Silk plus tassel = roasting ears in about a month. Stay tuned. HighFenceFarm
Starflowers Are an Easy Spring Bulb to Grow
Starflowers are considered to be one of the easiest to grow of the spring-flowering bulbs, and is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. We have ours growing primarily under two Magnolia trees, but as we have been finding new plants straying out very far into the lawn we have been digging them up and setting them around other tree trunks in the landscape. They naturalize perfectly around trees, casting seed modestly. Plant bulbs 2-3” deep and space 2-4” apart in fall. For the homeowner however, the strays can be dug up as soon as you spot them. If you wait for these till the fall, you will scarcely be able to remember where they were. Starflowers neutralizes easily by bulb multiplication and the seeds produced readily germinate and grow, providing new plants to plant elsewhere in the landscape. Starflowers go dormant by late spring and the foliage just disappears.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Ipheion uniflorum, is native to parts of South America and features grass-like foliage and solitary star-shaped flowers on 6” tall stems in early spring. Each bulb produces multiple flowering stems. Flowers range in color from almost white to violet-blue. The flowers of the variety we have, Wisley Blue, are a dreamy pastel blue.
Pruning Grapes
We finished pruning our grapes this week. Every spring it is a dramatic affair because of how much plant material we remove. Next year’s production comes from this year’s growth. Way more material is produced in one year than the grape-vine is able to handle. If left unpruned, a typical grape-vine will produce small grapes, and be highly susceptible to disease and insects. Not only will multiple vines arise all along the main trunk, but new growth will originate at the terminus of last year’s production laterals. Left unpruned several years these laterals will travel down the trellis fifty feet or more. The vines pictured here are three-year-old plants, and are a Concord-type variety called Fredonia. It makes wonderful juice for cider or jelly.
Pruning grape-vines is kind of like working a jig saw puzzle, or filling out a Sudoku puzzle. You want to pick the four best lateral arms to tie along the trellis, but all of the lateral are far longer than necessary, so long that they extend over into the spaces of the neighboring plants. You have to carefully determine which laterals are connected to the particular vine you are currently working on and which are connected to the adjacent (or beyond) plant. Careful multiple cuts are necessary to insure the best four “arms” are selected for each vine.
Okay, here is what the finished product looks like. You would be surprised, but by the end of the season you are back where you started with a tangled mess. We even prune multiple times throughout the summer to promote adequate air flow around and through the vines.
We usually wait to prune until leaf buds begin to emerge, so gently untangling the intertwining laterals is a must. Another issue is having to sometimes make a lateral branch snaking off to the right (or left) and force it to the left (or right) because no logical option exists. When it comes to pruning grapes, slow and steady wins the race.
How We Set Out Our Tomato and Pepper Plants
Over the years we have found that a standard bulb planter is the best tool for setting out our tomato and pepper starts in the spring. It works well for broccoli and cabbage plants too; in fact, everything we grow in our standard 2½” deep pots are set out with a common bulb planter. Our gardening methods involves not tilling the ground in the spring. In the fall, winter wheat is sown in the garden as a cover crop. The “cover” keeps winter weeds from getting a foothold and pumps organic matter into the soil, among other things. Dead wheat stubble is all that litters the ground in the spring at planting time.
With a push and a twist a perfect hole is made for the tomato or pepper plant. We drop the start undisturbed into the hole and press a little of the soil from the hole back around it to fill in the cracks, and water the new plant well to further settle it into its new home.
We hope this helps you in your garden this spring. If you don’t already have a bulb planter, below is a link on Amazon to a very affordable one. Clicking through from this site helps pay the bills for our website. Thanks in advance.
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The Greenhouse Is Open for Business
Plant sales have begun. We have a nice selection of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and herbs. We also have some Wave Petunias in purple, red, and pink. Everything is in 2½” deep pots. Call ahead, and come out and visit us.
Tomato Plants (large to small:
- Park’s Whopper
- Better Boy
- Celebrity
- Florida 47
- Mountain Spring Fresh
- Amelia
- Juliet (salad tomato)
- Sweet 100 (cherry)
Pepper Plants (roughly from mild to HOT, large to small)
- King Arthur-green bell
- Gypsy-yellow large bodied non banana
- Pimento
- Cubanelle
- Ancho Poblano Corcel
- Mulato Isleno
- Anaheim
- Pascilla Bajio
- Jalapeno, Tula & Major League
- Serrano
- Arbol
- Cayenne
- Red Chili
- Ahn Tran
- Habanero, red, orange, & Chichen Itza
- Carolina Reaper
Eggplant Plants
- Black Beauty (football)
- Purple Shine
- Bride (white)
- Ping-tung
Herb Plants
- Basil
- Bronze Fennel
- Chives
- English Lavender
- Parsley
- Sage
Hard Frost Last Saturday, Greenhouse Plants Nearly Ready
We woke up this last Saturday morning to temperatures in the high twenties and a dusting of snow, but it looks like everything–with the exception of a few asparagus spears above ground–came out without any damage. Well, I should include the Paw Paw tree blossoms, which took a pretty good hit, but more blooms are on the way as it blooms over an extended period.
All of that being said, it still looks like we are going to have a late spring garden this year. That is just fine as we have been picking lettuce out of the garden, and a few onions planted out in a hurry seem to be doing okay. Our big garden push isn’t until after the middle of April anyway, so we are good.
On a different note, we would like to inform you all that our bedding plants in the greenhouse will be ready to sell by early next week. Some of our pepper plants are still a bit small, especially the super hot varieties. More on that later. Our tomato plants will be ready at any rate. They are out of the greenhouse right now for a hardening-off session. They are looking great. We have a nice selection this year, but supplies are limited. Call and set up a time to come out late this week or early next. Note: we will be closed this Sunday, but every other day will be fine, just call ahead please.
Don’t forget we have herb plants to sell as well: parsley, chives, sage, bronze fennel, and basil. We also have some beautiful petunia plants, but they will not be ready for a couple of weeks yet. Oh, and let us not forget to mention eggplant: Bride, Ping-Tung, Black Beauty, and Purple Shine.
Our pepper selection has been broadened this year to include several of the super hot varieties: Habenero (red, orange, and Chechen Itza) and Carolina Reeper. Stay tuned as these plants are still too small to set out just yet, not to mention it is too early in the season to do so. The sweet peppers are coming along nicely and should be ready to set out by early next week. As always, it is best to check your extended forecast before committing any plants to permanent planting outside.
One last thing. When you come out, don’t forget to ask about okra seed. We had a wonderful season last year and so we collected seed from the best of the best of our Clemson Spineless crop. We would love to share them with you. Just ask. They are just a penny per seed. Or you can buy plants later in the spring at $1.50 per plant; or you can just wait till we start harvesting later this spring @ $3.00 per pound.
We look forward to seeing you soon. Don’t forget to call ahead.
Water Your Landscape in the Winter
Yesterday we got out and hand watered the orchard. We added six young trees this fall; four apples and two pears, so they especially got a thorough watering. Just because your trees and shrubs aren’t green and growing during the winter doesn’t mean that they do not need regular moisture. In many ways they need it just a much now as in the heat of summer. Especially this year, supplemental winter watering is a must. Here are some reasons why:
Newly fall-planted trees and shrubs are still establishing their root systems. Fall is the optimum time of year to plant, especially fruit trees.- Winter is often windy, which can draw moisture from bark and stems of your plants.
- In the fall of the year moles are quite active and work the soil up, especially around newly disturbed ground where new plants are set. Watering regularly helps pack this soil back down and eliminate excess air pockets.
- During the winter months in this part of the country it rains far less than at other times of the year. In many ways it is just like the heat of summer: harsh.
- Especially this year we have had no measurable rainfall in the last month. It is helpful to keep track by posting moisture events on a calendar app just so you don’t forget about your valuable investments in your landscape. In past years we have learned this lesson the hard way. Don’t think your special tree is too big to worry about.
Newly fall-planted trees and shrubs are still establishing their root systems. Fall is the optimum time of year to plant, especially fruit trees.Let us take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. May His blessings be upon you this coming Holiday season and in the growing season of 2018. We look forward to seeing you in the spring.
Sweet Wheat: Winter Cover Crop, 2017
Every fall we sow hard red winter wheat in our garden. We call it “putting the garden to bed.” Most just call it planting a winter cover crop.
We usually begin sowing in late September. It can be done as late as late November. Here is how it is done :
- First, after gleaning every last tomato and pepper, we clear away all that remains in the garden. Much of the plant material at the end of the season harbors disease and/or insects so we like to remove as much as possible to another location and burn it. That way next season will start out clean and fresh. Another practice that promotes healthy gardens is to rotate crop families every year in the garden, but that is another topic for another post.
- Next, we lay down a complete fertilizer such as 10-20-10 over the entire garden with a broadcast spreader. We run the spreader north/south with half of the load and then spread the other half going east/west. This gives a more uniform cover of fertilizer.
- Lightly till the garden, going over it in one direction, and then again at 90º to that. Till only deep enough to incorporate the mulch into the soil.
- Using the broadcast spreader we then scatter our wheat seed over the garden, again splitting the amount in half and making two passes over the entire garden, one at 90º to the other. This detail evens out the spread of the seed, giving a uniform cover of wheat.
- Go over the plot one more time very lightly with the tiller. We don’t want to work the seed too deeply into the soil or it will not come up. The optimum seed depth is one inch, but the seeds will come up if just barely covered or if no more than two inches cover them.
- If rain is not in the forecast, set up sprinklers. If there is just a little moisture in the soil and it doesn’t rain within a week, the wheat could emerge and then die.
So what are the benefits of a winter cover crop in your garden, you might ask.
- Planting a cover crop helps suppress unwanted weeds over winter.
- A cover crop helps hold the soil in place, inhibiting erosion due to wind and rain.
- It also helps build organic matter into the soil which in turn helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients better.
- When mowed throughout the winter and eventually tilled back into the soil in the spring, the wheat provides a natural slow-release fertilizer.
- As you can see, a garden plot sown with wheat in the fall provide a pleasant island of green in a winter-long ocean of browns and grays. I gives you something enjoyable to look at while waiting for winter to pass.
Peppers of All Kinds: Last Week in 2017
Pumpkins and Winter Squash
Pumpkins and winter squash are now available on the farm. We also have sweet potatoes and chestnuts. Complete your holiday shopping with a trip to High-Fence Farm. Please call ahead as we do not have set hours. One of our favorite winter squash varieties is spaghetti squash. It comes in the familiar cream-colored variety, but also we have an orange spaghetti squash that is just as good.
If you are calling about apples we thank you for your interest, but we do not currently have apples to sell. Our orchard has been recently replanted with new trees. A tornado in the spring of 2015 knocked all of our bearing size trees to the ground so our apple orchard is in a rebuilding phase. We have nothing to pick but you are welcome to walk through the young orchard and dream with us.