I love to identify the many wildflowers and trees that grow along the local recreational trails but until now, that pastime was limited to the warmer months. I’ve found, and added to my shelves, two pocket-sized inexpensive books that are excellent resources for identifying plants in winter.

      The first, Winter Weed Finder by Dorcas S. Miller, is a guide to dry plants in winter.  The book is illustrated with line drawings and is in a key format.  For example, it starts out, “If the plant has barbs or needles, or if the structures stick to clothing, go to page 8.  If not, go below.  If the plant has umbels, go to page 14.  If not go below.”  Before the key starts, there are a few pages of helpful drawings of structures such as pods, capsules, bracts and umbels and illustrations of alternate branching, opposite branching, whorled branching, etc.

      The second book, Winter Tree Finder by May Theilgaard Watts and Thom Watts, helps in identifying deciduous trees when the leaves are off.  It is also in key format.  The introductory pages make using the key less intimidating.  The parts of a twig are well illustrated.  Before the key pages begin, there are some shortcut id possibilities based on conspicuous features.  For example, there is a picture of a catkin and a suggestion to try alder, birch or ironwood.  Another example asks “Does the tree reach out over a fisherman, muskrat or rowboat?  Try willow.” 

      Both books have indexes with both common and Latin names and every page has many fine line drawings.  Even though the key format is quite easy to use, the books are short enough, at only 62 pages each, that a person could glance through them quickly to find the plant to be identified.  Both books are available through local bookstores or can be ordered over the internet.

      There are many kinds of Christmas trees from which to choose.  If you put your tree up early and leave it up for a month or more, select a pine, since they hold their needles longest.  The pines generally available locally include white pine, red pine, and Scotch pine.  These long-needled pines are usually the least expensive of all the types of Christmas trees.

      A step up in cost, but probably the most popular, is the balsam fir.  The soft, flat needles are less than an inch long and this tree is much easier to decorate than a long-needled tree.  The branches curve slightly upward with convenient gaps between the branches to hang ornaments.  The balsam fir is one of the most aromatic of Christmas trees.

      Similar in shape to the balsam is the Fraser fir, the most expensive Christmas tree you will find.  The inch-long needles are shiny green on top and silvery underneath.

      No matter which tree you choose, you’ll want to select and care for it so that it will hold its needles as long as possible.  Before you buy, check a tree’s freshness by grasping a branch firmly and running your hand toward the branch tip.  If many needles fall off, the tree is already dry.  You can also check its freshness by setting the tree upright, holding it by the trunk about halfway up and pounding the trunk firmly on the ground a couple times.  If lots of needles fall, the tree is too dry.

      Trees exposed to wind during the drive home will dry out, so wrap the tree securely in a blanket or tarp to protect it. 

      When you get home, re-cut the trunk an inch or more up from the original cut and put it into water as soon as possible, even if you do not plan to put it in the tree stand right away.  The fresh cut increases the tree’s ability to take up water.  Keep the water level above the cut end of the trunk.  This may mean you should check the water level twice a day at least for the first several days.

      There are several home remedies as well as commercial products touted to keep your tree fresh longer.  You do not need to add sugar, aspirin or any other commercially available additive to the tree water.  Just keep the tree stand full of water and the tree will be fine.

      When you buy a plant from a mail order catalog or read a description in a magazine, you often find words like “Zones 3-8” or “Zone 4.”  What does this mean?

      The numbers refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cold Hardiness Zone Map. Updated in 1990, the map is based on average annual minimum temperatures recorded throughout North America.  By using the map to find the zone in which you live, you can determine which plants will “winter over” in your garden because they can withstand these average minimum temperatures. 

      Zone 1 is the coldest, most northerly region and Zone 11 is the warmest, most southerly.  We live on the border between Zones 4 and 5, meaning our average annual minimum temperature can get down to -10 to -30 degrees F. 

      If a plant is described as “Zones 4-8” or “hardy to Zone 3” you can expect it to do well in our area.  That said, there are climatic variations within each region and even within each garden.  Many factors including altitude, wind exposure, proximity to bodies of water, terrain and shade can cause variations in growing conditions by as much as two zones in either direction.

      For example, you may be able to grow plants on the south side of a stone fence that should survive only as far north as Louisville, Kentucky, while on the north side of that same wall you may have trouble with plants that theoretically should do fine here. 

      However, cold isn’t the only factor determining whether plants will survive and thrive.  The effects of heat damage are more subtle than those of extreme cold, which will kill a plant instantly.  Flower buds may wither, leaves may droop or become more attractive to insects, chlorophyll may disappear so that leaves appear white or brown, or roots may cease growing.  Plant death from heat is slow and lingering.

      The American Horticultural Society has developed a Heat Zone Map similar to the Hardiness Zone Map.  The twelve zones of the map indicate the average number of days each year that a given region experiences “heat days” – temperatures over 86 degrees F.  That is the point at which plants begin suffering physiological damage from heat.

      We are in Zone 4 on the Heat Zone map which means we have an average of 14 to 30 days each year with temperatures above 86 degrees F. 

      Thousands of plants have been coded for heat tolerance, with more to come in the near future. You will see the heat zone designations joining hardiness zone designations in garden centers, reference books, and catalogs.  On each plant, there will be four numbers.  For example, a tulip may be 3-8, 8-1.  If you live in USDA Zone 4 and AHS Zone 4, you will know that you can leave tulips outdoors in your garden year-round.  An ageratum may be 10-11, 12-1.  It can withstand summer heat throughout the United States, but will overwinter only in the warmest zones. An English wallflower may be 5-8, 6-1. It is relatively cold hardy, but can’t tolerate extreme summer heat.

      Red, orange, yellow, deep purple and sky blue are the colors of autumn.  They are also the colors people gravitate toward for decorating this time of year.  These colors and many more can be found in ornamental corns, which lend themself well to fall decorating themes.

      One kind of decorative corn with which most of us are familiar is the multi-colored Indian corn.  There are actually dozens of different Indian corns. 

      Indian corn is the precursor to the standard yellow corn we buy from farm stands in late summer and in cans year round.  One-colored ears of corn are really unnatural products of human selection.  Years of deliberate selection, careful pollination and storing of seeds produced single color corn ears.  Livestock feeders and grocery store shoppers prefer vitamin-rich yellow kernels.  Southerners like white kernels and Native Americans favor blue. 

      But for decoration, you can’t beat the multi-colored cobs.  You can grow cobs with colors all in earth tones, those that  produce black and white kernels, others that yield a range of pinks and purples.  And for Packer backers or John Deere fans there is a cultivar that produces green and gold kernels. 

      All the Indian corns can be ground into flour for use in baking.

      Another type of ornamental corn is broom corn.  Instead of cobs, the plants produce wiry tassels from the top of the plant which are studded with seed heads of red, brown, purple and black.  The 24 to 36-inch long sprays can be used for dried flower arrangements, crafts or to make straw brooms.  Or tie them to tree branches in winter and let the birds enjoy the seeds.

      There is an ornamental sorghum that grows similar to broom corn but has more seeds and less broom fiber.  The compact cone-shaped seed heads are 8 to 12 inches long and the vibrant colors add a punch to fresh and dried floral arrangements.

      Did you know you can grow your own popcorn?  It grows on ears just like sweet corn, but the cobs and kernels are smaller.  Popcorn comes in a rainbow of colors and the cobs can be used for decoration or popped for eating.  The key to the success of a popcorn crop is in the storage conditions after harvest.  Allow the corn to dry in the field until the kernels are hard and the husks completely dry.   After harvest, remove the husks and place the ears in mesh bags and hang in a warm, dry, well-ventilated location.  Once or twice a week, shell a few kernels and try popping them.  When the test kernels pop well and taste good, shell and store the rest of the kernels.  If the popcorn is chewy or the popped kernels are jagged, it is too wet and needs to continue drying.

      Are any of these things in your house:  adhesives, carpeting, chlorinated tap water, cleaning products, computer, draperies, fabrics, facial tissues, grocery bags, nail polish, paint, paper towels, plywood, pre-printed paper forms, or upholstery?  If they are, your indoor air is polluted with things like formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, benzene, chloroform, ammonia, alcohols and acetone.  All of these substances can cause allergies, asthma, eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, nervous system disorders, sinus congestion, cancer and reproductive problems.

      Back when NASA was planning for people to live on the moon, they began studies on treating and recycling air.  They realized that the earth produces and sustains clean air through the living processes of plants.  They began testing many different plants to determine how this was done and which plants do it best.

      Basically, this is what happens.  Pollutants in the air are absorbed though microscopic openings in plant leaves called stomata.  The gaseous organic substances are then digested or translocated to the roots where they serve as food for microbes.  Another way that plants have of moving air polluting substances to their roots is by emitting water vapor into the atmosphere from plant leaves through a process called transpiration.  This transpiration sets up convection currents where water is pulled rapidly up from the roots through the plants.  Then air is pulled down into the soil around the plants where root microbes biodegrade the pollutants into structures that can be used as a source of food for the plants.

      The three best plants for removing indoor pollutants are the areca palm, also called yellow or butterfly palm, the lady palm and bamboo palm.  They all rated high for removal of chemical vapors, are easy to grow and maintain, are resistant to insect infestation and have a high transpiration rate. 

      The book How to Grow Fresh Air by Dr. B.C. Wolverton lists 50 common houseplants and rates them according to their ability to remove chemical vapors, ease of growth, insect resistance and transpiration rate.  There are two photos of each plants and detailed growing information. 

      Not all the plants listed in the book are as big as the palms.  Some of the smaller ones include English ivy, Boston fern, peace lily, golden pothos, florist’s mum, wax begonia and gerbera daisy.

      The book also discusses personal breathing zones, an area of about six to eight cubic feet surrounding an individual.  It refers to an area where a person remains for several hours, such as a desk or computer, watching TV or sleeping.  Plants located within a personal breathing zone can add humidity, remove chemical toxins and suppress airborne microbes.  Those benefits are in addition to their aesthetic and psychological values. 

      Look at where you spend your time indoors and try to place a pollution eliminating houseplant within your own personal breathing zone.

Why do you till your garden beds year after year in spring and fall?  Is it because you’ve always done it?  Because your mother or dad always did it?  Because it just looks nicer?

      Many experts agree that the less tilling the better.  While tilling can destroy weeds, it can also cause more weeds by breaking their roots into tiny pieces, each of which will sprout on its own.  Tilling also brings to the surface weed seeds and lays the soil bare to windborne seeds, all of which are eager to germinate

      Tilling fluffs up the soil, which looks nice, but doing so provides air to soil microbes that become metabolically supercharged and then release a flood of nutrients for fast crop growth.  That may sound great, but those revved-up microbes will quickly burn up all the soil’s nutrients and then die, actually depleting the soil’s fertility.  It is a waste of time and nutrients to till in fall when nothing will be planted in the soil for six months or more.

      The more the soil is disturbed, the more quickly its organic matter decomposes and the more often it needs to be replenished.  If you do till, make sure to replenish that lost organic matter by adding compost, shredded leaves or other organic matter to the soil.

      Bare, newly tilled soil is susceptible to the impact of rain.  A hard spring or autumn rain can pound on the soil and either compact it or wash it away.

      Power tillers shred and kill thousands of beneficial earthworms.  You may have heard that cutting a worm in half results in two worms, but that is not true.  Only the head can survive and regenerate a body, but it probably won’t survive the shredding or tearing of a tiller.

      Try to avoid tilling unless your garden soil is extremely compacted or is hard clay that needs to be mixed with a topping of organic matter.  If the soil is fertile enough but merely compacted, use a broadfork to loosen it.  If you must turn over the soil, it is better to do it gently with a spade or digging fork than with a power tiller.  If you have good loose soil, but still want the neater look, use a hoe to fluff up the top inch or two.

      Not only will you save yourself some work by avoiding tilling, you’ll be doing your plants and the environment a favor too.

      I have never understood someone who goes out to eat and then says, “That was the best steak I’ve ever had!”  A steak is a steak, right?  And a tomato is a tomato.  Or so I thought until Pete Guckenberg of rural Omro gave me an heirloom tomato he grew from seeds given to him by an Amish acquaintance in Pennsylvania.  It truly was the best tomato I’ve ever had!

      I had some doubts when Pete first handed me the tomato.  It was very big with a diameter of at least twelve inches and was shaped more like a squat pumpkin than like any tomato I had ever seen.  And the color was a washed out red instead of the bright red I associate with a tasty tomato.  But the taste was fantastic!

      Home gardeners know the taste difference between home-grown and store-bought tomatoes.  The home-growns have much more flavor than the sickly store tomatoes that have been bred for uniformity and to withstand long shipping and storage periods rather than for taste.  Now I know there’s a whole other level of taste beyond merely home-grown in heirlooms.

      Heirloom tomatoes are old varieties that have been grown for hundreds of years.  They will grow true from seed year after year.  Newer hybrid tomatoes with names like Early Girl, Better Boy and Miracle Sweet cannot be reproduced exactly by saving seed.  You can save and plant the seeds from these hybrids but the new tomato plant probably won’t produce tomatoes just like the parent plant.  It may revert back to one of the types used to produce the hybrid, or through accidental cross-pollination you may discover the next big seller.  Of course, you probably won’t know how you did it.

      People may be hesitant to grow heirloom tomatoes because they are not as disease resistant as the hybrids.  They are also not as consistent in size and shape, and may not last as long in storage.  To avoid cross-pollination, heirlooms should be planted 25 feet from other tomato varieties.

      Next March, I will start all eleven of the seeds I saved from Pete’s Amish heirloom tomato indoors.  I’ll choose the best four or five plants and put them in the garden in late May, well away from any other tomatoes I might grow.  I’ll mulch heavily to prevent disease from splashing up from the soil.  I’ll make sure the plants get enough water and watch carefully for any signs of disease.  I’ll remove any diseased leaves or branches or a whole plant if need be.  I will probably give my heirloom tomatoes more attention than any other plants in my garden.

      Nevertheless, if I can produce even one tomato like the one I got from Pete, it will be worth it!

      September is second in time spent on garden chores only to the frenzied planting month of May.  There are fruits, vegetables and herbs to be harvested and hours spent canning, preparing for freezing, or dehydrating.  Those are the things you have to do this month; you can’t put it off and to forgo those tasks entirely makes the whole exercise in planting the garden meaningless.  That is, unless your goal was to add a lot of fruits and vegetables to your compost bin!

      There are other garden tasks for September and most are more pleasant than slaving over hot canning jars.  Collecting seed from annuals like zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, calendula, dill and the many other plants makes for an enjoyable afternoon.

      If you’ve been diligent about weeding, this is no time to slack off.  If you haven’t been so conscientious, now is the time to do a good weeding clean-up so you get the weed seeds out of the garden for next year. 

      This is the best time to make landscaping plans for next year.  Most plants are full-sized now and you can see where new plants will fit in or where you want to make changes.  No matter how long you’ve been gardening, in January when the seed and plant catalogs come, you will underestimate how much space your existing plants take up. 

      If you think your landscape is dull or boring, get an armload of landscape books from the library and spend a few hours paging through them just looking at the pictures.  Something is sure to spark your interest and fit with your yard.  If what catches your attention is a pond or water feature, this is a good time to decide on where it should be placed in your landscape.  You can spend winter days learning how to build a pond with information from books or the internet.

      Near the end of September, make sure to watch the weather forecast every night if you want to cover your plants to extend their season.  I always err on the side of caution and cover my plants if the forecast is for anything below 40 degrees.

      There is one gardening “don’t” for this time of year.  Don’t prune anything!  Pruning stimulates new growth and that lush new growth won’t be sufficiently hardy by the time winter comes to withstand the cold weather. 

      Just a reminder to keep evergreen plants well watered all the way up until the ground freezes.  Water transpires from the needles all winter long and they need a good supply of water so they don’t dry out and die.

Your co-worker gives you a nice juicy tomato from her garden.  Should you hurry to the break room and put it in the refrigerator until you go home?  Your neighbor puts a half dozen zucchini on your porch and runs away.  You are scheduled for three days of vacation and don’t have time to deal with it before you leave.  What should you do?  Your garden produces a bushel of sweet corn and you can’t possibly eat it all in one day.  How should you store it?  You overdid it at the Farmers Market and now have a mountain of fresh produce.  You’re exhausted and can’t start canning it today.  Will it go rotten before you get your energy back?

      There are many good books on canning, freezing, and dehydrating foods for long-term storage.  Still, there is the question of what to do with those fruits and veggies until you can either eat them or process them.

      Cucumbers, sweet peppers, kohlrabi and root crops like carrots, potatoes and beets should be washed and allowed to air dry before storage in the refrigerator.  They should be placed in plastic bags with holes in them.  The peppers will last 8-10 days while the others will stay fresh for several months.

      Hot peppers bound for the dehydrator can start their drying on the kitchen counter or for a decorative effect can be threaded on strong thread or fishing line and hung on the wall.

      Beans, peas and okra should be stored in plastic bags and refrigerated, but do not wash them first.

      Zucchini will actually last longer on the kitchen counter than in the refrigerator.  I’ve left zucchini on the counter for a month and found it to be just as fresh as the day it was picked. 

      Tomatoes should never be refrigerated.  They will taste much better and last longer on the kitchen counter or north-facing window sill.  If you have a large amount they can be stored in a cool dry place like the basement but they should not be touching each other.  They should sit stem side up.

      For sweet corn, try this tip from long-time sweet corn growers Ed and Bev Elandt of Marion:  peel it immediately and store it in plastic bags in the refrigerator.  It should be as good as fresh-picked for three or four days.    

      Onions and garlic should be dried in the sun for several days and then stored in a cool, dry area with good air circulation. 

      Dried beans such as pinto, great northern, kidney and navy beans as well as other beans and peas allowed to grow for seed should be spread out to dry on a newspaper or window screen in a well-ventilated location for several days before shelling.

      Several weeks ago I went to pick the first ripe tomato my garden produced this year.  I watched it change to a deep red-orange over many days, waiting with impatience for it to ripen perfectly before I would pick it.  Finally the day came.  I plucked the plump tomato off the vine and turned it over in my hand, only to find that the bottom of it was all black and rotten.  What a disappointment!

      A quick look under the other tomatoes on the same plant showed that several of them all suffered from the same malady:  blossom-end rot.

      Many gardeners have encountered tomato blossom-end rot for the first time this year.  It often hits after a hot dry spell, which we certainly had throughout July.  Tomatoes are most often the victims but it can also affect eggplants and sweet peppers.

      There is no cure for blossom-end rot once it starts, but it can be prevented.  The reason for the rot is that the plant isn’t getting enough calcium from the soil.  When the tomatoes’ cells don’t get the calcium they need, they collapse and become discolored.  When it doesn’t rain, the plant can’t take up calcium even if it is available.  Obviously, one way to prevent blossom-end rot is to give tomato plants consistent watering.

      There are a few other things you can do as well.  Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers which tend to block the plants’ uptake of calcium.  Instead, fertilize with compost, rotted manure or a blended organic fertilizer that contains a broad range of trace nutrients.

      Mulch around the tomato plants to conserve what moisture there is in the soil.  High humidity interrupts nutrient transport to the fruit.  Make sure there is plenty of space between plants and avoid wetting the leaves when watering.

      Damaged feeder roots cannot take up calcium properly.  Handle transplants carefully when setting them in the ground and be careful not to cultivate too closely to the plants once they are established.

      There are a few ways to provide plants with extra calcium.  When planting, sprinkle powdered milk into the planting hole.  You can also mix powdered milk into the water you use to water them.  Save your eggshells over the winter and crush them to mix into the soil around the root zone of the plants when you plant next spring.

      The top part of a tomato with blossom-end rot is safe to eat, but if you notice the rot on a tomato that hasn’t yet ripened, throw it in the compost and allow the plant to put its energy into ripening the unaffected tomatoes.