GardenDC Podcast Episode 83: Greenhouses for Home Gardeners

In this episode, we talk with Ashley Edwards, Horticulture Extension Agent for the Virginia Cooperative Extension, about growing Greenhouses for Home Gardeners. The plant profile is on Pyracantha and I share what's going on locally and in my garden.

EPISODE LENGTH: 50:01 00:44 Meet Ashley Edwards, Horticulture Extension Agent for Virginia Cooperative Extension, and hear about her growing up with “boots on the ground” knowledge of gardening 02:16 “I may not know the answer, but I know who does” — Ashley, on always learning new things in her role at VCE 05:45 What is the best place to site a greenhouse on your property? 07:38 While sunlight is most important, having trees to create shade in warmer months is actually “desirable” 08:31-17:36 Starting small — different types of structures, besides greenhouses, for protection of plants 11:14 High tunnels, temperature regulation, and how the wind factors in 15:39 “With greenhouses… a big consideration is just knowing how much time you have to monitor the environment on the inside” — Ashley 16:17 “Fail safe” and “automated” systems for temperature regulation in greenhouses 17:39 Some “sophisticated” systems now send notifications to your phone when something needs to be checked in your greenhouse 17:56 “So many sleepless nights when we had really, really poor weather” — Ashley, on growing up with propane-heated greenhouses 18:49 Power sources for greenhouses and what to do in case of a power outage 21:13 “You want to consider cleanliness, humidity, comfort” — Ashley, on flooring for a greenhouse 22:42 “I think a lot of people don’t know that you still have to weed inside a greenhouse” — Kathy 24:10 How to handle “one of your biggest enemies” to the greenhouse: Snow 26:35 Pros and Cons of plastic VS glass for greenhouses 29:28 Pro Tip: If your greenhouse is covered with glass, you can paint over with a coating to provide some shading 30:39 How to clean your greenhouse 31:38 “The key with greenhouse pest control is prevention” — Ashley 33:52 Home Grounds and Animals — a pest management guide published by VCE with “pest control recommendations for basically every plant that you can think of” — Ashley 34:36 How to go about purchasing a greenhouse (buying online, DIY-ing, buying secondhand, etc.) 38:29 “It’s easier to elongate … but it’s not easy to change the width” — Ashley, on choosing the size of your greenhouse 39:01 Ashley’s recommendation for greenhouse sizing for home gardeners 39:35 A really useful resource is the LSU extension hobby greenhouses page 40:16 Concerns and cautions to have with greenhouses as a home gardener 40:58 “Utilize your local extension agent throughout this process. That’s what they’re there for” — Ashley 42:09 You can contact Ashley by email (aledwards@vt.edu) 43:05 “Don’t think that if it didn’t go well, that it was a failure. It’s just for learning for the next year” — Kathy 43:35 Learn about the berry-filled, easy-to-grow evergreen Firethorn (Pyracantha) in this week’s Plant Profile! 45:37 Garden updates: We won Best DC Podcast! And are picking greens and planting garlic 

46:52 Upcoming events: U.S. Botanic Garden’s holiday display and light displays in Virginia and Maryland

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Episode Credits
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Interview Edits: Charlotte Crook
Notes: Melena DiNenna

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Best DC Podcast Awarded to GardenDC

GardenDC won BEST DC PODCAST in the contest run by the DC State Fair!

We are super-proud and want to thank all of our past guests for making the podcast possible. We also thank the interns who have worked on the program and also those who voted for us in the contest. Most of all we want to thank our loyal listeners -- you make it all worthwhile!

Japanese Maple Plant Profile

Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) is a small tree with beautiful foliage colors. There are hundreds of Japanese Maple varieties from dwarf forms to larger landscape specimens. This elegant and graceful tree offers year-round interest with its sculptural branch forms and pretty bark.

The differences in varieties are amazing with some Japanese Maple trees having leaves of red and purple hues to greens and yellows and even variegated forms. These can turn brilliant colors in the autumn and are show-stoppers in the garden.  They are also big differences in the leaf shapes, from highly dissected and almost lacy foliage to the larger, more palm-like ones.

Japanese Maple trees are generally hardy from zone 5 to 8. They can be container grown or planted in the ground. They prefer locations with bright light, though it is best to site them away from direct afternoon sun.

Fall is the ideal time to plant them. They should be placed out of strong, prevailing winds and protected from late spring frosts. Plant them in soil that is well-draining and slightly acidic. Keep them well-watered and add organic compost as mulch around their root zone, but do not let the mulch touch the trunk.

Generally, the trees need little care. If you need to remove a branch, the best time to prune them is in mid-summer. You should also remove any suckers that emerge below the tree’s graft point.

Japanese Maple: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio and Text by Kathy Jentz
Video by Charlotte Crook and Melena Dinenna

Editing by Melinda Thompson

 

Filmed at the US National Arboretum’s Asian Collection.

 

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Monday Thoughts: “To grow your own food gives you power and dignity. You know exactly what you’re eating because you grew it. It’s good, it’s nourishing, and you did this for yourself, your family, and your community.”

“To grow your own food gives you power and dignity. You know exactly what you’re eating because you grew it. It’s good, it’s nourishing, and you did this for yourself, your family, and your community.”
- Karen Washington

GardenDC Podcast Episode 82: Persimmons and Other Unusual Fall Fruits with Stanton Gill

In this episode, we talk with Stanton Gill, Extension Specialist in IPM and Entomology with University of Maryland Extension, and co-owner of MacBride and Gill Falcon Ridge Fruit Orchard in Westminster, MD, about growing Persimmons and other unusual fall fruits in the Mid-Atlantic. The plant profile is on Cutting Lettuce and I share what's going on locally and in my garden.

EPISODE LENGTH: 56:54 00:45 Meet Stanton Gill! 01:55 “He spent all this time cutting those trees down” — Stanton, on his grandfather and not having a “green thumb” in his genes 03:10 In college, Stanton discovered his love for horticulture from a class — and his love for fruit-growing from seedless grapes 04:10 “Where most people have houseplants out on their little balcony, we had potted grape vines” — Stanton 04:48 The “Persimmon Guy” talks about being in the height of the persimmon season 07:21 When to pick persimmons: before or after they’ve fallen? 09:14 Different types of Asian persimmons 10:21 Flavor differences between native persimmons and Asian persimmons, like ‘Gwang Yang’ 11:18-14:47 “If anybody was the ‘Persimmon Man,’ it was Dr. Bill Preston” — Stanton, on his good friend and mentor - see Preston’s Orchards at https://www.instagram.com/prestonsper... 15:20 The Polar Vortex and Polar Express “killed” their persimmons trees — except for the hardy ‘Gwang Yang’ 17:20 Can persimmons cross-pollinate? 18:30-23:34 All about how to maintain persimmons trees throughout the year 23:50 How to keep wildlife from eating your persimmons 26:04 A “big deal this year” is the European Hornet 27:00 Foliar diseases and other issues 29:29 “I wouldn’t intermingle anything with a persimmon” — Stanton, on planting other plants around the root zone 31:00 Best ways to use persimmons as an ingredient — ever heard of persimmon ice cream? 33:53 Stanton talks about other fruits that are ripening now 34:02-38:56 “It looks like the human brain” — Stanton, on che fruit 37:26 “It’s going to take you six or seven years before it really comes into production” — Stanton, on the seedless variety of che fruit 38:57-44:32 Stanton talks about the unique, East Coast native beach plum, which makes a “wonderful jelly” 40:00 “They’ve eaten all the beach plums down to the ground” — Stanton, on the Assateague Island horses 44:40-46:41 Stanton talks about experimenting with cold-hardy citrus fruit 45:12 “I even have a lemon that came through the polar vortex at 8-below for three days in a row and survived” — Stanton 46:40 How climate change has impacted fruit tree growing 47:54 Digging trenches and covering with carpet are some ways to protect figs during extreme winters 48:35 Advanced Fruit Production course at Montgomery College taught by Stanton 49:15 To contact Stanton, you can visit them at farmer’s markets (information on their Facebook page) or through the University of Maryland Extension office 50:33 Learn about the “flat, ruffled, or curly” cutting lettuce in this week’s Plant Profile! 52:44 Garden update: Kathy talks about finally getting a frost in the DC area 53:40 Upcoming events: Silver Spring Garden Club Veteran’s Day Daffodil Planting, Fall Colors talk for Sandy Spring Museum Garden Club, and a Brookside Gardens talk by our very own insect columnist and past GardenDC podcast guest, Carol Allen

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Episode Credits
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Interview Edits: Charlotte Crook
Notes: Melena DiNenna

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

Fenton Friday: Putting the Plot to Bed for the Season

Zinnia seedheads

Well, it happened - we got zapped by a frost this week - not everything looks dead or even badly knocked back, but it was in the 20s one night and so I think that makes it official that the season is coming to a close. It is time to apply the straw around the asparagus and strawberries as well as on any bare beds.

I put row cover fabric loosely over the lettuce, spinach, radish, and bok choi to insulate them. We continue to harvest from them in to the winter.

The garlic will go in this week. We got heavy rains on Monday, so I am waiting for the soil to dry out a bit before I do that.

I started collected the seeds from the Zinnias and other cutting garden flowers as I pull them out. 

The peanuts we harvested have cured and I will be roasting them next week to taste and sample them.

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Pyracantha Plant Profile

Firethorn (Pyracantha sp.) is an evergreen shrub that is loaded with colorful red or orange berries. This easy-to-grow plant can be pruned into various shapes and used as a hedge, espalier, bonsai, or landscape specimen. The best time to prune Firethorn is late winter or very early spring, so as not to impact the number of berries you will get later in the growing season.

Depending on the variety of Firethorn that you select, it is generally hardy to zones 5 to 8 and can grow up to 10 feet wide and high. You can shear it annually to contain the size. The ‘Mojave’ cultivar was developed at the U.S. National Arboretum and is very heat-tolerant. It is also reconsidered to be reliably deer-resistant.

Firethorn prefers full sun, but will tolerate part sun. It likes well-drained, sandy soils and is drought-tolerant once established. Pick your planting location carefully as it does not like to be moved or transplanted. Firethorn can be propagated by taking cuttings in the summertime.

It is in the rose family and has sharp thorns that make it useful as a natural security barrier. Birds and small mammals like to hide inside Firethorn and build nests in them, as they provide excellent protection from large predators.

Birds love to eat the long-lasting berries as well. This plant is originally from Eurasia and is sometimes mistaken for Cotoneaster, which is thornless.

Pyracantha: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio and Text by Kathy Jentz
Video and Editing by Melinda Thompson

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

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Monday Thoughts: ​"When I harvest herbs, greens, or radishes from under snow cover in my own garden, I feel a small spark of connection to the boy my father was, and the grandmother I never knew."

​"When I harvest herbs, greens, or radishes from under snow cover in my own garden, I feel a small spark of connection to the boy my father was, and the grandmother I never knew."

~ Wendy Kiang-Spray