To Do or Not to Do

Realistically speaking, there is not much time left in the New England planting season. So ‘tis the time to hurry and scurry; remember the following deadlines:

Evergreens – Get them in the ground before mid-October. Don’t stretch these parameters. If the cold weather closes in quickly, it can raise havoc with evergreens. Their success rate can plummet if planted too late. This classification of plant material needs time to acclimate before the ground freezes.

Deciduous woody plant materials - This is a good time of year to plant many deciduous trees and shrubs with the exception of those that are considered fall hazards, i.e., nut trees and pitted fruit trees. For deciduous woody plant material, the rule of thumb is if the plant is shutting down or going dormant for the season and the ground is not frozen or saturated mud, it is an ideal time to get this classification of plants installed and tucked in for the winter. You can plant until the ground freezes.

Peonies – Get your rootstock in the ground before the end of the month. If you are dividing your own rootstock, make sure you remove and properly dispose all of last year’s growth to avoid disease and insect issues. Above all, plant at the correct depth to ensure flowering and protection from winter conditions. Before you move ahead with the Peony plantings, digest the easy diagrams available on reputable growers’ sites that will give you this pertinent information.

Bulbs – If you haven’t ordered your bulbs yet, get trucking. Bulbs are a crop. There are a limited number that come in from Holland so you have one shot to get the latest and greatest. Selection gets sparse so don’t hold off any longer. You want your bulbs planted by middle of November.

Unfortunately, the fall foliage may not be as brilliant as years past. I am beginning to feel like we are in L.A. rather than Massachusetts. The lack of color this year gives us gardeners plenty of time to work on these last minute plantings rather than schedule in leaf peeping. Today’s quote comes from David Letterman. “Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.”

Images from the Internet

Early Morning Coffee Companion

Do you need something of sustenance to get you going on these chilly fall mornings? By George, I think I found the next best thing to wool socks. In Annie’s test kitchen this weekend, I ventured beyond my comfort zone. Rather than use the week-old ripe bananas for my favorite cocoa banana bread, http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2010/04/going-bananas-over-bread.html I discovered a new recipe in my tried and true baking book.

It may have been the maple syrup and oats that caught my eye. And in Annie fashion, dried fruits were added to give it an extra boost. Nuts could provide a bonus crunch, making this bread taste like granola cereal instead of just your ho-hum banana-rama treat! Add a cream cheese smear to a warm slice and you might work all day in the garden without realizing you just had a doorstop special.

This is for all my gardening friends who want to swap out garden tools for kitchen utensils on these chilly days when baking is just as fun as gardening. And if I can bake it, you know it is a doable recipe.

One note of caution – I am always adding Annie extras, even when I bake, which is usually a no-no in a baker’s kitchen. So give this bread additional time in the oven if you add the extra tidbits. It is worth it! Not too sweet; perfect with your early morning cup of Joe! So before we get to the guts of the recipe, we need a Bob Monkhouse quote to get us in the cooking mood. “I'm not saying my wife's a bad cook, but she uses a smoke alarm as a timer.” So let’s test your smoke alarm and get baking.

Banana Oat Bread (From the Great American Brand Name Cooking)

1¼ cups unsifted flour
¾ cup quick-cooking oats
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 medium – make sure they are extra ripe!)
½ cup plus Real Maple Syrup – none of that corn syrup stuff in the grocery aisle
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I may have added a tad more because I never measure accurately. Remember you can always use olive oil in your breads)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and salt. In small bowl, combine eggs, bananas, ½ cup pure maple syrup and oil. This is where you can add extra tidbits. I added dried apricots and dates chopped into bite size pieces. Stir these ingredients into the flour mixture just until moistened. You can add your nuts here or put them on top of the bread before placing in the oven for extra crunchy. Turn into greased 9 X 5 inch loaf pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes before removing from pan. Brush top with remaining 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup. Combine granulated sugar and remaining 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over top. (Recommended – get a tiny shaker jar with cinnamon and sugar blended together and you can add to everything, including your coffee. Enjoy this rainy, windy Monday and always save your ripe bananas for these tasty treats!

Time to Pull the Plug

Attempting that perfect lawn for next spring? The clock is ticking. Fall is the best season to renovate your grass. With moisture in the soil from this week’s recent rains, it’s time to core aerate your lawn. The moisture holds the soil together, allowing the aerating machine to pull out a clean plug.

While I am all for finding shortcuts when it comes to chores, there are a few things that must be done with a little muscle in the garden. If you were considering the easy way out by using lawn aerator shoes, it may not be as simple as you think. You have to walk your entire lawn at least fifty times over to get any significant impact. Also, if you have irrigation, be careful not to sprout a leak by stepping on the heads. There is some controversy about the effectiveness of these shoes. Depending on the soils, this process can actually compact the sides of the hole. A solid tine (Spike) compresses into the soil similar to a nail in wood. The ideal method is using a hollow tine that pulls out a clean plug of soil. A good quality aerating machine has this type of tine and is typically available at tool rental stores. You may need a little muscle to maneuver the machine but it is made for aerating large lawn areas. In small, tight spaces, you may end up fighting the machine so if you have a tiny lawn or tight corners, the aerating shoes may be the perfect solution. Something is better than nothing.

But you aren’t done yet. Follow up with thatching to remove the build up of dead grass and an excess layer of thatch. There is still time to slice seed or top seed bare areas that need a little help. Don’t forget lime and starter fertilizer. And above all, keep an eye on moisture. Young grass needs ample amounts of precipitation and/or irrigation. It is the consistency of moisture that matters. On an Indian summer day, young grass may need to be watered multiple times throughout the day.

As we approach leaf season, make sure you start mowing your grass shorter. Adjust the blade in your lawn mower accordingly. Rule of thumb – tall grass catches leaves. Leaves rotting on the grass eventually kill the lawn. If you mow it close i.e., 2 to 2 ½ inches, the leaves blow away vs. getting stuck in the blades of grass.

This may be repetitive but lawns are the biggest drain on water resources. Improperly maintained lawns i.e., compacted lawns waste even more water. A few cultural practices listed above improves the quality of your grass while reducing water requirements. So if you are thinking green, don’t save your lawn improvements for the spring. Focus on it now. Leonardo da Vinci sums it up best with water consumption. “Water is the driver of nature.” So best to conserve it and the easiest place to start is in your own backyard.