Moxie Gardener

Garlic Chive seedlings satisfy my need to grow something this winter.

There is no winter garden in Minneapolis.  Nothing that is actually growing, anyway.  The ground is frozen solid, covered with several inches of snow and probably will be for another three months.

In fall when the days get shorter, I always mourn the end of the gardening season.  Somehow, I find myself going through the phases of grief, grieving for the loss of the actively growing landscape.

After the steamy nights of summer, the cool nights of fall are a shock.  Then, the warm days of fall lull me into a false sense of security.  Winter will not come this year.  Or if it does, it will be mild, mild, mild.  A severe state of “cold-weather denial,” plain and simple.

Each morning I ask for one more frost-free day.  So many crops near maturity.  Just a few more anomalous summer-like fall days.  I promise to be good, if only we have a few more hot, sunny days.

As the autumn cool-weather crops come into their peak of flavor, I feel a little guilty about wanting hot summer weather to continue.  Honestly, are we not sick of zucchini and eggplant?

When the first frost hits, I always feel a little anger at the loss of so many flowers everywhere in the city.  Why can’t their owners cover them?  We could enjoy them for a few more weeks of warm autumn days, if only they’d been protected from that early frost….

As the falling leaves pile up in my garden and make their presence known with my every movement, I feel a sense of unhappiness, even depression, at the loss of my garden.  The lush vibrancy it had this summer is no more.

Depression gives way to resignation as I realize that even the cool weather crops have stopped actively growing.

Finally, I accept the end of this year’s gardening season, but only after the ground freezes solid and snow covers my garden.

For the next three to four months, all growing is done indoors, preferably under lights.  This year the houseplants and overwintering Rosemary and parsley weren’t enough.  I planted seeds.  Garlic chive seeds, gathered from my garden in September.

They’ve already germinated and are doing quite nicely under my fluorescent lights.  I expect to snip off enough to sprinkle on a salad or soup in about two or three weeks.

I grow food because I can’t not grow food.  Even in December in Minneapolis.

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Poinsettias

In America, no other blooming plant says Christmas like the poinsettia.  First introduced to the United States from Mexico in 1828, it is as much a part of Christmas as the tree itself.

In its native habitat in Mexico, poinsettias, or Euphorbia pulcherrima, reach the size of shrubs or small trees.

Poinsettias thrive indoors at comfortable room temperatures with bright indirect light.  Kept in these conditions and well watered, Christmas poinsettias can continue to look spectacular long past the new year.

It is possible to get your poinsettia to bloom again next Christmas, although it requires consistent attention (as in every day) for about six weeks in fall.  Ready to make the commitment?  Below are the steps to take to make your poinsettia bloom again next Christmas:

1. For the rest of the winter, keep your poinsettia in bright light and water when the surface of the soil feels dry.
2. Put your poinsettia outside in the shade for the summer, at the same time you move your houseplants outside.
3. It is a good idea to repot the poinsettia in a pot only slightly larger than the one in which it is growing, using indoor potting soil.
4. Prune the end of each branch to just above a leaf node.  This will cause the poinsettia to branch out and form a more lush plant.
5. Beginning in mid-September, the plant must receive twelve hours of complete darkness every night for at least six weeks.  Complete darkness.  The light from a city street light will cause the poinsettia to fail to bloom.  The best way to provide complete darkness is to put the plant in a closet or cover with a light proof box every night for at least twelve hours. During the day, put your poinsettia in bright, indirect light at comfortable room temperatures.  Also, cut down on the amount of water you give the plant during this time, but not so much that the leaves wilt.
6. At the end of October, or after about six weeks of total nighttime darkness, you should notice buds swelling at the tips of the branches.  You can now grow your poinsettia in normal indoor conditions, along with your other houseplants.  The buds will open to reveal tiny yellow flowers, and the red-colored bracts, which are actually leaves, will slowly emerge.

That’s it.  Not terribly difficult, but it does require dedication during those six weeks of nighttime darkness.  Why not give a try to cultivating your poinsettia to bloom again next Christmas?