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Force Paperwhite Narcissus now for blooms on New Year's Eve.

Paperwhite narcissus are the easiest and fastest bulb you can force to bloom indoors.  It only takes about six weeks for the flowers to open.  Bulbs are in stores right now and have been for weeks.  If you start a batch of bulbs every two weeks, you can have a continuous supply of blooms for months.

If you start a batch today, they will bloom in time for New Year’s Eve.  Their fragrant and delicate white flowers give New Year’s Eve its own special look and ambiance—part of the holiday season, but a little different from the Christmas decorations.

Paperwhite narcissus are much easier to force than tulips or daffodils because paperwhites don’t require near-freezing temperatures to produce flowers.  While paperwhites will flower if kept at room temperature, they will be more robust if grown on at slightly lower temperatures.

Pot the bulbs in either indoor potting soil or smooth gravel.  Fill the pot about halfway with growing medium.  Place the bulbs, pointed side up, on top of the soil or gravel.  Put in as many bulbs as you can, with their sides barely touching.  Add more soil or gravel, leaving the top third of the bulbs exposed above the surface.  Water well.

If you’re using gravel as a growing medium, use a watertight pot and keep the water level just below the bottom of the paperwhite narcissus bulbs, so only their roots are in the water.  If you are using soil as a growing medium, use a pot with a drainage hole in the bottom.

Let bulbs grow for about five weeks at a temperature in the upper 50’s to lower 60’s in dim light, until flower buds form.  Water regularly.  When buds form, move the pots to a more brightly lit area, ideally the spot you plan to display them.

The warmer the temperature, the sooner the flowers will fade.  To prolong the blooms of your paperwhite narcissus, put the pot in a cool room or even a refrigerator overnight.

Paperwhites are very fragrant and their scent will perfume an entire room.

Harvest fall greens like kale until the snow flies with season-extending protection.

Gardeners, especially in short-growing-season northern climates, are always looking for ways to extend their growing season.

There are a number of ways to get a few more weeks of growth in fall.  Some are simple, others more complex.  Some provide a little protection from frost, others can keeps plants alive and growing (albeit slowly) even if there is snow on the ground.

The original season extender was simply a jar overturned atop a plant.  These morphed into bell-jars, or cloches.  Because of size constraints, cloches are of limited use when extending the gardening season in fall.

The light-weight, insulating “floating” row covers available today are a high-tech replacement for old sheets, blankets, and tablecloths used yesterday by our ancestors and used today by thrifty gardeners everywhere.

A more involved, or “engineered” version of a row cover is a hoop and plastic row cover.  Lengths of rebar are slipped into PVC pipe and the ends inserted in the ground on either side of the row of plants, forming a half-hoop.  These hoops are placed every few feet and the row is covered with a sheet of thick plastic.  The plastic sheeting is removed during the day.

A cold frame is a bottomless box placed in a sheltered location that receives sun all day.  The top is usually an old window, fastened to the frame with hinges.  Seeds or seedlings are planted right into the soil.  The top of the frame is opened on warm, sunny days to keep the plants from overheating.  It is closed at night to keep the heat in and provide nighttime protection from freezing temperatures.

Thermal solar heating can be used in a cold frame by painting old milk jugs black and filling them with water.  Placed inside the cold frame, they absorb the sun’s heat during the day and release it at night, adding a few more degrees to the range in which the plants will continue to survive.

A step further is to create a “hot bed” out of a cold frame by either installing an electric heating cable in the soil of the cold frame or burying an eight inch layer of manure about six inches below the surface.

Depending on the severity of your winters, these methods can extend your growing season from several weeks to several months beyond normal.  In mild winter climates, you may be able to grow all winter using a cold frame with a hot bed.

Watermelon radishes

Watermelon radishes are one of those odd-colored vegetables you buy so it looks good on your table.  After you taste it you buy it because it tastes good.

I admit I bought seeds last spring because I liked the way they look—creamy white skins with green underneath and the interior a delicious looking pink, just like a watermelon.

According to the seed package they take 65 days to mature, twice as long as regular garden radishes.  I eagerly planted them, looking forward to pink fleshed radishes ready to eat just when the regular garden variety radishes were all picked and eaten.

Locally, our spring weather was cold, wet and dreary long past the usual time, then the weather turned hot and dry to the point of a drought.  Most of the radishes bolted before they could fully mature.  I was able to find a couple of a size large enough to eat.  They were very tasty.

Because it was the first time I had ever grown them, I left the watermelon radishes growing to observe their growth and give them a chance to set seed.  The seeds were fully mature in about 45 days after the flower stalks shot up.

Watermelon radishes are an heirloom variety of Daikon radishes. In Chinese they are called Shin-Ri-Mei, which means “Beauty in the Heart.”  Its Latin name is Raphanus sativus acanthiformis.

Watermelon radishes taste milder than most radishes and their taste mellows as they mature, in contrast to other radish varieties.

Plant watermelon radishes from early to late spring, planting every two weeks for a continuous harvest.  They like a fairly rich soil and plenty of water at all stages of their growth.  Plant seeds evenly about 1/2 inch deep in rows 6 inches apart.  Firm soil.  When seedlings are an inch high, thin to stand about 2 inches apart.

If you love radishes, grow watermelon radishes for a month or more worth of radishes after the regular garden variety of radishes have finished.  Watermelon radishes can be eaten raw or cooked.  They can be roasted, stir-fried, or added to soups and stews.  Their unusual color is a welcome addition to the relish tray.

From now on, just like regular garden variety radishes, watermelon radishes will always have a place in my vegetable garden.

Celeriac tastes much better than it looks.

Celeriac is sometimes called “knob celery.”  It tastes like celery with a slight undertone of parsley, but its texture is more creamy, similar to a potato.  Celeriac is bred from wild celery and originated in Europe.  It is a member of the Umbellifrae family and its Latin name is Apium gravelons rapaceum.  Like most root crops, it is a true biennial, but grown as an annual.

Before the 1500’s celeriac was used almost exclusively as a medicinal plant.  After that, references to celeriac as a vegetable are found in many written works.

Celeriac needs a long season to reach maturity—up to 200 days.  Start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost.  The seeds are slow to germinate and once they do, the seedlings are slow to get growing.  When they do start go grow, transplant into larger pots and grow on until transplanting in the garden after your last spring frost.

Space the seedlings 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 18 to 24 inches apart.  Celeriac likes full sun but is not overly particular in its soil requirements.  It is tolerant of many soil types but does best in soil which was improved the previous year.  Provide consistent moisture and fertilize monthly with a low nitrogen fertilizer.  Unlike stalk celery, celeriac does not require blanching.

Celeriac roots grow to about 4 inches in diameter, but begin to harvest when the roots reach about 2 inches in diameter.  Celeriac is sensitive to fall frosts but will store well in plastic bags in conditions similar to other root crops.

Although celeriac takes a long time to reach maturity, it does not require the labor-intensive blanching that regular celery does and lasts longer in storage.  For an easy, low maintenance crop, celeriac gives you great celery taste, with no strings.

Rutabagas are a low maintenance crop.

Called a “swede” by shoppers and gardeners everywhere, the name “rutabaga” is derived from the word “rotbagga,” the Swedish word for a thick root.  Rutabagas are classified botanically as Brassica napus.  They are a cross between a wild cabbage and a turnip, and are thought to originate in Bohemia as recently as the 1600’s.

Rutabagas have historically been planted as a crop to feed livestock.  Their spreading leaves shade the ground and discourage weeds.  Because they grow so close to the surface, they make a good “foraging” crop—the livestock dig the roots themselves.

Grown as an annual but actually a biennial, rutabagas are a perfect crop for late fall harvest.  They are very hardy and can be left in the ground until freezing weather sets in for good, as late as Thanksgiving in the far northern areas of the United States.

Rutabagas mature in 80 to 100 days.  Plant so the roots mature about a week before to about 6 weeks after your first fall frost.  In most of the United States, plant rutabagas from late May to late June.

Sow seeds of rutabagas about 1/2 inch deep, 2 to 4 inches apart in rows 18 to 24 inches apart.  Thin plants to about 8 inches apart.  Rutabagas do best in soil which was improved the previous year.

Rutabagas can reach 6 to 8 inches in diameter, but the smaller ones are more tender and flavorful.  Begin harvesting when the roots reach about 2 inches in diameter.  The greens of rutabagas can be eaten; most often they are cooked and eaten like spinach.

Rutabagas will keep about four months if properly stored in a root cellar environment.

Grow turnips--you'll love them.

Turnips have gotten a bad rap over the years.  Misunderstood and much-maligned, turnips are actually a very tasty and sweet vegetable (especially when kissed by fall frosts).  Turnips withstand even moderate frosts and are a good crop to plant for a late fall harvest.

Turnips are more properly called Brassica rapa, and varieties include round, long cylindrical, and flat.  The tops make excellent greens and some varieties have been bred only for their tops.

Turnips like cool weather.  Sow in early spring for an early summer harvest and again in late summer for a fall harvest.  Sow seeds for a fall crop approximately 8 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost.  Depending on the variety, turnips mature in 35 to 85 days, with greens maturing at the lower end of the range.

Good companion plants for turnips are peas and onions.  Do not plant turnips in the same spot two years in a row and do not plant where rutabagas or radishes grew the previous year.  Turnips can, however, be broadcast seeded for a fall crop where early potatoes, cabbage, beets, or peas have grown and already been harvested.  They can also be broadcast seeded between rows of corn.

To prevent turnips from turning woody, plant in rich, improved soil and water consistently.  To encourage root development, use a fertilizer low in nitrogen; to encourage green leafy tops, use a fertilizer high in nitrogen.  Plant seeds 1/2 inch deep, 1 inch apart in rows 12 to 24 inches apart.  When seedlings are 4  inches high, thin to 2 to 4 inches apart.  Use the thinned plants like greens.

If growing varieties for greens only, the leaves can be cut when they are approximately 4 to 6 inches in size and will re-grow several times if cut off at ground level.

Begin harvesting turnips when they are golf ball size.  Once they reach about the size of a tennis ball, they’ve already become tough, bitter and woody.  When they reach the proper size in fall, harvest, cut off the tops, and store in a cool place.  If left in the ground, they will continue to grow and may become woody.  Turnips can be dipped in cool (not hot) wax to prevent moisture loss in storage.

Turnips grow wild in Siberia and have been eaten since prehistoric times.  Cooked or eaten raw in salads, turnip roots and greens give a very respectable return on their use of garden space.

Carrots are loved by all ages.

Carrots started out centuries ago as a bitter, pithy root and have been bred and selected to grow orange and sweet, popular all around the globe.  Carrots date back at least 5,000 years.  Pollen from carrots dating back even further has been found at neolithic sites.  The Latin name for carrots is Daucus Carota, a member of the Umbelliferae family.  The word “Carota” appears in writings dating back to 200 AD.

Carrots started out as red, purple or yellow in color.  The Dutch, in an effort to pay homage to their royal family, The House of Orange, bred orange carrots.  These Dutch-bred orange carrots are the ancestors of our modern carrots.

Carrots will grow in soil that is left unimproved after harvesting another crop for which the soil was improved.  They like a sandy, well drained soil free from rocks.  If you have clay soils you’ll have better luck with round or “half-long” type carrots.  Carrots even grow well in containers, as long as the container is twice as deep as the length of the carrots at maturity.

Sow seeds two weeks before your last frost.  The seeds will germinate faster and at a higher rate the warmer the soil is when they are planted.  Make successive plantings every two weeks until mid-summer.  Sow rather thickly and thin successively to a final spacing of 2 to 3 inches apart.  The later, larger “thinings” can be eaten as baby carrots.

Feed carrots plenty of potassium, (the third number on the fertilizer label), and go easy on the nitrogen (first number on the fertilizer label).  Too much nitrogen can cause the carrots to branch and fork and makes the roots hairy and fibrous.

Carrots are a good companion plant for tomatoes.  Both vegetables will benefit, growing lush green foliage and producing succulent tomatoes and carrots.

Home grown carrots are remarkably better tasting than grocery store varieties.  Children often dig them up, brush the dirt off, and eat the carrot with the greens hanging down, like a certain cartoon bunny.  I know I did.

Radicchio is sweetest in cool fall weather.

Radicchio is gaining popularity in America and more gardeners are growing it than ever before.  Radicchio is a natural for fall harvesting because cool fall weather sweetens and mellows its spicy, somewhat bitter flavor.

Radicchio has been cultivated for hundreds of years in Italy.  In America, most of us have only seen or eaten radicchio as part of green salad mixes.  Its slightly bitter taste spices up the salad mix while its white-veined red leaves add visual interest.

A member of the Asteraceae family, radicchio is really a chicory, specifically Cichorium intybus.  Its roots can be dried, ground and added to coffee grounds like other chicory varieties.  Chicory root is known to kill intestinal worms and has been used as a folk remedy to treat parasites.

For best results grow radicchio in a fairly rich garden soil similar to lettuce and other greens.  Plant 8 to 12 inches apart in rows 16 to 24 inches apart.  Radicchio matures in about 80 days.  Direct seeding is the preferred method of cultivation.  Provide consistent amounts of water because radicchio becomes more bitter with inconsistent moisture levels.

An elaborate method to “red up” the heads of radicchio is to submerge them in water in a dark root cellar environment.  An easier method for the home gardener is to cover the heads of radicchio, while still on the plants, with paper bags or overturned pots.

Radicchio grows best as a crop for a fall harvest.  The cool fall weather improves its flavor significantly.  The plants themselves are quite hardy and with protection will hold in the garden well into cold weather when nearly everything else is finished for the season.  If you cut the head of radicchio right at ground level, leave the roots in the ground, and protect the plant from freezing, it will grow another head of radicchio.  Depending on your climate and the severity of your winter, this procedure can be repeated again and again.

Grilling or roasting brings out the sweetness of radicchio and mellows its bitter, spicy flavor.  Grill it whole or separate the leaves and wrap them around meats or other vegetables and then grill or roast the little packages.

While radicchio will continue to be a part of salad greens mixes, it is becoming more popular as a vegetable in its own right.

French Marigolds come in yellows, oranges, rusts, and striations of warm colors.

Marigolds are one of the most popular annual bedding plants.  Available virtually everywhere garden plants are sold, they’re one of the most-grown annuals in America.

Two different types of marigolds are commonly grown in gardens and container gardens:  French and African.  French marigolds, Tagetes patula, grow 6 to 12 inches high with small flowers which bloom until killed by frost.  African marigolds, Tagates erecta, grow to about 3 feet high with larger flowers than the French type.  African marigolds have a shorter blooming season than French; they stop producing in the cooler temperatures of fall.

There are dozens of varieties available as bedding plants and even more varieties available as seeds.  You can direct-seed marigolds, but they will bloom earlier if you start seeds indoors and transplant when danger of frost is past.

Marigolds come in a wide variety of sizes so consult the seed package or info tag to determine correct spacing.  Marigolds like full sun, but will still produce a few flowers in part-shade.

Grow marigolds in rich soil, similar to other blooming annuals.  Remember to dead-head your marigolds (remove faded flowers).  If you do, they will reward you with many, many blooms per plant right up until they are killed by frost.  You can prolong their season by covering them when frost threatens, just as you do the tomatoes you want to ripen on the vine at the end of the growing season.  With protection from night-time frosts, as long as the days are warm marigolds will continue to bloom.

Marigolds have a place in the vegetable garden, as well as the flower beds.  Both the flowers and leaves of marigolds have an unusual scent.  Planted at the perimeter of the garden, they can deter small animals from invading your crops.  The scent also repels insects that may attack your vegetables.

Marigolds have so many sizes and varieties available, my yard has featured an entire bed of different sizes and colors of marigolds more years than it has not.  They have rewarded me with bouquets of blooms from spring through the first hard, killing frost of fall.  Marigolds will always have a place in my garden.

Grow your own pumpkin for Halloween.

Pumpkins are perhaps the quintessential symbol of Halloween in America.  Children all over America carve or help carve a pumpkin each year for Halloween.  Next year, try growing your own Halloween pumpkins.

Pumpkins, along with their close relatives, squash, are native to the Americas.  Like American cities, they sprawl all over the landscape and require a lot of room to spread out.  (Compare to European cities with narrow streets and no front yards.)

Pumpkins fall botanically into one of three categories:  Curcurbita Moschata, the squash and commercially canned pumpkin varieties; Curcurbita Maxima, the giant pumpkins for contests; and Curcurbita Pepo, the miniatures and Jack-O-Lanterns.

Pumpkins take a long time to mature, from 90 to 160 days, depending on the variety.  Start seeds indoors 2 to 3 weeks prior to your last frost.  You can also direct seed after the date of your last frost.  Plant in hills 4 to 6 feet apart or 1 to 3 feet apart in rows 4 to 6 feet apart.

Pumpkins like rich soil so add compost and fertilize with high nitrogen (first number) fertilizer in the beginning of growth and switch to high phosphorous (middle number) fertilizer just before the flowers begin to bloom.

Pumpkins have both male and female flowers on each plant and each flower lasts for only one day.  They unfurl at dawn and begin folding in on themselves about midday.  By dusk, the bloom is closed in on itself and sealed forever.

Water heavily, as pumpkins are 80 to 90% water.  Watering is best done with a soaker hose to prevent spreading disease.

Leave the two main vines on each plant and selectively prune the side shoots, depending on how much room they have in which to grow.  Clip the shoots off when they first develop.

You may need to adjust the position of the pumpkins to achieve the symmetrical shape so desired for a Jack-O-Lantern.  Gently adjust them so that they are sitting on their “bottoms.”  Use care when relocating; don’t bend or break the vine.  It’s OK to uproot a portion of the vine to relocate the pumpkins, just don’t break or bend it.

Harvest your pumpkins when the fruit deepens in color.  Cure in the sun for ten days (cover if frost threatens).  After curing, move to a cool place, ideally around 45 to 55 degrees F.  Each pumpkin vine will yield about two pumpkins.

Pumpkin vines can grow six inches or more in a single day and are the largest vegetable in cultivation.  Growing pumpkins for Halloween can be a rewarding way to teach children about gardening.