Mills County Extension 61321 315th St; P.O. Box 430 Malvern, IA 51551 Plant Wise 712-624-8616 http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mills Prepared by: Shirley D Miller, Mills County Master Gardener Coordinator and Mills County Horticulture Program Assistant September 2020 How to Store Apples to Retain that bad apple spoils the whole bunch" is true — even Fresh-Picked Flavor one rotting apple can adversely affect others nearby. By Megan J. Humphrey Nothing compares to the crunch and flavor of a just-picked apple. Unfortunately, left on a The six-drawer Orchard Rack is good for storing countertop or in a fruit bowl, apples will begin to apples, because you can arrange the apples in a lose that fresh-from-the-tree taste. The good news single layer, wrapped in newspaper or kraft paper. is that by storing them properly, you can enjoy Keep them cool crisp, flavorful apples for months. The ideal storage temperature is 30 to 35 degrees Choose good keepers F. with 90 to 95 percent relative humidity. If you The best keepers are the more tart and thick- don't have a lot of apples, the refrigerator is a good skinned varieties, such as McIntosh, Fuji, Rome option. Place them in the crisper drawer in a plastic and Granny Smith. The apple varieties harvested bag with holes in it or cover the apples with a damp late in the season tend to be good keepers. If you paper towel. Don't store other vegetables in the pick your own, ask the orchardist for a same drawer, because apples give off ethylene recommendation. The best variety for long-term gas, which can speed the decay of neighboring storage is Northern Spy, an heirloom apple from produce. East Bloomfield, NY. Honeycrisp, a more modern If you have larger quantities, look for a cool, dark variety, is a good keeper, too. The sweeter, thinner- (or dim) place that's relatively humid, such as a skinned types — such as Delicious or Gala — can cellar or garage. Its best if the temperature stays still be stored, but they don't last as long, so use close to freezing – but not below! Wrap each apple them first. — preferably with the stem on — in a piece of Harvest with care newspaper or kraft paper. The paper keeps the When picking apples, handle them carefully, like apples separate. Place the wrapped apples in a eggs. They bruise and nick easily. Save the perfect crate or bin, ideally in a single layer. apples for long-term storage, but use the damaged Check the apples periodically and remove any that ones for eating fresh or cooking. The saying, "One are spoiling. Use the large ones first because they tend to get soft before the smaller ones. Apples Winterizing Your Herb Garden: How To continue to ripen in storage, so place each variety Overwinter Herbs & General Herb Care on its own tray (or in separate crates) because they By: Mary H. Dyer ripen at different rates. How to overwinter herbs? This is a difficult question because herb plants vary widely in their cold Fall tree planting hardiness. Some perennial herbs will survive very cold winters with minimal protection, while tender perennials may not survive the first hard frost. If you’re concerned about winterizing your herb garden, the first step is to use your favorite Internet search engine and determine your plant’s cold hardiness, and be sure you know your USDA growing zone. Armed with that basic information, you can easily learn how to overwinter herbs. Fall is a good time to plant trees. A good rule of thumb is that if the trees in your area still have leaves, you can plant new trees. To be 100% sure, look to the soil! Using a soil thermometer, measure Winterize Home Herb Gardens - Below are some soil temperature early in the morning for a few, general steps you can take in preparing herbs for consecutive days. If your soil is consistently 50° F winter. or higher, you’re good to plant. Fertilizer – Never fertilize your herb garden after The 50° F mark works best for deciduous trees. August. Fertilizing herbs late in the season will Those are the trees that shed leaves before for encourage tender new growth that may not survive winter. Because of this, they focus only on growing the winter. and providing water to their roots in winter. So, they Watering – Water plants throughout late summer don’t need as much energy. and autumn, as drought-stressed plants are more On the other hand, evergreen trees–like pine and susceptible to cold weather damage. If the winter is spruce–hold onto their needles year-round. They dry, the plants benefit from an occasional irrigation need all the nutrients they can get before the (when the ground isn’t frozen). ground freezes. That’s why you want to avoid planting evergreen trees if the soil temperature is Overwintering herbs that are perennial – Many lower than 60° F. Your tree wouldn’t have enough perennial herbs are winter hardy. Some of these time to save the energy needed to survive the include: Chives, Thyme, Mint, Fennel, Oregano, winter. So this is all you need to remember, Lavender and Tarragon. 60° F and above soil temperature – Evergreens, In most climates, these plants just need a good 50° F and above soil temperature – Deciduous. pruning – down to a height of 4 to 6 inches, after Water your trees at planting time, then follow this the first few hard freezes. However, even sturdy schedule. Water them daily for 2 weeks, then go to plants benefit from a layer of mulch in climates 2 to 3 times a week until the ground freezes. below USDA plant hardiness zone 5. Apply a 3- to 6-inch layer of mulch, such as chopped leaves, straw, pine needles or bark mulch, but don’t apply mulch until after the first hard freeze because you may damage the plant. Be sure to remove the mulch shortly after new growth appears in spring. Some perennial herbs, such as rosemary, bay laurel and lemon verbena, need a little extra help 2 during the winter months. Cut the plants nearly to the ground after the first hard frost, then cover the plants with soil and top the soil with 4 to 6 inches of mulch. A layer of evergreen boughs will also protect perennial herbs from harsh, drying winds. Overwintering tender perennials or annual herbs – Some perennials may not survive cold winters, depending on your particular growing zone. For example, rosemary tolerates winters in USDA hardiness zone 7, and possibly zone 6 with good protection. Rosemary is relatively difficult to grow indoors, but you might want to pot it up and give it a Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum) blooms in try. Rosemary needs cool temperatures, bright early spring. The dropping bell-shaped flowers are sunlight and soil kept lightly moist. Annual herbs, white, tipped with green and possess a sweet violet such as dill and coriander, survive for a single like fragrance. Plants grow best in partial shade to season and will be killed with the first frost. There full sun and are generally 6-inches tall. Plant in isn’t much you can do about this, but be sure to pull large masses in rock gardens or borders. the dead herbs and clear the area of plant debris. Otherwise, you’re providing a handy hiding place for pests that will make an appearance in spring. Overwintering herbs indoors – If you’re concerned that your tender perennial herbs may not survive the winter, or if you want to continue using annual herbs year round, many herbs do well indoors. For example, you can pot up herbs like parsley or basil in autumn, then move them back outdoors in spring. Some container herbs can also be given winter protection outside. Crocuses (Iridaceae) is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family, comprising 90 species of perennials growing from corms. Flower colors include; yellow, blue, lavender and purple. Crocus do well in both full and partial sun. The 3 to 6-inch tall plants are good in rock gardens and borders, but do not plant them in the lawn. The plants will not have had enough time to die back naturally before the grass will need to be mowed. Thus they will not have enough energy to bloom next year. Plant them in groups of a dozen or more to get the maximum effect. Try something new in the way of Spring Flowering Bulbs Tulips and daffodils are spring favorites in Iowa. But there are many more spring flowering bulbs that you can choose from. Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa luciliae) are among the earliest spring flowering bulbs. Flowers are star shaped, bright blue with white centers. They do well in rock gardens, borders and edgings. The 6-inch plants prefer sunny sites. There is also a white and pink varieties. Grape Hyacinth (Muscari) are small plants which produce 6 to 9-inch spikes of dense, most 3 commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers resembling species originate from East Asia and the center of bunches of grapes in the spring. The common diversity is in China. Countless horticultural name for the genus is grape hyacinth, but they varieties and cultivars exist. They are one of the should not be confused with hyacinths. The most popular fall garden flowers. Most varieties are American Grape Hyacinth is the most widely easy to grow with their basic needs being full sun, planted species because of its vigor and large rich soil, good drainage, and good air circulation.