It looks like we still have plenty of great fall weather ahead. It’s a good time to make a plan for your container plants. Can you winter over perennials in pots? Tough perennials will usually winter over in containers given some protection.
It’s hard to resist late season plant sales, but soon we are out of garden time, so now what? If you have some potted perennials that just didn’t get planted this year, here are some steps you can still take:
1. If plants are rootbound, re-plant into a pot at least one size larger. Be careful not to disturb the soil on the root ball, keep it together. If the rootball is dry and falling apart, water a little and let it sit awhile. Now is not the time to best time to divide plants that are staying in containers, too much stress.
2. Plants should be huddled together in a protected area outside.
3. Cut back the tops herbaceous plants — leave or prune tops on woody plants.
4. Water them if they are dry, and continue to water a little until November if no rain falls.
5. After the ground is staying frozen, usually in November, cover with a thick layer, 8-12-inches of straw or pine needles. Leaves can be used but are not as free draining. Cover the sides of your group so none of the pots are exposed.
6. Tuck in some mouse traps and wait for spring to uncover, about late March. When you start to uncover, if no plant growth is visible remove all of the material. If plants have started to produce top growth, leave a little material on so you are gradually exposing the tender new tissue to the sun. If plant tissue is yellowed, pull winter mulch off in in stages over a week.
7. If you live in a windy location, place some chicken wire or garden boards over the heap to help keep your mulch material in place. Plants will always do best in the ground — but we are humans and we run out of time and energy!
Tough plants and large potted plants, 1 gallon or larger, have a better chance of surviving in pots than a plants in smaller pots. When I plan to winter over in pots, I will schedule a late season “potting up” to a larger container if needed and time permits. Repotting late in the season gives that plant a new home with an inch or more of additional new soil around the entire root ball acting as a root insulator.
If your plants are root bound, only a thin layer of plastic is protecting the roots from the winter winds and temps. Re-potted too early, the plant may again be root bound before winter. Depending on the plants, you may need to repot more than once a season.
Saving seeds
That time of year again when gardeners are thinking about saving seeds.
I never save seeds from plants and here is why: they are still fairly cheap to buy and I am busy with other things, so no time to clean and dry seeds. But for those that want too…
You first need to determine if the seeds you hope to save are ripe yet, and is the plant a hybrid or not?
Standard seeds are also known as open pollinated, heritage or heirloom. Seeds produced from these plants will produce the same crop year after year with no human intervention. If you are a seed saver, these are the kind you want. These types of seeds are considerably cheaper than hybrids because no extra production steps are involved.
Hybrids seeds have two or more parent plants are created/produced by human intervention. Seeds collected and planted from these plants will not produce the same crop as the year before. These seeds cost more as there are several steps involved to create the different varieties. Examples: not just a beef steak tomato, but “Beef Master,” and not just acorn squash but “Autumn Delight Acorn.” Hybrids are created by selecting the best traits of standard plants and cross pollinating, then collecting the seeds to sell to you. Preferred traits would be: excellent storage qualities, early harvest, disease and insect resistance, vigorous plant growth and of course delicious flavor!
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, pies, coffee, jams, local raised meats and eggs. Our Saturday schedule is from 8:00 a.m. — noon. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-5:30 p.m. The last outdoor market is October 26. Winter markets will again be at Bomgaars on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, November-March. Shop your locals!