During this time of year, the outdoor gardens at my farm are pretty bare, but there's a lot of work to do in the greenhouses, including grooming my large collection of begonias. And this week, we have an extra set of hands helping out.
Wendy Norling is one of my gardeners at Skylands, my beloved home in Maine. She's visiting New York this week to help with some of our indoor chores. On the list - carefully inspect each begonia plant, trim any dead or discolored leaves and stems, remove any crisscrossing canes, top dress with fresh potting mix, and feed, feed, feed.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
My growing collection of begonias is one of the first you see when entering my main greenhouse. I keep my begonias on a long, sliding table, so each plant is within easy reach. They are also placed where they get bright, indirect light.
Rhizomatous begonias range from small, delicate plants with one-inch wide leaves to large, robust specimens with 12-inch wide leaves or more.
All begonias have oval-shaped leaves that can be spade-like with a pointed tip in some varieties. The leaves grow from the main stem in an “alternate” structure. This means they never grow opposite one another, but instead, each individual leaf emerges slightly higher on the stem than the previous one.
Begonias are native to tropical and subtropical climates, so many specimens are kept indoors as ornamental houseplants.
They come in many colors and textures, and can be smooth or veiny, decorated in bold accents of red, copper and silver or subtle shades of green.
Here’s Wendy tending the many plants. I have been collecting begonias for years. The genus begonia contains about 1500 different plant species and hundreds of hybrids.
As part of the grooming process, using sharp snips Wendy gives the plants a slight pruning to encourage new growth and aeration.
Any viable leaves that are trimmed or fall off are always saved for future rooting purposes. Begonia leaves root easily – just push its stem into potting soil, and keep it moist. After a few weeks, new leaves emerge.
She uses these large tweezers to carefully pluck any weeds growing under the plant.
Begonias grow best in a light well-draining potting mix. Wendy top dresses each pot with a fresh layer. Any good quality light potting mix will work well. We use one from Miracle-Gro, which can be used for both indoor and outdoor container plants.
Osmocote is an all-in-one solution containing essential nutrients in tiny resin-covered prills.
Because these plants store water in the rhizomes, which are their thick, fuzzy stems, it is important not to overwater them. Only water these plants when the top one-inch of soil feels dry. This is Begonia ‘Northern Lights.’ The stems are exceptionally thick and show the scars of felled leaves.
This interesting begonia has dark green leaves and white markings.
This is Begonia ‘Soli-mutata’. It is a compact medium-sized species from Brazil. The heart-shaped leaf colors vary depending on its exposure to bright light, which is why its common name is Sun Tan Begonia. Several of my ‘soli-mutata’ plants were grown from leaf cuttings off one parent plant.
The undersides are a dark pink with light green veining.
Begonias dislike wet feet. Between waterings, let the soil dry out slightly. And for the best results, repot begonias every couple of years – potting mix elements break down over time and lose draining qualities and airspaces to hold oxygen.
Begonias are considered cool temperature plants and do best in temperatures ranging from 58 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
They are remarkably resistant to pests primarily because their leaves are rich in oxalic acid – a natural insect repellent.
There is no end to the variety of leaf shape, color and texture in the begonia. Begonias make wonderful year-round houseplants. My collection of begonias continues to grow.
Do you know... some vegetables taste even better after a frost? Many root vegetables are best when harvested in colder weather.
Here at my farm, many of the raised beds in my vegetable garden have been cleared and cleaned for winter, but a few beds still continue to thrive with fall carrots, parsnips, and one of my favorites, celeriac. These vegetables take the longest to reach maturity - about four months, but when they're finally picked, they're so delicious.
Enjoy these photos.
My half acre garden has produced bounties of wonderful vegetables this year. Even now that the weather is colder, we’re still able to harvest delicious organic produce.
Among them, celeriac – also known as celery root, knob celery, and turnip-rooted celery. It is a variety of celery; however, while celery is grown for its succulent stalk and foliage, celeriac is cultivated for its edible and bulbous stem or hypocotyl, and shoots.
Ryan uses this straight edged harvesting knife to cut off the long leafy stalks and reveal the celeriac.
Celeriac has many small roots, so it is sometimes hard to pull from the ground. Once picked, Wendy cuts off the stringy roots from the bottom of the celeriac ball.
The celeriac should be clean of any roots at the bottom. These vegetables are big – about the size of one’s palm. The flavor is very mild, slightly sweet and nutty, and doesn’t have any bitterness.
The leaves of celeriac are also edible and can be chopped finely and used as a garnish or to flavor soups and stocks.
Ryan and Wendy harvested an entire bed and a half of delicious celeriac.
They also picked a good number of autumn carrots. These are sweeter than summer carrots because they matured in cooler conditions. Carrots convert stored starches into sugars to protect themselves from freezing. This process makes them sweeter and tastier.
Ryan cuts off the tops leaving about two to three inches on each carrot.
Carrots come in many colors, including orange, purple, red, white, and yellow.
Next, Ryan moves to another bed to loosen the parsnips from the soil. Ryan is careful when he uses the pitchfork – one does not want to pierce the parsnips if possible.
Once the soil surrounding the parsnips is loosened, Ryan pulls each parsnip carefully, much like harvesting carrots.
Here, a glimpse of what is to come out – looks like a big parsnip.
The parsnip is closely related to carrot and parsley, all belonging to the flowering plant family Apiaceae.
Parsnips have broad, hairless, ovate, compound pinnate leaves, up to six inches in length. These leaves and the stems can also be eaten or used to flavor soups and stews. Parsnips that are about eight to 10-inches long are the best tasting. They have thicker skin and a woodier center compared to carrots, but they are delicious cooked.
All the freshly picked vegetables are brought up to my flower room where they are cleaned and stored.
Elvira washes all the soil off the carrots – a good rinse is all these need.
When cleaning parsnips, wash them under cool running water using a vegetable brush. Never use soap. Once they are clean, they can be wrapped in paper towel and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
What a bounty of colorful and flavorful vegetables. They’ll be stored in the refrigerator until I can cook them.
Celeriac is a concentrated source of many nutrients, including vitamins C, K, B6, potassium, phosphorous, and fiber. I will make some delicious soup out of these. The celeriac is also scrubbed thoroughly and placed into the refrigerator. I am always so excited to see what comes out of the garden. If you haven’t tasted them yet, give parsnips and celeriac a try – you’ll be glad you did.
It's late autumn, but have you started thinking about next year's flower garden? Here at my farm, I've planted the first seeds outdoors.
I sow thousands of seeds every year - all those wonderful seeds I enjoy purchasing during my travels, and seeds I order from favorite sources. Some are considered "cool season flowers," or those that can withstand the cooler temperatures when planted in the fall. Their roots take hold and become firmly established before winter and then emerge as new growth once the soil warms in spring. Not long ago I asked my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, to plant an unused cold frame bed with flower seeds such as lupines, foxgloves, and poppies.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This raised bed behind my main greenhouse was previously used as a cold frame. A cold frame is a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground that utilizes solar energy and insulation to create a microclimate suitable for growing or overwintering plants. The glass cover made out of old windows broke, but I kept the bed for planting cool season flowers.
I love purchasing all kinds of seeds. I get my seeds from many different sources, such as trusted seed producers, garden shops I visit when traveling, or from friends who share their favorite seed varieties.
Lupines are members of the pea family and can grow up to four feet tall. They are attractive and spiky, and can add color and texture to any flowerbed. I’ve grown lupines for years and they thrive in my garden.
Lupines come in a range of colors from pink and purple to white, yellow, or with some species, even red.
If planting lupines from seed, direct sow in the garden in late fall or early winter for blooms the following spring. One can also sow seeds in the spring four to six weeks before the average last frost date for blooms later in summer.
This is a foxglove plant, Digitalis purpurea. Foxgloves can also be planted in fall when the soil is still moist and workable, which encourages new root growth.
Foxglove flowers grow on stems which may reach up to six feet in height, depending on the variety. The downward-facing, tapered, tubular flowers are spotted inside with dark purple edged in white on the lower lip, which serves as a landing platform for pollinators.
Papaver somniferum, commonly known as the opium poppy or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are produced and is also a much-loved ornamental plant in the garden.
Poppies are cool season hardy annuals that prefer full sun.
This is the bluish-green poppy seed pod capsule, which is what’s left on the stem once the flower blooms. When the seed heads turn brown, they are cut and the seeds inside are harvested and saved until they can be planted in the garden the following year.
Poppy seeds are very small. Here, Ryan pours some into his palm before dropping into the soil.
Ryan makes seed furrows all the way down the bed. The furrows are about half an inch deep and about six inches apart.
Next, Ryan sprinkles the seeds in the furrows. The bed was designed for easy reach from both sides.
These lupine seeds are from Vilmorin. Vilmorin was founded as a plant and seed boutique in 1743 by seed expert Claude Geoffroy and her husband Pierre Andrieux, the chief seed supplier and botanist to King Louis XV. I’ve been growing Vilmorin seeds for years.
Lupine seeds are a little bigger than poppy seeds. They are brown and resemble beans.
Here are some of the seeds in the furrow. Hard to see, but they’re there.
These seeds should sprout and establish root systems before the really cold weather.
The bed was already well fertilized. These plants should overwinter nicely in this location protected from wind and where they can receive morning sun.
Ryan rakes over the furrows to ensure all the seeds are covered. He will also give them a good drink. Rain, snow, and condensation should keep the soil moist through the cold season, And then come spring, we should have beautiful flowers growing right here.
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