Asparagus
Q.
Can I grow asparagus from seed? I saved the little
red berries from my plants.
A. You can grow asparagus from seed. I have
done so many times, but it takes three or more
years for a crop, and growing from seed usually
gives inferior plants. Better crops come from
hybrid plants.
If the red berries from the female plant have
dried over winter, there should be two or three
black seeds inside. Clean them off and prepare
your seed bed for planting.
Asparagus needs full sun and a sandy loam soil
raked smooth. After the danger of frost is past,
bury the seeds at a depth two times its diameter
and keep the bed moist. In the third year you
can lightly cut the pencil-thin stalks. There
are often volunteers of female plants between
rows you that can transplant. However, it is best
to start asparagus by buying roots so you have
a small crop the first year. Most varieties sold
are male. Back
to top
Fresh
Figs
Q. I recently moved to Chicago
from Houston and I miss fresh picked figs. Is
there any way to grow figs in Chicago short of
installing a greenhouse? Will sunny windows do?
I'm desperate.
A. Figs (Ficus carica) are handsome plants
with smooth gray bark and large lobed leaves which
can grow into gnarled trees in warm climates.
In Illinois, with winter die-back, they are grown
as shrubs. They should be sited where they get
some protection from the wind in winter.
You do not need a greenhouse to grow figs, and
a sunny window would not be appropriate. Grow
a fig cultivar suitable for this climate. While
most figs are rated to winter hardiness zone 4,
the problem comes because our growing season is
too short to ripen fruit, which may take until
September or October in a cool summer. Sometimes
we have an early frost. If so, pick unripened
figs and let them ripen in the house.
Alana Mezo, senior horticulturist for the fruit
and vegetable island at the Chicago Botanic Garden,
recommends 'Chicago Hardy' fig, the variety they
grow. They have 10 or 12 plants there growing
in a row and, through trial and error, have decided
not to protect them over winter because rodents
chew roots and stems in wrapped plants and set
back their growth. Their figs are multi-stemmed,
die back to the ground when unprotected, and
get
off to a slow start in the spring, delaying fruiting.
However, if you do not have a rodent problem,
tie the stems together, wrap burlap around the
tied stems, and cover the base with a basketful
of leaves. With this protection, your plants will
have a head start in spring, and you should have
figs ripen a month earlier than unprotected plants,
at least by late August.
Another method of winter protection is to root
prune in a half semi-circle around the plant,
lay it down and cover the plants with leaves over
winter.
If you grow a fig in a large container, you can
wheel it into an unheated garage and store it
over winter. Watch it to see if it needs moisture.
Your plant does need a dormant cold period, but
not a freeze. This is an "iffy" process
according to Mezo.
A fig grower in Highwood claims that rubbing olive
oil on the fig hastens ripening, but Mezo has
not tried this yet. Back
to top
Cucumbers
Q. The foliage on our cucumber plants is starting to wither and turn yellow. They get plenty of water and I feed them regularly. What could be wrong?
A. "The plants may be getting too much water. They can tolerate fairly dry soil," says Tim Norris, owner Spring Bluff Nursery, Sugar Grove. There are other possible causes for yellowing foliage as well. The cucumber beetle may have fed on the plants when they were small and transmitted bacterial wilt, which later plugs the vascular tissue. To prevent the beetle from feeding on young plants, use row covers until the plants get larger. A stressed plant is also open to attack by bacterial wilt. Back to top
Tomatoes
Q. After my father's tomatoes ripen on the vine, he finds when he cuts into them that there is a hard white core that extends through the fruit.
A. "This is a common problem," says Dan Woldhuis, owner, Woldhuis Farms, Grant Park. "Customers bring their tomatoes to me with hard cores."
Sometimes this is the result of weather that's too hot and then suddenly cold.
But more likely it is the variety. Change to a soft-skin, less firm tomato such as 'Celebrity' to overcome the white core problem. I’Äôve grown this for many years and sold it at the farmers' market, but it is too soft for the commercial market and is best for home growers. Back to top
Pumpkins
Q. I'd like to know the secret to growing a decent-sized pumpkin for jack-o-lanterns for the grandkids and for decorating. My experience in recent years is that they get about as big as a basketball and then begin to rot. What am I doing wrong?
A.The longer the fruit is on the vine, the greater the chance it will rot. By September its size is apparent, and it turns orange. It is best to plant pumpkins in different soil each year or every two years, according to Sue Murdock, manager, Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm, South Barrington.
The size and use of pumpkins is determined by the seed you buy. 'Atlantic Giant' produces fruits that weigh hundreds of pounds. A better choice is to grow 'Howden'. It bears well-shaped 10 to 20-pound fruits, the perfect size for jack-o-lanterns. 'New England Pie' is the standard for pies with smooth, bright orange flesh. 'Wee-B-Little' is a miniature round pumpkin bearing 3- to 4-inch fruit useful for table decorations and suitable for tiny hands. Back to top
Strawberries
Q. I have two strawberry plants in a hanging basket in my yard. I have not had any fruit from them although the vines hang down. I give them plant food once a month and water daily. What am I doing wrong?
A. Fertilizing your plant with a high nitrogen fertilizer causes excessive leaf growth. Clip the runners so the strength goes into flower and fruit production. In winter, make sure the plant roots do not freeze in the hanging basket, according to Joni Cotton, Hawthorn Gardens, Hawthorn Woods. Back to top
Fruit Trees
Q. I am interested in growing fruit trees in my suburban DuPage County yard. Can sweet cherries be grown here? Can you suggest varieties of apples, pears, peaches, apricots and plums that are hardy and disease resistant?
A. Sweet cherries are not hardy in this area. Some fruit trees are sensitive to winter cold and spring frost damage to the buds. Early flowering apricots are the most sensitive, followed by peaches. Pears and sour cherries bloom later and are less sensitive to late frosts.
Apples are the least sensitive to frost damage. Apple scab and apple maggot are common pests. Fruit trees require a regular schedule of spraying for pest control.
For a backyard fruit tree grower, tree size is important. Dwarf fruit trees bear full-sized fruit earlier than standard sized trees. Most fruit cultivars need two different varieties to cross-
pollinate and produce fruit.
Midwest Fruit Explorers is a non-profit amateur backyard fruit-growing group. For more information about fruit growing, see www.midfex.org. Back to top
