Corn is technically a fruit — grown from seed every year — but due to its incredible versatility, it can be called a fruit, vegetable or grain.
This time of the year most of us are gathering around tables to celebrate gratitude with friends and family. There’s usually a few things left to handle in the garden before winter settles in.
So, let’s talk about how to run your garden’s closing shift before winter arrives. What are some ways to spread a gardener’s gratitude?
Finally, we’ll discuss some history of plants that are Thanksgiving staples and how they’ve impacted the world.
If you’re concerned about killing things that you plant right now, don’t fret.
Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted up until the ground freezes.
Trees and shrubs are 50 percent off this month here at Robin’s Nest.
Whether you’d like to establish some privacy, or you’d just like to make your yard more appealing, we have a hefty selection of landscaping trees and shrubs to choose from.
We’d be more than happy to assist you in picking plants that will work best for your taste, budget, and yard.
Now’s also a fantastic time to plant large drifts of spring-flowering bulbs. If you really want a pop of color in the spring, take some time to research the different methods of planting bulbs.
When thinking of bulbs, you might picture bright yellow daffodils or striking red tulips, since those tend to be the most popular.
However, there are many other unique, bright, and beautiful spring-flowering bulbs to choose from, such as hyacinths, lilies, and irises.
For planting any new bulbs, I recommend incorporating Espoma’s Bulb Tone into the soil below the bulbs.
For established plants, the Bulb Tone can be scattered around the surface and watered in. Again, this should be done before the ground freezes for the winter.
After the first hard freeze, it’s a good idea to mulch your perennials. Mulching is vital to protect them from frost heaving caused by freezing and thawing of the soil. Acting essentially as a blanket, mulch helps moderate temperature fluctuations in the soil.
When cleaning up and removing anything in your garden or yard, try to leave or set aside a pile of some dead plants, branches, and leaves.
Be sure that nothing you’re putting in the pile is infested with pests or infected with disease. This little, or large, mound of dead plant materials will provide winter shelter for pollinators, butterflies, moths, and other arthropods that are essential in the environment.
Don’t forget that anything you weed right now means less weeds to pull in the spring.
If you have your lawn serviced, be sure to have any lawn fertilizers applied before Nov. 15.
Timing, type, and amount plays an important role in maintaining your lawn, as well as protecting our natural resources.
Since the Maryland Lawn Fertilizer law was passed in 2011, it reminds us to be cautious and not to over fertilize.
Sometimes, it’s hard to find time or things to be grateful for when we live such busy lives.
Slowing down to spend time in the garden this season can remind us of how lucky we are that plants provide so much for the world.
Ways you could spread some gardeners’ gratitude could include helping out your neighbor in their garden, sharing knowledge you have about plants, or even making a delicious meal with friends and family.
Gathering around the table for the holidays would be very different without the foods we know and love.
In almost every household around Thanksgiving, two plants that are almost always on the dinner table are potatoes and corn.
Corn is technically a fruit — grown from seed every year, while potatoes are a consistently producing root vegetable.
Whether in a famous bowl from KFC, in a dish at a party, or on the table for a family dinner, both potatoes and corn have truly changed the world.
Potatoes’ origin has been traced back to Peru. Over thousands of years, Incas learned how to preserve them for storage by dehydrating and mashing them into a substance called chuño (pronounced CHOON-yoh). They also utilized potatoes in treating injuries. It wasn’t until the 1500’s, when Spanish conquistadors brought the tuberous plant back to Europe, then it eventually spread.
At first, many people were cautious and even fearful of potatoes. Which sounds silly, right? Since it wasn’t from Europe, it was unfamiliar. Some thought that potato plants resembled plants in the nightshade family.
Others thought the bulbous, strange shapes to be the work of witches. Of course, potatoes have since spread to be a delicious, familiar staple around the world that most of us eat frequently.
Originally cultivated in Mexico, corn (also known as maize) was much smaller before it was bred to become what we know today.
Yes, it sounds wrong that corn is technically a fruit, but due to its incredible versatility, it can be called a fruit, vegetable or grain.
Similar to potatoes, corn didn’t become a worldwide staple until it was taken to other countries and continents in the 1500s.
During that time, again just like with potatoes, some worried that by eating indigenous foods, that they would weaken.
Eventually, people needed to let go of that foolish assumption, and since then, corn has spread around the world. Although it may remind us of Thanksgiving other times of the year, corn is a part of many everyday products from cosmetics to antibiotics.
And thanks to the hard work of indigenous cultures for thousands of years, the world has since been able to feed millions of people.
Set aside time to be grateful for plants and what they’ve contributed to the world this holiday season. Spend some time in the garden, spend time with friends and family, and set aside time to be grateful for your own hard work and how far you’ve come.
Thank you for being wonderful patrons, and thank you for taking the time to read this article.
Happy gardening, and happy Thanksgiving!
(Editor’s Note: Ken Morgan is the owner of Robin’s Nest Floral and Garden Center in Easton, Md.)
