January 2005

Edible

Clean your garden tools. Remove soil and use sandpaper, steel wool or a wire brush to remove rust. Prepare a mixture of a bottle of motor oil and builders sand in a five-gallon bucket. Dip the tools into the sand several times to clean and prevent rusting. This mixture can be used over and over again. Treat the handles with boiled linseed oil and paint the handles with a bright color to make them easier to find in the garden.

Prepare for earlier yields in the vegetable garden. The following tips will help to promote the early harvest of vegetables.

  • Some tomato growers use Wall O’ Water structures. Install the units about 6-8 weeks before the typical planting date. In Chicago that would be early to mid-April. These structures are actually a series of plastic tubes filled with water. Fill with water two weeks before planting to warm the soil. Wall O’ Water will protect tomatoes down to 17°F. Leave the wall around the plant until nighttime temperatures stay above 50ºF.
  • Floating row covers are spun polypropylene fabric that will retain heat and allow water and light to get to the plant. They will provide protection down to 28ºF. After covering the plant, the edges should be secured with soil or stakes. An added benefit of this material is that it can be used as a non-chemical control for cabbageworms. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage can be grown under the floating row covers.
  • Black plastic mulch besides preventing weed growth and conserving moisture will raise the soil temperature 10ºF higher than uncovered growing areas. Warm season crops like peppers; eggplant, cucumbers and tomatoes can be grown under black plastic for earlier yields.
  • EarthBoxes are self-watering, portable, plastic growing containers, 21/2 feet long by 15 inches wide by 12 inches high, topped with a black plastic cover. Vegetables like sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and cabbage can be grown in the containers.

Ornamental

Inspect evergreen and deciduous trees for snowstorm damage. Remove snow from evergreens with a broom using an upward motion. Prune any damaged limbs.

Avoid using salt deicers on sidewalks and driveways. Salt is toxic to plants. Try alternative materials like sand or kitty litter. These materials will provide better traction.

Recycle your Christmas tree. Turn it into a large birdfeeder. Hang pinecones or small pieces of wood smeared with peanut butter and rolled in birdseed in the tree for birds. Suet, orange slices and disposable birdseed hangers can be placed in the tree. Cut the branches from the tree and lay them over perennial and bulb beds as mulch. The branches will also collect snow, which is a great insulator. In the spring the bare tree can be placed in the garden to make a unique trellis for vining veggies and flowers.

Use a pitchfork instead of a spade when digging up perennials or small shrubs. A pitchfork is much less likely to damage the roots.

Mulch around your trees and shrubs with natural organic materials instead of decorative rock. Rocks will retain heat and damage the roots of the plant.

Avoid buying annuals in full bloom this spring. Annuals in full bloom will provide that instant gratification of color, but plants will never reach their full potential. Buy annuals that are not in bloom if you can or pinch off the blooms after purchase and water them in with a starter fertilizer. You may lose 2-3 weeks of color, but this time period of growth allows the plant’s root system to develop, giving you healthy and more colorful annuals for the rest of the growing season.

Plan for an attractive winter landscape next year by choosing a mix of plants with different shapes, colors, and textures. Choose evergreens in varying shades of blue and green or ornamental grasses with their graceful display of seed heads.