< Back Dormant Seeding, Preparing Your Lawn for Next Year Vida Dam, Dakota County Master Gardener Plant grass seed in your lawn now? We may think it is winter already and the growing season is done, but November is the best time for dormant seeding! This is a late-fall technique that involves sowing grass seed after the growing season has ended and before the ground is permanently frozen. Dormant seeding has many benefits, as discussed in this article, but certain methods must be used in order to achieve success. Read on to discover how to dormant seed your lawn. We may think it is winter already and the growing season is done, but November is the best time for dormant seeding! This is a late-fall technique that involves sowing grass seed after the growing season has ended and before the ground is permanently frozen. The benefits of the cold will prevent the seed from germinating this year, leverage our Minnesota's natural freeze-thaw cycle of winters to work the seed into the soil, and allow the new grass seed to germinate very early in the spring when it is still wet and cold. Dormant seeding gives the lawn a head start next year before the summer heat and annual weeds emerge. Is this good for every lawn? This is great for sparse lawns, bare patches, and thin lawns that need to be thickened. It is not as effective if the lawn is already thick and dense as the seed needs good seed-to-soil contact. When to Dormant Seed the lawn? Timing is very important as grass seeds should not germinate this fall. If the seed germinate/sprout this fall, the immature seedlings may not survive the winter. The target is to apply the dormant seeds before the first major snowfall between mid/late October to mid-November when the temperature is too cold for germination. The seed must be put down while the ground is not frozen but is cold. Day time temperature should be around 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit, and soil temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. ** Tip : if the lawn is actively growing and being mowed, it is too early for dormant seeding. How to Dormant Seed - the steps: Select the desired grass seed: For Minnesota lawns look up options based on site conditions and maintenance on the UMN extension. (see additional resources below) An average Minnesota lawn may have a mix of Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, and small amounts of perennial ryegrass. Prepare the lawn: Mow the existing lawn slightly lower than normal to approximately 2 inches in order to allow the seed to reach the soil. Loosen the soil surface so the seed can have easier seed to soil contact. Using a hand rake for small areas of bare or thin lawn is an option. For larger areas, a vertical mower, dethatcher, or scarifier is an option. Rake up any debris Spread the seed & ensure contact: Use the recommended rate for the grass seed and lightly incorporate it into the existing soil with a hand rake. Water lightly & thoroughly Water the area lightly and thoroughly after laying the seed. Do not water too much, the soil should be barely damp - between dry and damp. Only in extreme drought, is additional watering needed. Continuous watering is not needed until the seed germinate in the spring. What to expect in the Spring: The results of dormant seeding depend on Minnesota winter conditions. With more snowfall that can cover and protect the areas, the higher chance of success. Seedlings will germinate by late April and early May as the temperature warms. Be patient as it takes 10-14 plus days for grass to sprout. If the area is a little thin, give it some time and it is not unusual to have additional reseeding in the spring. Avoid heavy traffic on the young seedlings and consider fertilization to assist with lawn establishment Warning: Do not apply a pre-emergent weed preventer in the spring as it will prevent grass seed from germinating. Happy dormant seeding! For more information, please see links and resources below: Learn More here: Dormant Seeding: https://extension.umn.edu/lawn-care/dormant-seeding Dormant Seeding Bee Lawns: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/dormant-seeding-bee-lawns#:~:text=Dormant%20seeding%20provides%20the%20best,soil%20moisture%20for%20germinating%20seeds Turfgrass Seed for Minnesota Lawn: https://extension.umn.edu/lawn-care/buying-turfgrass-seed-minnesota-lawns Gall Dormant Seed: https://www.gertens.com/learn/fall-dormant-seeding#:~:text=Photo%20by%20the%20University%20of,your%20new%20seed%20will%20sprout . Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Extension (1,2,3)

< Back Find Plants for Tough Sites Have you ever fallen in love with a plant that you know in your brain won’t grow in your garden but your heart made you buy it anyway? You bought that sun-loving plant and planted it – full of hope - in your shady garden. Didn’t work out? Unfortunately, wishing, and even tender loving care, can’t make a plant grow if it is in the wrong garden space. Fortunately, this article tells us about a resource that can help you find just the right plant for even tough garden sites. Janelle Rietz-Kamenar, Dakota County Master Gardener Over my many years of gardening, one of the most important, yet difficult lessons that I seem to have to re-learn time and time again, is that a plant will thrive best if it is planted in a location where it gets the type of sun, moisture, and soil required for its species. It is so tempting fall in love with a sun-loving plant and convince yourself that you can make it grow in your garden – the one that is all shade. Unfortunately, wishing, and even tender loving care, can’t make a plant grow if it is in the wrong garden space. For those of us whose gardens consist of poor soil conditions or natural landscape impediments, it is especially difficult to find plants that will be successful. So, how do you know which plants will thrive in your clay or sandy soil or on your steep backyard slope? Finding the right plants for your area can be challenging, but not impossible. Fortunately, the University of Minnesota Extension has produced a free, easy and thorough reference guide that can help you meet the challenge. Click on this link to access “The Best Plants for 30 Tough Sites,” written by Minnesota Master Gardeners and Extension Educators Mary Meyer, Deborah L. Brown, and Mike Zins. The reason why I like this guide so much is that it provides extensive lists of plants and their characteristics for those areas that can be limiting. Rather than waste money buying plants that do not fit your situation, use this guide to find plants that can grow successfully. The reference guide covers: Alkaline Soil Annuals 3 Feet or More Annual Vines That Grow Quickly Boulevard Gardens: Perennials and Small Trees Broadleaf Evergreens Clay Soil Cold Tolerant Annuals Compacted Sites: Trees Crevice Plants Deer Resistant Plants Dry Soil: Annual Foliage Plants, Shade or Under Trees and Trees Fragrant Annuals, Perennials, and Shrubs Indoor Low Light Knot Gardens Lakeshore Native Plants Long-Blooming Perennials Rain Garden Plants River Banks and Canoe Public Access Areas Self-Seeding Perennials Septic Mound Plants Shade: Shrubs, Small Trees, and Tall Perennials Steep Slopes Trees That Produce Minimal Litter Under a Black Walnut Tree While the guide does not show a picture of each plant, it does provide you with a place to start looking. I have used this guide many times and I hope it helps you find that perfect plant for your landscape. Photo Credit: learn.e-limu.org (All Creative Commons) (1), University of Minnesota Extension (2), Ideengartencrimmitschau.blogspot.com (All Creative Commons) (3)

< Back Spring in September Plan Now to Start 2025 Blooming in Color Spring begins this month! I know, it’s September, but on a gardener’s calendar, this is the month to begin planning for an awakening of eagerly blooming sprouts and a palette of spring colors. Whether you are a “bulb-beginner” like me or a bulb enthusiast looking to expand on some gardening ideas, continue reading as we discuss the what, where, when, how, and why of spring blooming bulbs with a few design tips planted along the way. Patricia Johnson, Dakota County Master Gardener Intern September marks the beginning of fall and so it’s time to start planting. What? Spring bulbs, of course. Sure, you may be a bit weary of gardening this time of year but before you put your gardening tools away, take out that trowel one last time and plant some spring bulbs. Why plant spring blooming bulbs? After a long Minnesota winter, the flowers of spring bulbs provide a great wealth of color in a variety of flower and leaf designs - an unabashed welcome to spring against the monochromatic color of the final days of winter. When? There are different kinds of bulbs. Spring blooming bulbs are planted in the fall of the previous year. Summer blooming bulbs are planted in the spring of the same year. This article will only focus on spring blooming bulbs, also known as hardy bulbs. Examples of hardy bulbs are tulips, daffodils, iris, crocus and lilies. The local garden centers will have a selection of spring blooming bulbs beginning this month. Now through October is the ideal time when you should plant these bulbs (although they can be planted until the first frost). Make sure the bulbs are clean and solid, without mold, rot, cuts and bruising. When healthy bulbs are properly planted and cared for, spring blooming bulbs will give you years of enjoyment. Tulip, daffodil, crocus bulbs Before you plant your spring bulbs, consider where to plant them in your garden. Begin by taking pictures of your flower gardens throughout the seasons and take note of the sun and shade exposure throughout the days. This will help you determine what to plant and where to plant your bulbs as your existing plants progress through their own unique life cycles. Pictures will also aid in determining what plants to thin out and what plants to transplant along with spacing when the time is right. My annual red petunias had a happy southwest-facing summer taking a front row seat to my colorful perennials but will soon relinquish their small plot of soil. My bountiful hydrangea and Black Eyed Susans, swaying feather reed grass, and my prickly Japanese barberry will then become a beautiful backdrop to groupings of snowdrops and allium . Both will be the ideal height ranging from three to eight inches. (Note that there are different sizes of allium ranging from short to quite tall, so look closely before you buy.) Snowdrops will bloom as early as March and allium will follow in May giving time for their surrounding neighbors to grow into full fruition, blooming in all their glory from June through fall. It is always important to read the packaging to know how to plant the bulbs. Planting depths may range from three inches to twelve inches. According to the University of Minnesota Extension, “[g]enerally, plant bulbs two to three times deeper than their diameter. This will vary with the type of soil.” If you want to do advance soil preparation, do a soil sample test of the area you will plant your bulbs. Keep in mind that the turnaround for results may take up to three weeks, so plan accordingly. This will give you time to shop for bulbs. After you have evenly spread the final layer of soil, watered thoroughly, laid chicken wire to ward off hungry squirrels and other wildlife, spread a layer of mulch, and labeled your plantings, take one final picture. Document your work so you can relish in the before and after pictures come next spring. During the stillness of the upcoming holiday months, you will be free to consider your color theme for annual hanging baskets or planters for the upcoming year ahead. You can also explore the possibility of summer blooming bulbs as you await with anticipation your spring bulbs in blooming color. REFERENCES: https://www.dakotamastergardeners.org/annualsbulbs/bulbs-101 https://extension.umn.edu/how/planting-bulbs-tubers-and-rhizomes https://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTXODhmkJS0 Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Extension (1,2,4,5), Patricia Johnson (3)

< Back Garden to Kitchen Joy Johnson, Master Gardener All your hard work has paid off, the thrill of the harvest is upon you! But you can’t see your kitchen table because of all the vegetables you’ve brought in from the garden. First, way to go! You are on your way to creating healthy food. Second, here are a couple of recipes that will help you make good use of your produce. They can be frozen for use in the bleak mid-winter and are real crowd pleasers. Bushels of Tomatoes and Cabbages. All your hard work has paid off, the thrill of the harvest is upon you! But you can’t see your kitchen table because of all the vegetables you’ve brought in from the garden. First, way to go! You are on your way to creating healthy food. Second, here are a couple of recipes that will help you make good use of your produce. They can be frozen for use in the bleak mid-winter and are real crowd pleasers. Hungarian cabbage rolls are a favorite at my house. I make them now when I have oodles of tomatoes and huge cabbages. Then, in the middle of winter, I pull them out of the freezer and cook them on low in a crock pot over night and serve them with mashed potatoes to soak up all the juice. I make my own tomato juice to cook them in by cooking cut up fresh tomatoes until they are soft, then putting them through a food mill to remove the skins and seeds, add a little salt and then freeze or can the juice for later use. This recipe can easily be doubled if you have an especially large cabbage. You can use either turkey kielbasa sausage or beef. Cabbage Rolls 1 ½ lbs. hamburger or pork sausage (if you use spicey pork sausage, you don’t need to add all the following spices) 1 tsp. Salt ¼ tsp. pepper ¼ cup chopped onions 1Tbsp. chopped garlic ¾ cups rice, uncooked 1 whole cabbage, wash, trim off outer leaves if they aren’t good quality. 1 link of Polska Kielbasa sausage (either turkey or beef). Cut into 2-inch chunks. 1 large can of tomato juice or 1-2 quarts of homemade juice. Combine hamburger and rice with one whole egg and mix thoroughly. Set aside. Immerse the cabbage into a large pot of boiling water. Boil until the tops layers of leaves look slightly cooked. Remove cabbage from pot to a large cutting board. Trim off outer layers of leaves that are soft, lay aside to cool. Re-immerse cabbage in boiling water and cook the next few layers of leaves, remove and cut off cooked leaves. Keep doing this until the cabbage is too small to use for rolls. (Refrigerate and use in a different recipe). For each cooked leaf, trim down the hard spine so that the leaf can be rolled up. Discard spine (or give it to your kids to eat, they are delish). Lay a loose handful of the hamburger or sausage mixture in the lower end of the leaf, roll once, tuck in both sides, finish rolling and tuck in the end. You can use a toothpick or skewer to hold roll closed. Put sausage pieces in b ottom of large kettle. Stack cabbage rolls gently on top. Pour over enough tomato juice to cover the cabbages. Bring to a boil, turn heat way down and barely simmer for an hour or two until the rice is cooked. You can also do these in a crock pot for 4-6 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes. Clara’s Salsa Here’s an excellent salsa recipe that my daughter came up with. You can hot water bath can it in jars or freeze it in baggies or plastic containers: 16 cups blanched, peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes 4 cups chopped green onions ¾ cups chopped jalapenos 2 cups chopped peppers, use a variety of sweet peppers 4 cloves garlic ¾ cup vinegar 1 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp salt 1 tsp cumin ½ bunch cilantro Mix, simmer until thick (2 hours). Hot water bath can for 15 minutes. Zucchini Bread (Good, easy, healthy, freezable – what’s not to love!) Makes 2 loaves 3 eggs 1 cup oil 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 3 tsp maple flavoring 2 cups raw, grated zucchini 2 ½ cups flour (I use half whole wheat) ½ cup wheat germ 2 tsp soda 2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup chopped walnuts Sesame seeds Mix in order given. Pour in greased, floured bread pans. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Photo Credit: Joy Johnson (1,2,3,4,5)

< Back Newby’s Flower Garden Marjorie Blare Margie Blare continues her advice to Newby gardeners who may want to start a flower garden but don’t know how to start. Margie Blare provides advice about what you need to consider when starting a garden. It may be more than you think. Read this article to start your flower gardening adventure. Newby looked wistfully across the street at the neighbor’s yard. Right now, it was brown and dead-looking, but Newby knew that in a few short weeks there would be an exuberant display of flowers, and that the shrubs and a tree would be blooming. Newby , “I wish my yard could be more than just the grass and the shade tree that I have, but I don’t know anything about flowers. In a flash of green, Green Thumb appeared! Greenthumb , “I can Help! What is the purpose of your flower garden?” Newby , “Umm, flowers?” Greenthumb , “Do you want big showy display, a formal garden, A wildflower or native garden? or maybe just a pop of color in some areas?” Newby , “Ah, I’m not sure.” Greenthumb , “Let’s look at your house and yard. You need to know how many hours of light your garden will get. The north and east sides of your yard generally get less light than the south or west. Many flowers need full sun, which means a minimum six hours of direct light. Newby : Here’s my house and yard. Greenthumb , Container gardening is a good way to dip your toes into flower gardening and great for pops of color). Check this site out for information on container gardening: https://extension.umn.edu/managing-soil-and-nutrients/fertilizing-and-watering-container-plants For a wildflower garden check out this site: https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/mes/sustainable-wildflower-seed-production/scarification-and-vernalization With in-ground beds this year, you will want to get a soil test. Check out this site to see how to take a soil sample, how to interpret the results, how to determine the soil texture (sandy, clayey, loamy) and how long it takes for your soil to absorb water. The results will let you know what kind and how much fertilizer and organic matter your soil needs before you plant. https://extension.umn.edu/managing-soil-and-nutrients/soil-testing-lawns-and-gardens Newby , “I think I’d like in-ground raised beds.” Greenthumb, “ Since you want raised beds you can use high quality soil to fill them and not have to worry about a soil test for at least a couple of years. Check out this site: https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/raised-bed-gardens Greenthumb ,” Now it’s time to choose your flowers.” Newby , “How do I do that?” Greenthumb , “A good way to start is with catalogs. When you find a flower that takes your fancy, you can find out how much sun/shade each flower needs. You will find out things like when to sow outside or start them inside https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/starting-seeds-indoors what kind of soil, how dry or wet it should be. Another good way is to visit a local nursery. The tags on the plants will give you the same information, and other questions can be answered by nursery staff. You can also call the Arboretum Yard and Garden line ((612-301-7590) to have a Master Gardener answer your questions. All this information will help you determine where to place your raised beds and what to plant in them. Greenthumb , “Happy Gardening Newby!” Photo Credits: Marjorie Blare (1-8,10-11), University of Minnesota Extension (9)

< Back The Midwest Native Plant Primer Alan Branhagen is a well-known expert on native plants in Minnesota. Jim Lakin reviews Branhagen’s “Primer” on why you should consider planting natives in your yard. Once you are convinced, learn which plants to grow. Reviewed by Jim Lakin, M.D., Master Gardener So many plant guides, trying to be encyclopedic, become as engaging as a phone book. Alan Branhagen’s latest addition to the literature of Midwestern botany happily avoids this pitfall. A native of Decorah, Iowa and current Director of Operations at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Alan is passionate about the plants he describes. In this concise yet informative sourcebook Alan deftly describes 225 plants for an earth-friendly garden. This is a timely addition to our reference library as we become increasingly aware of the vital importance of native plants to the support of our complex and interwoven ecosystem. A well-considered introduction discusses plants native to the heartland of North America. As we Minnesotans well know, “No place else on earth has such an extreme continental climate , yet ours is a region filled with plants of every size in every hue…Native plants are important because they sustain all life in this landscape. Many animals, mainly insects, through millennia of adaptations and evolution are viscerally linked to a specific plant.” He discusses the various subregions of this vast and varied land, enabling us to understand the diversity of environment that must be kept in mind in selecting native plants. The mantra “the right plant in the right place” holds very true for natives. Other considerations include “who are you planting for...birds, insects, humans? The answer will influence the plant to select. The aesthetics of the garden may come into play for the Homo sapiens. For birds or insects, that may not be the prime criteria. But each species may have quite stringent requirements for the right plant species to provide the food and/or shelter for survival. For example, wild grapes act as host for the Pandora Sphinx caterpillar. This fellow in turn provides protein rich food for young birds. Absent the plant, the web of life is broken. Alan discusses designing with native plants, considering various styles—prairie, woodland, water, rock or edible gardens—along with a few words on maintenance. One thing about maintenance of native plants: they’ve been getting along just fine without humans for millennia. So, in a properly constructed native landscape maintenance should be minimal relative to our more formal gardens of exotic cultivars. Finally, the author provides a listing of the 225 most desirable native perennials for the various micro-climates discussed. Plants are listed in order of common names, a plus if you are not a Latin scholar. For easier reference they are subdivided into trees, shrubs, groundcovers and vines. The book itself is lavishly illustrated with a plethora of photos by the author and other photographers. Once again Timber Press produces a handsome volume that will grace the gardener’s library as a valuable and engaging reference. * Branhagen, A. The Midwest Native Plant Primer, Timber Press, Portland Oregon, 2021, 253 pages. Photo credit: Book jacket (1)

< Back Shoot Your Plants Like a Pro July – when we can walk out into our gardens and are captivated by the beauty of our plants, vegetables or trees – nature. It’s natural to want to capture the beauty of nature in a photograph. With the advent of the iPhone, and its pal the Android phone, we have all become photographers, or so we think. Often the subjects we photograph do not come out looking as well as they did in real life. There is more to photography than pointing your camera and clicking the button. Here are some tips to help you take better photos. Susan Ball, Dakota County Master Gardener With the advent of the iPhone and its pal the Android phone we have all become photographers, or so we think. Often the subjects we photograph do not come out looking as well as they did in real life. As I found out growing up with a professional photographer, there is more to photography than pointing your camera and clicking the button. Here are some tips to help you take better photos. We will be concentrating on photographing plants, but the tips are general enough to help you with whatever you are photographing. Tip #1 : Hold the camera steady, and click the button slowly and gently. This matters less these days with the new camera phones, which are very forgiving, and compensate for movement (but NOT actual jiggling). However, other cameras, like the single lens reflex (Canon and Nikon), will not, and the result will be a blurry photo. To counter involuntary movement, prop yourself up against a tree or other object, but whatever you do, try to stay as still as possible. Unlike birds and butterflies, plants don’t move (unless buffeted by the wind), so taking into account THEIR movement when photographing is something we can skip. Tip #2 : Don’t try to get everything in one shot . It’s tempting to throw in a lot of plants, especially when photographing your garden, but resist the temptation. Focus on one plant or small group of plants and fill the frame. Your shot will have more impact. Tip #3 : Don’t shoot everything at eye level. It’s boring . Shooting from below, or above, is a more effective angle. Or shoot through - especially if the plant is large or has interesting foliage or intricate branches. Tip #4 : Pay attention to the light. Time of day is important. Mid-day light is harsh light. Avoid it. The same goes for shade. Take advantage of the soft light of early morning and late afternoon (pros call that golden light before sunset “the magic hour”). Shoot your photos with the light behind you. Tip #5 : Use the rule of thirds . This means dividing your subject into thirds, horizontally or vertically. Place your subject to the left or the right of the line, not in the center . This makes for a much more balanced and interesting shot. Tip #6 : Avoid shooting from afar. Don’t shoot from too far away. Isolate the color or subject you are trying to emphasize. Moving in closer and filling the entire frame with just part of a single flower often creates a greater impact. You don’t get any distracting background and the fine detail of the flower is clearly visible. It may be obvious to you what the point of the photo is - after all, you are the one taking it - but your viewer may have no idea what stands out for you in a photo where everything is tiny. Tip #7 : Pay Attention to Your Background Good, clean backgrounds are essential to plant photography. A messy, distracting background ruins an image and pulls the eye away from the subject. Learn to position yourself. Before you take your photograph, look through your lens and move around. Watch what happens. Moving just a fraction of an inch can completely change a background and eliminate distracting elements You can also move in and eliminate your background altogether. Moving in directs the viewer to what you want her to see. This creates a powerful impact. Final Tip: Crop . In other words, cut it out. My photographer father was a big fan, and I am too. Get rid of the extraneous things that, in spite of your best efforts, ended up in your photo. It is one of the smartest things you can do to improve your photo. Examples include: 1) You shot from too far away, and the focal point of the photo is unclear; 2) You included more elements that you should have. It seemed like a good idea at the time but upon review you see that less would definitely would have been more; and 3) You held the camera crookedly and need to straighten the photo. The new camera phones with their picture taking features make this so easy that anyone can have professional looking photos. The crop feature is flexible. Experiment. Crop a bit, crop a lot. Cut out this or that part and see which you like better. Save that one. Or if you can’t make up your mind save 2 or 3. You can always delete them later. With time, you will discover how to crop and create the most impact. Editing/Cropping on iPhone On your phone or laptop go to the “edit” button and click on it. On the iPhone there is a small square with tiny “tails.” Tap on it. You will have the option to “straighten” your photo if it is crooked, but what you are really looking for is the “resizing” feature. These are white lines that you click on, then hold. Move inward until the lines encompass the part of the photo you want to resize or preserve. for instance, you may want to eliminate dead foliage, focus on a rose and its bud instead of the entire bush, or emphasize the deep color of a particular bloom. The crop feature allows you to do that. When you have the new photo you want, click “Done.” You now have a professional photo! It you want the original photo and an edited one, just duplicate the original then edit, crop and save. Follow these tips and you will “shoot like a Pro” in no time. References Belmont, Anne, “Flower Photography Tips for Capturing Stunning Photos”, https://visualwilderness.com/fieldwork/flower-photography-tips-for-capturing-stunning-photos Digital photography: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/WC095 Dunsford, Rob, “10 Tips for Taking Stunning Iphone Photos of Flowers”, https://iphonephotographyschool.com/flowers/ 4-H photography project Extension.umn.edu › 4-h-projects › 4-h-photography-project Photo Credits: S. L. Ball, Master Gardener (MN and FL)

< Back Preserving Your Harvest Tori Clark, Master Gardener Many of the vegetables you have been growing all summer are ready to harvest in September. Unfortunately, most things can only be stored fresh for a short period of time even in perfect conditions. If you have the time and the inclination you can harvest more of your garden and preserve it to enjoy long after the growing season has passed. Late summer means harvest time in Minnesota gardens! You can harvest vegetables and more at peak ripeness, but most things can only be stored fresh for a short period of time even in perfect conditions. You have eaten your fill, but the garden keeps on giving so if you have the time and the inclination you can harvest more of your garden and preserve it to enjoy long after the growing season has passed. Options for preserving fruits, vegetables, and herbs include freezing, drying, canning, pickling, and more. Each option has its benefits and drawbacks and some options are better for preserving different types of food. The University of Minnesota Extension has a series of short, informative food preservation videos to get you the information you need to safely preserve your vegetables, sauces, jams, and salsas to enjoy later. Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Extension (1)

< Back Wild Blue Violet (Viola sororia): One Name, Many Faces Jim Lakin MD, Master Gardner For lovers of that special harbinger of springtime, the wild violet, there are many fascinating and rewarding varieties to choose from and enjoy. In this article, Jim Lakin, describes various varieties and explores why you may want to add this native perennial to your woodland garden. I long ago realized I do not have the patience to be a taxonomist. The wild blue violet is a case in point. The battle raged among botanists for years as to whether or not to split a number of similar plants into separate species or to combine them into one. The “lumpers” finally won out over the “splitters” and today Viola sororia is the moniker for some quite different plants. We’ll discuss that in a bit. Wild blue violet as a native perennial found in almost all of Eastern North America including the entire Midwest. It is a woodland plant, loving humus-rich soils and tolerating a high amount of shade. Most varieties are pretty easy to grow in any rich soil that is moist in the spring when they flower. If the soil becomes dry in summer the plant may go dormant. A number of varieties freely self-sow although many propagate by rhizomes. Indeed, some varieties can be aggressive growers even moving into grass lawns. Nonetheless, they can be a wonderful addition to other woodland flowers in a shade garden. Wild blue violet can be an important ecological niche plant, hosting several fritillary butterflies as well as attracting a number of specialist bees and other pollinators. Happily, the fritillary butterfly which the plant hosts can keep the more invasive violet varieties in check by feeding off them during the butterfly’s larval stage. Mind though that this larval caterpillar emerges from its egg in the fall and overwinters in the surrounding leaf-litter. If you rake up the leaves in your wildflower garden in the fall, you will destroy the caterpillars before they can trim back the violets by feeding in the spring and subsequently emerge as fritillary butterflies. Viola sororia is variable in its form and behavior. Flowers are usually royal blue but the color can vary from light blue to white on one end of the spectrum to a deep navy on the other. Among the recognized strains is the woolly blue violet. This fellow is covered by short woolly hairs upon its stem, producing springtime flowers of a deep blue-violet. He is found in woodland flood plains and in upland oak-hickory woods. In the garden he is usually well behaved with limited self-sowing. Viola bloom color can vary Butterfly violet or dooryard violet is one of the largest and most aggressive strains of Viola sororia. It is a larger plant (one foot) and self-seeds freely. It can shadow out smaller wildflowers and even invade lawns. If you adopt a live-and-let-live attitude, however, the Fritillary butterfly caterpillars usually will keep the dooryard violet in check and have a good meal in the bargain. And you may have some spectacular butterfly watching later in the summer. Finally, there is a variety known as the Confederate violet. It forms a blue to grey flower with speckles. There are a couple of commercially marketed strains: “Freckles” with speckled blue flowers and “Rosie” a rosy-white form. For lovers of that special harbinger of springtime, the wild violet, there are many fascinating and rewarding varieties to choose from and enjoy. Photo credits: North Carolina State Extension (1), University of Minnesota Extension (2)

< Back September - A Jar of Flowers Julie Henrichs, Dakota County Master Gardener Summertime - a flower extravaganza! The beauty of flowers cannot be beat, but now what do we do as summer comes to a close. Is there a way to preserve or hold onto the flowers throughout fall and winter? Did you say throughout winter? Yes, it is possible to preserve your summertime flowers throughout Winter in a fun and creative way with the Little Sprouts in your life using simple items you may have at home! We are going to learn how to not just press our summer flowers, but turn them into a beautiful decoration to give as a gift or keep for ourselves. Supplies Needed : Flowers from garden (best are smaller or more open petal flowers/blooms, leaves, grasses; ex. Cosmos, Pansy, Hydrangea, Daisy, Larkspur, Forget-Me-Not, etc.) Parchment Paper or Tissue Paper Heavy objects (used to lay on top of flowers while pressing) Glass Container (ex. canning, jam/pickle/olive jars), Vase, Votive Mod Podge (DIY - glue & water mixed to a milky consistency) Brush Patience (waiting for flowers to dry may take a couple weeks) Find your favorite “Little Sprout” and visit your flower garden and begin finding your favorite flowers, leaves and grasses. It is a great time to explore and introduce your “Little Sprout” to the world of gardening and explore all there is to see. Watch for pollinators, talk about the various plant parts, shapes, colors and varieties. Cut the flowers you would like to use (choosing drier flowers is best) and with a paper towel gently press the flowers, leaves and grasses trying to get out as much moisture as possible. Now the drying process begins. Place flowers/leaves/grass between double layers of tissue paper and then place between two heavy objects (books, wood pieces with heavy objects placed on top). Flowers/leaves/grasses will take about 2-4 weeks to dry fully. Check on your flowers after a week to see if new tissue paper is needed. Flowers can mold during this process if they start out too moist and changing the tissue paper allows for better moisture absorption. Place heavy objects again on the flowers/leaves/grass. Repeat this process until all items are completely dry. Once all flowers/leaves/grasses are dry it is time to create a “Jar of Flowers”. Take the jar, vase or votive (glass container) you have chosen and with the brush, spread a coat of Mod Podge or the DIY Glue/Water mixture on the outside of the glass trying to put it on as smooth as possible if you do not want brush marks to show. Next, take the dried flowers/leaves/grasses and place them on your glass container as you wish to create a unique design. Add a second layer of Mod Podge or DIY Glue/Water mixture covering all of the glass container. Let dry! Once dry your glass container can be turned into a vase or votive holder. Give the creation away or keep for yourself. It will remind you and your “Little Sprout” throughout the year of your beautiful flower garden and all the fun that can be had with a few flowers, a glue mixture and a glass container/jar. Photo Credits: www.pexels.com (1,2) , www.littlepinelearners.com (3)

< Back Ethnic Heritage Food Joy Johnson, Master Gardener With the onset of cold weather, embrace your comfort food roots. Joy Johnson shares two of her family’s comfort recipes. Try them and they may become your new comfort food recipes. With the onset of cold weather, my thoughts and appetite go back to the “good old days” when I was a kid. The foods my mother, grandmother and aunts prepared always seemed to be just what I needed. Today we call that ‘comfort food’, going back to what made you feel good as a kid. Thinking back to those wonderful meals, I realize that I have a divided gastronomic family. Half of it is Hungarian and half of it is German. I have terrific recipes from both sides of the family. One year we grew over 30 cabbages. My young daughter and her friend were having such a fun time planting, that I just let them keep going and didn’t realize what I huge harvest we’d have. We fermented over 30 quarts of sauerkraut that year. The soup recipe below is a delicious one to try if you have homemade sauerkraut. It works well with the store-bought kind too. I think it’s fun to try new recipes, especially if they are someone else’s ‘tried and true’ ones, because then you know they’ve been taste tested and honed to perfection over the years. Here are two family tested recipes, one from my Hungarian side and one from my German side. Hmmm, it’s kind of funny, but my mom started serving them both at the same meal, with additional Hungarian dishes on the side. That’s now our newish family tradition, a delicious mixture in one comforting and very satisfying meal. Sauerkraut Soup (from the German side) 1 quart sauerkraut; rinse, squeeze, chop 1 pound Polska Kolbasi sausage ½ cup rice (I use brown rice) Brown flour for thickening (2/3 cup flour toasted in 3 tablespoons butter. Stir constantly until flour turns golden brown) 1 teaspoon caraway seed Cut sausage into bit size slices, cover with water and cook a few minutes to remove fat. Remove slices from water, save water, refrigerate so fat will harden. Remove hardened fat from water and discard. Add sauerkraut and caraway seeds to this water, cook about 15 minutes, add sausage slices, cook 10 minutes, whisk water into the browned flour in a separate bowl until smooth, add a little of this to the soup, add rice. Cook slowly until the rice is done. DON’T add all the browned flour mix at once, see how it thickens, it varies depending on how much water you started with. Bobyka (from the Hungarian side) Take any white bread recipe (or frozen bread dough works). Take a portion of the dough, place in palms of your hands, rubbing back and forth, make it like a rope about a half inch in diameter. Cut into 1-inch pieces and roll them into balls in the palm of your hand. Place on a greased cookie sheet (or cover it with parchment paper). Bake until golden brown at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Immerse them in boiling water for just a few minutes ‘til softened, not too long or they will fall apart. Melt ¼ cup butter, add dough balls (bobykas), add about 1 tablespoon ground poppyseed and about 1 tablespoon honey. Serve warm. They taste like little breadsticks.

< Back What Are Plants Doing in Winter? Valerie Rogotzke, Master Gardener Read this delightful article with your children about how plants survive winter. How are plants like animals in their amazing self-preservation strategies? Engage in the fun and education experiments with the child in your life. Our Minnesota winters can be quite cold and snowy! We have warm houses and heavy coats and mugs of hot cocoa to keep us cozy all through the winter, but what about all the living things outside ? How do they make it through the cold season? Animals who live outdoors don’t have buildings or mittens, but they do have their own winter survival tricks. Squirrels and rabbits build warm nests, bears and frogs will hibernate, and insects and birds often migrate, flying south to warmer places for a vacation until spring returns to Minnesota. Without arms to burrow into the ground, wings to fly away, or arms to build nests, which of these tricks can plants use to survive winter? How do plants survive the cold? Believe it or not, plants use many of the same tricks that animals use. Let’s look at three examples. SQUIRRELS You might spot a squirrel on a cold winter day, running to one of its many hiding spots to find a few nuts or seeds to eat. They enjoy lazy winters, mostly snug in their nests or out on a food run, because they worked all summer gathering food and bulking up their nests for the winter. Which plant is like this, alive and active through the winter? A. Deciduous trees, like maples or oaks B. Tender bulbs, like dahlias C. Evergreen or coniferous trees, like spruces or firs D. Hardy bulbs, like tulips If you said C — Evergreens, you’re correct! Evergreen trees continue to be active throughout the winter, just like squirrels. They keep their green needles all through the winter months because they’re coated in a waxy shell that protects the water inside each needle. Furthermore, their roots can keep growing deep in the earth because the soil four or five feet below the grass isn’t frozen. FROGS If you have frogs in your garden in the summer, you will notice that they go away in autumn. As our Junior Winter Garden Detectives might remember, frogs survive winter by going into a deep sleep called hibernation, and they also make a special kind of antifreeze liquid in their bodies that keeps them from freezing solid. Which plant is like this, going to sleep but not freezing? A. Deciduous trees, like maples or oaks B. Tender bulbs, like dahlias C. Evergreen or coniferous trees, like spruces or firs D. Hardy bulbs, like tulips If you said A — Deciduous trees, you’re correct! Deciduous trees don’t disappear completely like frogs, but their leaves certainly do! A maple tree will drop its leaves in autumn because they are too delicate to survive the winter. The deep sleep that trees go through is called dormancy instead of hibernation. As for that antifreeze liquid that the trees make in winter to keep from freezing? You have probably eaten it on pancakes, because it’s maple syrup. CANADA GEESE It’s hard to miss Canada geese on our lakes in the summer. It’s even harder to miss them when they fly south in autumn, honking noisily in their V-shaped formations in the sky. Which plant is like this, leaving the cold for warmer climates? A. Deciduous trees, like maples B. Tender bulbs, like dahlias C. Evergreen or coniferous trees, like spruces D. Hardy bulbs, like tulips If you said B — Tender bulbs, you’re correct! You might have even been with the gardening grownups in your life when they dug up all their tender bulbs at the end of summer. These bulbs cannot fly to Florida for the summer, but go instead to the warmth of a garage until it’s time to plant them again the following May or June. You might have noticed that we didn’t have any animal examples for hardy bulbs. Why is that? Well, this last winter trick for plants is quite unique— vernalization . “Vernal” is just a fancy Latin way of saying “spring,” so vernalization is about the process plants go through to get ready for spring blooming and flowering. We’ve already seen that some flowers, like tender bulbs, just aren’t tough enough to survive the snowy winter and need to be brought inside. What about the plants that are strong enough to survive the winter? This includes hardy bulbs, but also apple and cherry trees and many vegetables like cabbages and carrots. Their flowers are all ready to produce another blossom in fall, but they don’t. The cooling weather puts a flower blocker onto the plant that stops new flowers from growing. (If you have cherry or apple trees, you can go outside and see the buds that have formed but not bloomed.) What removes the flower blocker? Several weeks of cold weather. By the time the cold weather has removed the flower blockers, it’s springtime—time for new flowers to start to appear! DO: Try These Experiments FREEZER EXPERIMENT on deciduous and evergreen leaves. Gather an avocado and a piece of lettuce or spinach. An avocado has a waxy outer shell like a spruce needle, and a piece of spinach is unprotected like a maple leaf. What do you think will happen when you put them in the freezer for 24 hours? For a week? Write down your hypotheses on a piece of paper. Next, place both in your freezer. Check on them at 24 hours and again at one week. What has changed? Now let them thaw out on your kitchen counter. Which one has survived the cold best? VERNALIZATION EXPERIMENT in the garden. If you grow carrots in your garden in the summer, try leaving a few in the ground in the fall. (This will be difficult, since homegrown carrots are delicious.) A beautiful white flower that looks like Queen Anne’s lace will be awaiting you. By letting this biennial plant live out its second year, you are witnessing vernalization—the flower blocker has been taken off by winter, and now the carrot flowers are in full bloom. Further reading and listening for adults on vernalization, both from vernalization expert Dr. Richard Amasino from the University of Wisconsin-Madison : https://grow.cals.wisc.edu/deprecated/food-systems/winter-awakens-spring-flowering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcvmlYroJ1A Photo credits: Pix4 Free (1), Pixnio (2)