Firstly, you need to define what you want your plant to do for you.

Are you planning to plant it in a pot and overwinter it inside? Do you want it to be cold hardy in the ground? Do you want it to cover a fence? Should it be small and manageable? Are you looking for fruit or would you rather it be sterile? And the list goes on. So what is it you want from your plant?

Once you have considered what you want out of your plant, then you need to consider what you can practically provide for it. What we mean here is what kind of conditions do you have to keep your plant in. We are talking about answers to things like the following questions. Are your summers cool or blazing hot? Can you provide it with full sun? Are you overwintering it as a house plant, or does it need to go dormant so you can store it in a garage? Are you new to growing passion flowers or do you have experience? Can you keep it in a 10 gallon pot or only a 3 gallon one?

Once you are armed with this kind of information we can help you to make an educated guess about what would work best for you. Keep in mind that every location and every grower is different, there are a million different variables and micro climates that can affect your plant’s growth. So, you still might have to do some experimenting to find the absolutely best variety.

Passion flowers are an incredibly diverse number of species from an amazing array of different environments ranging from blazing hot to cool and temperate.

As thus, not all passion flowers perform equally. We have tried to break our varieties down into a few categories to make selection easier. The plants in our Easy Care category are typically going to give you the most bang for your buck in terms of flowering and ease of care. Most hybrids are going to out perform straight species. The named hybrids have been specifically selected for their garden performance.

However, one thing is still a non-negotiable essential for all passion flowers. Passion flowers are full sun plants. Most of them are not going to bloom with 6-8 hours of sun. Unless they need protection from heat, they will perform best with full dawn to dusk sun. 8 hours is an absolute minimum. Though many passion flowers will grow well in the shade, they will not flower.

If you are looking for something unique, you can grab something out of our Rare Varieties category.

Keep in mind thought that these varieties typically are much more fussy to grow and many of them only bloom for a short time. Their blooms can be spectacular though if you can coax them into flowering. P. miersii and P. sidifolia are good examples.

If you are looking for a fruiting variety in much of the country, Passiflora incarnata is unfortunately your only real choice. While there are many varieties that grow fruit they are really only suited for warm places like California or Florida. P. edulis is the most commonly grown variety for fruit. Even container grown P. edulis does not have a long or warm enough season to produce fruit in most places.

If you are on the eastern half of the country, Passiflora incarnata and its hybrids are some of the best choices. This is because Passiflora incarnata is native here. It is well adapted to the growing conditions. In terms of size, vigor, number of flowers, ease of care and overwintering ability they are hard to beat. They shrug off heat and humidity often seen in the summers here. They are pollinator magnets that will bloom steadily all summer long.

If you are in the deep south, you need to look for varieties that love heat.

We have many of them including most of our P. incarnata hybrids and the P. caerulea hybrids, but also less common ones like P. holosericea. Typically, most pinks do not do well in heat and humidity, and with the possible exception of P. Victoria, they should be avoided. They are not a good choice for a hot humid location unless you are prepared to baby a plant and possibly lose it to heat stress.

Many of the less heat tolerant plants will survive but will drop flower buds in high temperatures. This is typically listed in the descriptions. These plants should be avoided unless you are ok with only having flowers in the cooler weather. Examples of plants that will live but drop buds/stop flowering in high heat include P. Monika Fischer and P. Lavender Lady, and P. loefgrenii x caerulea. Though P. Lavender Lady really shines in the fall in hot climates when not much else is in bloom.

If you live in a colder part of the country, it is essential to choose a variety that is both cool weather tolerant and also free flowering.

Many of the less free flowering varieties will not bloom well in the north. This is either due to it not being warm enough, not being warm enough for long enough, or warm enough when the number of hours of daylight is sufficient to trigger blooming. Typically you would want to stick with cold hardy varieties, or anything that mentions that it prefers cool weather. P. Belotii is particularly well suited to growing in cooler climates as it overwinters easily as a house plant. This was our passion flower of choice when living in Vermont. Varieties like P. Fata Confetto and P. Blue Velvet and P. Lady Margaret can also be good choices.

If you’re lucky enough to live in a moderate, frost free environment like California, you can grow almost anything successfully so long as you water them sufficiently. This is also the sort of place where winter blooming reds like P. Maui really shine. Winter blooming plants are a disappointment in most areas.

If you live in the sort of middle part of the country where summers are fairly warm and long, you can grow a wide variety of passion flowers.

Most of the heat intolerant ones will do ok, and it is also warm enough to grow many of the heat loving varieties. You just have to grow many of them as disposable annuals or in containers that you can bring inside to overwinter. Nonetheless, their spectacular blooms can be worth it!

If you are wishing for a passion flower to overwinter outside in much of the United States, your choices are fairly limited. P. incarnata is the most hardy variety we grow, and many of its hybrids come in second. Check out our Cold Hardy category and compare the listed hardiness zone to yours.

When discussing cold hardiness in passion flowers, it is essential to note that your location MUST be dry.

Passion flowers are very susceptible to root rot and wilts particularly in cool temperatures. If your plant is in a location that it sits wet over the winter, it will die regardless of the temperature. Keep in mind that passion flowers can be unreliably hardy, particularly in marginal soil conditions in climates close to their limit. Planting your plant in a warm sheltered microclimate that is very well drained and mulching it thoroughly can help it to survive winters better.

If you are looking for a plant that goes dormant and can be overwintered in a cool location like a garage or basement, P. incarnata’s hybrids, and P. Blue Bouquet or P. Lavender Lady all go dormant and overwinter well. P. caerulea hybrids can also go dormant though we find that they prefer to go semi-dormant and be kept somewhere that they get light.

Lastly, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, P. caerulea types will probably perform better than P. incarnata types. While we do not have personal experience growing passion flowers there, it is our understanding that P. caerulea tolerates the cool damp conditions there better than P. incarnata which is adapted to the heat and humidity of the southeast. It can be different to overwinter in the northwest due to the wet climate.

Hopefully this clarifies some differences between different groups of passion flowers and makes selecting your next plant easier! Next time we are going to discuss reasons why your passion flower isn’t blooming. If you’re interested in reading about that, please sign up for our newsletter to have it delivered to your inbox!

Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post What Passion Flower is the Best?? first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

We find that evaluating what did and didn’t work last year and dreaming about next year’s garden is the perfect way to pass time during the cold dreary winter months. Winter is a less busy time. Plus, by making plans now we can be sure that we will have everything we need in time. We also won’t miss any critical planting dates if we take the time to notate them ahead of time.

How much planning is required depends on many factors. Factors such as what kind of garden you will be growing, and what you plan to grow yourself vs. what you buy. If you have perennial crops or just annual ones, etc. In addition to planning our season out ahead of time, we find that taking notes throughout the gardening season is very helpful.

Notes can help you to remember what did and didn’t work. Or when you planted or harvested things or when you sprayed pesticides or fungicides. Were there ideas that you wanted to try? When you sit down in January to plan, it can be really hard to remember exactly what happened last July. Keeping good records can revolutionize your gardening experience.

The first thing you need to do is evaluate what your goals are.

Do you want to have cut flowers all summer? Do you want to improve on something that didn’t work out last year? Or maybe you want to grow vegetables? Minimize the number of plantings you have to do? Succeed at growing broccoli without it being eaten by worms? Do you want to have a particular vegetable all season? Do you want a summer garden? One that will continue to provide you with vegetables into the winter? Do you want to minimize the amount of time you spend gardening this year because it’s a busy summer?

You probably get the idea. There is no right or wrong answer. However, taking the time to think about what you want ahead of time allows you to do research or re-evaluate if some of your goals are in opposition to each other. Taking the time to research a new crop you want to try, or a pest problem you’re having ahead of time can sometimes make a huge difference to your success.

Once you’ve figured out the goal, you need to evaluate what you have and what you need to buy. You might need seeds and plants. Or you might need to purchase supplies like row covers stakes or potting mix. Purchasing these sorts of things early gives you access to the best selection. Plus, you will be sure to have everything you need before things get busy in the spring. This is important. Some things are very timing critical, and if you miss your window of opportunity that’s it for the year.

Once you have determined what you need, you need to plan your schedule.

We like to do this on our calendar app so that it will remind us of planting dates. To determine your planting schedule you need to know a few things. You need to know your first and last frost dates, days to maturity for your crops, and how cold tolerant they are.

You can find your average first and last frost dates by doing an internet search for it with your zip code. First and last frost dates are important because they dictate how long your growing season is. They dictate when it’s safe to plant things in the spring. They also tell you when it’s too late to plant to have your crop mature before frost in the fall.

The second thing you need is days to maturity for your plants. This is typically listed on your seed packet somewhere. It may be listed as days to harvest or similar wording. If your seed packet does not tell you, the information should be available online.

Most seed packets will also provide information on direct sowing vs. transplanting, and how soon the plants can be safely planted outside. This is all important to know. If you are unfamiliar with the term, days to maturity, it means how long it takes the seed to go from planting to flowering (for flowers) or harvest (for vegetables). Keep in mind this number is an estimate. Things will grow more slowly in cool weather.

Armed with this information we can start to plan our planting schedule.

For the sake of illustration, we are going to use our zone 8 climate. Our average first and last frost dates are November 5^th and April 6^th. This means that April 6^th is the absolute earliest we can plant out anything frost tender (and that probably waiting a couple weeks longer is best). We also must plant everything early enough to ensure that it is mature or harvested prior to November 5^th.

Next, we can divide our seeds into a few different groups. We have the cold crops, warm season crops, and those that we transplant. Transplants can also be broken down into cold vs. warm season crops. This goes for both flower and vegetable seeds. If you are unsure what category a particular plant falls into, go ahead and look it up.

Cold season plants can be planted early in the season, often weeks prior to the last frost date.

The cold season seed packets might say things like ‘plant as soon as the soil can be worked’. They are cold and usually frost tolerant. Warm season plants are tender plants like cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers that need warm temperatures and long days to live. Transplants are things that are started inside, usually 4-6 weeks before your last frost date. This allows them to get a head start which can be particularly important in cooler climates. Transplants come with some advantages. The biggest of which is probably that you get to pick flowers or harvest vegetables sooner.

Many things can be both direct seeded and transplanted.

However, when you are considering whether to transplant or direct seed something you need to pay attention to comparing your days to maturity to growing season length. Many commonly transplanted things have high days to maturity, and the number of days required may exceed the length of your growing season when direct seeded.

To know how late in the season a particular seed can be planted or plant can be transplanted, you need to count back from your first frost date, and make sure that the days to maturity is less. So for example, the end of June is the latest we can plant winter squash (with 100 days to maturity) here and expect a harvest. If we planted it in August, it would not have time to ripen fruit before the plant got frosted.

We also need to decide if a particular plant is something that is planted once a year or succession planted.

Succession planting is planting the same crop repeatedly every few weeks or months. It is typically done with crops that mature rapidly and have short harvest windows. You have to decide if you want to put in the effort to repeatedly plant and remove a crop or whether you are satisfied with one planting. Some examples of things that are commonly succession planted include lettuce, radishes, and sunflowers. Things like peppers and tomatoes are not succession planted. They take a long time to mature and they will continue to produce a harvest as long as they are alive.

To determine whether you can succession plant, and how many successions you can do requires you to look back at your first and last frost dates.

Compare that to the days to maturity. Depending on where you are located, you may need to consider how hot your summers will get. Many cool season crops are not tolerant of the long, hot summer days. They cannot successfully be grown mid-summer, so you also need to take this into consideration.

Lettuce is probably one of the most commonly succession planted crops so let’s use that as an example. It is cold hardy and will germinate in cold soil, but is not heat tolerant. In our climate, we can start planting lettuce about a month before our last frost date–at the beginning of March. We can continue to plant it until about June 1^stat which point it will be too hot to continue.

Lettuce reaches maturity in 50 days or less for baby leaves, and it gets bitter quickly as it ages. Thus, if we want a steady supply of lettuce, we need to plant it every 2-4 weeks between March and June. If we wanted fall lettuce, we would count back 50 days from our first frost date of November 5^th. We can plant fall lettuce any time up to the end of September, and it will have time to mature before frost.

You shouldn’t have to start from scratch to figure this out for everything if you don’t want to.

There is a good chance that a local university extension will have a published approximate planting dates for your area that can make a good starting point for your planning. Nonetheless, understanding how those recommended dates are determined is important so that you can determine planting dates for things they may have omitted from their publication. Keeping meticulous records year to year will help you to tweak the dates to be ideal for your micro-climate.

So far, we’ve been mainly talking about annual crops, and in many ways perennial crops are a lot easier to plan for. Nonetheless, planning and record keeping is equally as important for perennial crops. If you have fruit trees, timing your pesticide and fungicide application right can make the difference between getting a bumper crop and harvesting nothing. So you should also notate on your calendar things like spray dates and when to start scouting for pests, and also when the pests appeared to help you in future years. Over time you can create a personalized schedule that works best for you.

We hope that this inspires you to spend some of these dreary winter days preparing to make next year’s garden better than ever!

If you would like more gardening tips, please sign up for our newsletter to have our future articles delivered directly to your inbox!

Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post Winter Is The Perfect Time To Do Garden Planning first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

We want to take a moment to highlight native pollinators, and how you can promote their presence in your yard.

Pollinators are not just bees. Some plants are pollinated by birds, butterflies, moths, bats, beetles and flies. Many of these pollinators are beneficial to our ecosystem not only for their pollination service, but also for things like biological pest control. A good example are parasitic wasps. They kill pests and rely on having a nectar source for survival. In this article, we going to mainly focus on native bees. In a future article we will take a more in depth look at some of the other types of pollinators.

Not only are pollinators a diverse group, but many are specialized and better at pollinating certain plants than the generalist honeybee is. Some pollinators, like bumble bees, are willing to work at much cooler temperatures and in poorer weather than honeybees. This can be important for pollinating early spring flower plants like fruit trees.

There are about 4,000 species of native bees in the United States. They come in an amazing array of color, shapes and size. Most native bees are fundamentally very different than the honeybee. Honeybees are somewhat unique in that they form huge colonies that overwinter. Most native bees are solitary, and they often nest in the ground. And unlike honeybees, who will travel miles to forage acres and acres of land, most native bees don’t venture far from their nest. Some of them only as far as a couple hundred yards. They absolutely need to have access to ample nectar and pollen resources close to suitable nesting sites.

The best part about native bees is that most of them don’t sting, and they are generally very peaceful.

Despite having so many pollinators in our gardens that its hard to take a picture of a flower without one, we have no problems with them bothering us. We have had bumble bee colonies (which can sting) nest right next to our walkway. They gave us not a single problem all season despite walking past them many times a day. If you are concerned about getting stung by encouraging bees in your yard, don’t be. You can safely encourage a plethora of pollinators to make homes in your yard without fear of getting stung. Just be sure that you do not antagonize them. Leave them alone, and they’ll likely do the same to you.

How do we encourage native pollinators?

Our native pollinators really only need a few things to thrive. They need a reliable food source all season long. This needs to be near suitable sites for nesting and overwintering. Lastly, they need to be in a pesticide free area where they can forage without being killed. With a little effort you can easily provide this in your backyard.

You can provide pollen and nectar sources by planting a wide variety of flowering plants that will bloom all season. Since you are trying to feed diversity, diversity in plants is ideal. A couple acres of perfectly manicured grass and boxwood shrubs might be appealing to our desire for order, but it might as well be the Sahara Desert for native bees. And yeah, those dandelions that humans despise are an important, reliable food source for pollinators particularly in early spring.

It is also important to provide good nesting and overwintering sites.

These often look like wild, unkempt areas. Ground nesting bees typically like semi-bare soil areas, wood nesting bees need places like dead trees and hollow stems, and bumble bees like to nest in places like abandoned rodent burrows. They need leaf litter, tall grass, dead plant stems, logs, rock piles etc. for overwintering sites to protect them from the elements. In a nutshell, these pollinators need access ‘natural’ areas. And we can easily provide these areas with a little thought and planning.

Try to incorporate some more ‘wild’ areas into your landscape design and avoid over zealously cleaning up your gardens and yards during the fall and winter months. If you do you will likely be throwing out or accidentally killing many of your native pollinators and other beneficial insects. They are relying on things like dead, hollow plant stems and leaf litter to overwinter. If you are interested in learning more about how to create pollinator habitats in your landscape, the Xerces Society has an excellent publication on it.

Lastly, avoid using pesticides if at all possible.

If you do have to use pesticides, try to opt for those with minimal effects on bees. Only spray them on non-flowering plants or when bees are not present. Keep in mind that a yard does not need to be insect or even pest free to be beautiful, healthy, and productive. It is our opinion that if you create a healthy ecosystem in you yard, you will have very few pest problems that require pesticides. If you have been spraying a lot of pesticides, it may take a few years for a large enough population of beneficial insects to return and for things to re-balance.

Part of creating a healthy ecosystem is also proper plant selection. While many people scream native plants only. Not all environments are suitable for all plants, including native ones. We firmly believe right plant in the right place is more appropriate than native vs non-native. Non-native plants are not inherently bad, and some natives are plagued with pest and disease problems.

Many plants, while native, are really not adapted to a given environment that we have created. Many non-native plants are rich resources for wildlife and pollinators. So rather than getting hung up on whether a plant is native, focus on whether it is a good food source for pollinators, and whether it is adapted to thrive under your local conditions.

We hope this has inspired you to join us in supporting native pollinators. With a little effort and a few changes, you can help prevent native pollinators from starving to death Plus, you can have an amazing array of beautiful, beneficial insects gracing your garden like we do.

If you would like to learn more about what we are doing on our farm, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter!

Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post Helping Native Pollinators Thrive In Your Yard first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

But what if you do not have unlimited time or desire to pull weeds and you don’t wish to spray herbicides? Then you are in the same category as us. Today we are going to share with you some of our favorite ways to minimize the time we spend weeding.

Let’s start with a little bit of weed science

As you probably already know, many of the most troublesome weeds are annuals. They complete their life-cycle quickly and produce copious quantities of seed allowing them to aggressively colonize your gardens. What you might not realize is that many of these seeds do not germinate immediately. They become part of what is called the soil seed bank. Many weed species are very smart about survival. They may produce seeds designed to germinate immediately. They also produce seeds that can stay in the soil for years and years ensuring their continued survival. These seeds sit dormant in the soil until the conditions are right for germination.

You should do everything you can to prevent weeds from going to seed in your garden.

If you can avoid adding new seeds to your soil seed bank, you can eventually draw down the quantity of seeds in the seed bank resulting in less work for you. This is why gardens that have been cultivated for may years are often far, far less work than newly created ones.

Though its so tempting to till up and immediately plant a new garden area, your future self will thank you if you wait. Spend some time, or even a whole season if possible disturbing the soil to allow weed seeds to germinate. Then till the area again to kill those seedlings and to encourage new ones to germinate. This will allow you to partially deplete the seed bank before you plant your garden.

This technique is particularly helpful for annual crops like vegetables. Many times the first season or two of a new vegetable garden sees weed pressure so aggressive it is hard to get successful crops. This can be very discouraging for a new gardener. Spending a year drawing down your seed bank and amending the soil prior to trying to grow a garden can be very advantageous to helping you set yourself up for success.

Keep in mind that this technique can also be useful for new ornamental beds. Perennial lawn grasses can be very tenacious and difficult to eradicate after your ornamentals have been planted. Taking the time to make sure they are dead and gone before planting can save you a lot of headache.

Once your plants are planted then what?

Let’s go back to our weed science again. When we do, we learn that our land has a carrying capacity. A given square foot of soil can only support so many plants. Only so much surface area of plant leaf per surface area of soil is possible. And weeds know this. Many weed seeds will not germinate, or will not survive past germination if they are shaded or crowded by other plants. You want to make sure your plants are the ones monopolizing the carrying capacity. The trick here is two-fold. Don’t leave open soil, and make sure your crops are big enough to have the competitive advantage.

Usually this means that you have to be diligent about weed control early in the season. Weed seeds often germinate faster and also grow more rapidly than desirable plants. You want to suppress the weeds long enough that your desired plants can close their canopy–that is cover the entire soil surface with their leaves. Once they have done that you should have significantly less weeding to do the remainder of the season.

One way we take advantage of this concept is through using mulch.

Using a traditional mulch like wood chips works very well in some settings like ornamental beds, or on perennial crops like our brambles and asparagus. Mulch blocks light to the soil and tricks weed seeds into not growing, or buries them deeply enough that they die before making it to the surface. In order for mulch to be effective, it has to be thick, and you have to prevent weed seeds from being dropped on its surface.

Unfortunately, for annual crops and areas that are tilled and replanted frequently mulch tends to add a ton of work we’d rather not do. This is because you cannot for example till 4” of bark mulch into your soil every year and expect to have a good garden. Nor can you expect your vegetable seeds to grow through mulch. Once you disturb the mulch layer and mix a small amount of soil with it in the process you lose much of the protective effect. Thus, to really benefit you the mulch would need to be removed and new mulch applied every year.

There are more viable alternatives to bark mulch. You can use more readily degraded organic materials such as grass clippings or straw to mulch vegetable gardens as these materials can be more readily tilled into the soil at the end of the year. Many gardeners do so with great success. We however do not have access to suitable grass clippings and find straw expensive and labor intensive to use.

We much prefer to use living mulch to suppress weeds in our garden.

Living mulch can take many forms. It is simply using a desirable plant to crowd out weeds. In our ornamental beds around the house we allow our favorite re-seeding annuals to fill in gaps between our perennials. The result is that they squeeze out most weeds. Despite not heavily mulching those beds we have very little weeding to do throughout the growing season. Plus, our perennials thank us for not smothering them. While woody shrubs typically tolerate heavy mulching well, most herbaceous perennials do not. Using living mulch allows our perennials to flourish without the weeding that would typically accompany not having mulched beds.

In our vegetable garden there are equally as many choices for living mulches. Some people like to use fast growing salad greens like spinach or lettuce. Our personal favorite living mulch is sweet potato vines. They are extremely effective at covering bare soil quickly. Plus the entire plant is edible and useful on our farm, so nothing goes to waste. The big advantage we feel sweet potato vines have over thing like lettuce or Phacelia is that they will spread and fill in all the gaps whereas a seeded crop won’t move from where you planted it. We find that living mulch is more effective and less labor intensive than any kind of organic mulch we have tried.

Our last tip to make your garden weeding task easier is a tool rather than a technique.

We have not found a tool that makes quicker work of weeding than a stirrup hoe. It is the one tool we would not want to be without in our garden. If you have not tried one we would encourage you to do so. Our stirrup hoe allows us to weed in hours what would have taken days to do by hand. Plus, the more you stirrup hoe your garden the easier your weeding gets. Done regularly you will kill almost all the weeds as tiny seedlings.

Many people look at stirrup hoes and can’t immediately understand how they can be of so much benefit. However, these hoes are designed to run just under the surface of the soil cutting everything off. They are sharpened on the front and back side of the blade allowing you to cut on the push and pull stroke (if the head oscillates). You can rapidly chop down weeds of all sizes with minimal soil disturbance.

The lack of soil disturbance means that you can safely use the hoe right next to your plants. Using this hoe you can rapidly weed large areas reserving the tedious individual weed pulling for right around the base of your plants. We find this hoe makes such quick work of weeding our garden that we can zip through and weed the entire thing frequently. The weeds don’t get a chance to get ahead of us.

We hope that this quick glimpse into weed biology and how we manage weeds on our farm helps you to get ahead of the weeds in your garden this year!

If you would like to read more articles like this, please sign up for our newsletter!

Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.Please remember

The post How To Keep Garden Weeds At Bay first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Some of you might be familiar with the genus Abutilon by its common name, flowering maple or parlor maple. And when I say flowering maple, you might immediately think of a big lanky, intermittently flowering plant. A plant that someone like my grandmother grew and something you have no desire to display in your home. But as is true of many plants, the Abutilon cultivars we have today are not our grandmother’s flowering maples.

We have used selective breeding to drastically improve most of our ornamental plants, and Abutilons are no exception. Today you can grow dwarf Abutilons that bloom heavily year round. They are so different from the Abutilon my grandmother grew that they are hardly recognizable as the same thing.

There are a plethora of different species and cultivars of Abutilon available on the market.

They are varieties suitable for use as bedding plants or as house plants. As a group Abutilons are a tender, evergreen perennial that can be grown outdoors year round in zones 9-11. Many of the species only bloom seasonally, but most of the hybrids are ever blooming.

One thing they all have in common is that Abutilons are generally not very picky about their care or location so long as they are provided ample moisture. They do not care to dry out at all. Because they are not finicky they are a great choice even for beginners. They can be planted in the ground and can equally as easily be grown in containers.

Abutilons grown in containers should be fertilized regularly and provided with bright light. A sunny windowsill is ideal. Most of the hybrids will bloom year round if given sufficient light and warmth to keep them actively growing. Additionally, these plants respond well to pruning so they can be easily maintained to a desirable size. Pruning them will encourage flowers as buds are produced only on new growth.

If you are interested in looking for an Abutilon to add to your indoor (or outdoor) garden. Here are 5 of our favorite ever-blooming, dwarf cultivars. You can view our full collection of Abutilon here.

Abutilon ‘Blushing Belle’

Blushing Belle is an ever-blooming dwarf Abutilon with large bright pink flowers. It has a very compact, semi-weeping habit and rarely requires pruning to maintain an attractive shape. It only grows 1-2 feet tall, and can be maintained in a container indefinitely. This plant performs equally as well outdoors on the patio as it does inside on a windowsill.

Blushing Belle is always blooming. It blooms in our cold greenhouse all winter, and it blooms in our house in January set on a northern windowsill. This plant is cold hardy enough to tolerate a frost. It is also heat and humidity tolerant enough to sit out in the sun on our patio in July. It rarely complains about anything we throw at it making it a truly versatile plant.

Abutilon ‘Little Sunshine’

Little Sunshine is even more dwarf and compact than Blushing Belle. This Abutilon comes with petite leaves and an unbelievable number of small yellow flowers. It almost flowers too much if that’s even possible. There is nothing more uplifting than looking at this plant loaded with vibrant yellow flowers on a dreary winter day. As is the case with most Abutilons, Little Sunshine is not particular about its environment as long as it stays well watered.

Because this plant is so busy producing flower buds, it stays very, very small. Almost all of its resources are devoted to flower production, and it is the most compact, slow growing Abutilon we have. It will be happy to stay a manageable size on your windowsill indefinitely. So far we have not had it exceed a foot tall making it the perfect addition to an indoor garden.

Abutilon ‘Red Glory’

We love Red Glory for its abundance of incredibly richly colored red blooms. The blooms on this plant are a deep, super-saturated red. In addition to its fantastic flower color, it is also very free blooming and always covered in blossoms. Red Glory is a bit larger and tends towards a slightly more open growth form than either Blushing Belle or Little Sunshine. However, it is still very compact and manageable. Red Glory is ever blooming and grows to a size of about 2’. It can be pruned to be kept smaller.

Aside from its flower color, one of the things we love about Red Glory is that its flowers are held more upright than many Abutilons. Many Abutilons hold their flowers facing downwards . Not so with Red Glory! The large 2.5” blooms are held in outward facing clusters making for a really exceptionally show.

Abutilon ‘Wedding Day’

If you aren’t a fan of really vibrant colors and are looking for something more pastel, Wedding Day has you covered! This Abutilon is a delightful light pink and white petaled flower. The flowers are white near the center and pink at the edges of the petals. Wedding Day is free flowering and easy to care for. It blooms year round for us, is cold tolerant, and produces large 2-2.5″ blooms.

This particular variety is very upright and not quite as dwarf as the other varieties on this list. It grows 2-4′ tall and would make an exceptional centerpiece in a mixed container. As with other Abutilons, it responds well to pruning and can be maintained to a smaller size quite easily.

Abutilon ‘Star Sprite’

Star Sprite is last, but not least on our list for today. We saved it for last because it is a little different than the other 4 Abutilons we are highlighting here. Star Sprite is an Abutilon megapotamicum hybrid. And thus, it has a more trailing growth habit and downward dangling blooms. It would make a good hanging basket. It also has a somewhat unique flower shape. The flowers are bell shaped with red centers and yellow orange petals with darker orange veins and a bright red calyx surrounding them. This makes for a really stunning floral display.

Star Sprite is easy to care for, ever blooming and quite cold tolerant. It is a dwarf plant that will stay small and maintain a nice tight compact form without a lot of pruning. It can be grown as a hanging basket or standard form, and could make an excellent addition to mixed containers.

This is just a sampling of some of our favorite Abutilons. However, this is certainly not an exhaustive list. There are too many fantastic ones to list them all here including varieties with stunning variegated foliage. So next time you are looking for a reliable ever blooming plant, consider a not-your-grandmother’s flowering maple, but rather the modern hybrid Abutilons! Start your collection by visiting our online store.

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post Dwarf Abutilons: Not Your Grandmother’s Flowering Maple first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Most homeowners who plant fruit trees do so without realizing that these trees require a massive investment of time and money in spraying pesticides and fungicides repeatedly throughout the season. Without this most crops fail. To get the perfect fruit you see in the grocery stores, commercial growers might spray a crop 25 times or more every season.

If you want to grow organic fruit that produces well in your backyard, you should avoid most common fruit trees. Instead, why not try an Asian persimmon tree. Now if you’ve had experience with the American persimmons, don’t tune out yet, keep reading. The Asian persimmon is nothing like the American persimmon.

There are ‘no-spray’ fruits out there

For the savvy, adventurous gardener, there are other edible plants and tree varieties that can be grown that have virtually no pest and disease problems. The persimmon is one of these often overlooked fruits. There are even varieties that are suitable for growing in large containers making them accessible to a broad range of gardeners.

Persimmons are something that many people may not have ever even seen, tasted, or heard of. However, they are extremely attractive little trees you should consider planting. They have large, deep, glossy green leaves that are almost leathery looking. In the fall their leaves turn a variety of yellows, reds, and oranges before falling off.

After the leaves have fallen you are left with the very ornamental looking bright orange fruit hanging. This fruit will hang on the tree well into the winter. It is quite resistant to being frosted making it the last fruit harvested in fall. In our area, we usually pick the persimmons some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Persimmon trees are small trees similar in size to a dogwood or redbud. They require very little care and virtually no pruning. They are unbothered by pests and diseases, and will set fruit even if they are partially shaded. Additionally, they are self-fruitful. That means that unlike most fruit trees, you only need one tree to get fruit. This makes them accessible to and productive in even the smallest of yards.

With persimmons, planting the correct variety is extremely important!

Beware, there are both astringent and non-astringent persimmon varieties, and there is a night and day difference between the two.

Those who know of American persimmons, the ones native to the southeast USA, are familiar with astringent persimmons. Eating one of these persimmons before it is completely ripe and mushy is something that only brave children do on a dare. They are extremely unpleasant and biting into one will pucker your face and curl your toes before you can spit it out. They are only suitable for use in baking once ripened to mush. The fruits are also tiny and filled with rock hard seeds.

Quite frankly, American persimmons are probably at fault for persimmons being unpopular in this country. Because experience with the American persimmons was so unpleasant, many people who have experienced them are unwilling to even try a non-astringent variety. This is sad since all persimmons are not the same.

Non-astringent persimmon varieties are completely different. They are sweet and delicious straight off the tree. In contrast to astringent varieties, they are perfectly sweet as soon as they have turned a rich orange color. At this point they will still be nice and crispy with a texture similar to an apple. They do not have seeds, and before they ripen past the crunchy stage, they are perfect for fresh eating. If allowed to continue to ripen they will get soft until the inside of them turns gelatinous similar to the astringent varieties.

Picking the correct variety

Though we are typically very pro planting native plants. When it comes to persimmons, we would highly recommend planting an Asian variety instead of the American persimmon. However, Asian persimmons come in both astringent and non-astringent varieties. Thus it is still important to pay attention when purchasing an Asian persimmon to make sure that you are getting the correct type.

We would highly recommend selecting a non-astringent variety to plant. Non-astringent varieties are much more versatile. You also are not required to have perfect timing to know exactly when they are ripe and safe to use vs inedible.

Varieties like Fuyu, Ichi-Ki-Kei-Jiro, and Jiro are some common non-astringent varieties we would recommend. Fuyu is probably the most common one. Starting at a young age, it reliably produces excellent, very sweet fruit that we enjoy eating fresh. They also store well and are well suited for drying and cooking as well. Jiro is also very sweet, but can be more prone to cracking and erratic yields when young. Ichi-Ki-Kei-Jiro is noted as being a small 8-10’ tree that is well suited to container culture.

Hachiya is probably the second most commonly seen Asian variety. Please note that this particular variety is ASTRINGENT. It is not suitable for fresh eating, but it can still be a good choice if you are planning to use them for cooking or ornamental purposes only.

How to use all those persimmons

At this point, you are probably wondering what you would do with the fruit from a persimmon tree. After all, what good is an edible plant if you have no practical use for it. Because persimmons are uncommon in this country, this is a problem many people with a persimmon tree face. We rarely see them featured in recipes so have no idea what to do with them.

Fortunately, they are actually quite versatile. A quick google search for persimmon recipes will net you a variety of things to try ranging from salads, to main dishes, to desserts.

As we mentioned before, while crispy, they have a texture similar to an apple and are excellent to eat fresh. If you have never eaten a persimmon before, this is where we would recommend starting. Try eating one as a snack, or try substituting persimmons for apples in a salad. They are also perfect in a winter fruit salad featuring other winter fruits like apples and kiwi.

Once you have tasted them, you will have an idea of what sorts of other flavors they might pair well with. For example, you might try cooking pork chops with persimmon rather than apple slices. Or perhaps with kale and goat cheese.

Persimmons can be dried and used as you would other fruit dried in a dehydrator. You could also make a traditional Japanese hoshigaki. Hoshigaki is a slow dried persimmon with a sugar bloom on the outside and a jelly like consistency inside that is perfect for use in desserts.

Uses for very ripe persimmons

Once they have passed the crunchy phase where they are ideal for using fresh, they are still quite versatile. Their soft flesh can be mashed and then used to make cookies, breads, puddings and other baked confections.

Persimmons freeze well, and you can make ‘instant persimmon sorbet’ by freezing overripe fruit whole. Additionally you can freeze persimmon puree for later use. Upon defrosting, it will be similar in texture and consistency to jelly. This ‘jelly’ would be perfect for swirling in ice cream or using in thumbprint cookies.

We hope we have made you hungry enough to inspire you to try out a new fruit. Persimmon trees would make a wonderful addition to any no-spray homestead or garden!

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post The No-Spray Fruit Tree You Should Start Growing Now first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Of course going into winter gardening, it is a good idea to keep in mind that it is a bit more of a gamble than summer gardening. Things might work in a mild winter, but not a more harsh one. It might rain so much that your plants drown. Or you could have a really cold night extremely early that kills everything unexpectedly.

If you fail one year, don’t let it discourage you. Try again. If it’s something you have never done before, there is definitely a learning curve. It took us 5 years of making mistakes before we had a year that we timed everything right to succeed with all the crops we planted in the same year.

As we go through this list, please keep in mind that the temperatures a particular plant is hardy to is a generality. It can be both variety and location/protection dependent. A good example of this is cabbage. Some varieties will be damaged at about 30 degrees, and others are extremely hardy and will take temperatures down to 10 degrees even without protection.

So when you are selecting seeds to buy for your winter garden, do a bit of research on which varieties are hardiest first.

Now lets get on to the plants!

10. Brassicas

This isn’t just one plant, but rather a family of plants. When we say brassicas, we are referring to plants like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussel sprouts. One of the reason that we love these plants so much is that they are a highly versatile group of plants.

They love cold weather and will tolerate being frosted. In our experience, cauliflower is the most tender. Cauliflower will get damaged by temperatures down in the mid 20’s. You can protect them a little bit by thoroughly wrapping all of their leaves around the head, but it is a good idea to eat your cauliflower first.

Next up is broccoli. Broccoli is more hardy in our experience and will easily take temperatures in the mid 20’s with no damage. Once you get down to the low 20’s you will likely start to see some damage. The plants are much hardier than the florets, so even if you harvest your broccoli to avoid low temperatures, don’t remove the plants. They might still produce side shoots for you. Our broccoli will often keep on producing right through December despite nightly frosts.

After that is brussel sprouts and cabbage. They seem to be more hardy than broccoli, probably simply because with both you are harvesting leaves. They will take temperatures down into the teens. Brussel sprouts actually tastes better after they have been frosted.

Keep in mind when looking at cabbage in particular that some varieties are not very hardy and others are extremely hardy. January cabbages–varieties like Deadon–are some of the more hardy varieties. Also, if cabbage or brussel sprouts are cold damaged, you may be able to remove the outer leaves and still harvest a perfectly good inner head/sprout. Check them before you throw them out.

9. Parsnips

Parsnips are a less common vegetable. If you have never eaten them, but enjoy trying new vegetables, we would encourage you to try them. They have a unique taste all their own. Best of all they are extremely cold hardy. We used to plant them in our Vermont garden and harvest them early the following spring once the snow had melted enough to find them. So if you live in a cold climate they very well could be the first crop you harvest in the spring!

Parsnips are in the same family as carrots, and look like a long white carrot with more coarse leaves. They can be a bit finicky to get to germinate. This is because they germinate slowly. The trick is to keep them evenly moist without letting them dry out even once before they have sprouted. Similarly, they also take a long time to mature. They need a long season, so you can plant them in the spring and then just let them grow all year. They are best eaten after they have been frosted. Either harvest them late fall or in the spring.

8. Turnips

Turnips are another winter vegetable that can serve two purposes. Plus they are remarkably cold hardy. Turnips tops will take down to about 10 degrees. If you heavily mulch or pile up extra dirt around the roots once the weather gets cold they will likely take even colder temperatures. Additionally, turnips store very well once harvested, so are something you can likely enjoy for the entire winter.

We usually think of eating the white bulbous root when we think about eating turnips. However, turnip greens can be eaten raw in salads, or as a cooked vegetable. Just like the turnip roots, they have a tangy spicy flavor to them. They hold up well to cooking, so can make excellent additions to things like winter soups.

7. Carrots

You cannot grow turnips without growing carrots. Well actually you can, but a 50/50 mixture of mashed carrots and turnips is one of our favorite winter vegetables. And nothing beats the flavor of a winter harvested home grown carrot, or the sweet and tangy flavor of a turnip carrot mash seasoned with butter, salt and pepper. Carrots are of course very versatile and loved by most everyone. Those that are harvested after frost will be extremely sweet.

Carrots are once again quite winter hardy, particularly since they are under ground. With a good layer of mulch, you will likely be able to harvest carrots until the ground has frozen solid around them. Like turnips, they will also survive down to 10 degrees or more if well protected. If you have full sized mature carrots that no longer need their tops, you can set a straw bale on top of them to help keep the ground soft enough to dig them for longer into the winter.

6. Spinach

One of the hardiest greens you can grow. It is one of the few leafy greens that Cornell University has good success growing and harvesting in the dead of winter. If spinach gets its leaves damaged but the plant isn’t killed, or it gets buried in snow, most likely it will pick up where it left off come spring. Often you will be able to harvest overwintered spinach very, very early in the spring. This is one of the vegetables we save to harvest last in our winter garden. We know that it will still be there waiting for us all winter. We eat the more cold sensitive greens first.

A note about spinach varieties. It seem that generally speaking, the savoy (crinkly leaves) varieties are more cold hardy than the smooth leaf varieties. We also prefer to use slower to bolt varieties so that we can harvest later into the spring.

5. Mustard Greens

Mustard greens come in a broad array of different varieties ranging from very spicy to very mild. They are one of the more tender greens and will likely be damaged by mid to low 20’s weather. One of the reasons we love them is that they are so quick to mature, and they are often one of the first greens we are eating in both the fall and spring. Additionally, they are one of the greens that we can plant in spring and harvest well into the summer.

Our two favorite varieties of mustard greens are Tendergreen for the fall, and Savanna Hybrid for the spring. Tendergreen matures very quickly and has extremely mild, tender leaves. We find that it makes an excellent lettuce substitute though it can also be cooked.

4. Perennial Leeks

Perennial leeks are similar to the leeks you might get at a grocery store, but they are smaller, and they multiply to make clumps of small leeks. One of the main reasons we love perennial leeks is that they are very low maintenance. They are very hardy, tender, delicious, and have typical leek flavor. Since they are so plentiful and easy to grow, we even substitute them for onions sometimes.

As long as you do not harvest all of them, you will only need to plant them once. We like to harvest the largest ones and either leave or replant the smaller ones to allow them to keep growing. In our climate they will go dormant in the summer and reappear in the fall. In cooler climates they might stay green all summer meaning you might be able to harvest them almost year round.

3. Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is a vegetable that often shows up in baby green mixes, but isn’t featured very often at mature size which is a pity. The larger leaves make a good substitute for spinach. It can be used as a salad green at both baby and mature, or the larger leaves may be cooked. In our opinion, what sets Swiss chard apart is its thick fleshy stems. Don’t trim the leaves off and throw away the stems. Cook the stems up alongside the leaves, they are delicious! Fordhook Giant is our favorite cooking chard, and rainbow chard is what we prefer for salads.

We find that the white Swiss chard (Fordhook Giant) is more cold hardy (low 20’s) than the rainbow chard (Bright Lights) we also grow (mid 20’s). We also find that the younger plants are more cold hardy than very large plants. In our garden, usually the leaves get damaged, but the smaller plants survive the winter and start producing new leaves in the spring for an early harvest. We typically don’t plant chard in the spring, we just harvest our overwintered plants until they start to bolt.

Chard is also quite heat tolerant. We have been spring planting the variety Perpetual Chard (Perpetual Spinach). This variety is extremely heat and drought tolerant giving us salad greens all summer. It is also purported to be extremely cold hardy, possibly overwintering down to zone 5 with protection. However we have only grown it as a summer green so have not put that to the test.

2. Collards

Now to be fair, collards are technically a Brassica and should have been included with that group of plants when we talked about them above. However, we wanted to single out collards as we feel they are under appreciated by gardeners in many parts of the country.

In addition to being cooked to mush with bacon in the traditional southern dish, collards are extremely versatile. They can be used in pretty much any way that you would use cabbage. If you have never eaten collards, they taste similar to cabbage or a broccoli leaf.

We find them to be easier to grow, much more productive, and more cold hardy than most cabbage varieties we have tried. They grow new leaves, and we can continually harvest them all fall, winter, and until they bolt in the spring. Some varieties are hardier than others so it once again pays to do your homework when selecting varieties. We have been growing Top Bunch and find that they typically come through our winter undamaged (15 degree lows). This is unprotected, so they would likely survive a good bit colder with protection.

1. Bulls Blood Beets

We say Bulls Blood Beets instead of just beets, because we find this particular variety to be one of the most productive and easiest managed vegetables in our garden. Not to mention, it is one of the most beautiful greens we grow. We prefer Bulls Blood to other beet varieties, because it is multi-purpose.

Unlike many beets whose leaves get tough quickly, the greens are tender and delicious at any size or growth stage. They are cold hardy and also heat tolerant, so from one planting you will be picking vegetables for months. Best of all, if you don’t over harvest the leaves, and thin the plants when they are young, at the end of the season you will also be able to harvest delicious beets.

Beet greens are similar to Swiss chard for hardiness and the leaves will likely be damage by temperatures in the low 20’s. If you have thoroughly mulched the roots, they can take colder temperatures. We prefer to eat the greens until the tops get damaged. Then we harvest and eat the roots. We repeat the same process in the spring. We eat greens all spring, and then the beet roots mid summer when the greens succumb to leaf spot.

Our Runner Up

We wanted to mention lettuce as it is something everyone is very familiar with. It is often featured on cold hardy vegetable lists. It is quite cold hardy, however, it does not make our list. This is because, lettuce is a vegetable that we rarely grow here. We have found that it is more finicky and difficult to grow than most other greens. It is prone to rotting, bolting and getting bitter. It requires multiple succession plantings, and can be tricky for us to germinate in our hot sandy soil.

We think that there are so many other better, under appreciated greens out there that lettuce isn’t worth growing. All the greens on this list are tastier and work so much harder for us than lettuce does. We do very little succession planting, because these other greens can be harvested over an extended period without loss of quality. Plus many of them are much more heat tolerant, and are equally if not more cold tolerant. So if you have never grown any of them we would encourage you to give some of them a try this year!

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post The 10 Best Winter Vegetables You Should Be Growing first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Those of you in zone 7 and above can potentially grow fuzzy kiwi (like those sold in the grocery store). Gardeners in both northern and southern portions of the United States can grow hardy kiwis, also called kiwi berries. Hardy kiwi plants produce slightly larger than grape sized miniature kiwis. These kiwis can be eaten whole and are green, smooth skinned, extremely sweet, and are perfect for snacking.

Kiwis are grown on twining woody vines. Hardy kiwi plants in particular can be quite ornamental and are sometimes grown purely for their ornamental characteristics. Kiwi vines are large and grow rapidly making them perfect for covering a pergola or arbor as they will quickly fill in to give you shade.

Hardy Kiwi

First we are going to take a look at hardy kiwi.

There are two species of cold hardy kiwi, or kiwi berries, commonly grown. The hardy kiwi, Actinidia arguta, and the Arctic kiwi, Actinidia kolomikta. Arguta type hardy kiwis are most commonly grown for their fruit. There are many many different arguta varieties, with Anna being one of the most common. Hardy kiwi vines have bright, glossy green leaves, and reddish wood. In the spring the plant will be covered in pretty white blossoms, that will be replaced by hundreds of little kiwi fruits if they get pollinated. Kiwi fruit size up quickly in the spring, but do not ripen until late summer or fall.

Arctic kiwi vines are the most cold hardy kiwis.

They are generally considered inferior to Actinidia arguta in terms of their fruit, yet they are still capable of producing tasty slightly smaller fruits. However, this vine is even more ornamental than hardy kiwis. It brings some pretty amazing pink and white variegated foliage to the table. These vines are often grown as ornamentals rather than for production. If you are interested in growing Arctic kiwi exclusively for its ornamental value, choose male cultivars as they have the most variegated foliage. If you want fruit you will need both a male and a female though the females have less showy foliage.

Fuzzy Kiwi

If you live in warmer portions of the United States, you are fortunate enough to be able to grow fuzzy kiwis. Fuzzy kiwi vines look much different than their hardy relatives. Fuzzy kiwis have large, almost round leaves, that can be as large as a dinner plate. Plus, the young vines are fuzzy. Fuzzy kiwi vines are larger, and somewhat less ornamental than hardy kiwi vines. However, they usually reach fruiting age more quickly than hardy kiwis. And of course they produce the large kiwi fruit we are all familiar with.

Fuzzy kiwi plants, and cultivar information is much more difficult to find than it is for hardy kiwis. Hayward is the most commonly grown fuzzy kiwi. However, it is important to note that unless you live somewhere like California, it is probably not the best choice. Fuzzy kiwi require a very long growing season to be able to ripen their fruit. Varieties like Hayward are typically unable to finish ripening before frost in cooler zone 7. Additionally, it can be prone to having the stems crack in fluctuating spring temperatures which will cause the stem to die. Thus, a variety developed in Canada, Saanichton, is probably a better choice than Hayward for most east coast growers.

If you are in the deep south, you will have enough season length to ripen the fuzzy kiwis, but you start to run into trouble with insufficient chilling with varieties such as Hayward. Hayward has high chilling requirements, and will fruit poorly without sufficient chilling. For those of you with low numbers of chilling hours, you will need to look for a low chill variety like Vincent.

Kiwi culture

In our experience, kiwi vines are relatively self-sufficient and care free once they get established. They like a nice sunny location and require well-drained soil. They are not tolerant of sitting with wet feet. In our experience, they are virtually unbothered by pests and diseases meaning they are a perfect choice for an organic garden.

One thing you should keep in mind when planting kiwi is that younger, smaller vines are less cold hardy than older vines, and are particularly susceptible to dying over the winter. You should protect young vines over the winter for a year or two until they can get established and develop some size.

It is also a good idea to locate the vines in an area that doesn’t get blasted with south sun in the winter as this can make the plants more prone to getting winter injury. One of the biggest problems with kiwi vines is that they can break dormancy too early in the spring and get freeze damage. Keeping the trunk cooler can help prevent this problem.

Equally as important as location is the trellis.

As we mentioned before, kiwi plants are large woody vines. They require a large, sturdy trellis such as a T-trellis or a pergola to grow on. If you are growing them for fruit your trellis is particularly important. A good trellis will facilitate easy pruning and fruit harvesting.

In addition to a good trellis, kiwi vines will require yearly pruning. Most likely you will also need to do some occasional summer pruning as well. They are not a plant that you can skip the pruning or they will quickly become overgrown. It is a good idea to make sure you are willing to commit to an annual pruning before planting a kiwi vine. Don’t let a fear of trellising or pruning deter you, we will discuss these topics in other articles.

Most importantly, fruit production requires 2 vines

You need at least 2 vines to get fruit, a male and a female. While there are a few self-fertile or semi-self fertile kiwi varieties available, most kiwi vines are either male or female, and without one of each you will not get fruit. Even the ‘self-fertile’ varieties typically benefit from having pollination partners. They will have improved fruit set and size if cross pollinated.

When you go to purchase kiwi vines, typically the plant description or nursery will be able to tell you which male vine is suitable for pollinating the female varieties you desire to grow. You can grow 6-8 female vines for each male if the vines are located next to each other.

If you are getting kiwi flowers but failing to get fruit, you should check to determine if you have both male and female flowers present. The male and female flowers look quite different from each other and are easy to tell apart.

Unfortunately, getting both male and female varieties is often a huge problem for gardeners. Kiwi vines are often mislabeled and mixed up by growers. Since kiwi vines take several years to produce flowers and fruit, it can be years before you find out you have either 2 male or 2 female vines instead of one of each.

Now, to clear up some confusion that is often seen around kiwi pollination

We mentioned above that 1 male will pollinate 6 females. You may be wondering if you can grow 2 or three different species (eg. one of each hardy, arctic, fuzzy) of kiwi using one male to pollinate all of them. The answer is no, probably not. Unfortunately flowering time for hardy and arctic kiwi fail to overlap and thus they cannot pollinate each other.

Hardy kiwi males cannot pollinate fuzzy kiwis either. Though their bloom time may overlap, their pollen is too small to be able to pollinate fuzzy kiwi females. However, fuzzy kiwi males can pollinate hardy kiwi females but only if their flowering time overlaps. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee they will do so.

Unless you are sure the plants you have will flower at the same time, it is a good idea to plant a suitable male for each species of female you wish to grow. That way you won’t wait 3 years for fruit only to realize that you need to plant a new male and wait another 3 years because their flowering doesn’t overlap a sufficient amount to get pollination.

Later this year we will look at how to train and prune a kiwi up onto a t-trellis so that you can harvest all this delicious fruit. Properly trained and pruned kiwis can be as beautiful as they are productive. We hope this has encouraged you to consider planting this unique fruit in your garden!

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post Kiwi Vines: A Tasty Fruit Every Gardener Can Enjoy first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

You can of course use high tunnels and other season extension tools to help extend your tomato harvest past your first frost. However, tomatoes are quite intolerant of cold temperatures, so this will only get you so far. At some point they will get frozen or stop growing and ripening because the temperatures are too low.

So what other options do you have if you don’t have a heated greenhouse?

Often times we need to look past modern plant varieties to find ones that fill unusual purposes. And as you likely know heirloom tomatoes are an extremely diverse group of plants. Heirloom tomatoes come in every shape, size and color you can imagine. They also happen to come in storage varieties.

As it would turn out, our ancestors also wanted juicy tomatoes in the middle of the winter. So before greenhouse tomatoes became commonplace, they developed varieties of tomatoes that would store long term and ripen slowly. These storage varieties can extend your tomato season for a couple months or more into the winter.

Storage tomatoes are also called longkeeper tomatoes. You will probably have to work a little harder to find seeds than you would with other heirloom varieties. However, they are several seed companies that do offer them. Some of the more common varieties are Longkeeper, Reverend Marrows Long Keeper, and Garden Peach.

How to grow storage tomatoes

The culture of winter tomatoes is the same as any other tomato plant. They require the same growing conditions and care. However, you need to time planting of them differently. You will likely need to plant them later than your summer tomatoes. With storage tomatoes, you don’t want them to ripen in your garden. You need to adjust the planting so that instead of ripening on the vine, they are at what is called mature green before your first frost.

Mature green tomatoes are simply ones that have reached full size. They start to turn from the very dark green to a slightly lighter green, and a few of them may be starting to blush with color. You want to pick mature green tomatoes as they will store the longest. At this phase they are mature enough to ripen off the vine.

To time planting, you need to look up your first frost date. Then count backwards that number of days. You will also need to add some extra days as the plants will grow more slowly as the weather cools in the fall. Err on the side of planting them too early rather than too late.

It is also important to trellis up your plants to make sure that your tomatoes are not touching the ground. Any tomatoes that are touching the soil will rot in storage and should be discarded. You should try to protect them from any kind of insect damage or mechanical damage for the same reason.

Before your first frost

Once your tomatoes are mature green and it is getting close to frost, it is time to harvest your crop. If you are going to get a frost and are not sure if the tomatoes are mature green, harvest them anyways. They may still ripen.

You need to harvest your tomatoes very carefully. You do not want to damage or bruise them in any way. Use a pair of pruners or scissors to carefully snip each tomato off leaving a bit of stem. You do not want to rip the tomato off the stem as it will damage the top of the tomato making it more prone to rotting. Once you have snipped your tomatoes carefully place them into a basket making sure the stems don’t stab through the skin of other tomatoes.

Packing your tomatoes for storage

After you have picked your tomatoes you need to bring them inside and pack them for storage. Depending on how much space you have, there are a couple different options. You can lay the tomatoes out in single layer on a sheet of newspaper. Alternatively, you can wrap each tomato in an individual piece of packing paper and nestle them into a box in layers.

Regardless of how you choose to store them it is important to keep in mind that you should not allow the tomatoes to touch as it makes them more prone to rotting. It is also important to check on your tomatoes regularly. Remove any that are ripe or any that appear to be starting to rot. Not every tomato will ripen, and you will need to dispose of ones that start to rot before they can contaminate your other tomatoes.

It is best to keep your tomatoes in a cool but not cold area. Periodically remove the ones that are the most ripe looking and move them to your warm kitchen counter to finish ripening. At this point you can use them as you would any other tomato.

In our experience storage tomatoes are not as good as vine ripened summer tomatoes. They are however significantly better than many of the grocery store tomatoes. Plus you have the pleasure of knowing that the tomato gracing your plate in January is one ‘fresh’ from your own garden.

So when you are planning your garden for next year, plan space for some winter storage tomatoes!

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The post Storage Tomatoes: The New Tomato You Should Grow Next Year first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

As you might imagine winter gardening can be a boon to small homesteads committed to eating seasonally and producing their own food as it provides fresh vegetables during the winter. And anyone who has been exclusively eating canned and frozen vegetables for a length of time probably knows how delightful a reprieve a fresh salad is. Plus, harvesting more vegetables for a longer season means less time and space devoted to storage.

Unfortunately, winter gardening can be a bit more tricky to succeed at than summer gardening, and it might take some trial and error on your part to get the timing just right for everything. Don’t let that discourage you from trying some of the hardiest vegetables though. Even if you aren’t interested in going out to harvest vegetables in a January blizzard, this article and our season extension tips in our next post can help you to extend your harvest season in both the spring and the fall.

What are winter vegetables anyway?

Winter vegetables include most things that you plant in early spring. They are all the cold crops, and when acclimated many of them are surprisingly hardy. Cold crops include brassicas such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale, root crops like carrots, beets, and turnips, and many greens. We will be sharing a list of 10 of our favorite winter vegetables in a few weeks.

The first thing you need to do when planning a winter garden is to determine when your average first frost date is.

Your first and last frost dates can easily be determined from a quick internet search of your zipode and ‘first frost date’. The reason you need to know your first frost date is that you will need to count backwards from it to determine when to plant seeds. Once you have collected up your cold crop seeds to plant, you need to look at the seed packets to find the days to maturity. This is sometimes also listed as days to harvest.

You will need to count backwards from your first frost date the number of days the seed packet says to get an idea of when to plant. The idea is to get your crop to full size or almost full size before it gets too cold. Many cold weather vegetables won’t grow in extremely cold weather, but they will stay alive waiting to be harvested.

Now, the days to maturity is an estimate based on growing degree days not calendar days, and the planting date you select might need some adjustment to get just right. Because things grow slower as the weather cools, you may need to add a week or two to the number of days to maturity. It is a good idea to keep track of when you planted various seeds, so that next year you can reevaluate and adjust your planting date if needed.

Make sure to check your seed packets and make your plans for your winter garden early.

You might be surprised at how early in the summer you need to start planting seeds for your fall garden! For example, our average first frost date here in zone 8 Virginia is November 5^th. We usually start our brassica seeds at the beginning of July. That way they are ready to harvest as the weather gets cooler, and we can harvest our frost tender cauliflower before the first frost. If/when I lived in Vermont, I would plant my Brussel sprouts and cabbages first thing in the spring for fall harvest.

One of the challenges you might run into with summer planting cool season crops is getting seeds to germinate.

Soil temperatures in mid summer are often higher than optimum for cool season crops. You may also have trouble keeping the soil evenly moist for germination under the hot summer sun. One of the ways you can help to get around that problem is to germinate seeds indoors and then transplant the sprouts out.

For vegetables such as root crops that are ideally not transplanted, you can shade the soil. This can be accomplished through the use of shade cloth, burlap, or agribon type insect barrier. We personally like to use agribon low tunnels for this purpose as pest pressure is often high on our fall planted crops and the row cover serves two purposes. We can water through the row cover, and it helps conserve soil moisture without reducing light to the seedlings which can be a problem with both shade cloth and burlap. If the seedlings are too shaded, they will be weak and easily damaged or killed by the sun when you remove their covering. It is also important when caring for your fall crops in the summer heat to keep them well watered to minimize their stress. Don’t be discouraged if they seem to be growing slowly. You will likely see their growth rate rapidly increase as the weather begins to cool.

If you live in zone 7 or colder, your winter vegetables will benefit from some sort of winter protection.

Zone 8 and above you can probably get away without it, but if you live in an area prone to a lot of wind or rain you may still wish to protect your plants.

There are 2 things in addition to low temperatures that can kill your winter vegetables. They are excess moisture which can cause them to rot and wind. A lot of times, it is not cold temperatures that damage or kill plants, but desiccation. Frozen soil is the equivalent of being in a drought because the plants cannot take up water, but their aerial parts can still lose water. Wind protection can make a huge difference to the longevity of your winter vegetables.

Low tunnels with a layer of plastic and or a frost blanket are the simplest, most inexpensive way to protect your vegetables. We will be discussing various season extension tips in our next post. For now though, a frost blanket will provide better temperature protection, but will not protect from wind or excess soil moisture like plastic does. Thus, we suggest gardeners in most climates utilize a combination of both to get the most benefits.

Once your vegetables are grown to mature size, they will hold in the garden and can be harvested as needed.

For leafy greens, be sure to harvest them when the temperatures are above freezing. For root crops you need to keep the soil from freezing around them to be able to harvest them. Placing a straw bale or big pile of leaves over them can help to keep the soil soft long into the fall.

At some point in colder climates your winter vegetables will probably get winter killed or damaged enough to no longer be palatable. Some of these cold damaged vegetables such as spinach are extremely hardy and will begin growing again as it starts to warm in the spring providing you with an extra early crop. We would like to note here that while it might seem counterintuitive, fluffy snow (not packed show though) is an excellent insulator. A layer of snow can actually help to protect your winter vegetables from the most extreme cold allowing them to survive and regrow in the spring.

So how hardy is cold hardy for winter vegetables?

It varies depending on the plant, and also on how well acclimated to the cold they are. It can also depend on how long the temperatures are low. An extended very cold period is more damaging than a brief dip. The below list of vegetables consistently survives through our mild winters. The temperatures here rarely if ever dip below 15 degrees, and we cover the garden with plastic if it is forecasted to be below 20 degrees or exceptionally windy. Some of these vegetables are much hardier than 15 degrees, some will eventually winter kill at these temperatures. However, even if they do end up dying mid winter they will still allow harvest deep into the fall in colder climates.

Beets, beet greens—the beets themselves are much hardier than the greens.

Carrots, turnips, mustard greens, Swiss chard, lettuce, spinach, parsnips, kale. Lettuce and spinach are more hardy than Swiss chard and many mustard greens.

Brassicas such as Brussel sprouts, collards, cabbage. Not all cabbage is equal. Seek out a cold hardy one such as a January King type. Broccoli plants will survive, however the florets will be cold damaged when temperatures start to get into the mid to low 20’s (or warmer if it is an early frost and they aren’t cold acclimated). If the plants survive undamaged, they will often go on to make new florets as the weather warms again. Please note that unlike most brassicas, cauliflower is NOT cold hardy. It will be damaged by freezing temperatures and should be harvested before your first frost.

We hope that this article encourages you to consider planting a winter garden. For those of you in colder climates interested in delving into winter gardening in more details, Cornell University has an excellent website devoted to the production of cold crops in high tunnels. In our next article we will discuss season extension tips to help you get the most out of your winter garden!

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The post How To Get Started Winter Gardening first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.