 It somehow seems inappropriate to plant early spring bulbs when the weather is still so warm. However, bulbs such as daffodils, crocus, freesias, grape hyacinth and Dutch iris can be planted as early as they appear in nurseries during the next few weeks. They need not be planted immediately and can in fact be planted at any time through winter. Many people who enjoy such flowers prefer to plant small groups at various times through autumn and winter to extend bloom in spring. Those planted now will bloom first, and any planted later will bloom accordingly.
Summer-blooming bulbs and bulb-like plants will become available later. Those already in the garden should not be irrigated too generously as they finish blooming and foliage begins to discolor. As with spring bulbs, foliage should not be removed until it is easily pulled away from subterranean parts that remain dormant in the soil during winter. The earliest of gladioluses have, of course, already abscised their foliage, but later bloomers may still be green. Dahlias need not be dug and divided, but may be if more are desired next year.
Cool-season root vegetables that may be planted during autumn include beets (yum!), carrots (yuck!), radishes and turnips. Chard is actually a type of beet that is grown for the foliage rather than the root, just as turnip greens are a type of turnip. Both may also be planted now. Although turnips and beets both produce edible foliage, chard and turnip greens produce inferior roots that are not very good—I tried. Other cool-season vegetables include lettuce, cabbage, spinach, onions, broccoli, cauliflower and peas. Because the entire plants of most cool-season vegetables are taken when harvested, they should be planted in small quantities throughout the season. Like bulbs, the earliest planted will produce first, followed by those planted later.
Some garden enthusiasts prefer to take greens from the outer foliage of developing plants, leaving interior leaves to produce more greens later. Better-quality greens are actually obtained by this procedure, because they are all taken while somewhat immature. If the entire plants are harvested, individual leaves range in maturity from very young to nearly mature. Because harvesting only exterior leaves extends production of individual plants, scheduling of later additions is not as critical. In fact, my neighbor only plants lettuce twice, because the second group is already producing as the first group is depleted. Pea vines continue to produce after the first peas are taken, so only need to be planted once at the beginning of the season.
Vine of the Week: Grape
I miss the distinguished cultivar names of the citrus I grew a few years ago, such as "Lisbon," "Washington," "Algerian," "Mexican" and "Ponderosa." I have been very pleased with my classic Concord grape, Vitus labrusca, but find it difficult to choose an alternate cultivar from among the many strange names that sound more like New Wave bands of the 1980s. Some of the strangest examples are "Himrod," "Tokay," "Agawam," "Caco," "Catawba," "Rish Baba," "Duran Duran" (does Simon LeBon know?) and "Exotic" (what about Ted Nugent?). Selection of an appropriate cultivar is fortunately limited by the environmental preferences of each cultivar. Only the few that perform best here are readily available. European cultivars, Vitus vinifera, are somewhat more susceptible to mildew and prefer warmer weather, and are consequently not as popular.
Grapevines lack colorful bloom associated with other ornamental vines, but exhibit appealing and often profuse fruit, autumn foliar color and structurally interesting bare vines in winter. Like deciduous fruit trees, grapevines require specialized pruning while dormant in winter. This requirement should not be ignored, as the vines can otherwise become overwhelming. Bare-root stock is inexpensive during winter and becomes established very quickly and more reliably than canned stock.
Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be
contacted at 408-358-2574 or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com.
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Photograph by Shari Kaplan