Winter at the Plantations

 by Jean Gerow

 Winter in the Cornell gardens is a time of beauty and color.  Take a walk today and refresh your soul.

Below are several images taken while on a hike around the F.R.Newman Arboretum, Mundy Wildflower Garden, Robison Herb Garden and the Mullestein Winter Garden on January 18, 2013.  Note the color and contrast ~ so pretty!  It makes my heart sing.  :)

Seedy Sunday

Join us for a free community seed swap with workshops on seed saving!

February 24, 11 am - 3 pm at Cornell Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Ave, Ithaca

Seed swaps are an increasingly popular way for gardeners to get interesting seeds to try in their gardens. Please bring your own home-saved seeds to share or even purchased seeds that you may have in surplus. 

If you don't have any seeds to swap that's ok too! Take some seeds and attend one of the free workshops on seed saving, then you will have your own seeds to swap at the next Seedy Sunday which will take place in the fall. (Scroll down to see the workshops schedule)

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

11:00 am - 11:30 am - Screening of the film Seeds of Freedom, featuring environmental activist Vandana Shiva. The film charts the story of seed from its roots at the heart of traditional, diversity-rich farming systems across the world, to being transformed into a powerful commodity, used to monopolize the global food system. Seeds of Freedom seeks to challenge the idea that large-scale, industrial agriculture is the only means by which we can feed the world. In tracking the story of seed it becomes clear how the corporate agenda has driven the takeover of seed in order to make vast profit and control of the global food system.

11:30 am - 12:15 pm: Seed Saving for Beginners (and children!) - Learn the basics of getting started with seed saving and get some hands-on experience in seed cleaning. This workshop will empower you to start saving your own seeds this year! Learn how to make Magic Seed Wands for children, and how to construct seed cleaning tools from recycled materials.  Presented by Sean Dembrosky of Edible Acres  http://www.edibleacres.org/index.htm

 12:30 pm - 1:15 pm: Advanced Seed Saving and Selection Techniques  -We've all seen tomato blossoms turning to seed-laden fruits, but have you ever seen a parsnip or carrot plant blossom and go to seed?  Come learn about biennial life cycles of root crops and the art and science (mostly the former!) of growing them on to the seed-producing stage. Learn about selection, overwintering of the first year roots, replanting in spring, flowering, seed harvesting and drying. Bring any and all questions related to seed and feel free to share what you've learned from your garden, as well!  Presented by Petra Page-Mann of Fruition Seeds http://fruitionseeds.com/
 
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm:  Restrictions on Saving Seed in the EU - In the US, we are very fortunate that there currently are no restrictions on saving seed to sell or share with others. However, in the European Union, it's a vastly different situation, with prohibitive registration fees and tight controls over who is allowed to produce seed. Much of this legislation has been driven by the multi-national agriculture companies in order to protect their profits and this has spurred a lively resistance movement in the EU for "Seed Sovereignty". Presented by Chrys Gardener, CCE staff and former manager of the Irish Seed Savers Association http://www.irishseedsavers.ie/

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm: Roundtable Discussion on Seed Saving - Join us for an open discussion on seed saving techniques and anything else to do with seeds! All are welcome to bring questions, tips, and ideas. Discussion leaders include experienced seed savers Tim Springston of Oxbow Farm http://www.farmhack.net/wiki/oxbow-farm, Petra Mann-Page and Matthew Goldfarb of Fruition Seeds http://fruitionseeds.com/, and Chrys Gardener, CCE staff.

What to do in the Garden this Month

 

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." Martin Luther King, Jr.


In our gardens, it is hard to see the blooms of summer under a blanket of snow and bare twigs.  Have faith and keep working your gardens even if it is 10 degrees out today!

What to do in the garden this month:

• Do your houseplants a favor and  give them a good cleaning and repotting.  I stick my larger potted plants in the shower for a soak and leaf rinse this time of year.  They love it!!  Decide who needs a division and who needs a larger pot.  It's a great time to start propagating new houseplants for spring gift giving.  

 

• Thinking of a new plant bed?  Want to do a planting bed makeover?  Now is an excellent time to note what worked last year, what did not and make some garden plans.  Grab pencil and paper, snap some photos (since there is no vegetation in the way) and start planning!

• Examine trees and shrubs on your property.  Cut out and clear away dead wood and branches.  If you have a heavily damaged tree, call a tree service or professional landscaper to schedule an appointment.  You may be able to keep it with professional help - or remove it with minimal damage. 

• Prune overgrown branches from shrubs.  Be careful: large cuts won't heal well this time of the year.

• Locate your garden journal and prepare it for the upcoming season.  Record what worked, what did not, new seeds you ordered and plants you wish to try.  Draw your new or updated garden plans and record your achievements last garden season.

• Last but not least, feed the birds.  They are the music of our gardens and the unsung heroes, eating more bugs then *I* certainly care to imagine each summer!!!

Garden Tour - Growing Winter Greens in a High Tunnel

Winter Garden - Kitchen Garden Tour

Saturday, February 23, 1:30-3:00pm

Groton-South Lansing location

See how one family is using cold frames, mini hoop tunnels and a walk-in hoop house (unheated greenhouse) to grow and harvest a variety of salad greens, cooking greens, and root vegetables straight through the winter. Groton/South Lansing location; address and directions available upon sign-up.  Please pre-register by calling Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County (607) 272-2292.  Fee: $5/person helps support CCE's gardening education programs.

See also: http://ccetompkins.org/calendar/13/01/28/kitchen-garden-tour-winter-garden

Gardening in January: Terrariums!!

It's the middle of winter and baby it's cold outside!

An African violet adds color- look Mom, no top!

Inside the greenhouse with the terrarium plants on display.

January 8th, Auraca - our local herb group - met at Michaleen's Florist and Garden Center for a talk on creating terrariums.

Barb, our Michaleen's hostess, showed our group what terrariums are, what is needed to create one and how to care for them. It was fascinating! And as an added bonus, we sat in a greenhouse in January! Plants were blooming all around us ~ an orange tree, scented geraniums, the smells ~ it was heaven!

Bathroom Martini Terrarium

Terrariums are no longer the science projects we created back in the 1960's and 1970's. Lucky for us, the definition seems to have morphed into a free-for-all involving small plants and glass containers.

Size? Whatever you want.
Tops? Optional.
Round? Sure but square, birdhouse shaped, and domed are also options.
Heck, you can even grow a bonsai in one!
Zombies, fairies, bridges, arbors, rocks: you can put whatever keepsakes you want into your mini-garden to create a theme.

Talk about liberating!!!

Here's the recipe:

• Glass container
• Decorative Gravel
• Moss
• Soil
• a selection of plants which can be pruned to stay small or grow slowly
• Fun little items to add character to your garden ~ cool rocks, tiny buildings, arbors, tiny people or animals

Geraniums at Michaleen's - Gorgeous!

Here's how:

• Put about 1" of gravel in the bottom of your glass container for drainage.
• Line the side of the container with a layer of moss, about 1" tall, give or take.
• Arrange your plant (s) and fun items in the center to be sure they fit.
• Trim back your plants as needed.
• Add some soil and plant your plants in the middle of the container.
• Top the soil with either decorative gravel or more moss ~ your choice.
• Lightly water and you are done. 

General rules:

• Use plants that are small in scale and grow slowly
• Don't over water your terrarium
• Don't let the plants touch the sides 
• Prune the plants regularly to keep them small 
• Select plants of similar light and water needs for your terrarium.  A cactus won't like living with an African violet!!

I never used this Pyrex for cooking, so what the heck!  Perfect on our dining room table

That's about it. Let your creativity go wild on these cold, gray winter days!

Michaleen's periodically holds classes on making terrariums.  It's just plain fun ~ especially in the dead of winter when we all need a shot of "PLANT" to feed our gardening needs.  

My daughter's garden bench terrarium with garnets collected in the Adirondacks

Aphids: the Bela Lugosi of the Garden

My first vampire experience was watching Bela Lugosi as Dracula.  I remember it clearly ~ the cape, the eyes, the fangs: a classic!   I must have seen the movie right about when I discovered what an aphid was.  I remember seeing hundreds of these little greenish bugs, lined up and down the plant stems in my mom's garden.  I swear they all had little capes, glowing eyes and the fangs.  They were clearly sucking the blood out of those poor plants!  If I put one on my neck, would it bite me, too?  What if one was already on my neck, sucking my blood?  Quick, better check my arms and legs -  MMMOMMMM!

That was when I was 25... actually about 10 and yes, I had quite an imagination.

Or did I?  Consider this:

Vampires: sometimes has wings, sometimes doesn't
Aphids: ditto
Vampires: sucks blood
Aphids: sucks (plant) blood
Vampires: injects toxins into host
Aphids: ditto
Vampires: leaves nasty looking puncture wounds
Aphids: ditto (named the ever so attractive "sooty mold")
Vampires: repelled by garlic
Aphids: well, not really...

To learn more about these B movie garden invaders and how to keep them from turning your garden into a Transylvanian movie set, click here.

Bela Lugosi as Dracula

Sprouting in My Kitchen

A recurring New Year's resolution of mine is to eat better.  Another is to garden more.  Humm, how to combine my itchy green thumb with eating better in the dead of winter?

Grow some edible sprouts.  Gardening and good nutrition, all in one!

Sprouts are super nutritious. They are packed with all sorts of yummy vitamins, minerals and even chocolate - okay, there is no chocolate in sprouts, but you get the idea.  I've been told there is a wide variety of sprouts available in terms of flavor and texture: surely there is a sprout or two I'd like??!!

I recorded my first sprouting adventure via smart phone and am sharing it below.  Enjoy!

Problem #1: where to get sprout-able seeds locally? You need to find seeds that are meant for human consumption -  seeds for planting could be treated with fungicides.
 Greenstar, thankfully has a shelf dedicated just to sprout-able seeds.  Cool! 

My homemade equipment: I cut a screen out of an actual screen and fit it under the cap of the jar.  Problem #2: the clover seeds on day 1 float right through the screen.  Solution: fine mesh strainer added to my equipment list.

The initial 12 hour soak.  Boy do the seeds look small! Mung beans on the left, red clover on the right.

Day one in my "drainer" - a glass loaf pan.  These are rinsed 4 to 5 times at least twice a day throughout the process.  Being right by my sink, it's easy to do.

Day two: the mung bean sprouts are going to town!

A close up of the red clover sprouts on day 3.  There are sprouts and seed hulls all jumbled together.

Mung Sprouts on day 4 -  Look at those roots.  Time to Eat!!

Mung Bean Sprouts, lightly blanched and tossed with a vinaigrette dressing - YUMMY!!  I found the blanching converts the starchy flavor of the raw sprout to a nice sweetly bland but nutty flavor. 

Red Clover on day 5.  I've rinsed off many hulls (they float to the top) and it looks like time to bag these up and start adding them to soups and salads. 

That was fun and tasty!  I'm crowning myself Jean-Jean-the-Sprouting-machine!!

To learn more about sprouting in your kitchen, a website I'd recommend is www.Sproutpeople.org . They have videos, fact sheets and gear, if you want to go into high tech sprouting.  Jars are not the only way to sprout: you can buy tiered plastic sprouters, special mesh bags, specialized glass jars ~ I just chose an easy, on-hand option that works for me.  Here's a video on sprouting in a mason jar by the Sprout People: http://youtu.be/SKmAZw8fe7U .  Remember I used a screen I cut to size and held in place with a canning ring.  There are videos on YouTube showing sprouters made from never used fly swatters: you cut the plastic swatter-part to fit in the top of a mason jar, under the canning ring.  Interesting..... Greenstar also stocks mason jar tops modified for sprouting.  You have a lot of choices for gear!

Please note:  I can't stress enough how important sanitary conditions are for home growing sprouts.  Keep it clean, rinse often and a lot, and use sterilized equipment.  Mold grows quickly under the conditions required to sprout.  A biggie is salmonella: you do not want to get salmonella.  Be careful, out there - rinse, rinse, rinse!

Enjoy and let us know if you have sprouted and what you think. :)