Would you be surprised to know that pears are easier to grow than apples? Mine certainly have less disease issues but the deer like them equally.
“Summercrisp” pear as shown in the photo are just starting to ripen. What I love most about them is their crisp apple-like texture, not soft and mushy. Summercrisp was released as a cold-hardy pear from the University of Minnesota in 1985.
The fruits are meant to be picked when still green with a developing red blush. You will need to plant a second pear tree as they need a cross pollinator. Ask the advice of the nursery when you purchase. The fruits are not as large as the pears in the grocery store but taste incredible! It took several years before I was able to pick pears, like all tree fruits there is a waiting period! I am waiting for my two “contender” peach trees to produce … a few years away yet!
Dig up potatoes once foliage dies
Fresh potatoes are plentiful at the Mankato’s Farmers Market now. You may be wondering when to dig yours? If your soil is very loose, you can actually dig in on the side of a plant and carefully sneak out a few small spuds without harming the entire plant. Once the top foliage has died back, your potatoes are as big as they will get.
It’s best to leave potatoes in the soil as long as possible for the perfect storage conditions. The years that I remember to dig them, I wait until October, just digging what I need along the way. Simply brush off any loose soil before storing in a cool, dark, dry area. Never wash them until you are ready to eat them.
This year, I have once again enjoyed the absence of the CPB, Colorado Potato Beetle in my garden. Devastating to potato plants and other plants from the nightshade family. What part of the plant is the potato? Not the roots, but a tuber.
Potatoes are the fourth largest crop grown worldwide, lots of people love them! My secret recipe for the best baked potato ever is: wash and allow to dry, rub with vegetable shortening, then rub with kosher or sea salt and place directly on the oven rack for about 60 minutes at 375. Crispy salty outside, fluffy goodness inside.
There are plenty of reasons to divide irises
Reminder to stop dividing iris by mid-August. Plants were beautiful this year but, as usual, starting to show some leaf spot. How do you know when an iris plant needs dividing? Here are several clues: 1. The plant no longer blooms (or could be the area is too shady). 2. Blooms that were colored are now white or misshaped (stressed). 3. There is a big circle of old rhizomes with the green leaves all on the outside. 4. You love them so much you want them everywhere! All good and valid reasons.
In the perennial bed, just lift off a side of the most crowded in the garden and leave a hunk in place. It is easy to surgically snap off a chunk, and you can cut through it first if needed. Trim up the roots a bit, cut the top back to a fan about 3 inches tall, or less if you have a windy location and replant.
When replanting, 50% of the iris rhizome should be exposed above the ground in our region of the country. Iris may not bloom if the rhizome becomes buried up by the gardener or from soil moving over time from rain or watering. Plants that are not overgrown but appear to be rotting, need to be dug as well. Using a knife, cut the rhizome back to healthy white tissue. Trim up the roots and top, then bleach. Dip them in a 10% bleach solution for a minute, then rinse off and allow to air dry for a day.
If I had the time I would cut back any iris leaves with leaf spot now, and by fall they will have regrown healthy-looking leaves. Of all my perennials iris require the most care, and — in my opinion — produce the most incredible flowers!
Visit us at the Mankato Farmer’s Market! We are located at the Best Buy parking lot on Adams Street. Plants, honey, syrup, soaps, textiles, baked goods, crafts, woodworking, pies, coffee, jams, local raised meats and eggs. Our Saturday schedule is from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-5:30 p.m. with food trucks most weekdays!