In The Garden

• Agriculture / 4H
• Garden

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     Plentiful rain has resulted in lush growth of most plants.  It seems on fair days, I have to spend most of my time mowing and weeding, and I never seem to get finished.  The plants that are in the ground seems to be off to a good start, but the problem is that I have a lot of things still waiting to be planted.  It seems about the time the soil is dry enough to work, we get another round of showers and the delays in planting continue.

     I have many plants lining the walkways, waiting to be added to the garden.  Among those plants are three gooseberry bushes—two of the Pixwell variety and one red-fruited unnamed cultivar.  I have a large gooseberry bush already in the garden, but it has not produced well, and I am hoping that the addition of the new cultivars will result in better fruit-set for all of the plants.

     I have often wondered why these fruits and their bushes are called gooseberries.  Since I could not work in the garden during the rainy periods, I have done some research.  However, searching my extensive horticulture library and the information on the internet has not resulted in a definitive answer.  Most sources seem to think the British name of gooseberry is a mis-translation of a Danish or German word.  However, I did learn that the French word for the berry actually translates to mackerel berry, and the berries are used to make a sauce served with mackerel.  Since goose is a traditional holiday feast food in Britain, there is at least some credence to the possibility that the British once used the berries to make a tart, acidic sauce to serve with the greasy meat of the goose.

     Regardless of the name origin, the gooseberry has been consumed around the world for centuries.  India is the top producer and consumer of gooseberries, but the type of gooseberry found in southern Asia is quite different from the types found in northern Europe and in North America.  European gooseberries do best in colder climates.  In fact, they grow right up to the Arctic Circle.  American gooseberries also need cold weather to produce fruit, and most of the commercially-available plants are hybrids of American and European types.  Gooseberries are in the genus Ribes, which also includes currants.

     In the early 1900’s, the federal government banned the planting of gooseberries and currants. They are alternate host plants for the white pine blister rust, which was threatening the lumber industry.  Later, the federal ban was lifted, but states where white pines are native have instituted their own restrictions.  Maine, where white pine forests are threatened by the blister rust, continues to ban gooseberries and currants.

     While white pines have been introduced to Hoosier forests, they have not proven to be a good fit for the state, and gooseberries and currants are good crops and do well here.  Gooseberries will grow in most soil types, but the presence of too much nitrogen may result in lush leaf production and poor fruiting.  They will grow in sun or dappled shade.

     Gooseberries are low in calories and high in fiber, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.  The tart berries may be harvested as immature fruits, but get sweeter as they mature.  They are often paired with other fruits in pies, jams and other desserts.  The berries aid with controlling blood pressure and cholesterol and may help stabilize blood sugar.

     One of the treats of my childhood was mom’s cold-bread gooseberry cobbler, made with left-over biscuits as the crust, covered with a sauce of gooseberries, sugar and spices.  It is especially good with a dip of ice cream on top.

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     When we speak of migration, we usually think of the migration of animals with the seasons.  We are aware that some birds that spend the summer here go south in the winter, and other birds come from more northern climates to winter here in southern Indiana.  We also know about the annual migration of the monarch butterflies and other insects.  However, plants sometimes migrate also.

     For plants to migrate, seeds must be carried to the new location.  This may be accomplished by winds or by animals.  For plant migration to be completed, the conditions in the new locale must be favorable for the germination of the seeds and the development of the plant.  For many years, most of southern Indiana was in the USDA plant hardiness zone 5, where minimum winter temperatures were said to drop to twenty degrees below zero.  However, as the climate has changed, our minimums now are closer to 10 degrees below zero.  That 10-degree difference places us in zone 6 now, and a whole new group of plants will tolerate that minimum.

     That can be both a blessing and a curse.  Twenty years ago, one rarely saw crape myrtles growing in Indiana.  Now, the combination of breeding plants to tolerate colder temperatures and the climate change has made the summer bloomers quite common.  Native plants that grew farther south have begun migrating northward, increasing the possibilities for our landscapes.  This also enables the animals that feed on these plants to also migrate northward.

     On the other hand, it opens us up to a whole new group of invasive plants that could potentially alter entire ecosystems.  Kudzu has long been called “the plant that ate the south”.  Kudzu has now been found growing in southern Indiana and is moving northward.  This aggressive vine can cover trees and even houses in a short time, smothering the native plants.  This also means that the wildlife that needs the native plants to survive will move out of the area.  Another dangerous plant that is becoming increasingly common in southern Indiana is poison hemlock.  In addition to taking up the growing space of native plants, this plant is seriously a threat to anyone who touches it.  The threat is so serious that organized eradication efforts need to get underway.  If the plants mature, the seeds produced will be carried and this dangerous plant will continue to migrate.

     Awareness is the key to living with plant migration.  Everyone needs to be alert to plants that may become problems, but at the same time to welcome the chance to grow new things. 

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     It is the time of the year when people are planting to beautify properties for the summer.  Nothing welcomes visitors more than cheery flowers by the door, whether planted in the ground or in pots.  Mixed pots can spruce up porches, pool sides and just about any other place where guests are entertained.

     If you have been to the garden centers or greenhouses lately, you may be in sticker shock at the price of bedding flowers.  If you need several pots to achieve the look you want, it can get expensive.  However, there are some ways to save some money and still have attractive arrangements.

     Direct sowing of seeds is a great option for the flower beds.  Sure, it takes a few weeks for them to reach blooming size, but the price of seeds is a lot lower than the price of bedding plants.  You may sow seeds in pots also.  I like to use a central plant, but sow seeds of a filler plant to complete the look in a few weeks.

     Many of the big retailers discount plants when they look bad.  Since most such stores do not have people who really care for the plants, that sometimes does not take long.  Those sales may make it possible to fill your containers without much expense.  Impatiens, coleus and other popular bedding plants root quickly in water, and cutting back those rangy plants will give you plenty of cuttings to root.  It will also rejuvenate the original plant.  With some careful pinching, you should be able to get full-looking plants in a few weeks, and flowers until fall frost.

     Another source of plants for containers is your perennial beds and those of friends.  Many perennials actually benefit from being divided, and those extra plants you get when doing this may be used to fill your containers.  Some hostas may join impatiens in a shade container and day lilies mix well with zinnias and marigolds in sunny locations.  In the fall, the perennials may find new homes elsewhere in the garden, or you may leave them in the pots for the winter.  Many of these tough perennials will survive the winter and you may just plant around them next year.

     Garden cuttings may also fill containers.  Many perennials benefit from the “Chelsea Chop” this time of the year, and many of those cuttings will result in new plants if placed in a potting mix.  Hardy mums, tall phlox, asters and tall sedums are among the plants that will give you new plants in this manner.  This also fulfills a landscaping rule:  repetition of plants makes a garden seem more cohesive.  Having the same sedum in a container by the front door that is growing in a bed by the fire pit in the back yard shows that the garden has been well-planned.

     Finally, your houseplants can become a part of the landscape.  You may not have to uproot them.  Place several plants with similar water and light needs in a large pot and use Spanish moss to hide the individual pots.  The lush growth that summer brings will soon make the arrangement appear as a well-planned container garden.  You may also have plants in the house that need some pruning, and starting new plants may give you plenty of material for summer containers.

     It does not take breaking the bank to create curb appeal and beautiful containers.  Use your imagination and do not be afraid to experiment.  You may just find a combination that you will want to use again in the future.

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     It was probably by chance thousands of years ago that mankind learned that adding the manure of animals to their fields resulted in larger plants.   It was the first fertilizer, and has been used for that purpose ever since.  However, now there are some who are asking all gardeners to refrain from using manure and manure products to fertilize gardens where edible plants are being gown.  The situation is complicated and each gardener must make up his or her mind about using animal wastes to fertilize fruits and vegetables.

     There is no doubt that animal waste is a good source of nitrogen that is needed by plants.  The bio-mass also improves the tilth of the soil.  Initially, the only problem was when there was more nitrogen than the plants could use.  You can get too much of a good thing.  Not only can excess nitrogen burn the plants, it washes into streams and contaminates the water, resulting an algae.  Too much manure may also make the soil too acidic for many plants.  Manure may also contain viable seeds that will sprout in the garden as weeds.

     Composting the manure with leaves and other brown matter will take care of most of these problems.  One should use a hot composting method, allowing the pile to heat sufficiently to destroy seeds and pathogens.  Once the compost has reduced to a crumbly mass and has lost the methane smell of manure, it is ready to be added to the garden.

     However, composting does not destroy everything that may be in the manure.  If the animals ate plants grown on land that was contaminated with heavy metals, those contaminants passed from the soil there to the plant, then to the animal and finally to the animal waste.  Composting, even with high heat, will not destroy this type of contamination.  There may also be residuals of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics in the manure.

     E. coli and salmonella may also be present in manure.  In recent years, there have been disease outbreaks that have been traced to the use of manure on food crops.  The situation here is quite complicated.  The Tonka trucks in the crawl space that occupied my leisure time as a child have been replaced by electronic devices for many children today.  Playing in the dirt actually helped build up a resistance to E. coli and salmonella, but in the antiseptic environment of today, we fail to produce those antibodies. 

     For these reasons, some health-care professionals have called for a ban on the use of manure as a fertilizer on food crops.  So far, there has been no official ban, but growers who use manure could face lawsuits if people become sick after eating food produced in this way.

     If you are not selling your produce, and you are reasonably sure that the animals whose manure you are using have not been given hormones or antibiotics and have not been pastured on contaminated land, you may go ahead and use the manure after composting or by making manure tea.  I have tried to present the situation here, but it really is very complicated, and I urge you to look into the matter further if you use manure-based fertilizer.  Safety of the food supply is the ultimate goal.