Growing Fall Decorations in the Garden



Last fall I bought a trio of mini decorative Indian Corn ears at a market in Lancaster, PA.  I saved the ears and planted a row of kernals in the spring.  They grew tall, tassels sprouted, and quite a few ears developed.  Yesterday, the stalks all looked well dried, so I decided to harvest.

One of the reasons I planted the corn was to see what colors I would get in the end.  The corn at the farm stand was very colorful, some ears were short and burgundy while others were long and slender and included different blends of red, maroon, orange, yellow, buff, and even blue tones.  I was curious to see if kernals from a single ear would result in similar looking ears or if they would reflect the chromatic diversity I saw at the stand.

As you can see, I hit the fall decor jackpot.  A little of everything is represented including some that look like raspberries (probably a result of too few rows being planted and poor pollenation) and others that are perfect little mini Indian Corns.  I couldn't be happier with the results.  I'm just not sure what to do with so many!  At the moment, they're arranged in a tall cylindrical vase on our media unit, right next to Pumpkin #1.



Another mini harvest included some carrots, parsley, and tomatoes.  The cherry tomatoes are from a volunteer plant in my plot.  It's a sweet variety (maybe Sweet 100 that I planted last season) but only a few ripen each day.  Garden Snack!

Corn Serves as Praying Mantis Habitat

I may not get any ears from my Indian Corn crop, but at least I know it's going to good use.  The past few times I've visited the Brunswick Street Community Garden, I've spotted this tan fellow on my cornstalks. Why did I plant corn in such a tiny garden?  Last fall I bought a decorative trio of small Indian Corn ears at a farm stand in Lancaster, PA and saved them until this spring.  Each ear was a different mix of reds, yellows, browns, and oranges and I was curious to see what I would get from their offspring.  So I planted and they came up, survived the rainy-hot-rainy-hot cycle of summer weather, grew tassels, some toppled over, and most are developing very tiny ears.  I don't know if any of the ears have kernels on them; it looks like only one is plumping up.  My plan is to harvest them when the stalks begin to dry out.  Until then, the praying mantis gets to enjoy his own little vertical cathedral of maize.

A few more deep brown Earthwalker sunflowers are blooming on the single stalk that grew large enough to flower.  Both the bees and I love them.

Who's got eggplants?  I do!  One of my plants is nurturing at least a half dozen purple fruits.  They're a small variety, so we won't be overwhelmed by the harvest.  As you can see, the plant foliage is under siege by flea beetles, who are making Alpine Lace out of the leaves.  I diligently squish any that I see when I water but it seems to be a relentless assault.  Regardless, the plant is doing a fine job of flowering and holding on to the fruit.

Seed Dreaming: Amazing Native Corn Variety

I came across this on Mother Earth News and haven't been this excited about seeds since... last winter!  A man in the Southwest US has been carefully saving from extinction a beautiful corn variety now dubbed Glass Gem.  I've been thinking about growing some of the ornamental varieties of corn since seeing a blood red ear (and husk!) at a farm several years ago.  Glass Gem is at another level.  Look through the image gallery for some of the gorgeous color variations that have been cultivated.

As it turns out, there are many varieties of heirloom corn that are colorful and edible.  While Glass Gem may be hard to come by this year (Native Seeds has a waiting list) there are quite a few alternatives out there.  Shop for some at Native Seeds or Seeds Trust and grow an ear of American History!

Do you know this corn?

Seneca Red Stalk is an heirloom variety with deep burgundy husks and kernels in red, black, purple, white, and yellow. I've seen it at the markets and at a pick-your-own farm. It's beautiful and supposedly very hardy. I would use it for decoration but I think it can be ground into cornmeal. Along with a giant pumpkin, it's on my long term gardening goals list.

The Daily Salad

The beans and carrots are coming in and they're adding a nice sweetness and a crisp crunch to our spicy mesclun greens.

We'll eat as much of the leafy stuff as we can before the summer heat really sets in and everything bolts. A few things in the mix (escarole, arugula) already bolted but we ate them anyway!I probably didn't plant nearly enough carrots this year and the second sowing in late May is just beginning to grow. Hopefully they'll survive the heat or it's off to the farmer's market we go.

The burgundy beans are from the same seed packet I've been planting from for the past three summers. Despite the warnings about decreased germination rates in old seeds, I haven't had any problems. I'm also growing corn at the office that expired in 08!