Bad End to a Good Year – RIP Goldie

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Jay White

It is with heavy heart that I announce the passing of the first of our chickens. Goldie was the middle sized Buff Orpington. In the past seven months she has filled our lives with much joy and the lightest of brown eggs. She has only been gone a few hours and she is already missed terribly.

Goldie and Wendy Lou getting ready for bed

I don’t know what happened. I came home from work yesterday and she ran to the car to meet me. She, and all of the other girls, were in fine spirits. I rubbed them and let them pick at my buttons and my ring. Everything seemed fine. Just another day.

Imagine my surprise when I went to the coop this afternoon and found her dead, cold and stiff just inside the door of the coop. She had no signs of trauma. I felt her tummy closely and she did not appear to be egg bound. It appears that she just decided to die last night.

This is our sweet Goldie just hours after she hatched.

If any of you have experienced anything like this I would love to hear from you. My internet searches reveal that this is unfortunately not a rare occurrence. However, my common sense tells me that nothing “just dies”. There has to be a reason.

Tonight the remaining five girls got a more thorough rub down/examination. I do not want to lose another one. For those of you that have raised chickens from hatchlings to full grown hens you know how attached you become to them. While I realize I was not as attached to her as say a dog, I was attached nonetheless. Her passing has left me feeling a little blue on the last day of the year.

I’ll never forget your first night in the big coop. You were so scared and your rooster was there to calm your fears.

We wrapped her in a pillow case and entered her body in a lovely spot that has a view of the lake, the coop and her friends. I am sure hers will be the first grave in what will eventually become our pet cemetery.

Rest in Peace Goldie. You were a great little hen.

Grow Bigger, Sweeter Onions

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Jay White

I love growing onions. They are so reliable and easy to grow. Because of this they make a great crop for beginning gardeners. If you are a new gardener and you have decent soil, just stick some quality sets in it at the right time of year and water them regularly. That is basically all it takes to get a pretty decent onion harvest. However, onions are not just for beginners. For those of us that have more gardening experience, we can use all of our knowledge and skill to grow the biggest and sweetest onions possible.

A couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail from my friend Christi at “The Brown Shed”. She bought several more onion sets than her garden could accommodate so she offered me her extras. Since it is onion planting time in Washington County I gladly accepted her generous offer. Christ gave me six different varieties; Yellow Granex (Vidalia), 1015Y (Y is for yellow), 1015W (Texas Super Sweet), Texas Early White, Texas Legend and Belle Red.

While you can grow your onions from seeds, this article applies to those of us that grow them from sets. Sets are simply immature onion plants. These immature little onions are very tough. The average onion set can live for three weeks without water. Because of this, if your local nursery or feed store does not have the varieties you want, you can order directly from a number of reputable sources. My favorite is Dixondale Farms. Dixondale is a family owned business that has been growing and selling onion sets in the Rio Grande Valley for the past 100 years. (http://www.dixondalefarms.com/category/onion_plants). In fact, if you live in Texas and you buy your sets from a local nursery or feed store, there is a very good chance that they got their sets from Dixondale’s (all of the onions Christi gave me came from Dixondale).

A young “Belle Red” set .

Onions come in three types (short day, intermediate and long day) based on the amount of daylight needed to initiate bulbing. Because of our latitude, most Texans grow what are called short day onions. Short day onions will begin the bulbing process when day lengths reach 10 to 12 hours. Short day onions can be planted anytime between approximately November 15 (in the southern parts of the state) and the middle of February. The earlier you plant them the bigger the bulbs will get.

Don’t worry about planting in November or December. Onions are very cold hearty plants so they can easily survive temperatures into the twenties. However, temperatures below twenty may kill them. If it doesn’t kill them, it will force them bolt and set seeds. So, if it is going to get really cold you should cover them with a tarp or blanket.

Yellow Granex are the Dixondale hybrid that ulitimately become Vidalia onions. However, they can't legally be called Vidalia unless they are grown in Vidalia County, Georgia. I wonder how many of those folks in Georgia realize there most famous export came from Texas?

Yellow Granex are the Dixondale hybrid that ulitimately becameVidalia onions. However, they can’t legally be called Vidalia unless they are grown in Vidalia County, Georgia. I wonder how many of those folks in Georgia realize their most famous export came from Texas?

In addition to a long growing season, bigger, better and sweeter onions require full sun and well-draining, nutrient rich soil. Onions are heavy feeders and they have a relatively small root structure so it is imperative that your soil has enough nutrition to support the growth of these big bulbs. Most onions prefer a soil pH that is slightly acidic (6.2-6.8). If your soil is too acidic you can till in ground limestone. If it is too alkaline add peat moss to raise the pH.

Once your bed is prepared, use your finger or dibble to make 1” deep holes that are 2” to 4” apart. Do not plant onion sets more than an inch deep as this can interfere with bulbing. Drop your onion set into the hole and pull the soil snuggly up around the plant. Most short day onions need at least 4” between plants to develop a large bulb. If you plant them 2” apart, you need to thin them during the growing season. Many people over plant in this manner so they can use their “thins” as green onions. If you don’t intend on making “green onions”, four to six inch spacing will provide plenty of room for your onions to grow into big, healthy bulbs.

Red short day onions like “Belle Red” and hotter and keep better than the sweeter yellow and white short day varieties

If you are growing your onions organically, top dress your rows with a high quality, high nitrogen compost (like manures) every month. If you are fertilizing your onions top dress the soil with ½ cup of fertilizer (ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) for alkaline soils and calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0) for acidic soils ) for every ten feet of row. Apply every month until you see the soil beginning to be pushed back by the bulb.

Always water your plants thoroughly after applying fertilizer. Onions need at least an inch of water per week. However, since they have such a shallow root system you need to ensure that the ground never completely dries out. As temperatures rise, monitor your beds closely and adjust the amount of water you put out. Be careful not to over water. If you see your onion tops developing a yellow tinge, back off of the water. Once the onion matures and the tops fall over, stop watering completely.

Because of their weak root structure, onions do not compete well with weeds. Keep your beds as weed free as possible. I generally mulch mine with straw. However, if you use straw you need to pull it back once the plants start to bulb. This will allow the onions to dry out naturally and will help you preserve them when they are mature. If you are not a “mulcher” you can also control weeds organically by putting out corn gluten meal every six weeks. For non-organic growers, Treflan does a great job controlling weeds and has no adverse effect on the onions.

Onions are ready to harvest when their tops fall over. Stop watering at this point.

Onions are the second most grown vegetable in the home garden. When you consider that the average American consumes 20 pounds of these spicy bulbs each year, it is not hard to imagine why so many people love to grow them. With a little care and finesse, you can make your twenty pounds of onions the biggest and sweetest you have ever tasted. Julia Child once said “It is hard to imagine civilization without onions”. I have to agree.

BTW, your onion crop is ready to harvest when the tops fall over. When that happens, be sure to come back and read “How to Harvest and Cure Onions” and “Harvesting and Curing Onions Part 2” by Patty Leander.

This post has been shared on the Homestead Barn Hop and the HomeAcre Hop. These hops are a great way to connect with, and learn from, some of the best bloggers on the web. Be sure to check it out!

The Pumpkinator!

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Jay White

I had no idea how much fun there was in a box of pumpkins

This past weekend Sally, Jessie and I were invited to take part in an annual fall activity called “Punkin Chunkin”. If you are not familiar with “Punkin Chunkin’” don’t feel bad. Neither was I. Evidently this is a pretty big deal in the North East. Punkin Chunkin is the art (and competition) of creating machines to hurl pumpkins as far as possible. This sounds amazing! I cannot believe it has not caught on down here.

Staring dowm the barrel of “The Pumpkinator”

Luckily Sally is friends with a true visionary. Kathyrn Boyd is, as far as I know, the first “Punkin Chunker” in Texas. She has created her very own Punkin Chunker that her daughter Emmy Kate has dubbed “The Pumpkinator”. They invited my family to join their family for an afternoon of good natured vegetable destruction.

Emmy Kate (in white) instructs my daughter Jessie in the proper way to load the catapult

“The Pumpkinator” is an ingeniously simple catapult that Kathryn designed for the sole purpose of propelling pumpkins hard enough to explode on impact. Katherine’s Pumpkinator is built on a 2” drill stem frame that looks a lot like an old swing set. Pointing down from the top bar are two arms that hold long rubber lines made from surgical hose. The rubber lines are attached to a funnel that has been modified to include a handle. The pumpkins are placed in the funnel which the shooter pulls back as far as possible. Then, it is just a matter of point and release.

There is nothing like exploding pumpkins to bring out the kid in all of us!

I cannot describe the shear bliss that burst out across those kid’s faces when those bright orange orbs exploded against the plywood wall! It looked like so much fun that Sally and I gladly lined up for our turn. After firing “The Pumpkinator” I can tell you that you have not really lived until you have used a catapult to fire a pumpkin into a wall!

The end result of a very enjoyable afternoon

Even though chunking pumpkins is new to me, the feelings I felt while doing it are not. I miss the days when families actually got together and participated in good, old fashioned, wholesome activities. I know I sound like an old man here, but I truly believe we would all be better off if we got up, turned off the TV, the computer, the Ipad and the Playstation and went outside and chunked pumpkins with our friends and family. I want to say a big Thank You to Kathyrn for creating “The Pumpkinator”. People like you remind us all that life is best when lived unplugged!

Squash Wrap Up

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Jay White

Another front came through last night. Since this is the second significant front to come through in November I realize that the end of growing season is at hand for a lot of things in my garden. The last front actually brought a little freezing weather with it so I had to cover up the tomatoes. I also had a few winter squash that were not quite ready so I covered them too. I also harvested the winter squash that were ready.

The last of the winter squash. Top wrung – Red Warty Thing, Black Futsu and the unidentified squash. Second wrung – Turk’s Turban. Third wrung – another unidentifed squash. Photo by Chris Rue

I planted five varieties of winter squash back in August. I bought the seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com). Even though I planted five varieties of squash, I wound up only harvesting three of the varieties I ordered. This was due to a couple of strange things that I have never happened to me before.

The cucmber beetles ate everything – leaves and flowers included!

The first were the cucumber beetles. OMG! They were terrible. In addition to being a general menace they completely destroyed all of the vines of the Lakota winter squash. I really wanted this variety so that was pretty disappointing. However, that is nature. Bugs happen. Since I have never had cucumber beetles before, and since they COMPLETELY ate all of the Lakota vines, I can only assume that the Lakota squash brought the bugs to me. I will never plant this variety again.

This image of Galeux d’ Eysines is from rareseeds.com. This what I wanted to grow. The green and orange squash in the first picture is what I got.

The next thing that happened was truly strange. I am convinced that Baker Creek somehow messed up their packaging. I ordered a variety called Galeux d’ Eysines. As the season progressed it became clear that I had none of this variety growing in my squash patch. Instead, I had a large, oblong squash that was mostly green but stripped with a little orange. To this day I have no idea what variety this squash is. I have gone through all of the pictures on their website and I can find nothing that resembles the squash I grew. Very strange. I know accidents happen but I have never bought a package of seeds and then had them turn out to be something other than what was advertised.

This lovely Tatume’ was grown by MOH reader Sherry Westphal in Michigan.

On another note, I recently got an e-mail and pictures from Sherry Westphal of Michigan. She grew Tatume’ on a trellis in her garden. Tatume’ is my favorite squash of all time. Tatume’ is the rare squash that can be grown as either a summer or winter squash. I grow it in the spring and eat it when it is young. However, if you leave it on the vine it will turn into a mild winter squash. So glad Sherry enjoyed her Tatume’ and took the time to send pictures and tell me about it.

All of this cold means the end of what I consider prime gardening time. The tomatoes are done and the last of my winter squash will soon be on the porch. However, thanks to my mild climate, I have enough greens and brassicas growing in the garden to keep my hands dirty until February.

Trimming Trees Correctly – Don’t Overdo It! by Janet Laminack

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Jay White

Some of you out there make yard work way too hard. For example, leaves don’t have to be raked and bagged. You can mow them into tiny bits and let them break down in the lawn. Or you can rake them into your flowerbeds as a mulch. But they can be messy and ill-behaved and blow around places, so I know that some people really need to rake and bag leaves and that is ok.

Downed leaves make great mulch

Did you know that trees don’t have to be trimmed? That’s a real shocker, isn’t it? The three primary reasons a tree should be pruned or trimmed is if they have branches that are dead, diseased or damaged. There are many other reasons that people trim and prune their shade trees but not all of them are very effective or recommended, such as pruning to control size. Find a tree or shrub with a mature size within your desired limits. Removing more than a third of a plant at a time is not recommended ever, so bear that in mind when charging about with your loppers and chainsaws.

Trees will need to be trimmed if branches are crossing and rubbing. Or if a tree is touching your house or other structures, pruning is appropriate.

Trees don’t “have” to be trimmed. These lovely cottonwoods and sycamores have never seen a a pruner or saw and they look pretty spectacular

Sometimes trees are thinned out in the canopy. This is primarily done to allow more sunlight in for growing grass under the tree. Trees and turfgrass don’t actually mix too well. But, a tree adds so much more value to your home that I tend to always side with the tree over lawn health. Planting a groundcover or other shade loving plants under a tree is an option if it’s too shady for grass but you want something green. Trees don’t need to be thinned out because they are too heavy or thick.

Trees are also trimmed up to open up a view or sight line. This is sometimes necessary and advisable. Removal of a few of the lower branches so that you don’t clothesline yourself while mowing is reasonable. However, be mindful not to overdo it creating a lion’s tail. This can leave a tree less structurally sound.

Crape myrtles are commonly trimmed back severely or topped in the winter to encourage blooming. They do flower on new growth, but pruning is not necessary in order for them to put on a spectacular show the next summer. Topping can cause the tree to lose its wonderful branching structure.

You don’t have to commit crepe murder to get your crepe myrtles to produce beautiful blooms each year. Photo from Greg Grant on Aggie-Horticulture. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/stopthecrape.html

Yard work can be tough, but maybe not as hard as you have been making it all these years. If you have questions about how to care for your trees or landscape, give us a call at 940.349.2892, email master.gardener@dentoncounty.com or visit www.dcmga.com.

The Red Warty Thing

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Jay White

I love garden surprises. This fall, my surprise came in the form of a massive squash called The Red Warty Thing (formerly called Victor). Back in July I pulled down my cucumber vines. This left me with a 33’ trellised row in need of planting. So, I ordered 5 varieties of heirloom winter squash from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com). In all honesty, I didn’t plan on eating any of them. I wanted to use them in the fall decorations around our house.

I have never enjoyed watching anything grow more than I did this Red Warty Thing

When I ordered The Red Warty Thing, I thought I would be growing a lovely orange, bumpy, softball sized decoration to mix in a bowl with my gourds, acorns and leaves. I was very surprised when my “decoration” turned into a 16 pound pumpkin!

Watching this squash turn into a pumpkin has truly been the highlight of my fall garden

I have grown very few things that I enjoyed as much as this squash. In fact, watching it grow became a part of our evening routine. It produced huge vines with huge, beautiful leaves. After that came the huge yellow flowers. Once the bees did their thing, we enjoyed watching the light yellow football shaped fruit that was about the size of golf ball turn into the huge Red Warty Thing. For the first month, it kept its yellow color. Once it got about as big as it is now, the skin started to change. Then it developed slight ribs like a pumpkin. Then the bumps started forming and the color started changing ever so slightly every day.

This baby Red Warty Thing has gone from golf ball to softball size in less than a week

As much fun as it was to watch the squash grow, I will probably not grow it (or any other squash) for a couple of years. The reason I have finally decided to give up on squash for a while was a little green bug called the cucumber beetle.

This little green bug has finally convinced me to put away my squash seeds for a couple of years

Now I am a pretty experienced gardener. However, I have never experienced insects that were this invasive and this destructive. While I am accustomed to squash bugs and squash vine borers, I have never encountered anything like the cucumber beetle before. As soon as the foliage reached the top of the trellis, these guys showed up. And not just a few either. They came en mass. Over the next few weeks they systematically stripped all of the foliage and flowers from my 15 plants. The only way I could keep ahead of them was to let the squash vine on the ground. For some reason the bugs only ate the foliage on the trellis.

The cucmber beetles ate everything – leaves and flowers included!

Since I grow organically, I didn’t have any means to fight them. I never noticed a larval stage. One day I noticed holes in the leaves and the next day the trellis was covered in a swarm of green bugs. These beetles finally showed me that as an organic grower I am truly defenseless against a determined invader.

Since this is going to be the last winter squash I grow for a while I decided to do a little research and see what I could do with a 16 lb squash. Turns out, I can do a whole lot. According to the internet, the Red Warty Thing has a flavor and texture that allows you to use it in all of your pumpkin recipes. So I can puree it and use it to make pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup. It can also be cubed and roasted just like an acorn or butternut squash. Since I really like all of these things, I am looking forward to helping my wife convert our “decorative” squash into a plethora of pumpkin dishes for all of our Thanksgiving guests.

Fabulous Fall Decorations

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Jay White

On Monday, my wife went to Bayou Bend to attend the memorial service for Michael Brown. Michael was the curator there for many years and she was very fond of him. Michael was a great researcher and curator. In fact, he literally wrote the book on Duncan Phyfe furniture. He was the epitome of a gentleman and scholar. He left this world too soon and his passing leaves a big hole in the world of American Decorative Arts.

Michael’s memorial service was held at Bayou Bend.

After I got off work I rode around while waiting for the service to let out. I love riding around in River Oaks. According to Forbes magazine, River Oaks is home to several of the richest people in America. Because of this, I got to enjoy some of the most impressive homes and landscapes in the entire United States.

This is the proper way to decorate the enterance to a home

In my wanderings I happened upon what I think is my favorite fall landscape ever. If I had the money, this is how I would decorate the outside of my house every fall. As you look at these beds notice that, besides the shrubs, nothing is permanent. Each season, the owner replaces every thing between the boxwoods with seasonal plants.

Not only do I admire these decorations I admire the owners for creating these botanically beatuiful scenes for the public

I don’t know the landscape company that installs these decorations or the man that pays to have it done. However, I admire them both. Much like Michael Brown, they are enhancing peoples lives by sharing beautiful things with them.

I am not particularly fond of crotons. However, I have to admit that they were the perfect filler between the mums, marigolds, squash and pumpkins.

It’s Tree Planting Time by Janet Laminack

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Jay White

There is an old saying that goes “The very best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago”. If you didn’t do it twenty years ago you can make amends by planting one now. Fall is the perfect time for planting trees in Texas. Fall planting allows a tree to establish itself in the cooler temperatures of winter and spring.

October is the best time of the year to plant trees in Texas. This weekend, I planted two large Empire Live Oaks from Tree Town USA in the front yard of nationally known decorator Holly Mathis (http://www.hollymathisinteriors.com/).

When choosing trees, people often want a quick growing tree. Quick growing sometimes means quick dying, so it’s best to be patient and pick a quality tree. Some good choices for our area include oaks like burr, chinkapin, red oak and live oak. Lacebark elm and cedar elm do well and pecans also make nice shade trees. But pecans are not a good choice for planting over driveways or for the squirrel-adverse. You can also consider smaller trees or large shrubs such as redbud, crape myrtle, desert willow, and wax myrtle. True, these trees won’t be gigantic shade trees, but they can make a positive impact and might be more appropriate and attractive by staying in scale with your home and smaller urban lot.

When I plant a tree I use my shovel to get the hole width and depth correct. Width should be 1.5 times as big as the pot and the depth should be 2 or 3 inches shorter than the soil depth in the pot

When deciding where to plant a tree, it’s essential to consider its mature size. Consider how big this tree will be in 10, 20, or 30 years. Make sure you don’t plant a tree too close to power lines, buildings or other trees. You also need to check that the tree isn’t too close to anything underground as well. Before you dig, call 811 to have the underground utilities in your lawn marked for free. Planting trees or shrubs might seem like minor digging, but not knowing where underground lines are could put you in danger or disrupt service in your neighborhood (or both depending on just how serious the sports fans are in your area!) For more information, visit www.call811.com.

The handle of my shovel was almost exactly 1.5 times as wide as the pot of my 45 gallon Empire Live Oak. Note the black line on the handle. This is how I determine the depth of the hole.

Trees can increase the value of a home’s resale. Properly placed trees can also help with heating and cooling expenses of the home. A deciduous tree (one that loses its leaves in the winter) placed on the south or west side of a home provides shade and cooling in the summer and allows for warming up in the winter.

A big tree requires a big hole and some help. I had two grown men help me with my 45 gallon Empire Live Oak.

I’d recommend doing some research on your own in order to pick your tree. Online sources such as the Texas Forest Service Tree Selector (http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/) and the Earth-Kind Plant Selector (http://earthkind.tamu.edu) can provide you with much more information on the particular traits of trees that work well in North Texas.

When back filling the hole, it is a good idea to fill 1/3 of the whole the with soil and then saturate. Use the handle of your shovel to tamp in the soil. Then add 1/3 more soil and repeat. This will remove any root killing air pockets.

When back filling the hole, it is a good idea to fill 1/3 of the hole with soil and then saturate. Use the handle of your shovel to tamp in the soil. Then add 1/3 more soil and repeat. This will remove any root killing air pockets.

As far as planting trees a very common mistake is planting a tree too deep. Keep the same soil line on the trunk when it’s in the ground as it was in the container. If this kind of exactness makes you nervous, place the tree slightly higher. Some settling may occur and it is very important to make sure the tree is not too deep. Once the tree is planted, don’t forget about it. For the first three years it will need more care while it gets established such as supplemental water and reducing the competition of weeds and grass. For more details on proper tree planting and more tree choices for our area, check out www.dcmga.com, email us at master.gardener@dentoncounty.com or call 940.349.2892.

This post has been shared on the Homestead Barn Hop. These’s hops are a great way to gather tons of great info from bloogers around the country. Be sure to visit!

Harlequin Bug – A Real Sucker By Patty Leander

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Jay White

Brassica plants love our fall weather. So do harlequin bugs. And unfortunately harlequin bugs love brassicas. These colorful bugs are attracted to the large, succulent leaves of various members of the brassica family, including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards and mustard. A cousin to stink bugs, the adults are easy to spot because of their orange and black exoskeleton, and if you find one there are usually many more in the vicinity.

Adult Harlequin Bug in curly kale. All photos in the post by Bruce Leander

One of the best methods for controlling this pest is to perform a regular “search and destroy” operation to keep them in check; otherwise they will continue to proliferate in your garden. Monitor your plants for clusters of the distinctive, black and white barrel-shaped eggs which are usually laid in clusters of 10-12 on the plant stems or the underside of leaves. Each female egg has the potential to hatch and grow and lay another dozen eggs in only four to nine weeks, so if you can eliminate just one egg mass you will be way ahead in this game we call vegetable gardening.

This dime shows the relative size – the intricate eggs are tiny and easy to overlook

Harlequin Bugs have distinctive egg cases, usually 10-12 barrel shaped eggs laid side by side

Organic products, such as spinosad or insecticidal soap, only offer fair control and are most effective in the nymphal stages. Adults become more resistant and harder to control so find those eggs and destroy them! If any eggs should escape your eagle eye, hand pick the resulting pests and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. Row cover can be used to protect plants, just make sure there are no adults or eggs present before covering plants. Another control option is to plant a sacrificial trap crop of mustard or turnips to attract the bugs away from your desirable plants, then pick off the adults or spray the trap crop with insecticide rather than spraying all of the brassicas you plan to eat. Keep an eye out for this pest in both fall and early spring as they can easily decimate a plant if not kept under control.

The colorful adults are plentiful and easy to find; handpick and dispose of them in a bucket of soapy water

Go Vertical With Winter Squash

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Jay White

I grow squash almost year round. Since there are literally hundreds of varieties of them it is very easy to find several that will do well for you no matter where you live. Right now I am growing three little bushes of yellow crook neck. However, the stars of my fall garden are the five varieties of winter squash that I am now growing.

A lovely little acorn squash that I grew vertically last year

Now I am going to make a bit of a confession. I actually enjoy eating yellow squash and zucchini a lot more than I do winter squash. However, winter squash gives me three things that the bushing types never will – 1) It is visually stunning when grown on structure 2) It is almost 100% immune to the squash vine borer and 3) I can decorate with the fruits.

Growing Vertically – Winter squash typically grow on vines – BIG VINES. It is not uncommon for many varieties to produce vines that are 20 to 30 feet long. Because of this, a lot of folks don’t grow them. While there is no way to stop them from going big, you can control the sprawl by growing them up a structure. I grow my winter squash on a 32’ length of cattle panels. The large scale foliage of these plants cascading off of the structure makes my garden look lush and almost tropical.

I love the large scale foliage of winter squash

I planted five varieties of winter squash (see image at bottom of post) on August 15. I could have planted any time after the soil temperature was above 70 degrees. If you plant when the soil is too cool, many squash seeds will actually rot in the ground before they get a chance to germinate. Squash is also very tolerant of all types of soils. It can grow in soils that are slightly acidic and soils that are slightly basic.

Since squash grow so well from seed, and many varieties mature in 50 to 60 days, you definitely do not want to waste your money on transplants. Plant your seeds in a sunny location when night time temperatures are in the sixties. Plant them about an inch deep in soil that has been well worked with compost. Squash are heavy feeders and need good drainage to thrive. Compost will provide both of these requirements to the plants. Most squash plants sprout in 5 to 10 days. Once the true leaves appear you can thin your plants to 36” for vining types.

A baby winter squash awaits it’s flower’s opening and pollination

Because squash are big, fast growing plants they require more water and nutrients than many other vegetables. While 1” every five days may be sufficient in heavier soils, squash in sandy soils will require more. Watch your plants. It is normal for them to wilt a little on a very hot day. However, if they are wilting heavily you may want to increase the frequency of your watering. Also, since they use so much water, squash will definitely benefit from mulch. Mulch with compost and it will help the soil retain more water, keep the roots of the plant cool or warm and feed it all at the same time.

As you can see from the pictures, winter squash produce stunning foliage. Some of the leaves of my heirlooms are as large as elephant ears. These large vines also produce lots of large yellow squash blossoms that really bring in the bees.

Squash Vine Borer – If you are going to grow squash you are going to have bugs. I can deal with squash bugs. While annoying, they don’t really set my plants back much. However, no matter how hard I try, I just cannot beat the squash vine borer (SVB).

SVB damage on last year’s winter squash. Even though a SVB obviously attacked the plant, it did not effect fruit production

Luckily, winter squash are almost immune to the effects of this horrible little pest. Notice I said almost. The SVB can devastate summer squash because it only has a few stems to produce leaves and fruit. The ugly little caterpillar can borrow through these few stems and destroy the plants entire vascular system. Winter squash, on the other hand, spread out and put down roots every place a node lies on the ground. Because of this, even if the SVB caterpillar gets inside the base of the plant, it cannot destroy the entire vascular system. All of those rooted nodes ensure that the plant can continue to thrive even if the base gets infested with the SVB.

If you grow vertically you will be limiting the number of nodes that root on the ground. This can limit its SVB fighting power. If you are really worried about the SVB I suggest letting one or two vines grow on the ground and then let the rest grow up over the structure. Winter squash is designed by nature to grow over things. They produce tendrils that are long and strong. Because of this it is very easy to get them to grow up and ove something. If you just lay your vines on the structure for one night, the tendrils will take over. After that there is no more need for help from you.

Beautiful Fruit – Even though I don’t really love eating winter squash, I do love looking at them. With the exception of the cushaw, most of the winter squash that I am familiar with produce very attractive fruits. When you go to the store to buy “gourds” for your fall arrangements, there’s a good chance you won’t be buying gourds. All of those textured, oddly shaped red, orange, green and gold “gourds” are actually the fruits of several varieties of winter squash. Without getting too botanical, know that if it is woody and hollow, it’s a gourd. If it is solid and has some weight to it, it is a squash (or a pumpkin which is also a squash but that’s another post). One of the most commonly used squash in fall arrangements is the Turk’s Turban. I love this funny looking squash so I am currently growing three vines of it in the row garden. I am also growing Lakota, Galeux d’ Eysines, Black Futsu and The Red Warty Thing (not making that up folks, that is its real name).

The five varieties of winter squash I am currently growing.

Another reason that these lovely squash make such good decorative objects is the fact that they store really well at room temperature. This storage capacity is why people grew them before refrigeration. If the skins and the stems of your squash are not damaged they should stay fresh and attractive in an arrangement for three or four months. I plan to harvest mine toward the end of October. They will then be used throughout the house until after Thanksgiving. At that time, the Christmas decorations will go up and I will be free to eat all of these lovely squash that have served me so well.