Last batch of salsa

I just got done making my last batch of garden salsa this year. I know it seems late in the season for that, but right before first frost I brought in all of the tomatoes that were left. Every day I've been hoping that some would ripen up inside, and eating one or two along the way that were ripe. Well, it was worth the wait because, to my surprise, enough of them ripened up to make a small batch of salsa. They don't taste as great as the ones that ripen on the plant during late summer, but they are still good. It's sad to be done with fresh salsa for the year, but what a great treat for late October! I am very happy that I was able to get one last batch! Bringing in those hard, green tomatoes almost a month ago was well worth it. I only wish that I had some fresh peppers to go in there too.

Time to dig up those tender bulbs!

Several plants that are sold as annuals have tubers or bulbs that can be grown year after year. With a little bit of dirty work, and a small amount of storage space, you can easily overwinter them. You will be able to keep plants that you love without worrying about having a sunny window to put them in, or pest infestations during the winter. It's a huge money saver too!

Here is a list of some examples of plants that have tubers or bulbs:

• Canna lily
• Spider lily
• Voodoo lily
• Dahlias
• Elephant ear
• Crinum lily
• Tuberous Begonias (not all begonias are tuberous)
• Gladiolas
• Caladium

Here are some steps to help you be successful in keeping your tender bulbs/tubers from year to year:

Frost damaged canna lily foliage

You can dig tender bulbs up any time that is convenient to you, but you must do it before the ground freezes. 

Plus it's a much more pleasant job on a sunny mid-October afternoon than it is later when it gets colder.

I like to wait until a few hard frosts have killed the foliage before I dig up the bulbs/tubers.

You can cut the foliage down to the ground before digging up the bulbs, or you can wait until after you've dug up and cleaned the bulbs.

Cut down foliage on canna lily bulbs

 
I prefer to cut most of the foliage off before I dig the bulbs, leaving enough of the stalk to use as a handle if possible.

As you dig up the clumps of bulbs/tubers, make sure that you keep track of what is what (unless you like surprises).

large clump of canna lily bulbs

After digging up the entire root ball, knock off as much of the dirt as you can back into the garden. 

You can rinse the bulbs with the hose to help remove the dirt, but this is not necessary. 

You don't need to worry about getting the bulbs totally clean, just get the big chunks of dirt off.

Carefully loosen up the root ball and continue removing as much dirt as possible. Cutting off tight clumps of roots will help with this process. You don't need to cut off all the roots. The goal is to loosen up the root ball, remove the bulk of the dirt, and separate the bulbs as much as you can. 

For bulbs, it's best to separate them into individual bulbs. As for tubers, you don't need to separate each tuber individually from a clump.

mostly rotted canna lily bulb

As you do this, check each bulb for signs of rot. 

If you find rot, you can cut the rotting portion off the bulb/tuber. 

If the majority of it is rotten, you should discard the bulb/tuber. 

 Healthy bulbs are white and firm, similar to a potato.

Cut down any remaining foliage on each bulb/tuber clump to as close to the bulb/tuber as you can. 

single canna lily bulb

Allow the bulbs/tubers to cure (dry out). To do this, I lay newspaper down on the garage floor and then spread the bulbs/tubers out on the newspaper.

pile-o-bulbs and tubers

The larger the bulb/tuber, the longer it should cure. 

1-2 days for small bulbs/tubers, 3-5 days for large bulbs/tuber clumps. 

This step is critical in order to reduce the chance of the bulbs/tubers molding or rotting while they are in storage. 

Once they have cured, it's time to pack them up. I use cardboard boxes so they are easy to stack in a corner in the basement, but you could use paper bags too. I would not recommend using any type of plastic container, unless it is well ventilated.

You can either wrap the bulbs/tubers in newspaper, or you can pack them in peat moss or saw dust. In the past, I have wrapped mine in newspaper. However, I've found that the smaller bulbs/tubers seem to dry up with this method. 

I am going to pack mine in peat moss this year. Whatever medium you choose to use to pack your bulbs/tubers in, make sure it is fairly dry before packing.

packing canna lily bulbs in peat moss

Try to pack them so that the bulbs/tubers aren't touching each other. Continue to pack the bulbs/tubers between layers of packing medium until the box is full.

Canna lily bulbs ready to store for winter

Store the boxes in a cool (above freezing) and dark location. 

You can check them periodically during the winter to make sure there are no signs of mold or rot.
 
If you were growing the plant in a pot, you could store the bulb/tuber right in the pot. 

Cut down the foliage and don't water it until spring. (It may need to be repotted in the spring.) I do this with my tuberous begonias and some elephant ear bulbs.

Seeds, seeds everywhere

If you're like me, you probably haven't even noticed them before....but there are seed pods everywhere! For several years now, I have been starting most of my annuals and vegetables from seed. A few years ago, I started to notice that some of my annuals were growing back the next spring. I realized that they must be reseeding themselves. Around the same time, I read an article about people who harvest their own seeds to use for the next growing season. It never occurred to me that such a thing was possible. Needless to say, I just had to try it! I thought it would be a fun way to save money and try experimenting with different ways of growing my favorite annuals from seed. So I set out to the garden to start collecting seeds. It's amazing that I never used to notice seed pods in my garden before. But once you see them, you will find that they are everywhere! Especially this time of year. So many that it can be overwhelming. You will find that not only are they on your annuals, but on a lot of your perennials too! So why not get out there and get busy collecting seeds to start for next year (and to trade with friends)? Grab a few baggies and some clippers and get out there this week. You will be amazed by what you find! Pretty soon you will be out in the woods or in your friends garden collecting seeds. I even collect seeds from other places when I travel. :-)

Tips for collecting seeds:

• You will know the seeds are ready to harvest if they are brown and look dried out. Pods may be split open and seeds will come out easily.
  
• Collect the seeds/pods from each plant in a separate baggie or plastic bowl.
• Bring some paper and a pen with you so you can label the seeds as you collect them.
• Bring them inside, break apart the seed pod and let the seeds/pod dry out for a few days. (I like to lay them out on a paper towel or paper plate.) Just make sure you remove them from plastic or they might mold. (you can do this in the garage, the cold won't harm them)
• Once they are completely dried out, remove the remaining seeds from the pod and store them. You can store them in plastic baggies or paper envelopes.
• You can collect seeds as long as the weather cooperates (even in the snow!).

Here is a list of some of the easiest seeds to collect and grow:
Annuals:

• Marigolds
• Sunflowers
• Snapdragons
• Petunias
• Moss rose
• Zinnia
• Cosmos
• Morning Glory

Perennials:

• Balloon flower
• Hibiscus
• Hollyhock
• Black Eyed Susan
• Lambs Ear
• Butterfly weed

In this picture (though not very clear) you can see the seed pods of the Marigold plant. The pods that are ready to harvest are brown.










This is a picture of marigold seeds that I extracted from a seed pod.














And here is a picture of seed pods on a hardy hibiscus, you can see the seeds in the pods if you look closely.













I don't know about you, but I will be busy over the next several weeks collecting seeds from my garden. Happy collecting!

Time to say goodbye to the gardens:

Well it's that time of year again, the time of year that gardeners dread...the first killing frost. Our first frost usually comes anytime after about mid-September here in Zone 4. For the last few weeks, I have been praying to the garden gods to give me "just one more weekend" to enjoy my gardens. This year, my prayers have been answered and we haven't had our first killing frost yet. But the time has come to say goodbye, it looks like we will definitely be getting our first hard frost this weekend. I feel as ready as I can be because the cold and rain over the last few weeks has stunted the growth of everything. So, now it's time to brace yourselves for the first hard frost and what your gardens will look like by the time the weekend is over. If you haven't done so already, you might have one more day (Friday) to harvest those last few veggies before they are destroyed by the frost.

Here is my to do list for this weekend...

• Finish debugging the potted plants that I want to bring in for the winter, wash the pots and find a spot for them inside.
• Clean and organize the garage and my gardening tools.
• Start cutting down perennials that are done (if the weather's not too gross)