Friday, September 23, 2011

September Gardening Tip

Thursday, September 21

Staring at the sheathed tomato plants this morning, taking stock of what still needed protection, I was struck by how different they look from row-covered peppers. The ghostly white sheets of spun-bond polyester completely hide the pepper plants, so I can't see them unless I hunch over and peer through the covers. Even then I can detect only their blurred shapes and an occasional leaf or fruit close to the surface of the cloth. But the clear plastic sleeves on the tomato plants hide nothing. In fact, they reveal everything -- stems, leaves, and pendulous fruit -- like a see-through woman's sheath, an in-your-face bit of haute couture from an Italian or Parisian designer. Come to think of it, the row of tomato plants looks somewhat like a parade of avant-garde bridesmaids, each one sheathed in a billow of plastic from head to toe, from the gathering at the top of the one at the bottom. Up close, the effect is even more daring, what with all the holes punched in the plastic to keep the plants from overheating on warm sunny days. But there is no danger of overheating today. Overcast skies, light rain, temperatures in the mid-forties, and a northwest wind, like the end of October or November. Thirty degrees below normal for this final day of the traditional summer season. One of the coldest ends on record.



Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Tree of the Week



Eastern White Pine, Pinus strobus L.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: Leaves in bundles of 5, very slender, 2 to 5 (usually about 3) inches long, marked with fine white lines (seen with magnifying glass), very flexible. Cones elongate, 4 to 5 (rarely to 8) inches long; scales without prickles. Bark dark grey to nearly black with flat plates separated by shallow fissure; eventually dark and deeply furrowed with scaly, blocky plates.

SIMILAR TREES: No other pine commonly planted in Iowa has leaves in bundles of 5.

IOWA DISTRIBUTION: Native in northeastern Iowa and along Pine Creek in Muscatine County and the Iowa River in Hardin County, growing on bluffs, ridges, and wooded slopes, usually in well-drained soils. Planted throughout the state.


Forest and Shade Trees of Iowa (Third Edition), by Peter J. van der Linden and Donald R. Farrar

Monday, September 19, 2011

Rain Garden Update

In August the rain garden got a much-needed facelift. Jeremy Bril and a team of University of Iowa engineering students rebuilt the berm—using mulch provided by the university—edged the perimeter, cleaned up the outlet on the rim, added a couple of stepping stones within the garden, and cleaned up the area by the downspout by taking away the plastic and adding some limestone. Thanks to support from UI Facilities Management and the Iowa Department of Agriculture, we are getting ready to aerate the soil in the Kuhl House yard in another effort to enrich and manage our small habitat. Newly blooming in the rain garden—and also in our prairie garden—are turtlehead, goldenrod, asters, and the ever-present cup plant. All signs point to an early frost, but we will hope to enjoy our garden for at least one more month.