North Mississippi Gardening Tips
November - December, 2007
Flowers
Ornamental cabbage and kale are the hardy, colorful versions of culinary cabbage and kale. These plants are like giant winter flowers with red, lavender, pink or white centers that get brighter as frost hits the leaves, so don’t be afraid to plant them late in the year. Although you can eat these plants, their flavor is inferior to culinary cabbage and kale. They are better appreciated for their ornamental value. You can also use the foliage as a garnish for your holiday foods or in arrangements. These plants combine well with pansies and will stay pretty until the temperature dips below 20 degrees.
A handy way to keep those empty seed packets for future reference is to insert them into the pockets of inexpensive photo albums. Use the type of photo album that opens to expose two rows of flip-up, non-adhesive pockets. Insert one packet per pocket and you can read both sides of the packet for botanical name and cultural information. This makes a nice record of the seed you have used from year to year.
Check to see if your city composts the leaves it collects each fall. Composting city leaves is catching on because it makes so much sense. Gardeners obtain free organic matter and cities don’t have to spend money by hauling leaves to landfills. To find out whether your town composts leaves, call your city hall, street and sanitation department, or department of public works. Using this compost to amend the soil in your flowerbeds is a great winter activity for you, the kids and grandkids.
Clean and Store Garden Tools
This is a job that seldom gets done in a timely fashion and typically is forgotten until spring comes. Take the time to create the right atmosphere to get this mundane but needed chore done. First, find a spot in the garage, plug in your radio and tune in some appropriate music (a military march, or John Philip Sousa tune would help to energize you), brew some spiced cider or other stimulating beverage, gather the children or grandchildren together with promises of a fun family activity and then get all those nasty garden tools together. As you enjoy your drink and music put the kids to work removing any dirt from the tools using a wire brush and water. Dry thoroughly. Spray all exposed metal with a rust inhibitor or clean off rust with naval jelly. Wooden handles can be sanded lightly and then rubbed down with linseed oil or tung oil. Floor wax will also help shine up the handles. Now, the job is done and it was fun!
Container Plants
Nurseries and garden centers have rosemary topiaries for sale during the holiday season. These are available as living wreaths, miniature Christmas trees or one-ball topiaries. Be careful not to over water these plants. Water only when soil is dry. If possible, keep your plant in a cool, sunny room, an enclosed porch or sunroom for example. At least keep your plant next to a bright window and DO NOT over water. This seems to be the major cause of death of these fragrant holiday potted plants. And don’t forget to snip a few wayward twigs to add to your holiday dishes! If, heaven forbid, your plant does succumb, you can still use the dried leaves for seasoning!
Vegetables
Sweet potatoes require warm, humid storage conditions. Without these conditions, the potatoes will spoil. Since the typical winter home is warm and dry, it may be better to cook the potatoes and store them in the freezer, especially if you have a large quantity.
Plant your garlic cloves now through the end of the year in our area of the South. Garlic comes in three basic types: soft neck (most common, strongest tasting, used for braiding); stiff neck (mild tasting, cannot be used for braiding); and elephant garlic (huge cloves, mild tasting).
If you have a large patch of ‘sallet’ or greens, as some people call it, don’t forget to preserve some in the freezer before the really cold temperatures can harm it—particularly for those of us who live in the colder parts of the state. I know you’ve heard of the custom of eating greens and black-eyed peas for New Year’s Day. The greens symbolize the greenbacks and the peas symbolize the coins you’ll hopefully require in the upcoming year, so you want to be sure and have a big ‘mess’ of greens available for consumption by all family members.
Trees and Shrubs
I know your mail box is filling up with all the new 2008 seed and plant catalogs and you will enjoy many a cold, wintery day looking through all the pretty pictures. We tend to focus on flowers when looking through these, but keep in mind that these catalogs are a good resource for seeing what is new in the market of trees and shrubs. Use these free resources to browse and evaluate what is available and if the tree or shrub is one that will fit the needs of your landscape in terms of climate, function and physical characteristics. Once you select a plant contact your local nurseryman or garden center to see if the plant will be available locally. It is usually much more economical to purchase trees and shrubs locally than through mail order sources.
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes North Mississippi Gardening Tips monthly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.