New England Gardener

Summer of 2009 started cold and wet here in New England. Our tomatoes, pumpkins, and blueberries suffered badly with the worst late blight in years. Though late blight is named for a fungus that usually shows up later in summer. This year we had an early outbreak, before our weather turned warmer and drier in August and September. We now have reports of a fine apple crop, and though we hear sad stories form many pumpkin growers, this writer had his best pumpkin years in years. I guess I lucked out a bit.. I certainly had my worst tomato season ever, and am concerned about my fungus riddled blueberry leaves. Let’s talk about the fun stuff.

I was very happy to get home from my 3 day jury duty last week to find a Jeep full of Mums. Janet took it on herself to hit up Shaws great selection of mums at a reasonable price to decorate our yard. I am also happy to report that my pumpkin garden produced abut 4 fruits per vine, I had three main vines.

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I just wanted to write 09-01-09.. Welcome to September in New England 2009 where we may actually have a week without a Hurricane Threat. Our NECN forecast shows sunshine into Labor Day. I am taking advantage of a quiet weather pattern to talk about, and hopefully, get some time in, the garden. There has been no improvement to my tomatoes, many of the vines have completely died. I left the tomatoes on the vine anyway, though I am sure they would ripen equally if I picked them on placed on the window sill.

During my last in depth discussion, my final though was ‘more on pumpkins next time’. I was going to talk about pruning the vines to possibly increase quality, perhaps at the expense of quantity. I was going to reduce the number of vines from the individual plants. But.. I never got to pruning those vines, now the pumpkins have taken over. I agree with Amy form her weekend post, pumpkins are easy to grow, but you never know how many you are going to get.

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Question:
We have a clean slate on the front and side of out house. What kind of foundation plantings do you recommend? We live right outside Boston MA.
Thanks! Julia
Answer:
Hi Julia

Driving around New England this August makes me think of how little I know about all the variety of flowering plants, shrubs , and trees available to us. The July rain may have hurt the tomatoes, but the August flowers are brilliant!
At my home, we have the traditional New England Favorites. Hydrangea and Roses are a must. Daylili, Black Eyed Susan’s, Azalea, and Oregano are all over the place. Iris and Gladiolus bloom in June. Rose of Sharon are in bloom right now. Ornamental Grasses are easy to grow, a bit tough to cut back though. You will learn that burning bushes are invasive species, and no longer sold in New England. But the Blueberry Bush has a similar color to Burning Bush, and you can have your own family berry picking days. Another one in bloom now is the Butterfly Plant (attracts butterfly’s). In the fall you can put some tulip and daffodil bulbs in for bloom in early spring. When you shop, there is no need to get real big plants. You can start with cheaper small plants, then with pruning and feeding, they will grow fast. Be sure to put them in the ground 3 or 4 feet from the foundation, that space will fill within a few years. Then prune the plants so they do not touch the house.
Enjoy creating your new garden, a never ending project

Have a question for the Garden Team? Ask them here!

Question:
I have been reading about these proven winners plants after a friend of mine picked up some items at a local store. What are your thoughts on proven winners and is it all hype? I found a site that sells proven winners online at a reasonable price, it’s shop.pwfourstar.com. They have something called a waterwise for home irrigation. I am going to buy one and check it out since it’s only $30. However, i figured i might as well try some plants out if they are worth it. They look good in pictures, but do they perform? Just curious.

Answer:
Hi James,
Most of the plants in my garden grow from the smallest, non-brand name sprouts, I find at the local nursery. I count on Ron and Cindy Simon at R&C’s in Scituate MA to buy and sell quality plants and vegetables. They do sell Proven Winners, but I am not looking for labels. The only reason I do not start from seed, is the time and effort it takes to do it myself. Once I get the plant home it is up to me to become a proven winner. That is, I make sure the ground is wet, (or as is the case this summer, not too wet), and the soil is well tilled with plentiful worms, and not too many weeds. I will do more hand pruning and pest removal, and feeding, than application of chemicals or letting growth go out of control. Like anything else, the more love you give, the more love you get. In my opinion, our TLC will take a plant to Proven Winner Status. Please let us know if you see better results from the Proven Winners you may have purchased.

Many Happy Returns, Tim

Have a question for the Garden Team? Ask them here!

I’m trying to determine if my Tomato plants are being affected by blight. The bottom of the plants are turning brown and dying while the top of the plants continues to thrive. If this is a sign of blight and should I remove the plants from my garden completely or is there a chemical pesticide that is safe for this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Michael Christoferson
Exeter NH

Hi Michael.
The photo above shows a yellow branch I will remove from my one of my tomato plants The lowest leaves on tomato plants usually turn yellow this time of year, but this year the rot is going to the extreme. Today at the American Legion redemption center I heard from Jim ‘The Weatherman’ that his summer squash are thriving, but his tomatoes are dying.
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Invasive Japanese Knotweed

So far I have not pulled the trigger on spraying RoundUp on all the unwanted growth. My preference is to get the roots out. Talk about a never ending project.. this Knotweed Root goes on seemingly for ever. So I just control how far I allow it into our yard. I will also talk about Pumpkins, Dayliiies if you click to read more.
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