Edible Landscape

I wanted to share my sweet potato bird with the kids at my church. So I gave her a nest and some little round sweet potatoes as eggs.   

Link Page

If you are thinking about adding fruit trees, vegetable or herbs, you’ll want to spend some time learning about the best varieties for your area. In Florida some things to consider, depending on your location, are ability to withstand humidity, salt tolerance, cold hardiness. Some plants may need a chilling period. Some may be grafted for higher quality fruit and more reliable production or resistance to disease. Humidity and its good friend fungus is always a consideration for the Florida Gardener.

 

An investment in a fruit tree is a fairly substantial purchase. If you mail-order, depending on the variety, expect to pay between $25 and $40 for a young tree in a 3-gallon container. Plus shipping. Before shelling out the money, take some time to research the various varieties available. In this way you will get off to a good start with the tree best suited for your location.   

Link Page

Without question my first year of growing sweet potatoes has been a great success. I wasn’t sure if the tubers could hold up to Tropical Storm Fay’s 14-inches of rain, but apparently they came through just fine.

While I dug plenty of big, nicely-shaped potatoes, harvesting was a bit like a treasure hunt. I never knew what the next one would look like. 

I call this one my bird potato

Check the album for more sweet potato pics.

I will certainly continue to grow sweet potatoes. Their usefulness as a trouble-free summer border would be reason enough. Honestly, after regular watering in the beginning to get them established nothing else was required. The leaves grew thickly enough that weeds weren’t much of a problem. Insects nibbled a little on a few leaves during late summer, but the tubers were completely untouched.

As every Florida gardener knows, it is summer humidity much more than the heat that claims many types of plants. Sweet potatoes thrive in heat, and I saw no evidence that humidity slowed them down.

But I must say, these plants are WEIRD! After harvesting some tubers a week or so ago, I left plant remnants in a large garbage can until I had a chance to compost. Then it rained every day and I was distracted with work. I wasn’t worried about standing water because I have holes punched in the cans I use to collect garden waste. However, with the excess of rain the plant material stayed very wet.

I finally dumped out this stuff. Phew! It smelled like a swamp, and of course the plant-matter was already decomposing. …That is, except for the remnants of sweet potato roots. Would you believe it, those roots were already trying to grow more tubers! I don’t think anything could kill theses things.    

I have read that sweet potatoes have long been considered a reliable crop for tough places and tough times. I understand this better after a season of growing these plants. They really are amazing. And delicious! 

I’ve been trying to finish editing my mother’s book while dealing with storms—it’s been too long since I’ve posted.

Fay was a slow-moving tropical storm. Yes, we needed rain, but she didn’t know when to quit. All-in-all we received 14 inches, and cleanup took an additional week.

Then, on the day I finally decided the ground had dried sufficiently to mow our well-watered grass, I found a small sinkhole by the road. The guy from the county said they were popping up all over the place. When you live on a barrier island, on land that would like to revert back to its natural, swamplike conditions, this is only to be expected.

For a time we thought Hanna might pay us a visit, but other than a little rain, she only gave us this lovely sunset full of high cirrus clouds.

A week from today I’m supposed to fly out to Santa Fe to stay with my mother during surgery. No telling what Ike has on his agenda for next weekend. Oh well. I’ve always said I’d love to fly through a hurricane.   

Update on my novel, And The Dominoes Fall, I have received some truly valuable feedback from readers of the pre-release version. I feel fortunate to have friends and family who will give candid opinions. Thanks to all! A couple of people gave similar observations and from that I was inspired to make some changes that should make the final version much stronger. I want my work to be the best that it can be, and truly value feedback.

I had hoped to have the novel ready for publication by mid-September, but must wait until I return from Santa Fe to do a final rewrite. In this way, I should have all three projects—my novel, my mother’s memoirs, and the supplemental booklet about my father’s Rubik Cube designs—ready by late October. One way or another, I will get the projects finished in time for Christmas shopping. 

I have posted some more garden photos.   

Containers offer gardeners flexibility with placement of plants, as well as greater control over soil mixtures. When one considers all the possible uses for containers and planters—hanging baskets, window boxes, patio gardens, balcony gardens, poolside plantings, houseplants—one begins to realize that potted plants enhance almost any environment. If you’re on a tight budget, don’t despair; it’s really not difficult to find cheap, even free, containers.

When my son was little he had a huge toy-box shaped like a football. Eventually the lid was lost and the upper rim became cracked and broken. I used a sharp razorblade to trim away the upper half of the football, and then drilled holes along the bottom rim, which was slightly raised. For several years now, the football has held dwarf cardamom on my patio, serving as a green backdrop for another planter filled with impatiens. The cardamom is so thick that you can’t even see the football.

Once, when I needed to contain a mint determined to take over the entire garden, I used an old kitty-litter box.

My father would collect large cans from a local elementary school cafeteria, and then use a bottle opener to punch holes along the base. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend doing this because cans rust rather quickly.

Theoretically, almost any item that can hold dirt and water, and can be drilled to create drainage, can be used in the container garden.  Keep an eye out at garage sales, flea markets and thrift shops for potential planters.

A word about drainage:  Always drill or punch the holes along the sides, unless the base is raised off the ground.  Drainage holes on the bottom of containers set flat upon a hard surface become clogged, quickly.  Good drainage is crucial to maintaining healthy plants. (I will have much more to say about planting mediums and potting plants in next week’s column.)

Avid gardeners need plenty of small pots when starting seed, rooting cuttings, transplanting and dividing specimens. How do you get free pots?  I have discovered that it’s really simple. Most people throw away the plastic pots from garden centers. If the neighbors know that you want them, you’ll have all you can use. I always have seedlings and rooted cuttings to share with visitors to my garden. They often return with unneeded pots.

Although free pots are plentiful, there may be occasions when you need to purchase containers.  Here in Florida, for example, many gardeners grow vegetables in 10-to-20 gallon containers.  (Nematodes are a huge problem.)  If you need really big pots or tubs, check with your local nurseries and landscapers. Many will sell used items at a very good price. If you don’t care for the look of black plastic nursery containers, you can always spray paint the exterior with any paint hat adheres to plastic.

I have found hanging baskets in thrift stores for a quarter. One time I found a beautiful clay planter for 50 cents. The only problem, it was cracked along one side. No big deal. I applied a bit of aquarium sealer and presto, the perfect setting for petunias.

Look around, use your imagination, and you will find an unlimited supply of cheap and free planters.

A word of caution:  If, like me, you ever find yourself snooping behind a friend or neighbor’s garage, sifting though discarded planters, watch out for really big spiders.

Now that we have entered another hurricane season, I thought I would offer a few tips for stormproofing the yard. This work should have been completed earlier in the spring, but better late than never.

All too often, damage to vehicles and structures is the direct result of fallen limbs and trees. Much of this could be avoided by doing the following:

Prune healthy trees and large shrubs properly

Remove dead or diseased trees and limbs

Plant trees that withstand high winds, in the first place

Begin yard preparations for the next hurricane by looking for damages from last year’s storms that have yet to be corrected. Remove or hire someone to remove dead and injured branches. If splits and injuries go down into the trunk, consider having the tree removed completely.   

Some trees are so prone to toppling or splitting in high winds that they shouldn’t be grown within falling distance of the home. Quite often these are varieties that were introduced into Florida because they grow faster than our natives. Shallow root systems or brittle limbs create hazards during a hurricane.

Some of the worst selections include:

Australian Pine

Laurel Oak

Water Oak

Chinese Elm

Norfolk Island Palm

Queen Palm

Cherry Laurel

Sand Pine

I can tell you firsthand about the queen palm. Ours came down during Frances. It fell along the side of the house, fortunately, only slightly damaging the roof. These fast growing palms, introduced from Brazil, look striking towering over a house. However, they have shallow root systems and shouldn’t be planted too close to any structure. Most of the other palms commonly grown in Central Florida tolerate high winds much better.

Sand pine or scrub pine is native and an important tree in the few remaining pine scrublands in Central Florida. Trouble is, you don’t want one too close to a house or mobile home. Same goes for laurel oak and water oak, which are often planted because they grow faster than live oak. Live oak tolerates high winds much better. 

I find it amusing that Australian pine was imported to Florida to grow as a windbreak for crops. Well they certainly don’t take the hard winds of a hurricane very well.

Some of our commonly grown ornamental plants can become a hazard if allowed to grow too large or are left unpruned altogether. These include:

Jacaranda

Golden Rain Tree

Ficus

The first two tend to be brittle and split easily. Best not to let them grow too large when planted close to the home.

Ficus can grow in a very dense pattern that looks gorgeous. Unfortunately, since the wind can’t go through it with ease, it simply knocks it over. Much the same as we have all seen happens to privacy fences.

Photo of 20-foot ficus that has never been pruned

This one gives you a better idea of growth habit.

Other densely growing shrubs may topple over during high winds, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are dead. My bougainvillea looked like a goner after Frances, completely defoliated, slumped over and partially uprooted. However, after just a couple of weeks, new growth began to sprout. Within eight months of recuperation you would never guess that it survived two major hurricanes.    

Bougainvillea immediately after Frances

Eight months latter.

When rehabilitating shrubs and trees, it is important to consider the health of the roots. The hard winds, particularly during a prolonged storm like Frances, can create air pockets around the roots. Add more topsoil and keep the plant well watered. Oftentimes staking is necessary to reestablish the proper position. I didn’t even try to force my bougainvillea back into the original position. Seemed like too much of a pain in the … hands. I took special care with the roots and pruned regularly to reshape. I suppose it appreciated all that extra attention because it is thriving.

If you have yet to prepare your yard for the next hurricane, do so as quickly as possible. Inspect for damages from last season that may have weakened or injured trees. Prone or remove trees that could become a hazard to your home or to other structures. Prone the ornamentals that have grown too large or too dense. Prepare now and you may be able to avoid the headaches of dealing with insurance agents and roofers after the next storm slams into your property. 

Sweet potatoes

This is the first year I’ve grown sweet potatoes, so it will be a while longer before I can report the results.

In keeping with my edible landscape, I looked for something to grow as a summer border. This isn’t easy in Florida, where we must grow most vegetables in winter. The bush, bunching-type sweet potatoes seemed like a possibility. These varieties have names like Bunch Porto Ricans and Vardeman, which are the varieties I chose.  

·       They are very pretty; the new leaves being a lovely shade of purple.

·       They have a nice mounding shape.

·       They stay fairly well contained, at least so far, unlike the vining varieties.

·       I’m not concerned about our summer heat. They should like that just fine. How well they hold up to our high humidity is yet to e seen.

·       They are not troubled much by insects.

Although I am new to growing sweet potatoes, apparently, it is tradition. My mother tells me that her Uncle Andrew used to be among the top sweet potato farmers in the country. Growing up in Alabama she recalls that back in the 1930s he sold slips for a penny each. As a child her brother and she walked in front of their daddy to move the vines back to their rows so that he could plow.

I purchased my rooted slips from George’s Plant Farm. This family farm in Tennessee, like my Great-Uncle Andrew’s a couple of generations earlier, specializes in sweet potatoes. Note: They have finished shipping for 2008.    

Mama says that Uncle Andrew planted sweet potatoes when the moon was new. When you mail-order, you want to plant right away. The same day they arrive, if at all possible. Preferably in the evening, so that the plants can settle in before facing the full blast of the hot sun. While they may look a bit wilted when they first arrive, this isn’t a problem. They perk up after a good watering.

My only concern was that rodents like to nibble on the developing tubers. If you grow sweet potatoes, it’s probably a good idea to have cats. Unfortunately, Kali and Reason are strictly indoor cats. With our abundance of birds and other wildlife, I’m not letting them out, not even to prove their skill as mousers.

So, I am doing the next best thing. Whenever I give the cats a good brushing, I toss the shedded fur around the sweet potatoes. I’m not sure this strategy will work, but it shouldn’t hurt. So far, so good.

…If this doesn’t work, I can always use jalapenos. If you grow jalapenos you can simply break open a couple and shake the seeds around wherever you wish to deter squirrels or mice. You can also make a simple spray by soaking the hot peppers in a little water.

Sweet Potatoes grow in a wide range of conditions and are not at all difficult to grow. Plant in full sun, in improved garden soil that is raised to form a bit of a hill. Water if conditions become dry, particularly when first establishing the plants. Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer, whatever you use on nearby plants should be fine.         

I’ll let you know how this works out in the fall.

Recipe Sweet Potato Biscuits

This is a favorite winter recipe around our house.

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

 2 or 3 tablespoons brown sugar, depending on your preference.

1 teaspoon cinnamon Add a pinch more if you like cinnamon.

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons chilled butter

¾ cup chilled cooked sweet potato

1/3 cup buttermilk

Heat oven to 425 degrees

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Cut in the butter as you normally do with pastry.

Add chilled sweet potatoes and buttermilk.

Use clean hands to form into dough.

I never roll out biscuits. I form them by hand, but do whichever way you prefer.

Bake at 425 for about 22 minutes.

Makes 8 or 9 large biscuits.

Quick notes:

To cook the sweet potatoes, simply wash and wrap a couple extra in foil and put in the oven while baking something else. You can do this the day before since you want them chilled for the biscuits.

Some may prefer unsalted butter. Regular or unsalted is fine, adjust the amount of added salt according to taste. You could also experiment with the spices. Add a pinch of nutmeg, maybe.

I like to serve sweet potato biscuits with ham.

The picture shows my small jaboticaba, a shrub/tree native to Southern Brazil.

Although slow to mature, it will eventually produce a delicious grape-like fruit with a flavor described as a combination of Muscatine grape and raspberry.

My three-year-old plant must keep growing another seven years before I can sample the flavor. You see, the slow-to-fruit jaboticaba takes about ten years to flower.

There is a story about an old man who was seen planting jaboticaba seeds. His neighbors were perplexed. They said, “Why would an old man plant jaboticaba seeds? Surely, you will die before you taste the fruit.”

The old man nodded and replied, “If everybody thought like you, we would have no jaboticaba fruit.”

The same could be said for energy independence. I am fed up with politicians who say, “We can’t” to every option suggested. Always, the same excuse. “It will take a decade to develop.” Well, if it takes a decade, shouldn’t we plant the seeds today?

What’s wrong with us? Are we so spoiled by our instant access, click-to-download lifestyle that we refuse to consider any option that takes longer to execute than it takes to upload a sound bite to U-Tube?

Renewable options do exist. Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet. No dictator or corporation can control hydrogen, or the sun, the wind, the waves, or geothermal resources. Perhaps these options will take a few years to develop to the point that they become as ubiquitous in powering our daily energy needs as they exist in nature. So, then, shouldn’t we get serious today?

I agree with those who describe energy independence as a National security issue. When contemplating National security, we are willing to put all options on the table. Shouldn’t we do the same thing with energy? And shouldn’t we give greater attention to those options that are sustainable?     

I live in Easy-Central Florida, only a few miles from The Kennedy Space Center. The space shuttle program is winding down. Soon enough, many talented scientists could be looking for work. If we decided to get serious about developing renewable sources of energy, we have the talent to make that happen.

What do we lack? I fear that all we really lack is the foresight to understand that every delicious fruit we savor began when a humble seed took root.

The WordThunder Store now has a new, simpler address: WTGifts.com