The plants grow to about 7 feet tall, and are bushy and thick. If planted in a block, they can shade out weeds. They can form a quick visual screen or hedge. We have two varieties. Eric is more sparsely stemmed and has larger leaves. It doesn’t flower until late fall, and then it usually falls over. It goes dormant later, and has higher yields. Craig is densely stemmed and has small leaves. It flowers all Summer long, and remains erect even after dormancy, which comes earlier than the other type. Yields are a bit smaller.

Soil: Tolerates many soil types, but will probably grow best in rich garden soil.

Water: Tolerates very wet conditions. May not produce well in droughty areas without substantial irrigation, though they will probably survive.

Sun: full

Cold: Sprouts tolerate mild frosts.

Pruning: none.

Propagation: tubers or pieces of tubers. Tubers left in the ground are often consumed by voles or rot, and are unreliable, as a means of propagation, in Florida. Plant refrigerated tubers in late Feb. 1.5′-2′ apart.

Pests: Pests are usually minor. They include mealybugs, termites, and deer. Fence out deer, and use organic insecticides for the mealybugs. Discard termite infested tubers.

Other problems: Digging and cleaning the knobby tubers can be labor intensive. Tubers often exhibit stem-end rot, and may rot entirely if left in the ground for too long.

Harvesting, storage, and preparation: Harvest the tubers as soon as the stems turn brown. 5lbs/plant is a good yield. Store them refrigerated and sealed in plastic bags to prevent drying. Freezing probably also works. The tubers can be cleaned with a toothbrush under running water, and the stem-end rot trimmed off. They can be sliced or grated into salads and other raw preparations. They can be baked, fried, steamed, sautéed, mashed, and included in a wide variety of recipes.

Additional references: http://www.floridata.com/ref/h/heli_tub.cfm

All mixes measured in 5 gallon buckets

The EPP Organic Mix

2 buckets aged stable cleanings (horse manure plus straw, hay and  a few wood chips)

Oh yeah – don’t forget to add a good measure of fire ants to make the potting experience much more fun! 

* Pine bark fines from Griffis Lumber on 441, about $22 per cubic yard – or grind your own from regular size pine bark run through a wood shredder – you need about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch diameter pieces, don’t mill to a powder!)

From Michael to Dan

The EPP container mix usually does not contain any lime or dolomite.  We used to put some in for things that like basic conditions, but I don’t think our mix ever quite gets acidic enough for that to be useful.  We’ve generally been having the opposite problem for plants that like acid, although the same symptoms can be caused by too much potassium.

My approach to the soil mixing is like cooking, I don’t like to measure, I just add stuff till it looks right.  The plants growing in the soil I cook up are almost always happy.

For vegetable seedlings that need extra nitrogen, I mix in blood meal.

This information is really not very useful for gardening unless you are doing it all in containers.  Most gardening uses natural soils and adds things that are lacking.  For that you need a soil test.  Soils around here usually need most of the things you can add, such as, dolomite, organic matter, NPK, and micros.  To know just how much of all those things you need to add, you need a soil test that you can get done for $15 at the University’s soil lab. Contact the IFAS extension and ask for a soil sample kit.  They will mail it to you for free.  It will tell you how to collect you sample and deliver it to the appropriate office.  The only thing you can almost never get too much of is organic matter.  Some sources are low in Nitrogen and will use whatever is there in the decomposition process.  Some people who read a badly written pamphlet often tell me “oh, you can’t use that, the C/N ratio is all wrong.”  No, it means you need to pee on it…or add some other source of nitrogen to balance it – blood meal, fish emulsion, any kid of legume residue, synthetic fertilizer, etc.  I also get “You shouldn’t use oak leaves or pine needles for mulch because it will make the soil too acidic.”  Wrong again.  Adding oak leaves and pine needles for thousands of years will make the soil too acidic.  Then you’ll need to add a little dolomitic limestone, and can continue with the oak leaves and pine needles again.

From Dan to Michael

Yep - the mixes I listed are entirely for container gardening which is pretty much most of what I do other than the fruit trees and shrubs I plant in the ground.  Too many tree roots where I live to grow anything that isn’t strongly competitive so most things go in bins, boxes, trays, bags, and pots and I isolate those from the soil either up on blocks or with black plastic sheeting.   For planting in soil its a whole nother ball game.

For the EPP mix I should have said dolomitic lime for alkaline loving plants rather than not for acid loving plants – in other words we don’t use it most of the time.  My bad.  At home I use so much acid to mildly acid materials (pine bark, coffee grounds, compost) I add the dolomite as a default and only leave it out occasionally (for potatoes, strawberries, etc.). So my brain is set in a pro-lime default mode.   I think the irrigation water at the blueberry farm must add plenty of calcium carbonate (lime) for us from the hard well water.  In fact, I think if you stand still long enough under the sprinklers you’ll develop a bad case of stalactites.

Dan

ps – for the true container gardening geek there is a good article on container mixes at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/CN004 .  Some things there are counter to my experience but it is a great overview of things to use and factors to consider.  A bit too deep in theory for most people. But I rather like theory since it is so pleasant to defy it and still succeed.  Like Michael indicates all that is important in the long run is that the plants do well in the mix, not whether a soil scientist thinks it is properly drained or all the ratios are right.

The programs mission is to provide a place where the citizens of Gainesville can participate in a healthy outdoor activity that can also improve public nutrition and the neighborhood environment.

The program is managed by staff, but the individual gardens are coordinated by dedicated volunteers. If you would like more information about the Community Garden program, please call (352) 393-8171.

The links below take you to a google map showing where the garden is located.

Dreamers Garden – The Grove Street Neighborhood Community Garden (corner of NW 4th Street & NW 10th Avenue)

Green Acres Park Community Garden 700 Block and SW 40th Street (within Green Acres Park)

McRorie Community Garden (corner of SE 4th Avenue & SE 6th Terrace)

NE 31st Avenue Community Garden, 1700 NE 31st Avenue (within NE 31st Avenue  Park)

2947 SW 40th Place Community Garden (SW 40th Place & SW 30th Terrace)

City of Gainesville’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department

Soil: It loves wet soil and can grow in boggy conditions but it also thrives in drier soils. Fertilize lightly if at all.

Water: It grows faster and taller in dry conditions when irrigated.

Sun: Full.

Cold: The stems freeze to the ground in cold snaps but the plant comes back every spring.

Pruning: Dead leaves can be removed for aesthetic reasons, especially the frozen parts in the spring.

Propagation: Seeds sometimes germinate if freshly planted, but usually require scarification. You can also divide clumps.

Pests: A caterpillar is known to eat cannas, and can affect the unrolling of their new leaves. It can be dealt with by hand-pulling or a BT pesticide.

Other problems: The tubers can be fibrous.

Harvesting, storage, and preparation: The flowers, tubers, and stems are all edible.

Historically grown in the Andes as an edible starch the huge tuber was usually roasted for hours until it became soft and sweet. We have not seen this particular variety produce a huge tuber when grown in Florida. The tubers grown here are about the size of regular garden cannas. They are best used to produce a highly digestible thickening powder similar to cornstarch. Shred the tubers coarsely, cover with water and stir. Strain out the fiber with cheesecloth and let the cloudy water settle out leaving the starch on the bottom of the container. Pour of the water and let the starchy residue dry. This makes a fine arrowroot powder.

The bottoms of the stems, up to about a foot, get thick and can be peeled and added to stir fried dishes. They have a bitter-sweet flavor and are quite tasty as a bamboo shoot replacement.

The flowers are ornamental and attractive in salads.

The leaves may be used like banana leaves to wrap food for outdoor roasting or grilling. They will impart a flavor to the cooked food though the leaves themselves are typically not eaten.

Sochan, cut-leaf or green-headed cone flower, is native to most of the continental United States. Its native distribution dips into the Florida panhandle, so some consider it native to here. It is one of the favored greens of the Cherokee.

Soil: We expect it to appreciate a little improvement in our native poor soils.

Water: This plant appreciates wet areas, and will probably grow better if irrigated.

Sun: Part sun to shade

Cold: Cold is no problem, though it shrinks to a small ball of leaves in the winter

Propagation: It spreads rhizomatously and can be propagated by seed or cuttings of the rhizomes

Pests: None known

Other problems: Leaves are usually best in the spring. Not a heavy producer.

Harvesting, storage, and preparation: In the Spring, Sochan produces a bunch of large leaves. It is these young leaves that are generally harvested. They can be stored by freezing or dehydration. Sochan is traditionally prepared by boiling and discarding the water. It is then fried in oil and spices, sometimes mixed with poke weed and/or creasy greens (winter or upland cress). Some cooks recommend adding a bit of vinegar. Teas and infusions have uses in herbal medicine, but pregnant women are recommended to avoid the tea, though they can eat the greens prepared as described.

Additional references: http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/published.php?action=view&newsletter_id=1409608353

Top photo: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12146_12213-36450–,00.html

Soil: Accepts a wide variety of soils. It is usually found in well drained sandy soils of North Florida. It is much more common in the slightly richer soils north of Gainesville (around Alachua and High Springs), as a remnant of a nearly extinct community called “Upland Pine Forest”. Some of our poorest sandy soils, where “Sandhill” communities exist, usually lack chinquapins, possibly because of the poor soil. (Areas like Archer, Ocala, Keystone, Hawthorne, Interlachen). I expect you can still grow chinquapins in sandhill type soils, but it might benefit from a little assistance, such as water and soil improvement.

Water: drought tolerant.

Sun: Full sun to part shade.

Cold: tolerates cold.

Pruning: The source of our seeds recommends pruning the tree to a single stem.

Propagation: seed.

Pests: Susceptible to Phytophthora root rot, and may have some sensitivity to Chestnut Blight. They are also favored by deer.

Other problems: The nuts are small. Trees are gendered. Female trees produce fruit and males are needed for pollination. We will not know the genders of our trees until they are old enough to flower.

Harvesting, storage, and preparation: The nuts should fall out of the burrs when they become ripe. Roast them like chestnuts.

Photo by Joe Schibig

Additional references:
http://forestry.about.com/od/silviculture/p/chinkapin.htm
http://fruitandnuttrees.com/allegheny-chinquapin-castanea

View Gainesville Public Edibles in a larger map

Ingredients

8 elder flower heads
2 or 3 organic lemons
1 gallon clean water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 pound white sugar
1 gallon glass or crock
4 glass bottles with metal fastener tops

Remove any green leaves and cut off as much of the green stem as you can
Place the flower heads in a large gallon jar, glass or crock (do not use metal for this recipe)
Heat 1 quart of the water and dissolve the sugar into it and let it cool a bit
Pour the rest of the water over the flowers
While the sugar water is cooling thinly slice 2 or 3 organic lemons with the skin on and add them to the flowers
Add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Pour the sugar water over and stir very gently
Cover with a piece of plastic or a lid so nothing gets in
Leave in a dark place for 24 hours
Strain off liquid through several layers of cheesecloth into 4 quart bottles with metal fastener tops
Leave these corked bottles in a dark place for 2 or 3 weeks than refrigerate till very cold and enjoy.

I hope you enjoy this
Blessings from Sage

Sage’s Extra Notes

You have to use glass bottles with metal fastener tops. Trust me on this: this recipe makes a lot of effervescence and it will blow out the corks. I get my glass bottles from IKEA but I think any kitchen store will have them.

Do not pick the elderflowers by a busy road where lead and other particles from car exhausts can contaminate them.

Do not substitute any other vinegar (including white) for apple cider or any other sweetener for the sugar.

Do not use water with sulfur in it -  if you have well water just buy a bottle of distilled water for this recipe.