 Canning, Freezing, Pickling & Storing
Apples
Apples can be dehydrated easily in the oven and then stored in plastic bags in the freezer
Berries
All berries can be easily frozen or made into jam or preserves. Berries appropriate for drying include raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
Herbs
Herbs can be easily dried by tying their stems together and hanging them upside down in a cool, dark, dry space.
Peppers
Bell Peppers: Cut them up and freeze them on a cookie sheet, then store in plastic bags and use later for soups and sauces.
Hot Peppers: String them through the stem and hang them in a warm and dry space. Hot peppers may also be picked.
Pumpkin and Winter Squash
Pumpkins and squash can be stored from several weeks up to several months depending on the variety. Most will need to be 'cured' before storing. Curing is a process of storing the squash or pumpkin that helps to ripen any immature fruit, heal wounds, and it ensures a longer post-harvest life. Here is a breakdown of storage time and appropriate temperatures:
- Pumpkins: 2-3 months at 50-55°F
- Hubbard Squash: 5-6 months at 50-55°F
- Acorn Squash: 5-8 weeks at 50°F
- Butternut Squash: 2-3 months at 50°F
Tomatoes
Tomatoes can be frozen, canned or dried which makes them very versatile. To freeze just blanch the tomatoes, cut them up and freeze in plastic bags, or you can roast the tomatoes and then freeze once they've cooled. You may can whole blanched tomotoes, tomato sauce or salsa and store at room temperature. Dry tomoatoes in a food dehydrator or in a 250° oven for a few hours, then freeze.
Preserving your garden produce is easy! And what better time to enjoy garden vegetables than on a cold day in January! Call Georgia with any preserving questions you may have.
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Fall Flowers
Hardy Minnesota Mums - Perenniel:
All Seasons Garden Center is home to the biggest Fall blooming mums in the area! Our mums are grown on site and are never shipped in. Unlike many of your "big box" stores, we do not force our mums into color, they come into color naturally, usually in September. Because they come into bloom naturally, their quality holds up better into the beginning winter months, lasting as long as Thanksgiving. So switch out your fading annual pots with fresh new mums, give your front door or patio a refreshing face lift or surprise a friend with a mum gift! They have a cushion habit and may grow to shrub size by their second year. Trim mums back after Thanksgiving, 4"-6" from the ground, and enjoy their Fall colors! Stop in early Autumn...they do go fast!
All Seasons also has an assortment of Fall color pots, European Gardens, Fall grasses, Flowering Kale & Ornamental Peppers, not to mention pumpkins and gourds, Oh My!
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Fall Gardening Checklist
- Divide spring and summer blooming perennials.
- Plant new spring blooming bulbs and perennials.
- Remove weeds from perennial beds. Leave perennial foliage to die back, this will provide additional water protection.
- Dig up tender bulbs such as dahlia, canna and gladioli after a light freeze. Store in a cool, dark space.
- Transplant shrubs or young trees to new locations.
- Keep watering newly planted trees and shrubs, especially evergreens, until the ground freezes.
- Spread winter mulch over trees and shrubs, using up to 6 inches of organic material like mulch or peat moss.
- Fertilize young trees and shrubs that have been in the ground for at least a year after freeze up.
- Protect grafted roses by mounding mulch or soil 10-12" deep - do not apply until ground is near freezing.
- Winterize hydrangeas after leaf drop by mounding soil to cover the lower 2-3 buds on each stem.
- Fertilize your lawn in September and again in November.
- Mow grass short for the final cut of the year.
- Clean out birdhouses.
- Come into All Seasons to find your best fertilizers, mulch, etc....!
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Garden Bed Clean Up
One way to save yourself time and work, is to pull up any dead plants as soon as you see them starting in summer. This goes for any vegetable or flower gardens and pulling dead plants from flower beds will allow you good time to replace any perennials. Discard any diseased plants and cut off old flower stalks.
If you have tilled your garden, let it air out for at least a week before adding a layer of compost and mulch to your garden. Leaves work well.
Mulch around any perennials will help keep the ground's temperature even during times of fluctuations which are common in our area.
Water your plants and trees thoroughly so the soil around their roots are moist going into winter.
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Growing Fresh Air
Many people think of air pollution as an out-of-doors phenomenon, but in many homes and buildings spaces are not well-ventilated in an effort to reduce energy loss; in this type of environment materials used in construction have been found to release toxins into the air. Why spend money on expensive air purifiers when you can purchase a couple house plants? They do the same basic thing: detoxify and oxygenate your air.
Indoor plants are not only decorative but they also filter out air impurities such as formaldehyde and carbon monoxide, thus contributing to a healthier indoor environment, be it home or office.
Here are some of the best purifying plants:
- Peace Lily
- Dracaena
- Ivy
- Chinese Evergreen
- Ficus
- Spider Plant
- Pothos
- Snake Plant
- Philodendron
All Seasons carries these plants and more all year round.
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Planting Spring Bulbs
All Seasons gets bulbs in late summer and they may be planted from mid-September on up until the ground freezes. Did you know that the foliage and flower bud are already formed inside the bulb?
Types of spring flowering bulbs include tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, crocus, paperwhites, and many others. Planting in the fall will allow their root system to developt. Bulbs should be planted in a good quality soil. For best results All Seasons suggests adding compost and peat moss to your soil, as well as bone meal and bulb food at the time of planting. Bulbs should be planted at a depth of up to 3 times the size of their diameter. Water thoroughly, one good soak should be enough. Cover the ground with mulch, leaves or straw, and then remove the covering early Spring, and enjoy those first blooms of the season!
This fall try forcing bulbs for holiday get togethers and parties! Stop in and get the details on how to start your indoor garden and find out other interesting facts such as how to get your paperwhites to stand up nice and tall!
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Transplanting
Spring is the time for new growth, so most people think of planting trees and shrubs then, but cool temperatures and adequate rainfall make Fall a good time to plant as well. The soil may be warmer and less damp in the Spring, and you may have more time to get the job done.
When planting this fall remember to practice these maintenance procedures:
Water trees and shrubs well before the ground freezes for winter. Cold winter winds and sunshine cause plants to lose water from their branches, and the roots must be able to replace that water if plants are to survive. Provide plants with 1 inch of water per week until the ground is frozen, even after decidious plants have lost their leaves.
When planting trees, use root stimulator when watering, once a week for three weeks.
Wrap the trunks of young trees in late November to prevent frost cracks, sunscald and animal damage. Be sure to remove the wrap in March!
Install a Tree Spade Tree this Fall...
...to receive the benefits in the spring! Choose from many different varietes of Ash, Hackberry, Crabapple, Canada Red Cherry, Spruce, Pine, etc. Our trees are grown locally and nurtured throughout the year to provide our customers the quality they expect from All Seasons.
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