June - Prune Your Herbs

 

Golden oregano in hanging beach pail (Kagan)

WEEKEND REMINDER It's time to prune your herbs!

Most herbs require pruning during the growing season to keep them healthy and continue producing the leaves or flowers we want.

German Chamomile-flowers for tea (Kagan)

Prune herbs regularly and keep some for daily use. Pick early in the day as the sun’s heat will pull flavorful oils from the plant. Gently rinse and dry ones for immediate use. Store extras, unwashed, in unsealed plastic bags in the refrigerator crisper and wash before use.

If you have many, consider preserving them by drying, dehydrating, or freezing. Here's a good article from PennState Extension [https://extension.psu.edu/growing-harvesting-and-preserving-herbs].

Click to go to the article

Caterpillar parsley/Bee-oregano (Kagan)

Though most culinary herbs are not native they can provide excellent functional support to pollinators and other beneficial insects. A few herbs are host plants. Some provide nectar and pollen, as well as shelter and nesting sites. You may want to provide extra plants to let them flower for pollinators.

Garden sage in flower (Kagan)

Here are a few pruning guide photos. (Photos: Carol Kagan)

Oregano

Tarragon

Marjoram

                                                       ~    ~    ~    ~    ~

 HERB SAMPLER Second Edition (my book)

Buy one for yourself and consider getting a few more. They make great hostess gifts, housewarming, and anytime gifts.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it. 

TEST YOUR SAVED SEEDS FOR VIABILITY

 

100% of sweet basil germinated

Did you save seeds from last year or get some from another gardener? You want to make sure these seeds are viable and will grow.

The University of Illinois Extension Service notes, “Over time, seeds lose the ability to grow. Seed germination rate refers to the ability of the seed to sprout. Seed viability refers to the strength and vigor of the plant after germination. Seed viability will begin to decline before seed germination rates fall; therefore, if you have a packet of seeds and very few of the seeds germinate, the seeds that do germinate are not likely to grow strong healthy plants.”

Here is their clear step-by-step procedure to test your seeds.

Gather your materials, especially if you have a number of seeds to test. Seed packets with germination rate expected, paper towels (cut to fit your plastic container or bags), spray bottle of water, plastic bags or containers, LABELS, tally sheet.

Place 10 seeds on a paper towel

HOW TO TEST SEED GERMINATION

1. Place 10 seeds on a damp paper towel.

2. Fold the paper towel and place it in a plastic bag (snack size zip lock are good) or reusable container. This will prevent the paper towel from drying out.

3. LABEL the container with the plant name, date, and number of days expected for germination (info from seed packet). For more than one packet of the same variety of seeds, number them and put the same number on the label for the packet with the remaining seeds.

On a table in a warm room

4. Leave the container(s) in a warm place and observe for seed germination. The top of a refrigerator will do. Sunlight is not needed.

5. After the expected number of days for germination, count the number of seeds which have begun to grow.

Thai Basil seeds 7 of 10 =70%

If all 10 seeds grow, plant as normal. If seven to nine seeds grow, increase the number of seeds you plant. If six or fewer seeds germinate, it is best to buy new seeds.

Once you have the results you will know if you need to buy seeds packed for this year.

Carol Kagan/MasterGardener

                           ~    ~   ~   ~   ~

HERB SAMPLER Second Edition (my book)

Buy one for yourself and consider getting a few more. They make great hostess gifts, housewarming, and anytime gifts.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it. 

HERB SAMPLER BOOK

 

Starting in May, 2025 the HERB SAMPLER Second Edition  (Autographed Copy) is available at the Hip-Gypsy Emporium, Duffield, , PA.

Herb Sampler Second Edition is still available on Amazon (no autograph)

In 2012, I finally self-published the first edition of the Herb Sampler. It sold well on Amazon but much better from my inventory to friends, neighbors, relatives and visitors to herb classes, fairs and festivals. It was small and published as a paperback. Barbara Petrucci, my friend and also an artist, provided art sketches for most of the book. 

The idea for the Herb Sampler began when customers at the Master Gardener plant sale herb table wanted to know what to do with the herbs they were buying. This book was written to provide a sampling of information about herbs and herbal uses. It encouraged readers to check the Webliography and Bibliography for other resources and books with additional information.

THE SECOND EDITION IS NOW DONE - April 2019

Since the 2012 publication of the Herb Sampler, and working with the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Franklin County, Pa., I have learned so much more about herbs, especially about their uses and care. Helping to oversee the demonstration herb garden has added practical experience that has improved the information included in the Herb Sampler Second Edition. Both books are excellent for beginners and the more experienced. 

As a Master Gardener representing Penn State I use research-based information to answer questions and present programs as well as working in the demonstration gardens. The information presented in the book has been researched.

In this Second Edition I have added more sections such as Selecting Herbs, Making Ingredients, Edible Flowers and more ways to Preserve Herbs.  I learned a new, convenient way to dry herbs and this method of refrigerator drying is described as well as the use of a dehydrator. Barbara has, once again, contributed many art sketches throughout the book. 

There is updated and additional information plus new recipes, many courtesy of our Herb Team and their creative use of herbs for refreshments at classes and events. 

What the book does not include is detailed information about individual herbs. Look for updated references for both print and on the internet as well as an Index.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler has grown from small paperback to a Trade Paperback with my photo of Sage and Rosemary.

 

GINGER Fragrant Zest

 

ZEST FROM THE GARDEN GINGER

GINGER (Zingiber officinale)

Ginger is the 2023 Herb of the Year™ of the International Herb Association. This is the tropical plant whose rhizomes are found in the grocery store. It is known as true ginger and is one of the oldest known spices. It has a peppery and sweet taste with a spicy tang and the smell of lemony citrus.

The plant grows from a tuberous rhizome. It is native to humid, tropical forests in Southeast Asia and thrives in hardiness zones 9 to 12. The rhizomes are brown to golden colored with a corky outer skin. The inside is a pale yellow and has a spicy scent. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall on a straight stem and has a 2-to-3-foot spread. The alternating leaves along the stem are tapered in shape and 6 to 12 inches long. It can flower in the fall on 1-foot-tall stems with yellow and purple flowers and capsules hold small black seeds. The rhizomes grow underground horizontally sending up sprouts and making new rhizomes.

With planning and a little effort, successfully growing and enjoying fresh ginger from your garden is possible.  Although this is a tropical plant, it can be successfully grown in Pennsylvania if started indoors in March and transplanted after the last frost date outdoors.  

If you are inspired to grow ginger, grocery store ginger may be treated with an inhibitor to prevent sprouting. Nurseries, garden centers, or seed companies are better sources for your rhizomes.

Growing

Bill Gifford, Columbia County Master Gardener, has written guidelines for growing and harvesting ginger.

Select pieces that are firm, healthy, with no signs of damage, and have growth buds from which the green shoots grow. Cut the rhizomes into 3-inch pieces having at least three growth buds. Allow the cut to callus over for a week.

For planting, select a potting medium that is loose, loamy, and rich in organic matter. Place the soil in a two-part container that allows watering from the bottom. A tray that is 11 x 21 x 4-inches provides room to propagate six pieces. Lay the ginger horizontally on top of 3 inches of moist medium and cover with an additional inch of moist potting mix. Since ginger prefers dryer soil when sprouting, you need only water from the bottom every five to seven days until sprouts appear. At that point, water sufficiently to keep the soil moist but not wet. A seeding heating pad and a grow light will provide the necessary warmth and 16 to 18 hours of light required for good results. Because ginger is very slow to sprout, your patience may be tested.

After the danger of frost has passed and the evening temperatures are above 40°F, it is time to harden off your plants for five days and prepare for planting outside. A sunny site with loose, loamy, well-drained soil and a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 provides ideal growth. Place the rhizomes in a three-inch shallow trench, 3 inches deep and 12 inches apart with the sprouts just visible above the soil.

Containers

Ginger may also be grown in a large container and brought inside in the fall.

The rhizomes may also be planted in containers; plant one rhizome in each 12-inch diameter or larger container. When you see new shoots forming or when the pink shoulders of ginger start to appear, hill your plants with an inch of soil and add a granular fertilizer. The plants will require deep watering two or three times a week.

Harvesting

In autumn, after a frost kills the leaves, your ginger is ready for harvest. Gently dig up the beautiful cream and pink-colored ginger. Save the small rhizomes for use in stir fry or salads. After putting ginger in a resealable plastic bag, press the air out and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to two months. Also, you may store whole or grated ginger in airtight containers in the freezer for up to six months.”

Uses/Storage

Young rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a  mild taste and are used in stir fry or salads. After putting ginger in a resealable plastic bag, press the air out and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to two months. Also, you may store whole or grated ginger in airtight containers in the freezer for up to six months.

Research has determined that ginger can help alleviate nausea. Ginger candy and ginger tea are good ways to get ginger in your system.

Make ice cubes with 3 Tbsps of grated ginger, 4 tsps lemon juice, 3 Tbsps each of honey and water. Whisk together and freeze. Makes 4. Add 1 to a cup of hot black tea (Oh, Earl Grey. Yes.), cover and steep for 10 minutes. Soothing for a sore throat with the added honey. Or just go for the classic Ginger Tea recipe,

CKagan, Master Gardener

* * * * *

Interested in herbs? Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we look forward to spring gardening.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.

Heirloom Vegetables

 Heirloom Plant Varieties Provide More Than a Good Harvest or Beautiful Blooms

Home Gardeners can select plants with better flavor and interesting history.

Heirloom tomatoes by Kim Schwind UCANR

Heirlooms provide a sense of history. The wardrobe from Great Aunt Rose’s attic, an antique hand-carved chair, and a rusty tool from a local auction carry a sense of history, of the people who used them. This holds true for heirloom plant varieties.

“Heirloom seeds are usually more than 50 years old and have been passed down from generation to generation,” said Kathy McFarland, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. “This means they come with fascinating stories and heritage from years past.”

Many gardeners are drawn to the stories behind the names. ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter’ tomato came from radiator business owner, “Charlie,” who came up with a large, meaty and productive variety that he sold during the depression. He used the money from this side business to pay off his mortgage.

‘Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad’ tomato has been traced back to Kentucky through Ripley, Ohio. The seeds were carried by an escaping slave as he traveled the Underground Railroad. The tomato is characteristic of those grown in that era.

While the stories don’t enhance flavor, shelf-life, color, or fragrance, they are a way to connect to our plant and flower heritage. “Heirloom seeds have often been handed down as family favorites,” said Chris Mayer, Director at Wilson College’s Fulton Center for Sustainable Living.

Home gardeners, unlike commercial growers, have the luxury to choose what they grow. Many choose these vegetables and flowers for taste, shape, hardiness and color not found in hybrid selections.

Originally from India, Bullnose Peppers (Capsicum annuum) have been in U.S. gardens since the mid-1870’s. These sweet peppers were grown by Thomas Jefferson and are still grown at Monticello. They ripen early, withstand bad weather and their thick skins make them ideal for pickling, stuffing and raw with dips. While 20 seed companies offered these over 25 years ago, today vendors are rare and seeds often “out of stock.”

Heirloom varieties are open-pollinated which means that, unlike hybrids, seeds you collect from one year will produce the same plants the next year. “Using heirlooms helps preserve the gene pool and assure that resilience from pests, diseases and climate are built into the system,” said Mayer.

Tomatoes are the one vegetable that has a wide range of shapes, colors, taste and growing habit. Cherry, slicer, beefsteak, or canning types are available as are pink, orange, white and ‘Green Zebra’ striped varieties.

“Most heirlooms taste better than the hybrid and genetically modified produce because these have been bred and selected for generations based on how they taste,” said McFarland.

Pennsylvania heirloom tomatoes include Brandywine, reported to be introduced in 1885 by Amish farmers in Chester County. Other Mennonite and Amish heirlooms include Hahnstown Yellow, Amish Oxheart and Eva's Amish Stripe.

Mid-March is the time for seed starting for transplants in mid-May. Gardeners seeking heirloom or unusual varieties probably won’t find them at the local garden centers or nurseries.

The annual Master Gardener plant sale on May 20, 2023, will have some of the heirloom varieties ready to plant.  Best results for planting transplants is after the last frost date and when the SOIL TEMPERATURE is ready. Check out the soil temperature information and note that in our area the best time to plant is mid-May.  

Also see Heirloom Vegetables: Good Taste and Interesting Tales 

U of California. The Real Dirt Blog. Heirloom Tomatoes

CKagan, Master Gardener

**********

Interested in herbs? 

Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we look forward to spring gardening.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.

 

PASSIONFLOWER -- MAYPOP

Passionflower  (Passiflora incarnata)

The Franklin County Herb Demo Garden has a beautiful Passionflower vine. During our fall cleanup we found the Maypop fruit among the leaves. It was not fully ripe. It tasted both sweet and tart. You may eat the seeds. Very interesting. Here’s some TRiViA facts:

Maypop is a common name for this vine because of the loud popping sound made when the fruits are stepped on.

Maypop is the fruit. 
Usually wrinkled when ripe.

The fruit pulp is both sweet and tart and somewhat like tropical fruit. It can be made into jam or jelly, some baked goods, and ice cream. It is flavoring for homebrews, kombucha, wine, or drinking vinegar.

Each unique flower lasts about one day, appearing in the summer and early fall. 

It grows well vertically on a trellis or against a wall or fence.

Although thought to be an annual in Zone 6 it has proven to be a dependable perennial in Zones 5-9. It is native to the southeast U.S. and Central America.

 Fire Risk: This plant has an extreme flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home. Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home.  -NCarolina Extension 

Grown on a trellis in the herb garden

This is a good native and pollinator plant attracting hummingbirds and butterflies in the summer and fall. For other wildlife, the foliage provides good, dense cover year-round. It is somewhat deer resistant. 

Passionflower vine can become a pest and invasive weed. When they escape cultivation they can become problematic weed in areas such as no-till agronomic crops, pastures, hay fields, and roadsides. Due to their thick, deep rhizomes, mechanical or cultural control can be very difficult. - Univ Missouri

The passionflower blossom, especially the flower of the purple passion fruit (P. edulis), is often used to symbolize events in the last hours of the life of Jesus Christ. Other plant parts may represent other people or events at that time.

CKagan, Master Gardener

* * * * *

Interested in herbs? Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we head into the holiday season.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.

 

 

 

Trick Bulbs Now for Winter Treats

Before you start sewing sequins on the princess costume or the "S" on Superman's chest in preparation for the chanting of "Trick or Treat," think about one or more winter treats for yourself because now is the time.

What treats? Beautiful blooms from bulbs which have been made to blossom. Winter is coming and enjoying a bright flower inside while it is gray, cold, and icy can bring forth a “Bah, humbug to you, Old Man Winter!”

While many know this process as forcing bulbs, Art Wolk, award-winning flower exhibitioner and author of books on this topic, likes to call it bulb enticing. Whatever term you use, it refers to making a plant bloom ahead of its natural schedule.

Paperwhite Narcissus (L: Clara S. & R: Debra B.)

What and When to Plant

Often for sale as kits this time of the year, paperwhite narcissus and amaryllis are the easiest for beginners. Dr. Robert Nuss, Penn State horticulturist, explains that these bulbs have been prepared for flowering before they are ready for sale.



Red Amaryllis (Univ. of Minnesota Extension Service)

Other spring-blooming bulbs such as crocus, tulips, daffodils, and iris are popular. Don’t overlook smaller bulbs such as snowdrops or grape hyacinths for a winter treat. A container-grouping of them is convenient for the breakfast table or corner of a desk. All these bulbs must have a cold period (35-48° F) of about three months to initiate bloom according to Kate DeSimone, Penn State Master Gardener.


Typically, bulbs you want to bloom during the end of year holidays are planted the last week in September; however, bulbs planted later will still bloom during the gray days of winter. Consider planting several batches several weeks apart for continual bloom in the future.



Pink Hyacinths (Tomy Lees)

 

 

 

So, if you want to see Dutch hyacinths in February, plant them around mid-November allowing 11 weeks to chill. Shoots should start to emerge the first week in February. The chart below shows the chill period for commonly grown bulbs.

Chill Chart (George Weigel)

How to Plant for Cool Storage

Bulbs can be grown in soil, a pebble filled bowl, or in water in a specially shaped bulb vase. To grow in soil, use a clean container with good drainage. Don’t use garden soil. Use a mix that drains well such as a mix of soil, sphagnum moss and perlite or commercial “soil-less mix.

Planting a pot (Iowa State Univ. Extension Service)

Fill the container three-quarters with the mix and sit the bulbs close to each other, root end down. If the bulbs have flat sides, turn these to the outside of the pot as that is where the largest leaf will come up. Add soil mix around the bulbs leaving the “noses” exposed. Water gently but thoroughly. Don’t let the soil dry out but don’t overwater.
 

If you are going to plant them in a pebble filled bowl (with water) or a bulb vase, you can pre-chill the bulbs in an open paper bag until roots begin to show. Then place them in the container and continue to chill for the remaining chill period, gently replacing the water every few days with lukewarm water. Check the Purdue Website for instructions on forcing bulbs in water.



Pebbles or glass vase with water (Purdue Ext. Serv.)

 Paperwhites have a tendency to flop over so you might want to put them in a tall glass container, clear to see the roots or fill with shells or other objects.

North Carolina State Extension Service (Michelle Pham)

 
Simone adds that bulbs may be chilled in any cold, dry location such as an unheated garage or crawlspace with temperatures around 40° F. If storing in the refrigerator, don't store in the same cooler as fruits or vegetables, which give off ethylene gas that can harm the flower inside the bulb. Some bulbs are poisonous, so don't put them in the refrigerator if you have small children.

Bring in the Blooms

When the chilling period is over, gently remove a bulb to check its growth. When you see roots and about 2 inches of shoot growth, the pots are ready to bring into the light.

Bring the pots into a cool location (55-65° F) with good sunlight. Keep the soil moist and turn the pots slightly each day to get uniform growth. Flowers should bloom within 2-3 weeks. To extend the blooms, keep them away from heat sources and move them to a cool area at the end of the day, bringing out for display in the morning.


Amaryllis (La Fattina)



Enjoy the treat of spring color during the dreary days of winter as you read through your garden catalogues. When the bloom is over, bulbs are usually discarded since forcing uses up their energy reserves so use their inspiration when planning the spring garden.

~ Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

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Interested in herbs? Looking for Gardening Gifts?

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.