In The Garden

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     As warmer weather moves in, gardeners will be getting anxious go get their hands in the dirt.  If you are active on social media gardening sites, you have no doubt been seeing posts telling you to not clean up your garden until temperatures are above fifty degrees for at least a week.  At this time of the year, temperatures will still be cooling below the freezing point at night.  However, if you wait for the warmer temperatures, you will have a lot of work to do to get ready for spring planting.  What is a gardener to do?

     There are ways for one to start cleaning the garden and still protect the beneficial insects overwintering in the garden debris.  One way is to stockpile the debris.  Go ahead and clear it from your garden beds, but keep it in a pile where you will be able to get it later for shredding for the compost bin.  Choose an out-of-the-way spot, perhaps at the edge of the garden, for your stockpile.  The insects will be able to emerge from the pile when time comes for them to awake from their winter nap.

     You may want to get crafty with the stockpile.  If you have a spot where you would like a small wall, cut some straight samplings and stick them in the ground in two rows about a foot apart, forming the outline of the wall.  Use the garden debris to fill the form to the desired height.  You may want to use sawmill slabs or other dense material at the top to give you a surface that will support a potted plant or some ornament.  Of course, this is not meant to be a permanent wall, but it will last for a year or two, and you may continue to add debris to the pile as it settles.

     Another way to help the insects is to cut your debris high.  Most of the over-wintering insects will be in the six inches or so nearest the ground.  You may safely cut and dispose of anything above that level, leaving a short bit of stubble that will be easily hidden by the new foliage when it emerges this spring.  The stubble will continue to be used by native bees and other insects seeking a place to lay eggs.

     We still have several weeks of winter, and it is likely that the weather in southern Indiana will give us another taste or two of wintery weather, but get out there while the weather is nice and make a start on the 2025 garden season.  It is full of promise and dreams may come true.

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     If you want a beautiful garden this summer, you could just plant the new 2025 All America Selection annual flowers.  After being tested by many garden experts around the country, twelve annual flowers have been awarded the prestigious title as national winners, and another has been given a regional award for the Great Lakes Region.

     Celosia Flamma Pink has been selected.  This celosia is a semi-dwarf, with exceptional flowering on multiple stems.  Its bright pink feathery flowers are long-lasting in the garden and in a vase.  This celosia was bred by Clover Seed Company.

     If, like me, you are a fan of black foliage, you will love the Dahlia Black Forest Ruby.  The dark foliage is borne on sturdy plants that do not flop.  This is a seed-grown dahlia, so it is not as large as a tuber dahlia.  The ruby red semi-double flowers really pop against the dark foliage.  This plant is great for containers.  In addition to the All America selection, Black Forest Ruby was named a Fleuroselect award winner in European trials.  It comes from the Takii Europe breeding program.  If you deadhead the plants, they will bloom until frost.

     Dianthus Interspecific Capitan Magnifica is actually a tender perennial, but since it is hardy to only zone 7, it may be grown as an annual in southern Indiana.  Bred by Selecta One, this is a tall carnation-style dianthus.  It is deep pink, with light pink edges, and the long stems make it a natural for bouquets.  Shear off spent blooms, and it will keep blooming right through the hot summer.

     The French marigold Mango Tango will produce dozens of red and yellow bi-color blooms on compact, vigorous plants.  There is no need to deadhead this plant to keep it blooming.  Its compact size makes it a natural choice for containers.  Mango Tango is also a Fleuroselect winner in Europe.  It was bred at Ernst Benary of America, Inc.

     Three nastusiums from Takii Europe have been given the All America seal, as well as the Fleuroselect award.  Baby Gold, Baby Red and Baby Yellow are aptly named for their bright flowers, which pop against the dark mounding foliage.  The compact plants are perfect for small spaces and containers.  Both the flowers and the foliage are edible, so add these to your salad garden also.

     Hems Genetics gives us a very tough snapdragon that will hold up well in the heat of summer.  Double Shot Yellow Red Heart has yellow flowers with red centers.  They will grow in full to partial sun, and the flowers have a candy-like scent.

     Vinca Sphere Polkadot has a rounded, compact growth habit that weathers storms well and has excellent disease resistance.  It thrives in hot and dry conditions.  The bright white blooms have a red eye.  In the trials, it did well in containers and is great for lining walkways.  This vinca comes from Miyashi and Company, Ltd.

     Two Zinnias were selected for All America honors.  Takii Europe submitted the Crestar Mix.  These crested or scabiosa-flowered zinnias bloom in pink, red, white, yellow, orange, and peach, and will flower all summer.  They take the hot, humid summer weather and the blooms last a long time in the garden and in vases.  Zinnia Zydero Fire bears fully-double, very large blooms of fiery red.  The stems are sturdy, and the foliage is resistant to powdery mildew and other diseases.  This zinnia was bred by Sygenta Flowers.

     Two petunia varieties were also selected.  Shake Raspberry sports raspberry blooms with yellow and green variegation.  Hem Genetics developed this plant, which is compact and holds up to the heat.  Petunia Dekko Maxx Pink is compact, with a spreading habit.  Syngenta Flowers bred this petunia, which was awarded a regional award for the Great Lakes Region.  It was found to stand up to the hot, humid Midwest summers.  It is self-cleaning, so there is no deadheading needed to keep this one blooming until frost.  It will be available only as plants, so watch for it at your favorite nursery.  Spring is coming.

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     The first group of All America selections for 2025 have been announced.  All America selections are plants that have been tested in many gardens across North America and have been found to be superior to other varieties on the market.  Once a variety has been given the All America award, it continues to be an All America selection thereafter.  A plant may be given national recognition, or it may be given a regional award if it is found to be noteworthy in a particular area.  Indiana is a part of the Great Lakes region.  All America selections are made in three categories:  annuals, perennials and edibles.  The edibles include vegetables, fruits and herbs.

     In the edibles category, five vegetables have been awarded All America status for 2025 as national winners.  There has been one selection for a regional award in the Great Lakes Region.  That selection was an herb.

     The regional award winner is Piedmont basil.  This selection was made due to the superior resistance to downy mildew, a fungal disease that is prevalent in the Midwest.  This basil was found to exhibit vigorous growth, producing abundant dark green leaves.  The flavor is described as rich and robust.  Piedmont basil was bred by Garden Genetics and Seeds by Design.  Seed for this plant is expected to be available soon.

     Purple vegetables are nothing new, but most of the purple vegetables lose their color when cooked.  National All America selection Murasaki Fioretto cauliflower holds its purple hue when cooked.  The flavor of this cauliflower is said to be mild and sweet.  It may be cooked or eaten raw.  The breeder of this purple cauliflower is Tokita Seed America.

     Another purple vegetable making the list this year is Konstance kohlrabi.  This purple kohlrabi lasts longer in the garden than other kohlrabis.  The bulbs have a mild flavor, and the leaves of the plant are also edible in salads or cooked as greens.  Bejo Seeds developed this All America winner.

     From purple cole crops, we move to yellow peppers.  Pick-N-Pop peppers were bred by Seminis Home Garden.  They are snack-sized extra sweet peppers and the plant is described as vigorous.  This is an indeterminate pepper, meaning that the plant will continue to produce fruit until a killing frost.  The peppers also store well after they are picked.

     Two squash varieties have garnered All America honors this year.  Green Lightning is an early squash that is quick to mature.  The squash has a small seed cavity, so there is plenty of tasty flesh for your favorite squash recipes.  Joseph Stern is the breeder of this variety, which is offered through Pan American Seed. 

     Like Green Lightning, Thriller squash is as ornamental as it is a culinary delight.  The fruits of this selection are lobed, with colorful skin of cream, green and bright orange.  The plants are semi-bush type, so this is a great squash for container gardens or gardening in small spaces. 

     These varieties may be available in many seed catalogues, but you may not see the All America blue ribbon on them.  Many of the catalogues went to press before the selections were announced.  However, they will have that ribbon in future catalogues.  Watch for them.  Next week, we will take a look at some ornamental plants selected for 2025.

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     It is seed-starting time.  I do not just mean the winter sowing that was discussed in a column a few weeks ago.  It is time to do some planting for your spring garden.

     Of course, planting directly into the garden will not be possible for a while yet, but some crops will do fine in a protected environment.  It is traditional to plant lettuce on Valentine’s Day.  I usually plant lettuce in a cold frame.  A cold frame is simply a box built around a planting bed and covered with a transparent material.  Mine is covered with an old window, but I have seen cold frames made with plastic stretched over hoops of pvc pipe.  These coverings protect the seed bed from cold weather and help warm the beds on sunny days.  They also help hold in moisture.  As temperatures increase over the next several weeks, you may need to raise the top on warm days to keep from burning the tender plants.

     Another way to do some early planting is to use grow tunnels.  These are essentially cold frames without the frame.  The tunnels are made by stretching heavy plastic over frames, usually made of hoops of metal or pvc pipe.  Tunnels may be only a few inches high, or may be high enough to walk into.  The clear plastic allows for some protection from the cold and helps provide solar heat on sunny days.  When we get past the spring last frost date, the tunnels may be removed and the crops will be able to grow normally.

     A third option is actually a hybrid of these two methods, and one I will use.  I have several existing raised beds in my garden.  I will simply erect some sort of frame over the existing bed to support the plastic.

     The first crops that may be planted are ones that like to crow in cool weather.  Besides lettuce, you may plant radishes, turnips, kale, mustard, cabbage and other cole crops.  Plant seeds at the depth recommended on the package and water the bed well before closing the top.  You will need to monitor the beds to ensure they do not get too dry.  Using this method, I usually have some small, tender greens for my salads by the middle of March.

     It is also time to begin planting seeds to produce transplants for the summer garden.  Some crops, such as onions and peppers, are slow to germinate, and need to be planted earlier than tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and other summer vegetables.  Keeping the soil warm speeds germination.  You may use an electric heating mat to produce the bottom heat needed.  Another way to do this is to set the planting trays on the top of your refrigerator.  During the germination stage, light is not necessary, so you do not need to worry that the trays get light until the young plants appear.  Once they sprout, you will need to supply light by placing them in a greenhouse or in a sunny window, or by providing light from grow lights.  Grow lights need to be only a few inches above the young plants, so you should have some way to raise the lights as the plants grow.  Window-grown plants will naturally seek the sun and grow toward the window, so the trays will need to be turned frequently.

     To raise healthy plants, start with good planting mix in clean planters.  If you are using pots or trays that you have used in the past, wash them in soapy water and use a little bleach to kill any pathogens that may be there.  Use a sterile, soilless potting mix.  I prefer to use a planting medium that is listed as seed-starting mix.  Plant the seeds as instructed on the package, water them well and monitor them frequently, and you will have plants ready for the garden by the time warm weather arrives.