Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.
One of my colleagues recently asked me about Jerusalem artichokes. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) is neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke. The origin of the common name is unclear but there are a few theories floating around. Some say that this native North American relative of the sunflower may have been labeled Jerusalem since it fed the pilgrims and was part of the ‘new Jerusalem’. Another theory is that when this Native American was exported to Europe it was given the Italian name ‘Girasol’ meaning sunflower which then morphed phonetically into Jerusalem. The moniker artichoke comes from its taste.
As a member of the sunflower family, Jerusalem artichokes or sunchoke love the sun. They are hardy from zone 2 to 9. Sunchokes are perennial and fit into the category of ‘once you have it you can’t get rid of it’. They can grow up to 12 feet tall and are covered with small yellow sunflowers. The edible part of the plant is a tuber which looks like a cross between a fingerling potato and ginger root.
Plant the tubers in the spring setting them 3-5 inches deep and 18 inches apart. Amend the soil with compost or aged manure for the planting year and then top dress in subsequent years. Cover the bed with a good layer of straw mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture. Because of their magnificent height it is best to place them on the north side of your vegetable garden where they will not shade out other plants.
Due to their tenacious growth habit many people plant them in a bed of their own. The tubers are dug in the fall. It is best to wait until after they are cut back by the frost since the flavor improves with the cold. The easiest way to harvest is to dig up what you need with a spading fork and keep the bed mulched so you can dig as needed throughout the season. There will always be a number of strays or escapees that then provide your crop for the following year.
Jerusalem artichokes contain no starch. They are ideal for diabetics and people who are watching their calories. The tubers can be steamed, stir-fried, roasted, pureed, pickled and even eaten raw. They pair wonderfully with parsnips and beets at this time of year and are a wonderful addition to a good winter soup. They have a sweet, nutty flavor that is worth a try.
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.
We have spent the past few weeks talking about cleaning and storing your seeds. I mentioned a few blog entries ago that a simple way to clean and store tomato seeds is to squeeze out the contents of the tomato and soak it in water – washing away any coating that surrounds the seed. You then dry the seeds on a paper towel and store.
Aficionados have a more elaborate method of cleaning tomato seeds that involves fermentation. Tomato seeds are surrounded by a jelly-like coat that contains a germination inhibiting substance. The coat prevents the seeds from germinating too early so that tender seedlings do not emerge in the fall or winter.
Fermentation also protects the seeds against bacterial canker and is a good way of ensuring that your seeds are disease free. Fermentation is not the only way to control seed-borne diseases. Washing seeds in plain water, in salt water, in hot water (around 122°F – boiling water is 212°F – so this is just hot water) for 15 minutes are all methods for controlling seed-borne diseases.
The process for fermenting tomato seeds is simple. Scoop out the seeds and all the pulp and juice into a glass jar. Cover the seeds with water and set the seeds aside storing at room temperature. Check daily and stir the mixture. After 3-4 four days the viable seeds will have sunk to the bottom and the pulp and any poor quality seeds will have floated to the top (they are lighter). Pour off the gunk from the top; strain out the seeds and rinse in a sieve.
Dry on a paper towel and store in a Ziploc bag or plastic container in a cool, dark place. The seeds will stay viable for up to 4 years. Remember not to store your F1 hybrids as they will not come true to seed. Your heirlooms are ideal for storing. Most tomatoes are self-pollinating but you do get cross-pollination from time to time.
If you want to make sure that your tomatoes don’t cross-pollinate you can create a barrier by covering them with a pollination cage – use remay or a fine mesh screen so that bees will not be able to your plant – or you can space different varieties at a good distance from each other. There is a difference in opinion on spacing – some say 10 feet is sufficient – others 25 feet and some say for truly pure seeds you need up to 100 feet. For the homeowner, crossing of heirloom seeds should not be a major issue – leave that concern for the grower.
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.
In my last blog I mentioned that conditions for proper seed storage are basically the opposite of what seeds need to germinate. To grow they need moisture, warmth, and light; for storage they need cool temperatures, dry atmosphere, and darkness. Most seeds will last for about three years if stored properly—often they last much longer.
What should you do if you have some seeds that have been lying around for several years and you are not sure if they will germinate? There is a simple way to test a seed’s viability before you prep your seed trays and waste your seed sowing medium on something that has little life left in it.
Moisten a few paper towels with water. Place a dozen or so seeds spaced apart on the towel. Then either hold on to one of the edges of the paper towel and roll it up into a spiral, or place a few damp paper towels on top to create what looks like a seed-germination sandwich. Either way the seeds need to be encased on both sides by damp paper towels.
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education.
Last week I blogged about the process of collecting seeds. Once gathered, the seeds will need to be cleaned and dried before they can be stored.
Some seeds require only minimal cleaning while others need more attention.
If you are collecting seeds from non-fruiting plants, gather the seeds on a dry day. Spread the seeds on newspapers, in a cardboard box, or in an old telephone directory, and allow them to dry between one and three weeks.
Often seeds need to be separated from the chaff (the seed casings and debris). You can do this with a pair of tweezers; not all of the chaff needs to be removed, but just cleaned off a bit.
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.
By this time of year, you probably have begun saving seeds of your favorite annuals and vegetables. Seed saving is fairly straight forward as long as you follow a few simple rules.
When collecting seeds in your garden, look for healthy plants that possess the characteristics you desire. If you have a pot marigold (Calendula) with a pale apricot color that you admire, collect seeds from the paler specimens to try and keep the nice shade. You will always get variation, but you are participating in the selection process as, in essence, an amateur breeder.
Many of your flowers and vegetables are cross-pollinated, Mother Nature’s way of passing along diversity. If you want the seeds to be pure, isolate the plant (generally by building a cage or covering for it) or pollinate by hand, but this is generally only necessary for commercial growers or for seed-saving enterprises.
Most important is to always choose healthy plants so that you end up with healthy, viable seeds. Don’t waste your time collecting seeds from F1 hybrids. They will never come true to seed, and you will get some strange results. Heirloom varieties, on the other hand, tend to be fairly stable and are wonderful to collect.
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.
Join The New York Botanical Garden’s Sonia Uyterhoeven as she shows off some easy and simple tips for your home and garden. In this installment Sonia showcases some easy and quick botanical ideas for autumn inspired centerpieces.
You can always ask Sonia (or our other gardening experts) your own questions online.
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.
Last week I blogged about Doug Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home and the natural life cycles and interdependence among species in an ecological community. What happens when the balance of nature is disrupted?
The problem usually arises when an invasive species comes in and completely overturns the equilibrium—a process in which humans are intimately involved.
Not only are we generally responsible for introducing exotic, invasive species, we also mangle the environment with construction equipment, paved roadways, big lawns (a great American monoculture), and other means that disrupt natural communities. These disturbances provide invasive species with an ideal opportunity to colonize.
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.
The lovely title of Douglas Tallamy’s acclaimed book Bringing Nature Home implies that as gardeners and environmentally minded citizens, one of our directives is to invite nature—birds, bees, butterflies, and other critters—into our landscapes.
As I wrote about in the past few weeks, invasive plants change face of our natural landscape, and so do pollution and urban sprawl. In his book, an outstanding homage to biodiversity, Tallamy looks at two other destructive forces: habitat destruction and the loss of species.
Biodiversity is synonymous with a balanced ecological community. Plants, insects, and other animals have all co-evolved in communities with complex, interconnected lives that are dependent on one another.
Many insects are specialists, meaning that they feed on specific plants. This is nature’s way of ensuring that species are not decimated by predators. How do plants do this?
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.
Years ago, I returned home to Massachusetts after living in England for 10 years and drove around my old neighborhood with a friend. I commented on a pretty purple flower I saw growing in a wetland area. When I asked her what it was, she cringed and told me it was purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria, pictured. Photo by Wikipedia user Meggar). At first I thought her reaction was severe until, continuing our drive, I realized it had taken over many wetland areas. Where were the native cattails (Typha), the sedges (Carex), and the swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) that I had grown up with?
Ecosystems are by definition complex, and the lives of their inhabitants are interconnected. When an ecosystem is thrown out of balance by an invasive intruder, more than the flora suffers.
Insects, birds, amphibians, and mammals all depend on the native flora for food, shelter, and nesting sites and materials. An area stripped of its native vegetation creates a sterile environment that is no longer inhabitable to many creatures.
