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Wilder Quarterly Volume I Corrections
I'm a really nice person, but I turn into a tough perfectionist when it comes to getting plant information right. If it's wrong or subpar, it drives me crazy. I take my plants seriously; I know my stuff; I've worked hard to know my stuff; I want to share good gardening information with the public.
So when the first issue of Wilder Quarterly came out laden with copious plant ID errors, in captions and text relating to my articles, I had a cow. (Teach plant identification on the college-level as I did for years, or manage a huge plant database as I do now, and you will understand the gross, pukey feeling the misinformation gave me.) Sadly, I was excluded from making final edits or writing photo captions for Wilder Quarterly Volume I, but that can be remedied. In the spirit of definitude, I offer corrections to readers who value accuracy. (I know this may tick off a few young, pseudo-erudite, NYC garden publishing upstarts, but oh well. I need to wash my soiled hands and free my inner plant snob.)
I first noticed the incorrect captions in the Carrot and Dahlia Plant Profiles (pages 12 and 14). I said to myself, "WHAT?! Absolutely NONE of the identifying plant captions match the plants in the pictures!? Crap! What if people actually want to find and grow these plants?" Captions on four other pages are totally wrong too. I guess the editors hoped nobody in the know would notice. Pretty magazine pictures are nice, but they're pointless if they don't provide the right information. On point, here are the right captions for those with bad information:
So when the first issue of Wilder Quarterly came out laden with copious plant ID errors, in captions and text relating to my articles, I had a cow. (Teach plant identification on the college-level as I did for years, or manage a huge plant database as I do now, and you will understand the gross, pukey feeling the misinformation gave me.) Sadly, I was excluded from making final edits or writing photo captions for Wilder Quarterly Volume I, but that can be remedied. In the spirit of definitude, I offer corrections to readers who value accuracy. (I know this may tick off a few young, pseudo-erudite, NYC garden publishing upstarts, but oh well. I need to wash my soiled hands and free my inner plant snob.)
I first noticed the incorrect captions in the Carrot and Dahlia Plant Profiles (pages 12 and 14). I said to myself, "WHAT?! Absolutely NONE of the identifying plant captions match the plants in the pictures!? Crap! What if people actually want to find and grow these plants?" Captions on four other pages are totally wrong too. I guess the editors hoped nobody in the know would notice. Pretty magazine pictures are nice, but they're pointless if they don't provide the right information. On point, here are the right captions for those with bad information:
- Carrots (page 12): The plant names given are not those depicted in the photo. The correct carrots in the picture are of Kaleidoscope Mix, which contains the five cultivars 'Atomic Red', 'Bambino', 'Cosmic Purple', 'Lunar White' and 'Solar Yellow.'
- Dahlias (page 14): The plant names given are not those depicted in the photo. The correct Dahlias are (clockwise from the left): 'Jason Matthew', too miserable to ID, 'Miss Delilah', a past-peak 'Hakuyou', 'Pooh'
- How to Grow: Cauliflower (page 26): Once again, the plant names given are not those plants depicted in the photo. The picture shows the orange 'Cheddar' and what is most certainly 'Snow Crown', or the like. (White cauliflowers all look the same, but the caption manages to name no white-headed forms.)
- Keep Houseplants Healthy with a Thorough Cleaning (page 32): This bylineless article of mine shows two plants being cleaned. These plants are a variegated Philodendron and Boston fern rather than a false aralia, rubber tree or Dracaena as the inaccurate photo caption suggests.
- Seasonal Pest: Nip Loopers in the Bud (page 19): This awesome article by Longwood IMP master and APGA director Casey Sclar lacks a much-needed byline, but it also strangely identifies the cabbages in the pictures as red monkey flowers (Mimulus coccineus).
- Plant Life: Q&A with Russell Stafford of Odyssey Bulbs (page 51): The picture of Russell Stafford is captioned as being six named bulbs instead of a human.
- Bulb Planting (page 157): Bad captions aren't the problem here. Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) and grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) are each inexplicably given the Latin name, Fritillaria meleagris, which is not what was written in the original text I submitted.
I hope those at Wilder Quarterly do a better job with the next issue. Securing a new horticultural editor (and giving that person due respect, pay and recognition) would certainly help. A few really stellar plant photographers might make their garden publishing efforts a bit easier too. They could also stand to take tips on botanical Latin formatting from my blog, Botanical Latin, the Language of Gardeners.
(If I come across as a big plant snob, I mean to. Spread the word.)
Five Best Tools for Easy Weeding and Hand Cultivation
Over the years I have used any number of different gardening tools for hand weeding, planting and general cultivation. A few have stood out and become fast favorites. The three key characteristics I look for in a good gardening hand tool are: 1. ease of use, 2. working power and 3. durability. These criteria are met by the following tools:
Fine-bladed hand trowels are excellent all-purpose tools for weeding and planting. They quickly cut at deep or shallow roots in no time and withstand lots of wear and tear if made well. The "rockery hand trowel" at Clarington Forge is just such a fine-bladed tool and it's beautifully crafted for the long haul.
The fine blade of this rock garden trowel makes for easy weeding and planting--especially in heavier or pebbly soils.
For super fast hand weeding nothing beats the classic Korean Ho-Mi (hoe-mee), also called the Korean hand plow or cultivator. This sharp, downward facing tool can get to the base of a dandelion root in seconds with just a chop, chop, chop. Nothing is more effective. For smaller weeds, I use the side of the Ho-Mi to scratch and smooth the soil. It’s an excellent tool for lightly aerating the base of a plant or getting to the root of a tough herbaceous weed as well as planting new plugs. If well cared for, a ho-mi will last forever (if cleaned after use and oiled to prevent rust). It's relatively cheap too.
Long handled versions are also very useful. Just be careful when chopping away with this sharp tool. Its tip can be nasty.
A child-friendly weeder that's easy for the little ones to wield is the Dutch hoe from Clarington Forge. It's not sharp, scrapes up surface weeds with little effort and keeps the kids helping out in the garden.
This kid-sized Dutch hoe allows kids to get into the weeding act too.
I could not get by in the garden without my trusty garden knife (also called a soil knife). It can reach and cut deep roots. You can saw through the bases of tough plants or even use it for harvesting greens and kohl crops. One side of the knife is sharp for slicing and the other is serrated for sawing. Both can easily break through skin so its best held in a leather belt holder.
Fine-bladed hand trowels are excellent all-purpose tools for weeding and planting. They quickly cut at deep or shallow roots in no time and withstand lots of wear and tear if made well. The "rockery hand trowel" at Clarington Forge is just such a fine-bladed tool and it's beautifully crafted for the long haul.
The fine blade of this rock garden trowel makes for easy weeding and planting--especially in heavier or pebbly soils.
For super fast hand weeding nothing beats the classic Korean Ho-Mi (hoe-mee), also called the Korean hand plow or cultivator. This sharp, downward facing tool can get to the base of a dandelion root in seconds with just a chop, chop, chop. Nothing is more effective. For smaller weeds, I use the side of the Ho-Mi to scratch and smooth the soil. It’s an excellent tool for lightly aerating the base of a plant or getting to the root of a tough herbaceous weed as well as planting new plugs. If well cared for, a ho-mi will last forever (if cleaned after use and oiled to prevent rust). It's relatively cheap too.
Long handled versions are also very useful. Just be careful when chopping away with this sharp tool. Its tip can be nasty.
A child-friendly weeder that's easy for the little ones to wield is the Dutch hoe from Clarington Forge. It's not sharp, scrapes up surface weeds with little effort and keeps the kids helping out in the garden.
This kid-sized Dutch hoe allows kids to get into the weeding act too.
I could not get by in the garden without my trusty garden knife (also called a soil knife). It can reach and cut deep roots. You can saw through the bases of tough plants or even use it for harvesting greens and kohl crops. One side of the knife is sharp for slicing and the other is serrated for sawing. Both can easily break through skin so its best held in a leather belt holder.
The soil knife is a versatile hand tool that you will never want to be without once you try it.
The weed wrench doesn't look like much but it's a powerful weeding tool!
Pecan Bust 2011 (Plant Pecans Folks!)
Chinese markets are buying up pecans, and the 2011 crop was crap. These tidbits remained outside my radar until I went to buy pecans for holiday baking. A small bag for $6.00 was too high, so I didn't pay up. When I decided to bite the bullet a few days later, the price was higher and none were left. Supply and demand in action. What to do? I say plant pecans.
Established pecans are trouble-free trees. A mature specimen will produce loads in a good year. For this reason, pecans were cheap nuts where I grew up in southern Indiana. My grandparents could buy enormous bags of unshelled, fresh pecans for just a couple dollars. (Granted, you'd get the occasional withered, bitter reject, but overall they were fine.)
Technically speaking, the pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is a large, deciduous, hardwood tree native to the southeastern half of the United States. Wild stands grow in uplands and flats where soil drainage is good. (So as long as you don't have soggy, clay-rich soils you can grow them.) They have tall straight trunks and broad, oval canopies with compound green leaves that turn yellow shades in fall. Trees take up to 20 years before they produce nuts, though some cultivars produce much earlier. The husked nuts ripen in early to mid-fall. Nut production is inconsistent from year to year, typically in one to three year intervals with boom crops followed by one to two weak crops. More than one tree is needed for cross-pollination.
'Apalachee' is one of many new pecan cultivars released by the USDA-ARS. (Picture c/o the USDA-ARS)
The USDA ARS has a very successful pecan breeding program. In it they list over 100 variants developed , each with different nut and production qualities. The list is worth perusing, but here are some of the best trees for home growers:
'Deerstand' -A very hardy selection that produces medium-sized nuts in mid-fall.
'Snaps' -The hardy trees produce small nuts early in the season, even as young trees.
'Desirable' -High vigor and good nut production make this a great selection for home growers.
'Cheyenne' -Young trees yield pecans and yields remain consistently high from year to year.
'Mohawk' -Nuts are thin-shelled, prolific and trees begin producing when young.
Lots of specialty nurseries sell pecan trees. Those that sell large trees being the best. Some quality specialty sources are:
Woodard Pecan Nursery
Williams Pecans
Bob Wells Nursery
Womack Nursery
Texas Pecan Nursery, Inc
Be sure to secure trees early if you want best picks. Mid-spring is the ideal time to plant pecans. Some nurseries will hold trees until spring planting season. I'm considering buying two in hopes of relieving future pecan woes.
Established pecans are trouble-free trees. A mature specimen will produce loads in a good year. For this reason, pecans were cheap nuts where I grew up in southern Indiana. My grandparents could buy enormous bags of unshelled, fresh pecans for just a couple dollars. (Granted, you'd get the occasional withered, bitter reject, but overall they were fine.)
Technically speaking, the pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is a large, deciduous, hardwood tree native to the southeastern half of the United States. Wild stands grow in uplands and flats where soil drainage is good. (So as long as you don't have soggy, clay-rich soils you can grow them.) They have tall straight trunks and broad, oval canopies with compound green leaves that turn yellow shades in fall. Trees take up to 20 years before they produce nuts, though some cultivars produce much earlier. The husked nuts ripen in early to mid-fall. Nut production is inconsistent from year to year, typically in one to three year intervals with boom crops followed by one to two weak crops. More than one tree is needed for cross-pollination.
'Apalachee' is one of many new pecan cultivars released by the USDA-ARS. (Picture c/o the USDA-ARS)
The USDA ARS has a very successful pecan breeding program. In it they list over 100 variants developed , each with different nut and production qualities. The list is worth perusing, but here are some of the best trees for home growers:
'Deerstand' -A very hardy selection that produces medium-sized nuts in mid-fall.
'Snaps' -The hardy trees produce small nuts early in the season, even as young trees.
'Desirable' -High vigor and good nut production make this a great selection for home growers.
'Cheyenne' -Young trees yield pecans and yields remain consistently high from year to year.
'Mohawk' -Nuts are thin-shelled, prolific and trees begin producing when young.
Lots of specialty nurseries sell pecan trees. Those that sell large trees being the best. Some quality specialty sources are:
Woodard Pecan Nursery
Williams Pecans
Bob Wells Nursery
Womack Nursery
Texas Pecan Nursery, Inc
Be sure to secure trees early if you want best picks. Mid-spring is the ideal time to plant pecans. Some nurseries will hold trees until spring planting season. I'm considering buying two in hopes of relieving future pecan woes.
Marian's Ghoulish Christmas Pumpkins
This post is in honor of my sister, Marian Keith. For the past few years she's decorated her rotten Halloween pumpkins for Christmas. The result is ghoulish and hysterical. I commend her for her resourcefulness and creativity! (They'd make great Christmas card covers, eh?)
Marian's jolly Christmas pumpkins 2010
Marian's even jollier Christmas pumpkins 2011
Marian's jolly Christmas pumpkins 2010
Marian's even jollier Christmas pumpkins 2011
Winter Pine Cone Crafting
Behold our goofy pine cone animals! The antlers are contorted filbert twigs and the hat an Echinacea seeadhead.
My doctor's office is surrounded by white pines (Pinus sylvestris) that produce loads of the prettiest, largest white pine cones I've ever seen. They used to waste away on the ground until the scavenger in me kicked in a couple of years ago, and I asked if I could collected some. Since then, we've made pine cone crafting a yearly tradition.
Wreaths are expensive but with a basic $4.00 grapevine wreath base from Michael's, our pine cones, some florist's wire and a few baubles, we constructed a very pretty pine cone wreath for very little money. I think the final tab was $7.00. I sprayed it with a little balsam room spray from Williams-Sonoma as a final wintery flourish.
Glitter pine cone ornaments remind me of childhood. Isn't that a craft that every kid creates sometime from preschool to third grade? This year we were inspired by mini pompons and google eyes in addition to iridescent glitter. The ornaments don't look complete without little ribbons. We like to hang ours upside down as one would see them in nature.
Pine cone animals are cute and fun to make. Twigs make great legs and antlers for mini deer and bits of bark serve as perfect little ears. We also used a few of our flower seedheads from the garden as heads and ears. Parts requiring fast, secure fixation, like legs, were hot glued on by me. (For safety's sake, I keep the glue gun far away from the children.)
All these things make fun (and cheap) gifts. They also create pleasing memories for the kids. And any cones we don't use for crafts get stuck here and there indoors or out as decoration. No waste.
Our wreath has a little golden bird my daughter picked out.
The final wreath had tinsel embellishments alla Franzie.
The rest of the cones served as rustic trees in our mantle winter village.
My Mid-Atlantic Late Fall/Early Winter Garden (December 1, 2011)
This time last year it was nice and cold, but for the last few days it's been in the 60s and 70s (though today it's finally in the 50s). Forget about the freak East Coast snow in late October. It made no dent. There are so many flowers blooming in my yard it looks as it did in mid-fall. Gomphrena 'Fireworks', hardy Chrysanthemum, Salvia elegans, Salvia coccinea, Salvia Navajo Dark Purple, sweet alyssum and hybrid Monarda viridissima are still shining as are the blooms of the native vine, Lonicera sempervirens. I'm still cutting pretty table arrangements. My daughters are rapt!
A few weeks ago I madly harvested herbs and dried them thinking they would be toast by mid-November at the latest. All still look as fresh as a daisy. Rosemary, thyme, chives, sage, oregano, parsley and even a few peaked basil leaves are fragrant, green and available for the picking.
It's the warmest November in memory. Some may find the balminess pleasing, but unseasonably warm weather depresses me, particularly early in the season. It's just not jolly in areas where snow and chill are the norm. I want snowy, plush jacket weather, weather that will give me an excuse to snuggle up to new spring seed catalogs and forget about tending my garden for a while.
Rosemary and hardy mums still growing and blooming on December 1, 2011.
Pretty purple Salvia and sweet alyssum still shining.
This pretty late-blooming Monarda is as colorful and beautiful as can be.
The purple-pink flowerheads of Gomphrena 'Fireworks' have yet to succumb to the cold.
A few weeks ago I madly harvested herbs and dried them thinking they would be toast by mid-November at the latest. All still look as fresh as a daisy. Rosemary, thyme, chives, sage, oregano, parsley and even a few peaked basil leaves are fragrant, green and available for the picking.
It's the warmest November in memory. Some may find the balminess pleasing, but unseasonably warm weather depresses me, particularly early in the season. It's just not jolly in areas where snow and chill are the norm. I want snowy, plush jacket weather, weather that will give me an excuse to snuggle up to new spring seed catalogs and forget about tending my garden for a while.
Rosemary and hardy mums still growing and blooming on December 1, 2011.
Pretty purple Salvia and sweet alyssum still shining.
This pretty late-blooming Monarda is as colorful and beautiful as can be.
The purple-pink flowerheads of Gomphrena 'Fireworks' have yet to succumb to the cold.
Killer Fruited Cranberry Sauce or Pie Filling/Topping
This cranberry sauce is the best pumpkin pie topper ever.
I can't get a hold of a recipe without majorly tweaking it, and last Thanksgiving I tweaked a home run. In this case, I modified the fruity Wayne's Cranberry Sauce, a highly rated Food Network recipe posted by Paula Dean. I changed the citrus, raisins, added orange zest, upped the Grand Marnier, removed the spices and added toasted pecans. I also chose the tart, winey, late-season cooking apple, 'Stayman Winesap.'
The results were perfect for my wants--a clean, fruity sauce with a nibble of nut. Everyone loved it, and my father asked me to make more and bake it in a pie shell--a brilliant idea. It evokes all the best harvest flavors and also tastes great on pumpkin pie (a two layer pumpkin and harvest cranberry pie may be on order).
Dean-Inspired Fruited Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 cup finely chopped apple (a tart cooking apple is best)
- 3/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans
- 3/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup Grand Marnier
- 1 large orange, zested and juiced
Directions:
Boil sugar and water in a medium saucepan until the sugar has totally dissolved, around 5 minutes. Add in the fresh cranberries, return to a boil, then lower to medium-low heat and simmer for around 8 minutes. Add the apples, golden raisins, orange juice, orange zest and Grand Marnier then cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure all the cranberries have popped by squishing those that are still whole. Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool. Mix in the pecans before serving (this keeps them more crisp).
Add the mix to a pie shell and bake or enjoy with a festive turkey dinner.
By the end of the meal, little cranberry sauce remained.
"Ranting" About Gardening Demographics
Mom will be so proud. I recently received my first ranty mention on the popular gardening blog, Garden Rant. Does that count as another notch towards garden writing success? The effervescently optimistic side of me, if such a side exists, says, "Oh yes!"
Apparently, I made a boo boo by writing, "Most garden magazines stick to the classic gardening demographic, which most popular surveys recognize as older, financially secure females with college degrees and no children at home. This is a good thing (we love our serious, dedicated gardeners), but cultural and economic changes are changing the face of the American gardener. Wilder seeks to appeal to that new face. " in my blog about Wilder Quarterly. It incurred this rant by Elizabath Licata: "So far, the word on Wilder is that it addresses a different audience than that aimed at by the current gardening magazines. That is likely true. What isn't true is the assumption that those magazines were satisfying the "older, financially secure females with college degrees" which is how Wilder horticultural editor Jessie Keith defines the traditional gardening demographic. All generations and all demographics of gardeners want new and exciting content in their magazines."
The good thing is we are both on the same page. Big businesses, mainstream garden magazines included, target demographics based on expensive research and surveys. Every magazine does it, save modest, experimental periodicals like Wilder Quarterly. The question is how are larger garden magazines defining what their most prevalent demographic targets like to read? Most recycle the same dull gardening themes with little divergence, which is a real bore to longtime gardeners and readers. Where's the new content and new perspective? Fresh ideas are in order.
From a writer's perspective I've been disappointed too. Lots of my fresher, more unique garden article ideas have been shot down by mags because their subjects are not "mainstream enough" or "don't fit the demographic."
Either way, I got my rant and won't give it back.
A snippet from BHG showing their reader's demographics.
Apparently, I made a boo boo by writing, "Most garden magazines stick to the classic gardening demographic, which most popular surveys recognize as older, financially secure females with college degrees and no children at home. This is a good thing (we love our serious, dedicated gardeners), but cultural and economic changes are changing the face of the American gardener. Wilder seeks to appeal to that new face. " in my blog about Wilder Quarterly. It incurred this rant by Elizabath Licata: "So far, the word on Wilder is that it addresses a different audience than that aimed at by the current gardening magazines. That is likely true. What isn't true is the assumption that those magazines were satisfying the "older, financially secure females with college degrees" which is how Wilder horticultural editor Jessie Keith defines the traditional gardening demographic. All generations and all demographics of gardeners want new and exciting content in their magazines."
The good thing is we are both on the same page. Big businesses, mainstream garden magazines included, target demographics based on expensive research and surveys. Every magazine does it, save modest, experimental periodicals like Wilder Quarterly. The question is how are larger garden magazines defining what their most prevalent demographic targets like to read? Most recycle the same dull gardening themes with little divergence, which is a real bore to longtime gardeners and readers. Where's the new content and new perspective? Fresh ideas are in order.
From a writer's perspective I've been disappointed too. Lots of my fresher, more unique garden article ideas have been shot down by mags because their subjects are not "mainstream enough" or "don't fit the demographic."
Either way, I got my rant and won't give it back.
A snippet from BHG showing their reader's demographics.
Getting to the Root of Yams and Sweet Potatoes (Good Recipes Too)
What's the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? It's a common question asked of horticulturists this time of year. The two tubers may have similar textures and flavors, but sweet potatoes and yams are not the same. They come from two distantly related plants from very different parts of the world--though they are both tropical vines that grow under similar sunny, hot growing conditions.
There are approximately 600 yam (Dioscorea) species and several are edible, but the most popular and readily available are the fleshy roots of Dioscorea cayennensis, or the yellow yam. African in origin, its large, elongated brown tubers have hard yellow flesh that softens up when cooked. Unlike sweet potatoes, it needs to be peeled before cooking and eating. Above ground it forms monstrous vines that can reach lengths of 40 feet, if not maintained. The tubers of this tender perennial take around a year to mature, so it's not a quick turnaround crop. Yam tubers also don't store for long, unlike the fleshy tuberous roots of sweet potato.
The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is actually a morning glory, if you can believe it. It's one of those rare plants that's grown as a tasty vegetable and a pretty ornamental (yellow, purple and variegated-leaved forms are popular foliage plants). Unlike yams, this vigorous, herbaceous, trailing vine is native to Central America and the Pacific Islands. Its fleshy, tapered, tuberous roots have edible smooth thin skin that houses firm sweet flesh of white, yellow or purple-blue that softens when cooked. Above ground it forms vigorous vines that can reach lengths of 20 feet, if not maintained. Sweet potatoes can be grown any time of year, so long as growing conditions are very warm, and produce a harvestable crop in only three to four months. The tubers store well for months of kept in a dark, cool place.
Yams must be peeled, otherwise sweet potatoes and yams cook up similarly. My busy holiday schedule won't allow me to cook and share my favorite sweet and savory yam and sweet potato recipes, so I'll just share a few excellent recipes from worthy cooking sites.
1. The sweet potato pie by SheSimmers is absolutely amazing! She adds chopped pecans to the crust. Super yummy.
2. I've made Martha Stewart's watercress salad with roasted sweet potatoes with spicy, seasonal arugula and it's the bomb. It makes a pleasingly light addition to holiday meals.
3. Perfect yam fries with cumin from The Three Cheeses. Need I say more?
4. The uniquely tasty sweet potato gnocchi with crushed hazelnuts from The Italian Dish is a lot easier to make than it looks.
A bowl brimming with white-fleshed sweet potatoes ready for cooking.
There are approximately 600 yam (Dioscorea) species and several are edible, but the most popular and readily available are the fleshy roots of Dioscorea cayennensis, or the yellow yam. African in origin, its large, elongated brown tubers have hard yellow flesh that softens up when cooked. Unlike sweet potatoes, it needs to be peeled before cooking and eating. Above ground it forms monstrous vines that can reach lengths of 40 feet, if not maintained. The tubers of this tender perennial take around a year to mature, so it's not a quick turnaround crop. Yam tubers also don't store for long, unlike the fleshy tuberous roots of sweet potato.
The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is actually a morning glory, if you can believe it. It's one of those rare plants that's grown as a tasty vegetable and a pretty ornamental (yellow, purple and variegated-leaved forms are popular foliage plants). Unlike yams, this vigorous, herbaceous, trailing vine is native to Central America and the Pacific Islands. Its fleshy, tapered, tuberous roots have edible smooth thin skin that houses firm sweet flesh of white, yellow or purple-blue that softens when cooked. Above ground it forms vigorous vines that can reach lengths of 20 feet, if not maintained. Sweet potatoes can be grown any time of year, so long as growing conditions are very warm, and produce a harvestable crop in only three to four months. The tubers store well for months of kept in a dark, cool place.
Yams must be peeled, otherwise sweet potatoes and yams cook up similarly. My busy holiday schedule won't allow me to cook and share my favorite sweet and savory yam and sweet potato recipes, so I'll just share a few excellent recipes from worthy cooking sites.
1. The sweet potato pie by SheSimmers is absolutely amazing! She adds chopped pecans to the crust. Super yummy.
2. I've made Martha Stewart's watercress salad with roasted sweet potatoes with spicy, seasonal arugula and it's the bomb. It makes a pleasingly light addition to holiday meals.
3. Perfect yam fries with cumin from The Three Cheeses. Need I say more?
4. The uniquely tasty sweet potato gnocchi with crushed hazelnuts from The Italian Dish is a lot easier to make than it looks.
A bowl brimming with white-fleshed sweet potatoes ready for cooking.
Fall Rhubarb and Asparagus Planting
The other day I was at the community garden amending my veggie beds for winter and planting garlic. For conversation, I asked some fellow gardeners if they knew where I could find a couple of rhubarb plants this time of year (perusing nurseries is too time consuming for my busy schedule). Anyway, both asked, "Can you plant rhubarb in fall?" My response was "Yes. Rhubarb is tough as nails." In the same vein, I received a comparable question when I transplanted asparagus late last fall.
Hardy spring perennial edibles are most commonly planted in spring, but I'm not sure why because they fare beautifully, if not better, if properly planted in fall. Their roots get a chance to establish, and by spring they're rearing to go. Amending and covering with a good bit of rich compost will protect through winter and help them on their way.
I cherish my 1961 copy of How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method by J.I. Rodale and Staff, and in it they indicate fall rhubarb planting is best done in regions with long, cool falls. (That's what we have in Delaware.) But they also emphasize that rhubarb is one of the few perennial crops tough enough to manage Alaskan winters, so those living in northerly states may also be able to plant it in fall with success.
Asparagus is a little less hardy, so fall-planted crowns definitely require a mulch layer of compost for good root set and successful overwintering. My crowns flourished last yea,r and I even had harvestable shoots, though I abstained from picking them to help the plants build power for the 2012 spring harvest. One suggestion for fall planters: refrain from fully cutting back the tops if planting asparagus in fall. The tops continue to feed the roots through the season and help plants become better established faster.
Anyway, back to my original question, "Can I find a couple of rhubarb plants this time of year?" I found them online at www.burpee.com right away. The flavorful red-stemmed cultivar 'MacDonald' is what I'll probably choose. They suggest folks in my zone plant in mid-October, but I bet I can push the envelope and plant now with success.
My 'Jersey Knight' asparagus was divided and moved to my veggie bed with great success last fall. After planting I amended with rich compost and got rid of the bark mulch.
Good red color and great flavor are what I want from my new new rhubarb plants. 'MacDonald' offers both.
Hardy spring perennial edibles are most commonly planted in spring, but I'm not sure why because they fare beautifully, if not better, if properly planted in fall. Their roots get a chance to establish, and by spring they're rearing to go. Amending and covering with a good bit of rich compost will protect through winter and help them on their way.
I cherish my 1961 copy of How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method by J.I. Rodale and Staff, and in it they indicate fall rhubarb planting is best done in regions with long, cool falls. (That's what we have in Delaware.) But they also emphasize that rhubarb is one of the few perennial crops tough enough to manage Alaskan winters, so those living in northerly states may also be able to plant it in fall with success.
Asparagus is a little less hardy, so fall-planted crowns definitely require a mulch layer of compost for good root set and successful overwintering. My crowns flourished last yea,r and I even had harvestable shoots, though I abstained from picking them to help the plants build power for the 2012 spring harvest. One suggestion for fall planters: refrain from fully cutting back the tops if planting asparagus in fall. The tops continue to feed the roots through the season and help plants become better established faster.
Anyway, back to my original question, "Can I find a couple of rhubarb plants this time of year?" I found them online at www.burpee.com right away. The flavorful red-stemmed cultivar 'MacDonald' is what I'll probably choose. They suggest folks in my zone plant in mid-October, but I bet I can push the envelope and plant now with success.
My 'Jersey Knight' asparagus was divided and moved to my veggie bed with great success last fall. After planting I amended with rich compost and got rid of the bark mulch.
Good red color and great flavor are what I want from my new new rhubarb plants. 'MacDonald' offers both.
