< Back Garden to Kitchen Joy Johnson, Master Gardener All your hard work has paid off, the thrill of the harvest is upon you! But you can’t see your kitchen table because of all the vegetables you’ve brought in from the garden. First, way to go! You are on your way to creating healthy food. Second, here are a couple of recipes that will help you make good use of your produce. They can be frozen for use in the bleak mid-winter and are real crowd pleasers. Bushels of Tomatoes and Cabbages. All your hard work has paid off, the thrill of the harvest is upon you! But you can’t see your kitchen table because of all the vegetables you’ve brought in from the garden. First, way to go! You are on your way to creating healthy food. Second, here are a couple of recipes that will help you make good use of your produce. They can be frozen for use in the bleak mid-winter and are real crowd pleasers. Hungarian cabbage rolls are a favorite at my house. I make them now when I have oodles of tomatoes and huge cabbages. Then, in the middle of winter, I pull them out of the freezer and cook them on low in a crock pot over night and serve them with mashed potatoes to soak up all the juice. I make my own tomato juice to cook them in by cooking cut up fresh tomatoes until they are soft, then putting them through a food mill to remove the skins and seeds, add a little salt and then freeze or can the juice for later use. This recipe can easily be doubled if you have an especially large cabbage. You can use either turkey kielbasa sausage or beef. Cabbage Rolls 1 ½ lbs. hamburger or pork sausage (if you use spicey pork sausage, you don’t need to add all the following spices) 1 tsp. Salt ¼ tsp. pepper ¼ cup chopped onions 1Tbsp. chopped garlic ¾ cups rice, uncooked 1 whole cabbage, wash, trim off outer leaves if they aren’t good quality. 1 link of Polska Kielbasa sausage (either turkey or beef). Cut into 2-inch chunks. 1 large can of tomato juice or 1-2 quarts of homemade juice. Combine hamburger and rice with one whole egg and mix thoroughly. Set aside. Immerse the cabbage into a large pot of boiling water. Boil until the tops layers of leaves look slightly cooked. Remove cabbage from pot to a large cutting board. Trim off outer layers of leaves that are soft, lay aside to cool. Re-immerse cabbage in boiling water and cook the next few layers of leaves, remove and cut off cooked leaves. Keep doing this until the cabbage is too small to use for rolls. (Refrigerate and use in a different recipe). For each cooked leaf, trim down the hard spine so that the leaf can be rolled up. Discard spine (or give it to your kids to eat, they are delish). Lay a loose handful of the hamburger or sausage mixture in the lower end of the leaf, roll once, tuck in both sides, finish rolling and tuck in the end. You can use a toothpick or skewer to hold roll closed. Put sausage pieces in b ottom of large kettle. Stack cabbage rolls gently on top. Pour over enough tomato juice to cover the cabbages. Bring to a boil, turn heat way down and barely simmer for an hour or two until the rice is cooked. You can also do these in a crock pot for 4-6 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes. Clara’s Salsa Here’s an excellent salsa recipe that my daughter came up with. You can hot water bath can it in jars or freeze it in baggies or plastic containers: 16 cups blanched, peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes 4 cups chopped green onions ¾ cups chopped jalapenos 2 cups chopped peppers, use a variety of sweet peppers 4 cloves garlic ¾ cup vinegar 1 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp salt 1 tsp cumin ½ bunch cilantro Mix, simmer until thick (2 hours). Hot water bath can for 15 minutes. Zucchini Bread (Good, easy, healthy, freezable – what’s not to love!) Makes 2 loaves 3 eggs 1 cup oil 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 3 tsp maple flavoring 2 cups raw, grated zucchini 2 ½ cups flour (I use half whole wheat) ½ cup wheat germ 2 tsp soda 2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup chopped walnuts Sesame seeds Mix in order given. Pour in greased, floured bread pans. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Photo Credit: Joy Johnson (1,2,3,4,5)

< Back Exploring Autumn Nature with Your Child By Julie Harris, Master Gardener Summer may be over but winter isn’t here yet. Now is a great time to have some outside fun with the children in your life. Take advantage of these last days of fall to show your children how to enjoy what autumn nature has to offer. Here are some ideas for how to make the most of this time of year. Summer may be over but winter isn’t here yet. Late autumn is a great time to have some outside fun with the children in your life. Take advantage of these last days of fall to show your children how to enjoy what autumn nature has to offer. Here are some ideas for how to make the most of this time of year. Raking leaves Some of that autumn fun can also be productive. Raking and bagging leaves with your kids can make the job more fun for all. Hand your children a child-sized rake and show them how to make a pile of leaves. Make a game out of raking by making a leaf maze. If you are with more than one child, have them race to see who can make the largest pile or who can bag the most leaves. They may not last very long in the actual raking activity but they will love to jump into that big pile of leaves! Children love the interesting shapes and sizes of the brightly colored leaves. Gathering leaves together provides you with the opportunity to teach them about why leaves turn colors and fall from the trees in the autumn. Kids also love to collect the leaves. Follow up your raking activity with an arts and crafts project such as leaf pressing, tracing or cutting. And later in November, here is an idea for using fallen leaves to create some Thanksgiving art. Planting Bulbs Let your children get their hands and knees dirty as they help you plant your spring blooming bulbs (you can still plant those bulbs in November as long as the ground isn’t frozen). Your children can help you pick out a good spot to plant the bulbs. They can help you rake the area clear to dig your holes. And, they can take their child-sized trowel and help you dig the holes, drop in the bulbs and cover them up. Watch their happy faces as they see the bulbs they helped to plant, pop up in brightly colored tulips, narcissus, hyacinth or crocus in the spring. Nature walk One of the most pleasurable sensory experiences for the whole family is going for a nature walk when the leaves have turned color with some still on the trees and others fallen to the ground. Few things in nature are more beautiful than fall colors. And, can’t you just hear the rustle of crispy fallen leaves on the path as you walk through the autumn wonderland? The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum has many easy hiking trails that will delight both you and your children. And, Dakota County is lucky to have the many trails of Lebanon Hills Regional Park right around the corner. When my grandson was younger, he loved to collect “coconuts” (acorns) fallen from the oak trees in our parks. Use this interest to provide an easy math lesson as you walk by having your children count the acorns or leaves that they collect along the way. Or prepare a scavenger hunt for your children. See how many different types of leaves they can collect and then match them to the type of tree they fell from. And how about seed saving during your nature walk. After you have collected seeds, there are many different crafts and activities you can use them for, such as making seed balls, making musical instruments, curing and eating pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and on and on. Read About Nature And finally, read books with your child about autumn and the change of seasons. Here are some book ideas that are available at the Dakota County Library. Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter , Kenard Pak Woody, Hazel and Little Pip , by Elsa Beskow Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf , by Lois Ehlert Better still, take a trip to the library and have your child pick out the books that interest them. Nature in the fall is one of life’s beautiful gifts. Take your child’s hand and enjoy it with them. Photo credits: Julie Harris (1,4), Megan Kohoed (2), Pixabay.com (3)

< Back Putting Your Garden to Bed If it’s yellow or brown, cut it down. If it’s green, leave it alone. This long-standing rule-of-thumb means you can’t just wake up one day and decide to put your garden to bed for the winter. It’s a gradual process because plants die back at different rates depending on when they transition energy to the roots. Cutting off green leaves can weaken a plant and affect its vigor and bloom next year. Besides, there are lots of reasons to avoid cutting shrubs, stems and perennials – for winter interest and for wildlife. Here are some ways to ready your gardens for cold and snow ahead. Connie Kotke, Master Gardener Ready for a Long Winter’s Nap? October is the time to put your garden to bed. This means cutting things back, cleaning up what's left, packing away tools and pots, and getting everything ready to go for next spring. Then you can settle in for winter knowing that your garden will look healthy and happily tucked in! Cut Back Keep your garden tidy and save labor later by cutting back many perennials after frost causes them to turn brown and die. On the other hand, some perennials (like Catmint) look good until the snow flies and can be left until spring. And some perennials offer seed heads for foraging birds…or shelter for beneficial insects. These plants support Mother Nature while providing some interest in what might otherwise be a bleak winter landscape. In the winter months when food is scarce, gardens full of withered fruit and dried seed heads can provide birds with a reliable food source. Seed-eating songbirds such as finches, sparrows, chickadees, and jays will make use of many common garden plants. When cleaning up the garden, prioritize removing and discarding diseased top growth, but leave healthy seed heads standing. Old stalks and leaves can be cut back in the spring before new growth begins. Examples of perennials to leave standing in the garden include sedum, purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, sunflower, switchgrass and little blue stem. Remember, don't prune woody plants, trees and shrubs until late winter when they are dormant. Clean Up Healthy plant debris can be composted at home or at a municipal compost site. Debris from plants with powdery mildew or other diseases should be composted at a municipal site, where temperatures get high enough to kill the disease. Pull dead or declining annuals. It's hard to do, but they won’t come back next spring. Clean up overgrown areas to prevent animals and pests from moving in – like brush piles or hidden spots around the yard where weedy trees and shrubs have taken root. Harvest everything above ground in the vegetable garden and under fruit trees. Don't leave fruits and vegetables out all winter to rot, attract animals, and set seed. Other Tasks Empty, clean and disinfect your containers by spraying them with a bleach cleaner. Pottery should be moved into a shed or garage to avoid freezing and breaking. Clean and store stakes, tomato cages, garden ornaments and other hardware. They’ll last longer and look better next spring. Clean soil from your tools, then sharpen edges with a file. Finish with a light coating of oil to prevent rusting. Move any plants that spend their winters inside. Quarantine before introducing them to your other houseplants to prevent pests from spreading. Dig up your tender bulbs and tubers well before the threat of frost. Store them in a warm, dry place out of direct light. For more information, check out these University of Minnesota resources: October Gardening Tips from the University of Minnesota Arboretum – October Gardening Tips (umn.edu) Protecting trees and shrubs in winter | UMN Extension Photo credits: Connie Kotke (1, 2), University of Minnesota Extension (3, 4)

< Back Holiday Cacti Janelle Rietz-Kamenar Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti are beautiful flowering holiday plants Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) and Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) are two beautiful flowering holiday plants. They are often given as gifts during the festivities. Believe it or not, these plants are native to Brazil, but have been a favorite indoor plant in the United States for many years. They can live a very long time (100+ years). Some people have trouble getting them to bloom and there are a few tricks one needs to be aware of to produce healthy, vibrant blooms. First, holiday cacti like high humidity and bright, filtered light. They need relatively moist soil with 1 part potting soil, 2 parts peat moss and 1 part sand. They do not tolerate standing in water or extreme cold air drafts. Holiday cacti, however, do need shorter days and cooler nights in order to produce blooms. Placing plants in a cool, bright location where daytime temperatures are 65-70 degrees and evening temperatures are 55-65 degrees will encourage bud development after approximately 5-6 weeks. Once the plants have bloomed, reduce the frequency of watering until spring when there is more active growth. These plants are relatively easy to take care of if you follow these instructions. If you are having trouble with your plants blooming there are usually 3 possible causes (assuming the plant is healthy): Indoor air is too warm: lower the room temperature to 55-65 degrees at night, 60-65 degrees during the day. Plant days are too long: this is usually not an issue in Minnesota if near a window but one can put the plant in total darkness for a minimum of 12 hours. Plant does not have enough nutrients to produce buds. Fertilize the plant at half strength with a fertilizer that is lower in nitrogen and higher in phosphorus and potassium (0-15-10). For a more comprehensive article about these plants, check out this website: Common Issues with Holiday Cacti Photo credit: Janelle Reitz-Kamenar

< Back March is a Great Time to Prune Many Trees and Shrubs Sally McNamara, Master Gardener Don’t let the fact that there is still snow on the ground deter you from getting outside and pruning the trees and shrubs in your yard that need it. Late winter and early spring is the best time to prune most trees and shrubs. This article will provide some advice on how to go about it to make your plants and yourself pleased with the result. Don’t let the fact that there is still snow on the ground deter you from getting outside and pruning the trees and shrubs in your yard that need it. Late winter and early spring is the best time to prune most trees and shrubs. This article will provide some advice on how to go about it to make your plants and yourself pleased with the result. Believe it or not, the biggest mistake with pruning shrubs is being too conservative. While it is certainly possible to REMOVE too much, most pruners LEAVE too much. The other major mistake is not using sharp, effective pruning tools. Cutting is easier and better for the plant with the right size sharp tool. Disinfecting tools with a disinfecting wipe between plants is ALWAYS a good idea to prevent any potential for disease spread. There are 5 reasons to prune: 1) Remove diseased, damaged or dangerous material 2) Develop a strong framework for growth 3) Improve air circulation and fruit production 4) Improve a plant’s shape 5) Control size - although planting the right-sized plant initial is a better solution Timing Most pruning of both trees and shrubs is best done in late winter/early spring when the plants are just coming out of dormancy, the form of the plant without the leaves is visible, and the sap is beginning to flow. Sap moving into the pruning wounds helps the healing process and prevents drying out of the plant material. Winter winds will extract moisture from the plant through the pruning cuts so fall is NOT a good time to prune. The one big exception to this rule is maples and birch which can be pruned after the spring sap flow has slowed. Spring flowering plants should typically be pruned AFTER they flower. Summer and fall bloomers are best pruned in the late winter/early spring. Pruning during the growing season opens the plant to disease and insect damage. Oaks especially should not be pruned between April and August to avoid the picnic beetle which spreads oak wilt. Plant material damaged by storms, etc. should be removed as soon as possible if it could cause harm to people or structures. Diseased or insect damaged material should be removed to limit spread of the problem. Discarding of diseased material should be done with care - bag and discard in the trash for small amounts. Transfer to a facility that composts material to a proper temperature for larger quantities. Proper cuts The magic words in pruning are “branch collar” followed by “branch bud”. Using the t hree-cut method to remove most of the branch weight before complete removal is important on large branches to prevent ripping the bark down the tree. Branches should always be cut back to the branch collar and cut cleanly at that point. Cutting further in or leaving a stump out decreases the tree’s ability to grow protective bark over the wound and increases the chance of disease and insect damage. Smaller branches should be cut at a bud point to encourage growth and not leave material for decay. When pruning away dead material, prune well back to living material. General pruning of shrubs should be done to improve overall plant health. Recommended. Removing old growth to the trunk or soil results in a refreshed plant, such as pictured below. Discouraged. Shearing the plant encourages more growth in the top part, limiting light and air to the interior, causing dead inner branches. An excellent reference book on pruning is ESSENTIAL PRUNING TECHNIQUES: Trees, Shrubs, Conifers by George E. Brown and Tony Kirkham. So, put on your warm jacket and boots and give your trees and shrubs a proper haircut before the warm days of spring! Photo credits: theiowagardener.com (1), Alden Land Nursery Livermore CA (2), thisoldhouse.com (3, 4, 5)

< Back Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis): A Plant to Dye For / With! Jim Lakin MD, Dakota County Master Gardener Ever wonder why Blue Wild Indigo is nicknamed “False Indigo.” Read the answer to this question and more about why you should consider this hardy native for a spot in your sunny garden. “Any flower this intense a blue must be good for dyes. It must be indigo!” or so thought early European settlers coming to the Eastern Seacoast and meeting Baptisia australis . Alas, the plant proved inferior to the real thing as a dye—Blue Indigo or Indigofera sp. Thus, it acquired its alternate name of False Indigo. Nonetheless, the intense blue bloom of blue wild Indigo justifies your adding it to your garden, even if you aren’t into textile dying! Blue wild indigo is found across the upper and Mid-Atlantic seaboard, extending into the Midwest. It grows well in dry to medium well-drained soil in full sun. It will tolerate part-shade but does get a bit spindly. It tends to form in expanding clumps which put down deep roots—thus, its tolerance of drought and poor soils. However, it’s not a good idea to disturb the plant and its roots once established. The plants can get three to four feet tall and spread out a similar length so some folks will trim them after blooming. This helps keep a more rounded shape but at the expense of removing the seed pods which form. These fellows are a delight! The pods can be 2 to 3 inches long, turning a charcoal black. The seeds are loose in the pod so they make a great rattle. If you aren’t into that, the cut stems and seed pods can make a striking addition to dried flower arrangements. Blue wild indigo can be grown from seed, but this is a slow process. Blooming usually doesn’t occur for several years. Baptisia australis is an herbaceous perennial. It is hardy from Zones 3 to 9 so it should be good to go throughout Minnesota. It usually blooms during May and June and attracts a number of pollinators, especially butterflies. It does well as a back border or a naturalizer in prairies or meadows. It is a tough customer with few insect or disease problems. It is, however sensitive to juglone, that antisocial chemical secreted by walnut trees, so don’t plant blue indigo around them. Otherwise, blue wild indigo can be a beautiful, low maintenance addition to your garden. Photo Credits: Missouri Botanical Garden (1,2)

< Back Practical Pointers for Planning Your Garden The seed catalogs are here so spring must be around the corner! It’s time to turn the dreams of January into the plans for a new or renewed garden in your yard. Read this article to gain some practical pointers for planning your garden. Let’s get planning! Joy Johnson, Master Gardener It’s only February but you probably have already received some seed catalogs in the mail reminding us that spring will soon reappear. As we look longingly out our windows, it’s a great time to start thinking about a new or improved garden for your yard. A new garden can replace an existing garden, enlarge or re-shape an existing garden or carve out a completely new space in a neglected part of your property. When designing a new garden, there are some general design principles and other things you should consider. I am old school and prefer to do my thinking with a pencil and a large sheet of paper. It’s a good idea to sketch out the area you have in mind. Ask yourself some basic questions as you sketch. Topography Is the new garden area on a slope? If it is, will you need a retaining wall or terracing? For example, we designed a new garden along the east side of our yard. It has a gentle downhill slope. We wanted to add some contour to our flat front yard and create a visual barrier to block the view of the side of our neighbor’s house. We needed a retaining wall to add height and keep the garden on our side of the land. The wall ended up being 30 feet long and 4 feet wide on each end. It is 4 feet high and made from bricks and large boulders. We filled it with soil and made a small hill, with two depressions and an S shaped curve along the front side for visual variety. Light How much daylight does the area receive? Watch the area over several months and make note of any areas shaded by buildings or trees for more than 6 hours a day. An area that is in the shade for at least 6 hours a day will only support plants designed to grow in the shade. Sun loving plants need a minimum of 6 hours of full sunlight. If you are just starting this process in February, you will need to remember back to June, July, and August to determine the amount of sunlight your spot will receive during the summer. This can be very different than in the winter months due to the angle of the sun and day length. Specimen Plants Do you have any specimen plants in the area that you want to highlight (or plant new in the area)? How can you set it, or them, off? Some ideas are to highlight a specimen bush or tree with a contrasting color of mulch or a contrasting low growing ground cover. We wanted to highlight a weeping pussy willow, which has an interesting shape, but is basically green the entire growing season, so we planted purple Bugleweed around the base. The Bugleweed has tiny purple flower spikes during June, July and into August, so it looks like the Weeping Pussywillow is floating on a purple carpet. Color Palette What’s your color palette? When designing a garden that includes blooming flowers and shrubs, it’s pleasing to the eye to group similar colors together and to plant numerous plants of the same variety. This is called color block gardening and is effective if you have a large area to fill. For example, since our area is long and narrow, we planted one section with weigela which has burgundy leaves and pink flowers for most of the summer. Around one side of the weigela we planted Asian Lilies in a variety of pink hues. Beneath them and trailing down the small hill we planted a low growing creeping sedum which gets tiny pink flowers. This leads us to another design element you should consider. Plant Size Plant size. It is pleasing to the eye to have a variety of heights in your garden. You should use the Rule of Thirds. The plants at the back of your garden should be two-thirds taller than the plants in front of them. In the example given in number 4 above, the Weigela are taller than the Asian Lilies and they are both taller than the sedum. They are in the same color palette as the peonies. The creeping juniper softens the edge of the rock boarder and anchors the color palette with a dark green. A variegated willow with its very pale pink spring leaves is a light back drop at the edge of the garden. Much taller Smokebushes with their burgundy, green leaves are two-thirds taller than the Weigela. Another example from our garden is the row of Arborvitae along the back of the garden that will eventually grow taller than the Ninebark, Forsythia and Weigela that are planted in front of them. In front of those bushes, we have planted a variety of shorter flowers, grasses, and creeping ground covers. Soil Type It is important to look at your soil type. That will be hard to do in February, but when spring comes, it’s a good idea to send in a sample of the soil from your garden area to the University of Minnesota . They will send you back a soil test report that will let you know if you need to add any phosphorus or Potassium to your area. If you google “soil testing University of Minnesota” you will find directions for submitting a sample. Make a Sketch As we looked through all our gardening catalogs and downloaded plant information from various websites, it was easier to visualize our ideas if we cut out the physical pictures of the shrubs and flowers we were considering and taped them on to our paper lay out. We used a 1” = 1’ scale, to get an idea of the size. After taping the pictures on our layout, we sketched a circle around the plant to show the size of the full-grown plant. Be Flexible Flexibility is the last element of design. A flat piece of paper and photos do a good job of preparing you for the final garden look, but the contour of the land will also affect how things look. We ended up redesigning a couple of areas and moving plants around in the spring when planting began to get the look we were going for. Also keep in mind that the mature size of a plant is very different than the seedling you first get from the nursery. Your garden may not look as full as you want it to until the plants have had a couple of years to grow and settle in. Sensory Considerations A couple of other considerations: plant plants with a pleasing fragrance near your front door or other heavily trafficked area, so people can enjoy them. Don’t plant ‘unwelcoming’ plants near your front or side doors. Things with thorns, spikes, trailing branches, or pungent smells are better suited to other areas. Some tall grasses make lovely swishing sounds when the wind blows through them, consider using those near an outdoor seating area or near an entry way for auditory variety. There are many things to consider when planning a garden so enjoy the process. Choose one or two main goals or focus points (is this an edible garden or a cutting garden, or a garden to block an ugly view or a “native-plants-only” garden). Don’t let yourself get pulled off track by all the beautiful plants you see in the catalogs, online and at nurseries. Keep a narrow focus for the first year. You can always add more plants and move plants in the following years. That’s one of the fun things about gardening, plants are always changing and growing. Photo Credit: Joy Johnson

< Back So, You Want to Grow Your Own Apples! Gardeners have an old saying – “Right plant, right place”! It’s fun to imagine walking out into your yard and picking apples from your own apple trees. But, of course, there are a few things to know before going to your local nursery and picking up your trees. Read this article to learn more and start visualizing those delicious apples! By Marjory Blare, Master Gardener It’s fun to imagine walking out into your yard and picking apples from your own apple trees. But, of course, there are a few things to know before going to your local nursery and picking up your trees. Before you start: Step 1 : Apple trees need two varieties to fruit. The second tree can be a crabapple that blooms at the same time as your tree. Step 2 : Evaluate the place you want to plant your apple tree(s). A. Does it get at least 6 hours (preferably 8) of full sun? B. Does it drain well? C. Is there enough room for the mature tree? Step 3 : Research cultivars before you got to a nursery. A. Any tree smaller than a standard is going to be grafted onto a rootstock that will determine the mature size. B. A standard size tree can grow between 20 and 30 feet tall. You will need 26 square feet. C. A semi-dwarf tree will be between 14 and 22 feet tall. It will need an area of about 20 square feet. D. Dwarf trees grow between 6 and 12 feet and need an area of about 14 feet square. A super-dwarf tree will need staking its entire life. E. For best pollination, make sure both cultivars are hardy in zone 4 and that the bloom time is the same. F. For more on root stocks: https://apples.extension.org/understanding-apple-tree-size-dwarf-semi-dwarf-and-standard/ One-year-old graft Super-dwarf rootstock Four-year-old graft semi-dwarf rootstock] Ten-year-old graft super-dwarf rootstock Step 4 : After you have a few cultivars in mind, it’s off to the nursery A. Make sure you have a good way to transport your tree(s). B. Cushion the branches and trunk when tying it down. C. The nursery may wrap the tree’s canopy for you, or you can cover it with a well tied-down tarp. D. Drive slowly, you don’t want the foliage to get wind-whipped. https://trees.umn.edu/sites/trees.umn.edu/files/files/best-planting-practices.pdf Step 5 : Prepare the planting site before you take the tree out of its container. Have water and back-fill ready. Water the back-fill when the hole is half full and again when it’s full. It’s good to have a slight mound around the hole to help direct the water. If necessary, have staking supplies ready. Step 6 : Planting your tree(s) A. Bare-root stock: this allows you to spread out the roots and easily make sure there are no stem-girdling roots. Stem-girdling roots grow around the trunk and as they increase in size, they can strangle the trunk. You can buy bare-root or wash the soil off a (smaller) container-grown tree. B. Container-grown stock: make sure to cut any stem-girdling roots and roots above the trunk flare (the bottom of the trunk gets wider before the roots start). https://extension.umn.edu/how/planting-and-transplanting-trees-and-shrubs#container-grown-1399864 C. Ball-and-burlap stock: make sure you have help or hire someone to plant the tree. Again, inspect the trunk where it meets the soil ball to look for stem girdling roots. Step 7 : Check here https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-apples , for advice on aftercare, pest management and harvesting and storage. Happy growing! Photo credits: Marjory Blare (all)

< Back Pet-Safe Plant Choices By Sarah Heidtke, Master Gardener There are a lot of us in Dakota County and beyond who love both plants and our pets. Not all plants are compatible with the dogs and cats who live with us. Read on to find out about safer plant choices to make for our furry family members - and a few plants to keep away! I adopt new houseplants every year around January. Some fresh green helps me through the winter months - whether I’m expanding my collection or filling in for some plants that weren’t a good match for my environment (Master Gardeners get brown plants sometimes, too!) We have beloved dogs and cats in our family, so we want to make sure any plants we have within reach are going to be safe for our pets. If you are gifting houseplants, it is a good idea to keep in mind all of the household residents who can access the plants! I would recommend leaving any plant identification instructions and labels with the plant. This extra care also includes floral bouquets, so watch for danger there (think lilies, tulips and gladiola as examples). Today, I’m offering some houseplant options that are safer for dogs and cats: 1. Hoya Hearts (Hoya kerrii), just in time for Valentines Day! 2. Boston Fern - Many true ferns are nontoxic. This plant loves humidity and is a great option in a bathroom with a shower. Be careful, though, of plants such as “Asparagus Ferns” (Asparagus densiflorus cv sprengeri), which are not true ferns. These plants are actually related to the lily family - and are not safe for pets! 3. Rubber Plant (Peperomia) 4. Money Tree (Pachira aquatica) 5. African Violets (Saintpaulia spp.) 6. Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) 7. Bamboo or Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) - but be careful of Sago Palms (Cycas revoluta), these are very toxic to pets! 8. Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis sp.) 9. Holiday cactus (Schlumbergera) make great year-round houseplants 10. Many other succulents, such as Echeveria and Burro’s Tail are safe options as well. Check out this article from the Minnesota State Horticultural Society for more helpful information: A good general rule with all plants is to know your pets and double check plant labels . I have senior dogs that are more inclined to reach for the peanut butter spoon than any old plant, so I feel comfortable keeping riskier plants elevated and check for fallen leaves regularly. Some common plants in my home that are toxic to dogs and cats are Aloe, Amaryllis, Dieffenbachia, English Ivy, Eucalyptus and Philodendron. If you have a new puppy or kitten that can get to and munch plants in the house, you’ll need to adjust accordingly and stick to safer plants. Most plants can cause upset tummies if ingested or chewed on, but the above options will help avoid some more serious consequences. You can search toxicity by plant on the ASPCA’s website here . If your fur-baby has gotten into something they shouldn’t have, time matters. Here are a few resources if you are concerned your pet has ingested, touched, or inhaled poisonous substances - plants or otherwise: The University of Minnesota School of Veterinary Medicine recommends Pet Poison Helpline. - For general information or just checking, their website has tons of useful information including Top Ten Plants Poisonous to Pets . - For emergency help, you can call them at 855-764-7661 or email at info@petpoinhelpline.com ( please note there is an $85 incident fee applicable in this case ) ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) also has a poison control line (888) 426-4435 and some additional resources on their animal poison control website . Check out this website from beChewy and Monrovia for some great outdoor container “recipes” filled with pet-safe plants. They also have great tips on gardening around pets. You and your pets will have a shopping list ready when the weather warms up in the spring. Have fun enjoying your plants and healthy pets! Photo credits: Brooke Nesbitt (1,6), Sarah Heidtke (2,4,5), Wiki Creative Commons (3)

< Back Aromatic Aster: That Which We Call an Aster by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet By Jim Lakin MD, Master Gardener As summer winds down and our garden colors turn to reds and oranges, the blue and yellow of Aromatic Aster is a lovely pleasure. But its good looks aren’t even the best reason to grow Aromatic Aster. Read this article to learn more about why this midwestern native should have a place in your garden. Apologies to The Bard, but Symphyotrichum oblongifolium is known by several appellations including Oblong-Leafed Aster and Aster oblongifolius . Yet by any of these names it remains a fragrant, persistent, cheerful autumnal companion of our Midwestern prairies. You will find aromatic aster in dry, gravelly or rocky prairies, glades and savannas. When crushed, the foliage is pleasantly aromatic. It is relatively easy to grow in any well-drained garden soil in full sun or partial shade. Once established, it usually is a quite hardy native perennial and will frequently self-seed. Being a good grower, it can crowd out less vigorous perennials. If that seems to be happening, you can trim it back through midsummer and still see a nice blooming in the fall when it produces abundant flowers in many shades of purple. Like other members of the Asteraceae family, blooming season is usually from late-August through early-November, although an early hard frost can end the show prematurely. Aromatic aster tends to grow in mounds of 24 to 30 inches in height. Thus, it functions well as a traditional flower border or an informal hedge, putting on a dazzling show in the late fall. It is a favorite of pollinators and creates a valuable fall source of nectar for many species, especially last-of-the-season butterflies. It is hardy in Zones 3 through 8. Thus, most of Minnesota provides a suitable climate. Aromatic aster is pretty much disease resistant although occasionally powdery mildew or lace bugs may be an issue. You may have to stake some of the plants in the fall as their abundant flower heads may otherwise weigh the plant down. Most of the time, however, aromatic aster does wonderfully well if left to its own devices. Photo Credit: Jason Grand www.inaturalist.org

< Back Wild Blue Violet (Viola sororia): One Name, Many Faces Jim Lakin MD, Master Gardner For lovers of that special harbinger of springtime, the wild violet, there are many fascinating and rewarding varieties to choose from and enjoy. In this article, Jim Lakin, describes various varieties and explores why you may want to add this native perennial to your woodland garden. I long ago realized I do not have the patience to be a taxonomist. The wild blue violet is a case in point. The battle raged among botanists for years as to whether or not to split a number of similar plants into separate species or to combine them into one. The “lumpers” finally won out over the “splitters” and today Viola sororia is the moniker for some quite different plants. We’ll discuss that in a bit. Wild blue violet as a native perennial found in almost all of Eastern North America including the entire Midwest. It is a woodland plant, loving humus-rich soils and tolerating a high amount of shade. Most varieties are pretty easy to grow in any rich soil that is moist in the spring when they flower. If the soil becomes dry in summer the plant may go dormant. A number of varieties freely self-sow although many propagate by rhizomes. Indeed, some varieties can be aggressive growers even moving into grass lawns. Nonetheless, they can be a wonderful addition to other woodland flowers in a shade garden. Wild blue violet can be an important ecological niche plant, hosting several fritillary butterflies as well as attracting a number of specialist bees and other pollinators. Happily, the fritillary butterfly which the plant hosts can keep the more invasive violet varieties in check by feeding off them during the butterfly’s larval stage. Mind though that this larval caterpillar emerges from its egg in the fall and overwinters in the surrounding leaf-litter. If you rake up the leaves in your wildflower garden in the fall, you will destroy the caterpillars before they can trim back the violets by feeding in the spring and subsequently emerge as fritillary butterflies. Viola sororia is variable in its form and behavior. Flowers are usually royal blue but the color can vary from light blue to white on one end of the spectrum to a deep navy on the other. Among the recognized strains is the woolly blue violet. This fellow is covered by short woolly hairs upon its stem, producing springtime flowers of a deep blue-violet. He is found in woodland flood plains and in upland oak-hickory woods. In the garden he is usually well behaved with limited self-sowing. Viola bloom color can vary Butterfly violet or dooryard violet is one of the largest and most aggressive strains of Viola sororia. It is a larger plant (one foot) and self-seeds freely. It can shadow out smaller wildflowers and even invade lawns. If you adopt a live-and-let-live attitude, however, the Fritillary butterfly caterpillars usually will keep the dooryard violet in check and have a good meal in the bargain. And you may have some spectacular butterfly watching later in the summer. Finally, there is a variety known as the Confederate violet. It forms a blue to grey flower with speckles. There are a couple of commercially marketed strains: “Freckles” with speckled blue flowers and “Rosie” a rosy-white form. For lovers of that special harbinger of springtime, the wild violet, there are many fascinating and rewarding varieties to choose from and enjoy. Photo credits: North Carolina State Extension (1), University of Minnesota Extension (2)

< Back Starting Seeds Indoors If you want to grow plants from seed for your garden this spring, February is the time to start – planning and planting. There is a little more to it than dropping a seed in soil but reading this article will help you learn how to grow seeds successfully indoors. Jim Lakin, M.D., Master Gardener By February anything that’s green and growing is a welcome rebuke to the unending whiteness outside. Of course, you can run to your favorite nursery and buy a big, beautiful blooming house plant, but I find great joy following a more quietly satisfying route---starting my own plants indoors from seed. It really is not all that difficult if you pick the right plant. Different seeds require different treatments to wake up and start growing. Some need to sit in a moist cold environment for 4 to 8 weeks—stratification. Others, with tough coverings need to be roughed up a little bit to get going--scarification. Other seeds benefit from an initial soaking in water to loosen up the coating. Others need a few minutes in boiling hot water to kick start the germination process. You can find out if the seed you select needs any of this “special handling” by consulting the catalogues of the seed companies from which you purchase them. If you are picking up a packet locally, be sure to carefully read the fine print for any recommended pre-planting treatments. Many commercially processed seeds are ready to sew without further ado. Once your seeds have been through pre-treatment, you will need a container with good drainage. This can be as simple as a plastic food container or milk carton bottom with a liberal number of holes poked in the bottom or more elaborate seed germination trays available at local garden stores or garden departments of “big box” wholesalers. Cell flats can be ideal yet inexpensive reusable germination containers If you are shopping for containers, also pick up some seedling mix. There are a number of mixtures commercially prepared for germination. Later, as the plants grow, you’ll want to transplant into potting soil. Do not use garden soil or top soil. These are way too heavy and you’ll get lousy germination results. Plant your seeds to a depth roughly equal to the diameter of the seed. You will want to place a transparent cover e.g., clear plastic, Saranwrap, over the container to keep up the humidity until the plants develop. What to do next depends on how much you want to invest in the process. If you have a sunny window-sill that stays close to room temperature around the clock, that may be all you need. Most folks have better results using grow lights which permit setting up away from windows, which tend to get drafty. Run you lights 12 hours per day. Also, the addition of seedling heating pads can help a lot especially if you keep the thermostat turned down in the house. Keep the medium moist. Check at least every two days and water as needed. It may take several weeks before you see those little green guys popping out of the soil. Germination times vary widely. Again, read the fine print on the seed packet for guidance. Seedlings growing vigorously in a warm humid environment Once the seedlings have appeared, be sure to keep the germination media moist, the grow lights on and let nature take its course. After a few weeks, the root system may have completely filled the medium. It’s time to transplant. If you are using germination trays, you usually can pop the small plant out with a spoon or other small scoop. Transplant them into well-draining pots. I usually use 4-inch diameter light plastic ones which are cheap and readily available. As the plants get bigger consider adding a small amount of liquid fertilizer diluted to one-fifth to one-tenth of the manufacture’s recommended concentration. Continue to keep them warm and watered with ample light. Then, start watching for the trees to green, the birds to sing and the last frost to pass. Once that happens, it’s time to transplant your beautiful plants into the garden! For more information, check out the University of Minnesota Extension: https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/starting-seeds-indoors / Photo credit: University of Minnesota Extension