ehofley, Author at Michigan Gardener

PLEASE NOTE: In the autumn of 1995, we hatched the idea for a free, local gardening publication. The following spring, we published the first issue of Michigan Gardener magazine. Advertisers, readers, and distribution sites embraced our vision. Thus began an exciting journey of helping our local gardening community grow and prosper.
After 27 years, nearly 200 issues published, and millions of copies printed, we have decided it is time to end the publication of our Print Magazine and E-Newsletter.

When can I plant cannas and dahlias out in the garden?

December 25, 2010 •

When can I plant cannas and dahlias out in the garden?

Since neither cannas nor dahlias are the least bit cold-hardy, planting outdoors for both of these beauties should be postponed until all danger of frost has passed. In order to get a head start on the growing season, you could start the canna’s rhizomes and the dahlia’s tuberous roots in containers that have a growing medium of one part potting soil, one part peat moss, and one part builder’s or horticultural sand. When it is safe to start planting your annuals (in southeastern Michigan that should be right around mid-May), then it will be safe to put your cannas and dahlias in the ground.

What is an heirloom vegetable?

December 24, 2010 •

What does “heirloom” vegetable mean?

There are many opinions on what is an heirloom vegetable. The most common definition: open-pollinated plants (pollination by wind or insects) which are at least 50 years old, and which have been grown continuously. This would include varieties recently reintroduced by seed companies, but which were previously unavailable through the seed trade. Instead, they were preserved over the years by families, or by ethnic, religious, or tribal groups who handed down the seeds from generation to generation. But it also includes varieties that were commercially available in the 19th and early part of the 20th century. The variety must have a history of its own.

This is a broad definition to many. There are those who consider a variety that was available or is now available commercially not to be a true heirloom. Others dislike the “grown continuously” label because it excludes those that were lost and rediscovered. A good example of a lost variety is the Anasazi bean uncovered by archeologists. It had not been grown for 400 years.

Left out are the “modern heirlooms.” These are the new open-pollinated varieties that are the product of accidental natural crossing or intentional cross-breeding. These natural hybrids have the ability to breed true to type. Many of these will be passed on and fifty years from now will earn the title “an heirloom variety.”

The proper time to prune a crab tree

December 23, 2010 •

When do you trim a flowering crab tree? Does it bloom every year?

Flowering crabapples are the dominant spring-flowering trees in the northern states. Belonging to the genus Malus, apples and crabapples are deciduous trees with fruits ranging from the size of a pea to apples 2 to 4 inches in diameter. Those with fruits less than 2 inches in diameter are considered crabapples. They are generally small to medium, dense, rounded trees reaching a height of 15 to 25 feet. A few of the varieties have leaves that change color in the fall so they are considered trees with multiple season interest. Most, if not all, new hybrid crabs bloom annually, but older trees may or may not bloom every year.

The best time to prune your trees is in late winter or early spring before the leaves appear as it is much easier to see which branches should be removed and also gives the trees the entire spring and summer to form new growth. However, they can be pruned anytime, and if you want to preserve the total flower show for spring, do it immediately after blooming is complete this spring.

Consider the following reasons to prune before you begin:

1. Prune dead, broken and diseased branches.
2. Correct structural defects. Never allow two equally vigorous leaders to develop on exactly opposite sides of the same trunk. This will be a “weak” crotch, susceptible to splitting as the tree grows older.
3. Cut suckers from the bases of the grafted plant. It takes a little more time, but digging out the suckers is even better. Crabapples are grafted or budded on another kind of root stock. Usually this graft or bud is never more than a foot or so from the ground. All suckers developing below this point should be removed as they will spoil the symmetry and sap the strength of the variety wanted. Left alone, they develop into an entirely different and unwanted plant.

Also remember to:

1. Use clean, sharp tools.
2. Disinfect the blades of your tools after each cut on diseased crabs, or you risk spreading deadly fire blight disease. Isopropyl alcohol works well.
3. When pruning a branch or limb, the key is not too close and not too far from the limb or bud. If pruning a mature branch, be sure to leave the branch collar – the slightly wider part close to the trunk – completely untouched.

What is the white build-up on houseplant pots?

December 22, 2010 •

As I watered my houseplants this winter, I noticed a powdery white build-up on the sides of both plastic and terra cotta pots. Is this salt? I rarely use fertilizer, and when I do it is something organic, like fish emulsion. I thought salts come from synthetic fertilizers.

Synthetic fertilizers are seldom the only culprits. The best type of water for houseplants is rainwater or melted snow. Distilled water can be used, but the cost may be prohibitive over time as well as the work to carry the jugs into the house. Tap water (well or city) is generally suitable for nearly all houseplants. However, the water should stand overnight in a container to allow the chlorine to evaporate and to reach room temperature.

Whether you live in an area with hard or soft water, both can be harmful to your plants as they contribute to a build-up of excessive salts in the soil. Hard water contains calcium, magnesium and iron salts. Softened water is worse because the softening process exchanges calcium for salts that have no use. Plants use these salts in very small quantities. In large amounts they become toxic. What the plant does not absorb from the watered soil will appear as the white crusty deposits. Repotting in new potting medium will help the already affected plant, and leaching the soil (watering to the point of runoff each time you water, or at least monthly) will help prevent future salt build-ups.

Book Gift Ideas for the Gardener #1

December 21, 2010 •

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

Put ‘em Up! A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide
for the Creative Cook
by Sheri Brooks Vinton

Put ‘em Up! (Storey Publishing, 304 pages, $19.95) offers simple, step-by-step instructions with colorful photos and 175 delicious recipes for home preserving. The author begins with a section on techniques that offers how-to information for every kind of preserving: refrigerating, freezing, air- and oven-drying, cold- and hot-pack canning, and pickling. Equipment lists, process instructions, ingredients, and storage details are provided and highlighted with drawings. There is even a chapter entitled “Things that Will Surely Get You into Trouble,” to help the reader avoid common mishaps.

Recipes using many common fruits and vegetables include tried-and-true favorites like applesauce and apple butter, dried tomatoes, marinara sauce, bread and butter pickles, and classic strawberry jam. Some of the more unique recipes include “Wasabi Beans,” “Cherry and Black Pepper Preserves,” “Pickled Fennel,” “Sweet Pepper Marmalade,” “Berry Bourbon,” and “Salsa Verde.”

Flexible options for each recipe are provided with a color-coded, icon system. Within a single recipe, choices of various methods are listed at the end of each set of instructions so the cook can decide which process they would like to use.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

Book Gift Ideas for the Gardener #2

December 20, 2010 •

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web
by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis

Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life—not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. The use of chemical fertilizers injures the microbial life that sustains healthy gardens. Plants then become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial, often toxic, substances. The alternative to this vicious cycle is to strengthen the soil food web, the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants.

Teaming with Microbes (Timber Press, 220 pages, $24.95) extols the benefits of cultivating the soil food web. First, it describes the activities and organisms that make up the web. Next, it explains how gardeners can cultivate soil life through the use of compost, mulches, and compost tea. This revised edition updates the original text and includes two completely new chapters. One is about mycorrhizae while the other covers archaea, single-celled organisms once thought to be allied to bacteria.

This updated resource will help everyone create rich, nurturing, living soil—from organic gardening devotees to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

Book Gift Ideas for the Gardener #3

December 19, 2010 •

Bloom’s Best Perennials and Grasses: Expert Plant Choices and Dramatic Combinations for Year-Round Gardens
by Adrian Bloom

There are thousands of perennials and grasses available to gardeners, and that can make it hard to know which plants are right for your own unique garden. Bloom’s Best Perennials and Grasses (Timber Press, 208 pages, $34.95) features 250 choices that are beautiful and easy-to-maintain, and also provide year-round interest.

Detailed descriptions have information on growth, care, and design tips for use in gardens of all sizes. The author shows how to design and plant well-structured borders that feature perennials and grasses with a mix of other plants playing supporting roles. He also shares his trademark “river of plants” design style that dramatically features a plant’s beauty throughout its life.

Colorful photos throughout the book highlight unique plant combinations to create beautiful complementary designs, even in the winter season. A directory includes plant details and recommendations that focus on predicting how the plant will perform in your own garden.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

Book Gift Ideas for the Gardener #4

December 18, 2010 •

The Pruning Book
by Lee Reich

The Pruning Book (The Taunton Press, 240 pages, $21.95) is a revised and updated reference book that includes the latest techniques on pruning. The author covers a wide variety of plants, including houseplants and exotics, and explains the dos and don’ts of cutting back your plants. Using many color photos and drawings, the details of how to prune for healthy growth and beautiful form are thoroughly covered.

Three sections detail the basics of pruning, common plants, and specialized plants. The chapters expand on each topic by focusing on why to prune, tools of the trade, plant response to pruning, mowing the lawn, edible plants, ornamental plants, and more. The book teaches pruning as an art form and readers will learn how to train and maintain plants, control their size, produce bountiful fruit and flowers, sustain and restore plant health, determine plant types, and choose correct tools. There is also a glossary of terms unique to the process of pruning.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

20 questions to test your gardening skills

December 17, 2010 •

We came across a fun quiz in The Washington Post that tests your gardening skills. For example:

When is the best time to plant roses?

a) Install in deep, wide holes as bare root plants in November.

b) In spring, when growth begins.

c) In fall when temperatures are still mild.

Take the quiz here…

Book Gift Ideas for the Gardener #5

December 17, 2010 •

The Vegetable Gardener’s Book of Building Projects
by the Editors of Storey Publishing

The Vegetable Gardener’s Book of Building Projects (Storey Publishing, 152 pages, $18.95) includes 39 simple-to-make projects that cost a fraction of the retail cost. Some of the projects include: cold frames, compost bins, planters, raised beds, potting benches, gates, trellises, storage containers, outdoor furniture, bird houses, and others. They are designed to increase your harvest, make your garden chores easier, and turn your garden and yard into an appealing outdoor space for relaxing and enjoying the fruits of your labors.

Each project includes step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations, complete materials and lumber lists, tips, and a four-color photograph of the finished product. Many of the projects are ideal for beginners, and most can be completed in just a few hours. Projects are labeled as half-day, full-day, or weekend to indicate the complexity of the project and the time commitment required for completion. This resource highlights a diverse array of popular projects that will enhance the efficiency and quality of vegetable growing.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

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