Container Gardening Tips For Fall And Winter

These plants will make it through winter without much help; however, annual ones will do best if you protect them from extreme temperatures.

Year-round choices

Conifers Pine Camellia Holly Liriope Juncus Evergreen sedges Yucca Lenten rose Candytuft Dianthus Rosemary Thyme Sage Lavender Oregano

Annuals

Flowering kale Edible kale Flowering cabbage Edible cabbage Red lettuces Parsley Spinach Cilantro Pansy Viola Snapdragon Calendula Petunia (south AL)

By Lois Chaplin

Gardeners appreciate growing plants in containers because pots are pretty, and they put the garden practically at our fingertips. In spring, it’s easy to fill pots with plants from a multitude of choices. But what about winter when the cold says, “not so fast”? Keep these tips in mind when preparing a bright spot in the garden for winter.

A container naturally makes many plants more vulnerable to cold because soil and roots freeze more quickly above ground. However, thick concrete and double-walled containers are slower to freeze than thin plastic.

Move prized tender plants such as a hibiscus or citrus indoors. A greenhouse is ideal, but any indoor space with a bright south-facing window works. The idea is to keep the plant alive; it won’t thrive. Expect some leaf drop during the winter, but the plant will recover in spring. Keep the soil only slightly moist. The surface should feel dry between watering.

Always water plants the day before a freeze is predicted. Well-hydrated plants endure the cold better than ones stressed for water.

Wrapping the trunk of a citrus tree (or any potted fruit tree) with tree wrap or strips of heavy brown paper will help protect the graft and keep bark from splitting in extended freezing weather.

When a deep or long-lasting freeze is predicted, gardeners can temporarily group potted plants together and even cover the group with a large frost blanket. Moving them under an overhang or into a corner for radiant heat and wind protection also helps. Putting patio containers on a rolling base makes moving easy, not just in winter but anytime for rearranging and cleanup. For heavy, stationary plants, pile pine straw around and on top of pots to create dead air space that provides insulation. This is only necessary for marginal (aquatic) plants and extreme weather.

A sudden, deep freeze following a period of warm weather is the most damaging to plants because the plants have not hardened off. When the

Alabama weather plunges 50 degrees overnight, this is especially hard on herbs, vegetables and flowering annuals. Some popular container plants aren’t usually bothered by cold. Those include hardy evergreen landscape plants such as small conifers, juncus, and evergreen sedges and grasses. These plants can be in containers year-round but don’t offer much seasonality. Punch them up with seasonal color such as pansies. Keeping pretty pots around for the winter isn’t hard. It just takes selective planting and occasional extra effort on the days winter really bears down.

A rolling base makes moving patio containers a breeze no matter the time of year.

Lois Chaplin is an accomplished gardener and author. Her work appears here courtesy of Alabama Farmers Cooperative.

Seasonal Savings On Fantastic Fall Finds E ALAFARM.COM

Simply Southern Spotlight

Classroom Lesson Leads To Legislation On Sweet Potatoes

As they prepared to celebrate Alabama’s bicentennial in 2019, homeschoolers with the Learning Exchange based in Madison County discovered the state did not have an official vegetable. Their teacher, Kristin Smith, seized the opportunity for a lesson in civics, which ended in April 2021 as Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill that named the sweet potato Alabama’s official state vegetable.

Saturday, Central Time Market Station Time Columbus, Ga. WLTZ 38 5:00 PM Sunday, Central Time Mobile WPMI 15 6:00 AM Birmingham WBMA 33/40 6:30 AM Huntsville WAFF 48 9:00 AM Montgomery WAKA 8 10:30 AM Dothan WTVY 4 10:30 AM

RFD-TV: Wednesdays • 3 p.m. Central ALWAYS ON: www.SimplySouthernTV.net

How did your class decide to take on this project of naming an official state vegetable?

Kyra Smith: We held a big dinner for Alabama’s bicentennial in 2019. We were trying to find all the different official foods — for instance, turkey is our official state game bird. But we discovered we didn’t have an official state vegetable, and we thought that would be a fun class project.

Jalynn Whitfield: We said we should do something about that, kind of as a joke. But our teacher, Mrs. Kristin, said, “We can. We can write our state senators. We can make this happen, if you really want to.”

Kiley Ray: It’s something that we produce a lot of in Alabama, especially in Baldwin and Cullman counties. Along with being delicious, the sweet potato is also really healthy.

So why the sweet potato?

Jalynn Whitfield: We did research. Up until that point, we didn’t realize how much sweet potatoes affected Alabama’s economy.

What did you do next?

Kyra Smith: We found out who each of our state senators were, because our homeschool group is from different areas of north Alabama. We all wrote letters and sent them to our senators.

Simply Southern TV is sponsored by

State Sen. Tom Butler introduced a bill to name the sweet potato the official vegetable in 2020, but COVID-19 cut that legislative session short before it could pass. What did y’all learn during that part of this process?

Kyra Smith: It was definitely a little discouraging, but the next year, Sen. Garlan Gudger picked it up. We now understand a bill can still be picked up the following session.

What other lessons did you learn?

Kiley Ray: Before this, I don’t think I would have ever imagined writing to a state senator. We watched the bill go through the committee, through the House and through the Senate. And I think that’s one of the best things about the 21st century — we were able to watch live footage of what was happening in the State House while we were in Madison County.

Kyra Smith: I learned it’s definitely a lengthy process, but it’s not a hard one. You can easily find contact information for legislators and send them letters about whatever is troubling you, and they’ll reach back out to you.

Jalynn Whitfield: If you’re wondering if you can make a difference in state government or federal government, just give it a try and know that your elected officials will actually read the letter. They will actually discuss it and think about it. Remember that you do have a voice in your state, in your country and, ultimately, in the world.

Simply Southern’s segment about this story will air on broadcast stations Oct. 9 and 10 and on RFD-TV Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. Central. For more information, visit www.simplysoutherntv.net.

Wheat & Feed Grain Checko

Enjoy this excerpt from an Alabama AgCast with Alabama Farmers Federation National Affairs Director Mitt Walker and American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Andrew Walmsley.

Walker Walmsley

Mitt Walker: One of the things we’re really focused on in this Congress and in the next farm bill is trying to get a better handle on disaster relief for farmers. Andrew, what are you tracking in Washington D.C. when it comes to disaster relief?

Andrew Walmsley: In the short term, we’ve focused on WHIP (Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program) and getting some relief from losses in 2020 and 2021. Longer term, we have the 2023 farm bill coming up. AFBF is about to kickoff our farm bill working group, which will include all 50 Farm Bureaus and their expert staff. Crop insurance works for a lot of people, and the need to defend crop insurance is important, but there’s also a recognition that there are shortcomings, for instance, when disaster strikes in some areas and for some commodities. So we’re going to work hard to try to address that.

MW: The Environmental Protection Agency has moved to withdraw the Trump-era WOTUS rule and go back to the pre-Obama era rule. So we’re back in limbo with WOTUS. I know AFBF has always been at the front in this discussion. Any thoughts?

AW: This has always been a priority for AFBF, and it will continue to be. We’ll put all the resources necessary to make sure we’re defending our members’ interests, whether that’s through litigation, through the regulatory process or maybe even a legislative fix.

MW: Any closing comments, Andrew?

AW: The next few weeks and months are going to be crazy in Washington with infrastructure, reconciliation, debt ceiling and keeping the government funded. Grassroots involvement is going to be key to ensure the best interests of America’s farmers and ranchers are heard.

Catch the entire interview on the Alabama AgCast. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or visit alfafarmers.org/agcast. New episodes are available every Wednesday.

Forage Basics: From The Pasture To Your Phone

By Maggie Lawrence

From the minds that brought you Beef Basics comes a groundbreaking chapter in the world of online learning. Forage Basics is the newest online course from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and serves as a valuable new tool to Alabama’s livestock and forage producers.

The First Of Its Kind

Forage Basics is the first course to provide targeted information about forage production and management in the Southeast.

Leanne Dillard, the project leader and an Alabama Extension forage specialist, said more than 750,000 acres were harvested for hay in Alabama in 2020.

“Increased interest and demand from non-traditional farmers over the last 10 years led us to create Forage Basics,” Dillard said. “However, experienced producers will benefit from this course just as much as new producers.”

Dillard said there is no cost because the team wants to ensure uninhibited access to the course and its resources.

About The Course

Made possible in part by a grant from the Southern Extension Risk Management Education Group, Forage Basics puts everything from grazing management to pest control into producers’ hands.

Alabama Extension professionals from multiple disciplines within the Auburn University College of Agriculture collaborated to develop the 20-chapter course. Each chapter includes short videos, as well as lists of important resources. Short quizzes reinforce key content from each chapter. Topics covered include: n budgets n forage grasses n forage legumes and forbs n grazing management n hay production, storage and feeding n quality and nutritive value n silage and baleage production, storage and feeding n weed and insect management

After finishing the course, participants receive a certificate of completion.

“Forage use and management techniques are closely tied to location,” Dillard said. “An online course focused on improving forages in the Southeast will enable producers to improve not just their forage and hay production, but their farm’s bottom line, as well.”

Focusing On Innovation

Alabama Extension Director Mike Phillips said the Forage Basics course will be a key element of Extension’s future livestock and forage education efforts.

“Our grassroots surveys over the years have shown that many of our livestock producers really want to access research-based information electronically,” Phillips said. “Forage Basics and our other online courses make it possible for livestock producers to learn from us on their own schedule and at their own pace.”

Learn More

To learn more about this exciting adventure or to enroll in the course, visit aces.edu/go/foragebasics. More information on the Forage Basics companion course, Beef Basics, is available at aces.edu.