burpee, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, John Scheepers Kitchen Garden, and TomatoFest. The Franklin County Master Gardeners also have many heirloom variety plants at our plant sale each May.

UPDATE: January 25th, 2012 - Here's Steve's report, with my byline. And here's a promo piece about the report from the PSU Ag Science news site.

Plants With Winter Interest Part 6 - Witchhazel (Hamamelis mollis)

2012-01-18T15:25:00.002-05:00

Chinese Witchhazel in Jill's Landscape
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’

MG Jill Hudock adds to our series on Plants with Winter Interest, extolling the virtues of Witchhazel.

I’ll never forget my first sighting of witchhazel. I was in Winterthur, Delaware for a horticultural symposium on a cloudy, February day. The symposium had broken for lunch and as I looked for table, I saw them. The sun had just peeked through the clouds, backlighting a grouping of flowering small trees. (Cue angelic music.) They absolutely glowed. I was a goner right then and there. Had to have one, or two, or maybe a grove, or….well, you get the idea.

I didn’t even know what they were. After lunch I bee-lined outside, tromping through 6” of snow to get a better look, never mind I wasn’t wearing boots. I was going to check these beauties out, up close and personal.

The fragrance was honey-like. The flowers consisted of shrived lemon-colored petals splayed out from an orange-brown center. While I don’t think they would win any sort of award, unless it was for Uniqueness, they were definitely fascinating. I’d never seen anything like it. The whole effect from a distance was lovely; up close, funky.

Chinese Witchhazel in Jill's Landscape
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’

After I’d learnt my new must-have was a Hamamelis mollis, the Chinese Witchhazel, (the Winterthur staff is very knowledgeable) I started to wonder where I’d get one of these. Since I frequented our local nurseries after their bloom time, I had never noticed them there. And frankly, who is shopping the nurseries in February?? Did they even carry them? This was going to be a mission, I could tell.

Long story, short: my persistence paid off. A local nursery ordered one especially for me, although it took 3 years before my little ‘Pallida’ was purchased and planted. I’ve noticed lately that more nurseries are carrying them, especially in fall. However, now is the perfect time to research choices and plan their placement.

The choices are many: Chinese, Japanese, Vernal and Common Witchhazels. There are hybrids which are crosses between the Chinese and Japanese breeds, known as ‘x intermedia’ with a named cultivar to follow. My tree is botanically known as Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’. I chose ‘Pallida’ because it garnered a Gold Medal from the PA Horticultural Society, has highly fragrant yellow flowers and is a one of the smaller hybrids that would best fit in my landscape.

I placed it in front of evergreens to showcase its blooms, allowing enough space for the afternoon’s setting sun to backlight it. This arrangement works well for late afternoon tea. Do I actually have afternoon tea? Only when the witchhazel is blooming! It gives me a qualified reason to sit, to marvel and to plan the next big garden “thing”. Witchhazels also look great with the morning sun behind them, as I saw them at Winterthur.

Jill's Picture of Longwood Gardens Specimens

'Arnold Promise' (yellow) and 'Jelena' (orange)

If I want to enjoy the fragrance I have to take a short walk. I like to see how long it takes before the scent reaches me. It’s always a bonus when a beautiful plant has a pleasing aroma. I have placed witchhazels close to my clients’ driveway or backdoor so they may experience the scent as they come and go. This is one plant that needs to be appreciated as the only show in town. So give it Winter’s stage; it won’t disappoint!

Witchhazels bloom collectively anytime from January to March. Most last for more than a month! Choose from yellow, red, deep red, bronze-red, or copper flowers. Fragrance will also vary from species to species, or cultivar to cultivar. If that’s super-important to you, then the only way to determine your choice is the sniff test. And of course, this requires meeting the specimen(s). And that could be the hardest part…finding them to do so. I am happy with my tree’s scent even though I had to rely on references, not the real deal.

In spring, they produce oval-shaped, dark green to blue-green leaves. In fall they turn orange, red or yellow, depending upon the variety. They are small trees, growing slowly in full sun to partial shade. Moist, organic-laden, well-drained soils are their friends. Re-creating a woodland environment will suit them perfectly. They are understory trees, ranging from 10’-20’ tall with a wider spread. Most can be selectively pruned into graceful, artistic specimens. The Vernal witchhazel will sucker, creating a natural hedge.

Hamamelis is not related to the tree that gives us hazel nuts. Hazel nuts come from the Corylus genus. The common name for the Corylus genus is Filbert, as in the nut…feeling less confused? Hazel nuts are also known as filbert nuts. This is starting to drive me nuts!

“Hamamelis” is a Latin word combining two Greek terms. ‘Hama’ means “at the same time” or “together”. And ‘melon’ is “fruit”. “Hamamelis” translates into “together with fruit”. Witchhazel seeds and flowers are present at the same time on the same tree, which is a very unique situation. A seed capsule contains only 2 seeds. The capsule bursts open upon maturity, flinging the 2 offspring 30 feet or more. The edible seeds taste like pistachio nuts. I’ve never even noticed them, so this will be my winter’s new gardening experience. Hope I can capture them before they rocket off!

We are more familiar with the medicinal uses of witchhazel. Its bark and leaves contain the valuable astringent that reduces swelling. By physically shrinking blood vessels, witchhazel helps treat many skin-related maladies such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. An application will alleviate discomfort from bruises, insect bites, poison ivy and hemorrhoids. It’s also found in eye drops. Next time I want to get rid of my bleary-eyed, allergy-induced appearance I can thank the witchhazel.

On a more diverse note, witchhazel has been used traditionally to search for water and precious metals. Divining rods can be fashioned from its pliable twigs. “Witching sticks” came from the Old English ‘wych’ for bendable. I don’t know if the divining twig our developer used was from a witchhazel, but he did use one to pinpoint where our well should be dug. And after 23 years so far, so good! Now if he could’ve just found some gold while he was at it…

For a marvelously thorough resource on Hamamelis history, cultivation and uses, check out www.stevenfoster.com/education/monograph/witchhazel.html . The Steven Foster Group specializes in information on medicinal and aromatic plants. You will find a wide range of information along with photos.

My witchhazel has given me years of delight, taking me back to the first time I “discovered” them at Winterthur. What a fantastic day! I have always loved going to Winterthur. Bringing a bit of it home keeps that memory alive.

You can enjoy a bit of Winterthur at http://www.winterthur.org/ . Their website is just as gorgeous and as well-planned as the woodland estate, which I highly encourage you to put on your travel list.

Check their site for special activities when choosing a visit time. Winterthur does not have a “bad” season. You will be enchanted whenever you visit, guaranteed. Allow extra time to see their exquisite museum and valuable decorative arts collection. There is also a bookstore, as well as a separate gift shop, complete with take-along plants. Ummm, I can see where this is going…road trip, anyone?

Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the lovely witchhazel this winter. Maybe you, too, will be caught under its magical spell!

Plants With Winter Interest Part 5 - Lavender

2012-01-09T20:01:00.000-05:00

Lavender in Eckhart Garden

Most people grow lavender (Lavandula spp) for its fragrant blooms, or as a culinary herb, but it also adds to the winter garden with the year-round silvery blue/green color of its leaves. Master Gardener Jerry Lewis covered harvesting lavender blossoms in July 2010.

These clumps were given to me by Master Gardener Evelyn Schoch as cuttings from her garden. For care and maintenance, Cornell University recommends:

Deadheading after first bloom may encourage plants to rebloom. This is also a good time to shape plants. But avoid pruning after late summer until new growth begins the following spring. Cut back heavily (to about 6 inches) every 2 or 3 years to keep plants from getting straggly.

Compared with other shrubs, lavender is not a long-lived plant, so it is best to replace old plants about every ten years.

Lavender in Eckhart Garden

These clumps are about 6 years old. Lavender is easily propagated by layering, or taking cuttings, but also can be started from seed. If you don't deadhead, it can also self sow. Here's a fact sheet on home propagation methods. It should be noted that named cultivars should not be asexually propagated (cuttings or layering) because of copyright issues. Hybrid plants that self-sow, may also not grow true to the parent plant.

Plants With Winter Interest Part 4 - Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens)

2012-01-09T13:58:00.003-05:00

Jewel Orchid in Eckhart Shade Garden

I already introduced our native Jewel Orchid, or Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens) to you this past summer. Nothing new to add, just wanted to show how it looks in winter. The flower stalk is gone, but the beautiful evergreen leaves, with their unique variegation remain.

Pictures were taken New Year's Eve at around 10 a.m.

More information at the link.

Jewel Orchid in Eckhart Shade Garden

Plants with Winter Interest Part 3 - Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus)

2012-01-05T17:33:00.005-05:00

Helleborus foetidus in Eckhart Shade Garden
Picture taken 12/31/11 about 10:00 am

Kathy covered Lenten Rose, or Helleborus x hybridus in the spring of 2010. This is its cousin Helleborus foetidus, or stinking hellebore. I'm not sure why it got its name, since there doesn't seem to be any particularly bad scent that I can detect. The word hellebore comes from a Greek word meaning ‘food to kill’. That sorta makes sense, since the plant is poisonous, although it's only toxic if large quantities are ingested, and any skin irritation is minor, lasting for only a few minutes. It's native to Europe, but is widely cultivated here.

Another common name is bear-foot hellebore - also not very descriptive (maybe the leaves?) The USDA Plants database lists "setterwort" as a common name, apparently because the root was used in settering, or inserting setons into the dewlaps of cattle.

Like that helps.

Regardless, it's a wonderful plant for winter. It's dark green foliage deepens in the cold weather, and it's just getting ready to bloom now.

Helleborus foetidus in the Eckhart Shade Garden
Picture taken 12/31/11 about 10:00 am

In addition to its evergreen leaves, and early bloom, there are other qualities:

It likes plenty of sun, but tolerates shade well.
It's deer resistant.
It's drought tolerant.

Let's see: Cold hardy, evergreen leaves, early bloom, sun and shade tolerant, deer resistant, and drought tolerant. Any other plant with those characteristics would be named Magical Unicorn Wonder Plant, or sumpthin'. Instead, we get "Stinking Plant that Kills."

Taxonomy is an odd science.

Update: 1/11/12 - I adapted this blog post for an item in next week's news column and in the process of further research learned a couple of things:

The "bear's foot" common name is, indeed, based on the leaf structure. To me, the leaves are more reminiscent of Cannabis leaves (aka marijuana) than a bear's foot, but of course I base that on pictures from the internet, not on any personal experience with either.
"Settering" which engendered the common name "Setterwort" was a process of setting a "peg" made from the root of the plant, into the fleshy skin fold in the neck of cattle, under the mistaken belief that it would help with cattle lung problems.

Strong Seniors Program - Winter 2012

2012-01-05T13:29:00.002-05:00

Click to Enlarge

Strength Training Reduces Symptoms of Chronic Diseases:

Research shows that strengthening exercises are both safe and beneficial to people of all ages. Strength training is perhaps most beneficial for those who have chronic health issues such as heart disease or arthritis. Strengthening exercises can relieve or reduce the signs and symptoms of numerous conditions including diabetes, obesity, osteoarthritis, back pain, and depression.

Tufts University conducted a strength training program with older adults who had moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis. Results from their study showed that the regular exercise decreased pain by 43%, increased muscle strength and general physical performance, as well as decreased disability from the disease. In addition, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) noted that similar results have been found with people who have rheumatoid arthritis.

Also, older adults are more prone to falls due to poor balance and limited flexibility. In some cases, falls lead to fractures which may result in disability or even death. Strengthening exercises can improve balance and flexibility. A New Zealand study which involved women 80 years of age found a 40% reduction of falls when they performed simple strength training exercises.

Studies have also shown that lifestyle changes such as strength training have a significant impact on helping older adults manage their diabetes. In a study of Hispanic men and women, 16 weeks of strength training produced dramatic improvements in glucose control that are comparable to taking diabetes medication.

If you are interested in learning more about strength training to reduce symptoms of chronic disease and improve balance and flexibility, plan on attending the Strong Women/Strong Seniors program. Strong Women/Strong Seniors is designed for adults 40 and over and includes one hour of strength training exercises twice a week along with some nutritional information. Participants are given a physical assessment before and after the 12-week program to determine how they have improved in strength and functional fitness.

Penn State Extension, Franklin County, is offering six Strong Women/Strong Seniors programs:

Mondays and Wednesdays from January 16-February 22 from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. at the New Guilford in Christ Church in Fayetteville;
Tuesdays and Thursdays from January 17-February 23 from 10:00 a.m.-11:00a.m. at the Church of the Brethren in Chambersburg;
Tuesdays and Thursdays from January 10-February 1 from 9:30 a.m.- 10:30 a.m. or from 6:00p.m.-7:00p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Mercersburg;
Tuesdays and Thursdays from January 10-February 16 from 9:00a.m.-10:00a.m. at the Memorial Lutheran Church in Shippensburg;
Mondays and Wednesdays from February 6-March 14 from 5:45p.m.-6:45p.m. at Montessori Academy in Chambersburg.

The cost of the 6 week/12 class program is $50.00.

For more information, call Penn State Extension at 717-263-9226. To register, call toll free 1-877-489-1398 or visit http://extension.psu.edu/franklin/events and select the session you want. The events are sorted by date at the link.
Walk-ins are welcome at any time during the session.

More details about the origins of this program can be found here and here.

2011 Year in Review

2012-01-04T15:49:00.002-05:00

As we enter a new year, it's a good idea to reflect back on the achievements of the previous year. Here is the Franklin County Master Gardener input to the Extension Board's Annual Report.

Consumer Horticulture – Master Gardener Program

Background

The Franklin County Master Gardener Program is part of nation-wide volunteer effort to help Land Grant Universities fulfill their mission to bring research based knowledge of consumer horticulture to the general public. In exchange for extensive training, Master Gardeners are asked to provide throughout the first program year, 50 hours of volunteer time, selected among the following activities: covering the phone hot-line during the growing season (April 15-October 15), teaching workshops, manning information booths, assisting in research, establishing and maintaining demonstration gardens, fulfilling speaker requests, and helping with funding-raising and publicity efforts, like our Plant Sale, Tomato Taste Day, and Fall Garden Tour that help keep the program sustainable. In subsequent years, 20 hours of volunteer time, and 8 hours of continuing education are required to maintain Master Gardener status.

Statistics

In 2011, the Franklin County program grew from 82 to 106 members, collectively providing greater than 5000 volunteer hours in support of Penn State Extension. Master Gardeners responded to 794 queries from the public at the hotline desk, conducted 26 separate workshops, educating more than 600 attendees, plus 22 more at the 16 week, season-long Victory Garden (vegetable growing) series, and 24 at the 6 week Landscape Design series. The Franklin County Master Gardener blog had over 24,000 page views for the year. We also staffed monthly information booths at the Farmer’s Markets in Chambersburg and Penn National, and participated in Renfrew’s Earth Day and the Apple Festival at Tayamenasachta. We also helped Extension Educators at the Farm Show Pesticide Education Booth, the Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Growers convention, the Pennsylvania Garden Expo, and the Summer Garden Experience at the Extension Research farm in Lancaster county.

New Initiatives in 2011

Harvest 4-Health - Partnering with the 4-H program and Kids Learning After School (KLAS), Master Gardeners established a vegetable garden at Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School in Chambersburg as part of the state-wide Harvest 4-Health program. Harvest 4-Health is a Penn State Extension initiative to bring together multiple disciplines within Extension on a focused effort at the local level to teach the newest generation about growing their own, fresh, nutritious food by planning, planting, maintaining, and harvesting produce from their own vegetable gardens. KLAS is a year-round after school program for grades 1-6 (ages 6-12) consisting of 60 students usually broken into 3 groups of 20. School year runs mid September through mid May, with a summer term from mid June to the end of July. The cycle starts over again in mid September. These 60 students have been the recipients of hands-on learning about what it takes to create a garden bed and grow your own vegetables, as well as a weekly curriculum in basic botany, soil science, pest and disease management, and healthy cooking and eating. In 2012, we hope to expand the success of this project to the Colbrook YMCA in Chambersburg.
Patrick Gass Garden - Through the generous support of the Alexander Stewart M.D. Foundation, Franklin County Master Gardeners broke ground on plans to establish an educational and historical demonstration garden on the Franklin Farm Campus memorializing the leading role of Patrick Gass, a Chambersburg native son, in the Lewis and Clarke Expedition of 1804-1806. The project will present a horticultural and historical experience that demonstrates the importance of flora and agriculture in the young and expanding Republic. It will offer an educational experience for youth groups, school groups, historic groups, tourists, and public visitors. Site prep took place this past summer and fall, and initial planting and signage for Phase I of the multi-year project will take place in the spring of 2012.
MG Videos - in 2011, we began a collaborated effort with the Chambersburg Public Opinion to offer video "how to's" on gardening topics: Fall Gardening, Putting Gardens to Bed, and Holiday Decorating.

Fundraising Events

Spring Plant Sale – In 2011, we added a greenhouse vegetable and annual plant component to the annual May event, boosting revenues over $8,000, setting a record for our major fund raiser.
An Autumn Stroll – Our annual fall garden tour took place in the Blue Ridge Summit and Waynesboro areas this past year, generating another $1,100. This year, the Garden Tour committee dedicated its funds to the Patrick Gass Garden effort.

Public Relations Events

June Extension Open House – Penn State Extension of Franklin County sponsored its first Open House for the public with an all-day event on June 22, and Master Gardeners were there to help as volunteers in escorting groups of people around the Franklin Farm campus and show off our Demonstration Gardens. The campus Demonstration Gardens, designed and maintained by Franklin County Master Gardeners include: The Perennial Garden, The Herb Garden, the Pollinator Friendly Garden, and the Woodland, Meadow, and Native Habitat Demonstration Gardens. In 2012, we hope to refurbish the Herb garden, and newly establish both a drought tolerant garden and a bog garden.
Tomato Day – The 11th annual Tomato Taste Day wherein we invite the public to judge two dozen different varieties of tomatoes and rate them for flavor and looks, took place on August 24th. 164 people participated in 2011, giving a pink grape variety, Sakura Honey, a hybrid from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, overall first place honors.

Many thanks to all the Master Gardeners who gave of their time and talents to make for a successful year.

Take a bow, folks!

Plants with Winter Interest - Part 2 - Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)

2012-01-04T14:04:00.002-05:00

Please welcome fellow Franklin County Master Gardener (class of 1998), Certified PA Horticulturist, and Landscape Designer Jill Hudock to the blog. Jill has been instrumental over the years in helping us design the award winning Falling Spring Nursing Home Garden, the John Brown House Garden, and is working with Bill and Cindy Stead on the plans for the Patrick Gass Garden. If you've ever attended the fall Landscape Design series of classes, you've seen Jill as one of the instructors and expert reviewers of your personal landscape plan. The Shippensburg Peace Garden is also on Jill's list of accomplishments. I'm recruiting Jill to join us as a regular contributor. Here's Jill on snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis.

Snowdrops (Glanthus nivalis)

How appropriate! It’s winter, lightly snowing, and my Galanthus nivalis have poked their nodding heads through the mulch, greeting me with drooping, pure white petals. Snowdrops are one of nature’s gifts that I never tire of…a late Christmas present!

The common snowdrop grows only to 6 inches, a “short” introduction to the upcoming bulb season. Its strappy, blue-green leaves cluster around the flower stalk that can produce a slightly scented winter wonder which lasts for weeks.

Comfortable in hardiness zones 4-9, the common snowdrop is a reliable performer. In my zone 6b garden, they have slowly increased their numbers. They are excellent choices for areas viewed from inside the home, to be seen while the gardener is toasty warm, preferably sipping hot chocolate, in order to invite the accompanying appreciation for blooms produced under such frigid conditions.

Snowdrops represent a genus of 19 or more small bulbs (those intrepid plant hunters are always discovering more ways to tempt us!). Native to Europe and western Asia, their botanical genus name, Galanthus, comes from the Greek for ‘milkflower’. Nivalis is Latin for ‘of the snow’. The “milkflower of the snow” does indeed look like 3 large drops of milk hanging from a stem. Common names such as Candlemas, February fairmaids and Dingle dangle are informative as well as entertaining. My favorite is Flower of Hope.

Snowdrops represent purity and a clean beginning to the new year.

Galanthus nivalis will naturalize in lightly shaded woodlands as well as lawns without becoming invasive. By the time the lawn requires mowing, snowdrop flowers have been long gone, their leaves turning yellow and finally withering away. For those who live and try to co-exist with deer, snowdrops are not on their main menu so a forest-like setting, carpeted by snowdrops is ideal.

Plant them any time from mid-October until the ground freezes. They appreciate rich, moist, well-drained soil located in sun to partial shade. Me, too! And while my garden has finally reached that exalted state (at least in the spot where my snowdrops grow), it’s taken 15 years for that to happen. If I had mixed in compost more often I’m sure I would’ve arrived at optimum condition much, much sooner. Luckily my snowdrops were not offended by my poor soil, as they’ve survived.

Snowdrops like regular moisture during their growing season, especially if you’d like to increase your crop. You can spread their seeds or divide the bulb clumps after flowering. This is something I haven’t done, maybe because I’m too comfy with my hot chocolate! The British gardeners at Colesbourne Park have been much more ambitious than I have been. You can see their lovely photos at http://www.judyssnowdrops.co.uk/

Snowdrops planted en masse are an unforgettable winter/ early spring sight.

You can also use them as cut flowers. While they’re not as showy as poinsettias or the Christmas cactus, they do provide an elegant statement. Take a sniff too, while you’re at it. Not all have a fragrance, so if that’s important to you a little research would be in order to ensure satisfaction. You will find numerous choices available. And, apparently, if you want something a bit more exotic than the common types, you’ll pay a pretty penny for them. Of course.

If the snowdrop becomes an obsession you may consider yourself a “galanthophile.” Not something you would lead with when meeting a new person but the term aptly applies to any snowdrop lover. And if you want to extend your pleasure, consider planting a later, spring flowering genus, Leucojum aestivum (common name “Summer Snowflake”).

While the two types (Galanthus and Leucojum) are classified into two separate genera, they are very similar in appearance. I adore Summer Snowflake’s taller (18”), larger drooping bell-like clusters with their petals marked with a dainty green dot. Their simple charm always makes me smile. A special shady spot, set aside for them under a deciduous tree, marks their importance. I will have them in my garden forever. The winter/spring sun warms their soil early, allowing them to flower well.

On a more serious botanical note, it’s worthwhile to mention that Galanthus, Leucojum, Narcissus (daffodil), Lycoris squamigera (naked lady) and Lycoris radiata (spider lily) contain the chemical compound galatamine. Galatamine is a potent anti-Alzheimer combatant, as well as a post-polio treatment. It eases neuromuscular conditions such as neuritis and neuralgia. The compound sold under the name Nivalin until 2000 when it was then trade named Reminyl. It’s now approved by the FDA to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer cases as well as a general nutritional supplement. While our dear snowdrops were an original source of this important compound, it’s now being primarily obtained from Narcissus and Leucojum, in addition to being synthetically produced.

No wonder they called it “Flower of Hope”! It is gratifying to know that something that blooms so sublimely in the coldest time of year is more than just a cure for the winter blues. I look at my little ones with a newfound respect. There they are: strong, pure and happy…opening the door to another glorious gardening season yet to come. And truly, what more could a gardener hope for?

Plants with Winter Interest - Part 1 Partridge Berry (Mitchella repens)

2012-01-02T12:31:00.005-05:00

Partridge Berry in the Eckhart/Parisien Woods at Monte Vista

At the Garden Tour this fall, during the after tour party, Barb Petrucci noticed this groundcover growing under a Norway Spruce tree and asked what it was (and where can she get it). Linda Secrist confirmed that it's a native, evergreen groundcover called Partridge Berry, or Mitchella repens. According to the U.S. Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers website, the "... genus name Mitchella was given to this plant by Linnaeus for his friend John Mitchell, a physician who developed a method of treating yellow fever. The species name repens refers to its trailing or creeping habit."

Partridge Berry in the Eckhart/Parisien Woods at Monte Vista

The plant is dimorphous, meaning "occurring in two forms":

In late spring, two beautiful white flowers (with one calyx) each open their four petals to entice insects to collect their nectar. Each blossom has one pistil and four stamens. The pistil in one is short and the stamens are long. In the other it is just the opposite. ... Because of this no flower can fertilize itself--all flowers must be cross-pollinated by insects, and both flowers must be pollinated to get a single healthy berry. A berry will stay on the vine until after the blooms appear in the spring unless a hungry bird finds it nestled among the fallen winter leaves.

Did you catch that? The twin flowers produce, together, only one berry. If you look closely at the first picture, you can see two "eyes" as residual evidence of the fusion. The berry is edible, and persists through the winter, assuming it is not consumed by "ruffed grouse, northern bobwhite, sharp-tailed grouse, and prairie chicken. The fruit is also frequently eaten by raccoons and red fox" and it has been reported that "partridgeberry made up 2.9 to 3.4 percent (dry weight) of the summer and fall diets of white-tailed deer."

Back to the Forest Service article:

Some gardeners consider Partridge Berry a must for winter gardens. During the cold days of late winter Partridge Berry is a treat to the eyes with its deep, dark-green leaves and occasional scarlet berries. In a garden setting this evergreen prefers shade, accepting the morning sun. Partridge Berry is extremely difficult to propagate from seed. The best way to introduce this native into your garden is through 1 year old cuttings or by division. In the garden situation they will form a thick, substantial ground cover. Once established they are relatively trouble free with the only required maintenance of keeping garden debris from covering the mats. As always, do not wild collect plants from public lands and only from private lands when the landowner grants permission. Partridge Berry is a commonly available plant from native plant nurseries especially those who specialize in woodland plants.

I also love the symmetrical variegation in the evergreen leaves, a bright, light yellow line bisecting each leaf, and the delicate, less visible veins. It's a great alternative to Vinca, an introduced species from Europe that appears on invasive species lists.

A Google search revealed many potential on-line sources for buying Partridge Berry plants, or check with a local nursery, or independent gardening center in the native plant section:

Amazon, TN Tree Nursery (Wholesale - minimum 100 Plants), Barry Glick's Sunshine Farm and Gardens, Mulberry Woods Nursery, Hillis Nursery (Wholesale - minimum 25 plants), Munchkin Nursery, and Heartwood Nursery.

More here.

Perry's Perennial Pages

2011-12-29T13:16:00.000-05:00

Dr. Leonard Perry

Dr. Leonard Perry of the University of Vermont started a blog back in May, 2011. I've added a link at the sidebar under "Other Blogs". This is in addition to his website, Perry's Perennial Pages that has been in the "Links to Other Sites" section since 2009.

Like the Garden Professors and Dr. Lee Reich's blogs, Dr. Perry provides great objective gardening information based on sound research, specializing in (although not limited to) herbaceous perennials. From his biography:

Dr. Leonard Perry is the Greenhouse and Nursery Extension Specialist for the University of Vermont. In this role Dr. Perry provides information and programming to the industry of Vermont, region, and North America. Home gardeners in Vermont and surrounding areas know him from his frequent television appearances on Across the Fence and radio. As a Professor, Dr. Perry along with graduate students has an active research program on all aspects of perennial production and overwintering. Students know him from his courses at UVM on Garden Plants and Indoor Flowers, with the Herbaceous Garden Plants course now available to anyone totally online. Communities across the U.S. have met him through his past role as a judge for the America in Bloom program. Dr. Perry is becoming known across North America for his internet web site-- Perry's Perennial Pages -- at which he features information, links, news articles, research and more on herbaceous perennials. Look him up through this site name on Google or other search engines, or at perrysperennials.com.

Check it out.

Mistletoe - Facts and Myths

2011-12-22T16:18:00.004-05:00

Picture courtesy of Duke University

The holiday plant we call Mistletoe belongs to the family group called the Santalaceae. Although there are over 250 species and 7 genera in the family group, the one we associate with the season is either the native European species Viscum album or its similar American cousin, Phoradendron leucarpum. Both are hemi, or half parasitic. They produce leaves and make their own food via photosynthesis, but rely on their host tree for their water needs and to supply nutrients, like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Rather than roots, they produce structures that tap into a tree and steal the nutrients and water from the host. In fact, the name Phoradendron is translated from Greek to "thief of the tree." The slow-growing plant forms a greenish-yellow evergreen shrub that grows two to three feet long, hanging from tree branches.

There are separate male and female plants, with only the female, naturally, producing the familiar white berries, from small, inconspicuous yellow flowers that bloom in the fall. Franklin County, PA is at the edge of the northern limit where mistletoe will naturally grow, since it is only hardy to zone 6a.

It is the larval host plant for the Great Purple Hairstreak butterfly (Atlides halesus), meaning the caterpillars eat the leaves of mistletoe, before pupating, undergoing metamorphosis, and emerging as an adult butterfly.

Most American mistletoe grown commercially for the decorating trade is harvested in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. In the forestry and lumber industries, mistletoe can be considered a pest, or weed to be managed because of its detrimental effect on the host.

So how did mistletoe become a benign symbol of love and greeting, associated with the holiday season? Dr. Leonard P. Perry, Extension Professor at the University of Vermont provides some possible answers.

Picture courtesy of Duke University

Historically, in pre-Christian Europe, mistletoe was considered a religious symbol to pagan Druids. It grew, seemingly spontaneously, in the sacred oak tree, home to Druid gods. The superstition to “knock on wood” to bring good luck, or ward off evil spirits, has its origins in this ancient belief. These ancient people believed mistletoe could cure diseases, make animals and humans more fertile, provide protection from witches, and bring good luck. In fact, mistletoe was so sacred to the Druids that if two enemies met beneath a tree where it was growing, they would lay down their weapons, exchange greetings, and observe a truce until the following day.

In Scandinavian mythology, a dart made from the wood of mistletoe killed the god of peace, Balder. Balder was so beloved, that the goddess Frigg, wife of the chief god Odin, exacted an oath from the elements, earth, fire and water, and all manner of plants and animals that they would not harm him. At assemblies, lesser gods, giants and other inhabitants of the home of the gods would test the oath, and watch as weapons made from these elements were thrown at Balder, who would always escape unharmed. This did not set well with Loki, the god of mischief. Loki learned that alone among plants, the mistletoe had not been asked to swear to the oath. He fashioned a dart from the wood, and tricked a blind giant to throw it at Balder. It pierced his heart and killed him. His life was restored at the request of the other gods and goddesses, and the mistletoe was given to the goddess of love to prevent such a thing from happening again. She declared anyone passing under it should receive a kiss to show this plant was a symbol of love, and not of hate.

The early pagan converts to Christianity retained the mistletoe’s honored reputation, creating a legend that the cross was made from the wood of the mistletoe.

Today, researchers in Europe are investigating its medicinal properties as a possible treatment for cancer, although the jury is still out, and authorities disagree on the benefits. The berries are considered toxic to pets and livestock, but birds are immune, and are the chief means of seed dispersal. The toxicity to humans is in dispute, but prudence dictates that cautions should be taken around young children if using the plant in holiday decorations.

Thanks to Tina Clinefelter, a Master Gardener in Clinton County and contributor to the Gardening in the Keystone State blog for piquing my interest to research mistletoe as a subject for next week's news column, and this blog post.

Extension Annual Board Meeting - January 27th 2012

2011-12-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

The Franklin County Cooperative Extension Association and Franklin County Conservation District will hold their second annual joint meeting on Friday, January 27, 2012, at 7:00 PM at Solomon’s Lutheran Church, 4856 Wayne Road (Rt. 316), Chambersburg, PA 17201.

This year’s speaker will be Trevor Hoff. Trevor lives in Carroll County, Maryland. He is 19 years old and is currently a sophomore at Carroll Community College studying Agriculture Business and Political Science. Trevor lives on a farm where they raise crops, Black Angus beef cattle, and pigs. The farm has been in his family for over 200 years. To start paying for college, he started Local Homestead Products LLC which sells five different types of beef jerky.

Trevor was run over by a tractor while feeding cattle on his family’s farm in July of 2006. With over 7 plates and 37 screws in his face, Trevor is a walking miracle. He is the National Youth Spokesperson for Farm Safety 4 Kids and speaks about the importance of farm safety and also about his tractor accident.

Tickets for the annual meeting are $12.50 for adults and $6.00 for children ages 5-11. Doors at the church will open at 6:15 PM for snacks and fellowship. At 7:00 PM, a chicken and ham loaf dinner will be served buffet style. For tickets or additional information, contact the Cooperative Extension Office, at (717) 263-9226 or the Conservation District office at (717) 264-5499.

The deadline for purchasing tickets is January 20.

Franklin County MG Videos - Part 3 - Making a Candle Wreath Centerpiece

2011-12-15T16:29:00.000-05:00

In Part 3 of the collaboration between Franklin County Master Gardeners and The Public Opinion Newspaper, MG's Karen Strimple and Priscilla Harsh demonstrate how to create a Candle Wreath Centerpiece for Holiday decorating.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T17:07:00.003-05:00

Turkey Fresh from the Oven

Brined Turkey done this way.

Braised Turnips

Turnips from Bill Dorman after final harvesting from the Harvest 4-Health garden.

Green Beans

Green Beans blanched, seasoned and then warmed in olive oil and garlic.

Mashed Potatoes

Standard mashed potatoes - I leave the skins on.

Stuffing

Cooked in the bird. Sorry, food safety folks.

Cranberry Sauce

Whole berry, of course. Thanks, Ocean Spray.

Garden Salad

Garden salad - lettuce from Martin's, Yummy peppers, onions (from the garden), and radishes (again, from Martins)

Ready to Dig in

Hyacinth would be so proud!

I Musta been Hungry

But there's still room for dessert!

Butternut Squash Pie

Butternut Squash Pie - Two Ways

Two butternut squash pie recipes. One. Two. Squash from the Victory Garden. Thanks, Donna and Darl! Whipped cream and May strawberries from the freezer.

Stock for Future Yumminess

Life is good. Nap time.

UPDATE: Friday, 11/25/11

Chef Salad

Lettuce, green beans, onions, yummy peppers, turkey, swiss and cheddar cheese, really local eggs, and repurposed stuffing as croutons.

MG's in the News

2011-11-11T12:42:00.003-05:00

Peace Garden in Shippensburg
Picture by Jill Hudock

Franklin County Master Gardener Jill Hudock sent me a link to a news story noting that Shippensburg's Peace Garden won a 2011 Community Greening Award from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. This is the same organization that sponsors the spectacular Philadelphia Flower Show every spring.

From their web site:

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society recognizes greening and beautification efforts throughout the region that have benefitted communities.

The Community Greening Award acknowledges the efforts of those who improve their main streets, public parks, train stations, churches, schoolyards, libraries, traffic islands, etc.

The linked news article by George Weigel describes the Peace Garden this way:

The Peace Garden began taking on its current form in 1999 when Master Gardeners Jill Hudock and Sally Boice volunteered to design and plant it.

The garden now features a wooden bridge, vine-covered arbors, benches, a wide variety of flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and groundcovers and a “Gandhi Stone” that reads: “We must be the change that we wish to see in the world."

It’s especially nice – and peaceful – in the spring when the many trees and bulbs are in bloom.

Jill sent me some pictures of the garden in spring.

Peace Garden - Spring 2011
Picture by Jill Hudock

Peace Garden - Spring 2011 Picture by Jill Hudock

Retired MG Sally Boice (Phillips), MG Roy Burkepile, MG Jill Hudock, and Jill's neighbor Tim Hess Picture by Jim Boice

From Jill's email, "We are very happy we received this award and it's due to Master Gardening that this garden has flourished. Today the garden will host the 4th wedding, that I know about! The public has embraced this garden in many ways, with many personal stories. One never knows what a seed will accomplish."

Indeed. Congratulations to all involved.

Back in 2007, The Falling Spring Nursing Home Garden also won a Community Greening Award.

Franklin County MG Videos - Part 2 - Preparing Gardens for Winter

2011-11-09T14:35:00.001-05:00

In the second installment of the Public Opinion TV collaboration, Master Gardeners Denise Lucas and Laurie Collins talk about putting the perennial garden and pollinator garden to bed for the winter.

Franklin County MG Videos - Part 1 - Fall Gardening with Kathy Engle

2011-11-08T13:19:00.001-05:00

Franklin County Master Gardeners have teamed with The Chambersburg Public Opinion to provide periodic content about consumer horticulture via video. Back in October, Amber South from the Public Opinion taped this segment at MG Kathy Engle's award winning garden. Here's Kathy's Colorful Fall Gardening Series from 2010. And her Mum's The Word post.

Last Friday, November 4th, Denise Lucas and Laurie Collins were filmed here at our Demonstration Gardens - Denise at the Perennial Demonstration Garden, and Laurie at the Pollinator Friendly Demonstration Garden. - providing tips for putting those gardens to bed for the winter. I'll embed that video when it becomes available.

You can view all the videos, including Kathy's, that the Public Opinion has created here.

After Snow Harvesting

2011-11-07T16:50:00.004-05:00

Cabbage, Paprika, Cayenne, and Yummy Peppers

I didn’t get home in time on Friday, 10/28/11 to do much last minute harvesting before the snow came, so I was surprised to find viable peppers and cabbage in reasonably good condition after the snow melted and I got to check out the veggie garden.

Hinkelhatz and More Paprika Peppers

Parsnips - Freshly Dug and Rinsed

I also dug some parsnip roots. Doris Goldman gave me some parsnip seeds that we planted for the John Brown House effort in 2009. I had a few left over and planted them in the Spring of 2009, but only had a few sprout. I ignored them until those same few plants flowered the following year (Parsnips are biennial) and produced prodigious amounts of seed, which I used to plant a full row this year. I dug my first roots this weekend, and wasn't sure how to prepare them. I chose this recipe from Martha Stewart, because it seemed the simplest.

Parsnip Fries

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel 2 1/2 pounds medium parsnips; cut as directed above.

2.On two large rimmed baking sheets, toss parsnips with oil; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Spread in a single layer.

3.Roast until tender and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating baking sheets and tossing parsnips halfway through baking time.

Trimmed, Cut, and Awaiting Cooking

Dried, Coated in Olive Oil, and Seasoned with Salt, Pepper, and Some Cayenne Pepper from the 2010 Harvest

Roasted, or Oven Fried

I really liked them - sorta like a sweeter french fry.

Cabbage, Peppers, and Onions for a Salad

I also finally got around to trimming the onions and moving them from the garage in preparation for transfer to the root cellar. I finished the last of the sweet ones, which don't store very well a couple of weeks ago.

Onions - Red Zeppelin, Big Daddy, and Multipliers

The ones starting to sprout are the multiplier perennial onions. Will use them up first. Yum.

Pumpkin and Snake Gourd

I expected the pumpkins and gourds to have survived, of course. Weird snake gourd has no culinary interest. Just weird. Missed Halloween, because of the snow, but they'll remain on display through Thanksgiving.

Storing Tender Bulbs

2011-11-07T15:26:00.002-05:00

MG Mary Crooks Dahlias

The newscolumn this week has an item about storing tender bulbs. Here's an excerpt:

The term "tender bulb" refers to plants which have fleshy storage structures (bulbs, corms, tubers, and roots) which are killed by our cold winters if not brought indoors. Special protection, such as digging and bringing the fleshy storage structure into a warmer area for storage through the winter months is required.

MG Mary Crooks Dahlias

I dug my tender bulbs this weekend: cannas, glads, and dahlias. So did Mary Crooks. Her dahlias look much better’n mine, so I used her pictures. Here are some fact sheets describing how to store them for the winter. For Dahlias, from Colorado State University:

Place the tubers upside down in a dry airy space for about two weeks. This allows moisture to drain out of stems. The tubers need to be completely dry before they are stored for the winter. Next store the tubers in trays of dry sand or peat moss in a cool, dry cellar or storage area at about 40 to 45 degrees F. Never store at a much higher temperature, as dahlia tubers will dry out and shrivel rapidly.

Another method of storing includes placing tubers in a heavy-grade, black plastic bag without additional packing material. Then seal the bag. This will prevent the tubers from dehydrating. Keep the tubers in a frost-free area. The danger exists, however, that they will sweat and rot.

Inspect the tubers every few weeks during the winter to check for disease or shriveling. Cut off any diseased parts and, if the tubers have shriveled, place them in a bucket of water overnight to plump them up. Allow them to dry thoroughly before returning them to storage.

Glads and Canna's from Eckhart Garden

For Gladioli, from the University of Missouri:

After digging, wash off soil that adheres to the corm and roots. Cut the tops to within one-half inch of the corm. Corms can be left outdoors in the sun for a day or two if the temperatures are mild, and then spread out in a light, airy place to cure. They are cured to get the surplus moisture out of the husks and corms as quickly as possible to prevent storage rots. After two to three weeks of drying, remove the old corm from the base. Sort the corms and cormels according to size. The small cormels can be saved and planted the following year, but remember it will take two to three years to produce a blooming-size corm from them.

Storing

Corms should be stored during the winter at a temperature of 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit in a well-ventilated area. Airy containers such as loose-weave baskets, mesh bags or old nylon stockings make good containers that may be hung out of the way.

For Cannas, from the University of New Hampshire:

For winter storage they are treated much the same as dahlias. The rhizomes are dug after the frost kills the tops, they are dried in the sun for a day, clinging dirt is gently removed, and they are stored in a cool, moderately dry place (between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit). Cannas should be packed in dry vermiculite, peat moss or rice/peanut/buckwheat/cocoa hulls.

One of the things I learned recently reading the University of Maryland's Growit Eatit blog, is that dahlia tubers are edible. There's even a grower, food historian, and Mother Earth News Contributing Editor breeding cultivars that produce tubers that taste good.

If you have any procedures of your own to add, use the comments section.

UPDATE: 11/7/11 5:10 p.m. - Erica Smith of the Growit Eatit Blog shares her experience eating dahlia tubers.

Sweet Potato - Ipomoea batatas

2011-10-31T15:04:00.012-04:00

Ornamental Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas 'Marguerite'

The news column this week has a segment about harvesting, curing, and storing sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas - part of the morning glory family), whether they’re the ones we grow for food, or the ones we grow for show. Believe it or not, given my preferences for growing edibles, I’m more familiar with growing the ornamental ones than the edible ones. I added ‘Tricolor’ this year to the chartreuse ‘Marguerite’ and dark ‘Blackie’ cultivars I've grown in the past as spillers in my container arrangements. I’ve also seen them grown as sprawling ground covers, spreading over a bank in home landscapes. Each year, new cultivars of the ornamental ones arrive with different colored leaves or shapes.

Ornamental Sweetpotato Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie'

You probably noticed a few of them in the containers around the Extension Office this year. New varieties trialed this year at Landisville (scroll down to the Ipomoea pictures at the link) include two from the ‘Sweet Caroline’ series developed by North Carolina State University: ‘Bewitched Improved’ and ‘Raven’. Check out the ‘Sweetheart Red’ and ‘Sweet Caroline Red’, ‘…Bronze’, and ‘…Light Green’ trialed by Cornell in Ithaca, NY. There are 14 varieties from the ‘Sweet Caroline’ series alone.

It's not only the color but the leaf shape and plant habit that makes the Sweet Caroline series so popular. And we've gotten more creative with the names -- "Bewitched" and the Sweet Caroline Sweetheart color series have followed the 2002 releases. The border series is next, and there are flowering and several variegated varieties in the pipeline.

The twist to this particular story is that the breeding program went against the conventional wisdom that you don't bring in "wild" varieties.

"They're part of the morning glory family," Yencho said. "And the morning glory is a prolific bloomer. What we've done is selectively breed a wide range of sweet potato varieties and then we selected them in such a way as to produce a great variation in color and shape of the leaf. So, in this project we were more interested in developing pretty foliage, not pretty storage roots, which is what people typically think of when they think of sweet potatoes.

"Typically, what happens is that when you breed plants you don't bring in less adapted varieties, unless you really need them because they tend to cause the whole thing to collapse. Just the opposite has happened with ornamental sweet potato vines. The wild varieties have given us the range and the beauty of the plant that we see in the Sweet Caroline series. And, we've been able to take some of the lessons learned on the ornamental side over to the food-crop varieties."

Compared with the food-crop varieties, the ornamentals ones are pretty expensive. Donna paid about $9 or $10 for 25 slips for the Victory Garden this year, while I paid about $2.50 for each one for my containers, about 6 times as much per plant. Still not very much, since I only planted four, but since becoming a Master Gardener, I’ve become more and more curious about the science of Horticulture and propagation methods. Plus I'm cheap (tho' I prefer the word "thrifty").

Ornamental Sweetpotato 'Tricolor'

I even tried, unsuccessfully, last year to produce a tomato/potato graft, just to see if I could do it. Took pictures and everything, anticipating a blog post on the subject. It didn’t work out too well, probably because of the heat and drought of last year (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) but I’m sure I'll try again in the future. Just 'cuz. At any rate, I’ve also been unsuccessful saving the roots of the ornamental sweet potatoes for propagating the following spring. Probably because I didn’t cure them properly, and I stored them with the dahlias, glads, and cannas, which have different humidity requirements while in storage.

Rescued Roots, Curing

So, I’m going to try again this year. Here are the ones I rescued from the compost bins at the Extension Office, my containers, and one food variety saved from the Victory Garden class. They’ve been cured, individually wrapped in newspaper, and are now stored in my basement. Come March, I’ll try to revive them and create my own slips. Any extras will be offered for the plant sale (assuming I’m successful). It’s not too late for you to give it a try, even after all that early snow we got this weekend, but you better do it now, since storage ability can be affected if exposed too long at temperatures below 50 degrees. Dig in the earth or container, looking for the large, fleshy roots. Cure them at 85 – 90 degrees for 10 days, or 70 – 75 degrees for 2 or 3 weeks. Wrap in newspaper and store in a cool (55-60 degrees), dark place, like an unheated basement, or closet.

By the way, I used to think they were tubers, like white potatoes, but they’re not. Tubers are fleshy storage underground stems. Sweet potatoes are fleshy storage underground roots. Here’s a good fact sheet explaining the differences among the various underground plant storage mechanisms – bulb, corm, tuber, rhizome, fleshy root, etc.

A final note. Sweet potatoes are not yams. Yams (Dioscorea spp.) are a different genus and species altogether (see fact sheets here and here), and are rarely, if ever, sold for food in the U.S., and we probably wouldn’t like them, if they were. They are a major nutrient source for people in Africa, however. The orange sweet potato that is a staple for Thanksgiving is commonly, but mistakenly called a yam (although if you look closely, you’ll notice that the word ‘sweet potato’ is somewhere on the labeling package, per USDA regulation).

The term "Yam" was introduced to differentiate a new variety of sweet potato that was orange-fleshed, and moister when cooked than the then standard white and comparatively drier variety. It’s purely a very successful marketing ploy to rebrand a product. So when you watch a cooking show, or follow a recipe that calls for yams but goes on to say that sweet potatoes can be substituted if you can’t find yams, you can now smile knowingly.

UPDATE: 11/2/11 - The University of Georgia trialed several ornamental varieties in 2011. Start here and see the results for 16 different cultivars.

UPDATE 2: 11/3/11 - Some nutritional information and sweet potato recipes from the Washington Post.

Tamarillo Jam

2011-10-23T20:34:00.006-04:00

Awaiting Harvest

When I researched Tamarillo, or Tree Tomato (Cyphomandra betacea) for this post, and later, to put a fact sheet together for the plant sale, when I started about 16 plants from seed, I came across this simple recipe for Tamarillo jam, and made a mental note to try it the next time I had enough fruit to harvest.

Ready to Pick

Washed and Ready to be Peeled

The recipe calls for 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, for every cup of peeled and chopped fruit. Peeling was easy enough, using the same process as is used to peel the skins of tomatoes or peaches - drop them in boling water for a minute or so, move to an ice bath, then peel off the skin.

Pulp Strained with Sugar Added

I then cooked them down with an apple to add some natural pectins, strained it through a foley mill, added the sugar and cooked for 50 minutes or so, until it gelled.

Six 1/2 Pints for the Pantry^

Pretty good results. I plan to offer it, along with the black raspberry and strawberry jams I made when I serve breakfast for guests at the B&B. I expect it to be a conversation starter, as well.

We Need Homes

I have 5 left from the ones that didn't sell at the plant sale and garden tour.

Enjoying the Leftovers

The birds enjoyed the seeds and stuff that I emptied from the foley mill.

Monkshood - Aconitum napellus

2011-10-17T15:11:00.005-04:00

I noticed this blooming in the shade garden this weekend. I purchased it at the plant sale back in May, but didn’t know a whole lot about it – just that it was in the shade section. Monkshood, or Aconitum napellus is also known as Helmet Flower, Friar’s Helmet, Venus’ Chariot, or Wolfsbane. It prefers semi-shade but will tolerate full sun. My shade garden is mostly full shade, so I’m not sure how well it will do there, long-term, but it seems to be fine for now, and, obviously, did bloom this year.

One of the more interesting things about it, is its toxicity. All parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the roots, seeds, and new leaves. Legend has it that Livia, wife of Emperor Augustus, used it, along with other deadly compounds, to eliminate political enemies (mostly relatives) that stood in the way of her son, Tiberius, to become Emperor after the death of Augustus. [Update 10/19: Jump to the 4:30 mark of this YouTube from the excellent BBC series I' Claudius for a delightfully evil discussion of plant poisons.] It also rates a chapter in Amy Stewart’s book, Wicked Plants.

In Greek mythology, deadly aconite sprang from the spit of the three-headed hound Cerberus as Hercules dragged it out of Hades. Legend has it that it got another of its common names, wolfsbane, because ancient Greek hunters used it as a bait and arrow poison to hunt wolves. Its reputation as a witch’s potion from the Middle Ages earned it a starring role in the Harry Potter series, where Professor Snape brews it to assist Remus Lupin in his transformation to a werewolf.

According to Wikipedia, there are 9 subspecies of A. napellus, all originating in Europe, and that plants native to Asia and North America formerly listed as A. napellus are now regarded as separate species. Regardless of origin, it has naturalized in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of North America.

It appears on many Extension lists of deer-resistant plants (deer are not dumb), as well as plant lists poisonous to livestock.

I think it’s kinda purty, and will look for more at next year's sale.

They Flew the Coop - Guineas Part 11

2011-10-04T15:39:00.001-04:00

And then there were five. I've been holding off posting about this, in the hope that there would be good news, but it's been a week with no change, so it's time to report it.

Last Tuesday, September 25th, when I returned home from the monthly Master Gardener meeting, I was informed that the keets had not returned to roost. It was around 9:15 p.m. I left the light on and the door to the coop open until midnight, checking hourly to see if they'd come home. Closed the door at midnight for predator protection for the chickens.

The next day, we spotted a group of five in the neighbor's yard. We rounded them up and got them back to the coop, and spent the next hour or so looking for the rest. Nothing.

So, the rasp is down to five.

Feeling a little sad ...

Crapemyrtle - Lagerstroemia indica

2011-09-28T13:35:00.004-04:00

Lagerstroemia indica - courtesy of Vanderbilt University

Adams County Master Gardener Carolyn Black wrote a very good article recently about Crepe or Crape Myrtles. Here's an excerpt:

Crepe myrtles are native to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Northern Australia and parts of Oceania. The common crepe myrtle from China and Korea was introduced circa 1790 to Charleston, South Carolina by the French botanist Andre Michaux. Two hundred years of cultivation has resulted in a huge number of cultivars of widely varying characteristics.

The lovely crepe myrtle even has Biblical notoriety in Isaiah 55: 13 - "Instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree; and instead of briers the myrtle will grow."

After blooming, crepe myrtles develop distinctive seed heads, then the leaves fall toward the end of autumn, leaving the colorful, exfoliating bark to showcase during the winter.

Click on the link to read the whole thing. The website is a joint effort with Adams County, PA Master Gardeners, and Frederick County, MD Master Gardeners. You can click on the link to the right to check in with them regularly. It's the last link in the sidebar under "Other Blogs".

Here's Virginia Tech's Fact Sheet that has the basics on Lagerstroemia, and a more detailed one on proper pruning techniques, with one section on preventing "Crape Murder."

Crepe Myrtle taken 9/18/11

I have a very old one at home that was on the property when we moved here in 1997 and there are two specimens in the wildlife area. Jane and crew potted up some seedlings between raindrops yesterday, so there will be some for the plant sale next year.

UPDATE: 10/14/11 - Here's a picture taken on the Fall Garden Tour last month. I think it's the one at my place but not completely sure. I copied this from the Franklin County Master Gardener Facebook page where there is a new album up with 55 pictures from the Fall Garden Tour. From any facebook page, search "Franklin County Master Gardeners PA" and you'll find us. I believe these pictures were taken by MG Jerry Lewis.

Harvest 4-Health

2011-09-27T15:27:00.002-04:00

Harvest 4-Health is a Penn State Extension initiative to bring together multiple disciplines within Extension on a focused effort at the local level to teach the newest generation about growing their own, fresh, nutritious food by planning, planting, maintaining, and harvesting produce from their own vegetable gardens. Here in Franklin County, PA, we teamed with an after school and summer program, KLAS (Kids Learning After School), and key administrative, grounds and teaching staff at the Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School in Chambersburg, PA.

KLAS is a year-round after school program for grades 1-6 (ages 6-12) consisting of 60 students usually broken into 3 groups of 20. School year runs mid September through mid May, with a summer term from mid June to the end of July. The cycle starts over again in mid September.

These 60 students have been the recipients of hands-on learning about what it takes to create a garden bed and grow your own vegetables, as well as a weekly curriculum in basic botany, soil science, pest and disease management, and healthy cooking and eating.

We staked out a 40x40 area in early April, 2011, conducted a soil test and created six 5x10 raised beds (each group has two raised beds to manage) later in the month.

In early May, we filled the raised beds, planted seeds and plants ranging from 4-H strawberries, herbs, root crops, summer squash and cucumbers, potatoes, peppers and tomatoes. The vegetable plants were donated from Master Gardener starts, excess trial garden starts, and the historic gardening effort sponsored by Franklin County Master Gardeners and Renfrew Institute’s Four-Square Garden Project.

The local newspaper, the Chambersburg Public Opinion, covered planting day. An excerpt:

Students in the Kids Learning After School program at Stevens Elementary are receiving first-hand experience with planting a vegetable garden, literally from the ground up.

The extension office, 4-H, and a group of Master Gardeners came together to provide this part of the program. Gardeners built a series of six raised flower beds to go behind the elementary school.

Penn State calls the effort Harvest 4-Health and it's a means to teach children healthy eating habits.
On Wednesday, Master Gardener Bill Dorman helped students plant potatoes, parsley, cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes, cauliflower, zucchini and marigolds in the bed. He gave gardening tips along the way.

KLAS is an after-school program provided by Title I funds at Stevens. It features students from Stevens and Ben Chambers Elementary.

In June, we battled groundhogs, losing most of the radishes, beans, carrots, and parsley to their nibbling, which forced us to build a fence in July to reduce the impact of their predations.

We started harvesting squash and potatoes at the end of the month. Final harvest and garden clean up took place at the end of September.

The effort has been lead by Barbara Aldrich, 4-H Educator, ably assisted by 4-H Summer Assistant Jaclyn Upperman, 4-H volunteers Jesse Reichard and Patrick Hurd, Dairy Educator Logan Hurst , and Master Gardener volunteers Ray Eckhart, Bill Dorman, Karen Latsbaugh, George Fries, Darl Hospelhorn, and Anne Finucane. School administrators, including principal Richard J. Bonitz and Buildings and Grounds Supervisor, Jeff Roseberry have been very supportive, providing water access, mulch for pathways, etc. Dale Wolfson, Program Director for KLAS has provided logistical and $500 funding support, to go with another $500 funding from the Franklin County 4-H and Master Gardener programs. Tanya Nitterhouse, neighbor and benefactor has also contributed toward the effort.

Penn State Extension Educators of Franklin County Ray Eckhart (Pesticide and Master Gardener), Mary Ann Oyler (Health and Nutrition), George Hurd (Environment), Alex Surcica (Horticulture and Pollination), Jennifer Bratthauar (Agronomy and Soil Science) and Barbara Aldrich (4-H) are providing classroom education in addition to the hands-on learning which reinforces it.

This has been a total team effort on the part of Penn State Extension, Franklin County, its volunteers, the neighborhood community, the school, and the KLAS operation. We hope to be able to replicate its success elsewhere in 2012.

Wish us luck.

Fall Garden Tour-Part 1 - Angela's Place

2011-09-25T19:17:00.002-04:00

I've procrastinated long enough! Here are some of the photos I took from the Garden Tour last week. Unfortunately I was not able to see very many of the gardens due to time mis-management on my part. Since I am ever watchful of pollinators, I noticed this Variegated Fritillary at the driveway of the very first garden on the tour. Silly me did not have camera in hand. A problem which was quickly remedied by a fast walk back to the car. And so it began. I am not as well versed as others in my postings here, but can provide some half decent photos at times. So....if something needs to be corrected, or you have answers to my questionable identifications, I welcome your comments.

With the exception of this one photo, all others were taken at Angela Weather's.

Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)

Good nectar plants for this butterfly are: Ironweed, Red Clover, Alafalfa, Joe Pye Weed, Asters, Coneflower.

Violets, Common Purslane, Mayapple and Plantain are some of the host plants for this butterfly.

It's genus name was taken fromt he Greek word euptoietos meaning "easily scared".

I believe this is a rose.

Nasturtium. Quite edible and has a pepperly flavor.

Double Morning Glories as seen in earlier blog posts.

A unique type of eggplant.

Fall Crocus

Cranesbill

A lovely pink Hardy Begonia

Black Cohosh Cimicifuga racemosa

Hydrangea

A lovely Cosmo

One of my favorite annuals....Cleome

Home, Home on The Range - Guineas Part 10

2011-09-25T18:27:00.001-04:00

Free Ranging Guineas

It's been a week since the keets started free ranging and fulfilling their role as intended, gobbling up bugs and weed seeds.

Gobbling up Bugs and Weed Seeds

The rasp seems to have a set pattern. Leave the coop, circle around it, swallow up some grit pebbles from the unpaved part of the driveway, vaccuum the lawn (defined as areas we mow vs. areas we don't), head back to the coop to roost/rest midday, drink some water, then start the process all over before settling back in the coop near sundown.

Roosting at Midday

Until Friday (9/23), we restricted the chickens from joining their cousins, remembering the birds lost to predators a few years back.

Hey. Just Because We Can't Fly As Well is No Reason to Discriminate

We relented, anthropomorphising the forlorn pacing of the chickens as they watched the guineas making their happy chirpy noises as they moved in unison in front of them. So the chickens are on free range with the Guineas, joining the rasp at times, or just doing their own thing.

The guineas definitely act as a single unit, rarely splitting into separate foragers.

Birds of a Feather ....

The chickens, on the other hand, seem to act more individually, rather than as part of the greater flock.

Maybe It's a Guy Thing

There's a metaphor in there somewhere ...

Rattlesnake Fern

2011-09-25T13:48:00.001-04:00

Rattlesnake Fern under the Tulip Poplar

This delicate little fella popped up (or we just noticed it) this week in several places, most noticably under the old, large tulip, or yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) in the front yard. The leaf pattern and the spores on what looked to be a flower stem, suggested a fern of some kind.

I googled around a bit, using "yellow spores" and "fall" or "autumn" ferns in the searches without much luck. I then tried the scientific key approach using this site. Again, with no success. Getting stubborn, I tried the brute force method, clicking on each of the links in the chart and just looking at the pictures. Nothing. However, in the process of looking at and rejecting the "Northern Adder's-tongue" fern during the brute force method, I noticed this phrase:

Northern adder's-tongue doesn't look much like a fern, as it has a single, oval sterile frond, and a single fertile frond that looks like a double row of beads on a stalk.

So, back to Google using "single fertile frond" as part of the criteria, and there it was: Botrychium virginiana, or Rattlesnake Fern, or Virginia Grape Fern.

A Transplant to the Shade Garden

Apparently, most of the species in the genus Botrychium are rare or endangered, and this is the only one that is still quite common. Common or not, I love it, and moved one to the shade garden. I hope it takes.

Another Specimen Without a Fertile Frond

Spiders in the Mist

2011-09-22T14:10:00.000-04:00

Spider Web

My partner caught this picture of a dew-y spider web as the fog lifted Wednesday morning, 9/21/11. The web's shape indicates its spinner is one of the approximately 2500 species of spiders in the family Araneidae who create the characteristic circular web seen here. From the Ohio State University Fact Sheet:

Orb weaver spiders construct the familiar circular, flat, elaborate web in which flying insects are trapped. Each species of orb weaver typically constructs a web with a distinctive design. Webs usually occur outdoors. These spiders have poor vision and locate their prey by feeling the vibration and tension of the threads in their web. They use silk to wrap the victim.

Many species of orb weaver spiders are large (approximately 1 inch), but others are quite small (approximately 0.1 inch). Some have oddly shaped abdomens (pointed spurs, conical tubercles, etc.). Some are very brightly colored. One common spider, known as the yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia), has silver hairs on the back of the cephalothorax and a large abdomen marked in black and bright yellow or orange. This spider is about 1 inch long and hangs head down in the center of the web, which is found in brambles, bushes, tall grasses, etc. in open sunny places.

Despite their formidable appearance, orb weaver spiders are not considered dangerous. Some species can bite if handled.

The University of Illinois adds, "The orb weaver produces an oil in its mouth and spreads this oil on the body, preventing it from sticking to its own web. They paralyze their prey with venom and then crush it with their pedipalps (a set of mouthparts.) Once the prey is crushed, the liquids in its body are consumed. Spiders mate by males spinning small webs that they place sperm in, and then transfer the webs to the female."

Previous encounters with these beneficial arthropods can be found here and here.

Coming Out - Guineas Part 9

2011-09-19T14:22:00.004-04:00

The keets made their way out of the coop and started their life, home on the free range, Sunday 9/18 during the garden tour.

It was a little difficult to round them up early to go back in the coop to roost, since I was headed to the after-tour party, and didn't trust that they'd just go back on their own. Just a little new parent jitters to keep my charges safe, I suppose.

The folks taking the tour seemed to enjoy them.

Joining the Chickens Inside the Fence

First Intrepid Hen (she was "Buck-Wheating")
Outside the Enclosure

Soon Others Joined Her

Hope it's in time to reduce the number of overwintering stink bugs.

Interesting tidbit of trivia for you. Someone (forgot who) asked me yesterday what the collective noun for a group of guinea fowl is. I didn't know, but we did talk about one of the cool ones - a murder of crows.

According to Wikpedia, the collective noun for a group of guinea fowl is a rasp. Other fun ones, just from the birds: a parliament of owls, an ostentation of peacocks, a charm of goldfinches, a murmuration of starlings, and an Exaltation of Larks.

Buckeyes in Lion Country

2011-09-13T14:59:00.002-04:00

No, not the Ohio State folks, the common butterfly, Junonia coenia, otherwise known as the Buckeye Butterfly. MG Mary Crooks sends these pictures taken from the Penn State Extension Pollinator Garden showcasing several specimens.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is a terrific plant for the pollinator friendly garden. The specimens in our Demonstration Gardens consistently have a large, diverse number of insects sipping their nectar.

UPDATE: 9/14/11 Mary informs me that the pictures were taken in her gardens, not at the Extension Office. Sorry about that. There are several plantings of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' in the Pollinator, Perennial, and Wildlife Area Demonstration Gardens.

Gass Garden - Sod Busting and Soil Prep

2011-09-12T14:50:00.003-04:00

MG Bob Hyatt Busts the Sod

Ground was broken on Saturday, August 27th at the site of the future Patrick Gass Garden. MG Bob Hyatt used his tractor to scrape off the top layer of turf to expose the soil below.

MG's Pitch in to Remove Sod

Ready for Soil Amendments

The results from the Penn State soil test that was done earlier in the year (following these directions), called for pH adjustments and the addition of Phosphate, plus some organic material to till in to overcome the compaction.

MG Cindy Stead Prepares to Spread Amendments

MG's Pose Wearing Proper PPE

It does this Pesticide Educator proud to see the MG volunteers using the proper personal protection equipment (PPE), in this case NIOSH certified dust masks, while working with the amendment compounds. I bet they READ THE LABEL!

Spreading the Amendments

MG Steve Gray Tills the Soil

More Tilling

Fall is the best time to prep a new bed for Spring planting. Over the winter, the soil will freeze and thaw, moving any corrective amendments and organic material like compost throughout the first 6-8 inches of topsoil, making a nice healthy environment for all the soil organisms that are necessary for a successful garden.

The Franklin County Master Gardeners of Penn State Extension worked with Snavely's Garden Corner in Chambersburg for the amendments used in the garden preparation.

Butterfly Weed Gets Results

2011-09-10T18:56:00.000-04:00

Fellow MG Mary Crooks sends this picture of her butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa accomplishing the goal of attracting a Monarch Butterfy, Danaus plexippus, to lay its eggs to hatch into this beautiful caterpillar.

Roosting - Guineas Part 8

2011-09-10T16:03:00.001-04:00

Since their release from the dog crate, the keets took over the rafters of the playhouse, now coop. I kept them confined in the coop for the requisite 6 weeks, and now have left the door open during the day to allow for exploration of the wider world, and to free range. Except, it's been a week now, and they seem to prefer the rafters inside. I hope it's because of the rain.

One intrepid feller did venture out during the rain yesterday, according to my partner, Bob, but we didn't get a picture.

I moved their water down to chicken level and stopped feeding them their separate high protein pellets. They now get to share the chicken fodder, or, with luck, seek greener pastures outside and over the fence.

I haven't been able to determine their genders yet, individually, but I have heard the two-syllable "Buck-Wheat" that only the females can make. Males can only make the one syllable "Chee" sound, but the females can make both, and will imitate the male sound as a warning.

Go here to listen to recorded sounds from Guineas, distinguishing male from female, and the soothing coo-cooing sound when happily eating their white millet treat.

Unusual Plants

2011-09-09T16:30:00.005-04:00

Rouge d'Alger Cardoon

Angela Weathers sends these pictures of some unusual plants that she grew this year. Be sure to come to the Fall Garden Tour on Sunday the 18th to see these up close and personal.

Angela started these from seeds this spring. All came from the Baker Creek Seed Company.

Cardoon, an old, heirloom vegetable plant, is also being grown at the John Brown House, and the Four Square Garden at Renfrew. We purchased our seeds from heirloomseeds.com.

Speaking of the Four Square Garden, Dr. Doris Goldman's home garden is also on the Fall Garden Tour this year.

Sunrise Serenade 'Double' Morning Glories

Goyo Kumbo Eggplant

The Goyo Kumbo eggplant above looks very similar to the "Pumpkin on a Stick" eggplant that I grow each year for use in dry arrangements, or as garnishes during the Halloween - Thanksgiving season. You'll be able to see these in one of my container plantings on the front steps. I start a flat of these every year for the plant sale from seeds that I save year to year. The difference is the color, apparently, otherwise they look very similar. Goyo Kumbo is red, while the Pumpkin on a Stick is, of course, orange.

Bloom Day 4, September 7, 2011

2011-09-07T09:22:00.002-04:00

B. g. subsp. evansiana.

Shovel, shovel in my hand, what perennial is the fairest in the land? Why my dear gardening friend, it has to be Begonia grandis. I know, I know, I always say "this has to be one of my favorite perennials", but honestly it has to be in the top five. This carefree late blooming perennial begonia should be a welcome sight in any woodland garden. The red stems are outdone only by its underside. The red veins on the undersides of the foliage remind me of stained glass windows. Flowers are a soft pink or white. The white specie is harder to find and the red tints in the stems and leaves are less pronounced in this botanical variety than in B. g. subsp. evansiana.

Begonia grandis, alba

Begonia grandis is best grown in moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade. During dry spells begonia grandis will need supplemental watering as the soil should not be allowed to dry out. This hardy begonia self-propagates by tiny bulblets which form in the leaf axils autumn and drop to the ground. You can also gather the bulblets from the leaf axils and plant as desired. Begonia grandis is a late to make its appearance in the spring...sometimes not until May...so be patient.

Begonia grandis with Eupatorium Coelestinum

Eupatorium Coeles- tinum... what can I say... it's a "love or not-so- much-in- love with" sort of plant. It provides the most amazing blue color in late summer through fall and just looks so good at that time, I would never want to be without it. The plant emerges late in the spring as small attractive green leaves and slowly grows to its full size of 3 feet, flopping and spreading all the time. Cutting back every few weeks can prevent most flopping Planting with sturdier plants for support reduces the need for cutting back, thus earlier bloom.

The flowers that will appear in the late summer/fall are very welcome because few other blue flowers are blooming at that time. And the soft blue goes well with the mums and other fall flowers that you may have blooming. Cutting them back every few weeks to make them more tidy is well worth the effort and I am always glad that I have this plant in my garden.

Eupatorium Coelestinum, white

A very adaptable plant that will grow in wet areas and is also drought tolerant, full sun to part shade. This hardy ageratum will spread agressively by seed and runners, but I have found the unwanted seedlings easy to pull. There is also a white hardy ageratum that does not seem quite as aggressive. I mostly use hardy ageratum as a ground cover on a steep bank, but I also have some plants mingling with other perennials and shrubs.

Eupatorium Coelestinum is great for attracting butterflies and is a nectar food source.

Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'

Take a deep breath, because you're about to meet a plant that can change your life...or at least your summer..in a way you never dreamed possible. Maybe I exaggerate just a bit?

Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' is so stately, so beautiful, and so self-sufficient that you can plant it once, enjoy it forever. In practically any soil, but with plenty of sun and room, 'Lemon Queen' begins its climb to the skies and only stops when it reaches heights between 6' and 8' tall then adorns itself with two solid months of 2 inch, soft yellow sunflowers beginning in July.

Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' with Eupatorium Coelestinum

When cut back to 6 inches in early summer, blooms are delayed for several weeks and last well into October. Cutting 'Lemon Queen' back also controls height. Helianthus increases quickly in clump form.

"A garden is never as good as it will be next year."-- Thomas Cooper

Bloom Day 1

Bloom Day 2

Bloom Day 3

2011 Autumn Stroll - Sunday, September 18th

2011-08-29T20:12:00.005-04:00

Franklin County Master Gardeners are featuring gardens in the Blue Ridge Summit and Waynesboro areas for the 2011 Garden Tour. It takes place Sunday, September 18th from Noon to 5:00 PM.

“This year's tour takes participants on a journey through time and landscape design,” explains Tour Coordinator Georgena Ruth. “Participants will view modern landscapes in a trendy Waynesboro development, and then step back in time while they visit a cluster of Summit communities that historically served as summer retreats, and whose landscape designs are as unique as the historical residences they adorn.”

Tickets are available for purchase at the Franklin County Extension Office, 181 Franklin Farm Lane in Chambersburg (717-263-9226) and at the following locations:

Chambersburg:

Plasterer's Florist, 990 Lincoln Way East
Snaveley's Garden Corner, 2106 Lincoln Way East

Waynesboro:

Green Arbor Greenhouse, 11401 Buchanan Trail East
Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce, 5 Roadside Avenue
Parlor House Restaurant, Potomac Shopping Center
Paul's Country Market, 6374 Nunnery Road

Greencastle:

Philip's Seeds, 410 South Antrim Way

Shippensburg:

Lurgan Greenhouse, 8126 Oakdale Road

Day-of-Tour Tickets:

Allegheny Optical, 1800 Main Street (Rt 16), Waynesboro

Eight private gardens, including three Master Gardener's are featured. The host sites for 2011 are:

Carl and Kathy Grove
11254 Brookdale Drive, Waynesboro

Doris and Robert Goldman
11632 Woodlea Drive, Waynesboro

Jim and Barbara Rock
11640 Woodlea Drive, Waynesboro

Ray Eckhart (MG) and Bob Parisien
Monte Vista Bed & Breakfast, Blue Ridge Summit

Karen (MG) and Earl Strimple
Rose Cottage, Blue Ridge Summit

Angela Weathers (MG)
25710 Military Road, Cascade, MD

Gerry Otremba and Stan Turesky
Wits End, Highfield, MD

Stan and Mary Beth Champlin
Craigsland, Highfield, MD

In addition, three public gardens at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, the Blue Ridge Summit Library, and the memorial garden at the Blue Ridge Summit Fire and Rescue Squad are available for viewing along the way. The Church of the Transfiguration has graciously offered to allow public use of their restrooms, as well. Refreshments will be available at Monte Vista Bed and Breakfast, which will also host the educational component on Invasive Plant Species and Wildlife-Friendly Alternatives to Lawn. Watch out for the Guineas.

Visitors may view the gardens in any order, throughout the afternoon.

Rough and uneven landscaping may be encountered, and so comfortable, low-heeled walking shoes are recommended. Tickets are $10.00 per person and include site directions, garden descriptions, and historical tidbits.

Tour proceeds will support the ongoing development of the Patrick Gass Garden, honoring a native son and his contributions on the Lewis and Clarke Expedition.

2011 Tomato Day Coverage

2011-08-26T12:53:00.009-04:00

Karlyn Hazleton marks her ballot

Press coverage for the 11th annual Tomato Taste Day included local papers from Hagerstown and Waynesboro. We had 164 people tell us their choices from a selection of 24 tomato varieties.

From the Herald-Mail:

Each table was lined with tomatoes as tasters armed with clipboards rated them on a scale of 1 to 5 based on flavor and appearance.

“I came just to taste them. I eat a lot of tomatoes,” Burke said.

While some believe an apple a day keeps the doctor away, Burke seems to have applied that same philosophy to tomatoes — but only in the summer.

She doesn’t like the taste of tomatoes in the winter.

“I only get them in the summertime when they are locally grown,” she said.

From the Record Herald:

The tomatoes offered were red, yellow, green and purple. Some were sweet, some were tangy.

The public was asked to rate each tomato on a one to five scale for flavor and appearance.

“I like it,” said Ruth Cozzoli of Hagerstown. “It’s a fun thing to do.”
Ann DeBien of Mechanicsburg drives one hour each way to attend the tasting.
“This is wonderful,” DeBien said. “It’s worth asking a vacation day off for.”

Kaytie, Alaine, and Becky Greenawalt
Take Turns Tasting

Bryton and Donovan Hazleton sample a Cherokee Green
"Not all Tomatoes are Red"

This was also the second year we sponsored a salsa contest. Celebrity judges, Commissioner Dave Keller, and 2010 winner Darl Hospelhorn chose Michael Kusco's entry, while the people's choice award went to Mary Crooks.

Mike Kusco

Mary Crooks

11 Year Old Annie Dingzon - Our Youngest Entrant

Angela Weathers and Harry Stutts showed off their grower prowess with tomatoes from their home gardens weighing nearly 2 lbs each.

Angela Weathers

Harry Stutts

Volunteers Pick on Monday 8/22

Much thanks goes to event coordinator Linda Watkins and all the volunteers and Penn State Extension staff of Franklin County who contributed to its success. Planning started in January, selecting varieties. Then came the seed starting and potting up the seedlings in March and April. In late May 120 plants were planted and tended throughout the season by Extension's summer assistant, Autumn Phillips. On Monday, August 22nd, teams of pickers picked and washers washed. Tuesday, finalized handouts were collated, spread sheets set up, and keys and scoring sheets prepared for the public, all leading up to the teams of Master Gardener volunteers, setting up, slicing and dicing, and anchoring (literally, given the wind gusts that day) the information tables. On top of all that, Denise Lucas, Peg Bundy and their team decorated the areas with flower and vegetable arrangements, while feeding the hungry hordes of volunteers, Extension Staff, and county maintenance troops who keep our facility in good condition. Special mention goes to Laurie Collins, whose extraordinary data entry skills allowed us to have the 164 score sheets tallied and ready for distribution by Thursday morning. Thanks, folks, and take a bow for a job well done. Cheers!

2011 Tomato Day Results

2011-08-25T19:01:00.006-04:00

Sakura Honey

Grape varieties from Johnny's Selected Seeds came in the top three positions in Penn State Extension, Franklin County's 11th annual Tomato Taste Day.

Sakura Honey was number 1, followed by Red Pearl and Five Star.

"Sakura Honey produces high yields of oval, avg. 15 gm fruits with excellent flavor. A good combination with Five Star Grape and Solid gold in a mixed container. Better flavor and more crack resistant than Chiquita, which it replaces. Indeterminate"

Red Pearl

"Compared with Red Grape, Red Pearl fruits are slightly larger, with more tender skin and fewer seeds for improved flavor. Resists cracking and stores well on and off the vine. Tall, healthy plants. High resistance (HR) to fusarium wilt races 1 and 2. Indeterminate."

Five Star Grape

"Five Star Grape has excellent, sweet flavor and firm, meaty texture with few seeds and little juice. Healthy plants bear high yields of bright red, 15-20 gm, crack resistant grape tomatoes. Indeterminate."

Rounding out the top five are heirloom varieties, Principe Borghese, an Italian heirloom noted for its ability to dry well and Old Brooks (seed from Totally Tomatoes). Originally the seed for Principe Borghese came from Pine Tree Gardens.

Principe Borghese

"HEIRLOOM Determinate. This is the tomato used for sun drying in Italy. It is very small (1-2 ounces), plum shaped, and pointed at one end. Fruits are born in large clusters of several dozen, like grapes. They are meaty with little juice and branches can be hung to dry until leathery. In Italy they just throw the vines over a fence. We've had success in our cool, wet climate with slicing them in half and drying them in an oven with just the pilot light."

Old Brooks

"Smooth, blemish-free fruits known for their superior resistance to blossom end-rot as well as to early and late blights. Gourmet quality flesh, with a fine, even texture. The taste is somewhat acidic, which proves to be an asset in home canning. Good all-around variety."

164 people participated in the event. Here are the full results:

Taste

1 Sakura Honey                  665.50
2 Red Pearl                     623.50
3 Five Star                     608.00
4 Principe Borghese             555.50
5 Old Brooks                    535.50
6 Arbason                       525.00
7 Fabulous                      521.50
8 Heritage Hybrid               518.50
9 Cherokee Green                499.50
10 SX 605                        493.50
11 Copper River                  493.50
12 Ceylon                        492.00
13 Lyn's Mahogany Garnet         491.50
14 Green Zebra                   475.50
15 Big Beef                      469.00
16 Tribeca                       466.50
17 Delicious                     466.00
18 Defiant                       457.50
19 Rocky Top                     451.50
20 Dr. Carolyn                   436.50
21 BHN 876                       432.00
22 Scarlet Red                   429.00
23 Bison                         417.00
24 BHN 189                       412.00

Aesthetics

1 Red Pearl                     713.50
2 Sakura Honey                  670.50
3 Big Beef                      656.50
4 Old Brooks                     631.00
5 Rocky Top                      629.00
6 Principe Borghese             613.50
7 Arbason                        613.00
8 Scarlet Red                    611.00
9 Tribeca                        603.00
10 Heritage Hybrid              602.50
11 Five Star                    591.50
12 Dr. Carolyn                   578.50
13 SX 605                        578.00
14 Delicious                    573.00
15 BHN 189                       568.50
16 Defiant                       563.50
17 Fabulous                      558.50
18 Green Zebra                   552.50
19 Lyn's Mahogany Garnet         550.00
20 Copper River                  541.50
21 BHN 876                       534.00
22 Ceylon                        525.50
23 Cherokee Green               499.50
24 Bison                         477.00

Gass Garden - Timberrr

2011-08-18T16:38:00.006-04:00

Before

Linda Secrist was on hand to capture the Cumberland Valley Tree Service efforts to remove the old and diseased Colorado Blue Spruce at the site of the future Patrick Gass Garden.

Removing Limbs

From the Bucket

The Last to Go

Just the Trunk Remaining

Timberrr...

An additional benefit from the removal of the tree will be to provide more sun to the area, thus increasing the options for plant material.

Grinding Out the Stump

Penn State Extension always recommends use of a certified arborist when dealing with your landscape trees.

Bloom Day 3, August 4, 2011

2011-08-04T12:44:00.004-04:00

What's big, impressive, clump-forming with lots of appeal? Why Thalictrum 'Lavender Mist', of course. When lavender mist meadow rue is in bloom, I always ask myself why I don't have more of this stunning plant. Thalictrum 'Lavender Mist' will produce an impressive backdrop for a natural looking, wildflower garden with its open airy habit.

Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' with 'Lavender Mist'

Planted in part shade in my garden, this meadow rue is over 6 feet tall. Lavender Mist is more upright, but much airier than other meadow rues. This allows the plant to show off its purplish stalks, and draws the attention to the lavender flowers with yellow anthers. The result is a graceful cloud of misty lavender flowers that never fail to draw attention as it mingles with other flowers.

Lavender mist meadow rue is a very carefree plant not bothered by any insects. Note to self: buy more Lavender Mist for next year!

We've all heard of Caryopteris clandonensis, commonly known as blue mist spirea. But did you know there is a perennial Caryopteris in the family? Caryopteris divaricata 'Blue Butterflies' is a vigorous plant topping out at over 6 feet; however, the plant can be cut back to layer or keep more compact. From late July through October hundreds of small blue-curled flowers resembling blue butterflies will cover the full-sun plant.

Blue Butterflies is another carefree plant that does not seem to be bothered by any insects or deer. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the flowers and is easily divided in the spring for additional plants.

One of the highlights of a late summer garden is Tricyrtis for- mosana. Long past when other plants have come and gone, Tricyrtis takes its place center stage with its miniature orchid-like flowers. This is an excellent plant to be used in a shady border or by itself in a more natural setting where it can be seen up close.

Tricyrtis formosana grows best in moist but well drained, humus-rich soil in deep to partial shade. Do not plant in full sun because the leaves will burn. This plant will form a rhizomatous clump over time. Tricyrtis formosana should not be allowed to dry out completely and would benefit from a layer of mulch when dormant.

Now that I've piqued your interest in Tricyrtis formosana, I'll share the plant's common name...toad lily...good thing I didn't tell you that first. There are a few interesting theories about how the toad lily got its name. One theory is that it was named because the spotted appearance of the flowers was reminiscent of the spots on a toad. Another theory is that the name stems from the reputed practice of a native Philippine tribe of using the juice of the plant while collecting frogs to attract the frogs and make them less slippery when caught. You decide, but I guarantee you won't get warts from this toad lily.

What's Blooming!

2011-08-02T09:15:00.001-04:00

I stopped by the demonstration gardens to see what's blooming. Here's some of what I found.

In the Pollinator Garden....Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower)

In the Perennial Garden...Garden Phlox

And Alcea (Hollyhocks)

Asclepias (Milkweed) growing in a container up near the high tunnel

In the Wildlife Area....Gaillardia looking fresh in the afternoon heat

In the Herb Garden....many wasps enjoying the fennel

Wings - Guineas Part 7

2011-07-31T18:59:00.009-04:00

Freedom

The keets are about a month old, and have been in their new home for 2 weeks. 4 or so more weeks to go (around Labor Day), and they'll be released to free range. They'll be roaming the property when the Garden Tour comes around (Sunday, September 18th - save the date).

Lookit Me, I Can Fly

We finished predator-proofing the old children's playhouse by putting up chicken wire over the windows. We then took the lid off the keets' home, and let them explore. Within a few minutes, they each took turns flying up to the roosting bar and checking out their new-found freedom.

Blondie's Getting Bigger

Their food and water will remain inside the dog crate and they can always find refuge by flying back in. They should be able at this stage to avoid any negative encounters with their chicken cousins, but the dog crate will be a safe haven in a pinch. The keets' food is 24% protein, higher than is recommended for chickens. Chickens can get gout by having too much protein in their diet, so it's a good idea to keep the keets' food away from the chickens. Once on free range, this will no longer be a problem - the guineas will be eating tons of bugs to get their protein quota, and the food in the coop will be the reduced protein chicken feed, suitable for them and shared by the guineas. According to the book, guineas will get 90% of their dietic requirements on free range, so the shared source will be fine.

Warren

Here's Warren, cock of the roost. Warren is a rescue rooster. He was wandering around a Chambersburg neighborhood near the Butcher Shoppe, when Karen Hack, Penn State Extension 4-H Educator and Franklin County Extension Director collected him and gave him to me for a home. The other two chickens are rescues from the West Nile sentinel chicken program that was discontinued in 2007.

West Nile Sentinel Chicken

Bug Guy - CSI for Vegetable Pests

2011-07-26T11:37:00.003-04:00

Via Facebook, MG Angela Weathers recommends this video by Dr. Michael Raupp, entomologist for the University of Maryland Extension:

Dr. Raupp is also the sponsor of the "Bug of the Week" column, accessible from the the links to the right.

The video is part of the University of Maryland's "Grow it: Eat it" campaign.

And they have a blog, now added to the blog list to the right.

All in for Alliums

2011-07-25T15:17:00.011-04:00

Garlic and Multiplier Onions
2012 Seed Bulbs to the Left

Garlic

I grew two types of garlic this past year: I repeated the Inchelium Red, a softneck variety, originally purchased from Territorial Seed Co. and a hardneck variety I call Wilson’s Fulton Farm garlic, which I think, started out as a variety called Music, although I’m not sure of that. Maybe Chris Mayer can let us know in the comments section? The seed bulbs were given to me by Bill Dorman last fall, who said he got them from Wilson’s Fulton Farm several years ago. After planting last fall and fertilizing in the spring, the garlic was harvested during the July 4th weekend and has been curing in the barn since. The cool thing about garlic is that after the first year, you don’t need to buy, or acquire any more seed bulbs. Just save your largest bulbs for planting in the fall, for the following year’s harvest.

Hardnecks tend to be stronger in garlic flavor and they have 5-10 uniformly sized cloves around the hard stem, which makes them easier to use. Their storage shelf life after curing is about 5-6 months, which is less than the softnecks. They’re also more cold tolerant and will survive the coldest of winters here in our Zone 6 growing area, and colder zones farther north. And the hardnecks offer a gourmet treat that adds another dimension. They send up a flower stalk called a scape in late spring. It’s best to cut it off, so the plant gives all of its energy to the bulb, not to flowering and seed. The subsequently cut scapes are a great treat in stir fries and salads. Think of them as sturdier chives, with a garlicky, rather than oniony flavor. Delightful. It’s one of those treats only available to the grower, since they have minimal shelf life, once cut. Add radish seed pods to that category, as well.

Softneck garlic bulbs are what you’re used to buying in the grocery store. They have a longer shelf life, at 9-10 months, sometime up to a year under ideal conditions. I didn’t buy any garlic this past year, using only my home grown ones, although by May or June, the last cloves were starting to sprout and were getting soft. I did have the dried garlic powder I made last fall to tide me over until harvest time, and the scapes from the hardnecks filled in nicely when I started to run out. The softnecks have large cloves around the outside circling ever smaller ones toward the middle. And of course you can braid them, since the stems and leaves are flexible. Note: the ones in the grocery store are not recommended for growing here, since in all likelihood, they were grown in a warmer climate, like China or California. Buy your first set from a reputable seed company, save the biggest and best year to year and establish your own strain, tailored to your (very) local growing conditions. Local Farmers Markets are another source of seed garlic that is good to use in your garden.

I will continue to plant both kinds to take advantage of the best characteristics of each.

Multiplier Onions

Multiplier Onions for 2012 Crop

Another gift from Bill Dorman. This is a type of onion that grows bulblets around the main bulb, sorta like (but not really) the way cloves of garlic cluster. Just like garlic, you save the largest bulbs for replanting, and in this case, harvest the smaller clustering bulbs for storage, fresh eating, and cooking. The bowl in the first picture at the top has the harvested bulbs, and the ones in the middle of the picture show how they grow around the main bulb. Their flavor is somewhat mild, reminiscent of shallots.

Above are the seed ones I’ll be replanting in the fall.

Bulblets from the Top of Egyptian Walking Onions

Egyptian Walking Onions

This is another perennial onion that has the unique characteristic of growing bulblets at the top of the plant. They’re called walking onions, because if you were to leave them on their own, the leaves will bend over and emplant the bulblets in the soil, thus, “walking” across the garden bed, year to year like a slow motion Slinky (Remember those?) This is my third year growing them, again as a gift from Bill Dorman, who got his original supply from Renfrew’s 4-Square garden when Master Gardeners visited there in the summer of 2007, and Doris Goldman gave out some samples. The small bulblets are quite strong in onion flavor, and, because of their small size, are kind of a pain to peel and use. They make great additions to stocks, however, giving a wonderful onion flavor to the brew, without having to peel them at all. I just add them whole to the simmering stock pot that will later be strained out after extracting their goodness. Another trick is to plant them back in the garden in late August for a fall harvest of scallions, or save them for the spring for the same purpose. In the tender, early sprout stage, their flavor is much milder. Again, as with the garlic and multiplier onions, they are totally year- to-year sustainable, without having to rely on an outside source.

Main Crop Onions

Freshly Dug Onion Harvest

I grew three different varieties of main season onions this year: two storage varieties, and a sweet variety. All were purchased and planted as sets. They were acquired for the Victory Garden with an oversupply offered to Master Gardeners for our home plots. We sell them for $3.00 a bundle, slightly above cost. And a bundle holds between 60-70 plants. Our supplier is Dixondale Farms, if you'd like to order directly.

Red Zeppelin

The first storage variety is called Red Zeppelin (I love the name), and the other, a yellow one, called Big Daddy. For storage varieties, a curing period is called for. You harvest from the earth after the leaves have fallen down, but before they yellow. The leaves stay on during the curing process. Placed in a dark, dry place, the drying leaves wick away moisture from the interior of the bulbs.

Big Daddy

After about 2-3 weeks of drying, the leaves will have yellowed, and the bulbs are ready for storage. At that point, you cut away the dried leaves, trim the roots, and hang in a mesh basket in your root cellar (dry, cooler temperatures in the 55-65 degree range). A basement, or attached garage suffices. They should keep for 6-8 months.

Super Star

The white one is a sweet variety called Super Star. This is not a good storage variety, so only plant enough to eat before Thanksgiving, since their storage life is limited to 2-3 months. Cut off their leaves upon harvest, since curing is unnecessary for their short shelf life. Refrigeration can extend that life for another month or so. These are sweet enough to rival Vidalias and make great raw additions to burgers and salads throughout the summer and fall.

Onions and Garlic are among the easiest vegetables to grow, requiring little more than planting, a bit of fertilizing (same as is used for your lawn, if you do such things – nitrogen only is needed), and weeding. No staking, no pruning, no spraying, and one of the earlier summer harvests, before your beans and tomatoes. They are virtually pest and disease free.

So, once I add shallots and leeks to my repertoire to go with the above, and the chives that are in my herb garden, plus some of the ornamental ones in the perennial bed, the total conquest and exploitation of the Allium family will be complete.

UPDATE: Well, conquest is farfetched. USDA lists 299 separate species of Alliums (type 'Allium' in the search box at the link). Maybe it would have been better to say exploitation of cultivated Alliums.

UPDATE II: Monday 8/1/11 - Chris Mayer informs me by email that after checking with the Farm Manager, the Fulton Farm Garlic has been grown there for the last 16 years, and the guess is that it was probably Music, given its prominence in Organic Farming circles, but there is no way to tell for sure. Doesn't matter. If you want a source of hardneck garlic, genetically conditioned to our local growing area, Fulton Farm garlic is a great choice.

The Patrick Gass Garden

2011-07-22T15:11:00.004-04:00

Sign at the Site of the Future Gass Garden

Franklin County Master Gardeners are reaching a milestone in our efforts to establish a garden memorializing one of Franklin County's pioneering spirits, Patrick Gass. The small stone building perpendicular to the main Extension building is the birthplace of Patrick Gass and bears this sign. Bud Marshall, a long time Master Gardener introduced the idea of installing a garden honoring this native son 7 or 8 years ago, having researched the Lewis and Clarke Expedition and taken a tour tracing its steps. From recent scholarship of the journal Gass kept on the Expedition:

An accomplished carpenter and boat builder, Patrick Gass proved to be an invaluable and well-liked member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Promoted to sergeant after the death of Charles Floyd, Gass was almost certainly responsible for supervising the building of Forts Mandan and Clatsop. His records of those forts and of the earth lodges of the Mandans and Hidatsas are particularly detailed and useful. Gass was the last survivor of the Corps of Discovery, living until 1870—long enough to see trains cross a continent that he had helped open. His engaging and detailed journal became the first published account of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Gass's journal joins the celebrated Nebraska edition of the complete journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition, which feature a wide range of new scholarship dealing with all aspects of the expedition from geography to Indian cultures and languages to plants and animals.

In 2009 and 2010, Bill and Cindy Stead took on the project, to plan and budget, research and design a multiyear effort to bring this idea to fruition.

In 2011, Franklin County Master Gardeners applied for, and received a grant in the amount of $2,500 from the Alexander Stewart, M.D. Foundation, paving the way to begin the project.

This garden will memorialize the leading role of a native son in the Lewis and Clarke Expedition of 1804-1806. The project will present a horticultural and historical experience that demonstrates the importance of flora and agriculture in the young and expanding Republic. It will offer an educational experience for youth groups, school groups, historic groups, tourists, and public visitors.

Common Snowberry

The garden will border the entrance to the limestone house where Patrick Gass was born and where a Pennsylvania Museum and Historical Commission marker now stands. The mission of the garden is multi-fold. We will offer a horticulture experience, an historical educational experience for visitors and school groups, and a recreational experience while beautifying the property. Plant species will be selected using two criteria: Flora reported in the Lewis and Clark Herbarium and which is viable to our area and flora documented in the local area for the 18th and early 19th century.

Step one will be the removal of an old and diseased Colorado Blue Spruce tree at the site.

Watch this space as we track and document the progress.

Native Jewel Orchid

2011-07-21T16:00:00.005-04:00

Sounds so much better than its other common name, Rattlesnake Plantain, which is what I’ve always called it. I learned the more elegant name for Goodyera pubescens by reading these posts at the Garden Professor’s Blog, a place you can get to from the links to the right. It’s a regular read for me.

The plant is not uncommon in our native Appalachian forests, although it is much more conspicuous in the late fall and winter, since it remains evergreen during that time. Individual leaves have been known to last for up to four years. The variegated foliage is gorgeous, and the flower, though small, definitely marks it as an orchid. Here's a close up of the flower.

This one is in my shade garden, moved from the woods on the property (I know, I know, but there were plenty where I got it from.)

Jewel Orchid Leaves

There are four species of Goodyera found throughout the U.S. with only some areas in the Southwest lacking a native population. Next time you're out walking in the woods, look for this relatively common native orchid.

It's a Miracle Food, I Tell Ya

2011-07-21T14:59:00.002-04:00

A Ramapo from Rutgers University

Fellow MG Sylvia Kremp sent me this article in the current issue of the AARP magazine extolling the health benefits of tomatoes. Not only lycopene,

...a powerful antioxidant that works by neutralizing free radicals (errant oxygen molecules that cause cellular damage in the body). Research has shown that eating foods high in lycopene protects against a wide range of cancers, from prostate cancer to lung and breast cancers.

But also,

... 9-oxo-octadecadienoic acid, which researchers at Kyoto University in Japan recently found lowers cholesterol and fat in the bloodstream. (Left unchecked, these lipids can lead to such diseases as arteriosclerosis and even type 2 diabetes.)

Been harvesting Bush Early Girls (plants started by fellow MG, Mary Crooks - thanks!) for a week or so now, plus some Stupices and Bloody Butchers, as well as Sun Gold Cherry tomatoes. Yum.

The article notes that three or more servings a week [how 'bout a day?] of tomatoes are optimal. Ketchup, Pasta and Pizza sauce count, too.

Several recipes at the link.

Enjoy.

Other Master Gardener Gardens

2011-07-19T15:21:00.007-04:00

The Pergola at the Falling Spring Nursing Home Garden

The Franklin County Master Gardeners are also involved in two other gardens in the Chambersburg area, the Falling Spring Nursing Home Garden, and the John Brown House Historic Kitchen Garden.

The Falling Spring Nursing Home Garden is located next door to the Extension Office, behind the Nursing Home building itself. The garden was first designed and installed in 1996. It underwent a major redesign and renovation in 2004, and won the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Best Public Garden award in 2006. This garden provides a lovely, restful spot for residents and visitors to the Falling Spring Nursing home. Master Gardeners and managers of the nursing home work with Occupational Services, Inc. to maintain the garden.

A walkway circles around the planted area

These two pictures above were taken by Anne Finucane on June 13, 2011.

MG Donna Berard ties up tomato plants
using torn sheets as supports

The John Brown House Historic Kitchen Garden is located on King Street in Chambersburg between 2nd and 3rd street. It is the former home of Mrs. Ritner, a widow who ran it as a Boarding House in the 1860's. One of her boarders was John Brown, who planned the raid at Harpers Ferry from this location.

Franklin County Master Gardeners researched historic kitchen gardens from that time period, and worked with Dr. Doris Goldman of the Renfrew German 4 Square Garden in Waynesboro to establish a demonstration kitchen garden using plants and materials authentic to the period.

Each year, Master Gardeners start seeds of historic varieties for planting in the garden.

More information here and here.

Cabbages, Pole Beans, and 2nd year Parsnips

Parsnips, a root crop, are biennial. The tall plants in the background are 2nd year parsnips going to seed. These will be saved and used in the spring for the 2012 planting, just as was done in the 1860's.

Some of the more unusual plants we're growing this year that were more popular in the 1860's include salsify and cardoon.

A New Home - Guineas Part 6

2011-07-17T14:45:00.004-04:00

Chickens and Guineas Share a Home

The keets have outgrown their cardboard brooder box. At first we taped up the flaps to make the sides taller, at about 10-12 days old. When that didn't work any longer, we put a lid on the top, weighted with a partially filled gallon milk jug to keep them from jumping out. I spent one morning searching for over an hour to find one of the better jumpers wandering around the utility room (Violet 1 or 2).

In the meantime, we finished converting the old children's playhouse into a large chicken coop, to give the chickens room to range, and still be able to lock them up for the night, to protect them from predators. Chicken coop built by the Goetz brothers, given the relatively low carpentry skills our household possesses.

Duck Tape - Is there Anything it Can't Do?

But you can't mix adult chickens and young keets (or chicks), without running the risk of a fatal pecking order incident. Also, according to the book, the keets need to be confined to the place where you want them to roost at night, once they're adults and on free range. Six weeks is the recommended time frame. The idea is to give the keets a sense of security with fresh water, food, and occasional treats to make sure they come back every night, and don't start roosting in the wild, with all the inherent risks of predators (owls at night are the #1 worry.)

However, the spaces between the bars of the kennel were too far apart - the keets, at their current size, can easily squeeze between them. So, we jerry-rigged a screen wrap of the kennel (sounds a lot easier than it turned out to be - taxing my meager abilities in this area to the limit.)

Here they are, happily (I hope) ensconced in their new home.

They Grow So Fast