Head Grower, Theresa Kyriazes, answers anything and everything about houseplants and gardening. Email her at TheresaK@oakparkparks.com to have your gardening questions answered. Read more about the Theresa Kyriazes.
Questions:
How do I prepare my garden for the winter?
How do I care for "silver lace vine"?
What do I do with honeysuckle?
How do I grow a good tomato?
QUESTION: How do I prepare my garden for the winter?
ANSWER: Putting the garden to bed for the winter is mostly a matter of cleaning up and covering up. As fall progresses and temperatures drop, those plants that aren't killed outright by frost prepare for dormancy. Clear out the blackened stems and foliage of annual flowers and vegetables to prevent the possibility of their harboring disease pathogens and insect eggs over the winter. The cool weather is a good time to make a cold frame, dig and box in raised beds, and make general repairs.
While it appears as if all activity in the garden has stopped, there's a lot going on under the soil until it freezes. Newly transplanted trees and shrubs, divisions of perennials, and hardy bulbs are all growing roots, drawing on soil nutrients and moisture around them. Earthworms and various microbes in the soil are still processing the organic material they're finding. Most likely, the organic mulch you spread to protect the soil during the summer months has substantially decomposed. It's important to spread new mulch now -- a thicker winter layer -- to protect plants and soil over the winter months. The idea is not so much to keep the soil warm as it is to keep the temperature even. Once the soil is frozen, mulch keeps it frozen. So if you have shade trees convert the fallen leaves to mulch and use it throughout your property.
Snow both protects and endangers plants. A good snow cover insulates the soil like a type of mulch. However, snow piled on evergreen branches weights them down, risking breakage. Knock snow from the bottom branches first, then work upward. This way snow from above will not add weight to the already burdened lower branches. If branches are bowed by ice, don't try to free them. Instead let the ice melt and release them gradually.
QUESTION: I have a “silver lace vine.” (I didn’t order this. I ordered something else. The company shipped the wrong vine. I stuck it in the ground with nothing to lose and it has done pretty well). It is trellised. As of matter of fact if I were to double the height of the trellis I think the vine would continue to go ‘up.’ What do I need to do in order for winter preparation – cut it down?
I don’t know what to do with the silver lace vine. It’s out of control on top because – it wants more trellis. So I have these 2 foot long vines just kind of clumping up (I braid them together for substance and impact). The bottom foot from the ground looks somewhat sparse / not quite leggy. I had nothing to lose with planting it and I’d like to perform the appropriate care for next year.
ANSWER: Protect the silver lace vine by covering the base of the plant with several inches of mulch. Wrap the top of the vine with burlap if additional protection is required. Vines that are damaged from harsh winter conditions can be cut back to several inches above the ground to stimulate new plant growth.
Silver Lace can grow to 40’, but can withstand a pruning at any time. They seem to be pretty tough plants.
QUESTION: I have honeysuckle. I do not know what variety type. I got it on the distress table at Lowes. It is two or three years old. It is growing, and I would say that it is established –however, it has never flowered. The branches are somewhat ‘woody’ (I mean strong, [twig-like], kind of like a wisteria). I don’t know what to do with this. It is trellised and goes up-and-out. The branches that stick out are anywhere from 1.5-2.5 feet long.
ANSWER: Plants don't bloom for a few reasons, one may be that it is too young, or if it's not fed, (although in most cases, this isn't an issue with this plant). If it's allowed to dry out too much, it won't produce blooms. If it's on the edge of a lawn that's fed with high-nitrogen lawn food, then it may be getting too much food so it grows great leaves but no flowers. Also, since we are unsure of what the variety is, it is hard to be sure of the proper course of action. After making sure it’s fed and watered properly give it a pruning. In early spring, take a bit off the top all around. The new wood should bloom for you.
QUESTION: How do I grow a good tomato?
ANSWER: Some of the most common questions I have gotten throughout my growing career is “How do I grow a good tomato?”
So lets first tackle, why grow tomatoes?
Its cost efficient, a great way to keep friendly with the neighbors and home-grown tomatoes taste so much better than store bought. Recent studies have shown that tomatoes are high in vitamins A and C, but more importantly they are high in lycopene. Lycopene is what is responsible for producing the red color, and some studies have shown that lycopene in tomatoes is linked with a decreased risk of cancer. However, the reason I grow them is because of my 8 year old son will head to the garden and choose his own tomato for his afternoon snack, it does a mother's heart proud!
Location, Location, Location! It’s a lot like real estate, tomatoes like a nice warm area in full sun, and need at least 8 hours of sunlight a day, or they get spindly and produce little mature fruit.
To feed or not to feed, that is the question. I do not feed my tomatoes while they are growing, (I do while they are seedlings) however, I do have very fertile well drained soil that is rich in organic matter, which is what tomatoes prefer.
If your soil stays soggy where you want to plant, build a raised bed.
WATER-WATER-WATER
Watering in the morning is always better than in the evening. Watering in the morning allows plants to take in the water all day and avoids them from “using up their supply” in dry hot days. It also helps plants to breathe easier. I bet you didn’t realize that plants go to sleep too, and those little roots sleeping in a waterbed can only cause problems.
When watering, always keep the water towards the base of the plant, and try and keep the leaves dry. Tomatoes can become infected when airborne spores land on wet plants, so never use an overhead sprinkler. Obviously if it rains you can't do anything about it, but try not to unnecessarily get the plants wet.
Water regularly but allow the soil to dry a bit between watering. You want tomatoes to have a regular available water source without keeping them soggy.
In areas with high heat, you may need to mulch around the base of the plants to keep the roots from drying out, and help with moisture retention.
Just pay attention, and in time you will see a pattern of when your plants need to be watered, and you'll get the hang of it.
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