Garden Detective

You might be feeling the frigid forces of February, but that's no reason to put your garden to bed. Shake things up a little with some four-season interest (yes, in New York.) To learn how, just press PLAY:

And read my recent article, The Winter Garden, for more ideas:

"If you ever go temporarily insane, don't shoot somebody, like a lot of people do. Instead, try to get some weeding done, because you'd really be surprised. "
                                                                                         -- Jack Handey

Invasive weeds are non-native plants that somehow get into our environment and grow like crazy until they take over and, often, choke out our own native vegetation. This is bad, not only because plants that rightfully belong here have to fight a losing battle for survival, but also because of the trickle-down effect invasives have on insects and wildlife, which end up losing their valuable food sources.

Many invasive weeds have been brought over from Europe and Asia, either deliberately or accidentally. Deliberate introductions occur when immigrants or American tourists bring plants from other countries. These plants might have been courteous in their home countries, but in our environment they go berserk. Sometimes seeds inadvertently hitch a ride on cargo imported from overseas.

According to The Invasive Plant Council of New York State, invasive plants "pose one of the greatest threats to the conservation of biological diversity, and are a significant problem for land managers across New York State."

As a home gardener, you can do your part by diligently removing invasive weeds, refusing to purchase invasive species (yes, many invasive perennials are sold in local nurseries and by mail order,) and planting native alternatives instead.

Check with these local nurseries for native plants:

The Invasive Plant Council of New York State is currently targeting six invasive plants. Keep an eye out for these local offenders:

Diagrams courtesy The Invasive Plant Council of New York State

Place catalog orders as soon as possible, as the most desirable seeds and plants will sell out quickly. By doing so, you'll also get to take advantage of early-bird offers, like free shipping, bonus gifts and discounts that won't be offered later in the season.

Inspect flower beds for heaving -- bulbs and plant matter that lift out of the ground due to the thaw-freeze cycles. Gently step on the bulbs to push them back into the ground and tamp the soil with your foot. It only takes a minute and can save your bulbs. A nice layer of mulch -- or better yet, compost -- will keep soil temperatures even and reduce further heaving.

Inspect tree wrappings to ensure protection from hungry rodents and other critters.

When the mercury rises to 40 degrees, re-apply anti-desiccant to broadleaf evergreens and rose canes.

Check on stored tubers and bulbs, and mist with water if they appear to be drying out.

Dust off seed-starting supplies and get to work. On Long Island, Income Tax filing day (April 15) coincides with the average last frost day. (I wonder what that means.) Many seeds should be started 12 weeks before the last frost is expected; others a mere 2 to 4. Peppers, eggplant and lettuce should be started indoors 8 - 12 weeks before the last frost (around the beginning to the middle of February); tomatoes, cucumbers and Swiss chard, 6 to 8 weeks (mid-February until the beginning of March); cabbage and broccoli, 4 to 6 weeks (early to mid March); squash, melon and pumpkins, 2 to 4 weeks (around St. Patrick's Day or a little later.) Check seed packets or catalogs for more recommended start times.

If you use salt to keep your walkways free of ice, don't dump shoveled snow on your lawn or on garden beds. De-icers made from calcium chloride are safer to use than sodium chloride-based ones. For more information on salt damage, visit the Cornell Cooperative Extension's Lawn Care Library.

Avoid walking on frozen lawns. Frosted plants are extremely vulnerable to damage.

I just ordered a composter for the backyard. After reading reviews of several products, I settled on a Tumbleweed Compost Tumbler, an Australian product that:

1. Doesn't require any manual labor
2. Got high marks from consumers, and
3. Is recommended by the National Home Gardening Club

I've never made compost before, so this will be quite an adventure. I like the idea of transforming garbage into free mulch and fertilizer, and I'm excited about adding eggshells, coffee grinds and weeds to my pile. What's more, I recently read that paper (even if there's ink on it!) can be safely composted. I'm targeting all the junk mail I get, especially those unsolicited pre-approved credit card offers that require diligent shredding. Now, I'll just rip them into strips, give them a shot of the hose and toss 'em in with my banana peels, fully assured that identity thieves won't get their grubby little paws on them.

Aside from paper, a lot of surprising items can be added to the compost pile, among them, human hair. For a rundown of what can and can't be composted, visit The NYC Compost Project website.

Compost ingredients fall into two categories: Browns and Greens. Brown materials are rich in carbon and many, though not all, are in fact brown. They include dried, spent perennials, autumn leaves, leather, twigs and hay. Paper also falls into the Browns category. Green materials are rich in nitrogen, and likewise, are mostly green, or at least fresher than browns. Greens include grass clippings, fruit and veggie scraps and freshly picked weeds. Cornstarch packing peanuts and coffee grinds, though not green, also are rich in nitrogen. So even though they defy the color-coding principles set forth here, they are Greens.

Greens help speed the decomposition of your rotting garbage (a good thing,) while browns keep the heap from becoming an olfactory nightmare (a very good thing.) A fifty-fifty mix is ideal, though you can always go heavier on the Browns.

You should never include fats (meat or fish table scraps. dairy products, oils, etc.,) diseased plants or materials that don't decompose, such as plastic or glass, in your pile.

Apparently, bird and rabbit droppings, and horse manure are ok, but kitty litter and dog poop are no-nos. However, Florida's online composting center maintains that under certain circumstances, dog waste can be composted. Read the rules here and proceed at your own risk. For the record, I'm going to continue bagging mine up.

Do you have any composting advice for me? Leave a comment or shoot me an email.

During my second year of college some years ago (OK -- MANY years ago,) four friends and I traveled to Ft. Lauderdale to experience the proverbial Spring Break. It was a relatively tame week of good, clean fun, except for a terrible run-in with some nasty critters.

Heading out for a night of clubbing, our mini-skirt-attired group hopped into my friend's red Pontiac Firebird -- a very hot car in those days, by the way. As I settled into the front passenger seat, I rested my hands on my (bare) legs. "This is odd," I remember thinking. "Why are there crumbs all over my legs?"

Since it was nighttime, I couldn't see what I was doing, but as I brushed them off onto the floor I felt a pinching sensation. After a few minutes of this, I asked my friend to turn on the light. To my horror, both my legs were covered with hundreds of tiny fire ants.

After a shower and a trip to the store for a fumigating "bug bomb" for the car, we were free of the plague. But the red puss-filled blisters persisted for about a month.

While we're fortunate that fire ants aren't indigenous to Long Island, there are plenty of native insects that plague us and especially our plants. Whether you need help determining if your visitor is harmful or beneficial, or you just want to be grossed out, check out What's That Bug? -- a site that's as fun as it is informative.

I don’t know about you, but my mailbox runneth over. Garden and seed catalogs are monopolizing the dilapidated receptacle perched against the retaining wall in my driveway, leaving little room for correspondence and bills. It’s just as well, as nobody really writes to me, anyway. And the bills I could do without.

So when I learned that January had been proclaimed National Mailorder Gardening Month by the Mailorder Gardening Association, it all started to make sense. Any marketing ploy that uses our own longings against us is usually the most effective. It’s winter. Though temperatures haven’t exactly been frigid, it isn’t put-on-your-straw-hat-and-grab-your-hoe weather, either. So when catalogs like John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds roll in, with boldly colored covers depicting fields of echinacea and freshly picked produce, those of us with a gardening bent can’t help but flip through them. And for me, at least, it doesn’t end there. Next, the sticky pad comes out, and I can hardly contain myself as I hurriedly scribble notes to myself about where I’ll plant what when the seeds arrive, marking pages as I go.

It’s something about living vicariously through the pages of those compendiums that gives me a rush in the dead of winter. It’s like therapy. It’s about the hope of things to come. Not just because I enjoy seeing my gardens come to life in the spring, but also because I hate winter. I have no tolerance for the cold. Flipping through garden catalogs is a reminder that better times are on the horizon, and that’s enough to give me the courage to trudge through. If it’s merely a marketing scheme designed to make money, so be it. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve earned it.

Here are some of my favorites:

Abundant Life Seeds
541-767-9606
Abundant Life Seeds has been “protecting the genetic diversity of rare and endangered food crops since 1975.” All of its flower, herb and vegetable seeds are open-pollinated and certified organic.

Gardens Alive!
513-354-1483
The first order I placed with this organic-minded garden supply company was in the early 90s, when some meal moths hitched a ride home with me via my groceries. After much frustration and many discarded cabinet staples, I turned to herb packets from the Gardens Alive! Catalog, which, when placed strategically throughout my cupboards, did the trick. Today, the company, still dedicated to biological control of garden pests, also sells organic vegetable and grass seeds.

Harris Seeds
800-514-4441
Selling vegetable seeds, flower seeds and seed-starting supplies since 1879. New offerings include Serata Basil, Autumn Wings ornamental gourds and an exclusive lettuce blend.

John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds
860-567-6086
A purveyor of seeds since 1908, Kitchen Garden Seeds has some rare and unique offerings. New this year are Black Cherry Tomatoes, De Padron Hot Chile Peppers, Dulce Verde Asparagus, Black Opal Eggplant, Fakir Parsley Root and Bordeaux Red-Stemmed Spinach. Other new offerings, like OSO Sweet Butterhead Lettuce, Golden India Edible Pea Pods and Alpine Strawberries, aren’t readily available in stores because they don’t transport well, so if you want to try them, you’ll have to grow them yourself. The catalog also includes annual and perennial flowers.

Johnny's Selected Seeds
877-564-6697
Direct from the mothership, a farm in Albion, Maine, Johnny’s offers heirloom, treated and pelleted seeds for growing flowers, berries and vegetables. My Post-it is marking the new Tomatoberry Grape Tomato seeds, which promise unique strawberry-shaped, deep red fruits.

Park Seed Co.
800-213-0076
Selling way more than just seeds, Park Seed Co. tests more than 2000 new varieties of flowers and vegetables each year. The ones with the best results make it into its catalog. This year, there are 125 new selections, including Geranium Nano, a dwarf plant that produces full size blooms and a new coral pink Zinnia.

Seeds from Italy
781-721-5904
For a taste of the old country, one can turn to this U.S. distributor of heirloom Italian seeds from Franchi Sementi spa in Bergamo, Italy. More than 350 varieties of traditional Italian vegetable, herb and flower seeds are available, and each order comes with growing instructions and – naturally – recipes.

Seeds of Change
888-762-7333
The company whose prepared organic foods line health food store shelves across the country began as an organic seed company in 1989 with this mission: “To make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers, while preserving countless heirloom seed varieties in danger of being lost to the "advances" of modern industrial agriculture.” Seeds of Change is still going strong, with 72 new introductions for 2007. A 5 % discount is offered for orders placed online.

Stokes Seeds Ltd.
800-396-9238
Among the quality offerings at Stokes are these 2007 All America Selection Winners: Celosia Fresh Look Gold, a workhorse that blooms straight through spring and summer, and Vinca Pacifica Burgundy Halo, which will provide a low-maintenance bicolor show all summer.

Territorial Seed Company
800-626-0866
Each year, the staff at Territorial’s organic research farm in London Springs, Oregon, grows and evaluates thousands of varieties of vegetable and flower seeds, selling only the ones that pass muster. Among this year’s additions are the unusual electric blue Sweet Pea ‘King Tut,’ the psychedelic Four O’Clock ‘Stars and Stripes,” and ‘Full Moon’ a giant white pumpkin that can grow to 90 pounds. None of the seeds sold by Territorial are genetically engineered or altered.

Thompson & Morgan
800-274-7333
Selling English seeds by catalog since 1855, Thompson & Morgan is still run by the same family. The prestigious company has supplied seeds for the gardens of Claude Monet, Charles Darwin and European Royalty. T&M has several exclusive entries this year. Foxglove ‘Candy Mountain’ is the first upward facing foxglove from seed, and flowers all the way around the stem. The unusual rare black Hyacinth ‘Midnight Mystic’ ™ has been in the works for 16 years, with the first 3 bulbs changing hands for a reported $300,000! A marvel of modern hybridization, each bulb, priced at $19.95, arrives in its own special presentation package. T&M also has bred the first striped dahlia from seed, and is offering many other unique flower and vegetable seeds.

W. Altee Burpee & Co.
800-333-5808
Here are my favorites from among the 60-something new offerings from Burpee, the mother of all seed companies: The extra-large Porterhouse Beefsteak Tomato (touted as the largest tomato ever offered to home gardeners,) Candy Box Impatiens, Calendula Oktoberfest, Snapdragon Tutti Fruitti and the oddly intriguing Radish Watermelon.

Willhite Seed Inc.
800- 828-1840
Willhite Seed Inc. sells flower, vegetable and wildflower seeds, but its claim to fame is melons. Beginning in the early 1900s as Willhite Melon Seed Farms, the Poolville, Texas, company now offers standard and open pollinated varieties as well as its own hybrids and unique varieties from France and India. Shipping is free within the continental U.S.

Today's news confirms what we've all been suspecting: 2007 just might be the world's hottest year on record. Climate scientists in Great Britain are predicting that high levels of greenhouse gasses coupled with a resurgent El Nino could spell disaster this year.

Will Pacific storms get out of control? Will Southeast Asia sweat out the winter? Will Australia have a drought this summer? I don't know about any of that. But I do know that my irises are sprouting. They're showing 8-inch tall stems and leaves. And I'm not alone. Everywhere I turn, plants are just downright confused by the mild weather.

Cherry trees at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens are in full bloom, and reader Dolores Gulotta of New Hyde Park reports her irises are developing buds.

Since my plants haven't developed buds, they have a fighting chance of putting on a nice show in the spring, but Gulotta's probably won't. Fred Soviero, director of the Hofstra University Arboretum, says they're spending all their blooming energy now. "I'd think they'd be exhaused and not bloom again next year," he says. "If they do, tell Ms. Gulotta I want some!"